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Norwegian phrase. THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS BAD WEATHER, ONLY BAD CLOTHES”

It's interesting how the climate that people live in seems to determine what they consider to be "too cold". My Midwest friends don't do anything special if it's above freezing. My Northern Midwest friends will preheat if it's below 10F, but still fly. My California friends will preheat below 60F, and won't even try to fly if it's below 40F because it's too cold and will 'damage' the plane regardless of preheat. Continental's recommendation (for a TSIO-520-BE) is to preheat for 30+ minutes if the engine has been below 20F for 2+ hours. But they also have procedures for starting if you do not preheat below 20F. For good engine longevity, follow the manufacturer's recommendations with a little extra leeway. (Don't run quite so hot, don't start it quite so cold.) For best engine longevity, submerge the engine in oil and never run it.

Good work, 2 pages in and we are onto tractor lights. I knew we could do it, onto page 3!

As a native southern Californian I must beg to differ: at below 40F it is not damage to the plane that I'm worried about...I'm worried about damage to ME, regardless of preheat! My motto: if you need a sweater, it's too damn cold to go outside

Must be something about yours - maybe they forgot to heat treat it.

The vane is heat treated and very stiff. It’s most likely a bad connection or a bad switch.

I have not made measurements - but my impression is that deploying speed brakes after touch down does just about zero. So why bother and complicated the landing roll out. Retracting flaps to put weight on the wheels does do a lot though.

I worked for a Marine Lt Col once and he’d go running, hiking, climbing in any weather. He always said “no bad weather, only bad gear.” I thought it was a marine thing but now I know where they got it!

Not sure if its unusual, but I use my speed brakes frequently during an approach phase, particularly helpful in busy airspaces, in particular when: ATC wants you to keep best forward speed on an approach for traffic, which I can easily do, then use speed brakes to slow down around the FAF and then retract them once I am on usual approach speed prior to landing, while staying on glidepath/slope. When ATC gives you a descent from very high like 9k feet down to 1500 when you are less than 5 miles from the airport (happens a lot) Deploying speed brakes (and gear sometimes if its very high) allows me to make that altitude change without stress or shock cooling or by picking up excess speed.

The easy way to test the sonalert in-circuit is just jumper from the ground side of the sonalert to a ground anywhere, including any airframe sheetmetal. Basically touch a wire to the airframe and then to the sonalert, and it should come on. The stall vane switch just completes the circuit to ground, so it does exactly the same thing. That'll verify that everything up to and including the sonalert works. If the sonalert does pass that test, then it is most likey the switch at the vane, which is a pain to get in and out and kind of a pain to fix, but is doable. There is a thread here somewhere with multiple examples showing exactly how to take the switch apart and rehab it. Another possibility is that the connections on the switch are a bit corroded and just need to be cleaned. Mine was intermittent and I think was just a corroded connection, but I had already taken it out and so disassembled it and cleaned it up.

Leave the belly strobe switched on all the time, then it will go on and off with the master switch. It's noticeable when the hangar light is turned off, and it is also noticeable if you glance back when walking away parked on the ramp.

Speed brakes are an invaluable tool when I am high like in the teens and atc is holding me high much longer than I would like then starts giving me descents that would otherwise put me too fast - its a great way for extended high fpm descent.

RE Cirrus. True, but be careful. Don’t want them to prematurely pop their chute….

Yours is the FIKI stall switch Dan, which is a different bea$t. Don not able to rectify for you?

3M General Purpose Purpose Adhesive Cleaner works well. Let it soak and rub it off with a rough rag. Depending on how much glue was used (often overapplied; all you need is a thin coat on both surfaces) it may take several passes. Xylene is one of the main components of the 3M product, so that might work, also. https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawebserver?mwsId=SSSSSuUn_zu8l00xl8mxn82xPv70k17zHvu9lxtD7SSSSSS--

It’s obviously WAY off topic and has nothing at all to do with aviating, but I’m hoping that as long as it’s polite and respectful that it will be allowed. Being polite and respectful no matter how badly you disagree or just how wrong the other guy is ought to be the standard, it’s just civilized behavior. Traffic that is posts is usually good for a forum I’ve heard, I think advertising pays based on traffic, but really don’t know, it’s just what I have heard Of course I have nothing to do with moderating this forum, so I’m just hoping, which of course you do in one hand while you know what in the other.

Mine is electronic circuit, with a Darlington pair transistor set-up fed by a "master switch controlled" power source which feeds a capacitor. When the master is turned off, the capacitor bleeds off through a resistor set-up, until the voltage drops to a level the circuit shuts off. This is typical timer circuitry, and one minute or so timers are easy and cheap. Getting one that stays on for 10 or so minutes is a lot tougher. It took me some time and help from electronic gurus to develop it. If one went on Ali baba and had someone build 1000 of them, you could probably buy them for $3 each. As it is, I build them by hand and test them with 14 or 28 v. I sell them for $40. It is housed in a plastic box 1 x 2 1/4 x 4 inch box and can be mounted anywhere. I put mine on the copilot foot well wall.

I was introduced to landing with speed brakes deployed by my mechanic, a high-time Mooney pilot who is very Mooney-connected with a great deal of modern Mooney time. Some of my best landings have been with speed brakes deployed. I try not to use them for landings for some of the reasons already mentioned. I have however done one or two go-arounds with the plane fully dirty (gear down, full flaps, and speed brakes) and it will climb but not as fast as without the speed brakes. The one situation when they seem to reliably help is in a strong crosswind. They allow me to carry more power for the same airspeed. Stall speeds do not seem to appreciably change. If someone has more information about this or a means to calculate the stall speed considering the speed brakes, and/or speed brakes, gear, flaps, and weight please respond. The plane feels heavier and more stable when landing with more power with speed brakes deployed, and is not so affected by the cross wind due to increased power. John Breda

I added my CAD drawing to the downloads in case anyone else needs it.

thanks John - so far w the surefly starts are immediate w only 2-3 seconds of prime. i havent had the chance to really run it at cruise power in the mid teens, but once i do ill update here on any differences in temps./fuel flow. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I heard John tell that story as well and since then, I never put anything heavy in the hat rack compartment (usually towels, light boxes, papers, that wouldn't hurt much if it were to hit me in the head) Putting hats in there might be a good idea. YES!! I installed four tie down rings in the four corners on the floor of my baggage compartment that can hold more than 100 lbs each. I use them mostly for attaching a strap to a harness for animal/ dog transports so the dogs can rest comfortably on a bed in the baggage compartment and be secure. If I have lots of luggage or things back there, I can easily use the rings to secure straps to secure the items to the floor.

Great topic! I've pondered this question! I used to tap the brakes on takeoff when I remember, but it was not part of my absolute checklist. I started doing it much more once when I noted abnormal wear on the side of one of my main tires requiring a tire replacement. Mechanic checked it, turns out a part of the inner gear door assembly somehow got bent, and when the main tire retracted, it touched this piece, and the tire was stopped. The gear assembly was shaped back into position after changing the tire, so it probably won't happen again, but if I had made it a practice to stop my tires before they enter the doors, no tire destroying side wear would have happened. And @amillet I too mastered the slide rule back in the day! Like an E6B on steroids!

I have an UBG 16 also that came with my plane when I bought it. It works OK but is finicky. They are at least 15 years old. If you were thinking of something that fits in the same 2.25" hole, an Insight G2 or G3 will fit and they have significantly more information in that small format. http://www.insightavionics.com/bestg2.htm http://www.insightavionics.com/bestg3.htm I'm replacing mine with something that will enable me to replace all the primary gauges. Possibly a JPI 900, Garmin GI 275 EIS or the EI CGR 30P with possibly their combo CGR30C

I have Scottsdale tower on the scanner in my office all the time. Traffic from the north gets held high to clear terrain and if 21 is the active runway they'll get cleared for the visual straight in, but many of the jets wind up unprepared and can't get down in time to make the runway. It's a very frequent thing, and it's not at all unusual to hear a call in sometime after being cleared to land that they'll not be able to make the runway. The tower either puts them on downwind to circle back or has them fly down the runway and make a pattern back to 21. It's never a big deal, but I don't think I've ever heard anybody do a missed approach to go try again.

Many Mooney parts were adapted from other applications. Supposedly the landing gear pucks were tractor engine mounts. My hangar neighbor with an M20A said some of the cable pull controls, like for the cowl flaps, were choke cables or something, and you could see the automotive branding on them if you looked close enough. The voltage regulators in old Cessnas are Delco units straight out of pickup trucks, with an 'A' hand-stamped on the end of the part number. Many GA alternators cross to automotive units or very close. This is why "standard parts" are prevalent and why VARMA is helping to get IAs to recognize that such substitutions are not necessarily evil. An example used in the FAA presentation on VARMA that I attended was about getting a NAPA starter relay approved for a Cessna 150 because it was a virtually identical part. And landing lights are even easier because there's essentially no requirements that need to be met other than it "provides illumination" and is "safe for operation".

Well, the standard aircraft landing light is NOT a light designed and made for aviation use. It is a 1920s Ford tractor head light.

Thanks Lance!

I sure will Glenn. I had an emotional attachment to my C and I only owned it for 12 years. Can’t imagine 35 years. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The military has definitely been subjected to the social re-shaping (experimentation is not a bad word but it's more intentional than that) even more in the current administration. It was subtlely there under Obama but more brazen now. Many of the directions, as well as some of the mandates, have driven out or kept away a lot of people who would normally serve. Some of that is probably intentional. I've had some interesting conversations with former colleagues who chose to leave in the last few years. You also hint at another issue which is corrosive to the meritocracy, mirroring similar programs in the civilian world, about identity-based favoritism. Totally corrosive to good order and discipline. The generational things re: fitness, werewithal, baby wants his iPhone, etc, are all true, but they just affect the #s. The above things are more systemic and qualitative. I've definitely adopted more cautionary advice to my own children in the last few years about military service.

Hi Rob, it looks like not a lot of support here for the UBG-16 display. Nothing comparable on eBay. There are some US-8A's that have been listed for a long time. You might consider making an offer on one of those if you see one that looks like will work. Then again, I suppose your UBG-16 without bar graphs is more/less the same thing. -Fred

^^^^THIS RIGHT HERE! Same thing happened to a crew of ours as well. When i read the report i was just stunned. I don’t know why i assumed that other safety checks would save you like the baro altitude is being crosschecked with the gps right? Nope. And in the weather there would be no way to tell except the radio altimeter reading and verifying that with the FAF altitude. This lack of verification reminds me of an oceanic crossing when we were in an older B767 that did not have gps only the 3 IRUs they would start to drift after you got out of range of land based VORs but the drift was slow enough that you could make the ocean crossing with only being a few miles off course. This one trip, i noticed only halfway across the pond that my handheld gps i had stuck by the window was showing us going further and further off the planned route. This prompted us to look at our IRU page to see what each individual iru was doing and sure enough IRU 1 was 40 miles off from what IRU2 and IRU3 were showing. What was scary is that the system did not pop up a warning nor did the system do what it’s supposed to do and that is compare the 3 iru’s and follow the 2 that are close together and not the 1 iru that’s going astray unfortunately the autopilot was following the 1iru and ignoring the other 2. We switched the autopilot to heading mode and followed the 2&3 iru’s but it was distracting seeing our track on the main displays going further and further to the right. On coastin we verifed our position with center and we were where we should be and we wrote up the #1 IRU when we landed but i often wondered what would have happened if i had not had that portable gps with us to alert us that something was wrong because in the cockpit it looked like we were right on track following the magenta line and when you are out over the ocean there are no visible landmarks to verify your position but in reality we were drifting off course. I heard recently that over near IRAN there have been some gps spoofing that slowly feeds in errors so small that the navigation system doesn’t detect the spoof and over time of hours not mins the plane will be 10’s of miles off course enough so that some crews have inadvertently flown into another country’s airspace without out prior approval and it’s gotten them into hot water.

Personally if I was going to go Dynon, I'd wait for the autopilot to be approved and do it all at once. It's on the list but has been on there awhile https://www.dynoncertified.com/upcoming-approvals.php

Ah, these kids……. “why can’t they be like we were, perfect in every way… what’s the matter with kids today?” On a positive side and as an example, these kids are building incredible space traveling devices, building and launching reusable rockets which send the modules (with humans) to the space station (I love those great looking space suits)! I recently flipped burgers at a local airport for the university aviation club. The club was compromised of aerospace, electrical, mechanical, chemistry (etc) engineering students. These young fine minds were quite impressive. Intellectually and socially. All is not lost folks !

Yes the highest prices are most often associated with the major airports with the fancy FBO’s that roll out the red carpet etc. and the cheapest fuel is a small rural single runway airport where you roll out the hose yourself and fuel yourself and you hope they have the bathroom unlocked. One assumes the higher fuel price pays for the red carpet, fancy lobby and pretty girl. You get what you pay for. Honestly I avoid the major airports myself and will always choose the small rural one, I just don’t enjoy the congestion, having to get the information and contact clearance delivery etc for taxi clearance. Some enjoy the game, for me it got old sitting in the heat waiting for my turn. I used to enjoy the planning etc and executing an IFR flight plan, SIDS and STARs etc. Now I enjoy a lazy warm spring afternoon flying or maybe even Dawn Patrol Part of getting old I guess.

Looking at 337, it does two functions in block 8 and block 3, - If one uses data in box 8 that are already approved by FAA via STC, then FAA stamping box 3 is pretty much useless? - If one uses field approval sign-off in box 8 for unapproved data after major alteration, then FAA has to countersign in box 3 I think the chain of approval is the only distinction between 337 major alteration and stc alteration, the choice of the form is irrelevant… Also, shortcuts like “STC => major => 337” are not helpful when it comes to (standard) changes that are are done by STC across all designs (LED lights, Rosen visors, G5 replacement of AI): the FAA does not have “standard change” category to would deal with this intersection, so most mechanics and inspectors will fill 337 instead of splitting hairs, the pilots also like to have reassurance for future sale or pre-buy and ask to send 337 just in case What about aircraft re-painting? it needs fresh weight & balance with control surface rebalance and has some gotcha, it’s pretty standard across all designs, so what is the certification path and rational for such work? Maybe one should compile the list of “universal STC” that don’t need to follow 337 (adds nothing other than red-tape), then agree with FAA to publish that list? there won’t be much debate between pilots, IA/AP or FSDO on this…

That is until the electricity cuts off because you didn’t pay your bill. Our son didn’t want to drive either and my wife was perplexed until i said stop driving him around everywhere he wants to go and then he will want to drive, there in lies the problem. My wife and i have vastly different opinions on how to raise a child but i digress.

I did a write-up on this and posted some pics not too long ago, available here: You may want to avoid zip tying the oxygen line to any wires, and plan to protect it from damage. Good luck, still love my setup.

I'm not near Vegas, but I never sat in a Mooney until I bought my Bravo...just jump in and do it!

MDA is one thing, what about the initial and intermediate segments? I've been on initial segments that are below the mountain tops. It is not just vertical nav you have to watch out for at night especially moonless nights, it is also your lateral position. If you want to be 100% sure, fly the instrument approach, properly.

Down to around 10F. But it should heat to a temperature differential. So if it is colder, the engine might only be in the 50s, which is still pretty good. I would put a remote thermometer under the cowl and throw a sleeping bag or comforter over the cowl (Goodwill), and see what you get. If you need to turn on the furnace, at least the engine will be warmer than ambient.

You all had it easy with your fancy calculators. Here’s what I had to use in my college physics classes

Yes. I have made it a habit to tap the brakes after every takeoff in my Mooney after seeing what’s happening with my wheels in this video of one of my takeoffs a while ago: 2:35 into the video. I was surprised how long the right wheel was spinning after retraction. There may be some wear from loading from gyroscopic precession while swinging spinning wheels. But more importantly it may be spraying mud/debris into the wheel wells. Particularly after parking on grass (think Oshkosh). So, it’s become SOP not to think about differentiating when the wheels are clean vs not. I tap the toe brakes while reaching for the gear lever.

Throw in a BBQ, wine and beer and you will have a Summit

Post on here that you'll have free lunch on Friday at your hangar and you'll have every in a 150 NM radius parked on your ramp saying hello.

It would probably be useful to say where you are located. If there are people on Mooneyspace that are by you they could respond, also they might know of others.

I, too, have written an article on speed brakes that can be found on my website at https://donkaye.com/useful-aviation-articles. That article pretty well describes how to use speed brakes. I do automatically "pop" them on touchdown. I have found them be effective from touchdown speed to about 75% of touchdown speed. Below 200 feet, if you are too fast for the runway length, I'd recommend going around rather than applying the speed brakes. You will get an immediate 200 ft/min increase in descent rate that could slam you into the ground at that altitude.

Speed brakes are a tool for the tool box to use if needed. The key is to set up so they are not needed of course. They don't hurt to land with them or upset the config so significantly to cause issues, but as stated fairly ineffective as you cross the numbers On roll out, deploy them for the cool factor as you wiz past the FBO. Cirrus guys will drool with envy

That sounds like a great trip I fly a Mooney in Australia, based in NSW (south-east coast) YFGS, Frogs Hollow. Never had any form of throttle lock, but I might be missing something. Just outside of Darwin there is Batchelor airport and the maintenance facility there has been very helpful to me. They have a good reputation. I can PM you the phone number. There is also a maintenance place in Emkaytee (ymkt) which is closer to Darwin, nicer to visit, but I don't know much about them and I prefer Batchelor as an airport. As for places to visit, how far south do you want to fly and are you ok with dirt/grass strips? If you make it to Frogs Hollow or Merimbula I'd love to catch up for a beer. Very pretty flying here, attached picture of the coast taken from my ultralight.

Beautiful job! Yours is an early M20M and probably still has the vacuum speed brakes, but getting rid of one vacuum pump (especially the engine driven/clutch backup) helps with the weight reduction and makes it easier to work on the airplane.

Since when are first hand reports, negative though they may be, called "bashing"??