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There are two types of people, those who look up every time they hear a plane and look to try and find it, and those that don’t even notice. My granddaughter Hazel, every time she hears a plane, is looking and pointing to the sky saying “Bampa!” My wife and I took Hazel and her mom for a short little flight yesterday. I only had to flip off the intercom a couple of times when she kept chatting and I was trying to hear ATC. After landing I got a "All done" and "Thank you Bampa" over the intercom. More pictures and a couple short videos on my blog. https://intothesky.us/2020/01/19/hazels-flight/

Just changed the oil and while reading this thread, a suggestion was to look at the plugs. I looked through the engine log books and came to the conclusion that only one plug had been replaced. Ever. The engine has 1440 hours on it now. I pulled the plugs and all of the original Champion Massives were so out of spec. The closest one was the replacement Tempest plug that was at 1100 ohms. The next closest was 35,000 and the rest went up from there. 11 out of spec out of 12. Not sure how this plane flew. I have ordered a new set of Tempest fine wires which will be in on Wednesday. I am not sure that this will totally fix the problem, but I am sure that the engine will run much better overall.

So over the last few oil changes, putting in 100w into the rocket, which takes 13 quarts after draining.... I started to wonder how much oil is left in the containers afterwords. I try to let them sit inverted in the oil neck for a few min, but with 13 quarts to add that gets REALLY tedious. So, The last oil change, I emptied the quart containers and only let them sit for about 20 seconds inverted after they were "empty" and then capped them and kept them. I then brought them home and started consolidating them slowly giving the oil more time to run out. I then capped the empty containers and let them sit upside down for a few days. I came back and started consolidating again. Well, It appears that just a bit less than 1/2 quart is left behind in the 13 containers. There, now for all of you that have the same sick curiosities that I do, mystery solved! Now that I know, for all this extra effort, I can now save on 100 bucks in oil every 26 oil changes!

The keys to my J came with this logo. Would be nice to have the matching dealer sign. Someone must need this to decorate their hangar. https://sacramento.craigslist.org/avo/d/lincoln-vintage-mooney-aircraft-dealer/7055626038.html

This is a one-off airplane. Take an average C and do all of what he did and see if you don't have much more than that into. All of the LASAR mods aren't listed in the ad - they ad up fast. Granted, everyone would do it a little differently. If you take an average $35000 C start adding the Aspen with G5 backup $12000, GARMIN GTX345 $6000, SL-30 NAVCOM $3000, STEC 30 $8000, Tanks re-sealed $7000, Paint & Interior $20000, Garmin 530W + Flighstream 210 $9000, Speed Mods $15000-$20000?, etc, etc, etc. If the rest of the airplane has the attention to detail that the pictures show on the panel, interior and exterior, for the right person it might be the right airplane. A couple years ago a nice E so for around $115,000 and prices have definitely gone up in the past couple years. (Already by what's been posted is exactly why I would never list my airplane on Mooneyspace. Beechtalk does not allow any stomping on an ad. Just admire the airplane for what it is.)

$9,000 for a working, flying engine is a steal!

Thanks a lot @Deb & David for the catchup and thw flying tips, it was nice to see you guys, we had a great time at KFXE, we made it today to NASSAU, plan tomorrow to Staniel Cay and Cat Island, and to be continued... Ps: Dave managed to nail down those departure/route frequencies, so I think he is now ready for a solo nav and he deserves a dinner

We had the pleasure of meeting Brahim (@Ibra) and Alexandra this morning before their flight to the Bahamas. Bon voyage!

There is an easy answer. Buy some seller's liability insurance. It is cheap. I just sold my PA-18 and it was a single 500 dollar one time premium. End of problem.

Today was my first Mooney flight of 2020. I took my son on a flight from BJC to MTJ, I was really a nice day to fly, even though it may not look like in some of the photos. For those of you with young kids, they grow up so fast!

Seems like he is merely fulfilling his wife’s request to “try” and sell it.

To clarify, what I mean is the labels are under the switches and so you can’t read them because the switch lever is in the way. They can only be read when In the up position which is “on”. I look like a parrot jerking my neck at funny angles trying to confirm I have the right one. Lol

Welcome aboard, Andy! From my perspective, Aspen has played straight up with me, and has helped me out when I have trouble with one of their dealers. They met the commitment they made me at SNF when their dealer messed it up and wanted to ignore what Andy and Scott agreed to do. Standing up for their customer to a dealer means a lot to me, and it is something not easily or soon forgotten. Thanks for joining our forum.

No offense taken at all. However, it is Mooney history from a great period of Mooney and the wonderful people that built them, which I cherish and respect. The logo does represent that particular time in space. Certainly the logo is not current, but I’m very proud to display it on my vintage Mooney . And I also cherish a bit of other Mooney history hanging in my closet.

You should have 4 senders. You should have 2 tanks. Even with extended tanks, there are only selectable tanks. You will want frequency as long as the 930 supports it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Some days it’s not meant to be. Brian came up yesterday after the weather finally cleared. We tried several times and finally schedules and weather worked out. We did a briefing, pre-flight, and when we were all set - intercom and audio panel quit working. I have a flightcom and a Bendix audio panel but when that happened, we scrubbed it. Was a nice day too — windy but nice. So, I’ll get all the new equipment installed and try again in February. Ugh, really want to fly this baby ;o)... BTW, Brian is awesome. We spent time going over the Mooney, speeds, things to look for, etc. Was a great experience - outside of the avionics... -Don

I received a quote for a new Aspen E5 installed including interface to my Century IIb for around $7500 IF I supply the ACU and EA100. So easily under $10k. No way I would pay another 5 AMU’s to have the privilege of owning another Garmin that had the same functionality with the ancient Century. I received a rough quote for two G5’s and a GFC500 (when the short bodies are supported) under 20 AMU’s without pitch trim. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Save your money and downtime, buy a portable O2 system, a few tanks if you need that much, fill off airport. I have a sky ox, small enough, hangs on seat back. I have filled it 2 times in 3 years. You can borrow my system for a few flights if you come get it and bring it back. See if your wife wants things stuck up her nose for the whole flight, or will you be upgrading to a pressurized airplane Which will still put the cabin above 6K if you fly it where it needs to be To get the performance you paying for My .02

To log the time for currency requires a Advanced Aviation Training Device (AATD) that is FAA approved. A Letter of Authorization (LOA) will stipulate the approved uses and limitations. https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/avs/offices/afx/afs/afs800/afs810/media/FAA_Approved_Airplane_ATDs.pdf Bottom line is that you won’t find an affordable personal device for logging time. Your best bet is to find a flight school with an approved AATD to use. As noted, under the latest rules an instructor is no longer required for logging any currency time in an AATD since this is not considered training. If you just want to maintain proficiency, there are lots of relatively inexpensive flight controls that when coupled with a PC running MS Flight Simulator or X-plane can provide useful practice. An intriguing idea is to couple this with PilotEdge https://www.pilotedge.net I’ve heard favorable reviews of PilotEdge but have never tried it and would be interested in the experiences of any MSers that have used it. Skip

Some aircraft insurance policies include coverage for liability of the sale of the aircraft for occurrences happening up to X months after the aircraft is sold and the policy canceled.

Parting out a perfectly good airplane to minimize liability exposure is one of the most selfish things one could do with respect to GA. Anyone thinking in those terms shouldn't be allowed to own an airplane.

That's just Pete, don't take him seriously. He is harmless. Just understand he believes another product line is the best of the best. All products and Manufacturers have their pros and cons. Some are a closed loop system and some pay well with others, kind of like us on here.... Andy, welcome to Mooneyspace! I was talking with James Buck the other day and we am excited to hear some of the improvements there! Can't wait for April/May timeframe as well!!!!

Go get a beer and a lawn chair. Walk up to a nice hill overlooking the lake. Look over the beautiful view and consider how great it is and don’t worry about it.

757burns over 7000 pounds an hour, while the 737 max 10 is going to burn around 5000. But the 757 has tremendously better runway numbers, and it’s got a lot more range. They may be able to fly the max 10 to Shannon Ireland from EWR on the best of days, but the 757 goes to anywhere in Europe. 3300 miles of range versus 4500. So will the A321 neo XLR. So here is where Boeing went sideways, the 757 was obsolete, the 737 could not really be stretched any further. They did not have a Viable long range narrowbody midmarket airplane. Instead of spending 35B on a new plane, they bought 45B in stock back

It seems this is being considered. I know of at least one aviation expert who has been called as part of a due diligence. (I work for a consulting firm. We typically engage expert networks like GLG to connect with industry insiders in a DD situation like this. Seems this is exactly what is being done. By whom we won't know). My own opinion: buy out Mooney for a price that makes sense for revenues as above. Consolidate as many of the STCs as possible (e.g. even Rocket). Maybe even merge with Lasar. All American already works with Maxwell. Maybe combine all of that :-) Maintenance, parts, 2nd hand sales. What a team it will be!

Thanks for the responses - my thought process around considering a home sim was as follows: 1. I don't have the time, aptitude, or interest needed to put together a custom sim system, so a turnkey system is essential. 2. I visited my local flight school's higher end motion sim last year, but I found setup pretty cumbersome. The learning curve was significant to get to the point where I could use the sim to practice what I want. And overall, the cost and convenience factor didn't seem much better than scheduling with an instructor in my plane, so I walked out thinking the latter is preferable. 3. I could put up with the sim usage learning curve if I could do it in my own bedroom without having to schedule time and drive 25 minutes to the school. In that case, it would be really nice to log approaches on an approved sim based on the FAA rule change, which is what tipped me over into considering sim time in the first place. Someone pointed out there's a cheaper approved option than the Redbird, but it's still 5.4amu: https://www.flythissim.com/products/fixed-wing-flight-simulators/touchtrainer-sd.html It looks appealing but at 5.4amu, that's still a lot of money that might be better spent on Avgas and time under the hood with my instructor. Com

I flew rental fuel-injected 172s when they were new. Rental G1000s. Mooneys, Bonanzas, Cirrus, Diamonds with synthetic vision.Older airplanes with modern GTNs. As an example, I teach at a smaller flight school with mostly older Cherokees, but most of them have modern avionics, especially those reserved for instrument training, Lovely? Some. Not all. Many of the older ones could use a new coat of paint and some work on the seat upholstery. Some I have come across have definitely been junk, but it was easy to avoid those That's been my experience with rentals in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Colorado, California, Florida, and North Carolina over the course of 30 years.

Whenever we fly together David correctly guesses the departure and all enroute frequencies 90% of the time (ok maybe just departure). P.S. very nice of Cessna to put that mirror on the wing, I assume to make sure you have nothing stuck in your teeth...

I do all my own maintenance and I have a license to sign off the work. I haven't signed off "outside" maintenance in many years as I get ready to sit on the porch instead of fly. It catches up to ll of us at some time as the years go by. I do however "consult" locally and in some cases around the world where my signature is not needed. As mentioned I an VERY particular how my maintenance is done and that's why I do it myself. I also have 3 other mechanics locally look my work to make sure I didn't miss something (as I do on some of there's). They call me in when a Mooney shows up with issues they are not familiar with as they did last week on a fuel tank leak issue. My issue as mentioned is the heirs and insurance companies after the smoking hole. As you get older and have assets to protect one tends to think a little different than when young and with time remaining. Its a generational thing that some of you will face in 10 or 20 years or more in some cases. Over the decades I've seen lots of stuff that had bad outcomes that's why I sometimes get testy with stupidity in aviation. Those who forget the history are bound to repeat it. I'll make this post just a little longer with the following- Here are several accidents Read them over and tell me what the common thread to all of them is- A DC-9 going into the Florida swamp killing all on board A Cessna 150 trying to takeoff from a beach in high and hot conditions with 2 big guys on board and crashing into a lake killing one A WWII Corsiar making a smoking hole in the ground after a too low loop A Lockheed Jetstar making 3 passes at an airport at night it bad weather and making a smoking hole on a hillside on the last pass (maybe some of you will have to google that airplane to see what it is) A Piper Comanche taking off on a rainy night for a short positioning flight and losing control at 1500 feet killing the IR pilot A Bonanza found at the bottom of a lake after 2 days of searching minus the tail - Read them over and tell me the common thread-

I agree. Unfortunately. I was initially very keen on GI275 but it is just not making financial sense. AT 15k now it is oh so close to the cost of a full G3x. How much is that installed? 20k? By the time you get to 15k - if I become willing to spend that - then I would be thinking either to put in a G3x, or maybe two G5s and a GFC500 - more likely the later. Anyway 15k for two round gauges no matter how capable, just doesn't seem wise when compared to the alternatives, both alternatives from Garmin, and of course Aspen, and soon uAvionics AV30. At 8k-10k I would have closed my eyes and done it. Its not even a matter of price is no object - I want it - and I am that strange market niche guy that I do find my old school looking panel to be lovely and I found this device very enticing. If it had been G5 price, I would get it. At G3x price almost - it is just not sensible. And the aspen is cheaper - by a lot. So here I am - full circle and indecisive. Still running my swiss-watch panel. I bet I change my mind back and forth 10 times before annual - but I might not do anything at all by annual. We will see what uAvionics comes up with - but I don't think they have a KFC200 solution in the current queue.

@aviatoreb I have 19 lbs of charlie weights. My CG before the avionics upgrades got rid of the whole KFC200 stuff in the avionics bay was 48 inches. After avionics upgrades: 47.25". Basically right on top of the fuel station and right in the middle of the CG envelope.

I was trying to make it even. The prices 4200(e5)700(ACU)2300(ea100) and 3k for the install would get the job done IMO. A substantial savings for what you’re trying to do.

great documentary. thank you for sharing

Others on this board know far more than I do about this topic, but I think the risk is little changed from a year ago. Most of us have never purchased a part from the factory, and the few parts that aren't available from third party manufacturers are pretty easy to find in salvage.

Peter the thing is it’s a good thing to have competition and choices. I wish BK had some offerings. I’m hopeful that Aspen and Uavionix will be successful. A healthy market with viable competition keeps GA going and prices .... less inflated.

With 51 years flying, 40 years of airline experience, I am amazed at this gentlemen's,( a layman not a pilot,) clear thinking in the midst of overwhelming grief on the MAX fiasco at Boeing. https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/01/17/boeing-david-calhoun-airline-safety-culture-lawsuit-ceo-column/4479056002/

eman didn't like 5g's in the RV. Thought he was trapped in the 5 point harness.

I just replaced mine with a powerflow. It’s a 20ish year old Knisley exhaust and the tailpipe was replaced 2 years ago. No issues with it as far as I know. Risers have holes for JPI EGT probes in it. PM me if you’re interested. I’m in Philly though so it would be some shipping cost to get it to you.

Thought about going out for a short flight today. Checked the airport webcam and decided to stay home

I agree, it would just be a way to display what EI already has. Basically it is changing the software so it can display what the EDC puts out on 232 data similar to what they do with the navigators currently.

Hahaha! I commend all of you guys for waiting so long to drift this thread . A group of true professionals!! Frustrating but a humor helps...

When we bought our '67C it had a similar panel to yours. Wanting to finish my instrument rating, the non-standard layout really didn't appeal to me, so I hatched a plan to replace the panel. We had a local shop water jet a piece of aluminum with the desired instrument layout. The interference problem arose, so I had my son 3-D print a shim that allowed us to lift the DG up to be parallel to the yoke. Note the DG is slightly set back on its lower edge, that is the effect of the shim. The cost for replacing your panel is not that high if you have skills and a friendly A&P IA.

How’s this one? Almost complete, center stack in a year or two.

The widespread GPS outages in Florida for example this weekend. I think that’s still proof that we need radio nav in the airplane still.

I found the same thing - and had similar issues with my 550. 3 or 4 different A/P's could not correct it and all but one was unaware of SID 97-3F. I took it to TCM in Fairhope whom greatly improved the situation by doing the proper set-up. But ultimately, I had to rebuild the spider valve on top of the engine. New plugs and wires is not a bad suggestion either. I did all of that and have not had any issues since.

Didn’t get to overfly Little Butts on the way back, but my co-pilot got some stick time and practiced talking to ATC. I think he’s almost ready to solo! Floated in the Ether longer than I would have liked because of the headwind.

I am usually a day late on my Pics. Today is the preflight from the hanger. It is windy and snowing outside. I’m doing the database updates and preflight in the warm hanger. Tomorrow morning is a 9am pullout and departure. First is Erie (KERI) to Charleston (KCHS) for fuel and a couple hours in the city with lunch. Then off to Miami (KOPF) for some phototherapy for the weekend. Bradb Meridian 951TB former acclaim

For me part of the fun of the summit is the trip there and back; getting to use my Mooney for what it was intended. I would be a bit disappointed if the summit was close to home. While I'm sure that relationships with airports, fbo, hotels and conference centers can be important when organizing an event like the Summit, I also think it would be nice if the location changed each year so that we'd have the opportunity to fly to and see new places. Just my thoughts... Steve