Leaderboard

Sorry for the retread from last year, but I didn't have time to photoshop another Mooney in flight over a winter scene. The feelings are unchanged.

Apparently, Santa was not on a flight plan or using flight-following when he entered this "Hot" MOA. Glad to see the military aviator got them down safely with only minor damage -Tom

Don Thanks and Merry Christmas and happy new year to you all MS folks

Feliz Navidad Y Prospero Ano Nuevo

I looked through the NTSB report about a week ago and it looked more like a too tight base to final, the plane then rolling inverted and nose down. Maybe he was trying to slip in the turn, which would not be good. But the main point to take from that accident is that no matter how many hours you have nor how much skill, the rules of aerodynamics apply equally and mercilessly. Greater skill does not let you opt out of them.

I don't get that ad. If you make it your profile pic though I'll read anything you post.

Santa came early this year!! Closed on it Friday and the previous owner flew it out here to me in CA today. Some of you probably recognize it from a for sale thread here on MS. They are finishing up clearing out the hangar and then will be putting a fresh coat of epoxy on the floor. Hope to have her moved into her new home by Tue-Wed. It was a fun adventure searching for a plane and the whole process of purchasing this plane was a pleasure. The seller is a fantastic guy. I'll get a fun write up of the whole journey on my blog later this week but I had to come here and share the good news. Oh, any of you out at KAJO (I saw a few others on the ramp) I'd love to say hi and meet sometime.

LMAO! ..... I WOULD but I'm not sure my wife would see the humor in that. I feel sorry for Sophia Loren having to sit next to her!

When I saw the Garmin G5- I had a similar hope (drive the ki-256). The cost of the converter from Aspen is just a little over the top IMO.... as is their SV upgrade cost (really... $3k for SVT? $3K for the EA100? These things must be made with solid platinum components.... even then they are marked up.). Oh well... I guess I can keep dreaming.

Based on my experience, if a proper crosswind landing is made, the airplane should be pointing straight down the run way by the time the nose touches down. As far as the mains go, the down lock mechanism is what is taking the side load, not the retract mechanism- at least that is what i gather from working on my own aircraft.

The announcement of the KI300 has been the cause of many to drink the vaporware Kool aid here, and even one particular evangelist to quote the high reliability of this non existent product. Once I heard RC Allen had a "hand" in its' development and production, my hopes of it being viable were greatly diminished. see https://mooneyspace.com/search/?&q="ki 300" While in theory, the KI300 would be nice, what would be even nicer is an option for the ESI 500 to drive the antiquated analog KI autopilots. Those "fine swiss watch" KI 25X AI's are making Bob Bramble have a very nice Christmas once again, and will continue to do so (currently at about $2500/ rebuild and align every 500 or so hours). Nothing against Bob, he does a great job on filling this demand.

Transponder is back in and working. We found that the backlight was the one run to the new circuit breaker. The actual power to the transponder was just a dead end, possibly taken off the bank of fuses we removed. New PAI-700 vertical card compass is installed. We will swing that later. Waiting on the holidays to go by so my IA can come and put this governor back in. Hector, Hijackers is on our shortlist. We might be working on it the 25th, so maybe soon afterwards. Upcoming destinations: Jan 14- KLEE for the Florida Mooney Breakfast. Jan ~21: Poss Charleston, SC to visit the USS Yorktown Feb: The missus and I want to fly to Kitty Hawk, NC to see the Wright Bros memorial. I've been there as an 8 year old, I'd love to go back and get a picture in the same spot. March: Tullahoma, TN for the Beech museum April: SnF & Wings Over Suwannee July: OSHKOSH!

The Power Tow transmission is available on their site for a whopping $500. The problem you are having is probably the same problem I had with my Lug Bug. The Lug Bug line was bought out by Power Tow. If you are having shifting problems, it is most likely the detente in the shift lever. In my case, the shift lever actually cracked at one of the detents. A buddy of mine managed to put it together with a homemade fix. The transmission is from a Gilson snowblower. Here is the part for the shifter. The site has other replacement parts as well. http://www.gilsonsnowblowers.com/snowparts2.html#footefork Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Not exactly... if you're IFR, and a traffic conflict exists that you recognize in VMC, with other IFR traffic, the ownus is still on you, the pilot with situational awareness, to remedy the situation. ATC has an increased role in providing safe separation, but you are still responsible for the safe operation of your craft, if you recognize a potential conflict.

Almost but not quite. I've had ATC give me traffic call outs (11:00, 4 miles) while I was IMC. Does me no good, and I always respond that I'm IMC. Let's them know the onus for separation is on them, otherwise it's on me. When I'm IFR in VMC, sure they give separation from other IFR traffic, but it's still up to me to ensure I don't hit them, and it's pretty much up to me to avoid VFR traffic, too. I've had traffic calls in IMC for nearby traffic squawking 1200, several thousand feet above the bases, too, so there are no guarantees.

Way to go Don! Let's get the festivities started! Merry Xmas, Happy Hanukkah, and pleasant holidays to all who are celebrating this time of year... Best regards, -a-

Hands down, for this pilot and airplane, the NGT9000 was perfect, couldn't be happier with it. While only traffic is displayed on my GNS430W, the color display on the 9000 is easy to read and navigate. Hope I'm not talking me out of a sale Its my understanding that to meet the 2020 requirement, GARMIN upgrades to GTX330ES is $1500 so for $2700 you've got a compliant GARMIN system.

Not to lessen the seriousness of the situation BUT- manual gear, manual flaps, manual trim? All you electrified guys always have problems. Progress marches on?

I have answered that. Twice. It's first come, first serve. The only rule is 5 miles and a thousand feet. It's my discretion beyond that. Yes. And it doesn't matter. You could have one and it wouldn't matter. The faa order says safe, orderly expeditious, pick two I guess. UT that's one guy's opinion and I'm in a shit mood tonight, it'll be different tomorrow.

Ads are probably generated based on your browsing history. (I see ads from Harbor Freight and Northern Tool.)

I had the same problem with the King trim switch. I had two cases of runaway trim before it was isolated to the switch. It stuck when trimming for nose down. Even though it was fixed a couple of years ago, I developed a new habit of placing my hand over the trim wheel to monitor it.

Russ, as you probably know I had this problem as well and did post on it. Have an update that may or not apply. My trim would stick and then started running away. After 2 incidents I realized it wasn't a fluke. Local A&P (who is quite good and has worked on a variety of Mooneys) couldn't find anything. 1) Avionics shop found that the pitch servo had worn brushes. Worn brushes = dust in the servo. New brushes/rebuilt servo....runaway trim problem solved.....but...sticky trim still a problem. Trim would roll then stop, often requiring a forceful manual tug to get it going again. No pattern that I could identify. 2) A&P tearing his hair out, can't find anything. Calls out of the blue, he had a brainstorm remembering something from another aircraft years ago. Wires connecting the various yoke switches can chafe and wear. If the electric trim is operating while the yoke is moving the chafed wires then the trim can freeze. He demonstrated it on the ground. Went in and got all the wires out and several were chafed. All were replaced. 3) no more sticky trim!! This may be a red herring rather than addressing your problem, but if all else has been tried see if this isn't a factor. You never know. Robert

Never had that problem, but then those of us whom crab and kick have to be quick on their feet ;-)

There are springs in the rudder aileron interconnect and there are spring bungees on the elevator. There are no bungees on the rudder. The bungees add pressure to the tail so the elevator will stay in the most aerodynamic position during cruise.

Cross wind landings won't put side loads on the Johnson bar. If your preloads are correct it should put no loads on the actuation mechanism. It will put loads on the overcenter links on the main wheels, but unless they come off of overcenter, which they should never do, no load will be transferred beyond that.

Mark is a great guy and if I hadn't already bought a 330ES from the grim reaper (Alan Fox) I would consider this. The ES upgrade from Garmin is about $1,100 plus the labor of adding a few wires.

I parked in Vintage in 2013. We cancelled instruments and flew the Parker arrival. Piece of cake. The landmarks are easy to follow and there's no need to talk. Don't expect to be able to set up a stabilized 2 mile final. The "tower" uses turn to base and final to optimize spacing and maximize landings per hour on the taxiway.

Merry Christmas to my new to me family! This site has been awesome so far with great tips on buying and maintaining a Mooney. After owning a Mooney for 3 months, I can say without a doubt I picked the right aircraft and the right crowd!

Glad to hear you made the decision to move forward. After doing more research on the current options for my Aspen backup, I elected to go with the L-3 ESI-500. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Not me.

There is a lot of misuse of the specific term "VFR on Top" which is a specific type of IFR clearance which may be one of the most pointless things. Most people (incorrectly) mean VFR above clouds. I have yet to hear of anyone using it the way it is intended. Now with that said, there is a substantial difference between a non-instrument rated pilot forcing his way above a cloud deck through a hole, flying xcountry, and praying on there being an opening on the other end and an instrument rated pilot who opts not to go IFR. I've done the second. I usually have an IFR flight plan on file just in case. But weather at departure/destination might be full on VMC and enroute I may be over a solid layer. No issue for me as I am IFR capable so don't be surprised to meet me VFR above clouds. However, being an instrument capable pilot, I am well aware of the expectation that everyone above a solid cloud deck is following certain procedures so I am definitely operating a transponder and almost certainly talking to ATC.

I always thought if you ran into somebody while in VMC it's your ass, and if you run into somebody while in IMC it's somebody else's ass. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

FYI when they determined that my servo problem was due to reverse wiring as noted in my post above (issue apparently limited to Mooney application of that specific servo), the avionics shop was instructed to simply change the pin location. A simple field modification. The servo did not need to be returned to Genesis.

Compressor RPM and Prop RPM. Max prop RPM is 2000 (2080 absolute max). Tom

There's a good article about runaway trim in the current issue of AOPA Pilot (Jan 2017 issue, page 87) titled "The Other Autopilot Failure". In the article one reason this happens is the pilot disconnects the AP while putting forward or back pressure on the yoke which may prevent the pitch servo from disconnecting. To make matters worse, the more you fight it the more it wants to go in the other direction. Other than pulling the breaker or shutting off the master, the way to disconnect it is to pitch in the direction the servo is going and it will release. The lesson is always disconnect the AP with the controls neutral. Worth reading for those of you who subscribe.

Russ, I fly an Ovation 2GX with the same AP G1000 configuration and have experienced exactly the same run away trim issues you have. The first occasion was when the plane was new to me and was, to say the least, a handful. The problem seems to be resolved now but it has left me hyper vigilant during every clime out. For a while there I thought that I was doing something wrong but I'm pretty sure that there is some kind of systems issue involved. Grant.

I never said he was a good mechanic.

Andy, I updated my previous post to try and include your above thought... the dp is hard to fix... Best regards, -a-

I've been trying to figure out why this is even a thing for the long bodies. Your gear and flap speeds are so high compared to the legacy models, why not just throw everything out and take benefit of all that drag? Why would you even need to do a forward slip? (M20C gear and flap speeds 120/100 MPH. Yes, miles per hour.)

Does pre-flight checking count? Maybe I'm just a geek, but I run through the pre-flight check of my KAP 150 as it is described in the FM Supplement. Takes a couple of extra minutes, but it's just something to make sure everything is working like it should. Was not doing that until I went to the Mooney Summit in 2014 and heard DMAX talk about reading your POH at least annually to learn something new about your aircraft. The A/P check was the thing I took away from my first re-read of my POH.

Russ, my recent issue was probably not the same but sounds vaguely familiar. I have an sTec 60-2. Recently had my pitch servo rebuilt by sTec aka Genesis. They wired it backwards during the rebuild. My shop installed the rebuilt servo and confirmed it worked but did not confirm it worked in the correct direction. You know how exciting it can get when your pitch servo runs in the wrong direction? Genesis had this excuse: the same servo is used in many aircraft, but needs to be wired (by them) in reverse if it goes in a Mooney. The knew it was for a Mooney but failed to wire it accordingly.

Yeap, right in your battery compartment, you will find quite a few little black inline fuse holders strapped to various things, go look.

Seems like most of this conversation is revolving around final with flaps. What about decents without flaps in a short body? That's when I've found myself wanting to slip to lose altitude without gaining too much speed - before gear is down > 120. I haven't started IFR yet, so once I'm at pattern altitude, if I'm needing a slip on final, I'm doing something very wrong and a go round is probably warranted.

Mimi, If you haven't done so already, be sure to ask DMax. I suppose he has as large a data base as anyone. AGL, our MSC shop here, uses Triad Aviation, a good sized shop in Burlington NC. Triad does both Lycoming and Continental. Othman Rashed, "President & Engine Consultant", is very conscientious and has a great deal of experience. I am very happy with their work after 150 hours on a IRAN that involved a new case, new cam & lifters and dressing cylinders. The engine is running strong with all cylinders checking @ 78/80 compression last week. And they met their turn around time allowing us to fly to Summit 2 years ago. They also have a prop shop under the same roof. http://www.hhtriad.com/engine/

I'm rbuck, and I dug my C's hangar out of the snow for 1 hour today in sub-zero temperatures so I could fly tomorrow. I guess I'm afflicted, too.

I will complain again - with a new scary incident fresh in my mind. On Friday night I crashed our car driving my son home from Cornell. 60mph and loss of control bang into the jersey barrier. Don't worry about the details - and I thought I was better enough than that since I have not crashed anything since I was 17. Knock on wood. Good seat belts and airbags deployed, and all I have is a sore neck and chest from the seatbelt itself catching me so hard. And my son is fine. Thank goodness for modern technology. I am big on airbags today. Ok back to the FAA. Tell me again why I am not allowed STILL to install the airbag seatbelts into my M20K? The technology exists and it is already engineered - only FAA paper work restrictions are in the way.

It's not fuel that breaks down the standard "nitrile" o-rings but is exposure to oxygen and more-so ozone. Fluorocarbon (aka Viton) o-rings are equal to both Nitrile and Fluorosilicone in fuel resistance and are very resistant to O2 and ozone as well. They will have performance similar to Fluorosilicone at a much better price. Also Fluorosilicone is recommended for static applications only, but while the 010 stem o-ring is a dynamic application the movement is small and infrequent so you'd likely be okay there. I'm not sure these newer compounds were widely available when the specs were written but I can state that either Viton or Fluorosilicone are better materials for the application. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

And I expect the Pt23 re write is still going to require the ADSB out to be certified compliant so will cost a lot for less capablity than a non certified that has more features at less than 1/4 the cost. I Will likely upgrade to be compliant but will be a hold out hoping that there will be better units that all you early birds will want to upgrade and then I can help you recover some of your initial investment and you can help me by selling me a used one at a reasonable price.

Less Clutter:

Wow!!! toooo bad that things break. A year and 10 AMU's to get her in the air again. Still,, you have a bargain plane.. I too suffered through that time, but didn't do any work. Sooo,,, An annual, airworthy, sooo sweet,,,,, 6 days, 17 hours flying. Then you get to ,,, sometimes things break,,, need some money !! Glad your transponder and prop governor repairs will be less than An AMU to fix. Look forward to tales of your flying trips in the future... I am still very proud of you,, doing the work, getting through this ,,, long time,, making it happen,, getting it done!! Oh,, and,, D/C's Rule!!!!