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Got out to BDR to visit my family for a couple of days before Christmas. The Mrs was going to be stuck at work all week, so it was just me and the little one. It's something special when talking to NY approach and getting the rapid fire questions from the three year old (where is the airport? Why we not going down? Etc.). Fun flight with a great tailwind. I pulled it way back to 2300/ 7.2 GPH / 140ktas just to see the nmpg hit 24.3. But I missed seeing 185 it's ground speed and wasn't sure how long toddler would last before I'd need to put her in "isolate", so back to ROP for the last hour or so. Apologies for the ugly door. I still haven't made my new decorative pieces. I finally got my basement composites setup going - repairing my landing gear fairings. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Why wouldn't I want to listen ----- Because I have to listen to every conversation on ATC After 30+ yrs I'm tired of the noise What if I have trouble? That's why I carry an InReach SAT radio, on and tracking on every flight. It gives a far better location than any ATC can. 1 button push and help is on the way to a WAAS location transmitted to them AND they see the track with altitude going down on their end. They start the Cavalry ! Like right now! If I'm not going down ATC can't do anything for me that I can't do for myself. I'm way out west, you have to look hard to even find any traffic, back east maybe I'd have a different thought process I go to Dallas often and use Approach Control BUT even when VFR you ALWAYS get routed way around the airspace as a little guy. It's just their thing. KABQ does the same thing, miles out of the way for no reason than to keep you away. Now, ADSB In might be a God send even for me, we'll see what the next couple of years have to offer after what I saw at Oshkosh this last summer.

I went out to the hanger earlier this week to finally empty out the mini fridge for winter. Everything was froze solid except a few bottles of water. It was fun playing with, but makes me wonder why I live in Minnesota. -Dan

Sorry for the retread from last year, but I didn't have time to photoshop another Mooney in flight over a winter scene. The feelings are unchanged.

It ain't the model, that's nonsense. What does your MAP read with the engine not running? You should get within a inch or so of that on full throttle take off once you get rolling. That's a take off roll "call out" item for many of us. Along with fuel flow (~ 18 GPH for your IO360) and ASI coming alive.

http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/NTSB-Controller-Error-Led-To-Midair-Collision-228246-1.html The NTSB also noted that the cockpit views and surrounding environment made it difficult for the pilots to spot each other until it was too late to avoid a collision, and neither aircraft had traffic detection equipment. The board recently issued recommendations for additional training for controllers based on the accident and a safety alert for pilots to promote the use of traffic displays. José

My 84k, 231, with less than 180 SMOH has been a good, reliable plane. Rarely do I have any oil leaks, and if I notice something small, it gets tightened so no more leaks. Two flights ago, I noticed a bit of oil on nose gear door so I did some snooping and it looked like it was coming from the turbo check valve. I talked to the mechanic and he thought it was coming from above there, on the accessory case (Not sure if that is the term, but right above the oil filter) and collecting on the check valve. He tightened the accessory case and the check valves and off I went. The next flight, about .4 hours, there was MUCH more oil on the nose gear doors, on the nose gear and all over the check valve/oil filter area (Accessory looked clean). So I parked it where it was and had a mechanic look at it Monday. It appears the adel clamps were loose, allowing movement and chaffing on the supply side turbo check valve, under the clamp. The chaffing causing two tiny pin size holes in the casing of the check valve. Hot oil squirting all over. Very little actual oil was lost, pressure and temperature never varied (Probably a couple of tablespoons of oil at most). So, 231 owners, check your adel clamps on the turbo check valves and make sure they're snug, there shouldn't be any play for the check valves to move around. I think there was a SB about Dukes check valves, but I'm pretty sure these are not them. $500 for a new check valve... Edit: I just called Top Gun (MSC) and they said those adel clamps should be inspected and changed every year...

Logged another 5 hours on the plane today. After 8 hours in the Bonanza yesterday doing a very long Airlifeline flight, my back side is pretty sore. Caught Chad, my local FBO owner, flying chase plane to KSAW to retrieve a pilot dropping off a Conquest his shop just worked on. I talked him into taking some air to air photos of my new ride on their way back. Pretty neat! Tom

Hey guys I just got off the phone with Insight and they claim the G2 can interface with this generator. It is just a single cylinder so you only get EGT/CHT for one. I'll call up Mike Busch later and ask if we can upload data to Savvy Aviator for analysis. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Anyone interested in a set tire chains? I just bought a two-pack for $40 shipped. Has the "v" teeth. Huge difference on ice. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Joyeux Noël et bonne année!

I have an ez 35 with the transmission and it apart last week. Very simple inside and I had the same problem a couple of years back. The shaft that goes though the transmission has a divet on the shaft that a small metal biscuit fits into, mine popped out as a result of me moving the forward reverse lever to aggressively. If this is your problem the small biscuit might be floating in all the gease inside the transmission, so you will have to look for it. Placing back in the proper order is a bit of a puzzle, but it wasn't,t a difficult job.

A PCV is like having a hose to inhale your own flatulence.

After it happens 5 trips in a row, you know it is SOP. They are trying to vector you and its because it makes their life easier. I typically go along with it since ts a minor inconvenience that adds 5 or 6 minutes to my trip. I do so because I'm convinced Austin Tx will be the next class B and I'd like to see that delayed as long as possible. Austin has over 106,000 commercial operation a year. Or roughly the same volume as St Louis or Kansas City, and more than Cleveland.

1DH has been sold, closed and delivered to its new owner as of 12/22/16. Great guy from Austin, TX looking for something faster, efficient and in great shape. Hope to see him lurking around the forum in the future. I will miss her but the twin has arrived and now the family will fly with me, finally!!

Golf? We XC ski in the Great White North. This is behind my house last night skiing on the frozen river.

I have to echo this. From the first time I was on this site I felt like I had found a home and after getting my PPL a couple months ago and my Mooney a couple weeks ago I'm here to stay. Merry Christmas!!

First Post! Hello all. I am an Apache Helo pilot for the Army. I love flying. Last few years I have been fighting off an urge to start flying general aviation. I have decided to give up and give in because I see the urge is not going to go away anytime soon and is now becoming part of who I am. I want a plane that has the best bang for the buck when it comes to cost of ownership and performance. So, I've pretty much set my eyes exclusively on Mooney. I love the way they look and the numbers look pretty good too. I hold a commercial rotary wing with instrument license, and since I am an Army instructor pilot, I also am interested in completing a commercial fixed wing license and possibly get into the CFI and/or CFII world. I'd love to be able to teach my family and friends but that's about the extent....I'm not interested in teaching for hire anytime soon. Anyhow. I have read threads on this forum that talk about using a Mooney as a trainer and there are differing opinions. I feel I am in a much different situation than most beginner pilots having 2700hrs in the Apache (which is a beast of complexity). That being said, I know airplanes are way different and my control touch will not immediately transfer over to a Mooney. I think I'll beat on a Cessna with an instructor for about 2-5hrs before instruction in my "new to me" Mooney. Anyways, I'm new here. Feel free to tell me my plan is not a good one. I am open to suggestions.

I had good luck with the folks at Treasure Coast Avionics in Ft Pierce. Their estimates came in less than others, did good work and were on time. They are also an authorized Garmin dealer.

That's one pretty C. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Taxes? Well yea.. I have several relatives retiring to Florida this year and it isn't because of the weather. Traffic isn't bad where I"m at. But I did have to drive to the Cabin a few times last year, I35 north of the cities is awful. I feel much safer flying there. The wife's friend went to White Christmas last weekend. She is quite upset we didn't make a point of going. I hear it was great. Thanks. There is a million videos of this on YouTube. But after showing it to my local pilot friends most were amazed and hadn't seen it before. I think this is a good visual as to how Ice forms and gives a good sense of how fast it could form. In hind sight I wish I would have poured it onto the wing. Dan

The choice is simple. Both will do the same job. both very thorough. Laser will cost twice as much as top gun. Your choice.

I think I'm finishing fighting the CHT issue. The plane is almost twice my age and seems to have done fine so far and I'm starting to think we often end up chasing ghosts with these mic century machinery. I'm just going to live with the high CHT's on TO as long compressions are good and nothing else is amiss. the JPI is great and a must have in my opinion. This is especially important when we are dealing with engines that do not run to modern standards. The ability to monitor every aspect of the engine is vital for us.

They are pretty optimistic on oil consumption. The dipstick is behind the cover and requires 4 screws to be removed to check it. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

We scrubbed last night. We are going tonight.

Plane is flying great. New prop control is NICE! My dad, who hasn't flown since 2003 in my grandpa's M20F, went up with me. Maybe we can get him to get a medical and BFR done? 25 squared gave us good results at 2,000 feet at sunset. Hector, KFIN tonight (12/23) at 7:30?

Andrew I'm glad to hear that things are progressing along nicely. Quick question about GAMIs. How'd you decide on them? Most people can get LOP on stock lycoming injectors. Also - I imagine that they will always be a matched set to your current fuel servo / spider / cylinders such that if you change say, a fuel distributor line to the injector or fix a small induction leak on cylinder #1 or whatever, and the gamis were sent based off data that reflected that small leak, what happens when you fix it and the gamis are no longer tuned to your setup? Will the send you new restrictors? I always thought GAMIs made sense for continentals where they provide something that augments / corrects the inherent design, but I never understood the value for lycoming where you can often just have your injectors swapped out without much fuss. Please educate me ... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks guys! Now I just need to build some more time to do anything with it! Robert: get it done! I did the American flyers online course, studied for a week and took the test! Piece of cake if you have the time. Cnoe: yea that's me on the left, I don't skate anymore but I still wear the clothes

I use a simpler blow job procedure: 1. Defuel the tank completely through the drain valve. Replace valve after empty tank 2. Set fuel selector to the opposite tank. 3. Attach a hose to the vent. Seal the coaxial tubing for models M20J and before. 4. Secure fuel cap. 5. Spray foamy soap cleaner like SD-20 around the suspected area next to the tank structure. 6. Blow by mouth only into the vent hose. This avoids skin stressing since your lungs will break before too much pressure. 7. Watch for bubbles in the suspected area. Total tank integrity can be check by bending the hose with air pressure in the tank and after half hour checking for air pressure still in the tank. Using an altimeter pressure to -1000ft. Because of the warm air coming from your lungs the pressure will drop initially about 200ft and then stabilize. I have seen tanks holding pressure for over two hours. Once you have located the suspected area open the tank cover next to the leak. For pinpoint location on the inside blow compressor air inside the tank into the suspected area with an air nozzle until bubbles are seen outside. The above is also useful to check for fuel cap leaks on the O-ring and on the adapter. I would not vacuum the tank since it can pull sealant from the structure. José

Yeah. And being a Mooney doesn't hurt. I remember hearing a lot more "remain clear of the Charlie" or "here's a ridiculous go around airspace vector to keep you out of my way" when flying a Cessna 152. Now, more likely I hear "Mooney cleared into Bravo on course."

That's the whole beauty of Flight Following--nobody gives VFR traffic instructions or vectors, the most ATC can do is recommend headings or tell you to remain outside Class B, C or D airspace. If I'm a couple thousand feet above their airspace, they cannot instruct me to climb higher or divert; they can try, but I'm VFR and as long as I'm outside their airspace, I can tell them I don't want to and keep on my path. That's never happened to me, though. Overall, I find FF to be a positive experience, either invisible or some traffic point-outs, not a single instruction outside of C or D airspace, although ATL approach never misses a chance to tell me to "remain clear of Bravo airspace" regardless of altitude or direction of flight. Flight Following is a far cry from operating IFR, where ATC always issues instructions that must be complied with or negotiated.

I've gotten away with too many landings that should have busted something.

Congratz! It's on my bucket list...need to motivate myself for the written first the flying part is always fun

It's interesting to see how some people's priority isn't the dollar value of the plane as much as it is the ability to fly the plane. this can happen when 50% or 25% of the asset isn't a giant chunk of the owners other assets. 25% of a 50AMU plane. 12.5 AMU 50% of the same plane is 25 AMU Once your house is paid for, kids have moved out and retirement plan is in place, the unevenness of the capital put into this plane is small for a guy that has good partners... This is my understanding of how a good partnership can be used. Some good partners may be more financially sensitive. Some less... when seeking partners, consider getting an engineer, a pro pilot, and a third talented person from another area.... like someone good with finance and accounting.... Best regards, -a-

No its not and no you dont.

I agree the change doesn't necessarily have to be a particular color -it's asymmetric loss of deposits at one or more edges that matters. Here's the exhaust valve on my #2 jug, which just got pulled this week for recondition. I picked it up the change early on the borescope exam that I do at every oil change. No EGT trace abnormalities were noted on the EDM. It leaked at the exhaust on compression test when cold, but seemed fine when hot. I scoped it a couple more times over 15 hrs after that oil change, then had the jug pulled at annual when it didn't go away. The valve edge wasn't warped and was still in spec - probably a long way from failure, but there was clearly some extra slop in the guide. So the problem was both real and serious, and a simple borescope exam by a newbie owner diagnosed it reliably with limited effort and expense and zero risk, well before any other noninvasive test could. You can't ask for a better screening test than that. Despite the dangers of broad generalizations (and my own inexperience ), I'm gonna go out on a limb and declare that every owner should do this.

It's really pathetic that BK can't manage to deliver on such a basic device. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I reached out to BK via email regarding the KI-300, as I saw that their website no longer lists it as a product. But Sarasota Avionics & Maintenance estimates it to be available in Q1 of 2017, although that has changed numerous times. BK didn't specifically say that it was killed off but they couldn't tell me when it will be available either, so I'll hold out hope.

Never had that problem, but then those of us whom crab and kick have to be quick on their feet ;-)

The rudder is attached to the nose gear via springs, so therefore there would be no sideload on the gear. otherwise the airplane would dart off the runway.

I usually don't get flight following. If I'm going anywhere near southern CA I go IFR. I have made hundreds of long cross countries without ever talking to ATC except to take off and land.

Transponder is back in and working. We found that the backlight was the one run to the new circuit breaker. The actual power to the transponder was just a dead end, possibly taken off the bank of fuses we removed. New PAI-700 vertical card compass is installed. We will swing that later. Waiting on the holidays to go by so my IA can come and put this governor back in. Hector, Hijackers is on our shortlist. We might be working on it the 25th, so maybe soon afterwards. Upcoming destinations: Jan 14- KLEE for the Florida Mooney Breakfast. Jan ~21: Poss Charleston, SC to visit the USS Yorktown Feb: The missus and I want to fly to Kitty Hawk, NC to see the Wright Bros memorial. I've been there as an 8 year old, I'd love to go back and get a picture in the same spot. March: Tullahoma, TN for the Beech museum April: SnF & Wings Over Suwannee July: OSHKOSH!

I just purchase one of these from PowersportsMax a youth sized ATV 125cc 4 stroke motor, Electric start, forward and reverse, auto trans. I purchased a much small front sprocket. I have a bogert tow bar and have rigged up the atv with a 2" receiver. I'm all in for a little over $700 including shipping. I have a floor mounted winch to pull the plane back into the hanger. I only have trouble pulling the plane out in the winter over ice. But my FBO charges to pull the plane to the maintenance hanger for service or O2. I was looking for something that would actually be able to go the distance with ease.http://www.powersportsmax.com/product_info.php/cPath/37_99/products_id/20655I

As you know there is a bit of skill in landing things... solo in a trainer... fly the mooney

Well I am originally from Abilene, TX but currently stationed in South Korea for two years. This gives me two years of planning and preparation for when I am ready to pull the trigger. Problem is I see what appears to be a couple of REALLY great deals on planes right now, but it would be so foolish to pull any triggers at this point. Anyhow. As far as where I'll be when I get back from SK, I have no idea where I'll end up next. All I know is it has to be in the lower 48 states. I'm hoping for Fort Rucker, Fort Hood, or Savannah, GA. We'll see. As for your questions.... #1. Who I will fly with most: just me 50%(to and from visiting kids), 30% with my two young kiddos, and 20% with a friend or two. #2. Primary mission: Being able to quickly get around from where ever I am stationed to my kids and visit often and build some time. #3. How far: Kids are in Kansas so that's fairly central to all potential Apache bases in the lower 48 with the exception of JBLM, Washington #4. Budget: I am looking at somewhere in the $30-45k range so M20C-F. I've read about the differences.....I think any of those should fit my mission and budget but the "F" model would be nice for the legroom. I'm just terrified of buying a plane that appears to be in good shape but beneath surface, will costs tens of thousands in repairs. I'll be hiring a solid Mooney Mechanic for a prebuy inspection.

I can't fly in the flight levels until out of Phase 1 testing (40 hours and I am at 18.6 now). The speed limit is a real concern, especially since on descent you are carrying more speed as well. I find it something I have to watch closely and work at. The good thing is the limit is IAS, not ground speed. Tom

Today was first solo flight on the Lancair. My birthday as well. Pretty neat. Saw a beautiful sunset at the end of my flight. Tom

I had an M20 oil separator for 10 years and really happy with it. As others mention it has to be properly installed for good performance. Most important is that the intake has to be above the case vent port. Mine has the oil drain to the bottom side of the #4 valve cover. The exhaust is connected to the original line. There was 1/4" side hole on the line that I plugged. I found that the hole needs to be plugged for optimum performance. The hole is a backup for in case the vent tube is iced. I think this is more of a myth since the vented vapors are at least 100F with no chance for icing. I can fill to 8qts with no belly stains. Oil consumption is about 1qt/9 hours. There is no filters or screens inside M20. It is just two pieces of coaxial pipes inside. It works on the principle of vapor condensation and gravity. The condensed vapors are accumulated on the outside container and later discharged to the engine when is off. If the oil content on the vapor is too high or the trip too long it may exceed the outside container and it may start discharging on the exhaust port. For optimum condensation the M20 must be away from hot spots in the area. The only maintenance on the M20 is flushing it with MEK to keep the drain port clean. José