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Well guys and gals… as promised here she is! Flew her out to Apple Valley and Big Bear this week. She runs great. And FAST Put over 12 hours on her already and she hasn’t even gone through a quart of oil. Pretty stoked on performance so far. As everyone stated only time will tell if I made a good purchase, but at the moment I’m unbelievably happy. Fly safe, -Mellow

Finally managed to get 201 out of my M20J

left hand on center structure tube, right foot in foot well, right hand on hand grab front door jamb, swing your a$$ in and sit down Ultras from pilot side switch hands and feet, same technique

This actually seems like a pretty good article. When I thought I wanted to do aerobatics I would get air sick after about 15-20 minutes so the instructor told me to let him know as soon as I started feeling unwell and we would land. He said if you went until you were just barely queasy but didn’t vomit then it would build up your endurance (exposure therapy in #6 below). It worked. https://www.onemedical.com/blog/get-well/motion-sickness-cures/ There is some suggestion from the vestibular rehab literature that taking medications can be counterproductive because it basically blunts the responses to your brain that you’re trying to condition yourself to. That being said, if it’s just for occasional use as a passenger then meclizine seems like a good choice. I went on a whale watching trip a couple of days ago I think about half the people took meclizine - I could tell because they all fell asleep an hour into the trip.

The Battery Minder does a "topping charge" which your alternator does not and cannot do. That is why you never see it "fully charged" when you plug it in to the Battery Minder.

You might be looking for a problem that doesn’t exist…

Mine does that, too, and I can measure the batt voltage with a DVM and it's always fine. I don't know what criterion the minder uses to indicate the battery level, but I've just learned to ignore it.

@dominikos, how do the rest of your terminals look? Corrosion can certainly affect how the charging system performs and the images you’ve posted show corrosion.

Wonder if (and not an aerodynamics expert by any means) it has anything to do with more air going through the engine compartment and less back pressure drag? The slight opening in the cowl flaps might still be out of the airstream and not really add much parasite drag. And it will allow slightly more air flow or pass-thru and less pressure drag. (I think I have the correct term and "pressure drag" is term for the wall of air the plane is pushing trough.)

Unless you’re one of the 2 people with a 3 door Mooney, you’ll have to resort to getting in the hard way. What’s your preferred way to get in and out? Bryan has some recommendations and techniques to master:

Start at the master relay (connected to the positive lead coming off the batter) and work backwards toward the battery. Anything more in-depth should involve an A&P. My battery recently developed enough corrosion on the negative lead to cause starting problems. I theorized that during annual, having it off the smart charger for several weeks while repeatedly powering up avionics caused a small amount of corrosion. It was enough to compromise the ground. It would not cold start the engine but tested fine at the terminals. Light green powder on negative terminal. Removed, cleaned and reinstalled, no further issues.

All snark aside, my wife was an anesthesiology resident when she had our first child. A few hours into labor she was very nauseous, and we went several rounds of me arguing she should take the zofran based on my experience taking, and her being unconvinced despite having given it dozens (hundreds?) of times in the prior year. She relented, took the pill, the nausea passed, and she slept for 4 hours. I felt pretty smug! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I’ve heard that the biggest relief from air sickness is to fly the plane. But if that doesn’t work,

Like this one: Happened the second flight after annual… -Don

Unfortunately, that is the way some mechanics troubleshoot: replace a part. If that doesn’t fix it, replace something else. Repeat until problem goes away, or the owner runs put of money. Bad brushes didn’t fry your VR. That’s just an excuse for replacing the wrong part. Think about it: If bad brushes fried you old VR, why didn’t they fry the new one? And, would engineers really design a VR that was susceptible to alternator brush wear since it is expected that alternator brushes eventually wear out? So, you have a mechanic that is not good at troubleshooting electrical problems and also won’t fess up to a mistake.

Yeah, I agree it can mask a problem. I watched mine get its capacity checked (~2 hours on the tester), but if you’re not getting checked annually, starting the engine isn’t a great metric. Doesn’t really matter if you’re using a battery minder or not, starting the engine isn’t a capacity check.

Thanks! I see it now on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073JCMTW2/ref=vp_d_pb_TIER2_cml_lp_B08DMRDKPS_pd?_encoding=UTF8&pf_rd_p=030646fb-9c33-48cd-b6f4-975e331926a6&pf_rd_r=CXARZBNY4ERFRZTP1FDD&pd_rd_wg=ksYpE&pd_rd_i=B073JCMTW2&pd_rd_w=6e8l1&content-id=amzn1.sym.030646fb-9c33-48cd-b6f4-975e331926a6&pd_rd_r=3d1f2514-2a73-4984-837f-7dd6b057c479) It looks like it would also come in handy if a front seat passenger slams the door after being told not to

I flew from Panama to Costa Rica. Interesting flight. 430 miles. The video has three parts. First one taking off from Panama City you can see the Canal. Then just the cross country flight from panama to Costa Rica and then last but not least the approach into Liberia Costa Rica. The approach was at least for me interesting…. So I hope you enjoy it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I have a Reliefband Premier I use to ride rollercoasters and intense simulator rides with the kids at the house of mouse. I can't speak for the other types of electronic bands available on Amazon, but the one I have is very effective at blocking the nausea response I would normally get from these rides.

All of them I’ve seen were on the cabin side of the firewall top right (pax) side. Remove the avionics access panel and it should be right there.

You put your left leg in Your left leg out In, out, in, out Shake it all about.............................all seriousness aside......................it's fun reading all the techinques in this thread! I always offered up my style of ingress/egress, but did alert my passengers that sometimes it can be simply undignified either way.....................do whatever works for you..........

How about the theory of more warm air under the fuselage reducing surface friction and parasitic drag on antennas and the like…. I have to stop over thinking things.

Per our installation instructions. While the attachment specifies the FT-90 flow transducer, the sentence regarding fire sleeving applies to all our flow transducers. Worth noting, these instructions apply to installations with our instrumentation. If our flow transducers are to be interfaced with a third party instrument, our STC'd instructions do not apply as our flow transducers are not STC'd independently. Additionally, 90° fitting are not expressly prohibited, however, their use should not disrupt flow to the engine, but can disrupt the laminar flow of fuel to the transducer's impeller, resulting in erratic fuel flow indications. Whenever possible, 45° fittings would be preferred.

Yes it was. MPH to Knots happened later. The claim was "the first production piston single to reach 200 mph with only 200 hp!" [I think]

I called them, and they gave me an RMA#. Said they would examine it and let me know what they can do.

Yes that has bothered a lot me since I have been flying my M20F for over 30 years and well over 2,000 hours and some times near VNE with no sign of flutter. So why would I want to change the balance of the elevator by this large amount? I can only hope that there is more than one correct answer to the flutter prevention scenario. I do recall a post by a knowledgeable contributor (PT20J) in September that said the following which I hope is true: “Most control surfaces are overbalanced (i.e., leading edge heavy) to control flutter. With the control surface CG ahead of the hinge line, a deflection of the control surface causes a correcting hinge moment that tends to dampen out motions caused by aerodynamic forces. Evidently the Mooney control system is stiff enough that flutter is not an issue and so the control surfaces are underbalanced (i.e., trailing edge heavy) most likely for improving handling qualities. The Mooney ailerons have fairly heavy control forces due to their short span, wide chord design and the elevator forces are a bit high due to the springs and bobweights. Underbalancing would tend to reduce the initial hinge moment when a surface is deflected. But, that's just a guess; to know for certain the designer's intent you'd have to ask Al. “ Skip

In 1988, for my sins, I was appointed as the Joint Task Force Signals Officer for a SNFL-turned-op headed to the Caribbean. Being a qualified sailor should have made this a breeze. But it was not. On board one of the "Cadillacs" (a destroyer from the Canadian DDH 280 Iroquois class) in sea state 10 with Force 9 winds I was done and down within 24 hours of slipping the lines. My Chief Comm Op and I were working to the get the SOI published within 48 hours of departure so that everyone would know the Ground, Air-to-air, air-to-ground and Link 11 connections that were needed before any bad stuff happened. Typing the SOI on an Apple IIc in my stateroom until I could stomach it no more, my Chief Comm Op would take over and, from my bunk (with a solid lee board) I would see him stop typing, get up and puke in the sink and go back to work. We were both on the ear patch. Being onboard one of the 280's as she plows through the crest of a 10 meter wave, only to have the bottom drop out from under her and slap down into the trough was hard on the body. Those of you with Navy time will already know this. On day 2, before the SOI was published, the JTF Commander had an Orders Group in his cabin. It included Signals, Naval squadron staff, Log, Air support, and reps from the designated infantry units. The infanteers were the first to bug out to puke, then the log offr, then the air support reps (transport first, then Tac Air rep, then heli det comdr), then the naval squadron staff. I was the last to leave to go and puke. We entered gentler weather on day 3, abeam Bermuda. Fortunately, that rough start to the op allowed me to not get sea sick for the remainder of the cruise. About 8 years ago, we rented a Hunter 31 out of Gore Bay on Manitoulin Island (after a nice Mooney trip to the island) and both my wife and I found the wrist bands worked well (pressure only - no electrics). Never had a problem for the week we rented the Hunter. Today, neither of my sons can take long rides with me in the Mooney - they both get airsick - and I think they got it from me. But my wife and I are fine with flying - no airsickness.

My problem wasn't getting in, but off. Last month I was deplaning and missed the step, falling flat on my back. Only through the grace of God I didn't break anything. I'm still extremely sore, but fully functional. Be careful out there.

Same, mine always shows less than 100% after a flight.

I use @mike_elliott 's technique. When I'm instructing someone new on how to board, I add two things. One-don't touch the door. Two- stand on the wing walk and look down through the windscreen and grab the bar with your left hand. #2 is helpful. Otherwise, they fumble around banging the visors.......

My technique is apparently not one of Bryan’s FAA approved methods. I “Plop” in. No other way to describe it. This is easy when alone. Not as easy if the pilot is sitting in the left seat and you are a pax. One moment you are on the wing walk, next moment you plop into the pax seat. Many passengers seem to use a Tasmanian devil, tear up the airplane, approach to entry. If you aren’t fast enough to prevent it, the entry door will be a weight bearing handle and the carpet will end up bunched around the rudder pedals…..and worse yet…somehow the pax is stuck with one foot in the aircraft and one leg wrapped around their head with that foot still out on the wing walk….I just can’t explain it, and certainly haven’t come across an FAA name for it.

Yes my minder will go through the levels even if i just unplug it leave it off the battery for 10 mins and then plug it back in. The difference is how quickly it jumps from low middle and full stages. After a flight it will start off on low and within a min jump to the middle stage where it hangs out there usually for 15 to 30 mins before jumping to the full stage.

If it's true USB-C (implements USB 3.2 spec) it supports 5-20v. Up to 20v can be negotiated with the USB-C power supply. That lighter plug adapter will have an embedded chip that negotiates 12v power. There are several manufacturers now that make USB-C cables (each cable negotiates the rated voltage for the device) that serve as power supply replacements for those devices. Using those cables you can use an array of USB-C ports instead of separate power supplies to power your devices.

Watsonville KWVI this Sunday, Feb 26 for those who can make it. Weather looks to be a bit unsettled between winter storms so fly safe. Hopefully the day will be clear enough to witness the predicted winter wonderland of all the Bay Area mountain ranges. A rare event for around here. I’ll be on the ramp welcoming people. Lunch around noon.

I had to tug on it a bit to verify… it was not obvious until it came out of the ring terminal… -Don

Ginger Beer is Ginger Soda? I’ve honestly never seen ginger soda Ginger Beer isn’t alcoholic just like Root Beer isn’t, or at least what I bought wasn’t. I think it’s a form of Ginger Ale, which also isn’t alcoholic, so it’s not really an Ale? Semantics I guess.

You’re learning about old aircraft electronics. Some A&Ps are good at it, but many are not. You need a digital voltmeter and one of the troubleshooting guides like posted above. With the airplane off you can do most of the fault isolation yourself. While you’re at it, check the connections on the alternator carefully for wear. Those connections are notorious. You can also follow the voltage from the vr to the alternator and from the alternator out. Do this really carefully because the engine is running. You’ll likely need to follow the voltage through the system and find out where the problem is. I went through this a couple years ago and it got pretty expensive before I troubleshot it myself, found a corroded connection and fixed it. But at least I got an education and a new VR and alternator out of the deal…

That makes sense. I was thinking only of the drag of the cowl flap, but a slight opening might reduce the overall drag. Thanks!

I would agree but soften the assessment to say low time/ low experience rather than low skill (though in some cases low skill is likely more accurate). The problem is that it’s a relatively small insurance pool. For nearly two decades, my annual insurance premium was reliably ~1.5% of hull value up +/- .2%. About five years ago it started climbing steeply. Today, it’s ~3.5% of hull value and I expect it will go up again at renewal. There are lots of things driving the increase, but it’s hard not to look critically at the picture of a $2MM Vision jet sitting in a swamp under canopy when it had been functioning perfectly up until the owner decided that the very typical Florida afternoon weather he opted to tackle was above his skill level.

Every day is the perfect day for the YD in a V-Tail Bonanza

What part of “I’ve taken zofran several times” or “I’ve directly observed thousands of people who have received this medication” are you missing? Seriously, I’m disturbed by your lack of comprehension. Someone asked about scopolamine patches - I answered the question, with references. Someone else asked about zofran - I answered the question and gave two references - one a case series on using zofran on passengers for motion sickness and another one on pilots in an F-16 simulator. Very applicable to the question being asked. Apparently, you’re still dissatisfied. I’m thankful my job isn’t to satisfy you. If you don’t like my answers, then add me to your ignore list. I’ll be happy to do the same. If you have a question about how to use a prescription medication then ask your doctor.

They did the same thing with my JPI probe. One of these days I will rip it out and move it to the wing where the probe for my AV-30 is.

I emailed Frank again and he sent me the chart below. But the quick answer is, the 1 to 1 tach time is 2500 RPM.

I believe he was referring to timed approaches. It's in the AIM and 7110.65.

Lets see? First flying job- $750/month and the mechanic on the airplane to boot. Did all the maintenance on the PA-31-310 There were no Regionals then Just a few small airlines with crap equipment Got my ATP back then in the same Navajo at 1200 hrs. No required schooling just practice for the practical test and pass the written! Hardest career job? Charter on 20 series LearJets. 30 min call out day and night Hardest corporate job? Long haul overwater international Pt 25 private owner B727. We'd be gone 12-15 weeks at a time. 1 hr on call the entire time. Best job for me? Check Airman B737 and B757 I enjoyed the instructing in 121 airline environments Actually enjoyed my 5 years as a line A&P at Continental LAX back in the 60s. We had a good time then. In some ways it is all interesting and at the same time sobering when you decide where you are at is not where you want to be. 5 airlines, 7 corporations all of which are dead except for the 121 I retired from 16 years ago. Tomato- tomahto? To each his own. I enjoyed the airline flying more than corp because they couldn't call you on days off. You had a set schedule. Other guys I knew stayed charter all their career. Why? I have no idea. When you look out on any airline terminal ramp there isn't any job out there you see being done that I haven't done including dumping the toilets after every flight. There isn't any corporate job that I haven't done at some time in my career. No intention of going back although I would like to fly a 727 around the pattern one more time. For now- my Mooney suffices quite well.

Maybe its just the old curmudgeon in me but let me add some fact to this discussion as it comes up every year or so- NO you can't go out and just buy things (seats) on the open market and install them like you would in your 56 Chevy EVERYTHING in your airplane is part of the TYPE CERTIFICATE that it was approved under and any change from that design requires some kind of approval STC, DER etc. When your airplane was made a complete package of design parts info was submitted to the FAA as to How the airplane as assembled and tested to pass certification. . That "package" was approved. Every nut bolt and washer etc was included. No deviations allowed unless some other follow on approval process is completed. As far as seats go they are drop tested for crash worthiness before approval. Our seat belts are attached to them and have to handle all the G forces involved in a crash with us in them. Wish as we might its a proposition that will never happen.

Thanks, Hank. Your Honor, I rest my case. Dave

Pics coming soon! Will be having it ferried to my home airport next weekend. Transition training already set up with a local CFI that is a Mooney owner as well. Insurance all set (pretty expensive because I don’t have much experience in make/type). Registration all set as well - bank handled it for me. Will be following up with an updated title search down the line to make sure everything finalized correctly. thank you! Incredibly stoked

Fantastic forever-plane upgrades! Top of the line everything… I think the sales manager from 3M just called… their blue painter’s tape had great sales numbers this quarter… somebody on the east coast bought 1k rolls in one order…. Looks fantastic, inside and out! Best regards, -a-

Normally the log entry includes the colors…can you post it? I bet it’s quite lengthy.