David, I agree. I could not sit in the Lancair 360 I had more than 30 minutes. It was too narrow and the leg tunnels too tight. The cabin in the G3 is wider than a Bonanza and the natural sitting position is good. You can fly with a knee up if you like and move around. My wife even said it was comfortable both legs of our 900NM 4+ hour trips. The G3 compared in size to a 360 is like comparing a Tbone to a B55 Baron.

Todd - Your wife looks totally at ease in those pics. Is there a chance she will be willing to travel more in the G3? Very attractive lady by the way. Hope you and the family have a great holiday and safe travels.

It is funny you ask that question. She told me "I don't care what we fly in, I just want to get there as fast as possible." All this time I was trying to provide a bigger, safer, airplane when what she wanted is less time in the plane.

In some ways the Glasair is more comfortable since it handles the bumps better than any plane out there. It is rather intimidating at first. Stepping up on the wing and crawling down into a cockpit that resembles a race car more than a plane is a little unnerving for some. Once you are in the plane and feel the solid power and ride it produces, you become at ease quickly.

She says she will fly in it whenever I think it is safe to go. Just have to watch for ice.

Night, IMC, Mountains, Possible Ice..... I might take a look in a Baron.

Daytime, Flat terrain, ANY CHANCE of ice in a Glasair..... I'm not up to that challenge. A tail stall is not on my bucket list.

I like the panel in dark grey by the way.... :D

I'm not a fan of too much night flying - especially IMC in anything anymore, but I will do it on occasion. I will do IMC in anything with a good autopilot. As for mountains - If you are talking going over the Rockies, I prefer at least a King Air. Going over the Smokies is not much of a big deal in anything that can get up to 11k or so. At that altitude you are usually above the bumps and weather.

Where I definitely want a twin is over water. Pretty tough to swim in water that is 30 degrees F.

I'm just having a hard time going slower than the Glasair now. The faster I go the more I hate to go slower. Came home at 170 knots true in the V35 the other day. For the last 1/3 of the trip I had a 50 knot headwind. At 129 knots GS I thought I was going to die before getting home. In the Glasair with the same headwind I would still be going as fast as a Baron with no headwind and would be doing it on 1/2 the fuel.

Now you are speaking my language.

I know I don't want to half step a JetA burner. Once I feel 300 kts there is no turning back!

Until then...."Wax on, Wax off..."

My new SS prop.

Nice!

Merry Christmas Todd!

That prop would look great on top of the Christmas tree!!

Thanks guys. I bought his prop mainly due to the fact that my old 3-blade prop is optimized for the Piper Saratoga with a redline speed of 190 knots indicated. In descents of more than 220 knots my old prop would hit the mechanical pitch stop limits. The prop would then begin to over speed past 2700 RPM when passing 250 knots indicated.

While the pitch stops can be changed the prop is due for an overhaul anyway due to being 13 years old, so instead of spending $3k to overhaul it I decided to get this prop that was built specifically for the Glasair 3. An added benefit is hopefully another 10 knots of cruise speed due to the more efficient design and a overall smoother prop.

It sure has pretty lines as well. Really kind of compliments the lines of the plane.

looks very similar to the scimitar for the SXs....

looks very similar to the scimitar for the SXs....

So Todd, how much are you asking for the Glasair now that you want a Piper?