This is the second Chrysler product we bought and our last.
 We had a Caravan with nothing but problems
 and now Robin's PT Cruiser is starting. The starter
 just went out. The shift lever has stiffened up.
 She bought it on looks :)

  Chrysler should have been left to go bankrupt but instead
 we spent billions bailing them out.

 Paul Lamar


 Chrysler has had quality control problem issues periodically over the
 years.
 Things get bad, consumers go elsewhere and they go on a QC program. Cycle
 repeats  over and over. This has been a long stretch of bad. I think they
 have
 gotten into the "more new model releases" thought pattern and have not
 realized the problem. Look at Toyota and Honda; some of the best selling
 cars
 globally. They do not introduce many new models. Just update and refine
the
 existing products. I worked at the local Chrysler dealer for a while and
 they
 have nothing to interest me. Look at Consumer Reports and Car and Driver.
 They
 both have magazines out right now with ratings. The ONLY Chrysler product
 they
 recommend is the Ram 1500 pickup. They are pretty good but I have
 reservations
 there as well. For pickups, the new Ford Ranger/Mazda BT50 seem to be very
 good. Truck Trends did a test on the Ranger and describe it as a great
 truck
 with one problem, they are not bringing it to North America. In Russia the
 BT50 four door loaded is $35762CAD. 2.5 diesel gets 29 MPG US highway. The
 Ford is the same. Size and look is more like the discontinued Ford
Explorer
 Sport Trac.
 Might be good idea to take Robin to look at the new Mazda 3 Skyactiv. 2.0L
 with 155HP is advertized to get 40 MPG US. These are rated very good with
 4.5
 stars out of 5. Typical Japanese quality.

 Dale Davies

 When it comes to piston engine IMHO it is hard to beat Honda.
 I love the 2004 Odyssey we have. Once I took out 300 pounds
 of rear seats that 3.5 L V6  MOVES!!!!


 Paul Lamar



 My 12 company pickup trucks were all Dodge- but only the 2500 or up, with
 the Cummins Diesel, manual transmission and the best suspension available.
 These trucks routinely go half a million miles and get 25 MPG. Not bad for
 a truck that empty weighs 4 tons.

 The chevys that we ran never made 100K without issues and never got more
 than 15 MPG, and the Fords were worse.

 I haven't had such good service from the other Chrysler products- the
 trucks and cars with the gas engines suffered from poor fuel economy and
 maintenance problems like the Fords and Chevys.

 I did notice something from having a fleet of trucks for over 20 years- my
 Dodge trucks that I get such good service out of are made in Mexico and
 have been since 1992 with the body style change, and the others are made
at
 various plants in the US.

 Another observation- I am restoring a 1974 Hatteras boat, and have almost
 completed disassembling my 1968 Bellanca Viking. The Craftsmanship that
 exists in these two markedly different items is remarkable. The Viking has
 a steel tube fuselage that was hand welded with an acetylene torch. And
the
 welds are absolutely beautiful. The fit of the steel tubes is remarkable.
 No gaps, no filler welds, just pride and craftsmanship at its finest. The
 Vikings wood wings are absolutely a work of art. Aside from a liberal
 application of glue (not a bad thing) each part fits perfectly. All 1200
of
 them in each wing.

 What we get today, particularly if its made in the US, doesn't compare. In
 spite of the CAD systems where each part can be laid out to withing
 thousands of and inch, and then cut on a machine by a computer with equal
 precision, after the machines get through it has to go to a person that
 doesn't know what "Craftsmanship" means. Its very discouraging.

 Craftsmanship and quality mean only one thing- care enough to do it right.
 And accept nothing less than that.

 Thats what you are experiencing with your vehicles. As long as they get a
 check, they dont care.

 My speech "Never do anything for money- do it because you want to, and do
 it the best that it can be done. If you do what you do the best it can be
 done, success and money will follow you around. Chase money and you will
 never catch it."

 OK- I'm off my soap box now.

 Kevin Alderman

Cummins makes great engines.
I have always liked Vikings. Those are exceptional airplanes. Has anybody
made a
carbon fiber wing yet? When the economy recovers next November it might be
a good
biz for somebody.

Wood rot scares me :)

We have a shop in SZP that repairs Vikings and it seems they are
always working on the wings.

Here is an idea. Put the whole wing (with out fabric) in a big
autoclave and pressure treat it with epoxy. Might be cheaper than
carbon for FAA approval.

Paul Lamar



There was some talk in the Viking Owners Group about someone making
composite wings for the Viking, then they realized the cost of manufacture,
testing, and finally getting a smile from the FAA for an STC. Then they
ran.

I have a set of wings that are in great shape that I have thought about
using to make a fiberglass mold of. Place the spars and ribs where these
are, and presto a composite replacement wing- no rot or termite issues!

To do it would require me to take all the data plates off of the Viking and
try to pass it off as amateur built. Not easy with that huge tail that is
unique to the viking.

But, for the 2 years and 250 or so hours I have flown her, you couldn't ask
for a better flying plane. Stable, predictable, excellent handling.  300
HP- take off in less than 1000 feet at 3300 lbs gross, hit 140 kts before
the end of the runway, and climb out at 2500 fpm all the way to 6000 ft.
All at gross. During my check ride for my private in the Viking, the
examiner wanted a power on stall. Not happening. Have to pull power back to
under 21 inches MP or she just hangs on at about 30 degrees. Cant pull up
over 30 degrees without a parachute. After several minutes of this, he
conceded to pull back to 21 inches.

The Viking has several useful tendencies- power off glide is around 850 fpm
down if you can pull the prop to coarse. If not, it hits close to 1000 fpm.
Pull power back to 18 inches, pull the nose up a little and you can keep
160 knots indicated and a descent rate of 2000 fpm. Yep- will fall flat
almost like a brick. Getting down is not a problem in this plane. However,
push her nose down and forget to pull back power and vne goes by rather
quickly. Because sometimes I need to get down fast, I have begun to use
silicone to glue my inspection plates on. Its too much trouble to get new
ones and paint them to replace the ones I lose.

I once was high over Savannah with closing clouds below me. OAT was at
about -5C. The weather below was 36 and misting. I didnt want to go through
the clouds as cold as the airframe was, and my hole was closing up. Finally
SAV gave me permission to descend. I pulled back to  2, nose up a little
and down we went at a little over 2500 fpm. The controller called me to ask
if we were OK, and told me not to do that to him again. He thought we had
entered a flat spin or had picked up ice and were heading for the ground.
He said he didnt remember ever seeing a GA plane not change airspeed but
still go down that fast.

I hope my wheeler S90 is as fun to fly.

KA

I think it becomes a legal experimental if you replace the wings.
Some legal experimentals are made from major certified sub assembles.

That might be wonderful as all you need now is an A&P to sign it off
the annuals. I lucked out buying an experimental as now
my wife can sign it off.

Paul Lamar