3.3h on the Hobbs during a post frontal day. Windy, gusty, thermals, bases at 3500 and fun! :) Got cheap fuel at Gustine, CA (3O1) where time stoppped. Pilot lounge was clean, fuel was cheap but ~all hangars were vacant and falling apart :( Runway is in good shape. Wanted to stop at E45 but ceilings were too low, so I swung by O22 where I crossed paths with “Youtube Pilots”.

#aviation #c140 #masto2hugo

I ran into Meshtastic and started playing with it. Not quite ham radio, but it is radio technology, affordable and easier to share with friends. So far I have only a single Rak Wireless device in my kitchen. Very compromised setup for 915Mhz, but surprisingly I pick up a number of nodes through repeaters on the Santa Cruz Mountains ridge. The plan is to setup a solar node above the roof line and get more direct coverage and range. I’m interested in emcomm aspects of Meshtastic and exploration of it as APRS replacement.

#hamradio #meshtastic

Needed a #USB3 #Wifi6 adapter for my backup server, as the old atheros 9k got flaky. Found this Mediatek based nic supported by mt7921u driver in #linux kernel 6.1 + firmware blob (firmware-misc-nonfree package on #debian ). My dhcpcd immediately got dhcp lease upon plugging (’n-play). The device came with high gain antennas and was only $25!! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CVVWNSH2?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

#linux #masto2hugo

#PSA : if you use a personal locator beacon ( #PLB ) and wish NOT to spend a small fortune on a replacement battery every five years, here is a source of quality replacement batteries: https://beaconbatteryreplacement.com/ beaconbatteryreplacement.com/

followup:

All it took is two screws to open the #plb and take out a shrink wrapped 3-cell battery. It is composed of three CR123 Lithium Manganese Dioxide non-rechargeable cells wired in series. Popped in the new battery and good for another 5 years!!

#aviation #masto2hugo

Innovative #EAB #autopilot (SuperEco) based on aerodynamic trim-tab actuation from Aircraft Automation. Conceptually, it is very elegant. Not sure about RC servo reliability when used continuously, but for <0.5AMU one could replace all three servos every few years. Watch installation and flight demonstration video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UJoCmkDJFk

followup:

@h4890 hi, I don’t know regs in your country, but in US there is part91 for private owners operators which does not restrict flight over water. Part135 (air carrier) does. Aircraft age - no maximum from safety pov. I have a 77 year old airplane. All airplanes receive annual inspection to ensure continued operation. As long as a given aircraft type has parts availability, then age is not a safety issue. There is increased maintenance cost compared to new aircraft but at MUCH lower acquisition.

#eaa #aviation #masto2hugo

With bad weather, I had time to solder a SH connector to the 6W solar panel. Then I formed aluminum L-channels for mounting the panel to my #meshtastic node. Very light weight, less than $20 including the panel and STRONG. The ABS pipe will break before this solar mount will.

#hamradio #meshtastic #solar #masto2hugo

Finally weather improved and I could fly places. Today I checked out the town of New Cuyama, CA and their resurfaced runway at #L88 . Post frontal weather provided for postcard views, turbulence, updrafts and downdrafts. Lots of gliders spotted :) When departing L88, I caught a thermal and between the O-200 and nature, I was climbing in a steep turn at 1000fpm to quickly reach altitude to hop into the next valley.

#aviation #c140 #masto2hugo

I hope your #easter passed peacefully!

#family #masto2hugo

Installed my #meshtastic node 20ft above ground with a high gain 8dBi #antenna . Reliably hitting many nodes now and even got folks responding on ‘LongFast’ channel. I spent about $30 on parts for this. Used a 10ft 2" ABS pipe, U-mounts, scrap wood and a 3d printed adapter to stabilize the antenna against the pole. Next I’ll make some sheet aluminum angle pieces and mount the 6W panel to the rig - I have a week and a half until the fully charged battery drains :)

#meshtastic #hamradio #masto2hugo

#flowstate #fpv #documentary did an amazing job of showcasing the world of first-person-view #quad ( #drone ) #pilot s who #fly for fun, race and film. I used to fly FPV a lot and followed these pilots for years. The “out of the body experience” is amazing. I haven’t experienced it before or since #flying FPV. When you fly around yourself to “avoid that person” only to realize that it was you, while in #flowstate , is indescribable. Amazing & so familiar! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoMWFrqOmQo&t=5240s

#rc #aviation #masto2hugo

After oil change and rear brake flush on the KTM #babyduke , I rode it up Hwy 9 to Skyline Blvd. Nice 1:20 round-trip ride, lots of bikers, lots of cars and a good de-stresser before another work week :)

#motorcycles #masto2hugo

I started a long weekend today and went flying. Bumpy, thermals everywhere, cloud bases at 6k and the world is green again (bugs included). I took my #meshtastic Rak device and from 5k feet up I was “heard” 40 miles away in Fresno by a user who emailed me. My cabin is starting to look like a ham cave - antennas from left to right: #meshtastic , #ADSB -in, #APRS -out.

#meshtastic #aviation #c140 #adsb #aprs #masto2hugo

Q. how to find #bluetooth address of already paired #meshtastic device? I paired it with my android and works great with an app, but I don’t know the full bt mac-addr. BT scanning from my PC doesn’t show it, but shows other devices in pair mode. How to force meshtastic to go into pairing mode? OR how to lookup device’s BT address? OR are multiple clients paired to same meshtastic device supported? I know I can re-flash, which which should reset settings and allow me to pair again.

#meshtastic #linux #masto2hugo

Belly paint touch up completed and with a break in the weather, I got some hobbs in the log book :) Dramatic clouds, Grumman F8F1 at Watsonville while I got coffee and bread pudding for all the sweat equity that went into the painting efforts.

#aviation #c140 #mechanic #masto2hugo

There is #meshtastic in the air :) Just setup my first node - a rak wireless unit. Uses only about 300mah per day including air sensor. Meshtastic is a 915mhz #lora based, very low power, messaging and beaconing system. Quite similar to #amateurradio #aprs . I upgraded the antenna to a 3dBi, but since LORA is line-of-sight and very low power, I get no range. The only nodes I picked up are those on the hills 10mi away. Next: solar panel, the board already has solar charge controller for 1s lipo.

#aprs #meshtastic #hamradio #masto2hugo

FAA 14 CFR Part 43: “Apply preservative or protective material to components where no disassembly of any primary structure …. where such coating is not prohibited or contrary to good practices.” I’m cleaning up areas where paint was compromised, then iso, alodyne, epoxy primer (the white layer) and will be able to feather and start applying color in a few days. Almost caught up with 40years of wear into my 6th year of ownership.

#aviation #c140 #mechanic #masto2hugo

Yesterday, during IFR evening, I completed ground BFR portion with a new-to-me instructor. I liked that he started by asking “what is your mission”? A: >50mi cross country in own aircraft; following which, he optimized our time to relevant topic areas. He stumped me with: “why idle power on the ground is NOT as much of a carb icing risk, as idle power in descent”? Q. what would you have said? (I tried a bunch of familiar to me explanations…)

#aviation #masto2hugo

Q. Can anybody confirm that they already got their aircraft registration 4-year renewal automatically from FAA? I tried renewing today and all I could find is this note:

#aviation #mechanic #masto2hugo

Caught up on 500hr Magneto inspection by upgrading to an electronic ignition (3.). The engine bay of this 1947 aero-craft is looking more and more modern every year :)

#aviation #c140 #mechanic #masto2hugo

Another Boeing whistleblower reveals detail of production issues of recent 737 Max which lost an emergency exit plug in-flight. https://leehamnews.com/2024/01/15/unplanned-removal-installation-inspection-procedure-at-boeing/#comment-509962

#aviation #masto2hugo

Whether you are a pilot or a civilian, here are some signs you should not fly as a passanger for the first time in a given small GA airplane: - you don’t know the pilot and his/er character personally - nighttime - instrument conditions - all seats are occupied if >2 seater - pilot is stressed (under pressure to make flight happen) - first flight after maintenance Following accident debrief highlights more than one of above: https://youtu.be/mKfM4PKPmvw?si=J1ewAPDI53z-s-lh

#aviation #masto2hugo

#FAA #MOSAIC #NPRM comment period ends in less than a week. Please voice support by leaving a comment!! MOSAIC in current form will allow Part 91 flights using Sport Pilot privileges and no-medical in airframes and conditions such as: - max 2 occupants - day/night - 54kt CAS stall - no speed/retract/weight limits - any powerplant (not just reciprocating) https://www.regulations.gov/document/FAA-2023-1377-0001

#aviation #masto2hugo

#Cups #OpenPrinting project and printers themselves came a long way since Cups 1.x. Internet Printing Protocol #IPP uses a pdf/raster payload and supports config exchange - no more PCL/PS/custom printer languages. No more PPD files and no binary drivers from manufacturers \o/ Now if I could point cups-client to a IPP network printer directly (via client.conf) that would be perfect - faster than avahi and less overhead than having cups-service daemon on my network.

#linux #masto2hugo

Recently updated my main linux box and couldn’t rebuild one of my own system management tools from 2002. The cause were old #autoconf and #automake artifacts. Spent 2h cleaning up and regenerating from .ac and .am files. Remembered how miserable #autoconf and #automake really are: shell based, slow and dropping a ton of persistent artifacts in my source tree. After finishing, I found #meson as a modern replacement, see: https://mesonbuild.com/Comparisons.html

#devel #linux #masto2hugo

GAMA and LAMA again stand in the way of progress - throwing roadblocks to MOSAIC rules. For once FAA has more initiative and thinking out of the box than those two special interest groups (ga and lsa manufacturers). The article comments are right on point!! https://www.avweb.com/uncategorized/gama-has-issues-with-mosaic-plans-to-issue-comments-to-faa

followup:

11th hour submission by GAMA to avoid public comment review: https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/gama-raises-mosaic-safety-concerns/

#aviation #masto2hugo

As much as I disliked systemd initially, I hate working with hacky shell script based sys-v-init. Recently I needed a short daemon to monitor network connectivity of my backup server. I wrote a py program to do that and instead of making it a daemon with backgrounding, logging, writing sysv scripts for it etc, I wrote a 10 line systemd service definition. Anything it prints to stdout+stderr gets logged, it is auto-restarted, memory limits, enabled on startup etc. SIMPLE.

#linux #masto2hugo

Started 2024 with a new year flight and the first oil change. I closed 2023 with 114 hours :) Did 2.3 hours today, flew in the mountains and valleys, got fuel and checked out three nice Yak-50s. These always looked big in pictures but are much smaller in person. 1650lb empty and up to 450HP - not bad!

#aviation #c140 #masto2hugo

Last flight of 2023. I did air work with slow flight, stalls and steep turns - intercepted my wake multiple times :) Got “cheap” fuel at KSNS where the tower closed between 9:45 and 10:30 and ATIS instructed traffic to use tower frequency as CTAF. I guess single controller operations… The video below is of a tight pattern, hard slip from 300ft, wheel landing and exit by taxiway closest to the fuel pumps :) https://rumble.com/v42um3q-c140-no-twr-ksns-for-fuel.html

#aviation #c140 #masto2hugo

Had a day off at work and great weather, so I committed acts of aerial relaxation. Went to Half Moon Bay (KHAF) for brunch at Pilot Light Cafe and got fuel at Hollister on the way there. While getting fuel, I gawked at the Cobalt Co50 Valkyrie Experimental and talked to Coast Guard crew who landed for fuel and grub.

#aviation #c140 #masto2hugo

Fun flight to log some of my last hours of 2023 - banked another 3.6 on the hobbs :) I wanted to land at Angwin-Parrett Field (2O3) for a while, but knew it is challenging. Today the conditions were right - cool day and light winds allowed for safe operations on this 1800MSL airport on a mountain top, with very high trees on approach and departure (and slight uphill takeoff).

#aviation #c140 #masto2hugo

#Christmas Party at the #Aerodynamic #Aviation #hangar at #RHV . Caught up with old and new friends, had great food and desserts.

#aviation #masto2hugo

Van’s files for Chapter 11 Reorganization protection. https://www.vansaircraft.com/2023/12/vans-aircraft-announces-chapter-11-reorganization/

#eaa #aviation #masto2hugo

We had a reputable car brand dealer try to trick us into pathologically bad deal. First by hiding interest rate and offering us what amounted to 13.5% - which I called them out for and calculated their “mistaken rate”. Then already after the test drive, while starting to sign, they switched the VIN to a much worse equipped car (same price) hoping we would not notice!!! We did. In the end, we got what we came for, $3k under market and left them red faced.

#cars #masto2hugo

Family trip to San Luis Obispo KSBP. My Son and I flew (1:45 each way) while my Wife and Daughter drove (3-5h depending on traffic).

#aviation #c140 #family #travel #masto2hugo

Thanksgiving dinner, much to be thankful for.

#family #masto2hugo

Takeoff and Land with me. 1947 Cessna C140 with O-200. video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTYv5yIGPW0

#aviation #c140 #masto2hugo

Sat down and added arduinio-mini based GPIO to my ZimaBoard based backup server in ATX case. Previously, I used rpi for this purpose and controlled ATX power supply with GPIO to turn on and off power to hard drives when not in use. Since ZimaBoard does not have GPIO, usb powered ardunio exchanging data via serial interface fills this purpose. Turned out really reliable with clean install.

#linux #masto2hugo

Flight to Paso Robles, CA (PRB) to visit on-airport Estrella Warbirds Museum and get brunch. Just taxi over to the museum, park your plane across from DC-3 and come-on-it!! Headwinds and tailwinds, 3.8h on the hobbs, and ~12 direct crosswind on landing upon return - no problem. This was my second time at the Estrella Warbirds Museum and first time checking out their automotive collection. One-Niner-Diner’s biscuits and gravy are A+ :)

#aviation #c140 #masto2hugo

Short flight to pick up 100LL fuel at car gas prices :) Originally I was planning to fly on a cross country with a pilot friend, but last few days of forecasts were progressively worse (marginal vfr, rain, mtn obscuration). Decide to scrap the cross country but went up before noon. It was much better than forecast, but better to be wishing to be in the air, than wishing to be on the ground :)

#aviation #c140 #masto2hugo