News
Last month was exciting. The new MTV-12 propeller was finally delivered, after spending a month on trucks in Europe and transitioning through all of my favorite cities that I haven’t been able to go to due to COVID-19, including (but not limited to) Munich, Cologne, Paris and London before being flown to the U.S. and arriving for installation in San Diego.
Our trusted maintenance partner Aeromechanix was able to install it right away and everyone who has flown the plane so far is in love with the new propeller and the difference it makes to the performance of the aircraft.
There are a couple of things about the new prop that are noteworthy:
- The weight and balance has been updated. A new version can be found here and in the binder in the aircraft. The center of gravity shifted back by 1.4 inches. This is a huge improvement for missions on full fuel without passengers in the bag or lots of baggage. The full-fuel useful load should now be a new record for any Cirrus SR aircraft in the club.
- The take-off performance tables are not revised by this STC, however you can expect better performance. There is notional test data stating improved performance in ground roll, climb and static thrust. I have also noticed about 30F lower CHTs with the new propeller. For flight planning purposed, the POH tables remain valid.
- The noise and vibration is significantly reduced with the new prop. The plane is also more responsive to taxi at 1,000 rpm.
Please take good care of the propeller. Inspect it thoroughly and report any damage to me before you fly.
Upgrades
We are expecting production of the new cabin interior this month. The aircraft will likely be out of service a couple of days early in July to put in the interior. Since all of those items are ‘preventative maintenance’ as defined in FAR Part 43 Appendix A (c)(11), you are invited to volunteer for some help in removing and replacing some of the decorative furnishings. Just text or email me, and I will keep you updated on what days I will need help. Thanks in advance!
Maintenance update
- 50hr inspection completed, incl. exhaust AD
- Resolved G5 HDG drift by recalibrating both G5s
- Troubleshooting erroneous analog RPM readings (JPI-711 shows accurate RPM)
Checkout procedure / Quiz
If you haven’t completed your initial or 12-month recurring quiz, please take it before your next flight. PlusOne won’t enforce this as part of the checkout. But if you want the plane to remain part of the fleet, you are highly encouraged to complete the quiz. Thanks!
Oil
Oil consumption is at about 0.25 quart per hour. While this is perfectly fine and well within the OEM limits, please take that into account when you leave on 6 quarts and plan to fly multi-hour legs.
Please report your oil addition by scanning the QR code inside the oil box. If you add more than 1 quart, scan the code twice after finishing the first report.
Do not overfill the engine. Between 6 and 7 quarts is best!
Thanks for helping me tracking the oil consumption and changes in trend.
Discount program
I will have to discontinue the 15/90 discount program effective July 1st 2021.
Instead, I will adjust the regular rental rate for all pilots and reduce the rate to $225.00 per hour. Hopefully this will allow some pilots to return to fly 3CD, who have been priced out of the aircraft by the most recent pricing structure changes.
For those pilots who do plan to fly 3CD a lot, I am offering an option to ‘buy down’ the rate. For a monthly fee of $200, I will offer a $50/hour discount with no limits/caps.
Since ScheduleMaster does not allow for this different billing model, you will have to enroll/cancel this ‘over-the-top’ offer by contacting me at info@n173cd.com for details. Discount refunds will be processed in the same cadence you have been receiving the 15/90 reimbursements.
I am happy to answer any additional questions you might have.
2021 PlusOne Board Election
I have been a member of PlusOne since September 2012. The time I have been a member includes my very first flight in a single-engine aircraft, my first solo, passing my private and instrument check ride as well as completing several checkouts and taking many short and cross country trips. I have flown all of my over 300 hours in PlusOne aircraft and don’t have a single hour PIC in any non-club airplane. PlusOne has been my home for all of my flying.
For the last three years, I have also been an owner, leasing my plane to the club and it’s members. I bought the aircraft so that I can ‘give back’ to the club that has provided me with so much opportunity in the past – by making the best selling single engine airplane of this century (Cirrus SR series) accessible to most club members and lowering the barrier of entry into the #cirruslife.
Having seen both sides of the membership, I have a very good sense of the imperfections that exists in the ‘one-size-fits-all’ operation for classic trainer aircraft (172s, PA28s) and other planes, e.g. high-performance, complex or TAA aircraft.
While I don’t think that PlusOne needs to change much about the way it operates, there is a lot that can be improved. So I have decided to announce my run for a ‘owner’ seat on the Board of PlusOne in the upcoming election. If elected, I intend to focus my work on the board on two major areas:
Transparency & Accountability
The current process how PlusOne deals with pilot error that results in aircraft damage is fundamentally broken: It does not follow objective decision criteria but is an arbitrary and random decision process that basically depends on how the participating board members ‘feel’ about an incident in the board meeting where the issue is discussed. I will work on making the decision process more transparent, e.g. making it an obligation for PlusOne to provide owners a reasoning WHY a claim was pro-rated or denied – and on which basis.
It’s baffling to me that a member who is checked out in 172, PA28, 210 and SR20 only has to perform an annual check in a 172 to extend all checkouts for another year. Ultimately, this practice is leading to a small number of marginal pilots that drive an over-proportional risk and burden for the insurance cost and insurability of the entire club. Closing those gaps in the operating rules is in the interest of both members and owners as it will improve the safety of our operation, reduce damage/IDP cost and allow owners to lower rental rates (if they choose to pass on the savings). This might happen at the cost of loosing some members (and their club dues) but PlusOne should have more skin in the game for the club fleet operation – and not just optimize around number of members and club due revenues, as they do today.
There should be some limits on how many aircraft board members can lease to the club or if board members can also be salaried employees. Non-profit organizations should set a high standard for themselves to prevent conflicts of interest in their leadership.
Overall, I will focus my efforts on making the operation more efficient and safe and attract more modern aircraft to the club and help owners to improve their financial performance and allow them to pass on savings to members in exchange for commitment. There can be more than one commercial operating model and owners should have the choice between options and not be pressed into a one-size-fits-all operation that is largely optimized for trainer aircraft.
So, now you know what you’re voting for (or against) in the upcoming board elections. PlusOne can do a much better job at being transparent with it’s members about how decisions are made and hold their members and owners accountable by a common standard.
I would sincerely appreciate your vote and your support!
Thanks,
Phillip
Here is your reminder to always book a standby schedule, even if your plans are not firm yet and may change. Lots of schedules get cancelled or rebooked. The odds are always in your favor.
Book your schedule today! Thanks for flying N173CD!
Happy Landings!
Phillip