Leaderboard

Annual signed off! Just got it washed and waxed and ready to fly. Looking forward to some fun flying this summer and then updating avionics, interior, and maybe paint down the line!

BEFORE (NOVEMBER 2015) AFTER (AUGUST 2018) Getting rid of the primary and backup vacuum systems, 3 strobe power supplies. the KCS-55A System plus some miscellaneous things, N134JF lost 28 pounds. I am now up to 1012 pounds useful load.

Sorry for the delay but I was hosting a corn/pig roast at home this weekend and had my hands full. Here is the financial results for the social: Financial report for MooneySpace Social held on Monday July 23rd, 2018 in Oshkosh, WI Income: Donations: $1096 Sponsor #1: $ 250 Payment received by Mooney Caravan Sponsor #2: $ 250 Invoiced by Mooney Caravan, expecting payment soon (pending) Total: $1596 Expenses: Pizza: $ 696 Nametags: $ 28 Drinks + ice:$ 320 (Paid by Mooney Caravan) Total: $1044 Results: Income: $1596 Expenses: $1044 Net (over): $ 532 $532 / 2 = $276 (It was understood that any remaining amount from donations would be split evenly between Mooney Caravan and MooneySpace) Mooney Caravan received $250 + $250 (pending) - $320 + $96 (cash, taken from donations) = $276 MooneySpace will receive $276 via Paypall by Yves Grenier as soon as the pending sponsor #2 Payment is received by Mooney Caravan. If the payment does not get received within 30 days of invoicing, a new statement will be produced to re-balance things between Mooney Caravan and MooneySpace. Cash amount were counted and verified by MooneySpace Members Ned Gravel and Alan Millet. Accounting was verified by Robert Davis, CPA, Mooney Caravan accountant. I would like to thanks the following persons / sponsors who allowed this event to happen: David and Cindy Staffeldt from GDS aero Barry Leblanc from Genesys Aerosystems Ned Gravel (volunteer) Alan Millet (volunteer) Ute Gravel (volunteer) Brenda Millet (volunteer) Dolores Davis (volunteer) Diane Barbeau (volunteer) Robert Davis (accounting) Debbie Shopperly (access to vehicle to carry stuff around) All Mooney Caravan Safety foundation executive for providing access to the tent for the event and publicizing the event on their web site. Thanks to all attendees who were quite generous with their donations. Yves "Olaf" Grenier

After many months of searching, learning, scouring posts, talking to many people and making a couple offers ... I can PROUDLY say, I am now, finally, a Mooney owner. I ended up going with a 1965 M20C that was marketed by Jimmy at All American Aircraft Sales. Thanks, Jimmy for being patient with all my questions since it was my first aircraft purchase. I pick it up next week, so will post pictures and update my avatar once I have it. THANK YOU to so many people on this site that provided invaluable information that helped me narrow down what my mission was and how to match that mission with an aircraft equipped to support the mission. I hang out and read almost everything because I know I have a big learning curve. So although I won't mention the twenty regular posters that I have learned a lot from, I do appreciate you providing your knowledge daily. @AaronDC8402 and Wayne, thanks for going out of your way to look at a great Mooney for me in Tennessee. I believe that Mooney will be a nice purchase for the person that decides on it. A special thank you to my fellow Arizonan, Ken Reed, @KLRDMD for being a sounding board and spending a lot of time looking at data that I sent, hoping for solid feedback (by the way, I always got feedback). I guess 63 emails back and forth constitutes a lot of help. Now the real learning must begin ...

This is November 3's personal Caravan Airventure. This year Ute and I enjoyed the best Caravan we have ever had, my own gaffs notwithstanding. I took all of our videos and put them together for this retelling. Just us Canadians enjoying ourselves.

hmmm note to self - "spare key in flight bag"

Hi Mike, You can put away that harness of yours when you upgrade to a 3100AP. The 3100 AP runs the servos for 5 seconds in each direction once powered up. This will clean the servos motors. We have over 140 thousand of these units in the field today. I welcome you to tour the factory when you are in the Mineral Wells area and see our repair section. We have 1 person working on servos. From Polar to Polar these servos have a proven history. The 3100 uses a Pulse Width Modulated (PWM) signal to drive the servo motors rather than a ramped voltage signal used with previous S-TEC autopilot systems. This allows the servo always receive maximum voltage and avoids high startup voltage problems. The speed is controlled more accurately by the frequency of the PWM signal. With over 140,000 servos in the field this allows customers to upgrade existing S-TEC autopilot systems without swapping out expensive servo motors

Chatted with my IA tonight. He said it was checked out and lubricated

I'm sure no pun was intended for the flamed comment but was actually kind of funny. As for climate change, nope it's called summer and it's always hot as hell in Lake county. The problem is too much fuel because there is no controlled burns and deforestation. And yes no fun at all.

I got the following email from Dan in parts. It sounds like all is ok at the airport. Lake County has seen three major fires over the last 5 (or so) years - lots of loss, terrible. "it has been one hell of a ride. Still not over on the north end of the lake. The west side we are on is basically burnt up just outside the city limits. Firecrews saved almost all the houses. Today is the first day we are allowed back at the airport. Hope to be back up and running on Monday. No damage here at the airport."

We are finding that Smokey Bear was wrong. There is lots of loading that has been building up for years. Fire is part of nature and we have been stopping it. This was a good read. https://www.outsideonline.com/2320206/prescribed-wildfire-solution-florida The problem is that people have put homes in the middle of what needs to burn. The best thing people can do is make their homes fire safe.

So, face palm moment yesterday. Landed at CID and taxied up to Self Serve pump. I fly with a single ignition key on a round retainer that I hang from my flight bag when not in use. I usually hang the key on the DG knob, but set it up on the glare screen and “gone” in an instant. What just happened? There is an opening into the panel abyss that “ate” the key. It was like 90 on ramp so I used back up key (one of two carried) and taxied back to hanger. Don’t be “that guy”...

I put an MT on my J many years ago and remain happy with the decision. It is much lighter and smoother than any other option for our planes, and as mentioned is the only option that increases ground clearance. Removing weight on the nose is beneficial to the mid-bodies. Getting vibrations down to nearly zero improves fatigue life on nearly everything in the plane, and comfort for the people in the cabin as well. It makes removing the lower cowl a bit more difficult, but it is not a show-stopper. I still manage to do it by myself often. Sent from my LG-US996 using Tapatalk

I have a spare ignition key on my non-airplane key ring (house, car, garage, etc.), that I keep thinking I should take off as I would never hang the 2 lb. weight it is attached to from the ignition. After Scott's "adventure", maybe I'll just leave it there as a safety backup. Thanks for sharing.

I thought I posted this earlier but i couldn't find it! There is a Wheels and Wings event being held at Quakertown on Saturday starting at 3PM we would love to get a good showing of aircraft to help support this event. this event supports Aubrie's fund A Cystic Fibrosis charity that provides support and funding to families with members who have cystic fibrosis. ALL funds raised by this charity gets used to help families! the event is funded by volunteers and donations and the group that runs the charity are all volunteers. This event will go till dark with a Movie being show after Dark, the Airplanes will be positioned so they may leave at anytime. this started out as a car show but since moving to Quakertown airport it has slowly morphed into a wheels and wings type event. The founders and attendees love the mix and have asked for more participation from the aviation community. Would love to see all of you (weather permitting) Brian

What about calling ahead and spending the afternoon with a Mooney factory tour in Kerrville? Not a significant mileage adder to your route.

To answer your question about engine value on selling... I agree with @Bob - S50 that I'd rather buy a runout engine and do the overhaul/replace/breakin/etc myself. But if that's not the option... I'm a lot more interested in an engine with between 500 and 1000 hour since... rather than a new 0 hour or low hour engine. If the engine's got 500 hours in the last 3 to 5 years, I don't care who, how, or what the engine is. I'm happy to buy the plane as having a fresh engine. If' it's got 100 hours or less on it, then I'm more concerned and would probably pass it up and look for a plane with either a runout engine or a 500 hour plus engine. To me factory fresh or overhaul by an engine shop (not your local A&P) doesn't make a difference.

Actually, there are 4 options. Factory New (0 time). Factory Rebuilt (0 time). Factory Overhaul (not 0 time). Field Overhaul (not 0 time). Personally, if I was looking for an airplane I'd be looking for one with about 500 hours on the engine. It wouldn't matter to me where it was done as long as a pre-purchase inspection looked good (compressions, borescope, leak check, oil sample, oil burn rate). If I see an airplane with 0 time on the engine, I wonder what they did that made them decide to pay for an overhaul and then sell it immediately. If it only has a few hours on the engine, I'd be concerned that they may not have properly seated the rings. I'd rather have a run out engine with a discounted price so I could have it overhauled and then break it in myself. Just me of course.

The FBO there has a nice mechanic, my son used to go to school in Stephensville. Changing the tire should be easy, just use an engine hoist to take the weight off the tire.

Ha sorry - I got a last minute late start and barely made it. I actually remember peering down through a hole in the scattered-overcast layer, seeing your field, and feeling bad that I didn't offer to pick you up. Then again, as a new IR pilot, I might not have seemed like the ideal ride that day either

Yes, it’s mostly at CMA now (the mags are in Van Nuys getting IRAN’d). With all the attention it’s getting, and all the work done under sub-optimum conditions on the ramp at NBVC, I’m having an early annual done, too. Will feel much more comfortable with a tip-to-tail inspection.

Great! Look forward to seeing you around!

Recently, Mooney eluded to having a refurbishment program for older Mooneys coming soon, which would make such pieces available from them. It might not hurt to email them and see where they are with it, Peter.

Actually, one of the biggest problems we face here regarding fires is people setting them on purpose. Sure it's dry and yes there is a lot of fuel, but the ignition spark is now more caused by media fame than natural, or accidental. Where I live, we have had a disproportionate number of grass fires and that's because people have been running around setting them. They caught one of these douche bags recently using road flares.

Interested. May also be in the market

I’m not sure we are on the same page here. I’m 6 feet 7 and my partner 6 feet 5. With the seat all the way down I have about 1,5 cm left before my head touches the ceiling. We really need no cushion. What we’d like is more outside view when we look forward. I thought that lowering the panel might give us more of a J-ish forward visibility. But if I understand correctly, the cowling is the limiting factor here.

Or you could install CiES senders and know for sure.

Of the three components, what is bad? Is the wheel deformed or severely scratched? I assume with a flat tire the rubber will fold and prevent any damage occurring to that. If shes good, that saves a lot of money. Is the actual tire bad? Any cords or cracks? How old? Might be peace of mind to buy a new one. If you want to get the plane home for as cheap as possible, you could overnight an Air Hawk 5-5.00 nose tire and tube (make sure you get 90* stem) from AircraftSpruce. Won't be cheap, but still probably cheaper than paying a mechanics surcharge. As Paul said, remove cotter pin and master nut, have some guys push down on the tail to lift the nose and remove the wheel/tire and place the truss on a block of wood. Separate the halves, remove tire and tube. Install new tube in new tire (dont forget the chalk) and add a little bit of air. Install wheel halves, torque accordingly, inflate all the way, and reinstall in plane. Should take 1-2 hrs max from pulling up to takeoff. You'll need two sockets (I forget which size, I want to say 5/32nds for some reason, but I might be wrong), an air tank with probably 100psi, torque wrench, Mooney maintenance guide, tire chalk, and a couple blocks of wood. If you can find an A&P for the price of a 6-pack or lunch, its a win-win. Let us know how you get on.

Looking forward to hearing about all these updates live at Mooney Summit! Airport day is open to everyone registered, wait list, or those who just feel like dropping in. -Seth

I was so busy so I did not take any. Did anyone did? There are over 100 witnesses anyway.... Yves

I hope you can get some local help. But if you're stuck, give me a shout tomorrow (Monday) I might be able to help.

Where are you located? RAJAY is setting up RAJAY Authorized Service Centers throughout North America. We focused on the Comanche products line so far, but we are ready to add more facilities for Mooney now. We also set up a RAJAY Authorized Supplier Network. Acorn Welding is our first one if you need exhaust components or repairs.

My interpretation and experience with the FAA is that you comply with AD as written, thus, the original version of the S/L. At work, we are often playing hopscotch with ADs, and it can be frustrating. The problem is the long lag time for an AD to catch up...they are typically a year behind the OEM. Of course, and I don’t doubt you did this, it is worth looking at the new SLand making a judgement call as to the intent. It may be a correction or change that has safety benefits and the AD is just not yet caught up.

The earlier panels had enough space to put instruments three high, the later ones two high below the Moritz gauges. Mooneys don't have a lot of real estate on the panel. I am happy with the taller panel. The seat adjust enough for just about anyone I've ever seen. But I would find the airplane with the panel height you want and buy it - and not try too modify the panel height. Hate to bring this up, but if the potential partner is that much of a stickler about this . . . .hmm

You didn’t even wave when you flew by! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Gorgeous paint job! Nothing like new paint to cause you to fall in love with your airplane again! Did you do the interior as well?

I am now two weeks into the project. Time to actually do wiring - about two hours. Time to remove about a pound of what appears to be plumbers putty from the antenna/plenum, to fix the seat belt installation which was done horribly, time to fix all the Tandy/Realistic/Radio Shack speakers/buzzers, clean at least two handfuls of old zip ties, remove the duct tape from the plenum/ceiling, correctly wrap all the wiring, replace incorrect hardware with correct, etc. - 1.99 weeks. Taking apart the plane is like a box of chocolates, never know what you're going to get.

Already on a first name basis... they just need some J models.

I suspect you’ll really enjoy flying your M20C. There isn’t a greater value in all of GA. No other airplane can go so fast on so little. Pics or it didn’t happen.

My guess is that it's hard to get pictures when you refuse to exit the cockpit! The first time I took home my first Mooney, I was asking strangers if they had anywhere they wanted to go. "Just give me a reason, any reason!!!"

In the early 1980s I was a newly graduated EE & worked at TRW for Dave King. He was a sharp guy & influential in development of IFM receivers used in airborne EW. Dave was a Mooney 201 owner at the time & I talked flying with him occasionally. When I started flying again in my 30s it was his enthusiasm for Mooney that led me to buy my first airplane, an E model.

Dang, you guys are good! -a-

If I had to stare at my tank for 15 minutes to figure out how much fuel I had, I'd probably buy the dip stick :)

Oh, hell yeah. I'd just about guarantee some swabby with a race car saw an unsecured 100LL tank (aka chrixxer's Mooney) sitting on the ramp and decided to help himself. While I get that people want to put a bit of feedback and teaching back in the system, monday morning quarterbacking should be taken for what it is. In this case I don't see much reason to question the decision-making process, and the guy(s) that are there on the scene at the time are the only ones with the real perspective. Most people don't have to be encouraged much to learn from something like that when it happens to them. I'm a bit of a kindred spirit in that when I bought my airplane I had three engine failures within the first three months of ownership. Since then it's been a reliable airplane, and I'm glad the people I was consulting at the time weren't blaming or shaming me. It was already a painful enough process, and I didn't need any encouragement to suck all the learning that I possibly could out of the experience.

Did you have a good pre-buy inspection on both of these aircraft? Because you have had more problems with airplanes in the past month than I've had in over 20 years and 12,000 hours of flying, including 3 years full time as a ferry pilot and 8 years of aircraft ownership. And working 6 years in a shop. All of it. An alternator failure is not an emergency in VFR conditions. Going through the POH or the checklist will direct you to check the circuit breakers and if necessary, pull and reset the field breaker to reset the crowbar circuit in the voltage regulator. I've only had to say this 3 times in my entire career, but I think some sort of safety stand-down is in order for you. The other two pilots are dead. i think you are next. Luck and hope are not strategies. You need to get a handle on this, and its not all the machine here. You have had two outright complete power loss events and both, for one thing, have dubious fuel states. And neither was solved. So nothing can be applied here to learn from.

The big difference between Florida and California... bugs. The weather is great in Florida, but the bugs will keep you inside instead of out enjoying it.

remind me not to book on your airline....

I see 16 in my J full power boost pump on, a3b6d. Temps look good.

Concider spruce creek airport Florida. Over 500 airplanes, no state income tax, less expensive gas and palm trees. House purchase price half off California. A beach that you can actually swim in. Airplane noise is welcomed. An occasional hurricane but my friends who have been there for over 20 years have never had major damage.

Hey Bob I got to GB on Sunday and Osh on Monday, I’m fighting off another back operation (7), and my back couldn’t take any more, I left around 3:00, bummer. Flew to Windsor Ca, still there. Wanted to make the pizza party but not in the cards. I went a long way for 5 hours.