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It's a new thing. Alan is a lumbersexual.

Here's to hoping that that next week's crappy weather will be better than this week's crappy weather.

Not G1000 but the CYA100 is very small and fit in my clean panel in what I think is a good spot in my field of vision. http://mooneyspace.com/profile/8913-bob_belville/?tab=node_gallery_gallery

Hi francisg, on my first test flight the cylinder temps are down about 30 degrees Fahrenheit. I'm sealing up my baffling and replacing one of my baffle seals to close an air gap. My new carb airbox almost works too well in that when the carb heat is pulled to full on, the engine stumbles briefly. I need to limit the travel of the carb heat to keep it from stumbling as the temp increase is more than sufficient in less than full on position. I'm also adjusting the cowl flaps in different positions to see what impact that has on cylinder temp. It will be about a week and a half before I take it back up on another test flight. I'll do a couple more general test flights to work cowl flap data then do the performance flights to see what gain in performance I achieved. Thanks, David

I too am an aero engineer and have the same assessment of the Mooney! I'm not sure electronic ignition is the answer... might make for easier starts but not a lot more efficiency/performance than what we have currently. If everything is in-spec, the IO-360 starts easily hot or cold.

Thanks, Really glad to be a Mooney owner. I flew a lot of Pipers but once I flew a Mooney I was hooked. I am an Aerospace engineer and from an Engineering perspective a Mooney is a far superior designed aircraft. I love it. Thanks for the info on the Mag Shop. I need to look up when the mag were last serviced. I will dive into this more. Wish they had Electronic ignition for my Mooney!! Also - Thanks to you all for your input to my problem. It's nice to know there is a community out there that sticks together and shares knowledge and experience.

Yep.. From Gulf Coast Avionics the S-Tec System 30 Alt is a single axis Altitude Hold only autopilot which can be installed as a stand alone pitch system, or as a complement to any brand of autopilot. Since it installs and operates separately, no complex interfacing is required. Works like a charm Great thing about it is I can use it with or without the PC system. You can make banks and turns at will and this system will maintain altitude independent of the AccTrk.

That reminds me about an old saying about Bonanzas. If you're rich you buy a brand new bonanza. But if you are truly wealthy you buy an old bonanza and fix it up.

Take off and climb to your typical cruising altitude. Fly on the left mag for 30 mins then the right.

I would suspect an intermittent MAG. Have you tried switching them off individually and seeing if the fluctuations stop?

Hi Mike, I'm following Bob K's advise. For the first test flight I had the cowl flaps open an inch plus when in the closed position. On my upcoming flight, I'm putting them back to the book spec to see what difference there is. I'll also be trying them in different positions when I do my performance flights. Thanks, David

Just a short video from cruising around this afternoon. Since today is Black Friday, I was able to get another Go-Pro at a really good price... so my videos will soon have ATC audio and a cockpit view. Looking forward to that!

Yes it could. When was the mag last serviced, and by whom? The -A3B6D is a great engine and mag, but you must adhere to the 500 hr inspection interval. I'd send it to Select Aircraft in Lancaster, TX for inspection and rework as necessary, even if it has been "checked" by a non-expert shop recently. I'll also note that if the governor is commanding an RPM change, your oil pressure will also change. If it is an ignition or fuel issue, you shouldn't see the oil pressure move IMO. Glad to see you on Mooneyspace, BTW. You bought a beautiful plane!

If you have an Stec 30 with Alt Hold, why would you need the PC or the AccuTrk? I'm pretty sure all I have is the Stec30 w/Alt Hold. It's tied into both my 530W and the heading bug on the HSI. Works GREAT. I don't think he has an STEC 30 with altitude hold. What he has is the altitude hold module designed as an add-on for the STEC 30 or any other AP that doesn't have altitude hold. https://www.gulfcoastavionics.com/products/2482-system-30-alt.aspx Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

It happens so fast I have not been able to switch the mags. The only think I could do is fly with one Mag for 15 minutes and see if I see a drop.

It's not a rating, it's an endorsement (just a sign off, like the tailwheel endorsement). A rating (like say a multi-engine rating) requires a check-ride with a DPE.

I think the insurance companies would disagree...

I notice that too, it only lasts for a second, unfortunately the JPI data is a bit noisy, the display must smooth out these variances. I only notice it at cruise. Here is what my FF and RPM looks like.

Do keep in mind that Skylanes are back country aircraft, that's part of their mission. Mooneys are travel machines. I wouldn't hesitate to take a Skylane into a turf strip where i would with a Mooney. I doubt I'm alone in that perception. Hence the Skylanes see that sort of action more often. Sampling error 101.

I have completed my last 3 flight reviews under the hood - down at 100ft on climb out and up at minimums on approach. It's not so bad.

Sure! But then we'd likely not be invited back anytime soon. Plus I'd have to fill up my smoke-oil tank.

Overhead break?

Hmmmm. Might be able to grab a bite and still make it home in time for the SEC Championship game (Tide vs. Gators). Doesn't look like we can do an element landing as the runway's only 50' wide but perhaps some of the formation group could fly in together? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

http://www.swta.net/ Short announcement is up on the website.

iPad Mini w/Retina display, Landscape position in the yoke, is the hot set up for me. It's never in the way, easy to see, use, etc. On long flights with sun streaming in and heating everything in the cockpit, a small white hand towel draped over the iPad keeps it cool and functional.

I had an old WWII pilot tell me how to fix that once. It sounded silly and I thought he was making it up. He told me if it happens to close my eyes tilt my head back as far as I can, tilt it forward with my eyes still closed, smack my forehead with the palm of my hand and then open my eyes looking at the attitude indicator! Well I was flying along in the clouds once and everything went crazy just like you said. I remembered what he said and had nothing to lose so I gave it a try. Instant relief!!! The old guy knew what he was talking about!

Hi David, bear in mind what Bob Kromer said about cowl flap positioning in his presentation at the Mooney Summit. Granted, your cowl design changes all the rules, but the gist was to make sure you evacuate the air that is induced for less drag along with cooling.

No , you have to collapse it with the brakes , or it will only steer a few degrees...

I had a full sized iPad on the yoke in either portrait or landscape mode. Ended up liking portrait mode better because I could fit it in between the yoke horns better. I kept the top edge aligned so I could see my cowl flap handle and the lighting switches (early J). However, coming home a couple of weeks ago I had a 15-19 kt crosswind for which I usually use half flaps. I ended up having the edge of the iPad touch my belly during flare (probably a combination of trim position, my seat position and more control inputs in gusty winds). I didn't like that, went around and chucked the iPad in the copilot seat. Weird part is that pre takeoff control check I pull the yoke through the oh my my arms aren't that strong full aft deflection stop and had no issues with the iPad in the same position. Must have been my seat position. I still prefer the yoke but would recommend being very careful about how far back you could possibly get the edge of the full sized iPads (mine was like CNoe's is currently). The orher thing I've noticed is that a smaller screen with better resolution is better than a larger screen with poor resolution. The iPad that was sitting on the yoke is a non - retina iPad 2 I also have a 6+ iPhone that is my daily driver. I mount that to the front lower corner of the pilots window where my awesome telex hand mic sits and use a ram suction cup with a x-grip. This thing is perfect for the Mooney in that it stays up and out of the way of the panel and is just peripheral to my scan. I'll post a picture when I can. Highly recommended, though. So... ordered a mini 2 with Retina display to go in the yoke and will keep the iPhone on the Window. The old iPad will be my in flight entertainment system which means that the Elmo play ball episode will be on a continuous loop. Hope this is helpful. -B

I use the Costco special $199 GoPro Hero3+ Silver. I just recently got one of the new Hero4 Sessions (super small) and I'm going to give that a try sometime in the near future. As far as mounting, it's the supplied 3M sticky mount on the left, forward, underside of the horizontal stabilizer.

I recall from the news that this flight was in heavy T-storms as well. The 1st officer was full back on controls all the way down. Reminds me of the findings with the Air France crash off of the Brazil coast. It's hard to believe that professionals can't analyze and recover from a stall, even with system failures and in IMC storms. Makes me wonder what chance I would really have if I encountered something like a turbulence upset in IMC. I have done upset training under the hood but never gone so far as to go through a stall under the hood. Anyone else done this?

The airplane was 6-8 mph slower at an air race in Jasper, TX and the finish line photo shows what looks like the gear door ls leading edge off the wing. 3 layers of carbon on the front 6" of the door make it much stiffer, and the front edge of the door could not be pried off the wing. The speed returned as well. They twist easily as made. http://futurshox.net/aerogallery.php#1834 search for n201eq. On page 3 there's a finish photo of ghost run 2013 air race finish.

If this holds up in the following weeks, it will officially be a Christmas miracle for C owners everywhere!

I sure am glad I don't need to understand all that.

How did you know that they were not stiff enough in flight? Did you use a go camera?

Russ, I have an AOA in my Bravo, prior to the install I kept changing my mind where I would put the darn thing. I eventually put it on the glare shield just left of the center post. It's totally in my line of sight and I'm quite pleased with the location. I've had it for about a year and half and its second nature from a viewing point.

Not a bad panel , Price is a good starting point for a J of this vintage.... Good luck with the sale....

I was going to mention... it's gonna be difficult to sell without really good clear pictures of the panel.

Tom -- thanks for sharing this. I was worried about it being a reception problem as well, hence the reason I took it with me to the T-Mobile store. And also for the comments on his troubleshooting help. It has been a really frustrating exchange with him. In my line of work we have a saying; "Sales can make the first sale, it is support that keeps them buying more". I don't know what the final solution of this box will be, but based on the "support" he offered, I'm not buying anything more. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Not sure how you are a lone "sole" (or what shoes or fish have to do with it; sorry, can't resist) when the only thing you are lone about is the choice of EFB, and they really are ultimately all the same in terms of their basic chart and map functions. The airplanes in my club have various types of Garmin on-board GPS from 430s to 750s. For charts, I'm using ForeFlight as my primary chart source, with an Android tablet EFB as backup. I will have used ForeFlight for 5 years next month and haven't had a paper chart in the cockpit (unless it was someone else's ;))for at least 4.5 of those.

A 747 is not a high performance airplane. A T-38, which can climb from brake release to 31,000 feet in 70 seconds is not either. Neither has more than 200 Horsepower, nor a controllable pitch prop.

yep, upgraded to slicks ~500 hrs ago and then upgraded back to bendix....... only in aviation.

Plus they put the wing on the wrong side of the fuselage. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Biennial, now called simply Flight Review. (Bi-Annual would be twice each year.)

I lived in Lakeland, FL for two and a half years. Loved it. There is a fly-in community north of Tampa...though I can't remember what it's called. Spruce Creek is nice, but certainly looks expensive. If you want to check it out for a weekend, call up Chester Lawson at Spruce Creek and get your MES rating (if you've already got the MEL to go with it). h2oflight.com I certainly miss Lakeland. Nice, slower-paced city with close proximity to Tampa. TPA is my favorite commercial airport to fly in and out of. And Tampa TRACON is probably the best group of controllers I've ever dealt with from the air. I can't say I'm a fan of Orlando (traffic and perpetual tourism). Cost of living anywhere in FL is a heck of a lot better than CA. The DFW area has more (and better) fly-in communities than Florida. But as I'm looking outside at 2SM visibility, mist, and 45 degrees, I really want to be in Florida right now.

Here's the answer from SC Johnson - Not Recommended for Use on Aluminum: Hi Ken, Thank you for reaching out to us about Scrubbing Bubbles® Mega Shower Foamer. I'm so sorry for the delay in our response, as I was looking into this. Please know, while this product can be used to clean fiberglass, we don't recommend it for aluminum surfaces. That being said, you may want to reach out to the manufacturer of the aircraft for their recommended care and cleaning instructions. I there's anything else we can do to help, know we're always here. Mai Song Consumer Relationship Center SC Johnson, A Family Company USA 1-800-558-5252 | scjohnson.com Canada 1-800-558-5566 | scjohnson.ca Reference Number: 017155301A

Apparently it's not needed, but I'll put my additional recommendation as well. I've known JD for several years now, consider him a personal friend, and had the pleasure of meeting his kickass wife today as well. They are both honest and ready to work! I know they're going to get slammed very quickly with all you guys chomping at the bit for some Mooney work! N1395W as far as I know he has the STC's for some mods - not sure which ones - if any, he'll be implementing. I would follow up with him in a few weeks once they get all setup and see what the status is. My understanding is they will be continuing Russel's Mods.

so learning to sew with some covers for our outdoor furniture. I would not make it in Indonesia for speed, but they turned out pretty good. Time to take apart some of that quality work from those people in Kerrville from back when I was in Elementary school The foam is pretty good and these are some of the more comfortable seats I have sat in even at my advanced height