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I have worked on a couple of Johnson bar Mooneys where the gear was rigged where the preloads were so high that you had to bend the Johnson bar every time you put the gear down. Having the gear rigged this way puts way more stress on the weld than it was designed for.

I needed to use it as my engine runs rough near the ocean, that’s when the cable broke when I pulled on it…

My dad was an engineer for Mooney from 1964 - 1969. He was the lead designer of the retractable step, an associate engineer on the design on the Mustang, ( he was against the roll cage concept and drew up a conventional pressurized tube design but was rejected) and lead AI/AP of the three assembly lines, back when they needed all three lines. We were cleaning out storage and came upon these items. I also found his Embry Riddle tie tack.

The connection is fragile, just a bolt and nut to squeeze the steel cable to secure to the lever arm. Why couldn’t the design be more like throttle/mixture/prop where it’s secured, considering this is a critical component to prevent carb icing…?

The Subaru has aluminum hood and roof. I had pretty good success with the Paintless Dent Repair kit off Amazon. Watched a couple of Youtube videos. Made so the big dents on the hood were just a blip. Pulled out a good size crease from Dad's fender ridge. My biggest question is I saw that the top quarter of my rudder had a slight bend on the very trailing edge. just the riveted edge The plane flys pretty straight, kind of wondering if it should be straightened or just leave well enough alone.

@Pinecone is gonna have to remember better so I can get some!

Ouch. This is not the first time I've heard of this happening. I'm glad you caught it on the ground.

Thanks for the write up.

Finally got my GAD43e upgrade completed. No additional wires needed in my case. One hiccup in that on the GAD43e configuration page on the G500, the installer initially selected "King KAS 297" for the type, but it had to be set to the "King KAS297B". When I flew home I couldn't get it to work, then after about 30 minutes of digging online I figured out the KAS297B seemed to be necessary. So I flew back over and the installer was able to update that and now it works. I love the level-off at altitude, it's super smooth. And as I age (in 25 to 35 years!) I expect that will prevent me from overshooting an altitude. I wasn't sure how it would handle the altitude hold after level-off at a preselected altitude, but it does actually turn on the altitude hold mode on the autopilot. For operation, wen you select an altitude or vertical speed on the G500, it notifies you to hold the button to select altitude capture or V/S set and capture. When you do press and hold the vertical speed, it will set the vertical speed to your current, and then you twist the knob to adjust it. Really looking forward to selecting an altitude at a waypoint, looking at the vertical speed required on the GTN750, setting that in the G500 and watching it fly me there. It's not actually a vertical nav system like if I had the GFC500 autopilot, but it's still pretty great!!

Sorry, Someone made an error. I don't do seat rollers. Maybe I ought to start

Wait. This cannot be possible. the venerable Johnson bar aka “gold standard of perfection” is not subject to failures. it has been deemed infallible. this must be a ruse.

Thanks for getting back to me. I have an oil change on Friday so i will locate the hole and mark the supply tube. I looked at the Drybot and Black Max and both required sending the entire unit back to the manufacturer every few years plus replacement parts. And, the Drybot was 3-4 times more expensive. I did buy the extra canister of desiccant. In the summer (humidity) the canister should last 3-4 months. In the Winter….you might get 7 months out of it. Might have to bake the beads once or twice a year. I just ordered a humidity probe. I’ll place it in the exhaust a ways up there and that should tell me a lot about what’s going on inside the engine. Overall, seems like a small investment for an expensive engine. Most of the data says the engines are not wearing out before they are rusting out. The engine in my airplane at the time of purchase was rusted internally from flying 30 hours in 6 years. I ordered a factory new IO-550 the same day i bought it. Trying to keep it in good shape with regular flying and now this de-humidifier.

This is one of the “best” thread hijacks I’ve ever seen.

Summary: 65 M20E, johnson bar fatigue cracked to failure at base of bar to trunnion. Inspect the weld toe. Storyline: my polished M20E is a high time airframe 10,000+ hrs. I've flown it for the last decade from 2FD6 in Florida all across the country (just really having a Hoot) St. Thomas, Anchorage, Massachusetts, started in California. Not a hangar queen. So started an assisted annual and found burnt valve in #4. Had time to do some more extensive maintenance then and chose to remove the main gear for paint. Used the stuff the main assistant spring with washers method of unloading the mains and removed them. As I got out of the jacked up airplane I noticed the nose gear slowly retracting back up. Hmm... thought I had the J-bar locked up. Yep, locked up. While I was thinking why would the nose gear be divorced from the gear handle with the mains removed, I unlocked and the handle came out in my hand. My buddy said it's not supposed to do that, need to put that back. Then we decided this is the best time for this to happen, no belly landing involved. Examination revealed it was a multiple step fatigue Crack failure in the aft weld toe, bar to T. I have a practice of WD40 everywhere on annual and it was evident in the extending crack. Therefore we missed it growing! Defense posture; It is down in there with boots, dark, lots of things going on and these never fail attitude. Well, change that. I do believe a contributing factor was the gear over-center link preload. I had always thought that, yep the J-bar was difficult but doable and I'm on a grass field where positive lock is important. Besides, it's working. A Mooney specialist had said you might need this someday, and I made a template of his 8444/8442 tool. But that was a decade ago and never got there. Couldn't find the 8444, 8442 tools so finally made them. Nose gear was over 3x the original manual 100-130 inlbs spec and with the mains also a little tight made for a difficult uplock on the J-bar possibly over stressing over time (cycles). "Learn from the mistakes of others, you just don't have time to make them all yourself ". If there's interest, I can make the tools available to others, thinking it's important.

When it broke on my C, it defaulted to Fully On. In flight. It was a very s-l-o-w flight home to figure out what was wrong . . . Even Atlanta Approach asked if I.was really Mooney.

There is a MSC in the northeast that removed my entire carb heat system....so it's probably not needed....

WTF.....

Be glad, the Owners Manual for my 70C doesn't mention balked landings, go-arounds, etc., in any section.

This is the pop-up add that Was confusing as you first navigate this site. With the request for photo, profile questions, sustaining membership possibly and this pops in. They got me to click. Almost as if they knew I was Newbie but didn't know it yet.

I have the same one - on the IO360 it’s quite a ways up the tube and you have to give the supply tube a good shove to get up past the ice hole. I have the tube marked so I know how far to put it - I did that when I changed the oil. Buy a few jugs of dessicant in order to swap it out when it’s turns pink, so you can bake the used stuff at your leisure. baking the dessicant is a pain. I probably should have gone for the Drybot instead. Those guys were in the booth next to me at Oshkosh for the last two or three years and it’s a nice product.

Yet another case with plenty of options. Thankfully they survived.

Hello, Looking for used: - GNS non-WAAS NavData Card (green label), 8Mb Regards, AVDB

Holy Micro! LLC has added more reminders and enhanced smartphone like Bluetooth connectivity for the SkyVoice Alert 500 and SkyVoice Glassy Guide 400, helping pilots fly safer and easier by reducing cockpit workload and preventing gear-up landings. SkyVoice Alert 500 – Smarter Altimeter with Intelligent Algorithms The SkyVoice Alert LHA 500 combines LiDAR technology with next-generation algorithms and includes customizable reminders, Bluetooth connectivity, and a proximity-based gear warning system for improved safety during takeoff and landing. In its Advanced Mode, the system added more reminders, pilots can set additional reminders in AGL, MSL, and Run-Time categories; enhanced Bluetooth connectivity for seamless smartphone-like wireless pairing; and direct headset integration. Combined with an improved software algorithm featuring signal noise suppression and smoothing, these upgrades ensure more accurate altitude readings and timely alerts. This integrated setup allows pilots to receive real-time altitude announcements and safety reminders directly in their headsets, minimizing distractions and enhancing situational awareness throughout every phase of flight. Key Features of SkyVoice Alert 500: · LiDAR range of 590ft. · Continuous Gear warnings from 560ft until the Gear is down & locked. · Takeoff announcements from 10ft to 500 ft. · Landing announcements: 500ft to 1 ft. Expanded user selectable reminders: Check Gear, Checklist, LC GUMPS, Flaps, Speed, Clearance, Prop, Pump, Check Cabin Pressure, Check FF RPM OP MP, Check Fuel Flow, Check Power etc... · Run-time reminders: Check Tank, Check Carb Heat, Check FF RPM OP MP, Check Fuel etc… · GPS/MSL announcements with reminders from 18,000 ft to 500 ft, Reminders like Check Oxygen, IFR Altimeter, Clearance, Prop, Top of descent, Check Cabin Pressure, Check FF RPM OP MP, Check Fuel Flow, Check Power etc… · Bluetooth or wired connectivity SkyVoice Glassy Guide 400 RADAR Altimeter for Amphibians The SkyVoice Glassy Guide 400 is a RADAR-based Takeoff and Landing Height Announcer built specifically for seaplanes and amphibious aircraft. It provides accurate AGL readings up to 400 ft, even over glassy water, where depth perception is most difficult. In its Advanced Mode, the Glassy Guide 400 adds more reminders in AGL, MSL, and Run-Time, along with enhanced smartphone like Bluetooth pairing, giving pilots additional options for receiving altitude callouts and reminders. Key Features of the SkyVoice Glassy Guide 400: · Radar range of 400 ft. · Takeoff announcements from 50ft to 400 ft. · Landing announcements from 400 ft to 1 ft. · User selectable reminders, including Clearance, Check Gear, Checklist, Check Cabin Pressure, Check FF RPM OP MP, Check Fuel Flow, Check Power, Speed, Flaps, Pump, LC GUMPS, Gear Up for Water Landing, Prop etc… · Four customizable gear reminders · GPS/MSL announcements from 18,000 ft to 500 ft with user selectable reminders like IFR Altimeter, Check Oxygen, Clearance, Prop, Check Cabin Pressure, Check FF RPM OP MP, Check Fuel Flow, Check Power etc… · Run-time reminders: Check Tank, Check Carb Heat, Check FF RPM OP MP, Check Fuel etc… · Portable version available with rechargeable battery, Bluetooth connectivity, and the same internal hardware as the certified unit—ideal for testing before permanent installation. Holy Micro! LLC is redefining aviation safety with LiDAR and RADAR altimeters, Absolute AoA technology, and pilot-focused innovations.

I have done some of these, it's not practical (many places have tons of rules on noise). Sometimes it's what one needs to do in places where options ahead are limited with built up areas ahead, the majority of these places down here already require 45deg turn right after departure from runway axis as "normal noise departure"... Flying tight pattern with steep angle (less power) is also helpful, although, this skill is not longer in fashion as pilots are taught from day 1 to fly "wide B52 bomber patterns" on "PAPI/VASI using 3deg glide" with "stable approach". Anyway, tight departure and tight pattern helps when flying VFR: one day as one will need it, as we say, it's good to invest in own luck rather than waiting for surprise ! Then there is IFR flying: prescribed SID or ILS paths or low vectoring, especially IMC, not much choices than keeping straight wing level, on sensible speed, and hope for the best...