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This morning I put the first flight on my new cowling. I'm pleased with what I've seen so far. The CHT's are better, the carb heat definitely works better than the original carb air box heat. The next few flights I'll get myself current and take some more data then go after performance numbers to see if I gained some speed. David

How's the resale value of your $40,000 car doing after 5 or 6 years? Marauder has had his F well over 20 years. It has taken him and his family to hundreds of places and given him many hours of pleasure. A rational person might feel like the plane didn't owe him anything, certainly not to suffer no depreciation. A brand new '66E sold for about $20,000. I bought 9249M in '77 for 18,000. I sold it in '88 for $18,000. I flew it well over 2000 in those 11 years. The paint, new engine and avionics I added were reasonable depreciation. OSISTM.

I remember well. I'm being careful, hired a food taster...

Fellow Mooney Pilots, I wanted to post and let the community know about a great way to use your airplane - Volunteer Flying. I recently joined the Patient Airlift Services (PALS). I'd encourage all GA pilots to join this group or one similar like Angle Flight. http://www.palservices.org/

Nah, kids just have a lower tolerance to CO. [emoji6] I don't think in the 18 years flying with my son, he ever stayed awake past the second blade turn.

I haven't done any Angel Flights in years due to personal constraints, but I used to do them in my 'C' all the time. Angel Flight (based at PDK) would post the missions and I'd just pick the missions that a 'C' could do. I ended up doing a lot of 1 parent, one child flights. An amusing aspect of carrying children is that while they may/may not be crying (screaming?) during boarding, they were sound asleep within seconds after engine start. Must be something soothing about that Lycoming.

It's really tough with kids. I've lost a lot of past patients and I feel flying them gave me a chance to make a difference in their lives. Like you, it takes a while to get over some of them but it's still worth it. I got close to a gal my age, as she was dealing with cancer while her kids back home were in high school. I still remember talking with her about how her dad named her April, because she was born in April and her concerns about leaving this world with kids still in school. I thought she was going to make it, then I get a call her sister had taken her to a casino on the far eastern end of the U.P. and she needed to get to Ann Arbor right away (University of Michigan hospital). When I flew over to pick her up, I took another pilot with, as they said she would need help boarding. Once seeing her, I knew she wouldn't be coming home, but also understood she had enjoyed her little 'mini' vacation with her sister. She was clearly glad to see me, as I had taken her on most her previous flights and she was comfortable with me. She never came home after that flight, and I wonder how her kids made out. I think the key is to remember them as fighters, and try to appreciate having been involved with some part of their fight to live. I say that now, but it's always hard immediately after you lose one. Tom

The nice thing about old cars is that eventually the price bottoms out. I'm guessing my '92 Jag convertible is worth about a third of what I paid for it in 96, which was about a third of what it sold for new. My Mooney is holding up better than that despite the market crash in '08; many plane prices are recovering, but still lower than before. I would never consider doing a pricey upgrade just to increase the sale value of my plane. The only reason (to me; YMMV) to sink Marauder or Bob money into my panel would be to use the hell out of it! It can be done incrementally at a higher total cost, or all at once, driven by need as things fail or as I want to increase functionality for my use. Then use it for a while and enjoy it. Sell? Eventually. Maybe. But that is part of what's nice about ownership vs. rental, just like owning your house or renting it. It's yours, do with it whatever you want. Improve the appearance, the comfort, the usefulness as/if you want; fly it or park it; keep it up, or disappoint your neighbors and let things slide. I prefer to keep it up, fly it and upgrade when old things stop working or when something wonderful and new comes along. But I'm not jumping in the G650 bandwagon until I see how the whole ADSB thing plays out; I think it's incredibly shortsighted of the FAA to require Certified Out in the basis that we can have Portable Uncertified In as "justification" for making us buy the Out. We'll see what falls out in the next few years.

Wife and I actually had a day off together today so we piled into the plane with the toddler and headed south of Pittsburgh to Ohiopyle and Nemacolin to do some sightseeing along the river. Fun terrain and pretty fall views. On the way I did an ILS practice approach to KLBE's 23. Someone must have been pinging an ADS-B tower around there because I was getting full traffic on the Stratus and it was great. In fact I picked up on a target on foreflight, foreflight gave me an alert, and I already had the traffic in sight by the time ATC called it. Wife was impressed and may let me do avionics work before Dec 2019. It was also fun getting a request from approach to slow down on the ILS for sequence. Our Mooneys are cool like that. It was a great day for GA. Seemed alive for once. At the home drone Rostraver we had one of the Snoopy blimps hanging out on its mooring prior to the steelers game. I saw three different T-36's buzzing around the field doing breaks and generally showing off for no good reason :-). Then a lancair legacy and an RV8 did a more impressive pattern to show up the T36's. There was a amphibian C182 buzzing around, and a beautiful C195 with a great sounding radial engine in addition to the train of C's B's and P's that were flying today. Embarrassing moment. Flew midfield looking for the windsock to try to figure out what the wind was actually up to. Couldn't see it too well but eventually got it. Should have used the giant windsock that is the Snoopy blimp. Doh. My daughter refered to it as big blue dog balloon. Fun stuff. Although I didn't get to install my new LED landing light as I was told I had had enough fun with the mistress, I left the old GE on the entire flight just to see what it's like. Of course I considered myself infinitely more visible. We finished the day with a good lunch at the airport restaurant. Happy Halloween. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I would not waste the downtime or money on the windscreen , If you consider 1 or maybe 1.5 miles per hour for 4 grand a benefit worth the cost , by all means , but in reality it is just to make it look like a J , which it is not..... That plane is f---kin gorgeous as it is , let it be .... I have owned a few Mooneys the only aerodynamic mod worth anything is the cowl.... I know I did them all.... Think for a second , this guy was an aerospace engineer and spared no expence on this aircraft NONE !!!!! I see close to a hundred grand in that airplane , and yet no Speedslope...... Think if the windscreen is sloped more , than it is longer....the benefit of the slope is tempered by the friction of the air on the longer surface..... Spend the Money on avgas and fly the crap out of that beautiful airplane !!!

They are adding after-market AC, here's a photo of the prototype. Just a few bugs to work out WRT the power cord.

AREA FORECAST (FA) TO BE DISCONTINUED 12/31/2015 Taken from AOPA Pilot Magazine: "...advantages of area forecasts summarize weather by region with a quick overview fronts, lows, highs AND provide cloud layer and cloud top info, and summarize areas or precipitation both current and 6 hour forecast...." '''wants to move to more graphic breifings..." "....opponents of Area Forecast cite high metrorogist workload and other realignments...." I liked using the Area Forecast, particular the cloud layer, cloud ceiling, and top info. Where else can one find the cloud info forecast? example: NC MTNS...BKN050 LYRD FL280. OCNL VIS 3-5SM SCT -SHRA BR. OTLK...IFR CIG SHRA BR. PIEDMONT...BKN025 LYRD FL280. OCNL VIS 3-5SM SCT -SHRA BR. OTLK...IFR CIG SHRA BR. CSTL PLAIN...BKN050 LYRD FL280. ISOL -SHRA. BECMG 1417 BKN030. OCNL VIS 3-5SM WDLY SCT -SHRA BR. OTLK...MVFR CIG SHRA BR. . SC MTNS...BKN030 LYRD FL280. OCNL VIS 3-5SM SCT -SHRA BR/ISOL -TSRA. CB TOP FL350. OTLK...IFR CIG SHRA BR. PIEDMONT...BKN050 LYRD FL280. ISOL -SHRA. BECMG 1114 BKN030. OCNL VIS 3-5SM SCT -SHRA BR. OTLK...MVFR CIG SHRA BR. CSTL PLAIN...SCT050 BKN CI. BECMG 1215 BKN045 LYRD FL280. ISOL -SHRA. OTLK...VFR SHRA BECMG 2301 MVFR CIG SHRA BR.

I did this today before I fired it up and the button works perfectly. I don't know if this is a temporary fix or not but as of now it switches frequencies normally. Thanks for the tip; you saved me $1,100!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

"Bored on a Sunday".....obviously

Now the thesis is some kind of rear pressure bulkhead failure. The tail section came down several miles from the forward section. Apparently the plane had significant damage in a 2001 tail strike incidence. Frankly, I wouldn't buy into any of this just yet... It's not in the Russian or Egyptian interest to point to terrorism. Then again, it wouldn't be the first time a rear pressure bulkhead has failed in flight after a repair to fix prior damage. I believe Boeing's policy now is that only Boeing's factory mechanics can fix a pressure bulkhead after JAL fixed one on a 747 that ultimately failed in flight.

Rocket, there are lots of Angel flight requests from EP to HOU, this would be a great oppertunity for you and I to join up for a flight! I bring to You, you take to HOU! Now all we need to to work out a way to get in some Texas Wing Formation flying in...... ponder!!!

Sunday spelling review for MSers... Tray- the thing Mooney radios slide into... Trey- the guy MAPA members know... Best regards, -a-

No Sir, I simply helped you feel comfortable with a decision that you had already made. That bird didn't give me much ammo for talking you out of it. Good luck and safe travels!

That's it, I am converting back. I am all about foiling the drone hit. Well played sir

Bob good pointers, I started in my J and now have a Bravo, no real difference in boarding etc. that said Angel Flight East provides the info. as you stated, the main thing for me is weight obviously but I try to figure size. If they say 500 lbs, and that include baggage I want to know is Mom 375 and daughter 90 lbs. If so they need a larger plane. I've been trying to not have any one person over 225, that as you know takes a phone call. Tom totally agree you seem to be in the same place, I do a little pilot and paws but don't get the true gratitude as much as AF. We need more like you.

Not sure how the Angel Flight in your region works, but AF West posts missions on the website. After you sign in you can see how many people, how much total weight, departure airport, destination airport, reason for the flight, and occasionally an arrive by or depart after time. There shouldn't be any surprises. I consider all of that; distance, total weight, individual weight, airports, time of day, single or connecting flight, etc. I've passed on a couple missions because they were cancer patients and I just had my shingles shot in September. That's a live virus so it can be passed on to others. I was advised to stay away from immune compromised people for about 4 to 6 weeks. Most of the missions I fly are under 450 lbs. As for getting into the C, I don't know how much more difficult it is than the J, but it has not been an issue so far. Here are a few tips though: 1. I explain that it's easier to get into the back seat than the front seat but leg room will be tight until we get in the front seat and scoot the seats forward. I then talk them through it while they are getting in. For the front seat I explain what I'm doing as I demo by getting into my seat. 2. Leave the flaps down for boarding and deplaning. I don't care how many times you tell them, they just are too tempting to step on and sooner or later somebody will. If they are down, it is easier to step past them too. 3. Bring a small step to help some of the older/weaker ones get up onto the wing. 4. Make yourself a briefing card for items to talk about. I usually go through the briefing while in the building and show them a few last items at the plane. Enjoy.

I wish I had researched mags more before installing newly rebuilt slicks. I had a little over 600hours on the previous set which were running perfectly fine. I have about 10hours on these rebuilt slicks and have been worrying about them. I've been having difficulty with fouling plugs since the install. Do mags either fire or not fire? Or can they produce weak spark on one or more plugs individually? It's always my #1 lower plugs that is giving me trouble.... But, haven't run the engine very hard. Mostly local loitering, low power LOP

NICE!! So much better than the chair cushions my wife stacks up in her seat.

What a tease! Show us the cushion anyway.

Here we go again...

Say it ain't so!!

Changing mounts is not a real big problem. Do it one at a time. They are the same part # and are flipped for the compression side to be correct. Use a cherry picker to support the engine as they are all loosened at the same time but removed and replaced one at a time.. If new mounts don't cure all the sag you can shim the lower ones with a thick large area washer with a slot cut to the center the width of the bolt and slide it in when loose then tighten the bolts to the correct torque. There is a correct torque for the mount bolts so they can provide the correct shock absorption, I want to sat 30 foot pounds but I'd have to look it up to be sure.

$52k Buy in GUP & $10k (out of pocket) for new engine/prop/k doors, 1 piece belly at 1900 hours. Under instruction. Following an hour under hood and Flight review. Four touch and goes and instructor pulled power on downwind. Displaced runway. Beautiful in flare...crunch. Better than pre-GUP._ _ IT Happens... New panel $10k (incremental) Sold 1/2 plane to co-owner for $35k Bought a Cayman S. Life is good 600 hours post overhaul... Costs for panel/interior/windows (our labor) and upgrades to wing leveler (Accu/Trak) (Accu-Flite) and Altitude Hold as well as tank re-seal split with co-owner... All Brittain parts, 155, 300xl, 696 GEM 602 (now G3), Audio panel, Intercom (stereo w/music input, purchased used on EBAY A "Free" audio alert on gear with buy-out of avionics shop...and loss of "my avionics guy" thankfully after panel ALL DONE. He lost his job and never billed me.... How to own/and upgrade a Mooney on a shoe-string. YMMV

Yes, the 12v and 14v designations are actually the same. Typically they charge at a rate up close to 14v, and with no charging may drop down the close to 12v.

I prefer my "pain of ownership" in small doses. It really doesn't hurt much and you end up with a more reliable, better performing , more functional bird. Doing it yourself can be very satisfying. I was on a budget so had zero choice in how I pursued upgrades/repairs and beautification. I would love to have been able to 1. find an E with a panel as awesome as Barcho's and more importantly 2. Have it within my price point. My wallet feels lighter just looking at photos of his panel. Good for him. AWESOME panel and a really beautiful airplane. Can you get something like that for $50k these days? I still have under "solid" 201 money in my plane. I am glad I didn't spend big and did my incremental improvements. YMMV.

The problem with the early shortbodies is that the upper limit of their value is dictated by the prices that the earlier 201s are commanding. Sure, you can do all of the work yourself and save some money, but for many of us that's not a project that we'd want or be willing to tackle. If you end up having to do paint, interior and glass plus an engine/propeller on top of some avionics/autopilot upgrades and you'll be in 201 territory before you know it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not belittling M20B/C/Es, but it's all too easy to find yourself upside down in one (Pun intended) if you have to do too much work to get it up to speed. That's no different than any other airplane. There are few, if any, things that you can do to an airplane that have $1 to $1 recapture when it comes time to move the airplane on. Usually it's dimes on the dollar. That why the best advise always has been and always will be to find one that's already the way you want it.

Hum, that pretty much describes my 50 year old M20E. Including the owner's realistic expectations. If you want something for nothing, better stick to the obits and the bankruptcy filings.

I used them in the summer/fall of 2012. They did great work. see my gallery.

I've been involved with Northwood's Airlifeline (http://www.northwoodsairlifeline.org/) since 1991, and flying for them for over 20 years. It's hard to put into words the rewards you will receive from performing these kind of flights. If, over time, you don't get as much, or more, out of conducting the flight as the patient get's by you offering it, there's something wrong. I posted a tough flight a couple weeks ago, taking grandparents down to see their grand daughter just before passing. http://mooneyspace.com/topic/16721-tough-mercy-flight-yesterday/ I had one this Thursday night/Friday morning though that was rewarding. I flew a kidney transplant patient down to Madison WI for her transplant. http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N7256A/history/20151030/0400Z/KIMT/KMSN She had never flown, and when I asked her after landing how she did, she said "oh, I did just fine, I never opened my eyes the whole flight". Her daughter had flown, and loved the moonlit flight above the overcast. Ironically that afternoon and evening, I had a bank board meeting and we dined at a supper club afterwords. I was the only board member to not have any alcohol, and found out later when the call came in, was the only pilot available. Someone must have been looking over her, as she could not have made it in time without a flight. Tom

Nice looking job!

The 20E is a fine airframe as is. Get to know it before you start cutting aluminum. Besides the funds are best reserved until you're absolutely sure what you've got. I think this is a fine looking bird as is!

Turbine.

If you stop at KGAY watch your 6 O'clock!

Let me try and help you understand: The very definition of "cool" is no longer what it used to be. The progressives have attacked "ALL" that was cool to create their utopian vision of cool. Individual freedom of flight in "dirty" old "rich-man" flying machines have been and continue to be under attack from the left. Children today are not encouraged to entertain themselves with play. They are not told to go out and explore their world independently. They are not told to think for themselves. Not encouraged to make friends. Aviation is the ultimate form of individualism. Freedom and General Aviation go hand in hand. No, children are hearded from one organized/supervised structured event to another. Their time is managed. Their "freedom" is going online and living a world that is cyber where they can be "cool" they can be anonymous. They can be expressive without fear of recrimination. They can fly, kill, be killed explore without fear of reality. They can re-create themselves and be whatever they wish to be... Intoxicating. Why go and wait to "ride" in a real small oily gas burning old plane when they can get "actual" stick time themselves...and shoot others down. Fantasy is BETTER than reality and costs very little from a monetary standpoint or a risk of being judged. Most children will choose an animated world of their creation to the "real world" where what clothes they wear, how they look, speak interact is "judged" by their peers and perhaps found lacking. The world is a difficult place. Friendships and passion require energy and fear of failure. Human beings choose the path of least resistance when push comes to shove. THAT is why geeks now rule the world. THEY are now "cool". Airplanes, sports, reality, not so much.

if his daughter is one of Marauders girls he might be thankful for you sleeping with her.

Not to worry, I have the same information on my phone right here on the yoke.

Maybe he's a visual learner? hmmm, can't paste nothing here. Guess I'll attach it below. It shows up nicely until I Save my post. Well, got it in and it continues to shrink. Wish I could crop it to keep the image large and make the empty space go away . . . Personally, I'm a little vague on geography that far above the Mason Dixon. I can generally find Delaware, it's the little tiny spot outside of Maryland. I have learned right here on Mooneyspace that Delaware is pretty close to NJ, but nobody has yet told me which exit it's closest too. Maybe Erik isn't a country music fan, and has never heard of the band. How about Rock 'n Roll? "Sweet Home Alabama" and we'll just leave Neal Young out of it. No, I'm not from here, just glad to be back close to home [I claim Georgia, but the USMC moved me to a dozen towns before I graduated from high school.] You know, the 96 Olympics, complete with a bombing and a fumbled FBI investigation? Anyway, it's getting dark here really early now, since I'm about 30 miles into the Central Time Zone, so it's time to get Night Current again. But my offer still stands, if Erik can find his way down, I'll take some nice photos, go to ride and put him up for a day or three with all the barbecue he can hold. P.S. for the NJ contingent: "barbecue" is a noun, smoked pork with tomato-and-pepper sauce. In NJ, I am led to believe that "barbecue" is a verb meaning "to cook [any] food on a grill." Sacrilege! Yes, it's possible to barbecue a chicken or piece of beef, but those are called "barbecue chicken" and "barbecue beef".

I don't see where anyone was talking about gear. Do you have any autopilot stuff?

I must add my own approbation. Looks wonderful. Glad to see folks doing right by their aircraft.

The other place, Cri**r was worse, but in different categories. The paint, for one thing, looked horrible. Touvh ups all over and fuzzy stripes, overspray around rivets. Controls not taken off. They dont have a paint booth, they hang plastic and paint in thr corner. Overspray. Dry spray, runs, solvent pop, buffed wings with little white specs of touch up paint that dont match where the rivets were buffed to metal. paint on everything, hinges, rod ends, tires, door jambs, props, baffles, alternator belts. If it were free I would be pissed. Then there are the 17K paint shops. They look good. Then there are the 17K paint shops that rent as good. Then theres the 9K paint shops that look like crap. Then theres Hawk, which is ~9k priced and looks really good, perhaps 90% as good as the Tejas or Murmer which are the highest priced out there.

I would fly down to VDF and have Joe at Hawk Aircraft Painting do your paint job. You can see my photo gallery. Ask him to use the "mask" that he can order from a guy he knows. Makes the paint job super precise http://mooneyspace.com/gallery/album/13633-n252bh-paint/

I went through much of the same debate before painting mine. I went for a custom modern paint scheme and colors vs. similarly awful factory '77 colors that were on mine. Many of us used a great freelance scheme design guy with a great eye for Mooneys, but unfortunately he passed away last fall. I'm not a huge fan of the Scheme Designers outfit you might have seen in AOPA, but some of their work on Mooneys is nice. You'll want to find a shop relatively close to you for potential warranty work. Ask for customer references from many years ago, and see if you can put your own eyes on their work. I emphasize looking at 3+ year old paint jobs because you'll really see how they're holding up. I get more disappointed with my paint job quality every time I clean the plane and find more flaws. A few folks here have used Hawk in FL with much success. Otherwise I don't know much about what is available on the east coast. You'll likely use Jet Glo and Acry Glo paint products. You'll of course want a full chemical strip, alodine, etc. and not just a scuff 'n paint. Any corrosion should be found and mitigated during this process. The 1-pc belly is an expensive conversion and adds some measurable weight unless you go with the carbon fiber version developed by Bill Wheat and Dugosh in Kerrville. I'm not sure if it is still available, though. I opted to skip it and put money towards more important upgrades. You won't find a salvage 1 pc belly in usable condition. You might find someone selling one second-hand/never installed, but they're rare. You can always add it later if you wish and just get a local painter to spray the belly...it will likely be a solid color anyway and easy to do off the plane. Factory wingtips will require new ailerons and counterweights and that is really, really expensive. Even used ailerons will be expensive. I'd save the money again for something more meaningful unless your ailerons are already hail damaged or twisted or otherwise not tip-top. Definitely change your windscreen, and carefully decide if that new windscreen will make the side windows suddenly look old. The windows are relatively cheap and you might just do all of them if they've never been changed. You'll be happy with new ones and a modern grey tint if you choose vs. older green shades. Thicker means more weight and less useful load. Modern ANR headsets do far better than thicker windows in protecting your hearing. Thicker windscreen is marginally more resistant to a bird strike, but also harder to install and get the front fairing to accommodate. You might want to get a local mechanic to change all of the glass before delivery to a paint shop. Not all shops are good with mechanical work. If your tanks are leaky, or have never been re-sealed, you might STRONGLY consider getting them stripped and sealed prior to paint since that operation can locally damage paint when the panels are removed. Changing an N-number is personal and requires some FAA hoop-jumping. Personally I think it is bad juju to change her name after so long. You might consider swapping the lower gear doors to the newer composite & lower profile doors prior to paint. The brake calipers get moved to the front of the wheel, and the blister/bump fairing gets removed in the process. The composite doors sit much closer to the wing and are much more durable than the OEM metal assemblies. Check your nose gear doors for wear/erosion as well and consider changing to the newer overlapping style if they're worn. I kinda wish I would have removed the gear and really done a nice clean/strip/paint operation on separate components vs. just spraying EVERYTHING while it was installed. This would be a LOT more work and require a shop with some Mooney familiarity to get it done right, but it is rare to find anyone that removes gear for painting. I would inspect the shop for cleanliness and talk to as many customers as I could find. I would also recommend getting the shop to put fuel sealant or similar in a skinny bead around the windscreen and perhaps all windows to prevent paint edge erosion. It is a nice detail that looks fine and will help the paint last a long time. If the shop isn't familiar with Mooneys, have them trim the tail to the takeoff position before masking the stripes so everything will line up nicely on the ground. (and then you must remember to re-trim to takeoff after landing, before parking. )

The FBO/Jet Center is handling it on a very professional level and their insurance is working promptly to cover the costs related to their negligence. I hope things stay smooth till my plane is returned to service. The A&P that caused the issue, has stated that he did not start the engine after the repair. So no checking for leaks, vacuum, electrical short or proper operation of the overhauled starter adapter or new starter. Yes it needs an engine. I also now see the true benefit of the JPI 830 engine monitor that I installed a few years back. The JPI warned me of the problem before I departed. Thanks to JPI!

I don't automatically do anything with mine at 500 hours. I run them until there's a problem and then address it. I've experienced mag problems within 7-10 hours after overhaul far too may times to see justification for automatically doing maintenance on them at 500 hours. This is just what I do and by no means a recommendation to anyone else. Just something to think about. David