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An HSI and autopilot go together, I know it's not necessary but the real ease of flying with HSI/Autopilot is just awesome. I never had one before this airplane and it took me a while to get used to it (about 10 -30 seconds !!). BILL

There are many things a mechanic can do wrong that cannot be discovered without literally redoing every nut bolt and screw the AP/IA touched. I have seen things done wrong by mechanics almost every day as an auto shop owner. I have worked in the auto repair business for 40 years. I have owned and operated a repair shop for 33 years. One thing I have learned is mechanics make mistakes. To expect a pilot to catch every mistake a mechanic can make is unreasonable. An example of a hidden mistake would be the alternator drive gear installation in my Rocket. Someone at Continental assembled the engine that was installed when the Rocket conversion was initially done. Whoever this was forgot to bend the tabs that keep the bolts holding the alternator drive gear to the crankshaft from backing off. 80 hours later IFR out of Jackson Hole for Spokane the bolts came loose. The loose ring gear destroyed the alternator sending debris through the engine. The mistake was made in a TCM factory over a year before. That engine did not conform to it's certificate from day one and was technically never airworthy. The FAA did not come after me for flying a non airworthy plane. The responsibility for the non airworthy condition and liability for the damage belonged to TCM and it's AP/IA. My responsibility for airworthiness decisions began when the alternator failed and the mistake became apparent. The question for the pilot is: Would a reasonable person with reasonable diligence have been EXPECTED to discover the condition creating an un airworthy condition? Pilots are not APs. Pilots are not expected to be qualified to make a determination on every situation. That is why the AP/IA was trained and Certified to do his job. There are 2 very different standards otherwise every pilot must be an IA.

you need to figure on the airframe and make model specific parts at ZERO dollars , They don't sell if ever....Generic parts avionics , engines , wheels, brakes are parts that you can bank on and sell quickly , Do not estimate on what a part is worth , it is only worth what you can sell it for ...IE it doesn't matter what people are asking for it , do advanced search on ebay for SOLD items to get an Idea on values....Also don't expect to get what wentworth is getting , who would YOU rather buy from me or wentworth ???? Believe me its wentworth , if there is a problem with his part , there are 5 others behind it in a wharehouse somewhere..... Don't waste your time with salvage auctions , I have bid over a hundred and got none..... The best finds are on the airports ......If you are not mechanically inclined , or don't have signifigant tools and a truck , don't waste your time.....And don't get emotionally involved......If you do ypou will lose money........Good luck....

When I did my break-in some years back, I kept MP/RPM above 24 squared, as full power as I could achieve, varying the RPM within this range to avoid developing any harmonic. I kept a strict diary of RPM-MP-MSL/Pressure-and time. It was broken in by 25 hours, but I kept at it until 50 hours and then put new oil in.

I would love to install the Garmin G3X system with autopilot, 8K for the system plus installation would be well worth it for my plane, 40K+ for the same capabilities with certified equipment is just insane.

What is even more disturbing about the certified systems have been the price increases. In 1998 my STEC 60-2 with autotrim cost $11k to install. It is over double that now.

I was specifically thinking about the numerous autopilots that are 1/3 the price of the Stec. Not to bash Stec but 14K for a pretty basic autopilot seems a bit excessive....

The mechanic is responsible and liable for any acts or omissions not complying with the proper assembly of a component. Shifting the responcibilities of the CERTIFIED mechanic to the pilot is not the intention of that phrase. A pilot can legally and reasonably assume that the work was done properly when signed off by certified maintainence personel. The statement "The pilot is responsible for the airworthiness of his or her airplane. Not the mechanic." is grossly ignorant and outside of the intended context when applied in this fashion.

I have been searching through post trying to ascertain good power settings everyone is using in their O1 and O2's. Would any O drivers care to comment on what power settings you use for MP, RPM, and Mixture? Specifically, Take Off - I use WOT, full prop and keep the CHT in the white bar on the G1000 which is around 1375 all the way to level off Cruise - 8000-12000 feet - I use WOT, 2400 RPM, and I lean to 100 degree ROP. I am interested in your mixture settings for ROP and LOP. Thanks! Russ

I printed out the syllabus for the 3 flight segments required and my CFI checked off each element as we flew. We logged 1.4 hobbs time, Did every component of all 3.

Yep! Nothing but the best for Bob's Mooney! Sent using Tapatalk

Bet it keeps the bees off the plane!

Blimey Mate! It looks like an Aussie has gone off and installed a boomerang! Sent using Tapatalk

I'm wondering if the new rubber prop was a good idea...

An easy way to check for induction leaks is to tape over the air filter, and use the fitting from a compression test set to pressurize a cylinder of your choosing...just rotate the prop until that cylinder's intake valve is open, and then apply pressure. Spray soapy water solution on every joint and look for bubbles...

I see around 18.5 on takeoff at about 200' above sea level.

About 16.8 gph on climb, Bob...and about 11.8 to 12.1 just tooling around at 3,000 ROP.

I see two new props sitting on the floor by your plane in that photo you posted on 1/14. I was hoping there was an STC to turn a Mooney into a twin.

My last BFR was done at a MAPA PPP. By far the best way to meet your BFR/IPC requirements. Going forward, this will be how I will be getting my BFR.

I try to attend some of the wings programs every year but I do not try to achieve any level or use it for my BFR. I agree with others it is too complicated to worry about.

That looks like a sensible list, although I've only made three or four flights behind an HSI. Have you scrolled down to the "Selling Aircraft" forum? There's a couple of Cs and an E there now. Good luck with your search!

Well you still havn't told is where your located. Guess your not that interested.

The FAA... We're not happy until you're not happy ! Hello, I am from the FAA. I am here to help.

I know of one plane for sale that has all of the things you've listed, sans the long range tanks.

I've been asked by a mooneyspacer to post these photos of my fuel tank experience so folks will get some idea of how things worked out. The tanks in my 1979 had been patched and repaired at least four times and so much sealer had been built up that several mechanics advised against the scraping method just because of the time it would take. WeepNoMore did my tanks. Included are pre-strip, post-strip, and sealed photos. PM me if you want to see more. Ray

Bob B and I bought our planes about the same time and had the same mechanic do the prebuy. When he did his panel upgrade I bought his JPI450 fuel meter and had it installed... A great add-on. We still have yet to get together somewhere even though we are 60 mi apart. I promise it will happen soon. BILL

Wanted: Keyboard without caps lock stuck. haha

Better yet, get an Ercoupe, no rudder pedals to worry about but do, please, get something, otherwise you'll get hemoroids from straining for so long

For me, these would be the primary items. And as you said, good luck finding a plane with all of them. My top 3 would be: Corrosion free airframe Engine What you want is a quality rebuild that is not to old and that has had regular uses. High time is ok, but usually not fully reflected in the price. Long periods of sparse use should probably be considered as a timed out engine. Just to many unknowns. Avionics An auto pilot is at the top of my list, with my preference being the Brittan. A WAAS GPS is very nice, as most airports have a GPS approach. But older GPS systems don't have much value. My plane came with a Northstar M3. It was clunky and you could not get an updated data base for it. An ADF is just about useless. Dual Nav/Coms are nice. Other options which you might be interested in: Long range tanks (I think all options are after market) 2 blade vs 3 blade prop. There seems to be an opinion that the 2 blade prop is faster. A prop with/with out the reoccurring eddy current inspection. ( I think every 100 hours) Modern Gear pucks Countless modifications (Windscreen, speed breaks, etc)

Oscar- this happened to me a couple times and it was an easy fix on my J model. The pin is an adjustable turnbuckle. If you take off the passenger door panel you will see a rod with two washers. Loosen the washers and screw the turnbuckle to make the pin stick out further into the hole in the side of the doorframe. Once you have the desired length tighten the washers back to hold the pin at that length. My turnbuckle broke a couple years ago and when it was re installed the pin wasn't adjusted to a long enough length causing the door to pop a couple times in turbulence. Not that is been adjusted out another 3/8" or so it's holding up nicely. All in all it's about an hour project. Good luck!

My door pops open a few times too. But, if I always check the door prior to takeoff by pressing at the top center and on the right side, near the top and see if there is ANY movement. If so, we open and re-close the door. Other times it's opened when the pass knee pops up the latch handle !! I don't have inflatable seal. Bill

At where I am in life, I'm getting a strong desire to just fun fly: http://vimeo.com/84327779 Would be one heck of a swap, and not the Marchetti SF-260 I lusted after before buying my MSE.

The preceding bickering aside (reading this thread for the first time tonight)....I think getting a commercial rating and maintaining good skills is a far better investment. I say this because you spend the entire Commercial rating dividing your attention at the edge of the envelope and it sticks with you. I like the ice detection, though. A clever bonus. Mazer...put me down for one....btw, did you sell your Rocket?