Category Archives: General

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So when I came to United Airlines two years ago I needed a new headset, one that would work in the 737 environment. That meant one that could work on an intercom and one that would be easy to use if the captain didn’t wear a headset (yes there are still pilots who use the single ear piece boom mic). My go to headset was the Bose ProFlights. They work awesome, are lightweight and fit the bill for headset or partial headset so you can hear the pilot if they are not wearing one. I highly recommend them if you are in a jet environment. I only have one complaint if you could call it that…the original cable from the headset to the controller and to the jacks was pretty thick. Bose must have heard this and came out with the PF2’s with a much thinner cable. I have those now and love them.

So when it came time to pick a pair of headsets for the RV-8 I really didn’t need to look far as I knew the Bose A20’s were what we wanted. We had tried them on up at AirVenture 2019 and both Tricia and I loved the fit and quality. The sound is incredible as well which is what Bose is known for.

The new A20’s have Bluetooth built in which allows you to connect to several devices like and iPhone for music or the Garmin VIRB Ultra 30 camera so that when you record video of your flight it will also capture the intercom audio.

I placed the order and the two headsets arrived yesterday. So I decided to do a post of the unboxing.

I put the two AA batteries in and powered them up. The Active Noise Reduction (ANR) is awesome just like the ProFlights. I hit the Bluetooth button and was able to connect to my iPhone quickly. I played a little music and the sound was fantastic. The headsets have a selection so that when air traffic control transmits it mutes the music instantly so you can hear what they are saying.

I can’t wait to use these in the RV! They are going to definitely help reduce fatigue from the external noise that piston engine aircraft are known for.

Thanks Bose for producing an AWESOME product!

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With the ball rolling now to finish the airplane sometime this summer I needed to get the process started for getting the plane certified/registered, as N800MF that I already reserved,m. The EAA has a package that includes a handbook to walk you through the process step by step. I also got Vans to start the process of getting me a final “bill of sale” which is required by the FAA to register the RV. each of these process is not quick, Vans takes around 3 weeks and the FAA takes between 90 to 120 days from the time they receive all the required forms, which all are included in the EAA package or you can download them from the FAA.gov website. Once I get the RV officially registered as N800MF I will then comply with a list of requirements needed for an official inspection. I can either use a DAR(Designated Airworthy Representative) or an FAA inspector(which is free) to come and inspect the airplane and all the documentation that’s required for an amateur built aircraft. Lots of moving parts coming together over the next few months.

Since I was ordering this book I also had them ship the new EAA flight test manual and flight test cards. This is a step by step process for the initial flight and subsequent test flights that need to total 40 hours that is called phase 1.

Today was the first of several deliveries that I will be expecting over the next several weeks. Tricia and I decided that with all the uncertainty of the airline industry and where I will end up in six months that it would be better to have the RV finished so we could fly it away if we need to otherwise we want to enjoy it with all that it can do. So with that said I ordered the Dynon 7” screen, Dynon transponder, Dynon autopilot servo, Dynon ADS-B, Garmin GTN 625xi GPS and most importantly the Hartzell 74” composite 2 blade propellor. The propellor will take somewhere around 8 weeks to finish and we will drive to Piqua Ohio to pick it for fun. I’m not sure how long it will take the Garmin GPS to arrive as it was a special order. The 625xi is the same as the 650xi minus the NAV/COM functions that I don’t need.

So now begins the mad scramble to finish up all the small loose ends that need accomplished.

While I’m still in the “save money mode” for the Hartzell propellor I figured I would just do a little update. I have been in flight training since January 14th for the 757/767 here at United Airlines. It has been a fun training event but stressful none the less. This is a weird fleet for us as it incorporates several variants of both of these aircraft. We have 757’s with Pratt & Whitney engines and Rolls Royce engines. We have the 757-300’s as well as the 767-300’s. We also have the newer version 767-400 which has a completely different avionics package. All that being said it is a challenge to manage all the differences especially for a first officer as we are the ones who start the engines and each have differences. I can’t wait to get the training done and head back home so I can do some of the little items still left to do on the RV-8!