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Hello MS'ers, Wanted to take this time to commemorate the 1 year anniversary of my first flight in my Mooney. Picked up N231CK from the shop a year ago, after some post purchase work and upgrades, and have been flying every chance I get. I logged 276 hours with 160 landings in those 12 months and have enjoyed the heck out of it. I've learned that I don't like flying at night; it is really dark out there and any off airport landing will likely hit something very hard. And my night landings are usually my worst..but hey, I can usually get my night currency in one trip down the runway (3 bounces count, right?). Conversely, I got my IFR and really enjoy flying in IMC and the utility that it brings. It is still nerve racking and exciting. But, my actual IMC has all been departures and en route with no approaches yet. This past year, I traveled to Denver (~20x), Chicago Area (2x), Kansas (3x), Nebraska (2x), Arizona (3x), Nevada (4x), Texas (3x), and Utah (2x), as well as a host of other places across NM and CO too numerous to mention. I've scrubbed a couple flights, delayed a couple, but have benefited from a remarkably good dispatch record, considering. These Mooney's are travelling machines for sure. I have an opportunity to fly to Orlando (~1,400NM) for a conference in 2 weeks, but after my last trip back from Chicago where I was bucking headwinds the whole way, I'm rethinking that potential 10 hour (probably 2 day) return trip from Orlando. While I'd love to say I did it, I may sit in the back and have a drink for that trip. I've benefited tremendously from the knowledge and resources provided by the community here at MS and for that, I am very thankful. I hope to be able to collect enough in the experience bucket to be able to contribute meaningfully some day. Thanks again for everything! Vance ps. Attaching a photo of the panel and of the family. The family trip was last September on the way to Salt Lake City for labor day. My wife hates flying, but she was a trooper and the trip up was super smooth. Not so on the way back and it was the last time she's been in the plane. Glad a took a photo as proof.

What a handsome family. Spoiler alert, the kids are going to grow and get heavier.

What’s a vacuum pump? [emoji23] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

When it dies. Nice thing about STEC autopilots is they don’t need no stinking vacuum to keep the wings level and to hold altitude.

Had a couple die at less than 100 hours and one go 1200 hours. All the rest failed around 600 hours. Only one gave notice of impending death, low pressure for a couple hours on a trip. Next start it worked normally (ordered pump, VFR weather) but failed on a four hour trip home. Once on the ILS into Little Rock, my wife elbowed me, tore half the cover off an NOS book, handed it to me to put over the AH. Now that's a co-pilot!

I am an A&P IA and my hobby is resurrecting forgotten planes. The most difficult thing I come across is not mechanical but psychological. When I go to sell a plane that had previously sat (one Mooney 10 yrs, one Piper Warrior 15) its almost impossible to convince buyers that the engine wont disintegrate and the wings won't fall off. I agree with several of the other post that the biggest issue with Lycomings sitting is the high position of the cam shaft. If you pull all cylinders and they look good, cam looks good, it's probably good. I always overhaul or replace all engine accessories and flush the entire fuel system. All hoses need to be changed as well. Just assume if the climate is dry enough to protect the engine, it will rot any rubber on the plane. I am usually shocked to find the avionics working after all that time! I also agree that if you have to pay someone else to do most of the grunt work not to mention the liability of sighing off an engine when the manufacture suggest a calendar overhaul date (be sure to check all AD's engine and airframe and mandatory SB's), it may not be worth it. It's not rocket science but common sense is needed. Good luck!

276 hours is very impressive. I'm happy in the years I hit 100.

That is an outstanding effort Vance and congrats from me as well. You have a nice panel and beautiful family including maybe two future Mooney pilots behind you. My 17th Mooneyversary happens on October 26th. I hope you enjoy every hour of flight as I have.

Departing 29 out of Petaluma there’s a soccer field on the centerline just past the street visible at the lower edge of the image. It’s often densely packed with kids and parents. I resolved that, if the engine quit on departure below turn-back altitude, I’d turn right about 20 degrees & go into the golf course rather than endanger all those people. (I never liked golf that much anyway) In 20 years of flying out of that airport I never had to test my reaction for real. Perhaps he turned to avoid a crowd of kids.

In my last M20E, I had 2 vacuum pump failures in 23 years (about 2200 hours) of ownership, both in VFR conditions. Also had the Precise standby vac system. During the first failure, I decreased manifold pressure to enable the Precise standby to generate vacuum. Then I realized that my sTec worked independent of vacuum, and decided to return to normal cruise speed and fly using the autopilot and compass. Our current M20C vacuum pump is well over 500 hours. We carry a spare pump in the luggage compartment.

And they should really be called uni-odes!

There really isn't any such thing as "an aircraft type electrician". There are A&Ps that are good at wiring and there are A&Ps that aren't. Its really pretty simple: your buzzer is getting power and ground at times when it shouldn't. Using the schematics, trace from the ground backwards through the circuit until you get to a voltage source. On the diodes, current only flows in one direction, so the electrons will flow from the ground through the diode in the direction that the triangle points. Check each piece of wire and switch until you find your culprit. My guess is that if it isn't a diode, then you have a chafed wire that is making its own ground.

Have no need for one. Replaced with Standby B&C alternator wth added Aspen and standby electric A/H.

Here’s a crazy story: I was sitting in my airplane in the hangar with my hangar and airplane door open, showing my friend my Sensorcon detector. Another airplane taxied from right to left in front of my hangar, about 30-40 feet away. My CO detector started to register CO within seconds, rising to over 30, beeping and flashing!

Generally hiring summer interns is a good thing. Shows the company isn’t completely out of money. They are hiring them to complement engineers, not to replace engineers. It’s also a good recruitment tool if every now and then you can convience one to come to work for you after they graduate. We usually keep 10 per semester in our engineering department and offer the good ones full time positions 3-6 months before they graduate. For a few offers have been extended up to 12 months out.

It's the thing only my speedbrakes need.....

(Totally kidding there, btw) Its not THAT bad. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

You pretty much nailed it Bob. Our goal is to provide the very best Subject matter experts to better the breed of Mooney pilots. We helped Jolie and Jan kickoff their fantastic RSR course a few years ago when they presented at the Mooney Summit II, but since then they have not returned to present as their business model wouldn't work without receiving an honorarium, and ours wouldn't work if we started this practice. We do not pay our fantastic SME's, (or board members or officers or anyone else) although the likes of Max Gurgew, Bob Kromer, Karl Ludolph, Dan Bass etc all deserve well more than the gratitude of our 170 registered attendees give them and the tax break they get for their expenses. They are delighted to do it to help each of us become a better steward of general aviation, Mooney aircraft, and help us fund the Bill Gilliland foundation so that we may provide assistance when one of us or our families really need it. A huge thank you to them and the generosity of our sponsors, presidents club members and attendee who donate that allow us to put the event on in a first class manner and allow us to do our charitable work

A longtime 201 owner with a wealth of Mooney knowledge, Yoda mentored many of us fortunate enough to call him a friend. I still wear the “West Coast Mooneys to OSH” t-shirts he would hand out in the North 40. This tragedy reminds us of the fragility of life, and underscores why we should appreciate every moment.

I’m looking forward to having my TruTrak AP installed and am more than happy with altitude hold, heading and gpss.

What's better than an airplane in a hangar? One in the sky.

Philly would certainly know that MXE is OTS. A controller is "supposed to know" and not issue that clearance. However, I've definitely heard controllers forget and give impossible clearances. I'm not sure why, or how this happens, but as long as humans are involved.... And yes, if the missed approach at an airport involves an OTS navaid, an alternate missed approach should be issued along with the approach clearance. Bottom line: pre-flight planning includes reading the NOTAMS. The PIC is ultimately responsible for knowing if outages will affect the flight. It is interesting that you bring up the subject of NOTAMS. EBACE 2018 (European Bizav) has asked everyone to submit "the worst NOTAM". The entire NOTAM system is under review because there are now so many NOTAMS issued and many are just plain undecipherable by the average pilot. I suspect that a new system will be forth-coming. I have been into airports where there were 8 pages of printed NOTAMS.

Well I bought a CI-196 for a good price so I'm not looking anymore.

I love the title

José, I cannot find any authoritative studies confirming your (personal anecdotal) experience. The fine wires seem to have design advantages irrespective of the well documented here QC advantage of Tempest vs. Champion in recent years. This appears to be an older analysis but it includes confirmation of @jetdriven's comments. http://www.ramaircraft.com/Maintenance-Tips/Spark Plugs-Fine-Wire-vs-Massive.htm

Better to study and learn on the computer than while flying :-)

I have a 68 F model and I only see about a 1/2 clearance between the firewall and the nut. Cant wait to see the video. Thank You.

Congrats, and hope you enjoy many many more Mooney-verary’s!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That you need to leave behind to be under MTOW!

MSC = Mooney Service Center... a place where Mooneys go for service, and discuss the future of their ownership... My favorite pre-owned Mooney sales organization is AAA. You can see AAA’s listings in controller... some of the finest Mooneys available... See if @jgarrison can give you some insight... It will be generally kind of difficult to get a business to change the way they operate. So keep that in mind while trying to find a win-win-win situation... for the selling organization, the buyer, and yourself... Best regards, -a-

http://mooney.free.fr/Manuels M20J/M20J/Mooney Service Manuel M20J Vol. 2 of 2.pdf The schematics You might note that there is a wire from the starter solenoid with a diode that will turn off the radios if when the starter is engaged. The diode is sky wired into the wire at the relay. Someone was able to use the other side of the relay when one side burned up. They fail closed. ie they are powered to turn off. There is another relay up there for the landing light in some planes. Strangely enough a 5 pin bosch relay also has a closed when not powered side to it. I think Mooney undersized the radio relay based on the amperage of the CB it is supposed to handle. Someone just yanked mine out of the circuit because they though it not important.

Still waiting on my confirmation e-mail. Not in spam. I like the "newer" GUI versus controller. I'm excited to help build the momentum.

John, your kindness does not go unnoticed. With this kind of support, I'm about to order a set of finewires myself.

John and Stephen I’ll be staying in GB if you all need a ride.

The other day I was flying an approach into St Louis Lambert International. Marginal VFR (ceiling 1200 and vs 4 miles). I was given the LPV approach and asked to keep up the speed. I kept up the speed until glide slop intetercet and lowered speed to gear down speed and flaps white arch. I keep the speed at close to the maximum flaps and gear speeds and once I was over the threshold and I had the huge runway in front of me I lowered my speed and flared. After I landed I kept up my roll out speed and turned into the first available taxiway. Tower thank me for my help... So my conclusion is they know what the reasonable limits of a single engine plane are. They expect you to be proficient and show that you are trying to help. But they don't want you to do anything crazy. Generally speaking, when I enter on a downwind I do my first GUMP check midfield, that gives me time to get establish adjust trim, etc. Second GUMPS check on base on last on final. When I enter on a base or on a long final I lower the gear as soon as I reach pattern altitude (no specific reason why). On IFR approach Non precision FAF and precision Glide slop intercept.

Or they're experiencing turnover, or somebody is making a big investment. I hope they're doing well, though!

Won quick $4000 in ABQ

Hi Matt, agreed on the highly minor appearance of the filter. *New* IA agreed and has already pulled the screen & filter; they were clean as was oil analysis.

I'm excited to say the first mooney has been listed! Whoo!!! A day that will go down in history. 1975 M20E! Now it'll be in the "popular" brands! haha If you are on here, feel free to upgrade to premium listing and add pictures!

Reference them to the wingtip as well. Flaps may not be symmetrical but as Others have said, don’t fool with them unless the ailerons are not symmetrical to the wingtip. Then, follow the SMM but you’d likely be looking at adjusting flaps then also bending Aileron trailing edges to compensate.

Why do double duty with ADS-B? Spend the extra money now on the GTX 345 and use it when you do your upgrade later.

If you guys want something to cool off your cabin just fly around with my ex... that cold hearted B*#&$ could frost your windows on any Texas summer afternoon..... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk