Bought my first plane:-D

Ahh yes, the first of the two happiest days of his life - the first is
the day he buys the plane - and the next one is the day he sells the
plane...

Scott, on the paint... Buy a slow speed paint buffer at the auto store
and use the Meguirs 1-2-3 system... A couple of Saturdays at the
airport, buffing, hangar flying, buffing, hangar flying, etc., will
tell you whether the paint can be saved or has to go, and you will get
to know your fellow airplane owners that way - and get to know your
airplane...

On the electronics, other than adding a GPS moving map strapped to the
yoke and an intercom box, fly the airplane AS IS for 6 months (to the
day, by the calendar) before putting any major money into the panel...

First, the yoke mounted GPS map will continue to be your back up no
matter what you put in the panel later.. I have a pair and so far
haven't found a reason to pull my KX-170 B out of the panel (actually I
slid in the TKM MX-170 and I'm quite happy)
Second, six months from now the burst of new ownership will be over and
you can clearly see how you have done with the limited panel and
exactly what you need to do... RIght now your thinking is formed by
what you have been flying at the FBO and the desire to spiff up your
plane...
The other thing to do is to add a vox intercom and a pair of noise
canceling headsets... Go to the Eastern Avionics web site and listen
the audio playbacks on the various intercom units... I know which one
I would pick...

On the after market engine and airframe mods... Wait - Wait - Wait...
These are lots of dollars for limited payback... First of all, A
Cherokee 140 is not the machine to tackle Cumulo Granitus with, and
10HP (if that) and some vortex generators are not going to make it a
mountain machine...... Fly North or South to the low passes for going
East until you have a few hundred hours in the plane before playing
test pilot...

Finally, put a quick hundred hours on the airplane to root out the
mechanical and electrical issues you don't see at this moment... Money
spent now on avgas will save you money down the road by proving or
disproving how sound this airplane is...

Cheers ... denny

"Denny" wrote in message
oups.com...
Ahh yes, the first of the two happiest days of his life - the first is
the day he buys the plane - and the next one is the day he sells the
plane...

Scott, on the paint... Buy a slow speed paint buffer at the auto store
and use the Meguirs 1-2-3 system... A couple of Saturdays at the
airport, buffing, hangar flying, buffing, hangar flying, etc., will
tell you whether the paint can be saved or has to go, and you will get
to know your fellow airplane owners that way - and get to know your
airplane...

On the electronics, other than adding a GPS moving map strapped to the
yoke and an intercom box, fly the airplane AS IS for 6 months (to the
day, by the calendar) before putting any major money into the panel...

First, the yoke mounted GPS map will continue to be your back up no
matter what you put in the panel later.. I have a pair and so far
haven't found a reason to pull my KX-170 B out of the panel (actually I
slid in the TKM MX-170 and I'm quite happy)
Second, six months from now the burst of new ownership will be over and
you can clearly see how you have done with the limited panel and
exactly what you need to do... RIght now your thinking is formed by
what you have been flying at the FBO and the desire to spiff up your
plane...
The other thing to do is to add a vox intercom and a pair of noise
canceling headsets... Go to the Eastern Avionics web site and listen
the audio playbacks on the various intercom units... I know which one
I would pick...

On the after market engine and airframe mods... Wait - Wait - Wait...
These are lots of dollars for limited payback... First of all, A
Cherokee 140 is not the machine to tackle Cumulo Granitus with, and
10HP (if that) and some vortex generators are not going to make it a
mountain machine...... Fly North or South to the low passes for going
East until you have a few hundred hours in the plane before playing
test pilot...

Finally, put a quick hundred hours on the airplane to root out the
mechanical and electrical issues you don't see at this moment... Money
spent now on avgas will save you money down the road by proving or
disproving how sound this airplane is...

Cheers ... denny


Denny, Well said

Denny,

Thanks, I laughed reading your post, this is exactly what I needed to
hear

Its very easy to get caught up in the 'new-ship-itus' I guess.

What amazes me is that the aero modifications for the Piper 140's are
actually surprisingly cheap... But yeah- I'm not going to make the
plane into something it's not (any sort of speed demon)... I'm just
looking for a fun little 'get up there' ship at the moment.

Thanks for the sanity check.

Let's get a few owner-assisted annuals under my belt, figure out
exactly how much work everythign I want to do is, how much it is
needed, and go from there.

I _am_ still very interested in getting in there and doing the cosmetic
stuff (a good wash/wax and interior cleaning)... as far as I'm
concerned, that's part of the joy of ownership.

I _am_ still very interested in getting in there and doing the cosmetic
stuff (a good wash/wax and interior cleaning)... as far as I'm
concerned, that's part of the joy of ownership.

You will find that spiffing up your new bird is a wonderful way to
fritter away an afternoon. You'll be surprised what elbow grease and
some good wax will do, along with lots of different cleansers and
degreasers. When it's all done, it'll look fabulous, and you'll feel
like you're going 30 knots faster, guaranteed.

Congrats on the new purchase, Scott. And welcome to the ranks of the
blissfully, willfully destitute... :-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

There was a good thread, about a month or so ago, on things you can
make yourself, for your bird. I've saved it in my favorites...

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.a...886a61818bfa91

I'd like to see another list, or see that list grow, as it is a lot of
fun giving the bird a little love, without going broke!

I'd also suggest getting one of those auto mechanic "creepers", or
making one yourself... Sliding around on your back, on the concrete,
degreasing the belly is not one of those "joys" Jay was referring to.
But, it sure is gratifying to have a clean, waxed plane with a shiny
belly!

Best Regards,
Todd

On 16 May 2006 06:28:15 -0700, "three-eight-hotel"
wrote:

There was a good thread, about a month or so ago, on things you can
make yourself, for your bird. I've saved it in my favorites...

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.a...886a61818bfa91

I'd like to see another list, or see that list grow, as it is a lot of
fun giving the bird a little love, without going broke!

I'd also suggest getting one of those auto mechanic "creepers", or
making one yourself... Sliding around on your back, on the concrete,
degreasing the belly is not one of those "joys" Jay was referring to.
But, it sure is gratifying to have a clean, waxed plane with a shiny
belly!

Shhh.... Don't say that loud enough for the Deb to hear. It hasn't
had the underside washed in three years. My back just won't let me do
that kind of stuff any more.

However as to the creeper, I'd spend the extra money and get one of
the new ones that let you adjust the height and not just the head and
shoulders. It depends on the plane but a lot of them have spots that
are too low to kneel under and yet have spots just high enough you
can't reach them laying on the ground or a conventional creeper. There
you will find that adjustable height creeper worth its weight in gold.

Well, that and a good set of goggles to protect your eyes from the
cleaner...and rubber gloves...pair of coveralls...and the list goes on
Good luck and congratulations but wait awhile for your next sanity
check.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

Best Regards,
Todd