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I tell newbies that they won't hurt themselves if they step on the flap, but I will hurt them if they step on the flap . . seems to work : )

So it this. A modified acclaim / ovation style. The waterline is higher, tail is solid, and a little more color on the wingtip.

To me it sounds like the OP refuses to accept the advice of anyone other than his mechanic which is sad. I agree with you 100% Scott, he needs to find another mechanic who is willing to work with him to strip and reseal the tanks if that is what it takes, and thus he will save a huge amount of money. Sitting on the airplane for 5 years and not flying it is not the solution here, its only going to require even more time and money if you let it sit that long. To the OP, listen to some of the people on this forum, they know what they are talking about, Bladders ARE NOT the only solution here.

I have indeed seen the entry for the tank reveal and spoke to the man that personally did the work. Is quite confident that the tanks do not leak. What time frame in the logs should I begin looking for SB208B? i am familiar with the risk involved with the high camshaft in the Lycomings. The engine is at 250 hours total time and has been flown regularly, so I am willing to take that risk. Ca guard has also been used which helps the lube stay on the cam longer between starts. Thanks very much for the information.

Chris, after reading this thread, it's possible you're looking at the wrong end of your plane.....instead of the engine compartment, maybe you should be checking the tail? The fact that the vibration decreases in a bank (presumably when more back pressure is applied to the elevator), may be a huge clue. A tiny wiggle in the tail can cause a lot of vibration....especially as indicated airspeed increases.

I think the expensive stuff Spruce sells is bed liner in a fancy can with an airplane on it. You can charge 10 times more if you put an airplane on it!

Hartzell P/N A2295-5 and -5 P will fit the Hartzell prop and are the dimensions of the 201 spinner. David

As my wife once said. "$700K, no way José, for that money we can buy a nice house with 5 bath rooms and enjoy it 24/7" "Get a JetBlue ticket and save $700K" Women, they do not know the value of a Mooney. José

Some may remember my post about purchasing a Mooney, a Cessna, or just keep renting. I would like to thank everyone that posted on that thread. I couldn't believe the response and I learned allot. I thought I would take a moment to fill everyone in on my descision and share my experiences from Friday the 27th. My planned 172 flight was cancelled early in the morning due to some scheduling conflicts. Since I now had a beatiful day with absolutely nothing to do I decided to make the long overdue phone call to the folks at Don Maxwell Aviation. At this point I was pretty much dead set on a Mooney, but still had only maybe seen two in person. Both of which were before I even had a clue as to what I was looking at. So with fingers crossed I made the call. I was pleasantly surprised when Mr. Don Maxwell himself answered the phone. I explained my situation and expressed my interest in at least seeing some Mooney's in person and maybe getting a flight with his instructor. He informed me his instructor had moved on to flying jets and he could rarely get him to fly Mooney's anymore (understandable) so he couldn't guarantee me a flight. However, he had just about every model at any given time and I was more than welcome to come by and check them out. An hour and a half later I was pulling up to his Hangar. I really don't know what I was expecting. I was doing this all on a whim. No prepared questions. Hell I don't know enough about the individual models to even know what to ask. I knew I was at the right place though as soon as I made the right hand turn by the control tower. There were Mooney's Parked everywhere around this single kinda lonesome hangar. Holy shit I thought. I must be at the right place. I had to be buzzed into the building and the lady that greeted me looked puzzled when I told her I was just there to meet with Don. He was busy at the moment trying to get a part ordered for someone's plane but said I could go look around while I waited. So look around I did. When I opened the door to the hangar I had another one of those holy shit moments. I was thinking I was going to find 3 or 4 planes in some immaculate well lit space. Nope, there had to be 10 planes at least in the main area. All in various levels of repair. It was like a maze just walking around. Reminded me of what my garage looks like when I'm working on a diesel truck. Yes, there are parts everywhere. Yes, I know where every screw goes. Please don't touch anything. Knowing full well what that feels like I made sure not to touch anything. I think I kept my hands behind my back most of the time. Leaning, peering, I had to look like a "planeofile" ( yes I did just make up a word ). Finally one of the mechanics approached me. I guess they had seen this sort of thing before. He just started talking to me about some of the models, and answered what few questions I had come up with at this point. He got back to work and I got back to whaterever it was you would call what I was doing. Learning? Maybe. I made my way outside thru the crack in the main doors. I was greeted by a very uncomfortable looking guy elbow deep in someone's instrument panel. I avoided him for now and made my way to the line of planes parked just off the concrete. If I had to give it a name it would be "the row of dreams". I don't think you could bring a child to this place. To this spot on a piece of concrete and he not instantly want to grow up and become an aviator. These planes just sitting there on this beautiful day looked like a million bucks. Hell, they prolly were worth way more than that. You can really tell these airplanes were designed to fly. And that's really all I could think about doing at this point. Flying. To bad that wasn't in the cards today. So I kept walking and staring, and walking and staring. I eventually made my way back to the uncontrollable guy working on the instrument panel. This time hoverever there was a new guy standing there. One who very obviously didn't work there. An owner! Perfect that's who I need to be talking to. So I wonder over and continue my creepy pattern of just staring at airplanes. (You know the more I think about it I should google "planeofile" it may actually be a condition.) I hear the mechanic ask the owner " who is that?" "Probably someone wanting to buy a plane." He replied. "Is it that obvious?" I said? So we chatted for a while. I got his take on the different models which ones he thought I should be looking at and why. He told me allot about his airplane N205MH. He introduced himself as Scott and offered to take me for a loop in the pattern. Hell yes! It wasn't long and I was climbing into a Mooney for the first time. It is a bit tricky to get into but Wasn't terrible. I now understand the sports car analogy. You really sit down into these airframes. There is a ton of leg room though which I loved. We look off and ended up flying south of the airfield. I am still amazed at the fuel burn. 8.2 gph at cruise. I'm still just trying to take everything in when I hear " your airplane ". Whaaaaat I thought. I get to fly after all! It was at that moment I knew I wouldn't be looking at any other manufacturer. The controls were heavy but crisp. I swear the rudder pushed itself while banking to keep the ball nearly perfectly centered. It just felt automatic. As if the the plane was an extension of me. Even if I couldn't hold my altitude very well. That sight picture will take some getting use to. After a few more minutes we headed back to the airport. Scott and I ended up going to lunch together. On the way I told him of the post I had made on Mooneyspace and how surprised I was at the response. " I remember that post." He said. Turns out he was actually one of the commenters. I want to say what as small world but I shouldn't be very surprised. I was at Don Maxwell after all. We ended up having a nice lunch and learning about each others careers and families. All in all I set out that morning to learn something, anything really, about the Mooney brand. I accomplished so much more than that. I am amazed at how nice most of the people are in the aviation community. It is amazing to me that strangers are still willing to go out of their way to share their knowledge and their time. Especially with someone to whom they owe nothing, and have zero ties. I want to give a huge shoutout to Scott McCray (SMccray on the forum) and the folks at Don Maxwell Aviation. I had a great time. I learned allot and I look forward to seeing everyone again in the near future. When I'm getting a pre buy on the Mooney I decide to purchase!

If you watch the "Boots on the Ground" Video (history of Mooney) they talked to the two ladies that sealed the tanks for many years at Mooney. They seemed very detail oriented. The biggest part will be the prep. I'm sure to strip the old sealer is very tedious, and although it may be Airplane Science, it's not Rocket Science. There are enough threads on here that talk about the products to use and the steps to take. Find an IA that has a reasonable attitude and turn it into a project. Maybe you'll end up being the Mooney Fuel Tank specialist in the NE USA by the time you're finished.

cnoe, Thanks again for the input. I did some looking at the SB208B issue. I have not perused the logs for it yet, but given that Dugosh has maintained the aircraft and I spoke to the guy whose nMe is int the logs the most, who says that the aircraft is completely corrosion free, I don't think I am going to find a problem with this, i went through all this when I bought my Cessna 140 some years ago. At that time as wel as now the enthusiast forum brought to the surface lots of information, caution and assistance. I am seeing the sme thing from all you guys (and gals?) and I appreciate everything very much.

I was still under warranty for the GDL39, so Garmin issued a RMA. I'm expecting a new GDL in about a week. Hopefully that fixes everything.

The FAA recommends that you keep your transponder in ALT mode any time you're powered on. Instead of adjusting the GND mode timer, I'd suggest changing it so that it starts up in ALT mode by default and stays there any time it's powered on. If I remember it right, the procedure is to press and hold the FUNC button while powering on your avionics switch. When it starts up, you're in configuration mode. There's A LOT of stuff that can be configured. Don't accidentally change any of the important stuff. Garmin recommends an avionics shop make the changes if you have a certified plane. If it's experimental, the pilot can do it.

Sure about that?

Shared use airspace is not "their sandbox".

Hmmm . . . I run the pump to build pressure first. THEN Mixture Rich, pump the throttle and start. Two pumps if the weather is warm, and 3-5 when it's cold. Preheating in cold weather helps, but still give it extra pumps. After each pump, watch for the fuel pressure to drop a little bit, so you know that fuel is going into the carb. Another cold weather cranking trick: after you pump the throttle, wind and set the clock then put on and adjust your headset. The aim is to allow the gas you just pumped into the carb time to vaporize, which is much slower when cold, so don't do this quickly. Then crank!

Sorry, those are my A&P's cars, I have a similar collection of high performance cars though. Money wasn't the issue as much as the time it was going to take just to be a mediocre IFR pilot, I have been self employed for most of my adult life so I always feel the need to justify spending money vs return on the investment. I have realized that I can fly almost anywhere as a VFR pilot and I figure since I am 55 that I have 10-15 yrs of long cross countries left. I am not a big fan of doing something half way and I just couldn't see myself as an IFR pilot. I was hoping someone would come up with a compelling reason to to it. If it makes any sense, I was teetering between an IFR rating or Helicopter rating and I am going to start taking Helicopter lessons soon. I had a software business, and raced Mustangs (hence WildHorsesRacing), turns out I was pretty good at driving and started a high performance driver's education business. Sold the software biz in 2008 and semi-retired, living off of investments. The performance driver's school is a niche business that I enjoy doing more than the income it produces, so it has really become a "dream job" that someone would only do for the fun of it.

My CYA has a very loud alert, wired through the audio panel os in my headset, that goes off with the ninth, last, light which I set at least 5 kts above the stall horn.

This morning I went out on a glorious white bright and bluebird clear day. It was a crisp 10F or so about the time I took off. I was out just spreading the wings - when I saw on (practice) approach on ILS5 to MSS - I saw a big bird with its wings spread out beautifully. It was not so close as to cause evasive maneuvers but close enough to pay special attention. Well as I got close - it was clear it was a bald eagle! And somehow he seemed to have been maneuvering to keep safely away from me - but I might just be attributing special qualities to this special bird. It was very magical and I wish I had my camera handy.

The outer cable wasn't loose, but you can see in the picture where it had wiggled its way up. Here the cable is back down where it belongs, the set screw hits the stop now, and I'm getting the full 2,700rpm! Thanks for pointing me the right direction.

Bladders added. If somebody has a leaky bladder I suggest you visit a urologist.

One tank (Right) full strip/reseal. I'm sure the Left will have to be done in the next year or two, but I'll get to it then.

I had a similar problem with my GTN 650. The problem was resolved after I removed my Spot Satellite tracker. --It should not have been causing a problem, but yet it was. (likely on a burst position update.) In this case, it was right after the FAF too. --I'm speculation (and I should know this) that the GPS goes into a higher accuracy mode at this point. Anyway, it certainly is an interesting experience to be on a final approach, and instantaneously getting no guidance. I could see this ending very badly in an area with terrain. I'm just glad the times it happened, I had already broken out, or was training in VFR.

When I did the belly cleaning I checked everything underneath. Nothing noted other than it may be time to paint my wheel wells. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

It's simple un-nuanced language prominently in view when you E-sign the FAA Med-Express form. I noticed it yesterday as I filled in the boxes for my 3rd class medical certificate. PS. I passed.

No rods on my F. The lower cowl is connected to the front shroud that connects to the cylinder heads.

I would suggest that unless someone has been both VFR only and IFR, they won't have an appreciation for both. Since all of us were VFR only at one time, one could conclude that the now IFR folks have a better appreciation for both. Have you seen or heard from anyone who has an instrument rating that said it wasn't worth it? If there are those who have, I think they are in the minority.

I too have a nervous flyer in the passenger seat. We primarily visit grandchildren (I am way over 40). Like you, we can travel when we want. The last trip (IFR) was a VFR departure, climb and descent through a 2000' layer to sunshine and smooth air above. I have found that most of my IFR flying is only occasionally being in the clouds. Having the IFR endorsement doesn't mean you always fly in the clouds and do approaches to minimums.

I owned a 64E for 2000 hours, and the IO360 is a world of difference. Give the POH O360 start procedure a try.

Brian Kendrick lives in Kerrville TX http://www.mooneysupport.net/2.html

Thanks very much for the suggestions. I talked to the Maxwell folks and they are going to work with the seller to see what they can do. We are not done with it yet. thanks again

^^^ cleverly hidden behind the tool cart!

I start my 65D the same way as neilpilot and works well. When all else fails, read the directions (POH).

I guess I'll have to be the dissenting opinion. I really like the newer paint schemes. I do appreciate the traditional styles, and I love seeing a plane that's seen lots of care. If it's my money, I'd love to have something different. I don't know if my short body could pull off the Ovation/Acclaim paint scheme, but I'd be open to the idea if it did. An example is this plane from one of our members. It's a 1968 F model, and I love it.

Ok check and wiggle all of the baffuling. Your comment that you feel it a little more with more airspeed could match baffuling as the pressure in the upper plenum increases slightly with airspeed. You can take a black sharpie and blacken the bafful where you think in might be hitting. Fly and then uncowl and look for the witness mark. More on where you feel the vibration. Get the plane in cruise and trued up. Pick your feet off the floor. Touch the center windshield frame member. Can you reach under the left side side panel and feel the frame member? Touch the seat tracks behind both seats. Touch the pilots yoke then copilot. I don't believe that engine mount sag on the ground translates to inflight sag. New mounts do a better job of engine vibration isolation but do nothing for any other induced vibration. Good luck jim

Surely, there has to be medical doctors who fly airplanes and understand our needs. Of course, since they all fly Bonanzas, we would all have disqualifying conditions based on their observation that we fly Mooneys. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

If you have to ask, you can't afford it

It was a pleasure to show off the plane- I'm glad we had a chance to take a short flight!

I did them on my e a few years ago when I redid the interior. I'm old and fat and it was no fun at all. It seems like I left one or two screws out, declared victory and left the field of battle for band aids and liniment.

And here is the picture of what my squat looks like on the ground. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

IF you have the squat switch (vs airspeed switch), jack the plane up on the left side when it is cold. See how much the wheel will move. You will probably notice the squat switch is being activated and de-activated while you are doing this. It seems Mooney didn't set the switch very close to the contact plate (my term) so when it gets cold, the gear is pushed backward by the slipstream and allowing the switch to open. Switch depressed=weight off wheels. I had the same problem of not retracting all the way as well. With weight on wheels, I moved my switch to within 1/8" of the contact plate. No problems since.

I will see if I have a copy of the speed matrix I use. I think the reason the MAPA guide may be off is these planes usually have some mods on them. My 1975 F has a 201 windshield, gap seals and lower cowl enclosure. For me, once I am level following a descent. I pull power back to 16"/2400 RPMs. This will get me to flap speed and once I deploy approach flaps, I'm settling in at 100 KIAS. Once I hit the FAF, drop gear and reduce power to 13" will net me 500 FPM at 100 KIAS. When I am at the DH, I pull power and slow to 70 KIAS for landing. I would recommend you fly different profiles for climbs, descent and approach power settings to learn what your F will require. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

You need to figure out a way to strip and reseal the tanks by some combo of sweat equity, owner-assist, etc. The biggest portion of the cost is the labor so learn what you can and dive in. It doesn't sound like you could make anything worse at this point. Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

At 12:00 into this arrival I was asked to make tight traffic into Sun N Fun. Bank angle probably does exceed 45 deg but I stayed inside the pattern and kept the speed up, in fact I arrived at the runway with enough speed for a decent bounce. (The ASI is not in the field of vision for the back seat camera but I expect it was never under 90 kts until I was leveled on final, over the runway.) Ignore the comments from the guy in the right seat. I did. Jason is an incurable CFI. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKBNWcXxpuM

That was kinda my point. I don't think Sharia law would be very popular here. Nevermind that pesky 8th amendment: "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."

This reminds me of the Mexican fisherman story... An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied, “only a little while. The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The American then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?” The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.” The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.” The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?” To which the American replied, “15 – 20 years.” “But what then?” Asked the Mexican. The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions!” “Millions – then what?” The American said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.” ------------------------ Suffice it to say I am mid 50's, retired from my 1st business at 46 and am trying not to work so hard on my current business. My current "job / businesses" is saturated at one weekend a month, we tried years ago to expand but it just degraded the quality. I did the whole story above, made the money but now prefer to sleep late, fly a little, play with my kids and sip wine in the evenings. So far I have heard many good reasons to get an IFR rating, but since I am older it is a tough decision especially since I prefer to fly low and slow and smell the aroma of the fields and villages. If I was 10 yrs younger, I'd have it done in a week!

+1. I fly the same way. I almost always file IFR, but I get my "actual" time in drips and drabs, mostly ascending and descending through a layer of some kind. There are many advantages. When you fly a long trip, and I fly quite a few, the destination weather when you arrive is rarely what was forecast and there almost always will be some kind of weather enroute. You can avoid much of it by flying low, but that is generally pretty uncomfortable. Getting above the layer invariably means smooth air. In the summer around here (upper midwest) we get quite alot of "popcorn cumulus" days where the bottoms might be 4 or 5 thousand and the tops are 8-12k, sometimes higher. The air is quite alot smoother above the tops, glassy actually, and I can ascend and descend as needed, I don't need to look for that elusive hole or worry that I will be trapped on top. You need to be able to deal with that unforecast fog that rolled in or the remnants of storms that did not quite clear out at a destination 800 nm and 4 hours away, when things aren't quite what you expected.

I've intentionally run tanks empty in both my C and former E to check fuel indication or stretch range (not intending to start a debate on if that's a good idea or not). My experience is that the injected engine will generally stop with no warning, while the C typically sputters and also displays more warning in the form of a fuel pressure drop prior to stopping.

For a complete restoration a quart of compound will do at least 2 planes. My A&P had me use a small roller instead of a brush and to be sure to keep the material stirred up as the grit sinks pretty quickly. No need to strip old just clean surface, mask edges, roll on. Easy project. Pics are before and after. http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cspages/randolphwingwalk.php

Mask it and spray paint it. Just some cheap flat black. It will look bueatiful!