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Some folks here may know that I am a fan of David Clark Company, Worcester MA. "An Employee Owned, American Company." Founded many years ago by David Clark who trained his employees to "take care of their customers". https://www.davidclarkcompany.com/ Even though their headsets are incredibly tough I have had a few occasions to deal with their Customer Service folks. They've always gone beyond my expectations and did it happily. Today that was Joanne Nissen, Senior Customer Service Representative. When we started up the plane yesterday morning at KMRN I discovered my DC One-X set could neither receive nor xmit. I found the cord was broken out where it connects to the ear piece. I suspect it got crushed by the seat track. I swiped Nancy's DC Pro-X and we flew to 6B6 for Thanksgiving with our daughter's family. Since the DC factory is only a 30 minute drive from Sharon's house I arrived at the factory at 11:30 this morning. Joanne took the headset and my phone #. They'd work on it and I should come back after lunch. When we returned at 1:30 I was given a brand new headset as replacement. Since mine was bought at AirVenture 2016 DC-CS view was that it was too new to fail, apparently for any reason. Once again DC managed to exceed my already high expectations.

Return trip. The trim servo was the culprit. Bad transistor replaced. Despite BK refusing to send copy of circuit board diagram. My serial number servo was newer than the publicly released diagrams. David at Executive Autopilots was able to reverse engineer it. He also calibrated HSI to autopilot to correct the one dot error I have had for a while. Total under 1 AMU. I’m a satisfied customer. Just got ahead of the big storm hitting Sacramento right now. Got some nice tailwinds for a while. Flew right over Lamson Field, home of Lake Aero. 4:20 flight. In clouds about 4 hours of that.

Last Thursday. Went from Rutland, VT to Sanford Fl with stops in VA and GA. 7.2hrs flight time. From this: To this:

I thought I would pass along a video that my son's high school band director shared with us. He has a younger brother that is a member of the Army Golden Knights. It has been a difficult year for their family but they have much to be thankful for. In February during a night time training mission his brother and another jumper's parachutes became entangled and they started spinning in from about 2,500'. His brother suffered a broken right leg, two toes, all but one rib, and his jaw. His pelvis was shattered, knocked out two teeth, fractured his cervical spine and skull, diaphragm was ruptured and had lacerations to every internal organ. He immediately got on a plane here in CA but was afraid he would not get to Florida in time to say goodbye. His brother was in a medically induced coma for two months. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/armys-golden-knight-survived-harrowing-fall-jump-soldier/story?id=65859562 After many more months of rehab he made a final jump as a member of the team.

Well, thank you all!! My face is red, and my problem is solved. Yes, I do, in fact have a checklist. I even used it, seems to me. But somehow, somewhen, grabbed a bag out of the back seat, and it never dawned on me to check on that switch. Dang.But at least I don’t have to send for a new motor. Now I know a new thing!! So, thank you all very, very much. (Now MImi slinks away in mortification.)

KJYO -> KLNS to get comm 1 checked out (and fixed!) + a couple of choppers practicing landings outside the pilots' lounge

I lean mine back to the point of it starting to stumble then add a little richness. You'll foul plugs if you go full rich on the ground much. I have an engine monitor for all four cylinders, and the temps look great when leaned. As far as prop RPM, I keep it around 1000-1100. I read this somewhere for keeping engine internals lubricated.

Amelia, Yes usually someone in the back seat has bumped the latch on the emergency gear handle causing the exact symptoms you mention. Ask me how I know. (In 1999 I brought a friend from San Antonio up to Fort Worth in my '96 M20M and dropped him off. My back seat passenger came up front for the flight to San Antonio. After take-off I pulled the gear switch up and after reaching cruise couldn't figure out why we were so slow. I had to fly back with the gear down. I was expecting a huge repair bill. I took it in the next day to Dennis Bernhard at Lone Star Mooney in San Antonio. As I was explaining it to him he got a big smile on his face as he said that this is going to be expensive and your airplane could be down for weeks. He walked out to N9153Z reached down and latched the emergency gear cover and said "No Charge" - some of the best words I have ever heard at a Mooney Service Center.)

A couple years ago I traded the AOPA membership for an EAA membership. Really enjoy the EAA magazine each month.

Flew to Sacramento to have Executive Autopilots fix my KFC 150 on Monday, that suddenly wouldn’t pass the self test. Trim servo is suspected by them. Stopped overnight in Redmond OR. Flew by Mt. Shasta. Didn’t it used to have a snow/ice pack on top like Mt. Rainier?

My C was the only single flying Hurricane Relief ot of RDU last year that listed more than 400 lb payload available. And I flew 3 hours including traffic deviation to land tonget there. With half tanks, I listed 600 lb. available (me, 200; alf fuel, 150; Useful, 970). Being a C, I crammed stuff everywhere but the right front seat and ran out of cube well before pounds. My kinda plane!

Today's entry in "today's flight in 2019" is the flight I didn't take today. A tough no go decision - and I didn't go. I was hoping to have a nice picture looking down at a Thanksgiving traffic jam from the air hauling at 250mph. Forecasts were pretty good, even as of this morning's TAF's for KPTD->KHFD (home Potsdam, NY - upstate, over the Adirondack mtns to the GA airport in Hartford CT). It would be 1hr vs 6hrs drive. But already the actual weather at my home airport was not agreeing at all with the forecasts. Forecast were (trying to remember) something like 10mi-8000 ft and actual 2 or 3mi, mist and 500ft. Flyable but I am never excited if the forecasts are so unrelated to actual weather. So then you need to assume you have no forecast at all. Bad weather is supposed to be coming but this is worse than even the forecasts in several hours promise, so it is not just a case of the bad weather coming early. And then at Hartford. Forecast were something like (trying to remember), 25k until around 3pm. But at the time I had filed my IFR for, it was actually 800ft. And likewise at all the airports around similarly totally off. So then I thought maybe of launching and just end up to the North, since weather coming from the south, and then drive an hour or two south which if that was all there was to it, then ok. I have done that before - but the weather in the mtns was worse than forecast too, and actually low IFR. SO I have two no go triggers, either on and I don't go - one is I don't fly over low IFR and the other I want to see the actual weather line up at least a little bit with the forecast or I assume I have no forecast at all. So that's enough not to go. Strike three is ice is forecast at 9k and I filed for 7k (to get comfortable clear of mtns) but with the sky at 500ft and so dark and mirky it just looks like ice. I had gone to my hangar at 11 - pre-flighted the plane, with my dog, and then sat in the folding chair for like 45 min listening to all the current reports on the phone for all the airports all around, even the northerly route that is often a saving grace around the mtns - via Burlington,. vt, but there was 300ft ceilings in Malone (15 min flight north of here - a no go trigger - and that is not in the mtns) and 1400ft ceilings in Plattsburgh (a no go trigger because it is supposed to be higher than 5k by the forecasts) then it was fine by Burlington. So after 45 minutes of sitting in my hangar, plane preflighted, preheated, ready to go - ifr flight plan on file, door open, but sitting in my lawn chair with my little dog on my lap listening to the phone weather on the phone with a selection of airports, getting cold because it is 35f (so how can those moist dark looking clouds not be icing?! I have tks but yeah whatever) to figure out what's going on...I said bugger I'm going home. Took my luggage out of the airplane, dog bed out, put the pre-heat blanket back on, plugged the preheater back in...me and my little dog went home. Even now that the afternoon TAF's came out - they are still complete fiction - 12:30 KPTD forecasts is 6sm 5000ft until 8pm -- actual is now 2pm 400ft and 3sm and raining mist. 37F At Khfd at least the 12:38 forecast lines up with the actual - 900ft 3sm. SO primarily the lack of line-up of the actual and the forecast with worse weather coming is what put the no go on alert plus the other two factors made it easy (but hard) - TAFs a complete fiction - which is worse than not just the bad weather early. I feel good about it. I might drive tomorrow - we shall see. We are expecting snow in the am here, and massive winds in Hartford area tomorrow. Last I looked 39mph. 30mph is my no go for wind trigger, no matter what direction, in my little plane. Otherwise sunny...gulp. 6hr drive each way plus traffic, solo. Well with my little dog. And my wife and 3 sons are already there. 2 of my sons I don't see as much as I used to - since they are in college! Written cozy fire side.

Rent it some movies?

Both the hat and socks are ugly. Lee

Did you check the emergency gear handle? Did the mechanic check the limit switches? I’d try some cheaper parts first if you could.

From Bob Kromer- "After engine start, I leaned the mixture out aggressively for smooth and clean engine operation on the ground. You should do this with any Mooney. Most engines are set up too rich at or near idle. Aggressive leaning will make the engine run smoother and will keep the spark plugs much cleaner. Most spark plug fouling occurs during ground operations with a too rich mixture. You can remedy this by simply leaning the mixture after engine start for all ground operations. We always wanted to put this procedure in the POH while I was flying engineering flight test at the factory, but we were concerned that too many pilots would forget to enrichen the mixture before rolling onto the runway for takeoff. But do it anyway - your engine will run much smoother and cleaner on the ground. Just don’t forget to enrichen prior to takeoff."

I was an AOPA member for quite a few years. But I’ve started to think about what these associations do for me beyond cash my check. For AOPA I can’t come up with so much.

You will probably find that if you get it in trail the plane will go slower. You can find the minimum drag position by mis-trimming the airplane and using the elevator to level the plane. find the combination that produces the highest airspeed. It will probably be pretty close to your present setup.

For additional info... the word balun will be easy to find... RG400... everyone is doing it... if the ceiling is coming down... Stuff that can be read around MS... much of it written by the furry one... For Eric... It’s not a digital on/off challenge... he said one side didn’t work... https://peyronies-disease.xiaflex.com/patient/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAt_PuBRDcARIsAMNlBdrJ60wbnUVPSGAeIzJSLCZXGcwgJBBvoGhO_IYF3r8cq4rL7_t1zVUaAg9xEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds (Current TV ads... PP thoughts only, not a urologist... ) Best regards, -a-

I recently received a 50 year AOPA membership lapel pin from them... but no socks! Don't ya just hate it when the newbies are treated better than the faithful.

If you lean on taxi til it runs rough, then richen a tad, then if you forget to richen the mixture, your engine will stall when you add takeoff power. It's impossible to do any damage that way.

So did another mercy flight on Friday. This guy had a liver transplant late this summer and his follow up around Labor Day rendered him a 30 stay the the prized resort "U of M Hospital". He came home with a feeding tube up his nose a week ago and will have weekly visits for the foreseeable future. His attitude is good though. The last picture is the Door County Peninsula. Tom https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N994PT/history/20191122/1300Z/KIMT/KARB

I've flown with my new GNX-375 for about 7-8 hours now and wanted to give my quick thoughts on whoever may be considering the purchase. Overall, I'm very satisfied with the unit, especially given the value. I'm not a Garmin expert, but it does almost everything that a 650 can do minus the radios plus an ADS-B in/out transponder. At first I was concerned it would be too small but the ability to use Connext with the two way flight plan transfer to Foreflight has been great. Seeing the weather and traffic on the foreflight also essentially replicated my Stratus 3 without the need for the extra device. Yes, the screen can be small when you're trying to type in an airport on the touchscreen in turbulence, but nothing that's not doable. I also like using the knob when it may be too bumpy for the touchscreen. For anyone who is looking for either a second NAV or replacing a KLN-94 and old transponder its a very good option. The installed cost for me was less than 1/2 of a GTN-650+GTX-345 or 1/3 of a GTN-750 + GTX345. Yes, it's not an apples to apples compare because you don't get the radios (and slightly smaller) but for me the core functionality was all I needed. One day if I add a second NAV I may go with one of the bigger ones and use this as a secondary + transponder. Happy to answer any questions for others who may be considering a purchase.

They're a mighty long way from Alabama. I have no trouble with the Appalachians, even near Mt. Mitchell, the highest point east of the Mississippi. Gotta know where you are, and what a safe altitude is. It's quite dark leaving CLT Bravo headed north over E. KY coalfields, going home to Furthest WV. All situations, all aircraft and all pilots are not the same, but the requirements for safe flight don't change much.

Well, may I suggest go fly at night out of Reno or Las Vegas or Albuquerque.

I got my license in WV. Not flying VFR after dark would have been very limiting. You just have to know where you are and what a good altitude is. When I did my Student XCs, day and night, the trainer had no GPS.

Just curious if you are considering the "Mooney as a sports car " because that would be totally inaccurate , Mooney has never sold an aerobatic aircraft , Where as Beech has sold many aerobatic Bonanzas ...

Do you usually fly up along the coast? I always go inland (RBL V23 EUG) when I head up that way.

My a/c has placards that match the service instruction (attached - I'm guessing that the Spruce placards are the same). But I've also started giving the service instruction document to unfamiliar FBOs. Mooney-turn-radius-service-instruction.pdf

I ordered a set of placards from aircraft spruce that had a sticker for the tow limits. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

That's exactly what many comparison threads come down to. I laughed as soon as I saw the title. "Sports car vs living room. Which is better?" (the way I actually think of these two aircraft) came to mind immediately. Seems more a "my mission is better than yours" comparison than anything having to do with the airplanes themselves.

The other day, I left my Halos at home accidentally... My 20year Old DCs came off the back shelf and worked like they were being used yesterday... Great description of a well run American company, Bob. Thanks for sharing it. Best regards, -a-

technically, according to the POH, that “gigantic baggage compartment” still has a 120lb maximum weight limit, though. seems silly to me- as they account for rear passenger weight when the seats are folded down (“cargo, seats folded down-340”), which is 170 per seat.... but doesn’t specify the moment arm for loading in that configuration- just a maximum weight. That would lead the test pilot in me to want to go put 340lbs in the baggage compartment with the rear seats in the up position, but unoccupied... which is probably what mooney did during their testing on the long body. Either that, or they didn’t test a cargo loading at all with the seats folded down... but put 120lbs in the baggage area and the rest (perhaps a 220lb body?) in the rear seats. Or maybe just used 340lbs from the back seat testing and left the cargo bay empty- thus potentially avoiding some recertification test efforts. either way, the placard limit exists. oh, and -A-, you forgot slightly faster and a greater useful load, when comparing a missile to an Ovation.

Definitely true for the future of GA. We write off old airframes faster than new ones are being produced. The only way to solve that is more new planes, and that requires lower prices. Mooney would probably still be doing fine there was demand for five thousand planes a year. That’s a less solvable problem than how to sell a hundred $800k planes into a market that does, in fact, buy three hundred $800k planes a year. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I guess what makes this whole thing impossible to make money with is the deadly combination of low numbers / high overhead per airframe and huge manufacturing costs. That would obviously go for any renewed "J" and "K" as well. And I suppose this also has to do with the fact that they never went for that shute, it would mean a new certification which to this day in recent living history no company has survived without near or full bancruptcy. I guess the point has been reached where the M20 with it's construction is simply not viable from a manufacturing standpoint anymore. Ok, so at this stage, we have a factory which is fully geared up to produce 2 almost identical models of airplane but has amassed massive cost and possibly debt as well as it is questionable whether each airframe sold is actually making money. What would probably be the best way is to bancrupt the whole thing to zero value and then have someone take over the factory with fresh money and streamline production as well as the model line into something which can be sold at 500k and make money. If that is possible at all, I have my doubts. As for new clean sheet design, if one figure I have heard out of the grapevine in this discussion was $40-50 million to certify a new design, well, then the calculation is easy, at least on the surface. If one assumes that building one airframe costs north of 500k these days, then if you look at a series of maybe 500 sales, that is 100k overhead to pay for the cost of actually getting to the stage where you can produce and sell airplanes. Then add the overhead of maybe another 50k per airframe and you get to 650k, so pretty much the base price of an Ovation today. Only: They can't sell 500 Ovations, not nearly. So far they sell 10 per year approximately, so now make that calculation again and you get an airframe cost well north of a Citation! So in order to go white sheet to be able to actually sustain a certification and sales to recuperate that money, we are talking somewhere around $ 3 billion needed to do what Cirrus has done (and needed refinancing too). That is upfront money to design and certify plus build 500 units before you earn the first dollar on selling them. I guess even 500 units won't really drive down production cost to the extent we see in the automotive industry. where we are talking millions of sold cars per model. Looking at this, I'd have to basically say it is a totally hopeless business unless you get some Kazillionaire with enough dosh to up front finance it. And those would rather spend those on other things these days. So a new sheet design is basically impossible today unless you are part of some large corporation which has the ressources to see that through.

I haven't been a member since they featured Bruce Jenner on the cover. I've been offered a ball cap to renew. I guess I'll wait for the cuff links.

Always lean on taxi both before and after. Pushing it back in is in my pre-takeoff checklist. Nothing worse than trying to get going and having a fouled plug.

I landed at Branson about a month ago. They marshaled my in front of the FBO. I asked them where they were going to park the plane. They pointed to a line of tie downs about 100 feet away. I said I would taxi over and park the plane. They insisted that I let them tow it over there. I told them that I didn’t want them to tow it. They got very annoyed. I ignored their annoyance and parked it myself. They seemed very pissed about me doing that. I’m over it.

Lots of aircraft have bendable trim tabs. The one I am talking about has obviously been bent before on my aircraft... AND it was removed and re bent (to other direction ) when the elevator halfs were swapped left/right during the recent paint. No need to worry

Don't mess with the elevator. Short bodies trim with the elevator in trail. Mid bodies trim with the trailing edge deflected down slightly. Long bodies trim with the trailing edge deflected up slightly. This is normal. There are springs in the system that bias the elevator in addition to the incidence change of the stabilizer. The strip on the rear of the elevator increases area -- it's not a trim tab. Trim drag is primarily the extra induced drag from the wing generating extra lift to offset the tail down force. Any slight misalignment of the elevator out of trail is negligible. Skip

Today was one of the best days I’ve had flying my Mooney. Flew my longest solo cross country yet from Van Nuys to Lampson Field (LASAR). I had a chance to help one of our most active West Coast Mooney Club members as I met up with Andrew Carlson to give him a ride home after he dropped off his Mooney at LASAR for annual. Just over 900 miles in 6.2 hrs of flight time. We even had some actual IFR ( flown from the right seat by Andrew) on the return to his home field at Oxnard. It was the first time I’ve experienced IFR conditions. What a blast. Dropped him off and had my first night flight in my plane back to Van Nuys. Clear skies and a smooth landing benefiting from the LED landing light I installed last year. I love flying and I love my 67 F. A day for the memory books. #MooneyZoom #LASAR #CloudSurfing #WestCoastMooneyClub Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What about m20c?

This often repeated idea about scientific research funding is wrong. I'm not a climatologist, but I am a government-funded academic researcher. It a the dream of everyone like me is to knock down a widely held scientific consensus by providing compelling contradictory evidence - successfully doing so leads to enormous respect from ones peers, secure research support, and sometimes Nobel Prizes. That type of success also inevitably creates a new field that equally merits research funding - the research community's focus simply shifts to the new paradigm. Even without knowing much climate science, my intimate knowledge of incentives in academic science makes me take the widely held consensus across the vast climate science community very seriously. In research fields where the evidence is soft, that level of consensus simply does not emerge, and multiple competing explanations persist.

Update - Mooney is all put back together and flying. This set up has been amazing and very easy to use. Finding something new it does every time I fly!

An iPad way over to the right pointed straight ahead isn't much use. If you can put in on a mount and angle it that would be better. It's still more useful on the yoke.

Did a little shore patrol over Marquette MI yesterday evening. First flyable day in weeks for me... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I see you plan a GFC 500. VNAV is really a nice function to have. The only way you will get that is with a GTN. While the GNS 530 still has some value and you're doing a major overhaul of your panel, you should consider a GTN installation now. The 355 won't cut it.

Fighting fire with fire? maybe you use it and then throw it out the side window!