New Trasponder & W&B

Conveniently, the FAA signed off on my transponder STC the day I was flying home after a two-week stretch of work trips, which also meant that my airplane got to hang out in the avionics shop's hangar that entire time instead of getting snowed and iced on.  Got up this morning, took the kids to school, did a few work things, and then headed out to the Airport.  The temps weren't going to get up over 40 until closer to lunch time, so I brought my laptop to ride it out until they did, but much to my delight, the plane was still in the hangar when I got there.

4TV got to ride out the recent snowstorms in the comfort of a hangar

All told, it was about $1,400 to have the GTX-327 installed and the KT76a removed, and to have the LORAN and ADF systems removed as well.  That included the STC certification that comprised about $100 of that.  The swapped transponders weighed the same, while removing the ADF system and LORAN reduced total empty weight by 7 lbs - no small amount in a 150.  That took my new useful load to an impressive 473 lbs!

New W&B reflecting the seven pound shed from removing the ADF/LORAN

I went through a very thorough preflight, and noted that there was zero water in the tanks and sump, which probably reflects the fact that the tanks had been full this entire time.  It seems that when they're not, at least in cold weather, some water condensation builds in the tanks and makes its way to the sumps.  Not a lot - I'm able to get it all out, but enough worth noting.

I did not hand turn the prop this time since it had been inside, but I should have, as the starter struggled a bit to turn the prop at first, but then it caught and started right up as soon as it did.  Once the prop gets turning, this O-200 starts great every time.  The transponder itself worked terrific.  I ran a test on the app for the tailBeacon and it picked it up immediately without me having to do anything.  I used the flight timer feature on takeoff, which I love having.

Bad photo, but shows the new radio stack with the 327 running and the LORAN/ADF gone.

Flight itself was good.  Winds were light and right down the runway, so I don't know if my landings are getting better from the right seat, or if the conditions helped a lot.  I practiced some maneuvers - great steep turns to the left, but I struggled from the right.  Soft field landing was OK, I came up short on my short-field.  Also, I used 40 on the flaps for the short field which I hadn't done in awhile.  On final I had the throttle fire walled to get it to generate enough power to overcome the drag, at least initially.  I looked up some comments online, and it seems that 40 flaps in the 150 is often not recommended just because you can't climb with it, and I don't think it's something I'll use except in an emergency, but I want to practice a bit more with it.

I'm home for a bit now, or at least until baseball starts up again soon, so will try to get even more flying in, weather permitting.

Cold Stretch

Not many posts of late for three reasons: 1) Weather hasn't been super conducive to flying; 2) Plane has been in the avionics shop getting the new transponder installed and a few other instruments removed, and; 3) I've been on the road quite a bit.

We've been having a pretty significant amount of winter weather in the Carolinas of late, including two snowstorms.  The first happened when we were up in WV on a ski trip, and I had told the avionics guys they could take the plane before I left since I was going to go straight from that ski trip onto a work trip.  Even if I had been around, there was too much icing that weekend to fly.  By the time I got back the next week, the work was still continuing, but temps were too cold for an unheated start (as a a rule, I don't start the engine without pre-heating below 40F).  The next weekend NC received a snow storm, although the precipitation dome over Raleigh meant that areas an hour west and east of us got about a foot of snow, while we only ended up with about two inches.  Even if the weather had been good, an FAA inspector needed to sign off on the transponder since it doesn't have an STC, so the avionics guys are just waiting on that.  

On the plus side, 4TV rode out the snow and ice in the heated hangar of the avionics shop, so I'll consider that a win!  I'm leaving on another work trip this week, but the plane should be signed off by the FAA by the time I'm back.  Turns out it was a good time to have them do the work.

Panel with the GTX-327, but sans Loran and ADF

I did go out there today, however, before leaving for my trip to Nebraska.  The avionics guys needed the W&B sheet to finalize their paperwork, and while I could have e-mailed it, I wanted to see the panel with the 327 in it.  Not only did they install the 327, but they also removed the ADF (box and gauge) and the LORAN unit I had asked them to pull out.  While I was expecting to see empty holes in the panel stack and where the ADF needle used to be, they had actually used parts they had around the shop to cover those gaps, giving it a clean look.  The 327 bench tested perfectly, and with the install I get another 24-months on the transponder inspection.  

I was pleased to know they checked a few of the other avionics/electronics while inside.  He mentioned that the VOR worked well, but that the localizer/glideslope had a very weak signal.  That wasn't a surprise to me, as I hadn't been able to get it to pick up an ILS.  The localizer/GS signal comes from the KX-155, and given its age, it's not a surprise that it may have some issues.  I was glad to hear that the actual CDI likely works just fine.  

This is also the first picture I've posted since spray painting the bottom panel, and adding new decals for the switches, etc.  Even though it's intended as a temporary fix till I can get aluminum panels, it really did improve the overall look of the panel.  I have a few more decals to apply, and some areas to touch up with a paint brush, but overall, it's an improvement, and a cheap one.

Weather and energy permitting, I hope to test out the new transponder on Friday, plus make sure it's talking correctly to the tailBeacon.

Oh, and I almost forgot - while the transponders weighed about the same, the shop estimates that pulling the ADF and LORAN will probably get me seven lbs of weight back - and that doesn't include future weight savings when I have the ADF antenna removed.

Unexpected (but good!) Avionics Upgrade

My son and I flew up to KMTV (Blue Ridge/Martinsville, VA) recently to catch lunch at Simply Suzanne's, a spot I've been to a few times.  It was a great day to fly - we had a 15-knot headwind on thew way there, but the same wind as a tailwind on the way back - a trip that splits the GSO and RDU Class C airspaces.  

Enjoying a burger after a bit of a wait at Simply Suzanne's (KMTV)

Not long after departing KTTA I called up RDU Approach to request flight following up to MTV.  Strangely, they asked me to enter new squawk codes three separate times, which I had never experienced before.  Glancing down, I noticed that the switch to the NAV flights, which also includes the tailBeacon, had been turned off.  I flipped it on and notified ATC, and they immediately said they had me now.  Not a problem, but what flipping the rotary dials on my K76A constantly led me to decide was that it sucked.  The knobs stick a bit, and I discovered that I couldn't quickly enter the new code from memory, having to write it down and then program it.  Not a big deal, but an annoyance for sure that comes with dated avionics.

On a side note, our meal at Simply Suzanne's was great - but the restaurant was packed.  On arrival to the airport there had been a Bonanza approaching me from behind, so I called up on CTAF to see if he head me in sight.  He responded that he had me on screen but not in sight, but deviated to avoid getting too close.  When we got in line for the restaurant, he and his wife were in front of us.  We ended up chatting, and because tables were limited, we decided to share a table with them.  Great experience for both my son and I, as they were incredibly nice folks out of Shiloh (Rockingham) not far away.

One day on FB Marketplace, I happened to see a guy selling a Garmin GTX-327, including the harness, backplate, encoder and wiring harnesses.  This peaked my interest, as I have used the 327 before and find it to be a great little transponder, with easy to enter digits and a dedicated VFR button.  Plus I used to set it as my flight timer using that function.  Although I had planned to upgrade to a tailBeaconX once I had an AV-30 attitude indicator, I wasn't super keen on the idea of tuning transponder codes through it.  I checked with my avionics guy on how much labor would be required to swap out my K76A for a 327, which he estimated at between $800-$1,000 depending on the wiring situation.  The 327 itself was listed for $775, so the idea of a $1,500-$1,800 transponder upgrade was appealing to me.  Plus, I don't know if the avionics shop was accounting for the fact that the wiring harnesses for the transponder and the encoder are already included and in great shape.

I pulled the trigger and made the purchase - and then immediately wondered if I was going to be scammed, as somedays it seems like most avionics being sold online aren't real.  Seller was great and got it in the mail quickly, and low and behold, it arrived three days later.

New (to me) transponder and encoder

The unit and wiring harnesses all appear to be in great shape.  The guy had included a video in his ad from the unit working in his 152, and the condition in the box seems to match that.

Not sure when I'm going to take it to the avionics guys to install, but I'm not in a huge hurry.  Matched with the tailBeacon for ADS-B Out, I think this might be a good permanent transponder choice (or at least for as long as it works).  Fingers crossed.

Wrapping up 2025 on a Couple Good Notes

After traveling for the holidays, I managed to get one last flight in for 2025 on New Year's Eve.  It was a flight with a purpose, as the test I had submitted on the tailBeacon had resulted in a failed NIC which is a measure of the accuracy of the GPS.  That was for a low level flight to BQ1, so I wanted to try it in Class C airspace, and with my phone set to airplane mode as I suspect that maybe the cell signal is overpowering the tailBeacon's efforts to communicate with my transponder.  The RDU flight was a success in that the tailBeacon PAR report passed with flying colors, but also a bit humbling because I got a bit of grief from RDU Approach for being a bit more rusty in my controlled procedures than I realized.  First I had repeated back an instruction not for me due to a similar call sign.  Then I thought the controller cleared me to RDU and turned that way, only to be scolded and asked if I could handle being in the airspace.  Ouch!  Lesson learned - I need to go back to planning for these flights like I was a 50 hour pilot again.

Over the holiday I was able to visit Air Salvage of Dallas, which had dozens of 150/152s laying around.  I was mostly looking for the dimmer knob for my panel/radio lights, and they apparently had several.  $50 for a part I couldn't find easily online, and then for no less than $200.  I installed it upon my return and it looks great!

Son and I picking through Air Salvage of Dallas

Since getting the plane back in early December I managed to fly seven times, mostly from the right seat, and I'm starting to feel it getting more comfortable.  Big surprise given how awkward it felt the first several times.  I did noticed a line of rivets on the cowl that helps me align with the runway on landing, and I seem to be over the panic ballooning I was doing, so now I feel comfortable landing on a decent sized runway from that side.  

So how would I grade my aircraft ownership experience at the end of the first prorated calendar year?  I'd say a "D+" though I'm cautiously optimistic about 2026.

So far I've spent about $18k in maintenance on 4TV, and that accounts for the grade.  I was hoping for $5K to get things squared away, or at least under $10k, and I've well overshot that.  Most of that was on account of the fraud committed by the A&P that did the annual and the shoddy pre-buy, as previously described.  I'm expecting a $5k annual in May, but that should resolve all of the initial items.  Still, I flew the plane 17 hours since having it, and with all ownership costs, including MX, ownership, operating and upgrades, my hourly cost came out to about $1,300.  Good times.

On the plus side, the operating cost when just accounting for fuel and oil averaged $32, which means the more MX free flying I can do, the more I'll bring that hourly rate down. Although it's a drop in the bucket, my cost to operate my aircraft for CFI instruction is considerably less than renting an airplane, so that helps take some of the bite out.  

Weather permitting, I'm finally able to do just go fly, and it's been a lot of fun.  We've had some beautiful clear sky afternoons this month, and since you can never really plan on those, having your own plane does make it nice.  And if my kid gets his license and it helps him in some meaningful way, it'll all be worth it.  Hopefully.

Next up in updates is to replace that pilot side window.  I also want to spray paint the bottom instrument cluster that looks like garbage and appl the decals I ordered to make them legible.  A temporary solution until I can afford aluminum panels, but one I think might really help.  That one main tire is still emitting a noise like rubbing, and through troubleshooting I've determined that the COM interference is coming from the alternator - not the beacon.  Having a noise capacitor installed at the next oil change to see if that solves it.

Onward to a safe and uptime filled 2026!

Consistently Flying (for now)

With the airplane out of the shop, I've finally had some opportunities to just go fly, which is 50% of the reason I purchased the plane (getting my CFI/teaching my son the other half).  My job/family situation is such that it's difficult for me to just go disappear for 3-4 hours at a time, and with the airport 30-mins away, that's usually what I'm looking at.  Still, with the major first year maintenance mostly out of the way, I can now actually go up when the weather permits, and I gotta admit, it's a great feeling.

The weekend before last I took my son up for the first time in the plane (he had previously tried to go up when the solenoid issue kept it from starting).  We joked that it better start, and the starter did actually have an issue getting the prop to turn on the first try.  On the second it kicked over and started quickly.  I've since discovered that on cold days like this, if I rotate the prop a few turns during the preflight, she starts just fine, and the issue hasn't reappeared.  We had planned to fly down to BQ1 about 22nm south, which is home to the Pik n' Pig.  This was actually the first flight I ever took my kids on when we moved here, but the restaurant later burned down.  This would be my first trip back since it was rebuilt.  

Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate.  Our airport was just north of where the low ceilings were clearing, and we flew toward BQ1 to check out the conditions.  The low ceilings pushed us down to 1,000 MSL, and when we were three miles from BQ1, I opted to divert back to the north.  We could have gotten in, but there are a few towers at about 1,000 AGL off the departure end, and I was concerned that a go around would have put me too close to them while trying to stay VFR.  Not worth the risk. We broke off and headed back to TTA.  

This past weekend we had a great weather forecast for Saturday and opted to try the trip again.  I flew left seat on the way out since BQ1's runway is 2,538x36 with tall trees all around, so it wasn't the time to practice right seat landings.  Airplane started up great as usual and off we went.

BQ1 can be hard to see from the air, and much like the last time I flew in there, I was nearly on top of it by the time I saw it.  Did a full flap landing, but no need for short field approach in the 150, as I was stopped in the first third of the runway and taxied down to the end.  Found a spot in between two planes and hopped out.  A family was standing nearby at the fence and had some questions I was happy to answer.  Walked about 20-yards to the restaurant for some really solid 'Q.

The Pik n' Pig

Owning 4TV has been a major pain in the ass, as you can tell if you've read up to this point.  MX costs far outweighed even my most conservative estimates, and I have a few more to come.  But today felt like I got a little of that back.  If I were a renter, I would have never gotten a plane on such a beautiful Saturday, and if I had, I would have spent $300 to make this trip.  Because I could just take my plane and go, it cost me around $45 (yes, let's ignore my actual hourly rate when factoring in MX and other costs).  

For the ride back I wanted to ride right seat and let my son sit in the left.  I took him through the start up and run up procedures which he had some familiarity with.  I also let him handle the takeoff, except for the pedals which I took.  A little wobbly on rotation, but we departed the opposite way we had landed (calm winds, downhill and no massive trees at the end) and off we went.  As I'm not a CFI yet, I certainly didn't let him fly us back to Sanford and enter the pattern, but instead flew it myself from the right seat with his assistance.  In his assistance, he did a terrific job maintaining altitude and headings.

My son leading the start up procedure and checks

I need a whole hell of a lot more flights like this to make buying this thing not a good decision (we're well past that), but less of a bad decision.  Today I felt like a put a really good dent it in at least.

Airplane is Back, Shakedown Flight Complete

On Thursday 12/4 I received the invoice for the labor charges related to the annual that wasn't and took back possession of 4TV.  I had come up to the airport the day before expecting it to be ready, but they still needed to run the engine.  I needed to pay the invoice for the tailBeacon install, so that was no big deal, but the itch to fly was growing.  

When I arrived on Thursday I found the airplane on the line with the log sticker/documents from the tailBeacon inside the plane.  No key or other logs which were still with the A&P as I had yet to pay the invoice.  Mechanic was at lunch, but when he arrived I was able to get the logs, cover and key.  I had already pre-flighted the airplane while waiting, so she was good to go.  I could see the new bushings and the portions of the cabling I could see definitely looked better.  

My work/family life rarely allows me several hours of uninterrupted time, and today was no different, so I only had time to take her up for three circuits in the pattern.  She started up perfectly, despite it being in the 40s.  Three hits of the primer seems to be the magic number for this temperature.  It was really a fantastic day to fly - high overcast, chilly temps and zero wind.  Because it was a shakedown flight to make sure nothing fell off after the MX work was done, I flew from the left seat.  My preflight and runup were thorough, but everything functioned normally.

Back in the air again

The flight was great.  Took me a bit to takeoff since both entrances to the runway were blocked by airplanes waiting, but one guy offered to move and I jumped in front.  No winds made conditions severe smooth, and I greased all three of my landings.  This was also a shakedown flight of the tailBeacon.  I could see my track on my Foreflight map, so I figured it was working, but I called up one of the planes in the pattern to confirm that he saw me, and he did.  Flight Aware track track later confirmed this as well.

Track is slightly off, but I'm showing on Flight Aware now

I'll do an end of calendar year reckoning of my expenses and flight time, but at the moment ... it's not pretty.  The annual that wasn't an annual expenses amounted to right above $10K.  All told I've spent just shy of $18K on the maintenance for the airplane, and my total costs are just above $22K including operating, ownership and equipment/upgrades.  Total logged time - 11.1 hours.  So I'm averaging $2K per hour - I'd have been better off with a Caravan (he says with a smile, masking the pain).  

On the bright side, I've only had access to the plane in working condition for about two weeks of the four months I've owned it.  If I bang out some flights in December, it'll help that number - and theoretically, January-April should be smooth sailing (I'm literally knocking on wood) so if I can just fly without any MX issues, I should start to whittle away that that hourly rate.  Just looking at hourly operating costs with no reserves (so gas and oil), I'm averaging $41.57.  And that's the small silver lining here.  I'm not spending $200 an hour, and I'm not bitching about waiting to depart because it's costing me $4 a minute to sit there.  

Hoping to get some good flying weather on Sunday to finally take my son (the one interested in flying) up in her for the first time.  Also need to do more right seat flying and go up again with the CFI to bang out some CFI-I lessons.  

Cheers to being back in the air!

tailBeacon Installed

After getting the initial sticker shock from the annual that wasn't, I took my windows and tailBeacon back from the A&P and told him I'd do the windows myself and wait on the tailBeacon.  Just to get another estimate, I reached out to one of the recommended avionics shops on the field to get a quote for installing the uAvionix tailBeacon.  He quoted two hours including filing the STC paperwork, which was less than the four hours I was quoted by my A&P (which he probably quoted on the high end in case of any problems).  

Since I needed to run up to the airplane to install the pax side window anyways, I dropped off the tailBeacon with the avionics shop with instructions to just hold onto it until my A&P was done with the aiprlane.  Much to my surprise, I got a call on the Monday before Thanksgiving that they had the plane in the shop and had installed the tailBeacon, but were having trouble getting it to send a signal.  Not really a problem since my plane was on the ramp anyways, but I was a little annoyed that they brought it in when I had asked them to wait.

I hopped in the car and headed to the airport.  While the avionics guys were friendly, it seemed that they weren't terribly familiar with the tailBeacon.  In fact, one of the guys had earlier suggested that I needed a panel mounted GPS to connect it to, which he then corrected when I told him that it had its own internal GPS and sent him the specs.

Let there be light! (and an ADS-B Out signal)

The reason the tailBeacon wasn't communicating with their gear was simply because I hadn't configured it in the app.  I pulled out my iPad at the airport which already had the app installed and went through the process.  After a bit of trial and error, it seemed to be reading correctly, and the shop guys pulled out some type of device that looked like a miniature radar unit and pointed it at the tailBeacon and transponder antenna.  Both produced an altitude consistent with field altitude, and I was able to see my tail number populate in the app.

The mag was on its way back to my A&P before the holiday, so I expect it to be installed today or tomorrow, and hopefully have the plane back by Wednesday for a shakedown flight (Tuesday is going to be a rainy mess anyways).  I'll use that flight to check the ADSB-Out capability.