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Showing content with the highest reputation on 04/16/2019 in all areas

  1. Having replaced the door window in N2903L "Li'l Sister" this past weekend, tonight we took her on a test flight to see if the window stayed in place. It did. The optical qualities of new "solar gray" acrylic cannot be understated compared to the old 'crazed' green acrylic. Beautiful, smooth, evening in Western Alabama!
    6 points
  2. Gorgeous gusty day in SET (Southeast Tejas). I finished my annual (owner assist) a few weeks ago, did a very nervous, short test flight and then the weather turned. Got back in the air yesterday and could not believe how beautifully she flew. Started instantly, all the numbers in the green, took the gusts like a Mooney should and gracefully landed like a Heron. Lots of boats on the Neches these days as the energy economy booms away. Great to be a pilot, even better to be piloting a Mooney.
    5 points
  3. Pretty much this. You can minimize it but hard to check things like metallurgy. I think this sums it up. Just like the asking price, the depth of the pre-buy is whatever the buyer and seller negotiate and this will vary according to each party's perceived risk and risk tolerance. In my case, I found a 94 J with less than 1200 hours on it that had been well maintained and had some nice avionics upgrades. On the down side, it was burning about 1/2 qt per hour and hadn't been flown much the last few years. I had a thorough pre-buy done by Don Maxwell who personally borescoped the cylinders. No metal in the filter, compressions in the mid-70s, oil analysis was good and trends OK compared to previous several. The engine started and ran well. The airplane seemed a little slower than I recalled my last one, but that was many years ago, with less instrumentation and fewer antennas. I didn't even consider pulling a cylinder. I negotiated a fair price based on known condition (the rest of the pre-buy showed only very minor issues). Twenty five hours after purchase, the oil ring in #4 broke taking out part of the piston skirt and scoring the cylinder. When we pulled the jug (low compression, metal in the filter) we found the cam spalled. So, now I have a rebuilt A3B6. Cost some money, but I ditched the dual mag, and got roller lifters and a zero-time logbook. Maybe the ring was broken before I bought it. Maybe we could have figured it out if we had pulled the #4 jug. Maybe we should have pulled them all. Maybe we should have disassembled the entire engine. I think at some point you just have to accept that buying a 25-year-old piece of complicated machinery is a risky proposition. The point is: I'm fine with my decision based on what I knew at the time; others might have wanted to probe further. Skip
    4 points
  4. Last Sunday, my airplane decided that it wanted it’s magneto and ignition switch to fail. I’m doing the work with my mechanic, who is 66 and 300 pounds, so we pulled the seats to more easily get under the panel. While messing around with the seats, I noticed that a small section in the baggage compartment still had the old pink insulation. I figured now is as good a time as any to inspect the rest of the airplane for any remainder pink insulation. We pulled all of the carpet, and panels, and headliner. We found that the only pink insulation was in the baggage compartment passenger side wall, as well as everything above the headliner. The rest of it had already been changed out with the new stuff. I thought this was kind of weird but glad that at least most of it was done. I checked the frame over really well, and seems to be clear of any corrosion. I pulled all the pink stuff and I’m going to order new today. I just talked to Air we found that the only pink insulation was in the baggage compartment passenger side wall, as well as everything above the headliner. The rest of it had already been changed out with the new stuff. I thought this was kind of weird but glad that at least most of it was done. I checked the frame over really well, and seems to be clear of any corrosion. I pulled all the pink stuff and I’m going to order new today. I just talked to Airtex - and I’m going to order a new headliner and Carpet Panels. I’ve got a friend of mine that does upholstery work, does amazing work, so I’m going to let him do my seats. Yes, I am going to send a swatch off to have it fire tested. I took pictures and will post them here, not as much to show off my handiwork, but so that others will have a place to go when they are scared shit less like I am of putting their airplane back together again LOL. Well I took lots of pictures, I just don’t see how the airplane Will ever go back like it was. Just kidding, kind of. Any tips or suggestions for the headliner, or the rest of it for that matter, would be greatly appreciated.
    3 points
  5. Oh, sure, if you hang stuff from the ceiling you have plenty of space.
    3 points
  6. Make sure it’s can withstand high winds, no point having a hangar full of nice stuff collapse when hit by a strong thunderstorm. Tom
    3 points
  7. Would you recommend having the hangar 60 wide, or 60 long, and why? 60' wide, wings are longer than fuselages. You'll appreciate extra room on the sides to stay clear of the wingtips. What type of door would you recommend? Rolling door, bifold, single piece hydraulic? My hangar was build in '89 and has the easiest rolling doors I've ever opened. They are No/low maintenance. I do not have a lot of experience with a bi-fold or single hydraulic doors so can't comment on the benefits. How wide would you recommend the door be? As wide as the hangar design will allow, if you spend time in the hangar when you are not flying you will want to open it up and let the breeze flow through. Lights - I know nothing about them. What kind if lights should I put in? I have 12 Cooper high bay LED lights in a 60x60 area of my hangar, they do the job well and don't even put a ripple in my electric bill (they are on 8 hrs a day/5 days a week). Skylights - I have been told there are two types. Those that leak and those that will leak. I noticed how pitch black my neighbors hanger is with no skylights, and how bright my other neighbors is with skylights. Are they worth it? I would put as few holes in the roof as possible, put side light panels up high in the walls or leave the LED lights on. Water leaks do lots of damage to items inside a hangar. What are the other big elements that I am missing? Any questions I should be asking? I would plan for a single car garage door and/or windows on the back wall of the hangar to open so you can get some nice airflow through the building when you are hanging out in your hangar (No matter where you live, a metal box in the summer sun can get pretty hot).
    3 points
  8. Have been off the net for a while doing some corporate flying, but found some time to do this interior. Seat Package, Flooring, and Glareshield repairs-thought I would share the B4 and Aftr. "Rico" Lenway M20C.pptx
    2 points
  9. 2 points
  10. I thought you retired when we were still using transparencies using acetate slides? [emoji1787] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
    2 points
  11. I used to make a living out of creating PPT presentations... A hint to how long I have been retired... Now it’s a challenge... I have to upload this file to PowerPoint on my iPad... wish me luck... i’m Going in..... Best regards, -a-
    2 points
  12. Pirate? Proctologist? (scary thought- a Pirate Proctologist with a hook for a hand)
    2 points
  13. Al Mooney would probably also be amazed that (1) his 1967 C is still flying, and (2) it just had its 1967 door window changed...
    2 points
  14. Al Mooney would be amazed... spectacular clarity of the window + HD camera! great Pic! Best regards, -a-
    2 points
  15. Fellas, as a cfii, I can assure you that you can log PIC during all your instrument training... guess what, the cfii can as well. Yep, you can both log pic as long as you are sole manipulator and the cfii is providing instruction. Even in imc on an ifr flight plan. If you still need xc pic time you can log that while getting ifr training too, just do an approach and landing at a destination 50nm away. All this is covered under below links. It requires you be licensed to act as pic... so not a student pilot. Now, it still wouldn’t hurt to have the cfii named on your insurance as he’s providing instruction and I could see the insurance company coming after him if something happens... gear up after an approach to mins? https://www.aopa.org/training-and-safety/learn-to-fly/legacy-pages/aviation-subject-report-logging-pilot-in-command-pic-time Also covered in the FAA CFI magazine about a year ago. Let me know if anyone wants me to dig that one up.
    2 points
  16. My tale reflects the ignorant bliss flying w/o a monitor. 40 years ago in my M20E I was climbing through 5000' after a fuel stop in DE enroute to MA. I was over NJ when the engine "swallowed a valve". I had to dead stick onto an airport, luckily in gliding range. Had it happened shortly after take off or over different terrain or in IMC the outcome would have been more than just inconvenient. In those days, with a single analog CHT gauge and a single EGT we went by the book which was 25 ROP, right in the red zone. I believe a monitor could well have given me a heads up before the #3 exhaust valve burned in 2.
    2 points
  17. I bought my 201 in mid '09. The airframe had low hours, the engine had less than 200 hours (on the lycoming factory overhaul) in 10 years, but a recorded "pickled" period in the log books (to include oil used, dessicant, etc etc). I had a thorough pre-buy inspection conducted and flew out to view the aircraft myself, prior to making the purchase. I did not have a cylinder pulled, mainly due to ignorance and lack of research on the subject. Compressions came back in the high 70's on each cylinder, and while there were a couple issues with the aircraft (older hoses, light hail, older baffle seals, improper pre-loads on the gear). the majority of the aircraft looked servicable (very clean inner wing with evidance of anti-corrosion sprays, new donuts on the gear mounts, new tires, new aux fuel pump, some other new bits and pieces). long story short, I felt the bads and the goods were balanced well and put in an offer 5k under asking price which was promptly accepted. Fast forward 2.5 years. My motor is in Portland being overhauled at 400hrs tsmoh. spalled lifters, cam coming apart, evidence of corrosion in the cylinders that was worn off during my ownership... but the damage was already done. the initial compression checks didn't catch it, since the corrosion was initially *helping* the compressions. Once all the corrosion wears off, though, and the uneven wear begins, oil consumption picks up rapidly (which was clue 1). the spalling from the cam& lifters only gets worse as well (metal showing up first with increased wear in oil analysis, then in the oil filter). I'm not a rich man, and while I can swing the overhaul with savings, it is a stretch and a service action that I wasn't hoping to have to go through. regardless, it is a risk of ownership and one should probably not embark on aircraft ownership without considering the *need* to overhaul their motor. If I were to do it again, I would have insisted that a jug be pulled to inspect the cam. If the aircraft that I was looking at, though, had a relatively new motor with low time (say 200 hours a year or so) and verifiable logs showing regular use, I would probably not have a jug pulled. JMHO.
    2 points
  18. Wow that's hardcore. The sight of this thread must have made you puke
    1 point
  19. Sadly not available for the proper Android OS.
    1 point
  20. How is it working with the Airtex people? Its been 20 years since I did interior work on My old M20C... they were a father / son team... Just came across some notes from the conversation related to my order... Plan on doing everything while you are in there, once it goes back, it probably won’t come out for another decade. Antenna cables are a new standard lately... RG400 or something like that... the cable that operates the roof vent needs to be updated to something that doesn’t rust and stick.... The drain tube that was Tygon / plasticized PVC... needs a better material... that stays flexible and connected... the roof gets hot, the platicizer comes out of the clear tubing, the tubing gets stiff and brittle... and doesn’t drain properly in the end... Other than that... everything looks great... proper tape to keep the wind out, proper insulation to keep it warm, and add stereo wires for your back-seaters... don’t forget a USB power plug while you are in there.... PP thoughts only... Best regards, -a-
    1 point
  21. The majority of the cam issues appear to be the 200 HP IO-360 engines. I rarely hear issues with the O-360. My airplane has sat quite a bit the last 2 years while working on the cowling in a dry heated hangar. When I sell it later this year, for issues mentioned, am not inclined to pull a cylinder on my O-360. If I choose to do it, it will be me doing it and not someone else. I have a mock-up 360 engine case and I’ve brought my borescope home and have yet to find a way to get up to the camshaft and I can see through the engine. David
    1 point
  22. Thanks, @carusoam. Yes, that's my home hangar. Hangar is sporting a couple bikes this time of year, too.... People pic is my next door neighbor and my son, who helped maneuver the RV in w/o damaging anything. With the roll-up door and driveway, it's a single-person job now. One more note: if the OP knows what's going in the hangar, work with some graph paper and overhead view cutouts to scale. One of the many great things about the mooney in a rectangular hangar is that: because of the shape of the horizontal stab, you can cock the whole plane sideways by 15-25* and gain at least 2' of front-to-back room. -de
    1 point
  23. Right - however, most of it had already been pulled, I’m in there anyway, may as well pull it and update it. That’s my thinking anyway.
    1 point
  24. I love it! Proactive planning! I nominate @Culver LFA Southeast Regional President. You'll probably win unopposed, by a landslide if lunch is good . . . . .
    1 point
  25. Fun spending other people's money. In addition to the great ideas above, here's what I would look for: 1) by far the most important...water...and a toilet (full bathroom is awesome) for the last minute pit stops before departure or upon arrival. After having a hangar for 5 years w/o direct water (it was at the end of the hangar row), I'm amazed at how much more usable it makes the hangar--we do a lot of hangar get together and parties so this is key 2) I have the manual stacker doors and they are ok. They roll fairly easily but I'd much rather have power bifold doors with a remote control left in the plane and the car(s). A friend has this and I'd definitely spring for this personally. I would make the door as large as possible 3) 50x60 or 60x50. No specific experience but I think I'd go with wider unless it drives up the cost of the door dramatically. 4) I have 4 panels that let light in...not really skylights (like MooneyFlyFast above)...ironically the leak that I do have has nothing to do with these panels 5) I'd put plenty of power (at least 1-220) around the walls and overhead lights as pernitted by code or the airport authority...I've heard of a lot of weird rules on this one 6) seal the concrete floor with whatever solution you choose as soon as the concrete is dry enough. 7) flat screen tv's for sporting events, couches, satellite TV, frigerator Good luck!
    1 point
  26. Redo all your antenna cables if you have not. run some extra coax for GPS antennas if you have not already
    1 point
  27. Where you really notice old pucks is on electric gear planes, with squat switches and nice cold days. You can’t get the gear up because the donuts which are already dried out to some degree, won’t expand to activate the switch. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
    1 point
  28. Monroe would be my choice over Wilgrove, particularly if weather is other than VFR, and if it turns out that the Rock Hill fees are real. You should confirm with a phone call. Stop by MRN and check us out, particularly if it's Fri or Mon to meet AGL folks. Lynn might be around on a Saturday if he knows you're coming...
    1 point
  29. EQY is almost always cheaper and 8a6 is further from rock hill.
    1 point
  30. The Navy and the FAA were holdouts of expressing current in the direction of electron flow, but their conventions were backwards from the rest of the universe (thanks to Ben Franklin). The FAA is now apparently kind of neutral or transitioning to more common convention, and I don't know how the Navy teaches it these days, i.e., whether they're still "backwards" or not. And we'll probably have the difference between whether sqrt(-1) is i or j for a much longer time.
    1 point
  31. people are getting their transport vs data protocol interchanged. Time to get out the 7 layer OSI model.
    1 point
  32. Im sure this one has at least 1150lbs. Mt prop is only 54lbs vs the normal 80lbs prop.
    1 point
  33. KEQY is very nice, or was when I last visited. It's now "Charlotte Executive," under the Bravo shelf, complete with some very nice jets. Leaving at dusk and heading north under the Bravo is a beautiful route. Never been to the two you asked about . . . .
    1 point
  34. Wedding is in Rock Hill. Lancaster has a $50/night fee as well. Waived with fuel purchase for the first night. Monroe has more reasonable overnight rates at $10/night. Must be a pretty popular area to command those overnight fees. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
    1 point
  35. My tow bar snaps onto the back of the rear seat. (This is an old pic, tow bar has been painted since!)
    1 point
  36. these are great thanks!! I only got 3 off list emails about things people saw wrong on my plane. At least they didnt out me in public. You should be fine.
    1 point
  37. As long as the inspection was done shortly after jacking the plane up, and not after taking your lunch break or checking MooneySpace first . . . I replaced my vintage 1969 pucks in late 2012, and could not be happier (or more surprised!) by the improvement in taxiing and landing. It wasn't inexpensive, but it sure is nice!
    1 point
  38. Here are main gear pictures, with recent grease from my 70-day, no-owner-assist-allowed, zero-communication annual oozing out of them. It was all very clear on the creeper, less so looking at the pictures . . . . The last one is behind the tire, looking aft. Wait a minute, am I crazy for posting pictures of my less-than-show-ready airplane on thus site??? Be nice, guys . . . . I'm trying to be helpful here!
    1 point
  39. I was just about to say the same thing. I'm not sure which I like less. The oscillation makes me cringe, thinking a prop strike is imminent. These are not sophisticated suspension systems.
    1 point
  40. At the airport now...my strobe power supply is the second inspection plate in towards the back...it has 4 extra screws...
    1 point
  41. I have posted this before with others who have had similar needs. These parts can be copied by using them as a mold and laying up fiberglass over them. You can use mold release wax, saran wrap or similar to cover the part. Ultimately use flame retardant resin. It really is not too difficult to do. I would not expect Plane Plastics to make this part as there are not enough to be sold. The part you see in the picture as a hand lay-up with shape modifications I wanted, starting with a very beat-up original Mooney part. John Breda
    1 point
  42. A new breaker is on order. I think this is a good place to start. The alt breaker pops out with almost no effort. I broke my fingernail trying to pop the breaker right next to it. Excuse the dirty fingers. Old airplanes do that to you! 20190413_022518.mp4
    1 point
  43. You know, statements like this can create a riot on MS!
    1 point
  44. owning a Rocket is a lot like being married to Raquel Welch......Very few would expect her to cook also!
    1 point
  45. Well, I lack self Discipline then!!!...... An I love it.
    1 point
  46. Had to use the "Confused" emoji since I could not find the one for "Holy $h!t".
    1 point
  47. That's likely to be the throttle alarm microswitch that sets off the alarm when you pull throttle with the gear up. It's based on throttle position, not MP
    1 point
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