csarles

I am curious as to the outcome and cost of this. I am having this same servo being rebuilt right now. Insanely expensive. Bendix King is over 6k and 3 weeks. Duncan in Michigan is 6.5k but only a week.

I have tried both and had concurrent subscriptions for a while. Flightplanning is much easier on Garmin. Garmin has dynamic maps for both IFR and VFR so you get the info you need no matter the zoom level. Unless FF has added that too, they only have copies of the charts so your zoom level is determined for you as you can't zoom out and read anything. This is the deal breaker for me, in a Mooney flying cross country you need to be able to see more of the big picture. FF kept me zoomed in so I could read the chart which requires lots of scrolling. Garmin does give you the option of copies of government charts if you like that. Garmin looks like the 750 so it's easy to use. I also really liked the latest version of Jepp but can't justify the cost.

Thanks for all the advice. I have owned the bravo now for about 6 years and agree that the best way to get the engine to fire is to keep it warm and in my hangar. What started this was I landed and was waiting in 20f weather for my mom to show up so I could fly her to SC to see my sister. It sat outside for about an hour and by the time I went to start it, the oil had cooled to 60c. I knew then that I had one opportunity to get it to fire. I primed it as recommended in the POH (10-15 seconds if I recall correctly), turned off the primer (94 bravo, I only have on or off) waited about 10 seconds and cranked. It fired once and died and this is what generally happens if it's cold. Subsequent attempts only cause the batteries to die and fuel to drip out the bottom of the cowl. This last time I pulled the cowl and removed the mags, the top were dry but the bottom were soaked. I cleaned and dried them. By this time the plane was warmed up in the hanger so it fired up nicely. I look forward to trying the method nicely outlined above (thank you -a-) the next time it's cold. The original question about charging the batteries is because I like to be self sufficient instead of relying on a small municipal airport fbo to recharge the batteries as they aren't open evenings or weekends.

How long do you run the aux pump before starting? Do you follow the book for each temp? I can do hot engine starts all day long, it's the cold engine ones that bugger me up. I have taken to leaving the Tannis plugged in and a blanket over the cowl, that seems to help. Any advice on cold engine starts is appreciated. (Side note, may need a couple of batteries...)

Thanks.

I live in Michigan and try as I may, not every start attempt results in an engine start during the winter. Often, I find that I run out of battery power before the beast will fire up. Does anyone knows if using the GPU port on the side of the Bravo will provide cranking power and recharge the batteries? Curt

Had one installed recently. About 30 flying hours and it works as advertised. No noise and charges a phone and iPad nicely. Curt

Ryan, Lol, just read this after replying to your other question about the annual. Sarasota avionics will definitely help you with the interior and the other things you like too. Curt

Ryan, try Sarasota Avionics. They are now a MSC and the base is $2700. I just got my Bravo back from annual and was really pleased with their work. Be careful though, going to an avionics shop for an annual can end up costing way more than just the annual if you like glass and gadgets. Curt

I have flown from mid michigan to Connecticut a few times and always went basically direct. In Michigan to get with center you need to be 10k or higher generally. Never any costs associated with Toronto center. I generally fly it at 18-23k.

David Green is still in Venice however he now works at Sarasota Avionics. SA is looking towards becoming a MSC very soon with David doing the work. David recently did some troubleshooting on my Bravo and I am very pleased. David is very thorough. Be careful though, a trip to SA and you might end up spending a lot more on all the dreamy panels they can install for you. Good folks. Curt

My first plane was a '73 Cessa 150-150 converted by Bush Conversions. Bought it to get my PPL. Flew it for 1500 hours. My second plane (and likely last... I love it, unless I win the lotto and buy a TBM or a Gulfsteam) is an M. Bought this one to get my IR. 700 hours and couldn't be happier with it. Bought it from Jimmy at All American and had a great transition instructor with over 20k hours. Curt

Yikes! Although one could rationalize that it's cheaper than a life. Supposing for a moment that I don't want to replace them, what is the best way to find out if they need to be replaced? According to the log books the plane has never had them replaced. There also was a prop strike in 1996, before I owned it, and they were not replaced at that time either.

Thanks for all the advice and ideas. Yes, through reading on this site I am aware of the "killer" clamps. We are going to be replacing those as well, just to be sure. I too am curious about the dent and the fact that unless it is recent (after the last annual), not one mechanic ever pointed it out to me. Lesson learned: be more involved in the annual. Funny thing, if you look at it and let your eyes cross a little, it almost looks like an older Mooney logo. Curt

Anyone have any ideas what would have caused this crack? I am having it sent out to be fixed. Any advice on where to have it done? Thanks, Curt