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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.

A recent in-flight incident concerning a hopelessly jammed stabilizer trim on a K model prompted increased attention to an obscure Mooney Service Instruction (M20-88), and most likely a new Service Bulletin will be released soon. I have written an article that will deal with this subject in more detail in forthcoming issues of the MAPA Log and The Mooney Flyer but wanted to get the word out to the troops sooner so am posting an excerpt here. This problem may occur on K and earlier model Mooneys but here are some generalized procedures you may find useful for stab trim issues in any Mooney. Stabilizer Trim Problem Actions: Jammed Stabilizer—full nose up: The faster the plane goes the more forward elevator pressure will be required, so slow down as much as possible because this force can be considerable. Lower the flaps (takeoff or landing setting as appropriate), fly with the gear up, and use the least power needed… i.e. no need to climb quickly unless you have obstacle or terrain issues. Try to break the jammed trim loose by “shocking” the trim wheel smartly with as much nose down force (front of trim wheel towards the floor) as you can, but don’t forget to fly the plane. Declare an emergency! Pick a suitable airport (a longer runway is better). Configure normally for landing and fly a stabilized approach in the 1.2 to 1.3 VSO speed range. A slightly steeper than normal glideslope will also help. Slowly retard the throttle when landing is assured, flare, and touchdown normally. Jammed Stabilizer—mid position: Not as critical as the full nose up jam previously discussed, but it will still get your attention. It could be caused by a mechanical failure, a foreign object (e.g. rag, pen, flashlight, seat belt) getting lodged in the mechanism, or ice. Turn off Elevator Trim and Autopilot. Apply a moderate amount of manual trim in the direction opposite to that which caused the jam in the first place and consider jostling the plane in an attempt to dislodge foreign objects. (Don’t get overly aggressive—remember the Air Alaska MD-80 that tried to fix a stab trim problem rather than landing.) Land as soon as practical. If the out-of-trim condition is causing problems controlling the aircraft declare an emergency. Consider a no-flap landing (add 10 knots to VREF) if the trim is jammed nose down. Runaway Trim: Grab the trim wheel to stop the motion. The trim motor clutch will slip allowing you to restrain the wheel. Turn off the Elevator Trim switch and disconnect the Autopilot. Some airplanes have a Trim circuit breaker you can pull. Use manual trim. Be sure always to check the trim position prior to takeoff. Improperly set nose trim can make pitch control very challenging. Excess nose down trim will make rotation difficult and can result in porpoising on the runway and a possible prop strike. Excess nose up trim will make it difficult to keep climb attitude and airspeed under control. You can check your Mooney’s trim system yourself to see if it exhibits any tendency to stick at the limits. On the ground, run the trim to the full nose up position and then back slightly to see if there is any tendency to bind at the stop. Then run it to the stop again and give it “a little extra” with the manual trim wheel to see if it exhibits any tendency to stick. Check with your A&P or MSC if you have any concerns about your trim system. Lee Fox

Note: This is not a bargain, or cheap. I am looking to upgrade to an Avidyne IFD540 but will keep this GNS530W if I don't get the price I need. Sorry. Details: GNS530W - 14/28V - P/N 011-01046-00 (not a non-WAAS upgrade unit) purchased new and installed in 2008. The unit displayed a Glideslope Failure message last week so we pulled it out and sent it to Garmin for an $1,100 factory overhaul. When the unit is returned to me in January it will have been thoroughly serviced with a full 6 month factory warranty and Garmin 8130 form. The sale will also include a NEW mounting tray, NEW installation kit, and NEW WAAS GPS antenna as these will be provided to me by Avidyne when purchasing their unit (these IFD540 and GNS530W components are interchangeable). There is no need for me to remove the old tray etc. from my plane for exchange. This is not an Ebay auction, nor a fire sale. Used avionics sites like Bennett Avionics is charging $10,495 for this unit (used/no factory overhaul) with only a 90 day (Bennett) warranty. Sarasota and Gulf Coast are quoting used units at $9,350/$9,495 (again not Garmin overhauled w/factory warranty). Sarasota just told me on the phone they don't even HAVE any units to sell. So... what I'm looking for is $9,725. If you already have and don't need a WAAS GPS antenna you can knock $275 off that price. That's a lot of money, and there may not be any interest but it's a pathway for installing a like-new Garmin WAAS unit for ~$4,000 less than a new Avidyne. I need to know if you're interested before the end of December 'cause if there are no offers before then I will be reinstalling my fresh Garmin unit when it is returned in early January. Sorry for the price but you get what you pay for. I have just a little more info to add about this offer: The sale also includes the datacards (of course) but note that the navdata card was recently replaced with the newest high-capacity version (orange label). I have a paid Jeppesen navdata subscription for this unit covering the entire US through April 2017 as well as the newest programmer unit that will be included as well. I'll even throw in the Garmin programmer used to update terrain and obstacle databases. The unit also comes with all the original Garmin manuals CDs etc. That's it.

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

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.

Active traffic will never be obsolete. In TCAS II active interrogation/communication between airliners is a must to coordinate proper evasive action. ADS-B is not planned to be involved in these exchanges. Active systems are immune to malicious interference or GPS dependence. Mode A/C has the longest range for ATC radars with 100% of traffic certainty even above Mode S (need traffic address to interrogate in Mode S). José

Sounds darn good. About an hour ago I updated 4 cards: Laptop on the wing, reached in through the little pilot side window, extracted cards one at a time, inserted into PC, downloaded multiple files into each, one after another. So 20th century.

Just keep in mind fat is lighter than muscle.

You missed one. A really fat woman in the cabin. You could survive for weeks in the folds.

Hoping to make it. Fly to KZPH, rent a car and staying in Lakeland. -Tom

here we go again.... Chris, do you have the popcorn for the herd?

You're not making a very good pitch for that 231 you're trying to sell

Taking it to a local tractor shop that handles tecumseh products may be a good idea. The gearbox is probably a standard that has been built by the same company. The tug company probably built the system from available parts.... I have had good luck taking pictures of my tug needs and going to the local tractor shop. Pictures of the part and serial number decal of each part you can find may be helpful.... they are also a John Deere dealership in case you need an industrial scale tug. Best regards, -a-

A Rocket isn't a Bravo. I've considered a Rocket on two different occasions and chose to not buy one both times. It is the right airplane for some people but not for me. I'm glad you're happy with yours. Here's a flight I did last weekend. It was from Tucson to the Baja of Mexico and back on a Flying Samaritans trip. I departed Marana (KAVQ) and cleared customs in San Felipe, Mexico (MMSF). That leg was flown at 6,500 ft with about a 10 kt headwind. From MMSF I flew to to a private airstrip on the west coast of the Baja, Robertson's Ranch for anyone that might know it (MR30A), that was a climb from sea level to 7,500 ft and back to sea level. Then from MR30A I flew to Tucson, Arizona (KTUS) to clear customs. That was done at 11,500 ft with about a 10 kt tailwind. Then from KTUS back to KAVQ. That's 561.4 NM so with pattern entries and a bit of vectoring into and out of KTUS, call it 570 NM flown. I had four people in the airplane and I took off initially within a few pounds of gross. I burned a total of 47.1 gallons of fuel for the entire trip. It was 3.8 hours for an average speed of 150 knots across the ground but that was with four takeoffs and climbs to altitude and four landings too. I climb at 2700 RPM, 37"MP and 25 GPH at 120 KIAS for 800 FPM. In cruise, I fly 2500 RPM, 30"MP and 9.0 GPH. Believe me or don't on my fuel flow and speeds, doesn't matter to me either way.

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.

Grant, I texted Russ regarding my multiple issues with trim, incorrect roll etc. They replaced my computer board about three times had all the servos cleaned,rebuilt checked and reinstalled, still had issues, I ultimately replaced all the servos with new and wow no problems since, I was told by someone that when the GX's were built a handful of the servos were old and on the shelf for quite awhile, seems probable since the factory was closed for awhile. I assume I had bad servos from the time the plane was built until I guessed and replaced them. I wouldn't be surprised if a few more planes are out there with messed up servos. Just a thought. Good luck.

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.

How else to fly a NA Mooney?

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.)

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.

Well, today I finally joined the ranks of being a "G5 pilot" (No, not that G5). Pretty slick little device and I think I'm really going to enjoy flying behind this thing. Installation was about 7 hours of work but it wasn't a straight or simple swap and drop-in replacement either. Right off the bat we could see that the lower part of the G5 unit was going to overlap the top of the Bendix/King HSI bezel. Jeff, of High Desert Avionics, was able to figure out a way to move the holes up so he could ensure a proper fit. After some drilling and filing away at the instrument hole a brand new G5 lay happily in it's new home. Total cost for parts and labor ended up being $684. I'm glad he was able to accommodate me and have the unit done in one day while I waited. If you're in the SoCal area and need good quality avionics work please consider Jeff at High Desert Avionics at Fox Field. I've always been happy with his quality of work and continue to go back up there when I need avionics work done to my plane. He doesn't make you feel like your job is too small and not worth his time, like I had at another local shop. Today I just learned how he helped out on the SpaceShip One program, working for Burt Rutan.

For a most excellently lucid overview, check out the recent post, with photos, labeled "stabilizer trim alert" Fly-By, Lee Fox, volunteered hours of his expertise to figure out what went wrong. Read and learn!

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.

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.

The edct can be for a lot of things. If it's a gdp it's like a chainsaw. It finds you a time at the threshold but that doesn't mean you can land stacked, you still have to be fit into the overhead stream. That still takes finesse. Mostly what I'm reading is a bunch of people struggling to grasp that they're not the only airplane in the sky. LA center runs a staggered feed to tracon. You'll get sequenced 350+ miles out no matter which stream you're on, bce, drk, or pgs The difference between a m20c and a m20k is not enough to even get most enough controllers attention. They're essentially the same. Now the difference between a eclipse jet and a 757 both trying to occupy FL 360, that gets it.

90%+ an airliner will take an altitude change over a vector. So, again, every situation is different and there is no way to answer the question. Below fl180 visual separation is yet another option. If I have time I might ask. I may not have time or be in the mood or have fifteen other higher duty priorities to worry about and a frequency to control.

Richard, I hope you enjoy the plane as much as we all did for all these years. I attached a picture I just found from when my brother in law first got it......before he was even my brother in law. Note the date. (I'm also NOT the sharply dressed guy in the Christmas sweatpants!!) Last thing I forget to mention. I always liked the unique N number but there are very few controllers anywhere who get it right. Put a pause in there, Mooney 788...78, and they always get it. Happy Flying!!

Done improperly, yes... your chances of goofing something up start to increase. If you are stabilized in the descent and gently add in AND remove the crossed control inputs, probably no... If you fly a long body, there is a known possibility of the main wing shadowing the tail, interrupting the air flow over the tail causing a tail stall... As a new pilot, I used to aggressively enter and exit slips... resulting in a tail wag. not really a good idea. Doing this with the nose level. The air speed bleeds off terribly quickly. If you use slips and skids, keep the nose pointed down. Don't wag the tail using aggressive control inputs or don't let go of the control inputs. Letting control pressure go is similar to putting it in aggressively. A subtle similarity I didn't understand at first. Keep your eyes on the ASI at all times. Know that Some people have difficulty keeping one eye on the ASI as it is one more thing to accomplish in the busy final landing sequence. Suddenly scanning instruments and looking out the window becomes a challenge.... This question is handled pretty well by the Long Bodies. They all got speed brakes to allow for energy dissipation without using cross controlled inputs. Check with a CFI prior to experimenting... do it safely at altitude when you do. Ordinary PP advice only, not a CFI... Best regards, -a-