The Best Annual ever!

[AR Dave]

Since The Pilot Lounge is for relaxing and yakking about planes, I've got to tell about my 2 day annual. It's the first time that I've really enjoyed an annual, although the bill hasn't come in yet.

The panel was off while the compass was being refurbished. I was telling my mechanic about the manifold pressure gauge that I once had yrs ago. My avionics people wanted to install the innercom controls in that hole. I was new to flying and didn't see any value in keeping something I didn't need. Years later, after listening to Gahorn, I've been kicking myself for letting them take it. When I finished telling my story, the mechanic said "so when did you get the one you have now"? After a short debate, we walked around to the plane and there is my Manifold Pressure Guage right there in the center of my panel. I stood there stunned, thinking how could I fly for all these yrs and not notice my Manifold Press Guage? Upon investigation I realized they had simply moved my MP Gauge to another hole, which is covered up by the panel cover, and it's been working all this time. It felt like I found a lost treasure.

Gahorn, I've been feeling guilty after telling you I pulled the 5 lb speaker from the roof and chunked it to lower the weight. Well for the heck of it I went over to Radio Shack and found a brand new speaker (fancy fluid filled kind) on the get-rid-of-table and talked them down to $4. Then I went to another shop and they gave me a Pioneer speaker cover. After popping a couple of rivets and hooking it all up, it works very loud and clear. $4.
I started messing around with the instrument lights that never worked, located on the ceiling and the one by the air vent. A little rewiring and 3 bulbs later I have red lights shining on the panel. I might leave for Reklaw at midnight thursday. Oh, yes I have a nice working compass now. I've always had a stall warning light that I couldn't see because of being located under the yoke. Never heard a horn. Mechanic pulled the stall light and found someone had pulled the horn out. He had a used one and now I have a stall horn. Had to get the nav lights and strobes working on the left side, hadn't worked since the paint shop. Easily fixed.
Remember, I started with mag problems which turned out to be a bad spark plug. And there were other non-mentionable parts that came together nicely.
Anyway I'm cherishing this annual and will try to remember it when the monster annual comes along! Hope next year we uncover a O-320 or something.

[GAHorn]

Your enjoyment all sounds very Liberal to me. (We'll see how you feel when you get the bill. Ha!)

Look forward to seeing you at Reklaw!!!!