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Showing content with the highest reputation on 09/16/2018 in all areas

  1. Lucas C with his picture of his C parked in front of the rocky desert background. I chose this because I was really excited about the challenges of painting the very low angle of the sun and how the light played on the subject. Believe me it was not an easy choice as there were so many that I really wanted to do. Thank you all for your entries.
    17 points
  2. UPDATE: A few breakfast and lunch runs, a trip to Myrtle Beach and Florida and finally had accumulated 30 hours on the oil. I nervously sent in the first oil sample to Blackstone Labs. (awesome company) The report came back as a few areas were slightly higher than average but as expected from the cylinder #2 overhaul! Engine from 1977 and she still purrs happy and strong. Developed a small weep in the left wing that my IA and I will tackle this fall with a patch. No other squawks to speak of. What a blast a Mooney is to fly. #Mooneyspeed Thanks to everyone on Mooneyspace for all the threads and knowledge to help with this resurrection.
    4 points
  3. January/February is just the right time to come hang out in my hangar and watch me work. Hahaha!
    3 points
  4. "The WX-500 maps all stages in the life of a thunderstorm so that you may avoid a thunderstorm that can build, mature, and dissipate in as little as 20 minutes" https://www.l3aviationproducts.com/products/stormscope/ I had a Stormscope on an airplane that, for a few months, I didn't know how to use properly. Studying the manual and flying with an instructor that knows Stormscopes helped me to build my appreciation for what it can do. If I bought an airplane without one I would do what I could to get one installed, especially living in an area where T-storms are popular,
    3 points
  5. Another good reason to go with Concorde sealed batteries.
    3 points
  6. Yep! On my C the flap control was unlike the thumb control on the F. It was a push button pull knob like a small mixture control and guess what?...... it was directly below the mixture control! The first short trip I took in it, I dumped flaps when rolling out and the engine quit. I was rolling out, so it didn’t hurt anything except it was one of my rare appearances at a towered airport so it was quite embarrassing.
    3 points
  7. Evening flight over Tuscaloosa just to get away from the ground for a little while. The airport is at one o'clock and 2 miles. Fantastic sunset over the Black Warrior river.
    3 points
  8. At work I can get both (the equivalent of) XM WX and airborne radar on my displays. Believe me, there can be a significant difference between what the ground based XM radar shows and what airborne radar displays. That difference could be deadly. A stormscope is a cheap imitation of radar, but at least it is real time and it is airborne.
    3 points
  9. There will be a lucky winner of the silent auction Bonal commissioned painting this year at the Mooney Summit VI! Thanks for your kind donation and for supporting the Mooney community and our charity, Bonal! Your kindness is noted by our community and we applaud your generosity!
    3 points
  10. SWTA charges me $158 for an oil change. That's oil, filter, and 1 hour labor. And since all I have to do is call, or just send JD a text, they go to my hangar, pull it up to the shop, do the job, and put it back in my hangar... I figure I can't afford to do it myself for that price. And since I travel so much for work, it's nice to get it done while I'm out of town. That way it's ready to fly when I am.
    3 points
  11. You do see the irony of someone flying an Ovation talking about membership in the CB club, don't you?
    2 points
  12. Something I had to learn. There are three GPS TSO Standards TSO129 - Non WAAS - Not used for IFR approaches TSO145 - WAAS GPS - certified for GPS approaches and TSO146 - Certified to be used as a GPS position source for ADSB. The Dynon GPS 2020 for $600 meets this requirment
    2 points
  13. Air in the line can cause pulsing on a gauge. Cause air is compressible fluid is not as compressible. Not higher line pressure.
    2 points
  14. I don’t think the garmin engineers or sales people are bummed at all... I think they are probably happy that they sold not only the 100K system, but also the 796. Now as the customer, that’s a different story!
    2 points
  15. Paul, I suppose it depends upon where you fly. As I have recounted before, I used to do a NC to So. FL round trip every few weeks for several years. Often there was a line of convective running E/W across the route from Savannah to Jacksonville. Even while trying to stay clear of clouds it is necessary to know which buildups have to be avoided. And since there is another line of clouds behind the one you're looking at it is necessary to know what's behind what you can see in order to pick the best path. Been there, done that, for me a stormscope is like my 50 year old AX card... I don't leave home w/o it. Usually there would be a 50 mile stretch where I was zooming the SS range from 100 miles to 50 or 25 and hitting the clear button about every 60 seconds - old info is worthless, NEXRAD is just about useless for picking a path through weather. OTOH, I've flown through "red" ADS-B weather on the 750 with confidence if the stormscope was quiet. When ATC asks about your ride you know he's seeing the same heavy rain that's painted on the 750. I'm smiling and reporting: "smooth ride in heavy precip".)
    2 points
  16. What it really means is the recently added ICA's added at the request of the FAA on maintenance manuals Do Not retroactively apply to airframes manufactured prior to publishing the ICA. They are optional for part 91 just like all SB and Sal's. You can thank Mike Busch and Paul New of Savvy Aviation for this change since they challenged the FAA on this change and the FAA agreed. It was inconsistent with previous rulings by their legal counsel folks whom have always maintained that maintenance manuals produced at the time of manufacture are the only ones legally binding to prevent airframe manufacturers from retroactively making burdensome changes. Thus we are back too the state that the only legal way to make retroactive changes for required maintenance practices and procedures is though the AD process approved by the FAA. Of course that said, every owner should review every ICA instruction, just like every SB and SL, and decide for themselves if they want to comply. Most of us will want to comply with most of them, just as most of us will want to follow the most recent maintenance manual. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    2 points
  17. I've had a few days to calm down and thought I would share an experience hoping it might be of use to someone else. I've gained a lot from this forum over the years without posting or commenting much. I hope to change that going forward. Especially when I have something that might be useful to others. I apologize for just lurking for so long. After a two hour cross country on Monday with no issues, I landed at my local airport to refuel before heading home to our private strip. On takeoff just after gear up the engine loss 90% power. I was able to recover and land on the runway after a scramble to get the gear down. I think it lock in about 30 ft. above the ground. I rolled to the end of the runway with the engine barely making power. I was able to keep it running by pulling the mixture back to about an inch before cutoff and taxied to my local A&P's shop on the field. Luckily he was there and came out just before I shut the engine down. His first thought was that I had a valve stuck because it was backfiring back through the exhaust. Here is what we found. It appears the Bendix Fuel Servo failed and flooded the engine with excessive fuel. All four spark plugs we equally fouled. The engine just could not handle the extra fuel and basically flooded. There is no other apparent damage to the engine. We are still investigating to be certain, but after calls to Lycoming we are pretty sure that is what happened. Any other insights are surely welcomed. Lessons learned. First: Always use every inch of available runway! Second: Do not put off maintenance on the fuel system. As I understand it, the TBO for the Bendix Fuel system is equal to that of the engine. We had a factory overhaul at 1500 hours or so and have only put 800 or so hours on the engine since that time. However, there is also a time TBO of twelve years regardless of engine hours. That is what I ignored. We are past that time limit by several years. Big mistake that could have cost me the airplane or worse. I was very lucky that I was on a 5,000 ft runway and not the 2800 ft private strip at home. That would have been a disaster.
    1 point
  18. I will keep this short. On June 2nd I took my last flight I’m my ol Trusty 67 F Model. Windstorm snuffed the ol girl out to soon. She will be derly missed. Until Now. Yesterday I took possession of a 86 K Rocket!! My first thoughts after 2.6 behind the fire breathing 520. Holy Wow!!!!!!!!
    1 point
  19. Alex, you can't possibly do what you are trying to do with pen and paper. You don't have the data resolution. You need a monitor with 1-2 second downloadable data resolution. Unfortunately, the every 0.5 GPH resolution you tried to record makes it worthless. Just maybe you got the cyl rankings from leanest to richest. That's very helpful if true, but I wouldn't trust your data till you demonstrate it's repeatable. Honestly, the first step should have been an engine analyzer with FF, MAP and RPM. Next read up on LOP, I suggest Mike Busch's article on Red Fin - you can download it on our Savvy website. Next, start with baby steps, after the engine monitor. See the GAMI AFMS supplement for mixture guidance - between Mike's article and the GAMI AFMS I mentioned note you only need 50 LOP at 75% and I can tell you your engine most likely won't support 75% with 50 LOP. So start at ~60% power which is just a little LOP. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    1 point
  20. Disclaimer - I don't own or fly a Bravo. What instrument is giving your FF? I had a Hoskins in my 252 that seemed to wander all over the place. I get much better data from my EDM-900. So yes, I had the same problem. And that makes it pretty impossible, in my mind, to do a proper GAMI check that is indicative of anything. If you do it again... I'd start at 18 gph, let it settle down there, and then start the test. Just make sure you're at low power, 65% or less. Then I'd run the test slower and ultimately trying to get it to move just 0.1 gph at a time. But to answer #4, yes for a given MP/RPM (%power) I just set LOP base on FF. In my 252 (also turbo) that's 9.6 gph at 65%.
    1 point
  21. What? You can't disengage and hand fly the last half? I used to dump the AP in the A320 half down because i could do a better job than it could. WOOS : -)
    1 point
  22. A StormScope should pick up any convective activity before visible lightning is seen. Unfortunately my experience is you need to be fairly close to a storm in the brewing stage to see the strikes on the StormScope. What I like about the later model StormScopes is the ability to display strikes and cells. Often in strike mode, I would get radial spread which made it difficult to pinpoint the origin of the lightning. Back in the days when I owned a WX-8, I used it to “stay away” from those segments that were indicating (all 3 ranges lighting up at the same time). With the cell mode on my WX-500, you can get a better idea of where the actual storm is. Coupled with FIS-B, you will get a good idea how far away the storm is. Here is a picture of a storm where there is no lightning activity (as indicated by no lightning symbols and a 0 rate indicator circled). It was a pretty good rainstorm though. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
    1 point
  23. Put that on your toolbox as a reminder...Old stuff might look and appear right, but it's still old. It took a shotgun approach of replacement parts and a few thousand dollars until I figured the problem out. Great thing about MS. Maybe the next guy will learn from our money and time spent. Mine sounded right (buzzed and the plane would start if it was in a good mood), by the end it was nearly always difficult. Still had some spark, just not enough to do the job. It was always kind of quirky to start, but I thought it was just mastering the hot start technique. Like I said, after the new SOS it's a non-event and I never dread shutting down for fuel stops or whatever...always a pucker whether it would catch or not..just got worse over time. I wonder how many guys are flying and worried about hot starts when actually most of the problem is a weak or poor performing original SOS?. Glad it worked out and your flying again. -Tom
    1 point
  24. I agree that it is not simple. The best I can tell the manufacture is the one saying that something meets a TSO standard. From the GPS Data Sentences the $11.00 UBLOX7 will put the right accuracy flag and do 3D positioning. So it would meet the WAAS standard. But I think the FAA already fined one vendor for stuff like that. The KX155 which is TSOed, but I have not found an STC for, but yet it is on the equipment list of many Mooneys. here is one discussion http://forum.shortwingpiperclub.org/showthread.php?4105-KX155-VHF-installation
    1 point
  25. Yup. M20F with the ModWorks STC. Has all the speed mods and a TCM IO-360-ES. I’ve heard there are two planes with this STC, I don’t know who has the other one.
    1 point
  26. I went to the AOPA fly in yesterday and talked to TruTrack. They said the Mooney install will be ready just after the first of the year. They also said they will allow and support non-dealer installs. I forget the exact price, but I think it was $5600
    1 point
  27. And all of what Cirrus does to enhance the buying experience and promote Cirrus as a lifestyle are some of the reasons that their brand loyalty is off the charts. People who originally bought an SR20 have traded later for an SR22 and eventually want the Cirrus Jet. You can argue all day long that the Mooney is a better product but if they don't broaden out to a wider market they'll be stuck selling just a few airplanes a year. I am am member of COPA (Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association) not because I'm in love with their airplanes but because I like their magazine and I like how progressive their group is and their company is - they are in the 21st Century
    1 point
  28. The few times I have called EI they have been very helpful. One time I bought an older analyzer off E-bay and needed the wiring harness , normal retail price would have been cost prohibitive as I could buy a new unit. EI made me a very fair deal that I took them up on. One time I had sent them back a fuel flow transducer that had failed (out of warranty) they deamed it defective and sent me a new one at no charge. Your mileage may very, but I am a happy customer of EI. Neal
    1 point
  29. What fault codes are being recorded in the fault log, and is the WX-500 in a failed condition at all times, or only temporarily? Was the WX-500 failing before the panel rework? Also, it’s not a bench fee AND repair. It’s a bench fee OR repair fee Jim
    1 point
  30. The A1A does not have counterweights , like your J engine
    1 point
  31. I think you nailed it. Awesome job!!! Brian
    1 point
  32. Just FYI, "easy gliding distance" to the airport is not necessarily what you think. Going back again to the exercises I did to get my commercial, I found that if I was at pattern altitude and a half mile or less from the airport, it was very difficult to make the runway unless there was a strong crosswind blowing you away from the runway. The reason is that you either have to make a very steep banking turn to avoid blowing through final, which causes too much loss of altitude and puts you in a very precarious no power steep bank, or you have to make a 270 rather than a 180 because you wind up blowing through the final approach course and have to continue with the turn to try to get to the runway. The steep banking turn also produced too much drop, and with no engine to help, just the airframe, it is difficult to arrest that drop enough to make anything but a very hard landing. The commercial maneuver is the Power Off 180, and it is a bust if you use the engine. It would also be a "bust" in real life, if you have no engine to use. The magic number was 3/4 mile to a mile. 3/4 is better if the runway is upwind of the side of the pattern you are on. That is for my airframe, I don't know what a different airframe would do. I would guess that the F's and older might be able to use a tighter pattern, and the long bodies might need even more room, but I have not tried the maneuver with either of them, but that is just a guess. The best thing is to get with a good instructor and figure it out. But I don't know why we even worry about that. So you have flown, say, from Minnesota to Colorado, and the engine did not quit during full power takeoff and climb, and then it did not quit for 4 hours or so at cruise, and now we are afraid it is going to quit during low power ops in the pattern, especially where a good deal of the work is going to be in a descent where power is near idle and the airspeed helps drive the prop? It makes no sense to me, given that this is one of the areas that produces the highest accident rate and a high percentage are fatal.
    1 point
  33. If my math is correct (always questionable), a 35 Ah 12V battery has enough juice to lift a fully loaded Mooney 300 feet in the air. Yes, that's pretty good for a little box. 12V x 35 Ah = 420 Watt hours = 1,500,000 Joules height = energy / (mass * g) = 1,500,000 J / (1500 kg * 10 m/s2) = 100 meters
    1 point
  34. My bad, you're right, I was looking at the wrong row. I'll edit my original post.
    1 point
  35. Stormscope is immediate, XM and FIS-B is delayed. I wouldn't want to go cross country without one. I'd recommend biting the bullet and either replacing it with a used one or getting it repaired. I'd even considering buying a new one at $4,500, getting the warranty, and selling your broken one to someone else who would get it repaired.
    1 point
  36. In the future, please copy it from Word and paste into the text block somthat we don't have to downkoad it, read it then erase it . . . But good report, thanks!
    1 point
  37. full throttle and 2500 RPM. 2400 RPM if early and 2600 RPM if late.
    1 point
  38. Well, put in a new shower of sparks and presto, fired right up... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    1 point
  39. My first ever year f ownership I decided to total up all my costs. After seeing the results I assiduously vowed never to do such a thing again.
    1 point
  40. @mike_elliotteven gets booked up on this side of the world.
    1 point
  41. Cliffy's an A&P/IA, so whenever he gets around to it, really!
    1 point
  42. I think you pretty much excluded any reason for the FAA to become involved much less hear of the event so looks like we are good here.
    1 point
  43. 1 point
  44. Here is another one to contemplate Pritch
    1 point
  45. Man, first reply throws down the gauntlet with an amazing pic with three little kids. It's hard to compete with kids or puppies! But alas, it's worth the try.
    1 point
  46. I’ve always replaced the racks with countersunk screws and tinnermans or nut-plates, depending on the room. More important, I pick up the aft side of the bottom rack with a hanger, so it can’t sag. This should meet the loading requirements in ac43-13. Often, the rails are Swiss cheese, so rivets are often not going to work, without some rework of the rails....which is often required anyway.
    1 point
  47. This is the proposed upgrade. Hoping to have her in my hanger by the end of August. We shall see.....
    1 point
  48. This is not true of the S-Tec 30. I don't know about other models. The Altitude hold on the 30 is completely independent of your pitot static system, or any other system on the plane except a power supply. It does not function on any numerical value, or data supplied from any other device. The way it works is, it has it's own barometric pressure transducer. When you push the button on the yoke, it locks down the barometric pressure at that moment, not the altitude that you want to stay at. It will do it's best to maintain this pressure by pitching the plane up and down. It has no idea how high you are over sea level. The only components to the system are, the pitch servo attached to the elevator, the pressure transducer, the computer that controls the servo and the switch on the yoke. The OP's problem likely lies in the transducer. I think it can be adjusted. There may also be a gain adjustment at the computer, so possibly the gain is set too high. I know all this because my 30 was screwing up, but in a very different way than the OP's. After a process of elimination, my problem was the computer. Only solution there is an expensive trip back to S-Tec. Take the plane to a shop that knows S-Tec and they will likely fix you up. I bet it's just an adjustment. If the transducer does need work, at least it's cheaper than the computer. I know. In No. California, I recommend Executive Autopilots at KSAC.
    1 point
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