It is difficult to fly a “constant CHT” climb because the CHT shows a long time lag.
BTW I have just got this reply from the mfg:
You could also use those $2000+ for a fund towards getting a turbocharger. I remember the 50fpm days from my C172 and I found it to be very frustrating, those altitudes are simply outside the envelope of the aircraft I’d say…
Some years ago a group of TB20 owners spoke to (IIRC) Tornado Alley and they wanted $200k for an STC.
If you could get say 10 TB20 owners together on this, it would be great.
But the reality, for me, is that most European IFR, non frontal wx, can be done nicely at FL100 (on a nice day), FL150 (to get above some muck), FL180 (to get above bigger muck), and FL200 is needed only in unusual convective-wx cases – maybe 5 times in the 12 years I’ve had the plane. Warm fronts tend to go to FL250 anyway and cold fronts much higher, and you need full TKS (or equiv) for those. I could buy a TB21 easily but continue to choose not to.
To go high, mixture has to be kept at that for best power. Of course that requires incremental leaning during the climb. The power curve is rather flat around best power, but to establish the true ceiling a mixture very close to best power is essential, as excess power is down to fractions of a horsepower eventually.
Peter’s plane had a constant speed prop which at least keeps the engine at peak rpm regardless of torque.
Certainly with a fixed pitch prop I found minor changes in mixture helpful while looking for max altitude.
10,000 ft was it using a nominally 65 HP engine with the plane at around gross weight, carrying two people. Another day I couldn’t get within 500 ft of that for reasons unknown. Now with 150 HP and CS prop I haven’t had a need to try yet.
I can think of interesting things to do with an AoA indicator if I had an accurate one like the US Navy use so enthusiastically.
Peter why not get to an altitude close, accelerate, then zoom climb 500ft higher and see if you can hold it without stalling. Then repeat. As to EHSI, obviously pitch is vs horizon not vs the relative airflow. In cruise my pitch is below the virtual horizon by a couple of degrees depending on weight distribution and elevator trim.
As to EHSI, obviously pitch is vs horizon not vs the relative airflow.
It’s actually relative to the gravity vector and assumes unaccelerated flight. The horizon visible out of the window has nothing to do with the pitch indication.
In cruise my pitch is below the virtual horizon by a couple of degrees depending on weight distribution and elevator trim.
I would suggest your AI needs adjusting, because no plane should indicate like that in cruise. Most planes cruise about 2.5-3 degrees UP in pitch. Even big jets do. Before 9/11 I got a cockpit visit in a DC10 and that was cruising at +2.8 degrees.
Would you really want to be cruising above convective weather if you are flying so close to the stall that you can’t make a rate 1 turn or if you hit a downdraft can only climb at 50fpm? How much of a performance increase are you likely to gain with an AoA sensor?
The horizon visible out of the window has nothing to do with the pitch indication.
Well of course, I mention a virtual horizon below.
I would suggest your AI needs adjusting, because no plane should indicate like that in cruise.
Nope. All PA46s are rigged in that way.
Would you really want to be cruising above convective weather if you are flying so close to the stall that you can’t make a rate 1 turn or if you hit a downdraft can only climb at 50fpm?
See the pic I posted. Once one levels off at say FL200, the speed is actually quite reasonable.
I suppose one could argue that one is not at the operating ceiling then, however, because if truly at the ceiling one will be close to Vs 
Also, above convective wx the air is normally almost totally smooth.
How much of a performance increase are you likely to gain with an AoA sensor?
I don’t know, but it may deliver a better way to climb to high altitudes, by adjusting the pitch to drive the AoA as the primary target.
I got this from Alpha Systems – FAA Minor Mod concession
This is pretty easy to comply with.
Interestingly they also sell a heated version of their AoA probe. This seems really necessary since if the AoA probe ices up, it is a pretty useless product. They say it draws 7.5A at both 12V or 24V which is most curious!
Edit: the 12V and 24V heated probes are different products. Both draw 8A. The 24V one gets twice as hot as a result.
