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Showing content with the highest reputation on 01/17/2019 in all areas

  1. I teach to lower the gear upon pulling power. Get that costly variable dealt with. The rest of the power off 180 is simply energy management, which is what it is supposed to be teaching you. There are plenty of ways to dirty up the plane if needed, and if done right, you wont have to. Once practiced with the plane in this landing configuration, it is less difficult than practicing the maneuver "clean" and risking being "distracted" YMMV
    5 points
  2. Fine, I'll give him a ride...
    5 points
  3. Hello Mooney Friends. I just completed 23 pages of value information for those shopping, considering selling or just interested in the values of the Mooney Pre-201 models. I plan on moving to other models soon but at the rate I am going, it may be a little while. But look for M20J and M20K in the not too distant future. I am not charging for the guide but I do ask for some contact info in advance of sending it out in PDF form. If you would like a copy, please email me at jimmy @ allamericanaircraft dot com and let me know you would like a copy. I keep some fairly extensive databases at All American and the info I would like is: Name Email address Phone contact If Owner, The tail number Reason for requesting guide: i.e. Planning on Buying, Planning on Selling, May sell one day, I'm just a Mooney Junkie and need a fix, etc... There are some other requests within the Guide itself, but the info above helps me keep up with some of the goings on in the market. Also, I just finished it up this morning after working on it all night (literally) last night. So once you guys get it, I am open to hearing critique in either form or substance. It won't hurt my feelings. Also let me know if I have missed anything. I am sure I have. Email me and I will try to get back with you as soon as possible. I am going to post this also in the Vintage Mooney forum. Thanks, Jimmy
    5 points
  4. Hello Mooney Friends. I just completed 23 pages of value information for those shopping, considering selling or just interested in the values of the Mooney Pre-201 models. I plan on moving to other models soon but at the rate I am going, it may be a little while. But look for M20J and M20K in the not too distant future. I am not charging for the guide but I do ask for some contact info in advance of sending it out in PDF form. If you would like a copy, please email me at jimmy @ allamericanaircraft dot com and let me know you would like a copy. I keep some fairly extensive databases at All American and the info I would like is: Name Email address Phone contact If Owner, The tail number Reason for requesting guide: i.e. Planning on Buying, Planning on Selling, May sell one day, I'm just a Mooney Junkie and need a fix, etc... There are some other requests within the Guide itself, but the info above helps me keep up with some of the goings on in the market. Also, I just finished it up this morning after working on it all night (literally) last night. So once you guys get it, I am open to hearing critique in either form or substance. It won't hurt my feelings. Also let me know if I have missed anything. I am sure I have. Email me and I will try to get back with you as soon as possible. Thanks, Jimmy
    3 points
  5. Ha ha that is probably the stupidest statement you have made. The software company I work for is private and has been around for 39 years. As far as "funds being limited" look up Softbank.
    3 points
  6. It's a neat aerodynamic trick. Just as an object with mass tends to move in a straight line unless acted upon by a force, air tends to flow in a straight line unless acted upon by a pressure gradient. Also, in the absence of an adverse pressure gradient, flowing air tends to follow the contour of an adjacent surface. Consider an aileron with a beveled trailing edge deflected downward. The deflected aileron increases the camber of the wing causing the desired rolling moment and the beveled edge further increases the camber locally at the trailing edge. As the air flows over the bevel it tends to follow the contour. This deflection of the air sets up a pressure gradient which results in lower pressure at the top, trailing edge of the aileron. This exerts a "pull" upward on the aileron reducing the force required to deflect it. The Mooney aileron control system is interesting because it is definitely different than other designs of the period. It is notable for using push-pull tubes instead of the more common cables and pulleys. Is that really better? Some postulate that the push-pull tubes are better because they aren't subject to cable stretch, which is certainly true. However, there are a lot of rod ends in the Mooney and over time they can wear enough to increase the dead zone in the control system. Keep them lubed with Tri-flow. Also, the Mooney aileron controls have a lot of friction which increases break out force. Cables running over ball-bearing pulleys generally have less friction than push-pull tubes running through greased phenolic guides. At cruise speeds the ailerons tend to be pulled up (lower pressure on the top of the wing). This is the reason for rigging them down up to -2 deg. The outboard end of the aileron push-pull tube is connected to a bell crank. So, while the predominate motion of the push-pull tube is back and forth, there is a small component of fore-aft motion caused by the eccentric effect of the bell crank. This increases the friction on the outermost guide block. As the ailerons move upward, the push-pull tubes can flex under compression and put more pressure on the guides. The effect increases with airspeed. Back in the 1990's, Mooney was considering entering the JPATS competition for the next military trainer (Beech won with the T-6A). Roger Hoh was contracted to help work out handling issues and told me that at high speeds (I don't recall what the engine was -- likely a PT-6) the ailerons drifted up enough to bind the push-pull tubes such that you could move the stick (the test plane had been retrofited with a stick) left or right and it would stay where you put it! All that being said, I like the Mooney controls enough that I recently bought another one. I just keep everything well lubed. Skip
    3 points
  7. Thanks, Andy, One more mystery solved. Way back in the early '90s, I was working on a flight simulator project and since I owned a '78 M20J at the time, contacted with Mooney engineering. Rob McDonnell was VP of engineering at the time and we had a deal that if he sent me engineering data I needed, I would send him estimates of stability derivatives. He sent me some stuff but he freely admitted that Mooney had been through so many ownership, management and personnel changes that many reasons why things were done the way they were were lost. I can't imagine that it's gotten better over the intervening years. It's interesting to piece all this stuff together. Skip
    2 points
  8. @NotarPilot here’s what is involved in a J replacement. About 8-10 hrs to pull the interior maybe 4 to remove and 6 to replace. Side windows took me about 5 hours per window including removal, cleaning of old sealant. I had my windshield done at the shop in accordance with the FARs - experienced Mooney shop took 12 hrs and they were able to reuse the retainer flange. Mine were trimmed very close to match. I brought my old ones to the factory and they only needed to shave about a quarter inch off my front windows. One rear I needed to trim a bit more. Trimming and fitting will take a lot of time if it’s required. You will also need to drill for the pilot window and drill a hole for the lower front corner of the pilot window for a rivet This is a job for summer time or a heated hangar. You risk cracking your new windows in the winter you will almost certainly crack one or two old ones on the way out. Definitely get drill bits for acrylic- note the proper angles for countersinking and go slow. Heat is the enemy. Any cutting or drilling should be done on a protected window surface. I’d say sum it’s about 30-35 hours of “elf labor”.
    2 points
  9. What @mike_elliott said. I pull the power and drop the gear. Those are the only two prerequisites for the maneuver, so then all that's left is to hit the right spot. I've got geometry, pitch, flaps, slips, and speed brakes to help me hit it. That's plenty of tools so no need to complicate things with the gear. At least that's what I'm practicing and it seems to be working out pretty well.
    2 points
  10. When I know where the oil leak is it doesn't bother me as much, it's the ones that I can't figure out that make me nervous... Yes! It is easy to set up and once you do if you go to amazon.com instead of smile.amazon.com it will prompt you to go to the smile site. It does not work if you are using the app on a phone, but that is easy to work around. Just put everything in your cart with the app, then open the web browser on your phone and go to smile.amazon.com. It will all be in your cart, you can place the order, and the Mooney Summit gets the benefit. Either I order too much on Amazon or we need to get more people using the smile link and setting up the Mooney Summit as the charity. I shouldn't be making up close to 5% of what has gone to the Mooney Summit...
    2 points
  11. And don't forget to use smile.amazon.com with the Mooney Summit named as the charity if you want to help out.
    2 points
  12. Yep 14 CFR 43 calls out side windows - but the windshield is an A&P / IA job. "(13) Replacing side windows where that work does not interfere with the structure or any operating system such as controls, electrical equipment, etc."
    2 points
  13. Sorry I apologize for my rush to judgement, at times I have underestimated people's ability to swoop to a much lower level.
    2 points
  14. Remember you are still shunned for your act of treason. Traitor! Hope you remember us every time you fill up that 310.
    2 points
  15. Don't fly with@Marauder, everything else you look at will pale by comparison! Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
    2 points
  16. Your precautionary tell sounds very familiar. When I moved to glass in 2012, it took me close to 10 hours of flying with it to feel comfortable. And this was in a plane that I had been flying IFR since 1993. Getting fixated on all the information they provide is easy to do. Once you get past that transition period, you wonder how you ever flew with steam gauges alone.
    2 points
  17. Test expiration is 24 calendar months. First item in FAR 61.39. I chuckled at the use of the word "hurdle." I kind of say the opposite. It's a "gatekeeper" so you and a DPE don't waste your time. Absent some test-taking disability, if you can't get a 70 on a rote multiple guess test you study for by drilling the questions and answers, you probably should not be near anything with moving parts, let alone an airplane. The real test is the practical. During the oral you actually have to know something and be able to apply it. Some of us indeed manage to learn something in the process. The best ground courses are not directed solely at the knowledge test, but that does not appear to be the more general test prep goal. "Get 'r done!" seems more like it. BTW, I don't think it's been mentioned, but in the get 'r done! department, for my private, instrument, and commercial some time in the last century, I did the weekend ground school offered by Aviation Seminars. Day and a half of drill followed immediately by the test, while it's all fresh in your mind. not too cynical, am I?
    2 points
  18. Side windows are a great project for the Mooney owner... The old ones get removed, the new ones go back in there place... There is a ton of work to clean up the old sealants... start one window at a time.... Have a plan B... a Mechanic you can go to for help, if it gets away... My project got held up by selecting the wrong color... So I replaced one window twice... knowing the right sealant to use is a really good idea too... Drilling acrylic sheet requires the right tools... Research the MS threads to see how it’s been done... lots o pics... PP thoughts, not a mechanic... Best regards, -a-
    2 points
  19. I think we need another feedback category, and this would win it- a little emoticon of a trophy for making an award-quality contribution.
    2 points
  20. That's a good point. I was trying to simplify the explanation by relating to commonly understood wing aerodynamics and that was a mistake. Let's try again with a more correct, though more complex, description: Consider the aileron that is deflected UP. (The effect happens in both directions, but it is easier to visualize with the up aileron). As air flows "up" the deflected aileron, it slows until it reaches the sharp trailing edge where it accelerates "around the corner." This flow pattern creates an adverse pressure gradient along the top surface of the aileron and, at some deflection, flow separation begins to occur. As the flow separates, the force on the aileron, and thus the hinge moment, increases. The effect is not linear and tends to cause the aileron deflection to be limited at some point depending on the mechanics of the control system. The effect increases as TAS2. Beveling the trailing edge reduces the acceleration of the air flowing over the trailing edge by increasing the radius of curvature and thus reduces the adverse pressure gradient which in turn reduces the hinge moment. Skip
    2 points
  21. We don't really have moderators here. The site belongs to Craig, many of us chip in to defray his operting costs. OK, "many of you," since I keep forgetting to mail my check. There may be two or even three admins, and that's it. So it's very much Craig's ball, Craig's bat and Craig's field, so we all play by Craig's rules and enjoy minimal moderation and interference. Starting a dedicated aviation-free zone in this age of division, demands and non-negotiating would create a huge need for moderation and many mods, plus a few obligatory Super Mods for when someone pushed a mod's button a little too hard! I enjoy Mooneyspace like it is. Let's keep it mostly civil, mostly clean and look after ourselves. Sometimes it's difficult and we overstep, but we can man up and apologize afterwards. It really works. Just behave, that's all. And please, no more mostly bare fat pictures!!!
    2 points
  22. Seth - PMA450B without a doubt. DO IT ! ! ! ! :-)
    2 points
  23. Drop me a PM. If you're located at KSWF, I can fly up and meet with you and take you for a hop in my Ovation, and then chat about flight planning and trips. Some good info here, so we can start with that. Steve
    2 points
  24. Yep! Blue by the gallon, with a spray bottle. Just a quart of Red wil last longer . . .
    2 points
  25. I got mine off Amazon Prime. I use a lot more of the Blue so it was nice to get the gallon jug to refill the spray bottle. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X04JRMU/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VSAS1O/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    2 points
  26. The one thing that I did do which made the going a whole lot easier was to buy a Sporty's Electronic E6B for next to nothing on eBay. By the time I got to the test center I knew how to plug in the numbers so well that my fingers danced around the keypad. It was comforting to see the numbers that the unit came up with were one of the three answers on the test. Getting those problems out of the way first allowed me to concentrate on the tougher stuff.
    2 points
  27. I did. I used the King tapes that used for real young Kings. I liked the challenge of IFR and spent a fair amount of time to understand the concepts and not just memorize the answers. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
    2 points
  28. I learned after a visit to our local TRACON, that Flight Following is preferred by controllers. The more VFR airplanes on flight following, the easier their job is. They have to keep everyone away from IFR traffic and at least with FF they know you, your altitude, direction, intentions, and can call you. VFR not on FF is a much higher work load as they have to keep "on you" as they have no idea what the hell you're doing. So be nice to your local ATC and use FF. On another note, the Austin Pilots Facebook group started a campaign to get grocery store gift cards for the ATC staff. The limit on gifts is $20 to federal employees so we just made sure we got $20 gift cards. We met Monday night at a North Austin pub to collect the cards, and last night at a South Austin pub for the same reason. In just under a week, we collected over $5000 in $20 gift cards for the local Austin ATC I should say that the campaign was initiated and kicked off by Ken VeArd. He is the creator of the Pilot Partner electronic log book.
    2 points
  29. Although Garmin makes good products as well, the response you would have received is “see your dealer”. The tech you are dealing with at the dealer most of the times is not a pilot and a lot can get lost in the translation. Being able to work directly with Tech Support is reason enough to go with Avidyne over Garmin. Avidyne just celebrated 25 years in business on private funds. To me that means that they are going to operate more efficiently than if they operate on shareholders’ money. To bring the products to market that they have, working through all of the FAA hoops, proves they know what they are doing.
    2 points
  30. Now for an update from an actual experience with Avidyne. @Bryan Kahl got right back to me, apologized for them dropping the ball last time, or losing me somewhere in the shuffle. He immediately put me on the phone with TJ who leads their tech support team. I gave TJ all the info we had regarding the pin-outs, configuration, software versions, etc. He was able to immediately download the FAA ADS-B data for the day when I'd been flying, and verify that I was successfully communicating with ADS-B ground stations. I wasn't at the plane, so he offered to call me back at my convenience the next morning when I would be at the plane. The next morning, while sitting in the plane, TJ walked me through the various configuration screens. He immediately noticed a Radio ID indicating a SiriusXM radio. I confirmed that yes I have a GDL69a. But I only use it for music, not weather. This was the problem. The IFD, if configured to talk to the GDL69a, it prioritizes that over ADS-B Wx. We changed the configuration to eliminate the GDL69a and immediately the ADS-B weather started coming through. I took the plane up for a couple of laps around the pattern under a very low overcast, and was immediately able to see weather data including METAR's, Ceilings, Winds Aloft, etc. on the IFD540 screen. This was obviously something that two "installers" didn't know about. I really appreciate Avidyne working with me directly, and I certainly understand the whole system a lot better now. I'm still very happy with my Avidyne GPS and will likely install the 440 at some point to complete the IFD stack. Other than this configuration issue, I've never had a single problem with the system. In fact, the CFI working with me on the Commercial rating, commented yesterday at the ease of using the IFD. He only had experience with the Garmin units. As we finished up our lesson on Monday, a thick layer of low clouds had moved in over the airport and we needed a pop up IFR clearance to get down through it. I immediately set up the IFD for the RNAV 35, Vectors, and headed that direction while descending. We then called Approach to get the clearance. By the time we had the clearance, we were already in the right position with the KFC150 and the IFD540 doing all the work. The CFI was very impressed with how easy it all was on the IFD platform and especially how convenient the little bluetooth keyboard it. Thanks again to Bryan and TJ for sorting this out and making it such a good experience.
    2 points
  31. Make sure you keep it interesting. It would be ironic to put a room of anesthetists to sleep.
    2 points
  32. The S35 Bonanza seems to have decent efficiency. 8,500 ft cruise, 48ºF OAT, full MP (21.8" Hg), 2400 RPM and 11.5 GPH. All CHTs under 300ºF. According to my calculations that provided a TAS of 162+ knots and 13.4 NMPG. I'm not sure any Mooney model would do much better. Have I mentioned that I'm really liking this airplane ??
    1 point
  33. Just an update, the ppi is complete. Gene at Northwest Flyers said its definitely an "above average" maintained Mooney, which I suspected, but needed to hear from somebody in the know. He did find the control shaft AD had just come up since the last annual and the seller took care of it. The seller is checking into the ADS-B issue and has confirmed the AMOC is still obtainable, so just waiting to sort that out. In my "limited" experience, this is turning out to be the worst part of the purchase, waiting! I'm ready to get my new bird home!! On a side note, I am having trouble finding a hangar in the ST Pete/Clearwater area. Last resort is to rent a tie down at CLW until a hanger becomes available. I am on several waiting lists with fingers crossed. I figure if I have to put her outside for a little while, this is the time in Florida since the weather is normally mild this time of year. The only other glitch is, I discovered the back up AI wasnt working properly on the test flight. The seller is handling it and sent it off to Castleberry for repair. No word on a time frame for that yet. Andy
    1 point
  34. All the maneuvers are described in FAA-H-8083-3B "The Airplane Flying Handbook." This is one of the references that all the written test questions derive from. It's inexpensive and you can also download PDF from the FAA website for FREE.
    1 point
  35. Drill carefully and slowly! Support the window under the drill with some waste wood that you can drill into. Be very careful . . . . . . . .
    1 point
  36. Bryan, I’m rather anal when it comes to oil leaks and I’m only satisfied when I find the source. When I bought my J it had a small leak at what I thought was the passenger side rear of the engine. The bottom of the fill tube appeared wet. Looking through the logs that fill tube was removed and resealed several times so I started looking elsewhere. It turned out there where two small return hoses under the cylinders and one had a stripped hose clamp so it wasn’t doing it’s job. I replaced it and the oil leak went away. My engine is now pretty dry and I’m satisfied. Just keep cleaning and looking, you’ll find the source and you’ll feel good knowing it’s fixed.
    1 point
  37. So yesterday was the first time I saw the finished product. went for a fly with Quality Avionics tech to check AH LEVEL setting - perfect got a HDG FAIL intermittently which apparently Garmin say is interference - Still looking Fuel flow is showing at about 220% of actual. Can’t fix with fuel calibration as it’s outside their 10% Still looking flew 2.5 hrs yesterday with 4 gps approaches . today 3 hrs 8 approaches. Getting to know this equipment is a big deal. The normal steam gauge instruments aren’t where they used to be and the EIS gauges don’t command the same respect - but I know they must. tip - EIS is sent directly to iPad mini - provides everything you would need - delay is less than 1 second. so you can keep map/charts on MFD and engine on 1 iPad and maybe approach charts on knee or yolk. (Which I do - on pax seat) Havent worked it out yet but VNAV CALC sometimes shows a weird screen on GTN 750 where you can’t input VS or BOT b4 target just a default profile. ?.? But other times as per normal - has had a mandatory update which may explain that. Easy to get fixated inside aircraft . On one occasion I was doing a missed and found myself at an “unusual attitude” (won’t elaborate) and had to disengage auto pilot to recover. So still unsure what I did wrong if anything or if I have a problem with trim motor. ok say I initiated the missed approach which the auto pilot flew. I selected 6000 ft 800 ft/m VS and added full power. the aircraft was in a (I assume) a rate 1 left turn but seemed to pitch up to 2000ft/min climb. it was about now I disconnected the auto pilot to recover from an inevitable stall. on another note I flew a hands off hold with absolutely no input - could have been asleep till I ran out of fuel - not recommended. On returning to Archerfield I was trimming but felt the yolk getting heavy. Put my hand on the trim wheel and it wasn’t moving. A bit of a twist and and started to run - think that’s what caused the unusual attitude. something to be aware of young players. so while I’m prattling on it’s time to remember if you are in imc or Vfr things can go wrong outside your control (trim sticking or vac failure). I thought some might appreciate an honest response for a new learning experience. Warts and all
    1 point
  38. Thanks, Skip, for the explanation. I always wondered why that was the case. The Mooney's ailerons weren't always beveled (see picture, below). They were changed in 1965 when the PC system was added to the airplane. The original ailerons, like mine in the picture, required higher forces to move them and weren't acceptable for the PC servos. I had this conversation with Russell Stallings of SWTA about a year before he died. He noted that because of the aileron design, STEC servos were the only ones that were strong enough to effectively move the ailerons at speed under an air load. I wonder if or how this will be addressed by TruTrak.
    1 point
  39. A local IA told me, “Run out of fuel before you run out of oil.”
    1 point
  40. The top cowl/avionics panel won’t help unless you have Go go gadget arms. You’ll have to reach up from under the panel with your other hand. Having the seats out will help tremendously so you can at least be semi comfortable laying in the cabin floor with the trim wheel in your xyz while your left hand cramps up into a knot. I love it so much I’m laying there now! Here is a video for those that want to see what they are hearing behind the panel when they pull the throttle back. 026EA042-7B66-4F18-9897-1880D7B8C7FC.MOV
    1 point
  41. @LANCECASPER, @afward, @carusoam, et. al. A very basic rule of etiquette online is...
    1 point
  42. I purchased Sporty's IFR course a few months ago and have been working my way through it, a few videos at a time. I think it is a pretty good value. Would buy it again and would recommend it to others. Have not tried any other providers' courses, so not sure how well it compares. After I start IFR flight instruction and when I'm closer to the written test date, I may buy a different course, perhaps King, to augment my training.
    1 point
  43. There are no dark clouds over Avidyne. Respectfully you don't own their products, your comments are negative hearsay with no foundation. I've owned two IFD 540's, one IFD 440 and one IFD 550 plus a couple of their transponders. From the perspective of someone who has paid the money to buy their products, they make great innovative products and take excellent care of the customer. Garmin also makes excellent products but I'm glad we have more than one choice.
    1 point
  44. I used Gleim and found that they needed to offer some video content to make it better. On some subjects (like holding pattern entry) I simply went to youtube to find some videos that filled in the blanks. OH and by the way I passed it this morning 1st try not quite a perfect score but close enough. You know they always word a couple questions funky enough to make you go "WHAT?"
    1 point
  45. The red ones are always faster...
    1 point
  46. Formation flying is so beautiful. I'm extremely grateful for the Mooney Caravan members who volunteer their time to train this discipline. I know several of them hang out here a fair bit, so hopefully a few will see this. Things get a bit wonky around 0:40. It's good to see even that even a guy who flies 100 hours of formation a year can get out of position and need to correct. It makes us mere mortals feel a little better about only being in position in passing.
    1 point
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