Hold on to your absentee ballots kids. He’s back!
Ralph Nader is once again officially pursuing the presidency of our modest little country. And I say God bless him.
He has no chance of winning, of course. You don’t have to be John Zogby to figure that one out.
We could start with the fact that this nation will never elevate a guy named Ralph to the title of ‘world’s most powerful man’. No, Ralph is a name more suited to Simpsons characters who say things like “I bent my wookie”, “My cat’s breath smells like cat food”, and the ever popular “Me fail English? Unpossible!”.
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The money mavens at CNN seem to think so.
I’m not sure I’d classify a 6.6% year-over-year increase as “cooling off”, especially when inflation is less than 3%. No, I’d put it more into the category of another irrational jump in a real estate market that’s already every bit as crazed as the NASDAQ composite at the turn of the century.
The inflation number is something I’d take issue with, actually. This 3% nonsense is insulting. There are so many caveats, exclusions, and astrisks attached to the Consumer Price Index that it might as well be tracking prices on Fantasy Island. It doesn’t include real estate, energy, food, college tuition, certain taxes, and automobiles. Think about how much of your income goes toward those items.
The CNN article was accompanied by a fascinating chart entitled “Hot Housing Markets”. Orange County was number five on the list, with a 21.2% year-over-year gain. It doesn’t look as extreme when compared to the nearly 30% gain experienced by those living in the nine-oh-nine.
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After much consideration, I have decided to put my aircraft up for sale.
Not because I have to get rid of it (though aircraft are certainly not cheap to own!), but because I have put more than eight hundred hours on her and I’m ready for a new adventure. I’d like to pursue CFI, -II, and MEI certificates. Learn to fly rotorcraft. Maybe get in on an aerobatic aircraft. Perhaps even fly commercially. And yes, probably build a plane at some point in the future.
94M and I have traveled the length and breadth of the country together. Visiting family. Exploring the West. Flying sick people to medical treatment. And every moment has been a pleasure.
Even so, it’s tough to let an airplane go, especially a good one. And Tweety has been a flawless bird through and through. Low IFR approaches, short fields, gross weight departures from high density altitude fields in the middle of summer… and she flies on without a single complaint.
I’m sure I will shed a tear when 94M goes flying off into the sunset with another pilot at the controls. No one else has flown that plane for more than four years. But I think the time has come for a change.
Anyway, if you know of anyone who’s looking for a solid, well maintained aircraft, point them in this direction:
1975 Cessna 182P
N6594M
“Tweety Bird”
$92,000
Additional photos available here.
- 3000 hours total time
- 1150 hours SFRM on the factory reman engine (1993)
- 50 hours since prop overhaul (2003)
- 100 hours since mags were overhauled (2003)
Equipment:
- heated pitot
- static wicks
- alternate static air
- Cessna umbrella fuel caps
- Rosen sun visors
- nav light detectors
- vernier throttle, prop and mixture
- horizontal stabilizer abrasion boots
- dual landing lights, strobes, beacon, nav lights
- Kennon sun shields
- external cabin cover
- two fire extinguishers (halon & chemical)
Exterior:
- tan on white
- glass is ok; some crazing in the windshield
Interior:
- leather interior–excellent condition
- berber carpeting throughout
- fully articulating pilot and co-pilot seats
Misc:
- flown regularly (150-200 hours per year)
- no damage history
- all new fuel cells (2003)
- new fuel lines (2003)
- new vent hoses (2003)
- new Concorde RG battery (2004)
- new tires (2003)
- new engine mount heat shields (2003)
- new exhaust system (2002)
- new airbox beef-up kit installed (2003)
- new stainless flap roller service kit installed (2003)
- new baffling
- all AD’s have been complied with
- regular CorrosionX anti-corrosion treatment
- hangared at Corona Airport (AJO)
Avionics:
- Narco Mk-12D digital nav/com with glideslope
- MX-300 digital nav/com
- King KN-64 DME
- King KMA-20 audio panel & marker beacon
- ARC 300 series ADF
- Apollo 618 loran
- ARC 400 series transponder
- post lights
- four-place intercom
- avionics fan
- Astrotech LC-2 digital chronometer/clock
- coaxial line connected to aircraft’s external com antenna (for handheld radio)
- aircraft is pre-wired for GPS via a secondary circuit breaker panel on the center pedestal with Klixon pullable breakers
History: Aircraft spent most of it’s life in the dry desert of Arizona. It was at John Wayne for a couple of years, but I had it on an anti-corrosion program while it was there. It was treated with Boeshield T-9 and fogged with CorrosionX. It’s been a very reliable aircraft. I’ve never been stranded or had to cancel a trip for any mechanical reason in more than 800 hours of operation. I’ve flown it from L.A. to Seattle and back several times, as well as trips to Reno, San Francisco, Phoenix, Denver, Las Vegas, and many other places.
Engine: Compressions and oil analysis have always been good. The aircraft has not required any top end work on the engine since the factory reman engine was installed in 1993. As most big-bore TCM engine owners will tell you, this is rare. 1993 was a good year for TCM engines. Oil consumption has remained stable, about 10-15 hours per quart. Oil analysis is performed periodically.
Prop: Just overhauled. The prop governor was overhauled about 3 years ago.
Avionics: Solid IFR platform. Everything works–all avionics, instruments, etc. right down to the last post light. I had the MK-12D nav/com radio overhauled about 18 months ago by Western Avionics.
Damage History: Aircraft has no appreciable damage history. In 1988, a pilot ran out of fuel and made an off-airport landing in the Camp Verde area of Arizona. The wheel pants were slightly damaged and the lower cowling was dented. The airplane was flown out of the desert on a ferry permit and the fairing were replaced and the dent repaired in Phoenix. Since the plane was flown out, I never considered it a “damage history”.
Logs are complete. They are also scanned into PDF format and can be provided on CD if requested.
The aircraft is well rigged, flies straight and level hands-off, and many “optional” service kits and bulletins have been complied with. I am an active member of the Cessna Pilots Association and follow the recommendations in their various Tech Notes for maintenance and upkeep of the plane. It is flown gently and not abused. It has never been used for flight training.
Contact:
Ron Rapp, owner
(949) 552-9044 home
(714) 743-0360 cell
email: ron at rapp dot org
You know your trusty steed is getting old when a team of factory-trained mechanics at the local dealership spends an hour troubleshooting the power steering system (”we couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t working”).
I should note that the car doesn’t have power steering.
You see, my ‘93 Eclipse has the dubious distinction of being the oldest vehicle they see at the local Mitsubishi dealer. Few have ever worked on the 1989-1993 body style before, so ironically it’s a new car to them.
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