Vectors To Final

A-10C Standby Compass - Sun Shade

noreply@blogger.com (Jason (Photon)) — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 17:29:00 +0000

One of the final items to add to this instrument build (besides the text covers for the lower LEDs) was the sun shade for the AR LED box. I made this out of thin aluminum sheets, cutting it from a template using some metal sheers. My template was created by tracing some of the actual artwork from the DCS sim, and then scaling it to the proper size.

It turned out ok, not perfect but pretty good. Primed and painted it and then installed it using 2 of the 4 holes that were already on the LED box 3D print. I used some heat inserts in those holes to give the screws something to bite, but the holes are really too big for my inserts so had to use some glue to help out.

A10-C Standby Compass: Final Setup

noreply@blogger.com (Jason (Photon)) — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 23:03:00 +0000

Got everything soldered together (after likely damaging one EasyDriver and moving to a backup) and squeezed it into the case. At first I thought the compass wheel was much too high but then I realized the front bezel was installed upside down.

Used an Exacto knife to cut a piece of acrylic for the front glass and put a small vertical sticker on it to act as the reference line. Not super pretty but works ok until I can cut with a laser instead (maybe an xTool).

Getting everything to fit was trickier than I expected, but it all worked out without too much rework required. I used some 5.5mm x 2.1mm plugs for the 12v power plugs (tip/center was positive).

For the aerial refueling LEDs I used some more LEDs that have resistors built-in. They are made for 12v so will likely bit a little dim since I am powering them off the digital out 5v pins from the Nano. Don't have a way to make the lens for those yet so will wait to see if that is the case. So far so good though!

Since I had about 8 wires routed out of the compass box, once it was all setup, I lost track of which wire was which. Had to pull the guts out again and zip tie groups of wires before reinstalling things. Haven't found a good way to label these tiny 22AWG wires yet.

Designed a 3D printed back cover for the AR LEDs (in Fusion 360).

A-10C Standby Compass - Hardware Wiring

noreply@blogger.com (Jason (Photon)) — Sat, 03 Feb 2024 20:31:00 +0000

Components:

Arduino Nano, no headers attached
EasyDriver board to run stepper motor
2x 12V power circuits (for LEDs and motor power) - used computer power supply with ATX breakout board
IR sensor
X27 168 Stepper Motor
3 green LEDs with built-in resistor
3 LEDs for the Ready/Latch/Disconnect box (and resistors if not built in)
3D printed parts from The Warthog Project

Wiring

3 green LEDs, in parallel -> power and ground to one 12V circuit

Arduino Nano (10 connections, plus USB)

D11 to IR Sensor "OUT"
D3 to EasyDriver DIR
D2 to EasyDriver STEP
GND to IR sensor GND
GND to EasyDriver control GND (by STEP)
5V PWR to IR Sensor VCC
D6, D7, D8 and ICSP GND (from the 6-pin cluster) routed out of box to later power the 3 LEDs below this compass unit ("ready", "latch", "disconnect")

IR Sensor (3 connections)

VCC to Nano 5V
GND to Nano GND
OUT to Nano D9

Stepper Motor (open it to remove tiny plastic stop tab, for 360 motion - 4 connections)

Coil 1/A wires to EasyDriver A+ and A-
Coil 2/B wires to EasyDriver B+ and B-

No polarity on coils but if things run backwards you can fix in the Arduino code

EasyDriver (9 connections)

M+ PWR In to second 12V power circuit
GND beside M+ to ground on second 12v power
MOTOR section (4 pins):

A pair to one coil on Stepper
B pair to the other coil

STEP section

GND to Nano GND
STEP to Nano D2
DIR to Nano D3

A-10C Standby Compass: Basic Functions Working

noreply@blogger.com (Jason (Photon)) — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 21:29:00 +0000

After getting the stepper motor to move yesterday I worked on the LEDs and getting the IR sensor into the mix today. My LEDs are green ones that have the resistor built-in, and therefore are expected to be wired to my 12v power supply in parallel. That generally went ok even with my sub-par soldering skills but there was very little room for things. If I had made my own 3D print for the LED holder (or had the original 3D design files) I might have improved that a bit, but I made it work.

Here's the code I used for this today.

Things I learned while copying this awesome work:

Be careful with how wires need to route before putting heat-shrink on them, that stuff doesn't bend well. Also consider the type of wire in use: I switched to easy bending wire for the things I had to route around tight spots.
If the motor spins the wrong way, swap the pins on ONE of the coils, A or B - or use the AccelStepper's setPinsInverted() function in the Arduino code to invert the DIR pin instead.
My stepper seems to skip sometimes when doing its startup calibration to find the nail with the IR sensor. Seems to work ok with DCS though, so hopefully nothing is wrong. I played with the current limiting potentiometer on the EasyDriver but that didn't seem to help much. Left it in the middle setting (the silk screening showing which way adds current may be backwards so be aware). This improved when I went with the 1/8 step mode that the EasyDriver defaults to.
My EasyDriver board requires MS1 and MS2 be grounded to get full-step action. Before I did that the motor turned way too slow and would not align with the heading data from DCS. I ended up NOT grounding those and just setting my max-step count 8 times higher. Was better that way.
Sizing that nail for the IR sensor was a bit tricky because I had to pretty much assemble the core parts to take a measurement - still got it wrong the first try.
I ended up using thick CA glue to glue the nail in and to attach the IR sensor to it's holder. Hopefully that will hold up.
I also carefully used some of that same CA glue to provide a better friction fit for the main wheel that sits on the motor. My 3D print made the hole way too small, and unfortunately I did not have a perfectly sized drill bit for my pin vice - so I oversized it a bit and then used CA glue to fill in back in. I used a spare motor's drive shaft to keep the hole clear while the fresh glue setup - moved the motor in and out of the wheel center hole to keep it from getting glued in. Very fussy.
I could only get one screw in to secure the 3D printed IR holder to the unit. I may use some glue if need be, but likely not required.
The accuracy seems to be with 5 degrees of the real data. Maybe that would be better with a thinner nail (or other obstruction) for the IR sensor to calibrate against. That did improve when I changed to embrace the default 1/8 step mode from the EasyDriver.

Standby Compass: StepperTest

noreply@blogger.com (Jason (Photon)) — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 17:18:00 +0000

Yesterday I finally received the EasyDriver stepper driver and the X27-168 steppers(no more AliExpress orders if I can help it - took weeks to arrive).

I opened up the motor and removed the tiny plastic tab that was keeping it from spinning 360. I soldered headers on one of the EasyDrivers for prototyping and soldered some solid core wire to the little leads on the motor.

After wiring it all up on the breadboard I used this code to see it run.

For the connections: you need to put one coil's wire pair on the A pins for the EasyDriver and the other coil's on the B pins. There is no polarity so the A coil wires can go on plus or minus. I put the 12v power on the M+ and GND pin pair. Then these as well:

// EasyDriver -> Nano

stp -> 2

dir -> 3

MS1 -> 4

MS2 -> 5

EN  -> 6

GND (by step pin) -> GND

Do not connect/disconnect the motor when power is applied. Power is constantly flowing to keep motor still and changing connection when powered will kill EasyDriver.

Things learned:

Where I stored my pin vise (took a bit to find it) 😀😀
Dupont connectors on breadboard wires DO NOT accept solder
The OmniFixo seems to be working well for me
A sharp utility knife is a good way to split a row of header pins into smaller groups - just make sure to hold down each side when you cut else things go flying

More Standby Compass work

noreply@blogger.com (Jason (Photon)) — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 22:37:00 +0000

Did the filling, sanding and painting of the box today.

Got the computer power supply breakout board working and tested it by powering 50 green LEDs with 12v. These LEDs have a resistor built-in so I ran them all in parallel. They pulled about 13 mA at steady state, which is well under the typical 20 mA limit. They were super bright.

Played with an Arduino sim here - using wrong driver board - to try to think though the wiring.

Servo responding the fuel gauge changes in DCS

noreply@blogger.com (Jason (Photon)) — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 22:35:00 +0000

Got a servo SG90 working, just powered off arduino since only running one - just needs one digital pin. Seems to do just fine!

//============
#include <Servo.h>
#define DCSBIOS_DEFAULT_SERIAL

#include "DcsBios.h"

DcsBios::ServoOutput fuelQtyL(0x10ca, 8, 544, 2400);

void setup() {
  DcsBios::setup();
}

void loop() {
  DcsBios::loop();
}

Standby Compass - first steps

noreply@blogger.com (Jason (Photon)) — Sat, 20 Jan 2024 22:33:00 +0000

Started on a standby compass today. Printed out the parts from TWP (Warthog Proj) and ordered electronics he mentioned in the video. Did the same finishing of the 3d prints as he did - started the sanding.

Mounted the electric dewalt sander in the big vice upside down to act as a bench sander. Sanded and rinsed them in water to remove the dust. Will use spray filler and then paint to get them looking better.

Used some of the black M3 screws to mount some of the parts.

Learned a bit about backlighting, TWP has some good info on that.

Ordered computer PSU breakout boards to get to power coming off that. Also ordered 2 PWM LED dimmers to connect to that breakout.

3d prints:

I like the organic/tree supports, but make sure you orient the part such that the top of the tree is minimal cross section. If the tree ends up "spreading out" at the top it is near impossible to break loose - you want a minimal connection at the top where it supports the print. Flexing them with pliers tends to break them loose fairly well.

LCD, Potentiometer, LED, Rotary Encoder all working with DCS-BIOS

noreply@blogger.com (Jason (Photon)) — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 22:23:00 +0000

Learned a lot today trying to get a pot going:

DO NOT have Serial.begin() in the hardware code as that seems to disrupt the DCS BIOS comms
DO NOT have a delay in the loop func - DCS BIOS can't do its thing
When you run multiple-com-ports.cmd watch for errors - if you have the IDE connected to the device the script will fail to connect since it is tied up - it will errors with a message about the device (but the com number will be 1 lowered that what you put in the script itself, must be zero-indexed)
Wire switches from GROUND to a digital pin, not from +5v
YOU CAN stop the bios cmd, deploy new code via IDE, and then restart BIOS while the game is running, so that is helpful
The BORT tool is called ...setup.exe - that is the binary itself, not a setup program
BORT does not appear to update all its values shown on-demand, seems to not be 2-way comms with BIOS - though SOME vals do work 2-way
The rotary encoder I was using would occasionally skip input or put out a double input. It is just a lower quality unit.


  ==<11><7>===============================================/*

  The circuit:
 * LCD RS pin to digital pin 7
 * LCD Enable pin to digital pin 8
 * LCD D4 pin to digital pin 9
 * LCD D5 pin to digital pin 10
 * LCD D6 pin to digital pin 11
 * LCD D7 pin to digital pin 12
 * LCD R/W pin to ground
 * LCD VSS pin to ground
 * LCD VCC pin to 5V
 * 10K resistor:
 * ends to +5V and ground
 * wiper to LCD VO pin (pin 3)

 OTHER STUFF TOO

*/


#define DCSBIOS_DEFAULT_SERIAL

#include "DcsBios.h"
#include <LiquidCrystal.h>

#define POT_PIN A0
#define MASTER_LED 6

DcsBios::Potentiometer uhfVol("UHF_VOL", POT_PIN);
DcsBios::Switch2Pos ahcpTgp("AHCP_TGP", 5);
DcsBios::Switch2Pos lampTestBtn("LAMP_TEST_BTN", 4); // rote enc switch
DcsBios::LED masterCaution(0x1012, 0x0800, MASTER_LED);
DcsBios::RotaryEncoderT<POLL_EVERY_TIME, 2> arc21010mhzSel("ARC210_10MHZ_SEL", "DEC", "INC", 2, 3); // setting steps to 2 (in brackets) instead of default 4 - 
          //get proper encoders to avoid this and other skip issues

// initialize the library with the numbers of the interface pins
LiquidCrystal lcd(7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12);

//-------

void onArc210ComsecModeChange(char* newValue) {
  lcd.setCursor(0,0);
  lcd.print("                "); // 16 blanks to clear row
  lcd.setCursor(0,0);
  lcd.print(newValue);
}

DcsBios::StringBuffer<11> arc210ComsecModeBuffer(0x12ee, onArc210ComsecModeChange);

//------

void onArc210FrequencyChange(char* newValue) {
  lcd.setCursor(0,1); // col, row - zero index
  lcd.print("                "); // 16 blanks to clear row
  lcd.setCursor(0,1); // col, row - zero index
  lcd.print(newValue);
}

DcsBios::StringBuffer<7> arc210FrequencyBuffer(0x1382, onArc210FrequencyChange);

//------

void setup() {
  DcsBios::setup();

    lcd.begin(16, 2);
  // Print a message to the LCD.
  lcd.print("Hello, World!");
}

void loop() {
  DcsBios::loop();
}

Heated Inserts for 3D print screws

noreply@blogger.com (Jason (Photon)) — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 22:15:00 +0000

Worked on inserting magnets and heat inserts for screws today (into 3D prints, for better strength).

I paused the print for the magnet insert and let them have 2 layers printed on top after. The Prusa XL needed help clearing the nozzle upon resume, it did not do that itself.

I sized the hole purely based on the magnet size and that was fine. The magnets were fairly weak with the 2 layers on top so plan accordingly in the future.

For the brass heat inserts: they worked with the dimensions I measured off the inserts - however, I needed to countersink the insert holes (made a surround that was 1 mm more in DIAMETER, 1 mm deep - should have used 2mm for both those offsets). However the extra plastic that came out the top was easy to sand away. Some sort of drill press setup for the soldering iron would have helped them go in perfectly straight.

I used my older soldering iron (basic Weller) with new tips that are sized for different heat insert sizes.

Bought a very nice Hakko solder station for my electronics work - had to order the tips/heaters separately (which was annoying to find out later) but they are nice and sharp for working on the tiny PCBs.

First time trying DCS-BIOS to talk to DCS sim

noreply@blogger.com (Jason (Photon)) — Mon, 01 Jan 2024 22:10:00 +0000

Used the warthog proj video to learn how to use DCS-BIOS to control the switches. Worked on the first try!

Found the Arduino com port in Device Manager under "Ports..."

Updated the "C:\Users\vecto\Saved Games\dcs-bios-master\Programs" file multiple-com-ports (to update the com ports for my Arduinos) and then let it run - the first time it unzipped socat for me, and then I re-ran the cmd to make sure it worked.

The cmd window did not have clear messages but it was working

Used Bort as well, from the same org in github (not the other fork)

Don't download the code, find the latest exe in there to grab

It needs to know where the json dir is within DCSBios - I had that in Saved Games so pointed it there

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsAnP6H9BMU

used the dcs-bios and arduino lib from that same shunkworks org - did not use FlightPanels thing

Based on warthog's notes, I plan to use joystick style coding for all dumb switches so they can work in other apps and aircraft. Will use bios for two way comms, like lights, and more complicated stuff - even though I like coding for it better than the joystick style

I found that if I set my resolution in DCS lower than the monitor I could get a "windowed" version that was easier to use alongside Bort's window.

First tiny steps toward building a simpit

noreply@blogger.com (Jason (Photon)) — Sun, 31 Dec 2023 18:13:00 +0000

I have wanted to build my own flight sim for decades now and have finally started on the process.

Followed this video to get my first Arduino pro micro working as a simple joystick with buttons in windows

Did a manual install of dcs-input-command-injector-master since I could not get OvGME to work

Was able to get a 2 position and 3 position switch working for the A10c2

Hiking to Rocky Peak in Steamboat Springs

noreply@blogger.com (Jason (Photon)) — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 19:55:00 +0000

Did a great hike today that is not in the commonly used hiking apps. The trail is generally easy to see, though there were times that we lost it. There are plenty of bushes and undergrowth draping over the trail, so bring long pants. Leg gaiters might be nice too, just to protect your legs a bit. Many parts of the trail are actually drainage ditches. Here's a KML file from our trip down - we followed the trail much better after learning what to avoid on the way up.

We went right after a thunderstorm had come through the previous night, so got pretty soaked due to the plants being wet.

Found the path to the top and saw 2 moose along the way - gorgeous views for the entire trek. 2 miles to get to the top from the parking near the hot springs with about 1800' of elevation gain. Certainly not a beginner's hiking trail, but not a problem for those with some experience (and lungs that are used to the altitude).

Not Posting Much!

noreply@blogger.com (Jason (Photon)) — Wed, 17 Mar 2021 20:38:00 +0000

I haven't posted here in a few years, but have managed to keep going on the YouTube side. Check out all my latest videos over there.

Since I last posted I have crossed 1700 hours with the majority of my recent time being in the TBM. It has been a fantastic airplane for our travels, both personal and business. It's an airplane that I like and appreciate more every time I get to fly it! We'e started using it to
go to more places, including the mountains, and being able to fly high with a strong, reliable engine has greatly reduced stress levels. That, plus getting more experience under my belt. K has been terrific as my co-pilot - she does pretty much everything but land it for me. :)

First solo in the TBM 900

noreply@blogger.com (Jason (Photon)) — Sun, 23 Apr 2017 23:20:00 +0000

I went through the SimCom training, which was a ton of fun, and reached the mentor hours required by my insurance, so it was SOLO time! I did a quick lap in the local area and captured parts of it on video.

TBM time

noreply@blogger.com (Jason (Photon)) — Sun, 19 Feb 2017 22:28:00 +0000

Today I took delivery of a TBM 900.

It's slightly used, with 280 hours of time on it, but by all appearances looks brand new. It's billed as the fastest single engine turbo-prop and with a typical cruise speed in the area of 325kts, I believe it.

A few things drew me to this particular model. I was able to get a demo ride in a similar one late last year, a 930 model, and found I liked it much more than I expected to. It's powered by the well-proven PT6 turboprop engine that offers huge amounts of horsepower (850 in this install) coupled to relatively quiet and very reliable operation.

Coming from a Cirrus SR22, this airplane is basically 2x in all respects - twice the speed, twice the altitude, twice the load carrying capability, and darn near twice the range on full tanks. The costs involved are more than 2x, but that is life in aviation.

Since moving to Texas, our family of four has had a desire to fly back to SC and GA more easily, and more quickly. Our hope is to be able to make weekend trips that would have been too difficult to do previously. We also want to do more traveling with our boys, and being able to do that more readily with our own aircraft is an inviting proposition.

So, after mulling it over for years, and getting very serious about it at Christmas time, I went through the multitude of steps to own a turbine powered airplane.

I took delivery on Friday and flew it home with my broker/instructor. I felt like I was drinking from a fire hose, at least on takeoff and landing, but I learned a lot from that flight about the particulars of this aircraft, and expect to be able to ramp up nicely given plenty of training time. The biggest thing to get used to so far seems to be the throttle response, but that was something I had to get a feel for in the Cirrus as well.

The next steps are all about that training. I will be going to SimCom to get up to speed on flying this big bird as well as spending plenty of time flying with expert instructors.

A bit about my Granddad

noreply@blogger.com (Jason (Photon)) — Tue, 01 Nov 2016 19:32:00 +0000

A few articles about my Grandad, Harry Miller Sr. He was a Navy pilot that flew in WWII.

----

Springstein Plant

ENSIGN HARRY MILLER WRITES OF RESCUING AIRPLANE CREW AT SEA

Likely ~Early 1943

We've mentioned Springstein's red-haired hero, Ensign Harry Miller, several time in The Springs Bulletin and a recent letter of his relates a very interesting experience:

"We left Ascension on the way to South America and had been out about an hour and a half when we picked up a faint SOS. We knew what it was — A-20 was lost the day before and was ditched when it ran out of gas. They didn't know where to look for the crew though. Anyway, we took a bearing on the radio and headed on the course; in about 20 minutes we saw a white balloon and there they were — two men in a rubber life raft. There is a little radio in those boats and you fasten an antenna to a little white balloon filled with gas and it holds the wire up. The radio will transmit for two hours before the batteries give out. That's what saved their lives, too, because it's almost impossible to find a boat out on the ocean unless you know exactly where to look. You can't imagine how hard they are to see.

"We dropped out some sea dye to color the water, then went back 90 miles to a small ship we had passed. We got them headed in the right direction and then circled them for seven hours. That's how long it takes a ship to go 90 miles. That was some job too, for a B-24 just wasn't made to circle seven hours. We were making about five-mile circles but still that's a pretty good bank for a B-24. We were also throttled back to 170 MPH and that makes this ship hard to handle. Finally though, the ship got there and picked the fellows up — there was only two of them in the crew, pilot and navigator. They sure were glad to see us and did some wild waving. I don't blame them though, because only a few are ever heard from once they go down. These two fellows are in the hospital now. By the time they were picked up, our gas was getting too low to come to South America: so we went back to the island. To show you the difference in the speed of a plane al-id ship, it took us less than a hour and a half to get back and it took -UT a ship 17 hours. Quite a difference, but of course the ship can be pretty certain it will get there and we just guess! This is my first experience at a rescue job.

"I went to the show myself tonight. We have an open air job here. You should see it — don't have to pay even, just find a seat. "I get to drive a jeep a lot now Always keep a bottle of Sloan's liniment handy, because they'll beat you to death!"

----

Ensign Harry Malone Miller, son of Mr, and
Mrs. L. H. Miller. Ensign Hiller worked in the
superintendent’s office at Springstein before
entering the Navy. He is the son of Mr.
and Mrs. L. R. Miller York road, Chester.

HARRY MILLER ENSIGN IN NAVY

Harry entered upon his C. P. T. training at Salisbury, N. C., September, 1942, and thus begun the climb of the cadet's ladder to pilots success. He received his commission at Corpus Christi, Texas, last October and was stationed at Jacksonville Naval Station until January, as chief pilot of a PBY Catalina Patrol bomber. He achieved a record in all phases of his training of which anyone should be proud.

Springstein claims him as her own, yet any of the "seven" would be proud to claim ownership, for Harry is the kind of fellow who sticks to the last and is determined to make a success of whatever he tackles. He believes that to have a friend is to be one and, as some eminent author once said, "Sincerity is the noblest of all virtues."

All would not be told unless we said that Harry is quite fond of the ladies; just as they are fond of him though it is hard to say where his true love resides; in fact, four live in one house, which makes a difficult situation which very few men besides Harry could handle!

Springstein's loss is the Navy's gain and today he is numbered among Bomber Squadron 107; Care Fleet Post Office, New York. His ex-boss is of the opinion that if every Jap sub had a heart painted on it, Harry would make a direct hit every time.

All who know Harry share the opinion that he is a remarkable fellow and for him we predict a future of great success.

Bose A20 headset

noreply@blogger.com (Jason (Photon)) — Thu, 08 Sep 2016 20:20:00 +0000

I recently purchase a Bose A20 headset, the newer model with bluetooth audio support. This was after seeing it advertised many times over on FlightChops and steveo1kinevo (adverts work, people!).

I've been using a Lightspeed Zulu 2 for the last couple of years, so I was curious to compare it to the Bose. I like the Bose much better. Both have nice bluetooth audio setups, with volume controls on the headset cable and a mute vs mix mode for radio and music combinations. The Bose was trivial to pair to my phone, as it booted up in pairing mode right away.

The music quality was at least 10x better with the Bose. It has actual bass, and much more dynamic range. The zulu 2 always made music sound kind of distant to my ears.

I also think the Bose is better at noise canceling by a small, but noticeable amount.

The other win for the Bose is in comfort. The clamping force is less on your skull and the ear cups are less bulky, meaning I don't easily bump the headset into the side window. I loved the older Bose X headset, and it looks like I will love these too.

Citation Mustang Flight

noreply@blogger.com (Jason (Photon)) — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 20:48:00 +0000

Well, it's been a year since I posted an update here. Since then I have moved to TX and added maybe 80 hours of flight time to my (ForeFlight) logbook in the Cirrus. Not taking many long trips now that I live closer to fellow ForeFlight folks, but I have had a few good trips back and forth to Houston and my total flight hours is nearing 1,000. Our company has grown considerably over these last 12 months (we're around 80 people now) and being able to chat in person with more folks has been helpful.

I got the chance to fly a PC-12 a few months ago and enjoyed it. That plane is especially enjoyable in the back cabin, as there is loads of room. It is a nice balance of speed, comfort, and endurance.

I spent a fair bit of time in a Piper Meridian too, and enjoyed it. It's not the fastest or roomiest Jet-A powered plane, but is quite nice for the price.

Last week however, I got the chance to fly a Citation Mustang on two flights, start to finish. While I have an hour or so in the Eclipse and the L-39 Albatross, I am really totally new to jets so was soaking up all the knowledge I could.

The mission was to leave for a BBQ run to nearby Lubbock. We started with a preflight briefing of the exterior and I learned how easy it is to do things like check hydraulic and oil fluid levels. Once in the cabin, I headed into the front left seat and starting taking stock of what was around me. The G1000 panel was familiar to me, and having previously read the operating handbooks and other docs, the switches were where I expected. My mentor for the flight, Gordon, walked me through the very simple "boot-up" flow to get the screens and the engines going. The engines were certainly the highlight of the flight, from how easy they are to start up to how easy they are to manage in flight, it doesn't get any simpler (or smoother). They are computer controlled using a FADEC and manages the engine at speeds a human could never achieve. They even handle the full start procedure, shutting things down if a "hot start" occurs.

A hot start for a jet engine is when the temperatures go above redline (due to improper air flow when lighting up the fuel) which is different from a hot start in a piston engine which refers to the difficulty of getting good fuel flow/mixture when starting a engine that was recently run and up to full temperature. A hot start with a piston just means you have a hard time getting it running. A hot start with a jet means you are going straight to the maintenance shop for a inspection of the engine (if the temps are too high for too long). A very expensive inspection.

In this jet, no matter whether you just shut it down or it is the first flight of the day, you just push the start button and move the throttle for that engine to the idle position. Then watch the screen as the FADEC gets it running. You are poised to put the throttle back to idle cut-off if somehow the FADEC failed to do its job, but I'd guess that is a 1 in 100-million type of event.

After startup, we taxied out to the runway. This was when I experienced one of my biggest challenges of the day: taxiing with a steerable nose wheel. I have been flying the Cirrus for so long (with its free-castering nose wheel) that I was over controlling a fair bit, at least at first. In the Cirrus, I will put in full deflect with the rudder to try to get it alone to correct my heading on the ground, then tap the brakes as required to get more of a turn going. I had to unlearn that in the Mustang, as a little push on the peddles has it turning quite readily, since that actually moves the nose wheel along with the rudder. Toward the end of my second flight I was getting noticeably better at that though, so I think I could pick it up again fairly quickly.

The takeoff was interesting as well. You move the throttles all the way forward and start to roll forward a bit as the engines start to make more noise. Then, after a few seconds, the power really kicks in and you can feel the acceleration pick up. We rotated and left the ground around 95kts and quickly picked up speed as we raised the gear and then the flaps. I pulled the power back to the climb setting once we had a little altitude under us. We used a pitch of 10 degrees for the climb out, which felt nice and high. The speed kept building though, as the engine were happily pushing us higher and faster.

We climbed up to around 25,000' as I got used to to the plane a bit. This is the first plane I've flown where it is fairly easy to overspeed it, and so watching your power level is important. The speed brakes were also helpful in the descent - though they make a lot of noise startling the passengers when they deploy.

There are detents in the fly-by-wire throttle control, so shortly after takeoff I moved them into "Climb" position, then after level off I let the speed build and then moved them into "Max Cruise". Doesn't get much easier than that. You can even slam them around if you want, the computer will prevent the changes from happening at an unsafe rate.

My landing at Lubbock wasn't bad, made easier by the forgiving landing gear. After we had some excellent food at Black's we came back and I was already feeling a more at ease with the plane for the second leg home. My landing back in Austin was really good, though I did float it further down the runway than I wanted (must have had some excess airspeed).

Compared to the cirrus, I would say the Mustang is easier to manage. It's just that things happen significantly faster at times and your energy/speed management needs to be much more spot on - you need to think ahead as power changes take time. If you get low and slow in a prop plane like the cirrus, you just bring in the power and the wing instantly has more air moving over it. In a jet, the spool up takes more time, and the entire jet has to be accelerated to get more lift over the wings. Requires more forethought, which can be helped by flying longer final approaches and larger traffic patterns.

Moved to Austin

noreply@blogger.com (Jason (Photon)) — Sat, 01 Aug 2015 20:20:00 +0000

It's been a long time since I updated my blog, but we've been quite busy. We recently moved to Austin and have been settled here for about a month. Getting out here was interesting as it was the first time we've moved such a distance.

We ended up splitting it across a three day period, after having moved out of the old house (a feat in and of itself). Our family of 4 piled into the SUV, hooked up a trailer, and headed west. We stopped after ~6 hours of driving each day to sleep in a hotel. It worked out pretty well, but we were really happy to have that behind us once we were finally in the new house.

To get the Cirrus out here I enlisted the help of one of my instructors. He spent a morning getting it out to KGTU in Georgetown and I met him there to give him a lift to the commercial airport. I managed to find a community hangar to put the plane in so that it could stay out of the weather.

Legoland with the family!

noreply@blogger.com (Jason (Photon)) — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 22:47:00 +0000

Just had a long weekend down in FL with the family, capped with great flights to and from. Here's a brief moment on the way home:

L-39 training at Jetwardbird

noreply@blogger.com (Jason (Photon)) — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 23:42:00 +0000

We went on the trip of a lifetime out to Santa Fe to fly the L-39. Day 1 was ground school, day 2 was flight time! We did stalls, loops, max speed (~400 kts) and plenty of landings.

Seaplanes, Quadcopters

noreply@blogger.com (Jason (Photon)) — Sat, 27 Sep 2014 15:44:00 +0000

I'm not too far from 900 hours of total flight time, and the last few months of flying have been great.

I shot a couple of fairly low approaches in IFR, made a few long cross countries, flew myself to Maine for the first trip I've made to the northeast, flown in an Eclipse jet, R44 helicopter, and a Bonanza, and even had my first seaplane lesson.

I was recently recommended to take this online course to learn more about aircraft piston engines, and I really enjoyed it.

In my non-flying free time I've been gaining experience in R/C aviation by building foam board fixed wing aircraft and flying a camera around under a Phantom 2 quadcopter.

During a recent visit up to Maine I got to combine some full scale flying with some R/C camera work. Check out this video to see the result:

800

noreply@blogger.com (Jason (Photon)) — Wed, 11 Dec 2013 20:05:00 +0000

Having recently crossed the 800 total hour mark, I thought I'd write a bit about my last few months of flying.

I've done a fair number of trips back and forth to Texas, not the least of which was my last one. When the day came that I was scheduled to head home, there was a major cold front that had just rolled in the night before.

After careful preflight planning (that I re-did at least three times to double check myself) I decided I could not only make it home with plenty of safety margin, but could climb up to 15,000', don the oxygen cannula, and get all the way home in one hop at 240kts. It worked out really well, and I landed with nearly 2 hours of fuel still in the tanks. The FIKI (Flight into Known Ice) capability of the airplane helped during the departure as it gave that much more of a safety edge as I climbed out through about 6000' of thick, cold clouds.

In general, I've expanded my weather envelope a bit recently - I feel better able to evaluate NEXRAD in flight and know when its ok to punch though some rain and when I need to run far far away. I'll always be conservative when it comes to weather, because I'll never truly completely "understand" it, but I am getting more familiar and comfortable.

I've also logged a good bit of time testing ADS-B traffic. The traffic data I can receive over the Stratus 2 is amazing, now that I have ADS-B Out installed in the plane (in the form of a Garmin GTX-33ES). It blows away any other traffic data I've ever seen, even letting me watch folks fly in a traffic pattern at an airport dozens of miles away - pretty slick. I've also flown a bit more at night, which has been enjoyable.

ESP, Perspective update, and ADS-B Out

noreply@blogger.com (Jason (Photon)) — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 11:27:00 +0000

I had the plane in the shop recently. The goals were three-fold: Update the G1000 software, install the ESP feature, and install an ADS-B Out transponder.

The first two went OK, unfortunately, the latter not so much.

But let's start with the Garmin update. I was running version 08 previously, and this upgrade brought it up to version 15. There's various bug fixes etc in that update, but here's some of the more noticeable changes, all of which I think are nice little improvements.

Terrain profile - you can now view a side-view representation of the terrain in front of you just under the Map. Handy for mountain operations. I noticed it only shows terrain within a few thousand feet of you, so it's boring at good cruise altitudes, but that makes sense from a design point of view, no reason to show terrain when its not a concern.
ETE on PFD - the PFD used to showing bearing to next waypoint, which had little value for me and couldn't be changed. This update changed that to be ETE (estimated time enroute) which is much more useful.
Mute button for XM - the XM radio interface has a slight change to make muting the audio a little faster, though there were already a few good ways to do that quickly. As part of the updates the shop did for me, they turned up the max volume of the XM system a good bit. It went from being barely audible at max volume to plenty loud at 50% - just where I wanted it!
Chart loading for taxi diagrams, etc. seems better, it used to fail/hang on first attempted chart viewing of a flight
METAR shown in Flight Plan page - now when you are scrolling through the airports in your active flight plan it shows the latest METAR weather observation. It's in raw, encoded form but still a nice addition.
METAR age - back in version 08 you had to do a bit of work to determine the age of METAR reports, they fixed that in this update which is important, as I'd argue the age of a METAR is the most important part of it.
Vertical fuel flow bar - the indication of fuel flow changed to a vertical bar. I think they did this to make room for showing fuel level on airplanes that support that, but it's a nice change even still. The vertical bar better matches the motion you make with the mixture lever to make adjustments and it also stands out from the other bars more obviously, allowing your eye to find the data you want just a bit faster.

Beyond the software update, they also turned on a software feature called ESP. ESP stands for Electronic Stability and Protection. It basically works when the autopilot is turned off to help make your more aware of unusual flight attitudes. For instance, if you get too slow, it will push the nose down and give your force feedback that you need to speed up. It similarly will work to reduce bank angle if you've managed to get into a very steep turn. Garmin has a nice write up on that here.

And lastly they swapped out my transponder for an ADS-B equipped version. This ended up "grounding" the plane for a number of weeks.

The reason was that, once installed, the "suppression bus" (used to allow radios in the plane to mark that they are currently broadcasting/receiving, so other radios can wait their turn) showed a bad signal. The bad signal coming from the Avidyne traffic system - instead of an on/off voltage, it was a crazy wave of "random" on/offs.

We never did resolve that issue. Avidyne's MX manuals say to test the transponder with the traffic system disabled, so they said "that's how you fix this". Hmm. Garmin's manuals said all systems had to be running, so it counteracted the Avidyne one.

Since I picked up the plane a few weeks ago, we have found that at least one other Cirrus in the field has this exact issue and likely had it since it was built at the factory. When I flew the airplane everything seemed fine with the transponder, but I hope to give the ADS-B Out signal a better test on my next flight to see if that part is working.

Next steps are unknown, which is pretty frustrating, but at least the plane is perfectly fine as far as I, being the pilot, can tell, so that's what's important.