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I just wanted to follow up on this thread since I was the one that started it three and a half years ago. I ended up installing the PS Engineering PMA 8000G about a month ago. I talked to Mark Scheuer ( @Mscheuer )the owner/founder of the company, at Oshkosh last year at the PS Engineering booth and I’m glad I did. I had been considering the Garmin audio panel but I’m really glad I got the 8000G. One simple reason- I’ve had some post installation questions and Mark gave me his cell number to call if I needed to. I guarantee nobody at Garmin would’ve done that. I’ve never been much of an audiophile and after 10 years in the Army and 35 years being around airplanes I’ve likely lost a good bit of hearing. But I was shocked at how clear and good the sound was in my headsets compared to before. I don’t listen to music while I’m flying, but I plugged in the music from my phone and couldn’t believe the clarity and sound. It’s better than my car, and my car is really good. Lastly, I love not having to adjust the squelch for the intercom. I decided on the 8000G over the 450 series primarily because of price (about $600 cheaper after all was said and done). Plus, I really like the large buttons and I really didn’t need 2 Bluetooth inputs. So anyway, I’m very happy with my choice and I don’t think you could go wrong with any of the PS Engineering products. I upgraded from a King audio panel and a basic intercom which I always figured “Meh, it’s good enough.” But this is really so much better.

What even is the point of the debate on who is enforcing the STC? It's obvious that it's nobody... Who is enforcing that you aren't doing all your own maintenance without an A&P? Who is enforcing that you don't install unapproved minor mods? Who is enforcing that you are actually current? Who is even enforcing that you have a pilot certificate? In 20 years of flying I have never been ramp checked by an FAA inspector. The only person who has even looked at my pilot certificate is US Customs when coming back from Canada/Bahamas. So if I was only flying domestically I likely would still not be asked. Obviously the vast majority of aviation is on the honor system. STCs, maintenance paperwork, currency records, etc.

GAMI was the first to be notified, they have contact with the shop, I gave them access to the plane and I have saved fuel for them in case they want it. The STC(s) claims direct replacement to 100LL so not sure what else as a pilot should I expect to have done differently besides buy the STC, fuel the plane and fly. Don't forget I am not the only one who's paint has been compromised. Anybody is welcome to come and see the plane I don't care. The YouTuber who made the video did and took his own videos. you can do the same, come to KWVI, pump some fuel and take pics of my plane.

A go-around is not a take-off. If it was a landing then the airplane was likely configured with full flaps. A go-around is prior to touch down. A go around, baulked or rejected landing sequence should be full power, flaps to take-off, positive rate - trim, gear up. Clear of obstacles, raise flaps. If you practice gear up before flaps you leave open the very distinct possibility of sinking back to the runway, particularly in the worst case of accidently raising the flaps all the way. Choosing to raise the gear later and concentrating on the aircraft flight path is never a bad idea. Go ask your flight instructor. This is the M20J poh.....

My 4th trip from Las Vegas to Houston since September. This trip had a bit of everything…. From awesome tailwinds to some icing and flying above the weather. 17k, 170 TAS 10.5 GPH + 57 Kt tailwind for 227kts over the ground.

Mooney, @redbaron1982, @Oscar Avalle and I all agree that GEAR comes first.

Respectfully disagree with that order. The flaps should be changed BEFORE the gear is raised.

Its in vogue right now to only have a backup COM radio, but I'd strongly advise having a secondary NAV/COM radio. Lots of planes with 90K worth of radios, you pull one circuit breaker and you have no nav capability. The GI275 and the G500Txi manual has you wire up the HSDB through the 500Txi first, then the GI275. But if the Txi screen goes dark, you have no NAV on the GI275, it doesnt pass through. Trek Lawler said the STC says "find the nearest VFR". Unless your backup plan is to always have some 1000/3 within 30-60 minutes away at all times, you need some sort of backup standalone NAV

Thank you all for info/confirmation.

I would just check the A/FD and see if it says “no ngt opps” in the remarks.

There is no requirement for runway lights for IFR departure for a flight operated under Part 91. Part 121 and 135 required at night and daytime depends on visibility.

If I'm flying a standard pattern I'm 15" to get down to my gear speed of 120mph, gear down abeam intended point of landing and reduce throttle to 13" which initiates my descent. Agree, gear first on a go around, just like when you take off. Gear up, then flaps.

Runway lights probably won't matter to Departure. I've landed without a landing light at night, and landed once at a runway whose lights were burned out on one side (I had called that afternoon, they verified the lights worked; when I approached, there was one line of lights, so I guessed it was on the left side and came in to land--so of course the lights were on the right. Landed on my second try.)

Crash into a school and kill 9 kids: you wont be around anyway!

The missing pieces of paint (very old paint) were already present when the airplane came to GAMI in Ada in October of 2023. The tan / brown staining on the fuel cap is from fuel spills after the airplane left GAMI sometime in the spring of 2024. It had been refueled by us multiple times with no brown stains. The "good fuel hygiene" protocol is to simply absorb / wipe up the fuel in a timely manner, if it is spilled. How to prevent ? A good application of crystal coating or a graphene coating in that area is very helpful. Good fuel hygiene is still called for. But with the crystal or graphene coatings, one can often "buff out" any stain - - but it takes some elbow grease. In fact, after our extensive testing of those coatings during the summer and fall of 2024, I am seriously impressed by their effectiveness. Simple to apply. Makes maintaining the paint (anywhere) on the aircraft much easier, and makes bug removal on the leading edges much easier.

Thanks all for the input, keep 'em coming!!! "Less might be more" - At the moment that's where I'm leaning as well @DCarlton @KSMooniac I'm actually hoping I'll be able to get a small "glovebox" on the bottom right somehow. We'll see how it turns out. @Pinecone I'll have 2 ADHRS with the 2 screens + the D30 for backup + likely the IFD 550 (ARS only but should do the job) in the future, so I don't think the AV-20 would be adding much here. It's kinda the same as my Tach/MAP backup idea, basically adding a 4th/5th back up solution, so I don't think it's worth the money. @Rick Junkin I like the CO Detector Idea, but I have a fantastic handheld that permanently lives on my plane and is part of my pre-post flight flow plus these are coming in headsets now as well. @EricJ thanks for all the suggestions. I can't afford the PSE450B this time around but definitely keeping an eye on that for the next few years. My PSE8000B is the very first version of that radio with almost 15 years now but it's working like a charm for now. The mag/start switches are at the bottom left, just by the red switches, they were just not available in the mockup software. For the folks worried about structure and fitting, I hear you but I'm not too worried about that atm. I'm working with @Baker Avionics on this remodel and they too have done many Mooneys, which is why I decided to go with them. We are about to get started on the actual designs which will have precise measurements instead of my mock ups here and will see if I will be able to actually keep that left column of round gauges.

Once back in '85 I flew to Lander WY for work. For some reason I had to fly over to Riverton and then back to Lander. It isn't very far. When I got back to Lander I tried to land on the same runway I left on. Well, as I was flaring I noticed I was 3/4 of the way to the end and moving very fast. I went around and actually looked at the windsock. The wind had shifted 180 degrees and picked up. I haven't made that mistake since.

Hi everyone, -looking for annual recommendations- I moved from Germany to Chicago - together with my Mooney (- an original Encore). In April my annual is due (and I will want/need to do it in the US). Due to lots of flying I had the chance to try out a few shops all over the country, repairing a few squawks and changing oil (as I didn’t bring any tools). The rate per hour varied from $120 to $190 and didn’t necessarily correlate with my confidence of wanting to leave my airplane there for a Mooney annual. Do you have any recommendation for annuals that provides good service at a reasonable rate? - The local MSC apparently is no more since last year. I am in Chicago, but anywhere flying 4-5 hours (Mooney speed) is okay - as long as I can reasonably get back to Chicago (combination of Uber, Train and Flight) in case it takes longer to resolve (- working remotely but don’t want to strand for weeks) Ability to fit new Garmin is a plus as my vacuum AI is starting to get wonky. Florian Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The retard points are our #1 inspection. If I have to send the mag off, I might just bight the bullet and go SureFly and be done with this. If I go that route, I can sell my SlickStart (still new in box) and won't be out a ton of money. The e-mag a/c I have flown are STUPID easy to start. Literally like starting a car. How I dream of that...

That looks really good. Not much sag at all.

This is the easiest way. I see you have a GPS calculate TAS doing a 3 way and then compare with calculated TAS. Will give you the answer in under ten minutes.

I prefer the option of a backup nav/com too, but I wouldn’t mind the primary being only a gps/com (gnc355).

I just use a velcro strap

One lesson learned out of all that... train for go arounds... Don't assume that you will know what you have to do. Once I noticed that I was bouncing I thought I have to initiate a go around. Full power, mixture rich and prop forward. PItch to 76... but then you see the trees!!! and they come towards you!!! fast... I actually diviated a bid... You have to stay cool... not easy.

Is G100UL currently being subsidized? If not, should we expect price to drop once critical mass is reached? I've read that GAMI's only source of income from G100UL is from the STC. Is that accurate? Will that continue? If others fail and 100LL goes away, GAMI could demand a royalty of $3 per gallon. I'm not saying GAMI should make a royalty, I'm just wondering about the future economics. GAMI may just have us over a barrel...

Good question... (not about the video... I believe I have a lot to learn... but I have fun reviewing and trying to put something together that is entertaining). When do I lower the gear? It depends, I don't have a specific moment when I do it. When I am VFR I lower the gear when I am about to enter the pattern and once I slow down below 120 mph. When I am on an IFR approach I do it once I cross the FAF. But for sure before I turn base my gear is down. Having said that, I remember that I was told to do a GUMPs on downwind abean the numbers, but I prefer to do it earlier... If something is wrong, I prefer to know it asap. BTW... my M20C has now a IO-360... 200 HP injected engine... but it is still a M20C

Absolutely. I messed up great. There were many things that could and should have guided me... but I got tunnel vision and thought that I was right... Well I wasn't....

That is not uncommon, assuming the pump was assembled correctly and the bleed down screw is correct. The flap pump is very difficult to get primed, and until it does it tends to just pump air. You can’t even bleed the system until you start pumping fluid. Worst case is you pull the pump assembly back out and pre-load the cylinder and re-install. Once it starts pumping fluid, the process goes fairly quickly. Usually, though, you just keep pumping the handle and slowly enough fluid gets into the cylinder that it starts pumping and you can bleed the air out of the slave cylinder at the back. Good luck, it’s actually a very good system that tends to work really well- once you get it done.

Yes, the insurance company has a duty to defend you from civil liability. Administrative or criminal charges, not so much. Guess which one the FAA will bring? Care to buy a vowel?

Shipment #1 came in -- Millennium Cylinders, piston pins, alt belt. Shipment 2 is delayed due to the snow storm but hopefully will be here on Monday or Tuesday. The 4th cylinder etc. is already @ the shop since we thought it was the cylinder initially based on borescope. -Don

Yes, but again, if GAMI did it, so will some other company. They will have competition.

Except for the cost of flying it.

If that would be the case (GAMI not charging a fee for each gallon of G100UL sold or blended) it would change how I perceive all this.

Shouldn’t GAMI repaint your wing? The damage to paint is a known and disclosed problem. Does that mean it’s acceptable for you to incur the damage caused by a vendors product? That’s setting a new precedent which should not be acceptable. I hate to say it Don, but this is the difference between those who don’t have a budget and those who do. The care level meter swings quite a bit depending on which end of the spectrum you’re on. Still unacceptable.

I'm torn with this...because the VAST majority of the expense involved in ANY STC is from the product testing, development, and approval...not at all the expense of the "equipment" sold to the aircraft owner. However, charging for STC paperwork plus having to pay extra at the pump above and beyond what comparable fuel would cost seems a combination of a "fixed revenue" up front + a "royalty revenue" in perpetuity. Only GAMI knows their calculations and thought process for setting these two amounts... For comparison, Swift's STC is $100 (IIRC) for their Forever STC. How many pilots got the G100UL STC at KRHV simply due to free STC/fuel vs how many would have paid for the STC without free STC or free fuel? Of course if California outlaws 100LL and requires all pilots to pay GAMI for an STC that's a big chuck of immediate funds. So charging for the STC is like taking your winnings while you're ahead...who knows what's coming around the corner. Edit: the million dollar question is what are the fuel STC owners going to charge when 100LL is banned?? I'm sure if they offered them all for free now, everyone would go ahead and jump on board the STC to have it...so this would cut into business later on. So there's probably lots of thought in pricing from all the companies involved...

Exactly right. This is why men need God. Our human nature, no matter how educated, is not up to the task of building a non-plundering civilization.

Human nature is what it is, and it will never change. I think every generation starts out thinking that their technology and advancement makes them more enlightened, and while this may be true in many areas, with regard to human behavior, it will never change because one must gather experience to comprehend. Legal plunder is what we are living under and it is proving to be quite punishing.

Great video, Oscar! You could produce videos as a side gig! One quick question, since we both fly similar C models (minus your glorious panel ). I believe we can learn from each other, and I noticed your procedures have one significant difference from mine--when we lower the gear. I lower my gear on downwind, abeam my intended point of landing, and with a throttle reduction it initiates my descent to the runway. On your first attempt, you lowered your gear early on the upwind leg, and the second time I could not spot the field. This post inspired me to review my Owners Manual, and it gives no guidance on lowering the gear other than below 120 mph. I must have picked up my habit from my Mooney Transition Instructor lo these many years ago, but my memory is not very clear on that (although my C was also my introduction to complex airplanes, so I had no previous habits). So I'm just curious, what is your "signal" to lower the gear, and where did you learn that?

Beautiful country, good job recognizing before next bounce did I mention beautiful

We've got a strategy that has worked for many pilots. Since no one can perfectly predict the future, we also design our strategy around a couple "bail out" options that should be available around age 74/75. But we need a policy in force with an effective date at the pilots' age of 69 or earlier. Sometimes we can make 70-72 work on the 4 cylinder Mooneys.

Yeah that looks like a challenging strip and a nice destination!

Actually, it is what you get and this is a brand new recently paved runway. They still need to paint the numbers and markings. Once you fly around here your standards have to adjust. But I agree there was a lot of FOD. But at least no dogs, chicken, goats or people… Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Good call on going around! Don't forget to retract the landing gear! Remember: power, right rudder, trim down, gear up, take off flaps

Good on you!!!

Nice work Jolie, as always! Perfect for anyone that sits in the right seat… unless your SIC is also a pilot. best regards, -a-

Happy new year to all Mooniacs ! First flight in Mooney (second flight of 2025): quick trip to Amiens (LFAY), cold weather here in Normandy but nothing compared to “freezing bones” in Chicago The first flight of 2025 was Wing-Shift ULM (sort unregulated LSA), takeoff on skis at 9500ft elevation on top of Alps, a very short flight though: at -15C, this is the best fun one can have with LOT of their cloths on, it did not last more than 15min my wife complained about flying in freezing cold on “something that looks like motorcycle”, I reassured her that it makes us younger: the cold help to preserve meat for long conservation, this analogy did not go very well

I just uploaded an in flight demonstration and overview of all the features of the Garmin GFC 500 Autopilot. Enjoy!

I might be a bit of an outlier in this regard, but I actually prefer a steam gauge panel. My ‘91 still has the factory panel. It’s not 70’s vintage mind you, I’ve got an HSI, RMI, standby vacuum, dual nav comms, ADF, DME. Basically the bendix king catalog from 1991. I’ve looked at doing the G5 thing, but I always come back to “why”? Maybe my day job flying big jets for a living has me a little jaded on the whole glass display thing, but I love the visceral feel of a Mooney, I bought mine to fly it, not sit there and stare at the screen while the autopilot does everything. That’s just me, your mission and goals may differ. I fly IMC often, and the steam gauges ensure my scan stays sharp. Perhaps that’s no help to you, but it’s my viewpoint on it. You don’t “need” a glass panel. If you want one, that’s different and only you can decide if it’s really worth it. Me, I’m more than happy with my 90’s panel. Reminds me of when I started flying!

I was line service all through college (frankly my favorite job of all time lol). I always volunteered for fuel as I just like the time by myself. I’ve probably fueled 20k planes??? It’s not complicated. Unpainted metal. For me exhaust. Getting down to some unpainted part of the nose gear leads to prop contact. None of our hoses had stripes but all were grounded in the rubber. And agree, the risk of not being properly bonded comes while pumping. This falls under the “things I don’t worry about ever” category.