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After many months of searching, learning, scouring posts, talking to many people and making a couple offers ... I can PROUDLY say, I am now, finally, a Mooney owner. I ended up going with a 1965 M20C that was marketed by Jimmy at All American Aircraft Sales. Thanks, Jimmy for being patient with all my questions since it was my first aircraft purchase. I pick it up next week, so will post pictures and update my avatar once I have it. THANK YOU to so many people on this site that provided invaluable information that helped me narrow down what my mission was and how to match that mission with an aircraft equipped to support the mission. I hang out and read almost everything because I know I have a big learning curve. So although I won't mention the twenty regular posters that I have learned a lot from, I do appreciate you providing your knowledge daily. @AaronDC8402 and Wayne, thanks for going out of your way to look at a great Mooney for me in Tennessee. I believe that Mooney will be a nice purchase for the person that decides on it. A special thank you to my fellow Arizonan, Ken Reed, @KLRDMD for being a sounding board and spending a lot of time looking at data that I sent, hoping for solid feedback (by the way, I always got feedback). I guess 63 emails back and forth constitutes a lot of help. Now the real learning must begin ...

Sure, when it hits $2 trillion with a T the drink will be on the house. I figure you only have space for another $8.00 worth now w/o scrapping something nice.

If you don't like the Halo's you'll sell them quick here or on Beechtalk. Phil can't seem to make enough of them to keep up with demand.

AAPL hit $1,000,000,000,000 this week. (That's with a "T".) I own it at $1.93 split adjusted. Playing with the house's money. Don't we live in a great country?

I am not saying tuff luck. I am saying when people down here build on a barrier island, they should expect it to get blown into the back bay at some point. We like to refer to some of the houses built as "hurricane bait" There are steps that can be taken to make a home last a hurricane. There are steps that can be taken to make a home last a fire. https://www.usfa.fema.gov/wui_toolkit/wui_tools.html We should all be encouraging controlled burns. There are some theories out there that if we spent as much resources on prescribed fires, that we would not have to spend money on wildfires. https://www.outsideonline.com/2320206/prescribed-wildfire-solution-florida I have friends that are still repairing their homes from Harvey last year. Hurricane related, but different circumstances.

I posted this on the GFC 500 IFD thread: I have reached out to some Beech and Cessna owners who already have the 3100 installed. Some feedback from them: “The feedback I have been getting is that the STEC 3100 is more stable than any of the roll based STECs and from a Beech guy who had a KFC 225, it is more stable than it was. He also commented that the button pushing for an LPV is less on the 3100 than the King. You always need to take what someone says about their new avionics upgrade with a big grain of salt. Few will admit that they spent a lot of money on junk. But from what I can tell, the 3100 is living up to expectations. What some are waiting for is the Aspen integration. Like with the STEC 55X, you will be able to do the altitude preselects and vertical speed on the Aspens and hopefully since the 3100 has IAS climbs, select it for indicated airspeed climbs. “ Since we are months away from needing to make a deposit, I’ll keep tabs on their progress. So far, so good. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

I am now two weeks into the project. Time to actually do wiring - about two hours. Time to remove about a pound of what appears to be plumbers putty from the antenna/plenum, to fix the seat belt installation which was done horribly, time to fix all the Tandy/Realistic/Radio Shack speakers/buzzers, clean at least two handfuls of old zip ties, remove the duct tape from the plenum/ceiling, correctly wrap all the wiring, replace incorrect hardware with correct, etc. - 1.99 weeks. Taking apart the plane is like a box of chocolates, never know what you're going to get.

The integration is a huge factor. Now that Garmin has a broad range of AP’s I don’t see them playing nice in the sandbox. This cuts two ways as people who have different AP’s want integration with the Garmin pfd and those who have aspens etc still might want full features with the Garmin AP. The 225 button pushing requirement is a great example of great systems with a far from ideal marriage. I have an Aspen with a current stec which probably makes the 3100 and TT the best option going forward.

Lift up on the tail and see if there is any slop. Should be tighter than (insert inappropriate joke here)

I got the following email from Dan in parts. It sounds like all is ok at the airport. Lake County has seen three major fires over the last 5 (or so) years - lots of loss, terrible. "it has been one hell of a ride. Still not over on the north end of the lake. The west side we are on is basically burnt up just outside the city limits. Firecrews saved almost all the houses. Today is the first day we are allowed back at the airport. Hope to be back up and running on Monday. No damage here at the airport."

This thread has excellent information on the jack screw.

Got the drawings, thanks everyone.

In our corporate flight department we've had experience with a few high compression engines built by BPE. They are AEIO540 Lycomings in Extra 300L stunt planes. The bottom line is that we had 2 Extra's, one with a stock engine, the other with 3 different variations of the high compression setup. The AEIO540 uses the EXACT same cylinders as the IO360 in the Mooney and the 10 to 1 pistons are the exact same ones used by Firewall Forward. Stock, the angle valve cylinder produces (rated) 50HP on IO360, IO540 and IO720 engines. We've dyno tested the engines multiple times. The 10 to 1 pistons add 25HP to the AEIO540, which is to say that the engine goes from a real world dyno of 289.5HP to a real world dyno of 315HP @ 2700RPM. I conclude that the 10 to 1 pistons raise the HP from 48.25HP per cylinder to 52.5HP. On an IO360 the real world HP goes from 193 to 210. EDIT: the BPE engine is a bunch smoother and more responsive. Pilots clearly prefer it. A few kts faster too.

This is November 3's personal Caravan Airventure. This year Ute and I enjoyed the best Caravan we have ever had, my own gaffs notwithstanding. I took all of our videos and put them together for this retelling. Just us Canadians enjoying ourselves.

Those that have followed the progress of this mod know that I have experienced a 4-6 KT gain in TAS (depending on altitude and weight of course.) Also, there appears to be a "ram-air" effect since the intake is in the left nostril. Near as I can tell, it seems to be roughly equivalent to what I saw with the "Ram Air" open in flight. With a DA of 9900ft, I was seeing 22"MP Unfortunately, along with the increased speed, we also experienced an increase in CHT numbers to what I would consider unacceptable (390-400). There has been a period of silence on the progress as we were working the CHT problem. During this time, we came up with the idea to install side vents in the cheek cowls. Today David got the side vents installed. The position of the vents was determined with the "oil test " where I smeared oil on the airplane and went flying. We then determined where the high-speed air (thin oil streaks) was and installed the vents in the low pressure air. This is not unlike the Cessna 180 STC for cooling. I am happy to report I experienced a 20 degree drop in CHT while running 100 degrees leaner on the test flight today. This was done with roughly the same atmospheric conditions. Previously, I would have to operate 200 ROP to achieve <400 degrees CHT. I am now running ~375 Degrees in cruise 100 ROP, and below 400 in a hard climb. It was 85 degrees OAT today. Not only have the temps decreased, but it looks cool too! #winning Although the CHT's are what I would consider acceptable, we want to see 360 or less in cruise. David is now looking at opening the inlets a bit to create some more pressure in the top of the cowl. It's been a long project, but it is coming to a close soon. I have gained speed, aesthetics and a great friend @Sabremech through this!!

The earlier panels had enough space to put instruments three high, the later ones two high below the Moritz gauges. Mooneys don't have a lot of real estate on the panel. I am happy with the taller panel. The seat adjust enough for just about anyone I've ever seen. But I would find the airplane with the panel height you want and buy it - and not try too modify the panel height. Hate to bring this up, but if the potential partner is that much of a stickler about this . . . .hmm

Just saw this one pop up on the Mooney pilot fb group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2226961823/permalink/10155734906216824/ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Stacy is still with us! Through good times and tough times... The good times are back! Best regards, -a-

I agree, in my ‘96 Ovation, if my head is near the ceiling, the cowl limits the view and the panel is almost as high, but not the limiting factor. It does seem awfully high though when sitting on the ground. That said I wouldn’t give up the panel space, and those early Ovations are a great deal imho if they’ve been taken care of, like any airplane... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I spoke to Matt yesterday through texts. David and his schedule haven’t allowed them to do the next step which was to widen the inlets a bit. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

July 6, 1994... Forest Gump gave an explanation for a part of his accidental wealth... (this is the release date of the movie) The character erroneously and humorously thought he bought into a fruit company.... Following Forrest’s and Bob’s advice, I had Siri and Alexa help me look up the dates... and found this... https://www.businessinsider.com/forrest-gump-apple-price-2015-5 Unfortunately, this is backward looking facts, and doesn’t tell enough about the future... But, I was working in Dallas when I saw the Movie... fun, lasting, memories... Isn’t it ironic... It was like good advice, I just couldn’t take... (alanis Morrisette... 1996) Even If you own it at a split adjusted $90... you would be happy with AAPL today... PP thoughts only, personal finance is not my area of expertise... I still am a big fan of a growing economy, and its decreasing unemployment... Thanks Bob, for sharing your insight... Best regards, -a-

"Shortly" (see what I did there?) after installing my Accutrak and a new breaker panel, my T/C breaker would pop. After some frustration and replacement of the breaker I finally found the breaker was actually contacting the metal tray the Accutrak sits in. I don't believe in coincidences, something happened when the DME was installed.

I've rarely seen a pair last an hour, even at full price. But if selling them is too much trouble, Phil takes returns, too.

Boy, this is something I really don't need but just gotta have. along with the upgrade to Aspen MAX.

I'll take hurricanes and afternoon thunderstorms over fire and earthquakes and day of the week.

If you are talking about the low end STECs 20 - 40 series, I would agree with you. The 55 & 55X were better but the 60 and 65 series with external computers have decent performance for analog autopilots. I have never had an issue with the 60-2 capturing or flying a decent approach in the 20 years I’ve flown with it. With GPSS it got even better. And it certainly never has tried to kill me. STEC is no stranger to high end autopilots. The 5000 series is a turbine level autopilot and they already had the digital 2100. I do have concerns over the servos. They are providing a multi year used servo warranty with a 3100 upgrade. So, Genesys doesn’t appear to be concerned. These 3100 autopilots are already out there and I have been talking with owners who are flying them, many who did the conversion. From what I am hearing there have been no surprises and no premature failures of the servos. Time will tell. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

I shoulda figured. Only the Mormons would send missionaries to the heathen savages of Virginia and North Carolina. Handsome fella.

For adding a second A/P you will need at least three transfer relays that can impair the total reliability of the system. Just keep it simple and add another engine to your Mooney. José

Yes there are other options. Agreed it is a good argument that the STEC 3100 is of equal or better performance than the GFC500 and possibly on par with the GFC 600. HOWEVER, it does not yet have the proven system integration and redundancy of GFC 500. And neither are yet certified for the M20 series. Further in my humble opinion, most Mooney owners only want/need the capability/function of the GFC 500. The STEC 3100 is equitable or has more capability than what Mooney owners want/need. So the option is to out purchase their needs with a reasonable price by upgrading to the STEC 3100 with older Servos, OR purchase what they need/want with the GFC 500 new servos at a marginally lower price point but with proven systems integration. As of right now, I have two thoughts. 1. First to market in this arena will gain the Mooney market, and "Hose" the competition. And will ultimately prevail. 2. Best proof of systems integration with the competitor is a close second in driving the margin of win over the competition. (ie. if STEC shows that a Dual G5 system will integrate seamlessly with an STEC 3100 lateral/vertical/VNAV. With either an IFD 440 or GTN 650 navigator). So there are options. And honestly I am not sure which one I am going with for Autopilot. But if the STEC 3100 shows it can fully function in a Dual G5 world, I'd have a tough time saying no STEC. FWIW - Just a medical guy.

I think you need to look at the specs of these autopilots. The STEC 3100 Is supposed to be similar to performance to the GFC 600. If this is true, the price points are similar. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

And, combined with the schematics, could be an important clue to pre-locating, so to speak, likely locations for the short.

The founder has good credentials - he holds the patent on the Aspen EFD1000. https://aerovonics.com/about-us

Agree with the word of caution on the go around especially if you’re near the runway and trimmed for landing since the Bravo and Acclaim pitch up dramatically with sudden full power. I advance the power smoothly but don’t get to full power until I get that trim wheel rolled forward agreessively with my right hand (forget the thumb electric trim button- it’s too slow to keep up with trim needed).

i am, i am just want to ease into retirement instead of jumping out at 30,000 ft

You get greater returns on the "big block" models but even on my lowly 180hp D/C, I would not go back to a 2-blade. It accelerates faster, shorter takeoff, faster climb rate...and looks downright gorgeous. I've flown formation with two other C models with 2-blades and at identical power settings, they have maybe 1-2knots on me, barring any instrument error

4

My guess is that it's hard to get pictures when you refuse to exit the cockpit! The first time I took home my first Mooney, I was asking strangers if they had anywhere they wanted to go. "Just give me a reason, any reason!!!"

Congrats! You will enjoy your C, hopefully as much as I do mine. They are geeat, versatile planes. Pay attention during yiur transitjin training, and try to make a MAPA PPP soon. Looking for photos next week . . . .

Early morning poster. Congrats! Where are the pics?

First lesson in learning... It is more than proper to post a pic of the new 2U bird! It is like evidence... it didn’t happen without the pic! Congrats on the successful hunt! Best regards, -a-

It seems that edge of the fuel at the gas cap is closer to 10gal usable for my F but it’s good to be conservative.

Mark, Thanks for the tour and flight in the F. I'm convinced there is a Mooney in my future.

What for? if you had a dip stick the very end would just get damp. I can look in my tanks and tell you within 15 minutes how much fuel is in it.

Ah shucks, now I’m wishing I could have met some of you there... and put some faces to posts. I did buy some LED disco nav lights and pulled the trigger on a HID landing light from Lo Presti. The Lo Presti folks were great and I look forward to the install this weekend. Let there be light! Already have the fancy Led and it’s just inadequate at my dark country Airport with Black sealer. Boom Beam!!! Passed by the Gami booth and that fella practically told me what my cht egt readings were to the number...guess it’s part of dialing in, so those are next. also, along the way, I’ve picked up a spare dual mag for just in case and keep in the hanger. Now Electroair is saying they might have the dual mag solution in first quarter of 2019... believe it when I see it, but I might have a couple good units for sale when they do. The idea for the second spare mag is to get out of a bind in case I’m somewhere and need it pronto to get home or finish going. Beats waiting for 10 days or spending 3k to get one coming.

I tried Plexus a long time ago and did not like it because it always left a streaky residue. After each flight I use a hand spray bottle of water with a few drops of car wash soap/wax. Spray the windshield and let it soak into the dried bugs and grime while I use a soft rag and clean the wings and cowl with the same spray. After cleaning the wings and cowl then spray the windscreen again and use a clean microfiber cloth making up and down movements only, no circles or swirls. Use a clean side of the microfiber cloth on each side of the windscreen and as few touches as possible to get it clean. That microfiber must be washed before using again. After 1,000 hours my windscreen looks almost as good as it did in 2006 when it was installed.

In addition to the side vents, I know they are planning on widening the inlets a bit as well. I’m sure Matt will update us to the new TAS once they have it dialed in. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Top of cowl vents = windshield anti-ice system. :-) :-)

That is one beautiful paint job. What does CB stand for? Cheap Bastard?

I vote for bose A20s. However, a cheaper alternative if you don't want to drop 1k is to buy the quiet comfort bose head phones and then add the UFlyMike. I have two of each and honestly the A20s are only marginally better IMHO.