SportFlyer1

Yep, the Jabiru was certified originally (in Brazil ?) as a 4 place at a higher MTOW. For the light sport, they removed all trace of the seats and declared it a really big cargo area. It is a favorite for people hauling dogs. A nice plane, but never really caught on.

Most excellent, congrats!!

For an LSA they'd have to yank the back seats out and certify the MTOW at 1320lb, very similar to the Jabiru.

A careful reading of the 696 manual will show that you can select GPS approaches down to the FAF, but Garmin really doesn't want people flying IFR with their 'portable' unit.

Must be the new servos eh?

The D100/120 use the DSAB serial network to talk to each other and their own servos. The GPS696 chats with the TT and Dynon via RS-232. The Skyview system was a radical change electronically, they talk via the Skyview network (something like ethernet) and are incompatible with the D100 and its older components like servos, AP, HS34, etc. So be sure of which generation of hardware you are buying, as most of it is Skyview stuff now.

Too bumpy is pretty much what you are willing to put up with. I have flown in very turbulent conditions that the plane didn't mind at all, but my kidneys got tired of it pretty fast, lol. As to crosswinds I have found that winds around 16 knots make it difficult and a bit scary to taxi around an airport. On landings in that kind of wind be sure to raise the flaps right away or a wing may lift and wheelbarrow you around. For takeoffs I refer you to this years' Page trip thread, where 2 airplanes crashed in 15 - 20 knot crosswinds, mine included. It is now just a pile of spare parts. So, put that 16 knots right on your checklist, if you'd like a long career flying the CT. It's a great plane and will take you most anywhere, have tons of fun with it.

Could well be a baud rate mismatch between the HS34 and SL30, if this is a new installation.

Lets see, if I was trying to add IFR (training, ie for fun) I would get the SL30 nav/com (used if possible) and a used Garmin 430 GPS, it's clunky but does real IFR. The D100 can display an HSI and I think can throw up an ILS indication as well. There may be some fine print on what's possible, but it would get you most of the way, on the cheap.

Thanks Dick, we all commit small errors during our flights and thankfully they end up not mattering. On that day we all made some large mistakes and I got called on mine. So now I don't have a dog in this fight anymore, but I'm glad if someone out there gives some extra thought to the 16 knot demonstrated crosswind and 24 knot total wind restriction on the CTLS and puts it into their daily checklist. Oh yeah, and don't let that wind circle around behind you, just say no and go have another cup of coffee ... cheers!

Geez, that's what I need!

Thanks John, that was the best I could do then. The shock of the situation lasted several days as my life was changed for me. In that shot I think I was just happy to be alive. Rich and I were keenly aware of how random our future was after the first bounce, just glad it came out well for both of us. I have suffered mainly from lots of guilt. It's one thing to go myself into an iffy situation, but to take my passenger along made me feel bad. Rich has assured me he was fine with it and would fly with me any time again. Further, a lovely lady from our party was the first person on the scene to hug me as I finally got on my feet. She was so distraught for us, that again, I felt guilty for visiting such distress on her. As if that weren't enough I also have felt that I let down GA in general and the CT community in particular. That said, I have to add that the flying through the magnificent monuments was the pinnacle of my flying experience. We got up close to some of nature's most beautiful sights and that experience is still with me, made possible by the CT club and John's lead. To close, let me just say "Don't let the wind get behind you at the airport ... ever."

I feel light sport was an impulse in the right direction for GA. It and experimental aircraft have kept the avionics business fresh during an era of certified GA museum pieces. Now those same planes are being upgraded with instruments developed for experimental and light sport and the FAA is taking a fresh look at their method of certifying, that's all to the good, but I would have been happier to see them take a comprehensive approach to all of GA instead of nibbling around the edges.

Here in Arizona I do my pre-cooling with a portable AC ..... oh wait, that's not what we're talking about, lol.

Just a note to everyone. I am the accident pilot at Monument Valley. Been quiet for a while due to filling out lots of forms and not really feeling like seeing or talking about the accident. The FAA, NTSB both contacted me with PDF forms to fill out and I had to contact the insurance company about the loss and they had several PDF forms. I have finally gotten enough distance from the event to be able to edit a short video. It coordinates the tourist video with the video my under wing camera took. The tourist film gives a good idea of the overall context of events and the wing camera gives more of a pilot's view, which I think you will agree is compelling. As to the piloting involved, I'll let you come to your own conclusions. Naturally I have relived that take off many many times (sometimes instead of sleeping), but my piloting skills come up short each time. First I agree wholeheartedly with FlyingMonkey that the best solution would be to go back in the cafe and have some coffee and watch for the wind sock to go slack. Second I agree with John Olav about how to handle a quartering tailwind take off. I made many mistakes that day, so from my viewpoint here they are. It started back at Page where I filled my empty tanks to the top. With 2 guys and no baggage we were near max gross for the day. I was ready to have a carefree day of out the window flying with the group. After about an hour of flying (5 gallons) planes began landing at Monument Valley and John said over the radio that he had reports of crosswinds gusting to 23 knots. I knew my CTLS had a demonstrated crosswind of 16 with a max total wind of 24, but I didn't think about that as the planes were landing. I should have passed on the landing, gone sightseeing and continued to Page. On landing I got a clue about what I would face later. We were pushed down hard by the wind over the threshold and landed 'firmly'. After breakfast I was enjoying being a tourist as we gathered and observed strong steady rear quartering tailwinds for the take off. Someone checked the Windy app and saw that very strong winds were forecast for later in the day. This caused a general desire to leave before it got any worse. The airport doesn't have any official weather, but it was clear the wind was steady at 10 or above, slightly from the rear. Again because I was in vacation mode, I didn't think about my max crosswind of 16 knots even though its on my checklist, which I abbreviated for the group take off. Also I didn't consider the physical situation: max gross, narrow short runway, altitude 6100 feet, density altitude 7100 feet, max crosswind and a prop that was set for cruise. In short I was ready for a normal take off, but boy was I surprised. My worst sin that day I think was not preloading full right aileron, this allowed the strong crosswind to get under my right wing at rotation. Also you will notice my rotation point is just opposite the hangar and pilot lounge building which would have been putting a strong rotator across the runway there. John mentioned in his briefing that added take off speed would be advisable, he was so right. I should have glued the plane to the runway until 60 knots, but instead did a normal rotation at 50. The rest was just trying to control a plane at or below MCA. Anyhow I will leave it to the armchair quarterbacks to review the film. I just want to take a second to thank all of you who were there and gave Rich and I every help and consideration. Even though I had trouble expressing it due to shock, I was moved by the heartwarming thoughtfulness of you all. Rich, my passenger, is my hero. You may be able to hear him in the video helping, guiding and even dragging me out of that twisted wreck, even though gasoline was pouring over us and the hot engine was practically in our laps, he kept trying until he got me free. OK, I had to take a minute there. Now back to business. It looks like the insurance company will reimburse me for the full hull insurance of $90,000. I will take a loss on the recent ADS-B upgrade of $5,000 and probably the GPS696 (I left it up to them whether its portable or not). All in all though they have been fast, efficient and fair. The check should arrive next week. As for the Feds, they got their information and have been silent otherwise. As for me, my flying career is at an end. I have greatly enjoyed it and at times been terrified by it, but it was all I hoped for back in 2012 when I went for my sport license. I hoped for 5 good years of flying and beat that. To cap it off, the CT group here has been fabulous. It is loaded with good guys ready to help a newbie owner in any way. And of course there's Roger, a great guy and a bottomless resource for things technical, practical and real world. I will check in from time to time to see what's shaking in CT land, but for now I have to look for a ground based hobby to fill those idle hours and drain my money. I'll be seeing you around .... Tom. Monument Valley Accident.avi