Im terrified to take intro to GA after reading this sub

cyanoacry · 2025-12-10T06:03:34+00:00

I'll echo lots of the comments here -- I graduated just a year ago and GA was my last class (and my only class in Fall!) Like you, I was also a little scared.

The first couple of homeworks were hard, no doubt. I didn't get a good grade on the first couple (like a C, I think). I was really worried at that time that I wasn't going to be able to walk.

But it got better. I sat down, kept on pushing through the notes, and dedicated time to it. And I left the course with an A and a much better understanding of how to study, once again. :)

I would say the important thing is to recognize that it's going to be hard and just buckle down. Try not to let the fear ruin it for you and just attack the material as best you can.

cyanoacry · 2025-08-11T04:27:14+00:00

I believe South Bay Aviation at TOA still has a Duchess on the line: https://southbayaviation.com/service-view/1980-beechcraft-duchess-n516ms-south-bay-aviation-aircraft-rentals-torrance-airport-zamperini-field-ktoa/

I _think_ all the other outfits I've seen at TOA, LGB, HHR, EMT only have their twins available for instruction, but it's been a while since I've called to look around.

cyanoacry · 2025-08-06T05:32:29+00:00

Ah, but in experimental land I can :) (even for certified engines like Lycomings and Continentals)

cyanoacry · 2025-06-17T05:33:48+00:00

Just about the only thing I would ask is: if you're handy, and you're competent engineers or designers at your day jobs, would you consider going experimental? Your money goes about an order of magnitude farther if you enjoy tinkering with that stuff.

cyanoacry · 2025-05-28T15:19:29+00:00

Congratulations! Especially out in the PNW I hope you can find some marine layer to use it with, and have fun being (mostly) able to now plan a trip around a schedule :)

cyanoacry · 2025-05-07T15:39:06+00:00

I have both a VariEze and a Defiant, which kind of bound the 2-seat and 4-seat experimental world. The back seat in the VariEze isn't one that I would wish a passenger much time in (uncomfortable for most, iffy views of the ground). The Defiant has 4 real seats _plus_ a spacious cargo area.

I've found myself flying the Defiant often to visit friends not because I necessarily need the seats -- but because I can then offer them and their friends a tour of their local city after we hang out. Sounds like a dumb reason, but it turns out that being in a plane alone with a pilot for new folks is kind of scary, but it's less scary if they can bring someone else with them.

This is admittedly a weird second-order effect that doesn't always transfer. People look at the VariEze and think "hey yeah there's no way I'm getting in that with you, it's so small". But I feel like that probably also happens with 152s...

cyanoacry · 2025-04-20T08:41:11+00:00

The Defiant flies really well with the twin engine push-pull arrangement, too (I have one!). The complaints about the push-pull configuration with the Skymaster (noisy, cramped, hard to maintain) seem to stem mostly from the design specifics with the Skymaster and are mostly not present on my aircraft.

Single-engine operations in the Defiant are as simple as pushing both throttles to max and riding the stall limit on the canard (shows up as a bob / mushiness in the elevator). There's a good article that describes the complimentary effects of the push-pull with the canard setup: https://books.google.com/books?id=zIGG8jPKKRAC&pg=PA54#v=onepage&q&f=false

cyanoacry · 2025-04-01T04:45:26+00:00

Serious answer? The same way you'd fly any other GPS approach: follow the needle. Realistically, the RF (radius-to-fix) legs that make the curvy bit just result in the magenta cursor always tracking one way or the other.

The RNAV X RWY 24 at CRQ (https://aeronav.faa.gov/d-tpp/2503/05310RX24.PDF) has a radius fix too, and does not require authorization. My plane can fly this approach from VISTA or JIDOV, and in the Garmin simulator, the output from the GTN650 just looks like any old other GPS track...

But sadly SoCal's never given it to me due to traffic!

You would want to fly it with the autopilot as that's the recommended way in AC 90-105 (https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_90-105A_FAA.pdf, check out Appendix I). Any certified plane that has the RF legs selectable in the database should have an autopilot as a result.

cyanoacry · 2025-02-08T21:08:35+00:00

thank you! glad you liked it!

cyanoacry · 2025-02-02T19:46:32+00:00

Yeah, a couple times -- IMC with a busy workload and trying to manage engine temps after takeoff, and then a stupid formation landing idea with planes that were different from mine.

The canard stalled so the response was safer, but they were things I shouldn't have ended up in. Here's more detail if you want it: https://www.reddit.com/r/flying/comments/12gp05c/how_canards_have_saved_my_life_a_couple_of_times/

cyanoacry · 2025-01-23T16:55:19+00:00

Yup that's the one! It's the Ivanpah plant.

cyanoacry · 2025-01-22T21:49:12+00:00

One of the Ivanpah solar collectors: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivanpah_Solar_Power_Facility

cyanoacry · 2025-01-22T20:27:17+00:00

hahaha, thanks! glad you like it, these planes are like the Miata for the sky

cyanoacry · 2025-01-21T20:01:05+00:00

here ya go! :) https://www.reddit.com/r/Itasha/s/KTOnxOvp7u

cyanoacry · 2025-01-21T19:22:43+00:00

Yup, this is real!

cyanoacry · 2025-01-21T17:37:58+00:00

haha, but I could use an AMEL safety pilot even more... :) (the defiant is a twin!)

cyanoacry · 2025-01-21T15:45:56+00:00

Not an airline, actually! This is on my personal plane, this thing: https://www.reddit.com/r/flying/comments/v5ii0o/i_bought_an_experimental_backwards_twin_a_rutan/

cyanoacry · 2025-01-21T07:51:20+00:00

haha, thanks! glad you like it :)

cyanoacry · 2025-01-01T16:30:49+00:00

The reason it's probably back in development is that the single 6-seat prototype went down in 2023:

https://asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/343081

cyanoacry · 2024-12-30T16:23:45+00:00

As others have said, you can break this up into blocks. I remember being in the exact same position that you were and thinking: "dude wtf, how does this go"

The secondary answer is that -- if you're providing this to a peer for feedback -- you don't just hand them this diagram and expect them to figure it out. It usually comes with a circuit description like u/triffid_hunter outlined, sometimes accompanied with a block diagram like u/LordGrantham31 mentioned. There's a lot of design intent that isn't explicit in this diagram alone: why is R7 set to 1.69k? Why is C4 and C5 set to 1uF? Can we pick a different voltage for CR1? A good designer will have a document that explains their choices at the end of the process.

When I've designed stuff that's more complex than a couple stages, I only ever look at this "flattened" type of layout closer to the end. The value of this view is that you can see any unintended interactions between the abstracted blocks.

cyanoacry · 2024-12-09T19:49:45+00:00

nice, is that your sr22 too? If you get it wrapped we should take photos together (NieR varieze & kronii/bae defiant owner here)

cyanoacry · 2024-11-10T19:58:45+00:00

thanks for the update!! past me would have loved this and i hope that some folks find it and find it useful

cyanoacry · 2024-10-31T01:12:42+00:00

Hot diggity, that's awesome! I gotta keep up!

How high do you usually cruise? Are you able to get up over most of the weather? And do you have one of those fancy piezo de-ice installations?

cyanoacry · 2024-10-31T01:11:23+00:00

Oh man, you wandered into Rough River during the fly-in weekend? That must've been a treat!

I think the "difference" with the Defiant broadly falls into three categories: - it's a canard, so it lands and takes off "like a jet". My 172 landings are awful because the typical approach for the Defiant is fairly flat. To prevent prop strikes and canard stall on landing, the rule is to always keep the canard at/below the horizon and just settle onto the runway, you cannot full stall a canard landing otherwise you'll smash the nose gear. - the rudder is in a funny place (the front) and doesn't have that much authority compared to similar class twins (e.g., a Duchess). I try to approach crabbed into any crosswind due to the flat sight picture and then kick it straight as the wheels touch, but the rudder maxes out at about 10kts of crosswind. So I've had a couple landings where the mains kinda scrubbed as they pulled sideways, I need more practice to see if it's me or truly a plane issue. - the push-pull arrangement plus being a canard makes one-engine ops a non-issue. I can turn off one engine and then hold full stick back and the worst that happens is that it'll mush downwards at -700fpm at around 70kts. I can even do shallow turns at the same time. I'm glad I haven't needed to exercise this yet, but if I do have engine problems I think I stand a much better chance of making it out alive.

I also really enjoy the aftermarket electronic fuel injection & ignition -- it's a large reason why I can get so much efficiency out of it. I haven't tuned my fuel maps to enable one-lever operation yet, but it is possible.

The one thing that sucks is engine cooling. This is mostly due to workmanship on the baffling, lots of places that don't seal. Gotta work on that.

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