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If anyone watches Flight Chops on YouTube, I flew with him a couple months ago. He just dropped the video featuring N221HP.

Well I have selected the winning image. But I may wait to announce it until I have the painting done. Again, I want to thank all of you that took the time

Lol. Well, long story. I had a perfectly functional crank step. @carusoam first inspired me to work on this for the vacuum crowd because of the mini actuators I used for our Auto-Lean product and @cliffy inspired me to do it for the guys with a broken cable. I thought it would be a weekend project and then I was committed (or I should be). I’ve now been flying it since January. One of the side benefits is that the install actually comes out lighter than stock (can I call that a speed mod?). It also retains the “cool factor” of the retractable step. I have addressed the previous concern of a jammed step through a simple overload spring. The system is FAA-PMA approved and I have a letter from the FAA supporting this as a minor alteration. That said, I submitted enough paperwork for an STC, including structural analysis. I still need to update our web site, but kits available for sale now....with a short lead time to build some stock. Rob

I don't believe 2700 is a problem for the engine. But what you're really talking about is running at max power for an extended period of time. Again, probably not an issue as long as you're rich enough. And by that I mean 100 degrees or more rich of peak. But burning that much fuel means that you'll likely pay for that extra speed with an extra fuel stop or more which will kill your time A to B. The best way to get more speed out of these Mooneys is not to go faster... it's to burn less gas and skip a fuel stop. I think you might be better off at Carson's speed and deep LOP.

Newbie here - I usually read and learn, but can't pass on the chance to put in a plug for my favorite place in the Southeast... If you and the wife are open to something a little rustic and out of the way, check out the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area https://www.nps.gov/biso/index.htm. Fly into KSCX (Scott County Airport) which has an Airpark - The Big South Fork Airpark https://www.bsfairpark.com/ The Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area is nearby and has cabins available via private owners , or I think that the Air Park has a guest house. Crossville TN nearby has the Cumberland County Playhouse to satisfy any cultural urges (not certain of the schedule...). There is also a nice BnB in an area called "Historic Rugby". AirNav lists courtesy transportation as being available, I am not certain of Rental Car availability, but I bet the folks running the Airpark would be accommodating and helpful in that regard. I grew up in the area and it is stunningly beautiful in the Park. John (Future M20 J/K owner)

What’s the opinion on this acquisition? I really like Fltplan.com for filing flight plans and hate to see Garmin mess it up. Any thoughts? Lee

CAMI will have the PROTE chamber at the Mooney Summit VII next year for our hypoxia training. It has taken me 6 years to get this done, now we are on their schedule!

Flew up to Tune (west of Nashville) for brother's bachelor party. Great flight even with a 0500 wheels up!

To bring this Topic to a positive end, I can Report "Mission completed" I had to remove the whole lower interior side Panel including the air vent in the foot room (correct?) to get Access to the fuel Sender. And indeed: All but one screws had the insulating washer installed. The last had not!. After isolating the screw my simple "continuity tester" still showed me a Connection between the housing and my screws. But that effect came from the nearly empty tank. Using an Ohmmeter gave me about 9 Ohms. Now the fuel gauge Shows the full range! I am happy! Thank you for all your help!

One data point: I have been commuting from Calif to Texas for 13 years in a '64 e with the io360a1a. Usually 12k' eastbound and 9500' west bound, and usually WOT and 2700. 8 hours eastbound with one fuel stop and 9-10 hours westbound with two fuel stops. I lean to between 100 degrees rich to sometimes peak egt. Most times I lean for for max airspeed/best power. My engine was overhauled in 1986 and has 2800 hours smoh, 6000 total time on it.. Compressions are 79 on all 4. I change the oil every 25, filter every 50. In that time, one cylinder had a "tuliped" exhaust valve that was replaced at 1400 smoh. It was not burnt or anything, so most likely a defective valve. If you don't have the a1a engine then you may have counterweights, and I have seen those cause problems in other 360's going over tbo. 2700 is relatively low rpm designed for longevity afaik. I have heard that racers spin these up to 3200 routinely.

Oh Stewardess, I speak Jive......

Man that's a pretty thick barrel amazing there is enough pressure to cause a separation like that. What's even more amazing is I figured out how to copy just one photo and paste it onto a reply.

We flew to Mackinac Island this summer and really had a great time. But we stayed in Saint Ignace which is about 4 minutes by Mooney from the Island. We stayed in a great Airbnb which was something like $65/night. Also landing and parking overnight at Saint Ignace (free) gets you access to a crew car. We were told to keep it over night and as long as we needed it. It was a super cool '82 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. The wife and I cruised around with the windows down playing the theme from Shaft.

The "Gear up!" anticipation was also killing me! A true nail biter for Mooney Drivers!

Maybe you should have them do it on the ground first, just in case they’re bad at math. [emoji2]

Oh boy - this thread gives me flash backs. Good for you Dan and well done! I had a comparable incident in April. A full engine out emergency, (dead turbo), smoke in the cockpit and a dead stick landing. Starting at 16,500 ft. The cause was entirely different, but there were similarities. I was close enough to an airport that I was soon 12k over the target emergency landing airport, doing steep spirals to come down asap because I too was worrying about a fire - but I was dead stick but there was some smoke - not a lot - but also the smell of burin (but it was just burnt oil). Then I too made essentially the same decision as you - I had one last turn I could have made for a better approach to landing but I elected to land right away skipping one last turn and I too came in very hot but thanks to speed breaks I managed to make a reasonable stop with some runway to spare to a nice uneventful landing. Oh boy - good for you and good for me - to be posting "how lucky" we are. Knock on wood for both of us good buddy!

As many of you know, I lost my C model just over 1-1/2 years ago with my little run-in with CO. That was on the last business trip I took with my own airplane. Until Thursday. I replaced the C with a 231 just over a year ago. It had a long period of inactivity prior to my ownership, but I have been working the bugs out. I have been slowly upgrading It and it has been getting better and better. Oil consumption has been cut it half since I brought it home. I have changed the oil 5 times now and the Blackstone reports keep getting better. The first one was great considering its history. I finally really felt I was getting in a groove with this airplane. Thursday I took off on the first business trip since my fateful day. While cruising along VFR at 14.5K ft all was well. I was running lean of peak, 10gph, all but the #2 CHT’s were 340 or lower(#2 was around 365), TIT was around 1510, and I was showing 169kts true. Life was good. Then I heard/felt 3 little pops and everything returned to as smooth as it was before. But I noticed my #4 cylinder went cold(EGT and CHT). It was running so smooth I suspected I blew a spark plug out so I reduced manifold pressure to the low 20’s and hung a U-turn to divert to KPKD, about 16mn behind me. I advised ATC that I was diverting do to engine troubles. I told them it wasn’t an emergency yet but would keep them updated. Once I got over KPKD, around 10Kft, Center advised me they lost me on Radar and asked if I needed any assistance. I told them I was over the airport and should be fine. They then asked me to take down a phone number to call after I was safely on the ground. I copied it down and switched to CTAF. Some time just after this, the engine started shaking violently. I reduced power more and the shaking let up a bit but was still very uncomfortable. At this point I knew it was much worse than blown sparkplug. I pulled the mixture back to IC and that seemed to smooth things out a bit. I did a steep spiral over the airport and set up on a downwind about 1800agl. Much higher than I would have liked but I wasn’t in the mood to loiter around and circle one more time. In the back of my mind I was expecting a fire. I really wanted to be on the ground! While on downwind I pushed the mixture back in briefly and the violent shaking returned. So out it came again. I put the gear and flaps down on a tight, high base. I had to slip on final as I was a bit high and fast, I managed a nice landing and only used 3500ft of the 5,500ft runway. It turns out the #4 Cylinder had a classic head/barrel separation. I suspect it fully let go when all the shaking started. It broke the intake riser of #4 and #2, The injector fuel line broke, and the baffling got banged up good. The exhaust manifold kept the head from departing all together, but got bent in the process. We have yet to dig deep into it yet, I’m hoping there is no more damage. I only lost a quart of oil. I’m very thankful for Mooney Friends. Texts went out after I got the airplane back on the ramp. @ThorFlightand @lotsofgadgets both offered to pick me up. Thor rearranged his schedule and was pulling up in his J just a few hrs later. I was back home in time for dinner with the family. Mooney friends are awesome! Some lessons learned. I should have declared an Emergency when center asked if I would like to. It turned out OK, but no one on the ground was aware of my situation despite several “engine out” calls on CTAF. If I hadn’t made the field, search/rescue may not have been alerted. Be safe out there! Dan

Pilots come out of the training looking very sober. Then, I hear, they head over to the Sky Ox booth.

I fully agree, but I doubt that many who complain about the gear being difficult are waiting until cruise to put the gear up. The inner gear doors probably also make a big difference, but again, how many who are complaining have those? My point was that anytime "reasonable" time during initial climb out, it should be easy to put the gear away unless something has changed from the factory.

I’m resurrecting this thread after reading an article in AOPA where a 2010 C172 sold in a few hours at $319,000. There seems to be a huge gain in interest for flying. People that I meet tell me their kids get excited when they see a small airplane. We are having an aviation event at our airport next weekend and there is a lot of interest. There is an open area at the approach end to the predominant runway. Every evening this summer there are many cars with blankets and kids just watching the planes land. They get so excited when your coming in, it feels like you have a cheering squad. I heard there was a record crowd at Oshkosh this year. I wonder if all the you tube videos have anything to do with it. Makes aviation seem much more accessible. Just thinking. Probably should put a link in. https://www.hamptonflyers.com/

What I think will change my decision is what, if any, integrations will occur with these vendors. If Garmin introduces the GFC 500 and it integrates with the Aspen either initially or is being planned, it would factor into my decision. I wouldn't want to add a G5 just to manage the autopilot.

Understand, I am not endorsing the position the author takes. I am simply putting it out for discussion (as he has). I think most people who have experience with the intercooler setup would agree that the 252 settings or the STC manufacturers’ adjustment recommendations are a place to start, but they underpower the engine. Why? Here is what the author (Paul Millner) says: ”If you actually put a turbocharged engine on a test stand and then observed the effect of the intercooler, you’d find that, say, 32 inches of MP and 200 degrees of induction air input deliver almost the indentical horsepower of 32 inches of MP and 120 degrees of induction air. ”So unlike obeying the restriction of the STC and reducing manifold pressure so many inches per 10 degreess of cooling, leaving the manifold setting alone delivers the same power, with safer-for-the-engine conditions. How? ”Remember when I explained how the intercooler imposes an insertion loss on induction air pressure, but no worries, the turbo control system will compensate? There are no free lunches. It turns out that the addional back pressure on the engine exhaust from the wastegate closing just a little bit to maintain induction pressure through the intercooler reduces engine power output just enough to offset the increase that would otherwise occur from the denser charge, It may not be obvious why such a conservation-of-engine output effect would occur but for efficient intercoolers, that’s the relationship.” He is obviously writing with an automatic wastegate in mind, not the semi-manual Merlyn, but the point is still the same. The point is real, and to translate a little, what he is talking about is that sufficient drag occurs in passing the induction air through the intercooler (its a radiator with fins) to cause back pressure in the exhaust, which reduces the horsepower output of the engine at a given MP and fuel setting. To achieve the same power requires adjusting MP up, basically back to the setting you started with before cooling the induction air. (I am talking ROP ops here.). This is, in fact, the great fallacy of turbo engineering, that it is “free” to put a turbo in the exhaust, or in this case to put an intercooler in the induction air stream. Exhaust back pressure reduces power output. The turbo oviously still helps, it adds to power output, but it is not a 100% efficient, free lunch. Nor is the intercooler. The gist of the article is that aftermarket intercooler designs are not very well tested. The adjustment tables are set up making assumptions that are not true, particularly the one above, that the insertion of the intercooler in the induction air stream has no negative effect on power output and only has the positive effect of lower induction air temp. One little hint that applying 252 charts is not correct is something I learned from an exchange with Paul Kortopates on this site a couple of years ago. The 252 chart uses 36” for max power, at least that’s what I recall from looking at one a decade ago. However, the STC for the Turboplus comes with special fuel flow set up instructions. The max MP used to set up full power fuel flow varies a little depending on OAT, but essentiallly, the document uses 37” for max power, not 36”. Now, the other issue it seems to me, is that the engine obviously is working harder to put out a given BHP than it was before you inserted the intercooler. I don’t think it would be smart to simply not adjust MP downward and the author does not make that recommendation. What he is saying in the article is that intercoolers, especially aftermarket intercoolers, are not quite as nifty as their advertising says. PS if anyone did not follow it, the mechanism by which increased drag in the intercooler creates back pressure in the exhaust, is that in order to overcome the drag, the turbo must work harder. In a fully automatic wastegate system, where the MP has been set to, say, 32, the system compensates by closing the wastegate a little and making the turbo work harder in order to generate the same 32" of pressure, and the turbo working harder, creates more backpressure in the exhaust, requiring the engine to work harder to push the exhaust out. In the semi-automatic system (the Merlyn), the same thing happens. If you manually set the MP to 32", the wastegate will close a little more in a system with an intercooler, than in a system without an intercooler, in order to make that 32".

Those clocks seem to Ron forever on battery. May be a clock issue.

Complete kit is listed on our web site at $350. This includes actuator, cables, turnbuckle, springs and some other hardware....oh and a detailed installation manual. Only a few additional pieces of minor hardware are required.

One thing to consider... If two hours is your comfort limit... taking out as much vibration as possible might be a good idea. Getting the prop dynamically balanced at the rpm you intend to cruise at may make some sense.... Best regards, -a-

The fact that our Mooney’s cowls don’t let us open them easily for engine inspection is something that definitely bothers me. I like the Beech planes in that aspect, easy preflight engine inspection. I look the best I can at oil changes between the cooling fins for any signs of cracking or gas exscaping, of course you cant see all the way around them but something better than nothing. The few cylinders I looked at that suffered head separations looked like they would have shown early signs before the separation happened. I not sure though if you would have had to be unreasonably observant to have caught it in advance. Below are pictures from a 421 that happened at takeoff. The picture angle doesn’t show it well but in person you could easily see where there was old cracked areas leaking and the majority on fresh fractured aluminum.

Put in Bay and Kelley’s Island are also worth a visit. Also well within range of Chicago and all the East Coast cities and all the possibilities in that direction. Charleston and Savannah are both well worth a visit, or you could visit Nashville and listen to really good music. A Mooney offers a lot of travel opportunities.

Today's flight had to be by car since we have no transponder. A nice drive to Yontville in Napa Valley for the day. When we got home there was a box on the porch. Will be taking it in to LASAR tomorrow to assist in the install of the GTX327 hen we can get back to flying. After I will still be able to choose the ADSB next year going with the GDL82 or the sky beacon if the law suit is resolved. They cost about the same but labor is going to be less for the sky beacon. Thanks Chris

Data from 2 flights of comparable length. Red (before I cleaned spade connections on master switch) and Blue (after that). Done!!!

Triple Tree is next week.

Mackinac Island. Nice airport (KMCD), horse drawn carriage into town. No cars on the island. Absolutely beautiful in September/October. https://www.grandhotel.com/

Before or after you were summarily thrown out., you’ve been on the hit list for quite sometime now.

I got a call asking if I owned the property. Yes. He explained he buys property. Asked If I was interested in selling. I said sure, he asked the price I would sell at. I gave a price about $250K over the market. He said he would call me back. Called me back and said he had done a market survey. Then said the market was at this price and he was an investor and he could not make money at the price I gave. Started to try and talk me down. I said he asked at what price I wanted to sell. He said that was not an interesting price. I said "Well I guess you are not interested in my property are you?" He said "no" and we parted ways. Explain again why it is my job for you to make money?

Update on this post . . . . during a recent panel upgrade I did put in a GTX345. I still haven't tried the AHRS function, but the way that the GTX345, the Avidyne 550 and the Aspens all talk is very impressive. Previously I had an Avidyne AXP340 transponder and a Skytrax 100 which worked together but were not going to communicate with the Aspens.

My Mooney descends great with the gear and flaps out in a slip. Don't ask me how I know.

I thought everyone had seen Airplane at one point or another. It's a classic.

So what do they feel like? Can you fly with them or is there not enough support? I think we should get a pair for Yetti and have him walk around in the woods. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I just last week pulled out the original Whelen strobe/ incandescent assemblies and put in the Orion 600 LED wing tip light replacements. They do look sleek. Lower current, 3 pounds lighter. Yep, 1 AMU.

17500 with no oxygen in a mountain wave over the Rockies. Made a couple of IFR legs at 16000 with oxygen. This was in a 67 M20F. It performs quite well at those altitudes, you should try it more often. Posted from beautiful French Polynesia. Flew the Mooney the first leg.

Ken, your glowing posts about your 231 over the years is a major reason I determined one would fit my mission. Where was all the twin talk back then? That could have saved me a lot of trouble. I actually was planing on getting a Barron after my accident. I don't have a multi rating so I called a school that I new had a Barron. At the time it was down for a new engine and they didn't expect to finish it for 1-1/2 months. That time allowed me to think hard about the next airplane. The Mooney just feels right to me. And as it turns out, getting insured after a total loss isn't easy. I honestly don't think I could have got insurance on a twin. Cheers, Dan

I thought of you twice that day. The first time was after the engine started shaking and I thought "Man I wish this was a turbo failure, that would be a lot less expensive." In my defense I forgot the part about the smoke and burning smell. The second time I thought of you was while I was standing at my grill with a beer in one hand and the tongs in the other. Your picture of your sushi popped into my head. It made me smile.

Ken, I agree with your analysis, but I also thought it came across as gloating- particularly on a board dedicated to Mooney Pilots. (And I'm very sure I've got more multi-engine hours than you have, so I'm all the more sure that you're right, just not your tone.)

I am a professional mathematician. I believe in statistics. You can’t logic that a twin is safer even though it seems as if it should be. i have read extensively on the topic. Fleet wide statistics suggest that over all / across the entire flight that twins and singles are roughly the same. Averaged across the pilot population. Of course super pilot can do better than average. you don’t think it’s gloating to pop in at each thread where there is an incident and tell us that hey you love your twin but take it from me / in April I was rolling my eyes at you when you did it the day I had my scare (and I politely kept my tongue) and today again I am rolling my eyes at you and I doubt I’m the only one. As if you are the first to ever suggest such a thing - today - as if I/we never considered the concept of a twin before. Honestly / really?!! Save your gloating for a different day or at least take some advice - it’s poor timing and annoying socially. No pat yourself on the back logic that clearly twins are better because gee whiz you can just cage the other bad engine in cruise flight and gee whiz you are current Simcom trained every 3 months and gee whiz you get 5 whole seconds to identify that bad engine on take off incident and wow you are better than the average twin pilot who either is not fast enough, or caging the wrong engine or for some reason just screwing up. Either show me a statistic that shows me why your twin is safer per year of operation or stop gloating each thread on the day someone is sharing a scare. It’s gloating and it’s misplaced.

How much is your insurance? i was just a tad bit annoyed with a dude coming on to a thread of a fellow aviator sharing a difficult day and someone comes on and gloats. I or he comes her to share the experience to help others deal well with situations if god forbid they happen to others. And honestly to shake off quite a fright in a community of fellow aviators. and honestly - it is a fact that a twin is a mixed blessing. For the reasons that I said and documented in the ntsb database and the actuaries computed insurance rates. this is a question not a statement. Is the insurance rate of a twin at same Hull value ever the same as a complex single assuming supreme experience in each? that hypothetical question aside. I get it... I get it when you gloated the day I had an emergency to handle and shared it on the forum and I get it today that dan is here sharing his experience / you love your twin and I am very happy for you. I wish you happy and safe flying. Good value and great insurance rates for your earned provably better than average twin pilot skills.

A couple of my favorite photos. Jim Simmons, Cheshire, CT

This is from the parts catalog. MS35206-327 - Non-Structural Pan Head Screw 6-32 X 9/16 - Cadmium II Plated (alt part # AN515-632R17) MS35206-231 is 5/8 long

The existing step (65 and newer), if you were to raise it by hand... the spring quickly twists itself into a spiral. A method of nature finding the lowest level of energy and messing around with a plane owner that doesn't have a maintenance manual... Finish writing the STC, offer to sell it to Mooney so the Long Bodies can get an elegant solution... Best regards, -a-

I’ve not run into that before, but it would not like it. Is it possible the oil or grease is just so congealed that the vacuum can’t muscle through? Mine had many years of gunk and does make it more difficult to move. In my experience, if the the step is that iced up, then the plane was too iced up to fly as well. Depending on the actuator I end up with and the amount of ice, it would either muscle through, blow a fuse or pop a breaker (if you opt for that) or break the actuator. As someone suggested, adding smarts or clutch would work but adds cost. I suppose I could also add a self resetting thermal fuse, which may not cost that much, will consider that.

Hey SkyTrekker !! We are working on the Mooney STC, initially for the C, E, F, G - using a C model for the prototype... with our partners at US Sport Aircraft, in Addison. It's a slow process even though the FAA is being VERY cooperative. Stay tuned - Eric -

All the old Mooneys are under the same type certificate, so if it is in the parts manual it should be fare game. Just show all the part numbers removes and added, the new W/B and send it in. Mooney got it approved years ago.