Hi Bill,

At any power setting over 50% the fuel pressure drops quickly from 25 to 20 and then starts a slow drop to 10 PSI at which time I turn on the electric boost pump and restore the pressure right back up to 26 PSI.

Upon taking the cowl off we found that while the fuel pump does have a blast air tube pointing at the pump, this tube should be connected to a shroud that covers the pump to aid in cooling it. The Glasair is extremely tightly cowled and the factory mandates that a pump shroud be in place for all new installs and highly recommended for old installs. Just to be safe, we are replacing the pump as well. Even though it only has 350 hours on it, the manufacture date was 1999. So, a new pump along with a shroud along with a new bracket air filter (the paint shop covered the old filter with paint) and we should be good to go. A trip to Miami from NE Indiana with my wife, and then off to the avionics shop for a completely new panel.

I'm now looking into de-ice as well. I absolutely love this plane and not having de-ice is bothering me. They have the thermal option for the Lancair; although, I have read where it was rather poor on the Columbia.

Todd De-ice would be the cats meow in that machine. Is it something the folks that do the TKS would even consider? I've also heard mixed reviews of the thermal solution but it sure would be good enough to give you piece of mind to get up through on a day you otherwise would be grounded.

Beautiful airplane.

That sounds like good news. Has the Glasair changed her mind about flying?

Thanks Brett. Yes, TKS would be the ultimate solution, but getting the factory to make panels would be crazy expensive. They are up to $50k now for planes they already install on. The idea would be to have a system to get you out of trouble. This plane has a really spectacular climb rate, so something that could buy you even 5-10 minutes would be sufficient for most scenarios. For those days that are calling for freezing precip from the ground to 20k - well - you just stay on the ground. I have never flown a plane that handles like this one. It is just so easy to fly and so responsive. It has brought back my desire to fly.

That sounds like good news. Has the Glasair changed her mind about flying?

. It has brought back my desire to fly.[/quote]

That there Todd, is priceless!
Well done!
Carpe Glassair!
And stay out of Austin Executive!

Why? Did I miss something?

Looks like one crashed there last night.,

Ah, yes, I saw that. Not the airport's fault though! Actually, they have one of the nicest FBO's I've experienced.

It always bothers me when someone crashes a Glasair for a couple of reasons. First, if you flip the plane over you have a good chance of being trapped in the plane. Second, every one of these that crashes makes the premiums for all of us go up.

It is a free country, but I wish people would honestly assess their abilities AND the current weather before flying one of these planes. Many of the crashes that lead to damage or injury/death are directly attributed to the pilot exceeding their abilities or flying the plane in conditions that are above it's capabilities.

While many G3 owners opt for the small wingtips because the airplane has a 140 deg/sec roll rate vs 90 with the long, I wanted better X-country performance and better take-off/landing performance along with a slower stall speed and descent rate in an engine out scenario. I also feel that until you have a lot of experience in high wing loaded airplanes you should not fly this plane by yourself and certainly not with passengers. The Glasair makes the V35 seem like a 152 when comparing the rate at which it develops airspeed and VS when the nose is pointed down. Landings also require full attention to all factors.

Todd,

The off airport landing flip-over risk is why I carry one of these in my plane....for escape through the canopy:
.

Todd,

The off airport landing flip-over risk is why I carry one of these in my plane....for escape through the canopy:
.

What would you use that for?[/quote]

Open the can of spam of course, while you wait for rescuers.
Duh!

My canopy slides back, a move that wouldn't happen when flipped over and lying on the canopy. I'd try to punch through and cut my way out of the plexiglass.
.

Alren, yes - I want something also. I was thinking even possibly a Ruger Judge .410 Revolver with 00 buck in it. 5 shots to blow open an exit.

Flipping over is the reason you never land with gear down off-airport in a Glasair. The nose gear will usually fold and the plane flips over. Land gear up and slide on the ground.