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CFO Email Digest

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to some of the questions that have come up about and around the CFO email digest:

How do I send an email to the digest?

Each digest starts with the proper address to email to. The digest also comes from that address, so you may reply to the digest, although we ask that you supply a subject. Otherwise Paul will make one up, and he has been known to have fun with that!

The same address is also mentioned at the bottom of the digest. We are not going to mention it here on this web page, as the web crawlers will find it and we don't really want a lot more spam on the digest input.

If you can put it together, the email address is 'digest' and the domain is the domain of this site.

How do I change my address?

At the bottom of each address you will find the link to the page where you can change your address yourself. We are self serve on that function, with thousands of digest readers doing those edits could become a full time job.

As you are reading this, you can also pull down the 'Digest' menu option and click on 'manage subscription', which will take you to This Page.

But most likely this is something you are reading now and will need to recall later. In that case, just remember it's at the bottom of each digest. If you send an email to Paul or myself asking us to do it we'll remind you that the link is in the digest, attempting to 'teach you to fish.' Thanks for helping us by going directly to the self serve function!

How do I send an email to the digest?


What kinds of questions can I really get answered here?

You can ask anything! But the answers come from the experience of other members who are also reading the digest. Sometimes you will find that you are the first person to grapple with a problem. Other times you will get a quick response from someone who just did what you are asking about. Most questions get at least a partial guess or slightly related comment.

Are the answers going to be correct? How do I know?

You won't know for sure, any more than anything you hear another owner in any forum. That's why we always recommend that you work with an A&P who is willing to talk about the issues and possible solutions and is willing to accept input from other owners. In no case would we suggest you ignore Cessna's or your A&P's documentation, but we might recommend you ask a few questions before you accept a decision.

Althought the moderators of the list will challenge suggestions that don't pass the common sense test, they are not A&P's and cannot know what will be correct for you or your situation. So your certified mechanic and his documentation must remain primary in making maintenance and safety-of-flight decisions.

What kinds of questions are appropriate for the digest?

Anything that you'd like to understand better from the perspective of your fellow Cardinal owners. That might be simple things like how to clean the belly of the airplane or which flight planning software you prefer. It might be a request for how a product worked in the real world or long term. Or it might be whether the prognosis your mechanic just gave you on your engine problem makes sense.

In general the digest will stick with the easy to middle-of-the-road issues, but it can help you understand more complex issues as well, and will almost certainly suggest options and alternatives that your mechanic has not considered.

I read the answer to a question in a recent magazine. Can I just quote that article to the digest?

We work hard to be aware of and respect copyrights, as we expect others to respect our copyrights. It is acceptible to mention where you saw the information, and to tell us what you learned in your own words. Ideally you would share your personal experience with what you learned. And it never hurts to share the source where you were able to learn.

If you directly quote material that someone else has a copyright on, we will not be able to print it.

Should I also subscribe to one of the maintenance magazines?

We think you should.. we do! We can learn a lot from all sources, and the various magazines and organizations that tackle tricky and in-depth issues are a great source of learning.

Most of us belong to a select set of groups, perhaps CFO, AOPA, EAA and CPA. Or some might prefer subscribing to Light Plane Maintenance rather than investing in the more homebuilt-centric EAA world. No one organization can do everything.

The many members of CFO means you have access to their experience in a wide range of subjects. It is more of a community than an answer machine, and it's a great place to learn from the bottom up. You will not be belittled for having simple questions, or berated for not knowing the answer. We all started somewhere, and on the CFO Digest we don't mind bringing the new folks along.

I've owned and fixed Cardinals for years.. is there anything here for me?

You bet there is! Some people have experiences that you have not yet had... and you have experiences that will benefit them. It is a good feeling to be able to help someone who needs the experience you have earned over time. And things change.. there may be a better answer than the one you found long ago.

Beyond that, you will find a great depth of knowledge on the Digest. From time to time we will puzzle the great mysteries of aviation, and your voice will be welcome in that chorus.

How quickly will answers come?

One never knows for sure. Simple ones that we've heard before might be answered by the moderator as you ask them. Others might take one, two or more cycles of the digest before someone realizes they have the answers.

What if I remember seeing a question but can't recall the answer?

That's why we put the Digest archives on the web. If you can recall a few of the words in the question or answer you can search for it in the Virtual Digest.

Will my email address be shown on the web?

The email address of all messages sent to the digest are printed along with that message. It will only be sent to those on the digest mailing list that day, and an archive copy will be kept. All archives will be placed behind the membership 'firewall', so the various programs that 'harvest' email addresses from the web will not be able to get to your email address.

Do keep in mind, however, that a large number of people will get your email, so don't be surprised to hear from one of them. Usually that's a good thing!

Do I have to worry about being 'flamed' if I have a controversial opinion? Absolutely not. The moderator keeps an eye on everything and enforces the guidelines. The Digest will be maintained as a safe and friendly place to learn and inquire.

Do we all have to read everything that goes on between members?

That's the beauty of email. Often an answer comes directly to the asker, especially if it's only a clue and not the whole answer. Or two owners might have a private conversation while they work something out. Once an answer is clear we ask that you bring it to the Digest for everyone, but a number of 'local' conversations pop up in the process of finding answers.

In the process most people build friendships across the net, and get to know people on the digest very well.

Give it a try, hundreds and hundreds of people who love it can't be all wrong! :-)

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