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Thanks for all the interest in my airplane and my career. Now that it's confirmed I can let everyone know that I am beginning first officer training with UPS at the end of this month. I'm really excited about making flying the focus of my career again and joining such a phenomenal company

My post-annual flight was this evening, since the weather Sunday was bad (there were 39 confirmed tornadoes from Mississippi through Georgia, more straight-wind damage, fast moving low scud, off and on rain). Took off at 1710 CST, as the western horizon was turning a beautiful pink. Winds were dead calm on the ground, but westerly around 15 just a thousand or two feet up. As I made the turn for crosswind, I was at 104 mph and climbing 1200 fpm! Made closed traffic, landed a little long and rolled to the end if the 3200' runway. Took off the other direction, headed up the river to the Lake, circled the dam with it on my left wingtip as I turned and went back. 2000 msl, 23/2300. Smooth . . . Watched the little traffic below turn on their lights and dissipate as people went home for dinner. Put another 0.5 and 2 landings in the logbook. Cranked up in almost one revolution . . . It was a great end to a busy, hectic day at work! Then home to dinner myself.

Might not be a bad idea for those with TKS to pull the Speed Brake circuit breaker in icing conditions. Very easy to hit the button accidently with a busy stressful work load.

I thought some might find these pictures interesting as it seems like there is much discussion about ice. After having known ice installed in my Ovation many years ago I intentionally flew thru icing conditions on a trip to Chicago to experience & learn how well it worked. You can see how well over an inch of ice accumulated on the landing lights while the wings remained clean. Two recommendations I would make is 1) Never fly in ice without an out. 2) Don't use speed brakes in ice. Norm

What bothers me most about icing encounters is not accretion. Yes, it is not a great thing, but if you are a half-way smart pilot you did not get into it without an "out" and if the problem is ice accreting over time you have time to take that out. I have encounter "slam ice" on just a couple of occasions. That is my highly technical term for what happens when you fly through the wrong cloud in the wrong place at the wrong moment. It usually happens in cumulus-type conditions, in the very tops, and in the spring when the temps are generally low. The top of a stratus layer just before you break through in the winter, or the tops of relatively low energy cumulus in cool temps are generally the worst.

At one time or another I have forgotten the pump, flaps, landing gear, cowl flap, etc. after takeoff. Now I religiously read the after takeoff checklist and cruise checklist. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Wake turbulence is a real threat. Glad you got the Acclaim up! I've only flown 4 hours this month so far (a BFR earlier in the month and a flight to and from a business meeting today). Good video I posted a while ago of an An-2 taking out a Robin in europe with Wake Turbulance. -Seth

That happened to me one summers day in August I think - on an IFR flight plane in severe clear flying over nice puffy cumulus - the "friendly" looking ones - I was at 12k and most of them were scattered sparsely and just puffs of cotton up to maybe 10k but one went to maybe 12500 and I was at 12 and it was right in front of me - not worried too much and being near DC where they don't like when you deviate much I figured no worry - Ill be in and out in 5 seconds - and I was out in like 5 seconds. But it ws like a washing machine in there and bumpy - but not crazy bumpy and I figured - huh - rain. Well out the other side - it was a shocking amount of ice for 5 seconds. Well - I ain't doing that again.

Bill was a nice guy, a real character, and more knowledgeable about Mooneys than most anyone. It was a real loss to all of us when he died.

I encountered the so-called "slam ice" once near the very top of a cumulus cloud on a spring morning over the Continental Divide. Went through the cloud in less than 3 seconds and the entire plane was instantly coated like a glazed donut. Fortunately I broke out into the sun and stayed there, so the glazing melted.

My sentiments exactly, however, you would need an A&P to sign it off... Shouldn't be that big a deal. Aircraft Spruce's website states "Used as original equipment in Beech, Cessna and Piper aircraft."

GREAT DECISION!!! Always make the decision that's gives you the best and safest outcome. You demonstrated a great "mentoring moment" for our younger/newer pilots!! Tom

When this happened to my C, I called the factory and met a guy named Bill Wheat on the phone... Bill explained the routing and the weep hole in the line between the engine and gauge. I knew of the weep hole from aviation and automotive training. In the older planes it is a common piece of plumbing so there isn't an obvious part number for it. When trying to buy the part, the MSC sent me the closest thing they had. Which was nice but I would have needed a new plane for it to fit... The size and location of the weep hole are just a note in the instrument drawing for one of the 60's planes (CDEFG). The note is missing from the C's drawing. The parts manual for the F is a likely place to find the details. if your line has a leak like mine did, it should be an obvious kind of problem like a loose fitting or cracked/broken tube See if that helps. This comes from the usual PP knowledge, but with the aid of Mr. Wheat. If you need the dimensions for the weep hole, I can probably find it in my notes from the conversation... If you have a few spare AMUs I hear the JPI 930 is pretty nice...? Note: I later found out who Mr. Wheat was. His signature was on the AW page in my plane's first log book. 25 years after he signed it. Best regards, -a-

One mid air collision inside of a MOA in the past decade but couple dozen outside of MOA's..... so maybe you're safer inside MOA's than outside, where the other GA planes are...

On my K model, you can look in the oil filler door and get a pretty good look at what the baffling is doing. On the J, can you use a mirror and light to see what is taking place when the cowling is on. If you have a "wrinkle", you can slit the baffle seal right in the center of the wrinkle and let the two sides overlap. You really don't want to affix those two sides together, as they need to be able to move as the cowling pushes them down.

Seconded. Guy sent me custom-cut baffles a few years ago, and they've held up extremely well. I would order them again in a minute. The fit was spot-on, and extremely well-measured. My CHTs are never more than about 10 degrees apart (yes, 10), so I can't help but think the quality of baffle had a lot to do with that spread. Steve

You say there is evidence of some cowl rubbing does your F have harmonic balance rpm restrictions and if so is that where the issue (noise) is. I would definitely want to get new mounts or at least shim it up a bit. Things look very tight against your closure. Also the lower passenger side mount looks to be very close on the washer.

If I picked up any more speed, no one would believe I am flying an F.

Since we have sister ships, I will get some pictures of mine tomorrow for you to compare. I don't think my boot sits at such a sharp angle. Could be wrong though.

The FAA will delay their implementation of ADS-B, but there will be no slack nor forgiveness on our equipping by the deadline. Fortunately, I don't go into Bravo airspace (mainly because ATL won't ever let me), and I no longer need access to Charlie. So in keeping the 4AMU in my pocket for other things. Like Sabremech's new cowl!

I would check with Guitarman. I sold him the gauge you are seeing in the first picture. If the marking are the same, it would be an easy swap. My road down the EI path was because a certain unnamed shop destroyed my tach by installing a replacement cable that was too long. Repairing the tach was more expensive than replaceing it with an EI tach. I flew around like this for a bit until I replaced all 3:

In Mooney terms, you would gain 100 knots. I am about to embark on the vacuum system removal. I am installing the L-3 ESI-500 as a backup to my Aspens that have their power backup. I would love to see how a second alternator would be hooked up in a J.

Thanks for the reply, It was the combo gauge. It's only been in there since 1968!

Actually you can, you just have to pay for it.

Maybe a delay in ADS-B compliance? Go Trump!

I've seen this exact same thing on an MB engine. Try some mouse milk (get the kind where no mice were injured during the milking, ha!) on the wastegate arm (upper left, and a little inboard when looking at the turbo from the right side). My experience has been that what's generally happening is a little bootstrapping due the arm sticking a little. Of course, a good visual of induction and exhaust is always a good idea. William

On a couple of long cross countrys we encountered hot MOA's while on flight following the controllers advised provided headings and altitudes and cleared us to resume nav once we were Ok. Lots of discussion about VFR flight following on other threads all I can say is the controllers out west are super helpful and easy to work with.

Marauder, I'm suprised that with all that fancy glass and monitors you have installed there isnt a setting on your screen that says your new vibration is being caused by (fill in the blank) you might check there might be just such a read out. Once after an annual on my 150 I noticed a different feel and sound and it turned out the air intake was just a little off alignment and was touching the cowl. I noticed it right away. trust your senses there is something not right.

You keep mentioning that your mechanic does the mechanic work for the NH state police to me that is part of the issue, he may have champagne taste, it seems you have a beer budget. The state police have a much larger budget than anyone on mooneyspace, or we would probably be flying something even more fun (tbm, pc12, citation? ). As has been mentioned a number of times, other mechanics may have more experience with this particular problem and may be able to point you to cheaper solutions. We're not telling you that he is bad, we're telling you to look for solutions outside of his box. I think a number of great contacts have been mentioned that may be able to help you find those solutions. A fuel system cleanout should not be that big of a deal, especially when adding a ferry tank as a source of clean fuel. He has already cleaned out the input screen on the carb, it's just the gascolator, pumps and hoses behind that... A couple of A&P hours at most... I am really sorry to hear of your trouble, I truly hope that you can get this resolved quickly and as economically as possible. I hate to hear about a fellow pilot grounded!

FlyHigh, I absolutely get what you're saying about the mechanic and trust, and I'm in no way trying to get you to waiver on that trust, but maybe he's not thinking this whole situation through with you. He has to clean out the entire fuel system from the tanks to the cylinders anyways, putting in a ferry tank after that cleaning process and using it to run the engine so he can finish the anual, minus the tank work, shouldn't cause him too much hesitation. Then you are able to apply for the ferry permit and get resolution, whatever it is and wherever it is. Please make the calls to MSCs, tank repair stations, and Griggs, if your mechanic has issues with you making phone calls then I certainly may question him. Ron

Isn't TKS amazing...

Just contact the controlling agency before barreling through the MOA to see if it's hot. The agency and frequency is listed on the sectional and if nothing else, they now know someone is transiting the area VFR. Too easy to not make a simple radio call.... Even outside MOA's out here in the western US, I worry about getting hit by a fast mover, especially with all of the low-level IR routes. F16 versus C150 in 2015 is a perfect example of how bad it can get even when one is IFR (F16) and the VFR C150 pilot was just out doing his thing while leaving KMKS... http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2015/07/cessna-150-and-f-16c-fighting-falcon.html Cheers, Brian

Not to mention there will almost certainly be a very deliberate work-to-rule action that will slow many things to a crawl in an attempt to show how more people and budget are needed to get things done. Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

I'm waiting for a matching HSI instrument before making the leap. I'd like an Aspen, but I'd much rather have two separate instruments with reversionary capability and of course less cost. Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

Likewise in Texas. I'm almost always going through a MOA leaving Austin.

OP: I need help finding bladders. MooneySpace: Don't listen to your mechanic. OP: Please help me find some bladders. I'm a first time buyer and I kinda got screwed on the purchase. MooneySpace: You should've done better. Can we lay off this guy and try to help him solve his problems going forward?

Thanks, Andrew! Even though I can't understand quite all,of that, it's what comes to mind when I hear "tally ho!" Which I haven't ever heard on the radio here, by the way . . .

Maybe he is really talking about an airplane hanger. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'm not far from you over in 24J. About 90 miles I believe. We have a few open hangars but its a drive from Palm Coast. LCQ might have some. I believe Hector said there is a waiting list at HEG, but CRG might have a few of the smaller ones. I also think SGJ is full as well.

A pre-buy is only as good as the guy doing it. I will tell you a horror story about another Mooney. A person looking to buy a Mooney approached me and asked how to go about doing a pre-buy. The Mooney he was interested in was being sold by a local guy for his brother. I told him that since the plane was in Florida for a number of years to take the plane to a MSC and make sure there was no corrosion. He elected to do the pre-buy with a local mechanic (mistake # 1). The mechanic found fuel leaks and the seller/owner agreed to split the cost of the bladders (mistake #2). Otherwise, the plane was found to be airworthy. The new owner flew it for 3 months and then went in for an annual with the same mechanic. During the annual, the mechanic indicated that the exhaust was unairworthy and the prop was the incorrect prop for the plane. The owner sought a DER and paid someone $2,500 to provide the documentation need to have the local FSDO approve the usage of the prop. During this process, the mechanic came up with an unairworthy list that totaled over $10k in required repairs. The owner threw in the towel (mistake #3) and sold the plane, with brand new bladders to a scrapper. I found out later that the scrapper sold the plane to an individual you addressed the discrepancies and the plane is back in the air. For the icing on the cake... the owner gets his logs back from the mechanic and starts looking through them. What does he find? A notation with sign off from a FSDO approving the usage of the prop 20 years ago. The horror story I just described is not unique. Hopefully you will be able to get the issues resolved and with some money left in your wallet. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

"no joy" & "tally ho" are proper, current military ATC terms. Civilian equivalents, "negative contact" and "traffic in sight", are preferred according to one source. http://atccommunication.com/vfr-traffic-advisories I have never been questioned or corrected by ATC -- I have a voice that a senior Pan Am captain can only aspire to -- but I'll try to change.

There are lots of life insurance policies that will cover pilots and don't have exclusions for GA. AOPA is only one of the many options.

First time I experienced wake turbulence was after a long day of sailing lasers on the SF bay and we were returning to SanLeandro marina which puts you right under short final on the Oakland international as the jets passed over me it spun my little boat around and capsized me in just a couple seconds. Got it writed just as another one passed over and whoosh down I went again.

Wonder what type of ELT was onboard. Since the CAP was involved in the search they would have heard the 121.5 MHz signal from the ELT. The ELT could have made the difference if he survived the impact. I never heard on the news a plane found by the ELT but by visual search. José

Didn't know him but he was based at my field. Bad weather last week, heavy rain. I ended up driving to San Diego instead of flying. Could have been VFR into IMC.

Love my VW Jetta TDI ! It is both clean and efficient. Just not simultaneously.

Hank - living where you do, I'm guessing all those boys have removed their DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) systems and are running unrestricted exhausts. Or they are driving older diesels before DPFs were required The DPF system requirement has been in place for years. My 2011 F350 uses this filter in combination with DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) captures the black soot you are seeing and burns it up. My diesel runs cleaner than my Jeeps. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

if you want a good paint job that is the same cost as Mena, or less, and is far better, take it to Hawk in Tampa.