That particular Cummins is pretty efficient. My ‘99 Ram had the same generation engine and injection pump, it’d get 10-12 towing a 40 foot 5th wheel at 68-73 mph. I just had the chance to work on one of those again recently, changing the serpentine on those is so much easier than the newer ones.

Depends. It’s kinda like chip manufactures roasting car manufactures for using wafer technology made back when christ was a cowboy, but auto manufactures have to go through a lot of testing and certification to ensure those components will live a long life. And they’re grilled if a failure of a component results in a…

It depends, I cant find the BSFC graph for that particular engine, so I can only make a guess. Given the output of that engine, any gearing that can get that thing to 70 is likely the right gearing. At the end of the day, the drag increase goes beyond linear at around 50-55 mph. In most Cummins operator manuals they…

These concerns are valid and are brought up by more than just the airliners. A lot of the OEM suppliers have raised their concerns, including Honeywell(they supply a lot more than just thermostats). Some of the helicopter manufactures seem to be the most concerned, especially ones who supply medevac.

This. I lived on a channel off the end of a lake for a while, the end of the channel had a spring. My buddy discovered the fun of that one when on a snowmobile, fortunately he was able to give it the beans to keep a float until he found solid ice.

Likely 6 mpg trying to push that brick to 70 mph, but if driving it at 55-60, as high as 8. Rebuild interval depends on maintenance and how hard it’s pushed. Some will go beyond 500k, some might be more like 200k.

This. I’ve used a SDS in place of an air hammer, but you’re out of luck if it’s a tight spot.

It depends on the frequency they’re running and proximity to the airports. The FCC allocated up to 3.98 GHz, whereas the altimeters start at 4.2. There could also be differences in equipment as well.

I wouldn’t say this is a government entity dragging their feet. Many aerospace companies have been begging them to pump the brakes. It’s a matter of one entity trying to please the companies they regulate verses another one pleasing the companies they regulate.

FCC: The companies we regulate say the risk for erroneous data is very low.

This. That’s how an old friend of mine lost his father.

Which signal booster is the one to go with? The guy at Best Buy says a Verizon signal booster is the best, but my doctor suggests a Moderna booster.

It’s not about the 5G technology, it’s about it being placed within 220 mhz from the radio altimeters. The FCC even said further research will be needed about the risk of interference causing erroneous data with altimeters, but that was after they already sold the spectrum to AT&T and Verizon.

There was an initial study from an Aerospace institute and Texas A&M. In 2020 the FCC auctioned off the 3.7-3.98 GHz band (radio altimeters start 4.2 GHz) and admitted that more research was needed to see if there’d be issue with radio altimeters. RTCA (Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics) released their study…

And picture John Lithgow as his father. He entertains him with a single nod, then breaks eye contact to find someone else to acknowledge him as the alpha of the gathering.

It’s hard believe this because it fits the finance bro meme all too well. But when he brought up the Cybertruck, he brought it up to his father in an attempt to win over his approval by saying he already has a preorder. Then he looked at me and said ‘it’s the ultimate truck, right?’ I haven’t heard from him since. 

This. The one person I know who wants one is a stonk bro. 

The 6.7 Cummins is squeaky clean and the emissions are very reliable for MY2013 and newer, especially after the emission recall back in the day that simplified the system. If maintained properly, they’ll last 500k miles or more on the stock DPF. Usually what gets people is neglecting to fix or failing to identify a…

This. I had a ram with a 12 valve Cummins that was in pristine condition,
I sold it for that very reason. It was starting to get to the point where you can’t just walk into the part store and get anything you needed. A lot of stuff was still avaliable, but the writing was on the wall.

Out of curiosity, do you remember what those issues were in particular? Depending on what it was, I would guess they were issues that would have happened regardless of the emission fix or not. That EA288 has a few unnecessary items to make it more complex and expensive to fix. A simple thermostat requires 4 digits in…