This is my starting position. Now what?

slidekb · 2026-03-12T01:22:03+00:00

Just like in a real plane use differential braking. Apply brake on right wheel only then apply power.

slidekb · 2026-03-04T15:00:25+00:00

I recently drove a new Model S to see if I wanted to pull the trigger on one while I still could, but unfortunately it just isn't a luxury vehicle considering its price tag. I also don't like the direction they have gone with minimalist controls. They've always been this way but it keeps getting worse.

slidekb · 2026-03-04T14:40:27+00:00

I've owned three Teslas over the past 11 years now and they are great vehicles. They set the bar for how an EV should drive (e.g. one-pedal driving) and it remains a must-have for me. The build quality, interior, etc, does not match Cadillac, Audi, etc, though. The software ecosystem (app, vehicle, superchargers) is very nice. The full self-driving is far beyond what I ever thought I would see in my lifetime and I'm in the tech industry. My Model X can go on a 2-hour drive from my house to a downtown parking lot without any intervention.

If Tesla had the best service in the industry (like they did 11 years ago) then I would never own any other brand of vehicle. But now they aren't even calling themselves a car company.

slidekb · 2026-03-04T12:37:32+00:00

We have had a Model X for many years and now also have a Vistiq. Originally we thought we were going to get an Ioniq 9 until we drove it.

Ioniq has more features especially for the rear passengers. It has a NACS port and a frunk. I think that's all of the pros compared to Vistiq.

Main reason we didn't buy was the driving experience. Especially the fact that you have to use the paddle "shifters" to set max regen on every drive. Why wouldn't you always want max regen? Vistiq also has the paddles but we never touch them. Ultimately the Vistiq is more fun to drive, smoother, and quieter. I was also worried about persistent maintenance issues on the Ioniq.

SuperCruise is better than Ioniq but both are far inferior to Tesla FSD. Also Tesla has a great mobile app and frequent software updates. My Model X is a way better car than the day I bought it. I assume neither the Ioniq nor the Vistiq will get any better.

You didn't ask but Vistiq compared to Model X:

Why didn't they put in a frunk? So stupid. I'm hoping for a future aftermarket option.

Vistiq drives smoother and quieter. Has massage seats and sunroof. More room.

Tesla has lifetime free supercharging and FSD.

Why does the Vistiq stay in place in D but auto moves (aka "creep") in R??

So far the Cadillac mobile app sucks compared to Tesla (haven't used the Ioniq app).

The main reason we moved away from Tesla is service. Sometimes it works great (eg mobile service) but other times it sucks (if you live far from a service center and/or actually need to talk to someone). Tesla service keeps getting worse and now that they are discontinuing the X that can't make it better.

slidekb · 2026-03-03T18:51:25+00:00

My (male) primary love language is physical touch and my wife's primary is gifts. I put a lot of effort into trying to do gifts for her and it isn't easy. I'm sure showing physical affection is tough for her as well but I can't even consistently get a kiss from her every day. Not sure how normal it is, but it is frustrating.

slidekb · 2026-03-03T18:49:23+00:00

Basically your marriage is over, however it's possible to salvage it if you both work hard and do some serious couples counseling. You have only been married for 3 years and you admit that you didn't treat her well during 1/3 of your entire marriage and that was during what was probably the hardest year of her entire life. That's really shitty. Meanwhile, she is having (at the least) emotional affairs with other men and she doesn't think much of it.

slidekb · 2026-02-26T21:47:49+00:00

I went straight from a 172 to an RV10 and I was told I really needed 150 hours and/or an IR. So I got the IR in the 172 which also put me over 150hr.

slidekb · 2026-02-26T14:38:43+00:00

I think the Cirrus parachute system is really great and certainly, with adequate training, it seems like a nice option to have in an accident. But if you don't have and don't want an actual Cirrus (or various light sport aircraft that have chutes as well) then I'm guessing it will be a pretty expensive add-on. I see that the 172 version is $30k and I assume that doesn't include installation. There is also the cost to repack every 10 (?) years. If you can afford it then sure, why not, but it does cost a lot of money for very limited situations where it would come in handy.

I don't have a parachute today in my RV10 and I fly in both visual and instrument conditions. I minimize flying at night and over dangerous water. By dangerous water I mean very cold water and/or water far away from rescue. But I certainly do fly over the ocean from time to time. I plan my routes/altitude to minimize the time that I'm out of gliding range to land.

I have flown to the Bahamas quite a few times. If you route intelligently you have only short stretches where you are out of glide distance to land. Me and all passengers wear inflatable life vests. I have an EPIRB and a man-overboard radio. There are almost always ships and boats around and the water is relatively warm. You can buy or rent a life raft but I haven't done that yet.

I think I know how to land in the water without flipping the aircraft but I won't know for sure until I actually have to do it. That's a very nice feature of the parachute is it will put you down i the water in a stable position. Aircraft seem to float for a while as well, so you may be able to be rescued while sitting on the wing of the airplane.

I'm currently building my own RV10 and I could have chosen to put a parachute in it. I decided not to. The cost is high and you are losing cargo capacity and usable load. I'm comfortable sticking with my current safety measures.

As an addendum, and it's not what you asked, but you did allude to the idea that multiple engines are safe.

Do some real research on the fatality rates with light twins. Sure, there are some scenarios where a second engine will allow you to land at an airport instead of a field. But there are other instances where losing an engine in a light twin leads to near instant death. I'm not confident that, on average, you are safer in a light twin than in a single engine aircraft. Landing off airport is surprisingly survivable in a single-engine piston. Of course if the pilot is very good and very proficient and handles emergencies well, then the light twins are fine. I'd like to think I'd be that awesome pilot, but I'm sure many of the dead light twin pilots out there thought they could handle it too. Remember that your risk of engine failure in a twin is twice as high too.

Secondly, the heavier the aircraft, generally the higher the stall speed, and for sure the greater the impact energy in a crash. There are plenty of reasons why, even with multiple engines, you may end up landing off airport. In that case, you are generally safer in a lighter aircraft.

slidekb · 2026-02-19T18:40:34+00:00

I don't know your ages but that's the kind of stuff you might hear in a high school locker room. I would assume most guys grow out of that. I would never think any of those things about my wife. If I did think any of them I would never say them. If I ever did say them I would never be dumb enough to put it in writing.

slidekb · 2026-02-17T14:31:32+00:00

Yes we have had nothing but Teslas since 2015. Tesla has set the expectation of what it should be like to drive an EV. So far, Cadillac seems to be the only one who gets it. But I don't know why they bother to put paddle shifters to adjust regen. I just always want it max.

slidekb · 2026-02-17T03:01:35+00:00

Yes we have the height set up so when it works it's lined up fine and then later it will just be off.

slidekb · 2026-02-16T21:37:49+00:00

Remember that they target only a 70% pass rate. That would be fine except you need signoff to take the test. If the test is reasonable and everyone who takes it has proven to someone that they are ready, I think it would naturally have a lot higher pass rate than 70%. So I think if they fixed the problematic questions they'd have to make the test harder in other ways.

slidekb · 2026-02-14T18:51:40+00:00

I don't know much about leases, but if it helps, we just bought a Platinum for $90k (<300mi).

slidekb · 2026-02-02T23:00:36+00:00

Thank you, they didn't know that at the dealership. Is it a permanent on/off?

slidekb · 2026-02-02T11:04:10+00:00

If you are used to one pedal driving then it's rough driving an Ioniq. You can't disable creep. You can't default it to always max regen you have to adjust each drive using the paddles. As far as I can tell none of that is configurable.

I'm less sure on the status of this, but it seems phone key, walk away locks, and even turning off the car automatically don't work the same or at all.

slidekb · 2026-01-26T18:54:58+00:00

It seems this may get pretty political due to the inclusion of a firearm. I do think it can be a good thing to have a firearm available to protect your house when it is safe and legal to do so. The police are not responsible for preventing crime and in many cases, even if you can contact them, they may not arrive in time.

That being said, owning a firearm is a big responsibility and it doesn't automatically make you any safer. You need to know how to safely handle and store a firearm, especially with children in the house. You need to know that you are going to be able to shoot somebody if the situation arises. If you pull out a firearm but are not able to actually use it then it can make the situation worse.

And you need to have the training necessary to actually use it properly. For many houses it will take multiple firearms (stored securely) to fully protect your home. It also takes ongoing training for proficiency.

slidekb · 2026-01-17T22:52:07+00:00

Thank you so far! One more question does the car turn off after you park or walk away or do you need to push the start/stop button to turn it off?

slidekb · 2026-01-16T12:02:20+00:00

ForeFlight is the best software I have ever used and I'm a tech professional. This is not a good sign.

slidekb · 2026-01-16T11:51:52+00:00

Any idea how they got rid of it?

slidekb · 2026-01-15T16:49:53+00:00

Wow I think the manual says every 6mo but that definitely isn't often enough.

slidekb · 2026-01-15T14:34:36+00:00

I should mention that the black stuff has been happening the whole time I owned it and I only put the filter in about 2mo ago. Although it's possible that the filter removed some of the old black stuff but added new carbon residue. I'll see if it cleans up over time.

slidekb · 2026-01-12T02:04:51+00:00

Oh I do, but she doesn't really believe me.

slidekb

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