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When were your mags last inspected and how old are the plugs? Mine has started every time with: During preflight NO turning of the prop. Just before engine start fuel pump on and two full pumps. Fuel pump off and throttle 1/4 open. Engine start and check oil press. Works every time.

I have flown her twice now and have noticed that I might have picked up some airspeed. I would normally see 140+ and both flights this past weekend had me closer to 150.

The O-360 engine is extremely easy to start compared to its IO brother. I turn boost pump on until 6 PSI is reached then off. Pump twice with a slight drop in fuel pressure each time. Then crack the throttle and crank. If your engine doesn't start in the first couple of turns, somethings not right. Check mags, plugs and carb. I'd personally not fly the plane until I figure it out. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

WAG: Does it start when you release the key? http://www.donmaxwell.com/publications/MAPA_TEXT/Shower%20of%20Sparks/Shower%20of%20Sparks.htm

If there is no evidence of fuel after pumping 10x, something is not right with accelerator pump.

I'm 95% with Jim. I use 1 pump in the summer, 2 in the winter. Open the throttle 1/8"-14". If it doesn't start in the winter, I pump 2 more times while cranking. No waiting. No turning of the prop during preflight. Pulling the throttle all the way out acts a little like a choke on an old car. I've owned 2 M20Cs and both were the same. Preheating in the winter is very important to get the fuel to evaporate. P.S. Edit: 10 PUMPS to start an O-360 ?!?!?! Holy crap!

You will receive a flood of replies on the "correct" starting procedure for a C and in the end, you will need to find one that works for you. Here is what I do in my C. -Turn prop about 4 times by hand during preflight -Master and Pump on as I jump into the cockpit. -Check that there is pressure and then secure the pump -Mixture full rich and pump throttle 2-3 times during the summer, 4+ times in the winter and set throttle about a 1/4" in -Give the fuel about a minute to evaporate. -Crank away This usually starts my engine within a couple blade turns. On the rare occasion that it has taken longer, my battery just did not have a full charge or it was colder than normal and I simply failed to pump the throttle enough times. However, and be very careful with this, do not get to crazy with pumping the throttle. When all is working properly, you will flood the air box and the potential for a fire does exist. I had a very scary moment last year when I was new to my plane on a very cold day when it would not start. If you are pumping the throttle, you better be cranking at the same time. Keep cranking the engine at least for a few seconds after you stop pumping the throttle. My guess is there is something up with your carb/throttle/fuel system if you are not able to flood the air box. Hopefully others will have a better answer for you here but as far the starting procedure goes, that is what I use. Par

13,000ft in my J at gross weight coming out of Phoenix. Had to step climb over 10,000ft and struggle up at 100fpm. It was 100F on the ground. I was on O2 but my parrots got sleepy. Whenever my parrot would try to fly from the cage on the backseat to my shoulder, she would just plummet like a clipped bird. Hasn't gotten the hang of true airspeed...

Flying at 12K along V6 from Ogden to Reno back in September. Amazing how spread out the big rocks are with very few trees to be seen anywhere in this area. Crossing along Donner Pass into California is a different story though. I'm really starting to like flying out here ... Mount Shasta's peak sits at 14,162' (photo taken from 10.5K about 30 miles away). Cheers, Brian

17,500 in my J. & 25,000 (FL) 250 in my Bravo

20,000 feet a month ago in my Rocket

I use AeroCosmetics Wash & Wax for the plane, and their red Degreaser for the belly. Never had to scrub anything, and it leaves a glossy, slick, waxed feeling behind. spray it on, wipe it off (one towel does the whole plane), then buff with a dry towel. Just like waxing, do a little at a time, it's not supposed to dry by itself. If it does, spray it again.

I drove my car once to 14k. No turbo either. Pikes Peak.

For those of you who didn't see this on FB, this is a blog post written by a good friend of mine. He experienced close formation flight for the first time riding right seat in my Mooney for a Texas Wing practice session. The write up is very good and includes pictures. Enjoy. https://blog.pilotpartner.net/now-learn-to-fly/mooney-flight-formation-flying/

Flying along at FL210 in my 82 M20K Rocket, ATC asks can I climb to FL230. I say yes. ATC asks, can you climb to FL 240. I say, yes. ATC asks, can you climb to FL250. I say yes. ATC says, do that. Climbed without significant effort and enjoyed the flight. It is particularly memorable now that I'm flying a 74 F that seems to struggle to get to 10,000 ft. Ah, the good old days of 20 gal/hr!

Someone on here actually recommended it after my little fire incident last year. From then on, I figured why do everything I can to set myself up for success, especially when it doesn't take much time or cost me any money. That is me in the avatar. It was a good deal solo currency flight in the Quail MOA and pretty much a selfie fest. Miss those days!

No, the fuel pressure line comes right off of the carb. It's directly inline with the fuel inlet, just on the other side of the carb.

Starting my D/C: Master on Fuel pump on Mixture fill rich Throttle pump x2 Fuel pump off Starter engage. Fires on the second blade. Every time.

Wear and tear is not the concern. I'm just trying to make it easier for the prop to turn. Call it a myth but I'm going to keep doing what has worked 100% of the time.

Par, I'm sorry, but this is down right funny. While I don't deny the existence of static friction, the idea that you are saving wear and tear on your starter by turning the prop by hand is wishful thinking at best. How does it reduce the chance of cranking for a longer time. If indeed there was significantly more static friction from the engine being at rest over time, one would merely need to bump the prop an inch, not turn it through 4 times. I do preheat religiously below 40 degrees, but I'll let my starter take care of the stiction.

Sounds like your accelerator pump isn't working. You should have seen and smelled fuel with 10+ pumps. I find the O-360's to to very forgiving in regards to starting procedures. 0, 1, 2, 5, pumps etc.. Temperature does play a big roll in how much fuel you need. In the summer mine will start in 2 or 3 blades with no pumps of the throttle. I usually use 1 or 2 pumps and it starts immediately. When it's cold out I usually start with 4 pumps and then be ready to pump one or two times after it fires. I have tried waiting the 30-60 seconds for the fuel to vaporize but haven't noticed a big difference either way. 20 years ago when I was a private student I witnessed two fires at start up in the winter. Both times it was newer students who were really slow with running checklists. A min or so went buy from Priming (over primed?) to hitting the starter, giving plenty of time for the fuel to drain back down out of the carb. After that the school started teaching priming just before hitting the starter. I think induction fires are fairly common though, most of the time no one ever notices. Never under estimate the importance of a good spark. Tired mags will make starting more difficult too. Dan

Andy, I updated a line in there... This was with no pre-heat available. It worked on days above 20°F. When fuel doesn't evaporate, it is hard to 'flood' the engine. Pouring excess fuel on the ground is a set up for a dangerous situation. The front tire gets bathed in the excess. My C was parked outside in NJ with only expensive (non-CB) pre-heat available. Flooding the carburetor while pumping is possible, just not neccesary. It was a challenge to be young, not have enough money, and not have MS! Old wive's tales had to be spread face to face. Back to the OP's challenge. Follow the documented procedure. If fuel pressure doesn't drop related to pumping, that's a sign. If pumping a bunch of times doesn't cover the front tire with fuel that's another sign. If the tire is dry, but it smells a lot like fuel, that's a different sign. The drain hose might be missing and is now filling up the cowling. Best regards, -a-

You should be anle from an STC standpoint to put a G500 in a C model (check Garmin's STC compatibility list). I have a G600 with alot of other glass Garmin stuff in my 1968 F. You just need to design a panel that make sit work and do the paperwork for legality. John Breda

Several papers show that a polished metal wing is fastest. A filled, painted wing is next, and an unfilled painted wing is slowest of all. Actually a peeling, unfilled, painted wing is the slowest because. That's what I have.

One of these is mine (background), didn't meet the owner of the other. Shot early last spring at KCBE with an iPhone 5 while standing in the bed of the "courtesy" truck. I just noticed that the plane in the foreground has rudder tabs, mine does not.

The B is the same as the C with a few minor exceptions , The two biggest differences are the Gross weight on the B is about 100 less lbs , and the rudder travel is less in the B , Somewhere I have a letter from Bill Wheat on Mooney company letterhead that states that they are Identical ( I used the letter to get a field approval for my O&N bladder install on my B ) , I wouldn't sweat it as you have that 100 lb difference as a cushion before you even get to the C's gross weight.....

pH 10.9 is basic, not acidic.

To those of you who are prop turners, can you expound on why you turn the prop? Everyone who uses this method appears to be turning the prop before priming, so it's not helping to distribute fuel. What does it do and why do you do it? I've flown a lot of carbureted airplanes, but I've never been told to do this.

That's my routine - any more than 2 pumps and I have fuel pouring out. I keep my battery on a battery tender, without a full battery my shower of sparks doesn't have enough juice to make starting easy/smooth.

The photo I took of Mt. Shasta was on Thursday, November 12, 2015..... Cheers, Brian

My cold weather C procedure included 10 pumps. Fuel would be pouring out of it. (Fire hazard) This was with no pre-heat available. It worked on days above 20°F. Three pumps for a warm day. If you have gone 10 pumps, and then gone out to cowling and then don't see or smell fuel everywhere something related to the accelerator pump is not working. Electric Fuel pump, mixture, accelerator pump. If your electric pump is making and holding pressure that's a good sign. Get a copy of the Marvell Schebler carb drawing to see how the controls attach. Compare drawing to actual carburetor. You should be able to find enough detail of how the two fuel nozzles, carb float and accelerator pump are operated. There could be seals or adjustments that need attention. Check the log for any OH entries or carb specific maintenance. Each pump of the throttle gives a squirt of fuel. Ideas that come to mind. Know that I am only a PP, not a mechanic. I stayed at a holiday inn while I owned an M20C... Best regards, -a-

17,900 in my J and my S, 2 people and outdoor gear both times. The J actually surprised me how well it did which I think was around 200 rpm at the end. The S with the 310stc still 500 fpm. My preferred cruising altitude in my S is between 12.5-14.5 and in my J it was 11.5-12.5. It seems like no matter what my S likes doing 173ktas so going higher gives me better economy.13gph LOP down low 10.4 gph at peak up high. I think it has something to do with the drag from the air conditioning scoops being more pronounced down low.

I am taking our J model to avionics shop next week to replace KLN90B with a GTN750. I have about 10 data base updates left on my subscription. If you can use one PM me and I will send you my user name and password. As our local radio (KONP) announcer says, "free is a very good price". Alan Miller

par's procedure works for me, but I only pull the prop through a couple of revolutions in the winter. Or I did in WV, it ain't been that cold here in LA yet. Master on, Fuel Pump on until pressure stabilizes, then off. Mixture rich, pump Throttle. Fuel pressure should fall some with each pump. Twice in warm weather, more as temps fall, nine for a hot start. give the fuel time to vaporize. This is when I out on my headset. In winter weather, give the fuel a solid 60 seconds to vaporize. Wind and set the clock. Now open the throttle 1/4-1/2" and turn / push the key. are you getting any attempts to start? Coughs? Spits? Or just endless cranking?

I've had my F to DAs around 19,000. It was climbing surprisingly well. I don't care for the hose so I typically cruise between 10 and 12.5 winds permitting.

Why did you have to go and mention fire!!!!! MooneyPTG ---- That doesn't look that bad. I will try it. ( I'm going to bring up this forum when I do it.) Brian - I am in the slow process of learning to fly mine and hope to improve its condition, but yours like bob Belville's is unmatchable by me.

+1 for AeroCosmetics Wash Wax

Where did you take these pictures? Kind of looks like my home field, KIWS. I'd sure love to see it if you ever make it to Houston!

I appreciate the kind words! Glad to help! Keeping GA strong and safe is really important. Lending my voice (and my plane) to the cause is a privilege.

I'm afraid you might of missed your window to sell your plane without taking a bath on it. With 2100 hours on it you must of known you were on borrowed time. I'd personally have the engine overhauled and enjoy the plane for another 500 hours then think about selling it. Your plan us really nice so you should be able to get top dollar for it. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Just wanted to say hello to all my fellow mooniacs! Im new to aviation, but always wanted to be a pilot. Walked into a flight school last summer and just kept comming back everyday till i got my PPL. Learned to fly in 180 piper archer, but had my eye on Mooneys since day 1. This summer i just could not help myself, I found the plane i wanted 74F with really low time airframe (855 hrs), and motor/prop (144 hrs since 2006), so i wrote a check. Found a hangar at my home airport KBJC near Denver the owner was willing to part with so i wrote another check, (sorta jumped in head first i know). Flew out to miami commercial one way two weeks ago, met with a cfi and we flew my bird back, logged 13 hrs in one day, whew! I took the Mooney up for the first solo flight in my new plane a day later, what a rush! Now the Mooney is in for her first annual and so far things are looking pretty good. So here I am guys green as they come 90hrs TT with 14 in type and 5 takeoffs / landings in it. Noticed this site is full of really friendly people who are super knowlegable, so thought i would introduce myself and N25EJ.

Guess that's it. I just scanned the discussion over on POA. I'm not in the market for headsets, although there have been several times I've wished my weightless Halos were wireless. At least their wires are sturdy, they pull the headset right off when I try to get out of the plane, and they keep on working. Even after six years, I still sometimes forget I'm wearing them.

In looking at your panel there is one thing that you could get that would make instrument flying a little safer. For $2,395 at Aircraft Spruce you could easily replace the turn coordinator with a Castleberry Electric Backup Attitude Indicator. That could be a life saver and is so much better than the turn coordinator. An HSI would be nice, but too expensive.

I'm based at KMYF and am there often your welcome to come sit in my long body to see how it feel. Im 6'4", 225lbs with a 35/36" inseam and fit better in a Mooney than other planes I've flown. I actually think my previous J had more leg room than my current S. I was wondering if my had rudder pedal extensions but I don't know what they look like. Regardless leg room is not an issue.

Congrats. You will love your plane and you will love this site. Lots of collective knowledge. I bought a 75F some years back and still love to just hang around the hangar even if I'm not flying.

Hello all! We have successfully installed the new 4.0 version of the forum software. Some things are still working in the background to complete the migration and this might even take a couple days. Some notes: 1) We seem to have lost the home page layout. I will look into getting this restored but it might cost some $$$ to get a developer in to do it. 2) Usernames seem to now be case sensitive. I always logged in as Mooniac58 and could not login until I realized my official username was "mooniac58" in all lowercase. If you can't login - this is likely a problem. 3) I am still working on upgrading Tapatalk to work with 4.0 so this could be a day or two as well. If you see anything else please let me know. Thanks!

A friend of mine had a polished T-28. He offered to let me fly the plane if I would help him keep it shiny. I've loved flying the T-28, but it was way too much work to keep it looking good. Nothing looks better than a polished classic airplane (Think Spartan 7W Executive) but nothing looks worse than a polished airplane that needs polishing. That T-28 attracted a lot of attention where ever it went and the people who saw it wanted to touch it. Which explains why he was willing to make the deal he did with me. That T-28 was one honking big single engine airplane and it took hours of work to clean up after that big radial engine and all of the finger and palm prints that magically seemed to appear every time we rolled it out of the hangar. Between the two of us, he definitely got the better deal. Polished airplanes are like women - they're sure pretty, but it takes an awful of of time and money to keep them that way. I'd much rather spend my time flying than polishing. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I learned the "port wine" technique. "Port has 4 letters like LEFT and port wine is red". Funny how something like that sticks in your memory... Almost up there with "Lefty loosey, righty tighty". Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk