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  1. Just to update all my fellow MooneySpace Family, I was the PIC of this flight. It happened quick as most emergencies do. We (my family and I) were in solid IMC at 5k when I lost almost all power very suddenly and without warning. I worked through the emergency procedures checklist but had no success. I advised ATC of my issues and started a descent to VMC about 1000’ ft below. After the emergency procedures didn’t recover the power loss, I advised I was declaring and proceeded to get vectors for the nearest field. I was about 9 miles from the nearest and I worried if I lost the engine we may not glide all the way to the field. When we broke out, I could see what I thought was an airstrip about a mile or two off the nose. ATC advised I was near a private airfield and I thought that’s what I was looking at. I informed ATC of my intentions to circle this field and make a landing. We landed safely and not a scratch on my family or the plane, thank god! Only after I landed did I find out we landed on the Consumer Reports testing facility track. It’s about 4400’ long and makes a great emergency LZ! Now to work through the process to determine what happened and what’s next. This is a sobering reminder of why to practice practice practice, constantly refresh yourself with the POH and your checklists and stay sharp! I credit my save to my flight training and the many days I spent with my CFI working through this stuff! I will continue to be a student of the game and always press myself to study, practice and stay sharp! …..your life and others depend on it!
    51 points
  2. Hello all, I am the passenger of N231GZ - M20 Rocket Engineering conversion to turbo prop inner-cooled. I'm not a pilot so I only know a little bit. Pilot/ Physician is instrument rated for 22 years. Trained in a Mooney because it was built in Texas and could be converted by Rocket. We travel throughout Texas doing exams for the state for work injuries. Hangered in Addison field for 22 years. IFR coming home from our monthly trip to Abilene, 5 mile final 2000 ft. locked onto the ILS, engine failure. Pilot tried multiple things to restart with no success, then just "flew the airplane". Couldn't see the ground until about 400ft. and saw the street/ trees, not a very hard landing until we were lunged forward. Prop was feathered before we crashed. We now know we hit the light pole, but I think the left wing was still attached and barely on fire when we were pulled from the plane. Neither of us lost conscience, the handle fell off inside and I was unable to open the door. Someone came up to the window and we told him to pull outer latch and they got us out. I am now home with broken radius, repaired with surgery, broken facial bones will not require surgery. Pilot fractured L2 that severed nerve, had surgery and nerve will heel in 18 months but may have a drop foot, and stitches in forehead. He should be home in a few days. If he weren't such an amazing pilot with a ton of experience and God watching over us, we wouldn't have made it for sure!
    41 points
  3. Hey Folks: It's been a while since I've posted and for that I apologize. I've been working diligently to keep Mooney alive and kicking and to put us in a position to become self-sustaining so we can concentrate on the more important stuff: Developing the retrofit landing gear to increase useful load and building brand new Ultras. Although we have kept parts moving, I'm well aware that there is frustration at the delays and in some cases, your inability to get certain parts. Some of this is a result of supply chain issues and some of it is that we simply don't have the resources to purchase the vendor inventory we need. I promise you that we are working on ways to remedy this. Many of you have written or called me offering your support and suggestions. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that. Some of your ideas are great and if I haven't been able to implement them, it's simply because we don't yet have the resources. We have just formally re-opened the Factory Service Center. One way you can support us, is to book an appointment and have the factory service your plane. We're competitively priced and whether it's for an annual or some vexing issue that no one else seems able to fix, come down to Kerrville and the folks that built your plane will take care of it. We'll also show you around the factory and if I'm available, I'll stop by so we can talk Mooney in person. The service center number is: (830) 792-2064 and the email is FSC@Mooney.com We look forward to hearing from you and I thank you for your continued support. Warmly, Jonny
    40 points
  4. There are a few days in a lifetime that are especially memorable. In my case it would be my birthday, Shirley's Birthday, the day we met 41½ years ago, and the day I closed on N9148W, 31 years and 12½ thousand flight hours ago today. Little did I know at the time the life changing event that would be. Before I bought it, I was in awe of anyone who owned an airplane, and anyone who owned a Mooney TLS had to be in a different league than me. I remember sitting in the airplane that day and thinking, "what have I done?" Will I even be able to learn how to fly this thing? It was intimidating. I had, Suzanne, Top Gun's pilot and a flight instructor, fly with me down to San Antonio where I took the Flight Safety Mooney M20M Course. After the course, I was still uncomfortable and had, Paul Arrambide, my flight instructor fly back with me to San Diego, where I showed my family what I had done. My Mother had not a few reservations. A PPP the following March in Fresno, where I flew with Jerry Johnson and met my soon to be mentor instructor, Robert Goldin, who fortuitously lived close by me, changed the direction of my life. Who ever heard of someone changing from a Real Estate Developer into a Flight Instructor? I did it. Real Estate became a sideline and Aviation took front and center. It still does. It's a passion and never gets boring. Along the way I've met hundreds and hundreds of people who became my students and later my friends. I've met many top educators in the aviation field. Most of them were dedicated teachers. What an experience it has been and continues to be. After all this time, buying my airplane was one of the best decisions I have ever made. It's a special day indeed.
    38 points
  5. I’ve gone back-and-forth on how to make a post like this. I want to tell a story of my experience, but it’s also so important to highlight a specific group of people on this forum that helped me accomplish a goal I’ve had for more than a decade. When I was into my 30s I never thought I would be a person who would be a pilot. I loved airplanes but I always assumed it was for other people, not me. I was well-established in a career, and just just really didn’t give it much thought. But that all changed, when my wife gave me the gift of a discovery flight for my birthday in 2009. Without trying to get too deep into that story, the point is I did become a pilot. I am now a pure addict, and will be for my entire life. And when you become a pilot, I think the first thing we all think of is how to get our own airplane. Or we at least dream about having our own airplane while we accomplish flying for a living. But I bet it still comes up as a possibility sometimes. But I also know that for many of us that possibility seems unrealistic. Even impossible. But it’s not. Well... I bought an airplane! A real one! I can’t even type it without welling up. Now there’s a reason that that statement carries such weight for me. I was never a person of great means and was someone who was never really in a position to buy such things. I mean, I’m just a mail carrier... I’m not even a cool one that got to fly an airplane to deliver it! But on the other side of that token, I had also never been motivated as much as I have in aviation - and by the people I’ve met in it. Because of those people, my amazing wife and my motivation, I was able to accomplish and check off one of my great goals in life. I bought an airplane!! I OWN a damn airplane!! How cool is that? This is the part where I have to give people some kudos that have become some of my best friends and just some truly awesome people here on MooneySpace. In addition to that, my first airplane buying experience was truly exceptional. It was about as detached from my expectations as I think it could have been. It was a completely unexpected experience. I’ve been lucky enough to fly so many wonderful Mooney’s, because of these gracious pilots. But I had finally decided that it was time for me to look for an airplane that would be special to me. It wasn’t just a thing for me to own, it really was something I wanted to be proud of and take care of. It was a big deal for me. These wonderful people and good friends gave me advice, tips, spreadsheets, and all of the things to do to find the airplane that was right for me. In addition to that I think they were just as excited for me as I was for myself. And that made it even better. So then one day one of the people I had admired on this forum was selling his best friends airplane, after he unfortunately passed. It was something he was doing for that family and just wanted it to go to a good home. He wanted someone to take care of it, for it to be special. This next part is how I know that people around me were vested in my success. I never had a chance to even see the post, before my friends were text messaging me about this airplane. Within minutes. As I write this though, I realized they may not of actually been vested in my success, they may just have been trying to find a way to get me to stop bothering them to fly their airplanes. Seriously that might actually be the real reason. Nevertheless, they helped me through every part of the process and I can’t thank them enough. But thank you @gsxrpilot, @N9405V, @Bryan, @acdc, @JNDZ, Kiwi. There are others too but, they either don’t use this platform or I can’t remember their usernames. Hehe. But please know that you are included in this, and I am talking to you too. For those of you who know who these people are please feel free to tag them. Now back to my process of buying an airplane. We all know there are tons and tons of stories about terrible buying experiences. Unfortunately there’s a lot of sleaze in this business. But moreover, a lot of un-empathetic people. So my expectations for purchasing an airplane were made very clear to me early on. I was going to probably be dealing with someone with much more wealth than I and would not be very amenable to a process that was financially epic for me. This was not what happened. Not at all. Every person I talked to, told me if I was going to buy an airplane from anyone, it would be this person. They were right. In epic fashion. From the moment I talked to @Yooper Rocketmanfor the first time on the phone until we shook hands on that cold day in Iron Mountain when I bought his best friends airplane - it was the most wonderful experience I think a person could have. He was helpful, patient, honest, friendly and truly one of the nicest human beings I’ve ever met. He told me these wonderful stories about his friend and that airplane. And then we flew it together like he and his best friend used to. He was visibly melancholy. I was welcome in his home, with his wonderful wife. I was welcome with his friends. But the most important is that I was welcome into his Lancair IV-P Turbine... My God that thing... I’m not kidding, that was one of the coolest rides I’ver ever had in an airplane! I don’t say that lightly either. I’ve flown in a Nakajima Kate, a Nanchang CJ6 and even a Curtis Helldiver to name a few. But back to the story. Because of my friends, I was able to find an airplane that wasn’t just an airplane. It was its own story. It was this special thing that had memories and history. It was something for me to take care of. That’s when I realized I wasn’t buying a thing, I was being given stewardship. And because of Tom I was able to receive it. I will honor that. I will add new memories and more history to pass on to someone else one day. Probably after I spend too much on the panel and run out of money. Until then though, I will never be able to repay my friends for what they gave me without even knowing it, and wanting nothing in return other than my success. I thank you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have people to go tell all of the details about my airplane to, even if they don’t wanna hear it. And update my MooneySpace profile with MY tail number! 5AA3AE01-7C81-4507-BBBD-FB1F8C11025B.MOV
    37 points
  6. It was 12 February, 1973, my Dad brought 47U home from Willmar Air Service to a 1/2-mile long grass strip (2Y5) in Northern Iowa. With Mom in the right seat, they enjoyed 35 years of flying the Mooney all over the country. Getting up there in years, in 2008 he gave up his medical and I brought 47U out to California, just north of Sacramento. I learned to fly in a Tri-Pacer (on the farm strip) and owned a Cherokee 160 for 20 years. But, 47U is my forever plane, just like it was Dad’s. Photo below, my Mom and Dad on a trip to the Dallas area to visit her sister.
    35 points
  7. Well, we left N252AD in Smithville, TX in the capable hands of JD and Laura Casteel at SWTA. It's time for the big one. Her engine made it to 1830 hours on the original cylinders and turbo. But she's definitely tired. Only one cylinder was able to make compression over about 50. And her belly is just one long oil slick all the way to the tail skid. The governor is leaking oil as well, and the vacuum pump can't seem to muster enough power to deploy the speed brakes anymore. This year's annual will include an engine overhaul and Encore conversion. The engine, turbo, waste gate, governor, and fuel pump will all go to Jewell Aviation for overhaul and conversion from an MB to an SB engine. All of the other Encore parts are laid out and organized by Laura, ready for installation. This includes new double puck brakes and all the associated parts and pieces. New control surface counter weights, instrument remapping, and the engine stuff. We will also swap the vacuum speed brakes for electric and remove the remainder of the vacuum system. And finally swap the dangling compass for a panel mounted version. We're looking forward to a horse power increase and useful load in the 1100 lb range when it's all said and done. To say nothing of a clean belly. A big thanks to @Denver98 for picking us up in Smithville and giving us a ride back to Denver in a Cessna 421. A very nice ride.
    35 points
  8. I bought my 81 J model Mooney in New Mexico in 1998. It had been inactive for several years and the logs could not be found. A couple of days ago (22 years and 2,400 hours later) I received a call from a gentleman from a small town in NM. He said that his father had operated a one man aircraft repair shop for many years prior to his death about 5 years ago. While cleaning out the contents of his father's hangar recently he found my logs which he kindly agreed to send me. He refused any compensation--even the cost if sending the logs. We had a nice visit and he seemed like a really nice guy. He is getting a huge Honey Baked ham which I hope his family will enjoy. Like the title says, aviation people are the best.
    35 points
  9. I called Anthony tonight , and all is well... He has put down the keyboard and ventured out to smell the roses for a little while.... No problems , or issues , just didnt want to commit the huge amount of time , that he has been for all these years.... He will be back , e v e n t u a l l y ..... Carry on....
    32 points
  10. Just to update everyone, Upon inspection with the FAA Inspector and A&P/IA, they found that the internal baffles had broken off inside the muffler. The FAA Inspector and IA noticed heat marks and deformation on the inlet pipes going into the muffler housing indicating that the exhaust gases couldn't flow smoothly out of the exhaust and became trapped. They determined that the piece of the exhaust baffles had become lodged and obstructed almost all of the exhaust exit hole in the muffler, thus causing the immediate reduction in power and inability for the engine to run properly or make any power to maintain flight. They did say that they had seen this once before on a different aircraft and normally when a muffler fails the pieces simply blow out the tailpipe. I guess I got very unlucky that mine got stuck. I was very lucky however, that i had such a great spot to make an emergency landing!! We got a new muffler overnighted and made the necessary repairs yesterday. The FAA approved all of the work and all the ground runs showed that the problem was corrected. I was able to take off yesterday afternoon with the plane and fly it back to my local field. I played it safe and made the trip at a high altitude so I had options should any issues arise on the way back. I will say that the FAA Inspector was amazing and did a great job. He never approached with the attitude that he was out to get me and if anything, he was extremely understanding and compassionate to the issues. He reiterated several times that I did the right thing and made safe decisions to result in this positive outcome. He said this is why we have emergency procedures and pilots should never hesitate to use them! Then he said, Never let your pride get in the way of your safety! Thanks all for the kind words above and thanks for reading. Stay safe and fly Smart- Matt
    32 points
  11. I was looking forward to this year's Mooney Summit. Really bummed it was postponed. Nevertheless, I still wanted to hold the presentation I had planned to do, but virtually. I don't have a solid date and time yet, but thinking Thursday, October 21st at 8 p.m. EDT...will post the official time here once I can solidify my schedule. I'll be more than happy to do this assuming I can get a good number to attend (say 30 or more). If there's very little interest, I won't bother. So, please add a "Thanks" or "Like" to this post if you are interested so I can get a feeling for the number of you that might be willing to attend.
    32 points
  12. I will miss the Mooney speed and efficiency. I look forward to seeing my Mooney friends at OSH and other venues. My mission is the same, family trips and Pilots n Paws. The plan is to go slower and burn more dinosaurs doing just that. Sean
    32 points
  13. Many of you asked me to post - hopefully some of you know me and it doesn’t come across as brag - but wanted to share pics of my wonderful bird - she comports like a long body but doesn’t float down - it’s power on until wheel hit - same concept of more trim trim trim - she’s heavier and a dream come true Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    32 points
  14. I let @carusoam take me to lunch just so I could get a lot of likes here on Mooneyspace. Ladies and gentlemen, the ambassador of Mooneyspace Mr Anthony Caruso: He’s ignoring me cause he’s probably busy checking Mooneyspace! PS, I heard Anthony managed to get re-current in his airplane for the first time in years!
    30 points
  15. I know a few of you are already aware of my incident on 09/30, but I've been hesitant to post anything until the insurance company made their determination re repair vs write-off. Also, having a forced landing off-airport is an awkward situation to find oneself in, and I've needed time to process the event and my responses to it before opening the topic up for discussion on an open forum. Aircraft background: M5779R is a 1985 M20K (231) with many positive aftermarket mods, including GAMIjectors, intercooler and wastegate, 3-blade McCauley prop (hot), Aspen PFD, JPI 830, Garmin 430, and Garmin ADS/B In/out transponder. The engine was rebuilt in 2016 prior to my purchase, and had less than 100 hrs SMOH when I bought it in 2018. I have flown her nearly 500 hours since then. I had a great deal of work done at annual last year, including replacement of the #6 cylinder, Prop governor overhaul, new right-side exhaust header, replacement of ALL belts and hoses, new gascolator, and multiple other smaller jobs. At the time of the incident 79R had flown 143 hours since last annual. On the date above I was flying from KABI to KDGW in a clear VFR sky to do some hunting with friends. I had stopped for fuel at Borger, TX, and was about an hour into the second leg of the flight at 12,500' when I had a sudden partial loss of power. I had been cruising at usual settings, 32" MP and 2450 RPM and 11.0 GPH (approx. 50% power setting) with a 12 knot tailwind. With the power loss my manifold pressure dropped below 20", but RPM's stayed around 2400. My first thought was that I had a fuel flow problem, so immediately switched tanks and hit the low boost switch. No change. Airspeed had dropped significantly, but the autopilot was holding my altitude and the engine was still making some power. IIRC, CHT's and TIT were fine, but the JPI was reading 20% power output and dropping. Half of my brain was trying to puzzle out the cause of the power loss, but the larger part of my brain was saying, "Look for a place to land, establish best glidespeed, try to restart the engine, and declare an emergency," over and over again. So that's what I did. I looked around at the flat eastern Colorado terrain, saw no airport; looked at my Foreflight moving map, and saw the Limon airport about 25 miles ahead of me and no other marked airfield. My airspeed was still above best glide at this point. Looking back on it now, I estimate that the time elapsed up to this point in the emergency was about 20-25 seconds. The engine was still running, so a restart was obviously not necessary; so I pushed the prop control full forward and there was no change. In fact, I noted that my RPM's were starting to climb irrespective of the position of the prop control. This was my first clue that I had an oil pressure problem. I then looked at the oil pressure gauge, and it was pegged on zero. This was the "Aha!" moment, and I went fully into my power-off landing checklist that I've had stamped in my brain since my earliest flight training. I switched off the magnetos, which caused immediate slowing of the aircraft, and of course also meant no vacuum pressure, so I began setting my attitude manually to best glide (88 KIAS). I keyed the mic and informed Denver Center I was declaring an emergency. The controller, who sounded very young, immediately experienced a 2-octave increase in his voice pitch, by which I gathered he was pretty new to this situation. I advised ATC I had lost power and was descending without power, and intended to land on either a road or an open field, unless he could vector me to an unmapped airfield closer to my position. I started at 6500' AGL, and estimated I had about 10 miles maximum glide range. There were several roads and a paved highway ahead of me, so I simply maintained my heading and descended at best glide speed. As I got closer to the ground it was apparent that the highway was far too busy with vehicle traffic to safely land on, so I decided to try for the nearest east-west gravel road, which I estimated was just within my glide range. However, it became clear quite soon that I wasn't going to get that far. As I dropped below 1000' AGL, I lowered my landing gear (I still had lots of battery power for the gear motors) and advised ATC I'd be landing in a pasture. I maintained clean configuration for airspeed, and the mains touched down a about 70 KIAS. I kept lots of backpressure on the yoke to keep the nosegear off the ground as long as possible. When I could keep the nose up any longer I started braking, but almost immediately hit a shallow cowpath and the nosegear collapsed. I skidded to a stop within about 50 yards of the cowpath. When the airplane stopped, I made sure all switches were off, unfastened my seat belt, and exited the aircraft. There was no gasoline smell, and no smoke, so I didn't hurry. I found I was less than 100 feet from the county road I'd been hoping to land on, and about 150 yards from the paved highway. All kinds of vehicles were turning onto the county road to check on the "crash scene". One kind young man offered the warmth of his car to sit in while I dealt with the necessary phone calls. ATC at Denver called within a few minutes (to see if I was alive), and of course my first outgoing call was to my wife to let her know I was down but OK. ATC got emergency services on the way and I was soon talking to the sheriff's deputy, fielding calls from the FAA and NTSB, and so forth. Eventually all the ducks were lined up as well as could be, and the deputy gave me a lift to a hotel in Limon, where my wife picked me up in her truck the next day. My insurance company has decided to sell N5779R for salvage, and I've signed the bill of sale. Unfortunately, I hadn't anticipated the rise in airplane prices this year, or I'd have re-insured her for what I could sell her for today (about $80,000 more than I paid for her!). I was not injured in the incident. I attribute this to the sound construction of Mooney aircraft, and to the thoroughness of my flight instructor(s) who drummed the engine-out landing checklist into my brain. At no time during the incident did I feel scared or panicked... I just did what I knew had to be done and flew the airplane all the way to the end of the landing rollout. Easy-peasy. I know a lot of people don't have as happy an outcome when they experience an engine failure. I realize that I was fortunate to have perfect conditions for my off-airport landing, or I might not have had as happy an outcome myself. If I had been over rough country or mountainous terrain, or flying at night, or IFR over low ceilings, my landing may have been a crash. But because I had clear visibility and plenty of flat terrain to choose a landing spot on, it was relatively uneventful. On the other hand, if it hadn't been for the cowpath that collapsed my nosegear, I would likely be having my airplane fixed right now rather than shopping for a new one. I share this experience with my fellow Mooney pilots because it may help someone else in their aeronautical decision making process or in their flight planning process. I am an avid reader/viewer of aviation-gone-bad articles and videos myself, am constantly learning from them. I hope this experience might help someone else be prepared in case of an emergency of their own. Postscript on the engine failure: when I landed, the entire belly of the airplane was covered with engine oil. I did not remove the cowling then and there, as more than one helpful idiot has suggested I should have done (including the guy from NTSB that called me 20 minutes after my airplane came to a stop in the pasture) but when the salvage crew got it to a nice clean shop and pulled the cowling they found no sign of a catastrophic oil line failure, etc. What they DID find was an oil breather tube covered with oil, and a splatter pattern in the compartment suggesting that an oil passage blockage had occurred somewhere in the engine resulting in the sump oil being blown out the breather tube. There was still about 3 quarts of oil in the sump, and the crankshaft still turned, so my delay in shutting down the engine apparently did not seize it up. I was just informed yesterday by the insurance adjuster that the engine is going to be torn down and inspected as part of the salvage process, and he will keep me informed as to the location of the blockage. FAA and NTSB have both signed off on the incident as an engine failure, and I have not been cited for pilot error. So that is something of a comfort. Postscript on aircraft damage: in addition to the collapsed nosegear, the right main gear was damaged (framework within the wing bent). Two of the 3 prop blades struck the ground and were severely bent, which of course necessitates and engine tear-down and inspection. The engine mounts were not damaged, but there was some deflection of the airframe back of the firewall which the insurance adjuster estimated would require significant repair costs. At this time I still don't know what damage to the engine and/or turbo may have occurred to cause the power failure. So I'll be airplane shopping now. I love the 231/252 platform for a lot of reasons, and I am strongly tempted stick close to home in this respect. Jimmy Garrison at GMax (formerly All American) says he has a lot of options in that area if I'm willing to be patient, and can stomach the high current prices. But I'm somewhat concerned about the growing scarcity of parts for Mooneys, as the factory continues to not make them. So I may stray farther afield into the land of Bonanzas, Cessnas, or Pipers. I guess we shall see. PPS 12/19/21: I posted the following last week farther down in the thread, but I am copying and pasting it here to save folks having to scroll down. I received an unofficial report on the engine postmortem. The engine crew looked first at the turbo, expecting to find the exhaust to be full of oil, indicating the failure was in the turbo (as the loss in manifold pressure suggested). However, there was no oil. The turbo had seized, but that would be expected with almost any loss of oil pressure. The crankshaft had not seized, and still turned easily… they found there was about 3 quarts of oil still in the crankcase. The culprit proved to be a broken exhaust valve in the #4 cylinder, which fell into the cylinder and punched a hole in the top of the piston. I w@s surprised to hear that, as I heard nothing that sounded like any engine cylinder eating a valve I’ve ever heard before (in automotive and small engine applications). The engine guys suggested I might have had enough power to keep the engine going a bit longer, as it was still making some power… but if I had done so, and tried stretching it the 25 miles between the point of failure and the Limon airport, other nastier things might have happened, such as an engine fire. All in all, I think what was basically an uneventful power-off landing in a field was the preferred option, as opposed to a high-speed and high-angle descent in a burning airplane into a fresh crater.
    30 points
  16. Another early morning... 1) Holey Cow! That’s a lot... 2) What brought you to MS at first? I came here seeking info regarding a Missile... 3) What was your first post? I had questions concerning OWTs related to Continental engines and Rocket Engineering... 4) The most fun of those posts start with the phrase ‘Welcome Aboard’... hope that felt inviting... there are about 150 of those written... 5) A few words I learned along the way... like door welt or welting or tinnerman nuts or speed nuts... MS is a great place to learn aviation vocab... 6) Not all posts are perfect... some may even be incorrect... ever send me a PM? I get a few notices every now and then... 7) I ask a lot of questions...? 8) I have met so many mooney pilots... 9) I have learned and re-learned so many Mooney things... 10) Extra thanks to the MSer posts that helped me select training, hardware, procedures, iPad mounts, apps, and pireps... MS is such a great place, with wonderful people... You probably didn’t get here accidentally. It’s been great being here with all of you. I hope I helped somebody out along the way... Oh... the 25k... it’s just a number... the number of posts I have managed to hit send after writing them... not all have made the cut... Thank you for including me and best regards, -a-
    30 points
  17. Hi Folks. For clarity, the Mooney factory didn't perform the annual on the aircraft that was lost. In any event, our focus right now is keeping the friends and family of those who were lost in our thoughts and prayers and allowing the NTSB to do their work. Kind regards, Jonny
    29 points
  18. Hello to all of you....... A few more words on the M22. Aircraft was repainted from bare metal in a small paint shop close to London in 1992. The M22 has always been hangared and the paint still looks very nice. Polished every year for the last 20 years !! Engine overhauled in the US. Project completed in 2016. Long project but fully documented. Engine has now around 150 hrs since overhaul and runs like a dream. I tried to keep the aircraft as original as possible. Installed a EDM 900 as primary to avoid to be grounded in any problems with the old gauges. All still running ok. Also installed a new Garmin 330 ES transponder to be complying with the latest requirement in Australia. I know that there is M22 in South Africa. I was in contact with the owner a few years ago. The aircraft did not fly for around 20 years now. One M22 also in Switzerland. A few photos taken this afternoon (except the one in the air) ....
    29 points
  19. Hey JT! I wanted to thank you for your kind note and words of encouragement. In fact, I located this post on my own a while back and meant to respond but as you can imagine it was easy to get sidetracked. So please accept my apology for the long delay. To your point, I think it's important that the Mooney Community have access to the company. As a Mooney owner I never felt a connection to the company even though I relied on the engineers, metal workers, electricians and other artisans every time I turned the key in my 201 or Acclaim. I'd like to change that dynamic and as you've probably gleaned from my interviews, reconnecting to the Mooney Community is a priority. In the coming weeks we'll be building out a new website and it will allow me to communicate with Mooney owners and advocates more directly. Eventually, the site will also invite participation from the Mooney Community so everyone can have more of a seat at the table so to speak. As you correctly pointed out, we're working to get over this "first hill." I'd be dishonest if I told you it was easy. There is a reason Mooney finds itself in the position it's in and it will take an awful lot of work to undo some of that and get us going in the right direction. But the one thing I am confident of is that Mooney is still the best single engine piston out there and always will be. "Like flying a Ferrari in the sky" I like to say. That reputation still has some gas in the tank and I promise to do my best so that Mooney can rise again. In the meantime, we'll keep the parts going and look to offer improvements to the fleet. I probably won't have time to respond to all the questions and suggestions I expect will be posted, but I promise, I will read each and every one. Thanks again, JT Best, Jonny Pollack
    27 points
  20. Picked up my 201 from maintenance, got a CO alarm on my sensorcon right on start up. I figured it might be blowing exhaust back in because I did start down wind of the exhaust. Opened some ventilation. Kept an eye on it during taxi and run up but the alarm was still blaring. I figured the only way to find out if it’s ground CO or a leak is in the air. So, I took off around the pattern. Normally these ground CO alarms would reduce in climb and clear up once leveled off. It was 50-70 on the ground. Still 20+ on downwind so I turned back in and landed. Reported it to the mechanic and he tightened the exhaust bolts. Said one of them was a little loose. I think if it weren’t for Dan Bass, I probably still would not have gotten around to getting a detector and this would have gone unchecked! Thank you Dan and thank you Mooney Summit for the life saving discussion. Dan even recalibrated my sensorcon last Oshkosh. It’s all been false alarms up till now with ground exhaust blowing back in or being really close in formation. But this is the first time there was an actual problem and the detector was the only way to find it. They had replaced the muffler so I had a heightened awareness but without the detector there was no way of knowing it was actually leaking.
    27 points
  21. A bit of light reading if you're bored over the weekend. TL;DR: Stall switch failed on me, and the $2500 price tag for a new replacement is downright stupid. A few months ago I noticed that the stall switch (lift detector) on the 201 I'm currently flying didn't work too well - in that the stallhorn might or might not activate even as the airplane entered imminent stall condition during the last moments of flare during landing. Interestingly, around that time I also noticed that during descent (in excess of 500fpm) in clouds/rain I would hear a distinct, but faint, high-pitched tone from the ceiling area. A few days ago I returned home after a rather challenging X/C trip that mostly took place in the soup, even with a "fun" encounter with light icing too. Upon arrival late at night, I hangared the plane and plotted -D-> to MYBED. The next morning I returned to the hangar to take care of a few things, and at this time I turned the master on to check the voltage since I had it trickle charging overnight. As soon as I flipped the master on, the stall warning came on in full force and wouldn't quit. Playing with the lift detector vane didn't help (although I could hear a very faint pitch change in the stall warning tone) but pulling the STALL WARN circuit breaker stopped the madness. I searched this forum and found out that I was not the only one to encounter this issue: https://mooneyspace.com/topic/17546-stall-warning-stuck-on/ https://mooneyspace.com/topic/15399-stuck-stall-warning/ I opted to leave the airplane alone at that time and to see if any supposed moisture buildup in the stall switch would clear up in a few days. It didn't. After letting it sit for 4 days the horn was still blaring as soon as I turned the master on, so I removed the switch from the airplane (not the worst, but not easy either) and confirmed with a multimeter that even when not activated, there was only 1.2kOhms between N.O and Common. The Mallory Sonalert SC628 (the generic P/N of the 201 stallhorn) has a current draw of approx. 7mA at 13VDC using data interpolated from the datasheet. This roughly translates to a roughly 1.8kOhm impedance assuming no other resistance in the circuit. When a 1.2kOhm "resistor" (i.e. faulty switch) is added in series with this device, the voltage differential across the Sonalert drops to 4.6V, but the thing about these smaller Sonalerts is that despite their listed operational voltage of 6~28V, they actually activate around 1V and are quite loud even at 3V. I have disassembled the switch as much as I can. The Safe Flight lift detector system is attached to the leading edge curved piece via 2 MS20470AD4-3 (or -4?) rivets which can be drilled out with a 1/8" dia. drill and punch. The lift detector assembly itself is basically a custom-order variant of the Honeywell BA or BE series SPDT microswitch housed inside a custom formed sheet aluminum cover then secured via two long MS20470A4-?? soft rivets, although the rivets are bucked so that the bucktail looks identical to the head. One could try drilling these out too, but they are prone to rotating with the drill bit, so I found the best method of removal was to carefully use a file to shave off one of the heads, then to use a 1/8" dia. punch to press/pull the remains out. The vane lever (constructed of stamped stainless steel) is secured at its fulcrum using a pin, which also can be pressed/pulled out of its place using a very small diameter punch or some other improvised device (I used an awl to expose enough pin on the other side, then carefully pulled the rest out with a needle-nose plier. It appears that the switch itself is not one of Honeywell's hermetically sealed types, which in my opinion is a huge no-no given the fact this switch is literally exposed to oncoming air/rain/debris. Thus, the plastic plunger slips right out of its place, so care should be taken not to lose this part in addition to the aforementioned lever pin. The Honeywell (or rather, its subdivision "Micro Switch" in Freeport IL) switch can be opened up to reveal its conductive innards by separating the upper "roof" from the main body, albeit with much difficulty. Safe Flight uses some sort of yellow electrical tape in an apparent attempt to seal this joint but I have found the tape's material to age very poorly, peeling unevenly and leaving an unsightly pattern of sticky residue upon eventual removal. Alcohol and/or brakleen easily removes this though. The "roof" is secured to the switch body via a combination of press fit and 3 tiny pins, 2 located on the LH and RH sides, and one at the rear. I learned this after-the-fact when the roof separated from the body and 3 pieces of plastic debris fell out with it. In my case, the breakage was clean and CA glue (aka superglue) did the trick. The switch innards are very simple; in the image above, the switch's Common conductor (on the far right) is connected to a springy copper arm that extends from the right to the far left. The arched shoulders on this arm bias the arm upwards as such to normally make contact with the upper electrode (the gold colored rectangular tab on the left) which is connected to the N.C. port, but this port is not threaded/used in this switch. When the vane at the wing L.E. lifts during high AoA, the opposite end of the vane lever pushes down on the plastic plunger, and the bottom end of the plunger pushes this copper arm down, causing it to detach from the N.C. electrode and to make contact with a similarly-shaped N.O. electrode below. A distinct clicking sound can be hear d during this operation. I rinsed down the switch body with liberal amounts of contact cleaner and then tested the contacts again with a multimeter; the check was OK. Chances are some conductive debris got lodged between the Common and N.O. electrodes. Reassembly of the switch consists of reattaching the "roof", securing it with the 3 tiny pins, inserting the plastic plunger (flat end goes into the switch), then reattaching the vane lever with the securing pin. I have taken the liberty of securing the switch to the Safe Flight housing using 2 sets of #6-32 screws, AN960-6L thin washers and MS21044N06 nylock nuts, and likewise for securing the assembly to the leading edge curved piece as well. Especially disappointing (and frankly, anger inducing) is that this switch was removed, factory repaired, and reinstalled according to a logbook entry dated 15 January 2016, which means this switch only lasted just over 5 years and about 150 hours T.I.S. before failing again. (The previous owner apparently didn't fly much) According to a Cessna 170 forum thread, a factory overhaul for an unheated lift detector (which basically involves Safe Flight switching out the Honeywell switch and putting it back into the housing) cost $400 in 2007 and according to another MS thread, $1200 in 2017. That is f***ing outrageous. Mind you, the price above is for overhauls/repairs. Aircraft Spruce lists a new Safe Flight Model 164 switch at $2575. A Honeywell BE-2R-A4 switch costs $12 on Sager Electronics. Even if, say, a custom-order variant of the BE series switch was batch-produced with an MOQ of 10,000 for $1,000,000 ($100 ea.), FAA PMA certification efforts cost $400,000, the aluminum housing cost $50 per unit, and the labor to assemble one was a generous 2 hours at $100 per shop-hour, this amounts to a valuation of $390 per switch, which translates to a 660% markup. During my days as an avionics tech, I've seen some unremarkable products sold at absurd prices (such as the Astro-tech LC-2 clock, a $10 Walmart kitchen timer sold at $400) but the Safe Flight lift detector takes the prize for the dumbest piece of s*** sold at the most d e n s e markup considering it's tech straight out of the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century. I've seen TSO'd comm radios sold for less than this switch. I understand that businesses need to generate profit to stay afloat; I may have given the lift detector a pass if it incorporated some ingenuity or special attribute that reflected some sort of significance in its R&D. My day job involves selling industrial electromechanical devices with a comfortable (but fair) markup because they're some of the best performers on the market and I know the engineers put in so much effort designing and refining them in years past and present. But the lift detector is nothing more than a custom-order microswitch from the 1940s with no meaningful R&D since, probably, the 1950s or 60s. To sit on decades-old tech and offer them for a markup so high that it might as well get RVSM is beyond my comprehension. Well, maybe it's not that much beyond comprehension. I know Safe Flight has some pretty technically advanced products such as their powerline detectors and helicopter pedal shakers, and I can only assume that their lift detectors contribute only a tiny portion of their revenue portfolio at this point, so all things considered, they couldn't care less about these relics of the past. Normally, the nature of the market would dictate that someone else would pick up the slack to offer reasonably-priced competition, but given the current rate at which new airplanes are produced and the relatively high entry barrier of PMA certification, such a venture is unprofitable and unattractive. If anything reflects painfully well the shattered remnants, the empty shadows of a once-hopeful general aviation industry, it is the flat-out unimpressive Safe Flight lift detector and its ludicrous pricing. At the end of the day, this is just one of my biggest pet peeves that I know is beyond my personal control, but one that I still can't help but be frustrated about. If you've made it this far, kudos to you for actually sitting through this entire monologue. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk.
    25 points
  22. I had a mission to fly on Dec 26 from KGVL Gainesville, GA to KMKL (Jackson, TN). 267 miles. I have a known ice airplane. Looking at the forecast, MKL was above minimum, above personal minimums but would require an approach. The airport was in light snow that would end later in the day by the time of my arrival. Cloud cover forecast on Aviationweather.gov showed bases at 900' tops FL320. Freezing level near the surface. There was SLD icing above 13,000. Light to moderate icing below. After considering all things I canceled. Here was my thinking. I don't mind flying in forecast icing if I can bail out to warmer temps below and maintain MEA. I flew from BWI (actually KMTN) to GVL a week earlier and took a route down over RDU and CAE to do just that. Highest MEA was 3000', forecast to be above freezing. ATC wanted to route me out over western VA and NC but I told them unless I got what I wanted and filed I would divert to RIC. They granted me my wish. I was 2.5 hours solid IMC but had no worse than light icing. In this case on the 26th, I had no out. I could not descend into a non icing environment nor could I quickly exit it to the south as HSV (Huntsville, AL) had similar issues. The real range of a known ice Mooney is 1.5 hours. That is the amount of time you have running the TKS at max. Thus you must have no-ice conditions max within 45 minutes of entering, because that is the amount of time to get in, decide you are over your head and get out. You have to make your decision for turn back or turn out within 45 minutes of entering otherwise you are committed to the remaining time if you don't have "above MEA no-ice conditions below" and you have to be pretty darn sure about those conditions. I also could find no PIREPS on icing other than a Baron on the edge of the wx area over AR to the west reporting light icing at 9000. A look at flightaware.com (pirep by absence) revealed no aircraft below 10,000 feet and below 250 knots in the intended operational area. Equally so, a call to KMKL revealed no operations inbound, snow of unknown depth on the ramp and questionable runway conditions. Cancel. Finally a flight aware flight popped that met my requirement. A small commuter flight called "Southern Airways", departed ATL for MKL. Operating a known ice Cessna Caravan. It made Chattanooga where it executed a 180 and returned to ATL. A discussion with the MKL agent the next day (when I completed the mission) revealed he bailed when he TKS system was at max just to remain airborne. I made the right call. I post all this just to give you an idea of my personal decision making process, especially if you have a known ice airplane or are new to IFR flying. It is not enough to have a capable airplane, it is knowing what the real capability is and it's limits. Equally so, yes you can approach to 200' and 1/2 mile but can you stop on the runway? Can you taxi in and park? Always leave yourself an out. 6
    25 points
  23. I took the plane into the paint shop on Aug 1st and got it back today....It turned out beautifully but there were some hoops to jump through....let me first say that Scheme Designers was outstanding to work with. Highly recommended. The paint shop, Master Aircraft Services in Wickenburg, AZ, did the incredible paint job but we all learned some lessons. The Mooney control surfaces are engineered (according to the factory) to a fine balance and the planes leave the factory with a light coat of white paint on them (control surfaces). The original scheme had color on all the control surfaces. Only the elevators were not able to be balanced with these colors and required a revised scheme for the horizontal tail and elevators.
    25 points
  24. Aloha All! I’m Anik, the pilot Leon Huffman’s daughter, and Sports Medicine Physician. Thanks for your concerns for him. He and my Mom both suffered burst fractures to their T12 vertebrae. They did not have any other internal injuries. We are so grateful for the miracle of their survival that day! My sister had been waiting for them at the tarmac in Birmingham at their intended destination watching flight aware and saw them make a turn and disappear off the radar, with a call then followed up from EMS. We are so thankful that our Dad was able to maneuver the landing and avoid power lines, homes, cars and trees and give our family the opportunity to make many more memories all together with their daughters and grandchildren, as well as avoid impacting anyone else. My Mom had spinal stabilization surgery and is doing very well overall. She remained neuro-intact. My Dad’s bone fragments displaced into his spinal cord with the trauma. In the initial pictures of the crash landing, you can see him still sitting in the Mooney. He could not feel his legs from the moment of impact. He had emergent neurosurgical decompression, and then spent about a week inpatient on the trauma service. He is continuing with intensive spinal cord rehab for functional recovery. He’s doing phenomenally well overall and maintaining the mental fortitude and attention to detail I’ve loved and admired about him my whole life. He gave me permission to post his email address if you would like to dialogue pilot to pilot, or offer your aeronautical aloha on his continued road to recovery. Leon@rhanet.com I can see how this is a supportive community and a wonderful place for collaboration. Sending massive aloha for continued prosperity enjoying the altitudes and adventures in your collective genius zone of flying!
    25 points
  25. It's time for an update. She flies. 34 minutes over the top of the airport. Full power is now 39" at 2600 RPM. We're still dialing in the fuel flow, so don't have that yet. We have a short list of squawks to work through but should be finished up and heading to Denver by the weekend.
    25 points
  26. Wife and I took our 11 week old first child on his first flight today. Filed for 5000, ended up cloud surfing the tops at 7000. Saw someone before me suggest taking out the right seat so my wife sitting back seat with our son would have plenty of leg room. Worked like a charm. Kid loved the flight. Can't wait to do lots more flying as the 3 of us. Wife wants another child sooner than later. Need Jimmy to find me a FIKI long body once or before the next one is here. But for now she was thrilled with how much leg room she had. Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
    25 points
  27. Just brought my baby back home. Here’s a few pics.
    25 points
  28. @jiritico (as “Anonymous”) posted a longer version of the above criticism on Kathryn’s Report here: http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2019/06/mooney-m20v-acclaim-ultra-n576cm.html?showComment=1560481914801&m=1#c7719649681294912541. This was posted in response: I read with interest the contribution by “Anonymous” of August 20, 2019. As the former Director of Engineering at Mooney, working there for almost 20 years, and in Aerospace for 45, it reminded me of how many “experts” there are in this industry. With so many educated opinions floating around, especially those that were not around at the inset of the Ultra project, it would be easy to be misled by their armchair quarterbacking. Therefore, it is incumbent upon me to set this record straight.While he is a Structures Engineer, he was in no way a Certification Engineer, which is glaringly obvious in his diatribe. Actually, he came to Mooney Kerrville with another group of Engineers from our CA. facility, and was on the team that produced the M10 he refers to as being un-airworthy. And in that respect, he is correct. That airplane that they designed will never see the sky again. Mooney does not certify junk.Citing “FAR”23.601; The suitability of each questionable design detail and part having an important bearing on safety in operations, must be established by tests…, I guess “Anonymous” wants all to believe that we just slapped a bunch of parts together, called in the FAA, slipped them their bribe money, and started selling planes. Actually, it was a 4+ year development project that not only included hundreds of hours of static testing, all the way to structural failure, but FLAMMABILITY testing to the FAA’s own criteria. We used intumescent paint, designed to swell up and form a fire-break when exposed to flame. The melting point of aluminum is less than 1300ºF. On the Ultra, firewall testing was accomplished to a flame temperature of 2500ºF. His reference to “FAR” 23.2270(a)(c), that rule didn’t even exist at the time of Ultra Certification, and is not part of the M20U/V Certification Basis. A Certification Engineer would know this, and understand what a Certification Basis is, and what it defines. Mooney’s safety record over a 60+ year span is envied by all GA manufacturers, even those using Ballistic Parachute systems. Mooney’s Certification Basis has served them, and the flying public, quite well.The M20’s steel safety cage is, in a way, a giant spring, designed to “bend” under crash loads. Static pull tests beyond Ultimate Load forces can bend the cage up to 15”, then returns to its basic shape when the load is relaxed. This simulates forces experienced in a crash. It deforms the hard riveted aluminum structure. The composite shell, however, simply cracks and buckles. At crash forces producing this effect, the chance of “shards flying around” is remote, and quite frankly, not your major problem.It is truly horrific what happened to Mr. Brandemuehl. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. However, from looking at the post-crash photos and reading the initial NTSB report and eyewitness accounts, the impact was violent. He would probably not have survived at all in another airplane. Unfortunately, the shearing of a wing will always result in fuel (100LL) being thrown around, just waiting for a spark to ignite it, and the resulting fire, no matter the aircraft, is the primary source of injury or death. Anonymous’s claims of a giant conspiracy are rather sad, as are his references to people, their nationalities and their motives.
    25 points
  29. The first cowling parts have been pulled from the mold. Here’s a picture of the first top cowling and it is a very nice part. I was surprised at how light it is. The lower cowling is coming soon and I now understand the true amount of work to get it to the plug stage for making a mold. David
    24 points
  30. I’m well overdue explaining my off-field landing incident on May 9 of this year, as a result of the D- 3000 dual mag failure. Caution – long write-up but hopefully there are some takeaway points of value here. My wife and I departed from our home base in California for the Chicago area in our M20J as we’ve done many times before. Day 2 we took off from Page, AZ - direct Albuquerque - direct Salina, KS. Enroute at 11.5K nearing Albuquerque we began to hear what sounded like a very faint rattle emanating from the belly area. Listened for a bit and it started to get more frequent. Began troubleshooting to see if it might be engine related. Changed prop, mixture, throttle, pump, tanks with no affect. Best I recall all items on the engine monitor appeared normal. No change until switching to Left mag – nearly dead. Right mag was better but rough. Immediately turned to nearest airport. Declared an emergency with ABQ approach and informed the controller of my situation. Unfortunately, Double Eagle was a couple miles beyond the FF glide ring. Within the next couple minutes the left mag completely failed and had only partial power on the right, but that also failed in the next few minutes. Now it was truly an “oh darn” moment, or words to that effect. How both mags checked good during preflight and both were now failing was not a good feeling. All I knew was I needed to make the best of a bad situation. I tried to reassure my wife that the plane flies perfectly fine as a glider now, we have about ten minutes to reach the airport or find a good place to land and we’ll be alright. We gained some ground on the glide ring as we continued but were battling some 40kt headwinds. Kept the aircraft clean and the glide speed faster than normal in an attempt to minimize time in those strong winds. Glider pilots minimize their time spent in sinking air by flying faster for the same reason. I kept Approach informed of our progress, that I had no power, that I thought it was a dual mag failure and that I might not be able to make the airport. Then came the standard issue question - say number of souls on board and fuel remaining. My wife remained remarkably calm throughout and even helped by scanning around for possible landing locations and obstructions. The fact that I am a fairly experienced glider pilot did help immensely in my opinion. During the entire power-off descent and landing it all seemed rather normal to me because every landing in a glider is an engine out landing. Airports are nice but fields work too. Approach handed me off and Tower had already cleared out traffic for the inbound emergency and cleared us for any runway but winds were strongly favoring 22. It is so gratifying and special to know the ATC professionals will do everything in their power to assist an aircraft in distress. Despite making up some glide distance, it was looking very iffy that we would be able to make the runway. Several miles out we identified what looked like a good open space short of the airport boundary clear of power lines and obstructions. It was our go to place if needed. At about 1000AGL those hangers, roads and fences on final approach looked like something we might not clear. Without hesitation I told the tower unable to make the runway and we're going for the field. The last thing I wanted to do was to try for the airport at all cost only to stretch the glide with disastrous results. As much as I love my Mooney the thought went through my mind to use the plane to save us. I rolled out parallel to the active into the strong headwind, lowered the gear and flaps and did a nice smooth full stall landing on the sandy desert floor. We looked at each other, did a quick embrace and said somewhat jokingly, well that wasn’t a bad landing. We ended up about 100 yards from the airport fence. Tower controller was watching the entire event and offered a big compliment. I let them know that the airplane appeared undamaged and no injuries. Emergency personnel soon began to arrive, followed by airport and FBO staff as well as the FAA. The largest fire in NM history was in progress and the last thing anyone wanted was an airplane crash to spark another blaze in the windy desert scrub. Everyone, and especially me, was relieved that the Mooney was sitting there unscathed. No damage to the prop or even the gear doors, not a scratch that I could see. Full stall landing into a strong wind on the semi-soft surface made for a very short landing. FAA measured the roll out at 322 feet. The two gentlemen from the FAA were extremely nice but also professional. In fact one of them owns an F model so we bonded a bit. They did check the airplane for fuel and oil just to make sure I didn't do something really stupid. They took pictures of the plane as well as my documents and the airplane documents to verify everyone and everything was legal and current. Basically a ramp check in the desert. They also requested I send them scans of the latest annual logbook entries when I returned home. After everyone was satisfied we were fine and all the paperwork was done, one of the maintenance guys offered to help with his small Jeep and a tow bar. It was an easy pull to perimeter road and onto the ramp. Given the situation I’m extremely grateful for the outcome. Day VFR at cruise over a desert having just flown over rugged terrain. Luck played a big part but I’ll take it. Those sounds at the beginning of the event were likely afterfires in the muffler due to incomplete combustion in the cylinders. One would think EGT would be spiking but the JPI 830 didn’t show that and the engine data doesn’t reflect anything out of the ordinary either from what I tell. So what happened? The next morning I met an IA at the plane. We pulled the infamous D-3000 dual mag and right away observed that neither set of points was opening. That's on a recently overhauled mag with 209 hours on it replaced two years prior. Something caused both rubbing blocks to wear down prematurely – and remarkably simultaneously. I’m going with lack of lube because it appeared the oil pads on the points were dry with some fibers scattered about inside the distributor cap. But both sets, and simultaneously? Other commonalities to the failure could be bad surface finish on the common cam, contaminated lube, defective rubbing block material. So, bad parts or a bad rebuild? The FAA says they are looking into it but who knows how long that will take or if anything will come of it. Maybe if more failures occur it will become a higher priority. In the meantime the mag was field repaired (points adjusted and oil wicks lubed, engine timing set) and I flew it back to my home base. It just came out of annual with an emphasis on looking for any possible damage due to the off-field landing. As mentioned, not a scratch or any problems found. I subsequently made that Chicago trip, without my wife this time, and the plane performed perfectly. I plan to have the point gaps checked every 50 hours to see if there is any trend or cause for concern. Lessons learned. When something doesn’t feel or sound right it might be worse than thought. Wasted a few precious minutes troubleshooting before turning to the airport. Pulling back the prop might have improved the glide. Never trained for it, only read about it and being task saturated at the time didn’t think of it. Forty plus years and thousands of hours, mostly in Mooneys, without an engine failure doesn’t mean it can’t happen. I fly a Mooney for safety and its good looks, but also for its efficiency which means I frequently fly direct. Been rather cavalier about flying over inhospitable terrain. My glider buddies call that Tiger country. Glider experience helped. Kept things somewhat routine. Stay current and legal. You never know when a ramp check can occur. Practice various emergencies. Commit important procedures to memory. Single pilot ops too task saturated or no time to look it up. Squawk 7700 in an emergency. Didn’t think of it and wasn’t my highest priority. Hopefully missed my one and only opportunity. ATC already had me as an emergency. Add more items to the survival kit. Could have been far from help or injured. Love Mooneys but hate dual mags. I don’t want this incident to significantly change my flying. Unfortunately, it’s changed my wife’s flying. It was a rare event and the odds of it happening again are highly unlikely. However, the reason for this failure is largely unknown. I’m still flying with the same mag but checking Left and Right in flight now and especially before entering IFR conditions, nighttime or Tiger country. Fly safe.
    24 points
  31. My aircraft, a 231, was stuck in the shop this spring because of COVID. Once it came out in May, I decided to use the COVID slowdown as an opportunity to fly more for Angel Flight. It occurred to me last week, in the middle of a long day aloft, that we are privileged to fly a remarkable, versatile aircraft. I live in Minneapolis. The day that made me think about this, required my little engine-that-thought-it-could to first fly from KFCM early in the morning to Fargo to pick up blood and bone marrow samples. I brought nothing along except my flight bag and iPad, so was able to stuff 8 good sized boxes into the baggage compartment and back seat. The plane was completely full except for the front seat, so I could put my morning coffee there temporarily. 260 lbs. of freight, plus me at 200 plus full fuel (75.6 gallons) and there was still room in the W&B. The material needed to be delivered in Billings MT. For many aircraft that is two jumps, but it was a one jump flight for the Mooney. Not necessarily an easy one, the winds aloft were very adverse so, being alone and not having to worry about passenger comfort, I elected to stay down at 4,000 until near Billings, then go to six (Billings is 3,700). It can be bumpy down low and out west as the ground heats up in the summer and this was no exception, made for a tiring flight. I was still able to make 150-160 over the ground at 11.3 LOP for the trip to KBIL. When the boxes were delivered in BIllings I put on full fuel. The day was not done yet. I needed to get to KBIS lickety split to pick up a young family whose infant daughter was due to have surgery in Minneapolis over the weekend. I put on the cannula, went to 15,000, and made about 231 kts. GS to Bismarck. At KBIS I had one tank topped off, but left some out of the second tank so I could take on me plus three passengers and baggage. At 7 pm the young family showed up. With an infant in the back I did not want to use the O2 system, so we stayed at 11,000 and made about 220 kts. in smooth air. It was a fun ride, my brothers and I have hunted and fished out in western ND for quite awhile, and it turned out I knew the same people and the same hunting holes in the same small towns as the young husband. Who knows, maybe I will get to go out and hunt with him some time. With the passengers safely delivered at KFCM, I was finally able to go home for the night. It was a long day, up at 5 a.m. to get to the airport, pre-flight, etc., and get out to KFAR through some weather to make my first pickup of the day, to about 9 p.m. when I got back home, with time for a short nap in the lounge at KBIS and not much else. Although this trip involved only large airfields (KBIL is a Class C, KBIS and KFAR are D's with KFAR having a TRSA), Angel Flights very often involve fetching passengers out of small rural fields. I have handed passengers off to business jets at an interim airport, but they can't get in where we can, they need us to get the passengers out of the little holes in the wall. Out "on the road," I have handed off to a few Cirrus pilots, but mostly 172's and 182's, they just don't have the speed or the range that our Mooneys do. Thought number one is that it is truly a remarkable aircraft that we fly, able to take on just about anything except TStorms (which nobody fights with), ice, and zero zero landings. Lots of range, lots of speed when needed, miserly fuel flow. Thought number two is that those of us who fly for AF need more of you. The passengers' needs have not diminished during COVID, but there seem to be fewer pilots. I get emails almost weekly from AF asking for help with flights for the following week that have not been filled yet. What better way to make a brand like Mooney stand for something. The coolest thing about flying for AF is that, unlike most charities where you just send a check every year, during an Angel Flight the person you are helping is in the right seat. You get to talk, find out something about their lives, help in ways other than just giving money, help keep their spirits up. I can tell you that the patients going through chemo really need that part of the AF program as much as the physical transportation, just someone who cares. I know, I know, if no pics it didn't happen. Sorry, I have pics but won't share them. These are medical patients some of them fighting for their lives and all are in need. We respect their privacy. There might be a few on the wall in my den though, just to remember.
    24 points
  32. Hip Hip Horray. I am NOW a Commercial pilot. What can I say; my parents would be so proud, I am proud and my kids are too! It was a lot of work, but so worth it. Big thank you to my flight instructors [Christopher, Mike ] and my awesome DPE David Koebel. A big thank you to King Schools for the awesome prep. My examiner complimented me on my ground/oral which was fun to plan. He also loves how stable and fast the Mooney is. I had to teach him how to close the door six times, but other than that! I went back to my old stomping grounds in the Pacific Northwest, Hood River Oregon. I learned to fly there many moons ago. Paired the check ride with a family vacation. On to my multi-engine commercial. PS: Does my flight track look like a T-Rex dinosaur or what??? #MooneyZoom #ProPilot
    24 points
  33. I'm gonna quote myself and explain why I thought putting the gear down was not a given in this situation: In September 1996 I bought a new Mooney TLS Bravo, and in early summer 1997 a friend needed me to drive him up to catch a commercial flight in Austin TX. No problem, I'll fly you to Austin Mueller (now closed). He had flown with me many times and knew that hot starts in Texas summers can be tricky. We went over it before we ever left the ground. He was going to exit the airplane, get his bag, shut the baggage door and walk behind the airplane to the FBO for his ride to the terminal while I kept it at idle and didn't have to shut down. We landed, taxied, we went over it again, he exited, got his bag. I got my clearance, taxied, took off and shortly after take-off I heard a loud bang from the back of the airplane - the baggage door has popped open on my new airplane. I was sure it had probably exited the airframe and had taken the tail section with it. @RedSkyFlyer's pictures are exactly what I was imagining. I let the tower know what happened and that I was coming around to land on the perpendicular runway - all the way picturing what my airplane must look like. I turned final and wanted to get this thing on the ground to assess the damage. On final, a Delta pilot waiting for take-off, who had heard everything, says "Mooney, check your gear down". I got that horrible feeling. I would like to think that I would have made a short-final gumps check, but I'm not sure. After all was said and done after landing and then taxiing to the FBO and looking over the airplane, I closed the baggage door, locked it and there wasn't a scratch or a bend anywhere on the airplane. I had turned a minor distraction into what could have been a major problem. Although I already knew this, after that it really confirmed that gear up landings can happen to anyone - all it takes is something out of the ordinary thrown in the mix. Don't ever say it couldn't happen to you. Again, great job keeping your calm and getting it down on the ground safely to be able to share this with us. Ever since that flight I always lock the door with the key and give it one last tug just to be sure after loading bags.
    24 points
  34. https://airfactsjournal.com/2020/04/dreams-may-fade-but-they-dont-have-to-die/ Here is a story written by a Mooney owner and more importantly, the nicest person you could ever come across. @Junkman
    24 points
  35. Hello all, Today I upgraded the server from a shared hosting program to a new "virtual private server" - our storage went from 100GB to 250GB and we will now have continuous backups (we have not had backups since we exceeded 50GB on the old plan). You should also notice that things are running considerably faster around here. We have a lot more processing power and quicker disk access, etc. The migration happened really quickly but there is a chance that within an hour or so today something you posted might have been lost in the transition, I apologize for that but it is the nature of the beast. I am increasing storage limits to 1GB for Supporter members and 200MB for Basic members. However, please still be mindful about your uploads - obviously if 200 supporters decide to max out their upload limits we are going to be in trouble again. We currently sit at about 75GB storage usage so we have about 175GB of headroom. The new server plan costs about 3x what we were paying before. Donations would be appreciated as always and remember that Supporters have the ads turned off and get 5x the storage space of basic members. You can donate at this link if you so desire - $10 minimum per year will grant you Supporter level access. Please let me know if anything else seems off or not working correctly...I have not seen anything but things like this usually end up breaking something or other. Fly safe! Craig
    23 points
  36. My grandson soloed a few weeks ago in our Citabria making him a fourth generation pilot. I told him he had to learn in the Citabria, but he will have access to the Mooney for his instrument rating when the time comes. He got his drivers license two days after turning 16 and soled the next week. He also has discovered girls. He will find all three pursuits expensive! lee
    23 points
  37. A suggestion like that would put my wife in a Pilatus with her next husband.
    23 points
  38. Just a quick report that I got my Acclaim Ultra back from annual yesterday from the Factory Service Center. My observations: The work was outstanding and reasonably priced. They kept me informed along the way. They found things that other shops had missed. They test flew the aircraft when they finished. I flew a 1400 mile trip yesterday with no squawks. Kerrville is a nice town. Mooney is very much in business.
    23 points
  39. I bought my first airplane, a 1975 Mooney M20C. It is a very pretty plane. But it is out of annual about 3 years. I have to get a Special Flight Permit so the guy that has the shop can fly it to his airport for the annual and a few things we think should get done before flying it home. My first airplane is a Mooney. I feel as if I am bragging just saying that.
    23 points
  40. It's been a while. Back in the 70's as an Oakland cop, I'd drive down Earhart Rd. (that runs by the "old airport"), shining my spotlight on the ramp, looking at the parked planes. Mooneys just looked fast sitting there. I knew little about them, but did know I could never afford one. That changed 20 years later, some ten years after I founded Morgan Alarm Co., when in 1991 when I had my company loan me half the purchase price for 58065, an '87 201. At the time, this seemed the culmination of a lifelong fascination with flying, an unimaginable dream come true. As Mooney owners, we are so fortunate. At one point I owned 3 power planes and 2 self-launch gliders, but now age and (fortunately just minor) health issues have prompted the sale of all but my Husky A1-B bush plane. Many here probably won't remember me, as I was far more active on the forum back 20 to 30 years ago . . . still, I thought it appropriate to say goodbye and thank you to all for everything you've taught me and all the help that was given, hopefully I returned the favor some back in the day. Clear skies, unless you fly gliders too - than add some puffy cumulus to circle under. All the best, bumper
    23 points
  41. Bob's daughter Sharon here. My son is the grandson who flew with him to KOSH and the rest of the country in July-August 2019. Thank you for all your kind words -- the "Mooney Family" sure is special! The obituary is posted. We haven't planned the memorial service he deserves due to the covid situation, but wanted to share the obit with you. Hard to condense a life lived to the full. http://www.sossomanfh.com/obituary/9346-robert-cairnes-bob-belville
    23 points
  42. Another flaw with this poll run at 830am is that well the fastest mooney drivers sleep until 1030am since they don't need to get up as early since they can sleep late and still get to where they need to go and on time. Life at 242TAS.
    23 points
  43. It’s finally time to fit the cowling to my bird. It’s been far too long to get to this point, but it’s finally happening. It’s much more carbon fiber than I first thought it would be and super light compared to the original. Time to see if it fits correctly. David
    22 points
  44. I have not been doing much flight instruction work over the past few years, but I have noticed a couple common occurrences recently, both on flights and on various social media posts (Facebook, in particular). It seems a pilot will complain about the airplane not settling down, yet their approach speed is correct (such as 70 KIAS for an M20J). Here are the things that come to mind when I hear this: Observation 1 - Idle RPM set too high. I was flying with a client and he couldn't get the plane to settle. I said "let me demonstrate one". So I take it around the pattern and have the same problem he had. We taxied off the runway...I think his idle RPM was 800-900. It's quite possible you may know exactly what to do and, all things considered, be using correct pilot technique. But in reality, a high idle RPM could be forcing bad results, or worse, forcing you to use to bad pilot technique to get a desired result. Observation 2 - Not closing the throttle all the way. This one is often recognizable to me by sound. A pilot sets up a very good final approach attitude, airspeed, glidepath, etc. Everything is great...until the end But in the flare, the pilot hasn't completely closed the throttle control. The pilot may not be able to experience a full flare unless he spends an exceptional amount of time floating down the runway trying to bleed off airspeed. "Ballooning" is often the end result leading to either a go around or wasted runway as corrections are made. Note on your next flight - Check your engine idle RPM after the engine is fully warmed up. You may find your idle speed is too high and spoiling your otherwise great flying technique. - Make it a point to feel the throttle control reach its "closed" limit before you touch down. Happy Saturday! Insurance is fine and all, but it's nice to talk about flying.
    22 points
  45. I have flown quite a few Angel Flights in the last couple of years. I do it for the same reasons I fly - I really enjoy it - and Angel Flight is a way to help others. But someone told mom and today I feel like the kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, vaguely embarrassed. A few weeks ago I was informed that I need to make my way to Angel Flight Central’s gala on Nov. 18 in Kansas City, there to receive AFC’s 2022 Pilot of the Year Award. Then today I was surprised to receive a call from the CEO of the National Aeronautics Association. At a ceremony that will likely be held at Oshkosh next year, I am to receive the NAAs Distinguished Volunteer Pilot Award. It’s a good thing I was not flying when I got either piece of news, I probably would have put it in the ground. My aircraft, as many of you know, is nothing special. A 231 with an engine now well over TBO, oil leakage from the rocker covers has reached the incurable stage, we are waiting for a new Conti to show up. It is Mooney’s most manual version of a turbocharged piston. And yet I have safely carried well over a hundred patients and their companions, all shapes, types, and sizes, even found a way to cram a collapsible wheelchair, the patient, and patient’s mom into the plane (definitely within W&B), and on occasion, cargo to the weight limit of the aircraft. We need more folks. If I can do it in my lowly 231, you can do it!
    22 points
  46. Do what we all do. Take the close expensive one. Put the hangar rent on autopay, and pretend you don't remember the cost. You will be happy every time you go to the hangar.
    22 points
  47. This is why we have the Mooney. Worked half a day on Friday and then flew to Salt Lake to surprise my sister for her 50th birthday. Then we got up Saturday morning, picked some raspberries for my dad from her garden and flew from Salt Lake to Phoenix to see my parents whom I haven't seen since Thanksgiving. On the way we flew over the tiny mountain town where my dad was born and the farm that was in the family for 100 years and took pictures and video for him. We also flew over Bryce Canyon and Lake Powell. We visited my parents and then had dinner at my sisters and stayed at one of my other sisters for the night. (Normally we stay at my parents but don't want to be in their home that much right now.) We had breakfast on the back patio with my parents this morning before flying home mid-day. A little over 1300 nm flown and memories to last a lifetime. Full post and more pictures coming soon.
    22 points
  48. As you all know, we moved to Denver in the summer and so I'm no longer based on the same field with SWTA. I should probably find a shop to use in the Denver area, but sometimes it pays to go home. I've been having some electrical issues. My #2 alternator has always been noisy. I had a short under the panel with some wires going to the enunciator panel. And the #1 alternator has been acting up and dropping off line lately. Troubleshooting electrical issues can eat up a lot of shop time ($$$$) without any guarantee of success. And while there's no sure way to eliminate it, having a shop that knows the specific airplane do the work, certainly reduces some of the time involved. So I decided to take the plane back to SWTA as they've been looking after this Mooney as long as I've owned it. JD and I talked on the phone several times in advance of the visit and decided to replace the #2 alternator. So we got that ordered ahead of time and it was on the shelf ready to go when I arrived. I pulled up to the shop in 252AD on Friday mid afternoon. Chad immediately pulled the cowl and started looking around. The work started in earnest on Saturday morning. Chad swapped out the #2 alternator and washed and tightened up everything on the #1 alternator. He pulled the glare shield and replaced/soldered the wires that had shorted out. In addition to that work, I also got an oil change, the O2 bottle topped off, and a little work on the #1 EGT probe. It had dropped out a couple of times on the display and so a little scotchbrite on the header and the clamp to ensure a good ground and it's all fixed. By 3pm Saturday afternoon I was up test flying to make sure everything was good to go. Everything checked out good. But that's not all... Sunday morning I took my daughter and one of her friends up for a ride. After landing and while fueling the plane, JD noticed that one of my static wicks were loose. His sheet metal guy was in the hangar cutting out corrosion and fixing up a C182. JD got him to drill out and replace the rivets holding on the static wick. A simple thing, but fixed right and good as from the factory. All done and we departed for home about 3pm on Sunday afternoon. Other than a hellacious head wind, the flight home was excellent and the Mooney is running like a top. She always runs so good after Chad and JD have given her some love. I guarantee it was cheaper for me to fly the plane to Texas, and get the repairs done, then to have had a local shop do the work. I know the work was done right. It was quick. It was on the weekend. I should also mention JD and Chad also shuttling me back and forth from the house. The service just doesn't get any better. There is no substitute for building a relationship with a shop that does good work. They know my airplane inside and out. That greatly reduces shop time even just removing the top and lower cowl. It improves service as they know when something doesn't look right is missing or out of place. They know what was starting to wear and should be looked at the next time they lift the cowl. They take my phone calls. They're happy to get me in and out on a weekend. The communication between us is open, continuous, and trusted. I know I'm not being taken advantage of. And I also know that if something unexpected but important pops up, I'll be told about it immediately. But best of all, the only surprise on the bill is how little they charged me. And even if the bill is higher than expected, I can be 100% confident it's less than it would have been at any other shop I might have gone to. No one is perfect, and we're all just human. But I can be sure that if there is a mistake, error, or something is missed, it is a rare and unintentional issue that the guys will work hard to ensure doesn't happen again. And that's all one can ask for. I truly believe that the most important part of airplane ownership is a good relationship with a good shop. If I had the shop issues that many talk about on this forum, I'd just sell the airplane. I can't imagine not having access to a good, honest shop while trying to maintain a 30 year old airplane that carries me and my family across the country. SWTA isn't the only good Mooney shop in the country. But if you own a Mooney, you really need to find a good one and build a relationship. It will make all the difference in the ownership experience, not to mention more than a few dollars saved in the process. http://www.swta.net
    22 points
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