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@alextstone posted a thread showing his exhaust valve failure. I also attached an article from Mike Busch. In the article he says you should be able to identify a failure 100 to 200 hours before it happens. I didn't want to add all this to his but felt like others would like to see it. https://www.savvyaviation.com/wp-content/uploads/articles_eaa/EAA_2010-08_exhaust-valve-failures.pdf I scope at every oil change and while I'm there I do a compression check and rotate my spark plugs. I wanted to show how great bore scope photos come out doing it on your own. I went down and took these just this afternoon after reading his thread. These valves have 578 hours on them. I will look up the name of the camera but it has been mention here before. .

Also a Missile is “KISS” - Keep It Simple Stupid. It is simple, strong and forgiving. Engine management is elementary. You can power your way out of many conditions that a smaller engine can’t. You dial the engine back if you want efficiency or push it to the firewall you want speed, climb like a bat out of hell or to lift a full useful load. It also has the Monroy long range tanks (100 gal). Fuel management is simple too because the outboard tanks flow into the inboard ones. There are only 2 fuel selector positions even with the extra extended tanks. Its either “Right” or “Left”. None of the complex nonsense like on Bonanzas or Cessna 310s with tip tanks. I had my J converted to a Missile nearly 20 years ago. When the family was younger our trips were with all four seats filled. As commented above, family flights are best appreciated below 12,500 without O2. I think it’s important to look at real world performance rather than just flat out level speed. Our frequent trips between Sugar Land and Albuquerque (633 nm direct although few more around military and Restricted areas) are generally about 4 hours (curiously generally either way). Other frequent trips clear across Texas, from Texas Tech in Lubbock to Sugar Land, (400 nm direct) were about 2.5 hours. I recall one trip where another local father in a Cirrus SR22 was also flying his daughter back to.Sugar Land at the same altitude ( I think 9,500). I took off after him and passed him midway. I avoid grass or dirt fields There is too much weight on the front gear and not a lot of prop clearance. A bumpy surface or rut can make the plane pitch and bounce enough to nick the tips. Also if the ground is moist or soft, you will need help or a tug to move it. Check the prop carefully - it is full feathering used only on 3 planes. Check the engine mounts for droop and the landing gear Lord disks for compression. Both will reduce prop clearance. I recently had excessive wear on the lower two-thirds portion of the 2 piece spinner right under the big center nut that holds it to the low pitch stop on the piston chamber. Think of it as a large curved aluminum salad bowl with a big hole in the center of the flat base. Hartzell charges a cool $2,000 for that one piece of aluminum and it took them 6 weeks to make it. The full spinner (2 nose pieces plus backing plate) is $4,000. None existed in the US. For some reason corrosion in the tail pipe (a Rocket Engineering specific design) is a problem in Missiles. (No corrosion in the heater however - zero problem there). I know of one Missile owner in Houston who lost the tail piece while flying. The IO550A is tightly cowled and tends to run a bit hot. You have to watch cylinder temperature when climbing out on hot summer days in Texas (especially if idling or taxiing an extended time at a busy Class C or B airport waiting for clearance). I just shallow out or level my climb at slightly reduced rpm to stabilize temps before resuming. The Continental fuel injection nozzles are quite well balanced and temps are even. i do not have speed brakes and don’t really see the need. I have flown considerable times into Class B (Houston, Dallas) and some Class C where they ask for speed to stay ahead of the jets and then drop you in to land. I just reduce power, pitch up rather aggressively, drop the gear and add half flaps to kill speed and then lose altitude. The same is true when crossing the Monzano or Sandia Mountains anywhere from 10,500 - 12, 500 ft. and then quickly dropping into the Albuquerque Sunport at 5,300 ft. I will admit that I have dropped gear and flaps at speeds above those recommended or posted in the POH at times in the past; however over 20 years it does not seemed to have caused any problems. I have not needed to source anything from Rocket Engineering which is a good thing since they no longer support the Missile or Rocket. My A&P is able to find alternate suppliers or repair shops for the few Rocket Engineering unique parts. Make sure that it has the plywood battery board that Rocket Engineering originally cut for the plane. It is an odd shape and you need it to slide the battery box from the tail. (2 batteries in box). Good luck

*UPDATE* Brice, @ragedracer1977, loaned me a couple in-panel units that he had laying around, including one with appropriate certifications, so I thought I'd break out the spectrum analyzer again and see what I could see. Be warned that the doc is like last time, only this time it is twelve pages of nerd-speak instead of just seven. There are still pictures and plots, too, for those unenamored of my prose. Executive summary: Pretty much all of the units are very quiet except the same ones that were noisy the last time, i.e., the units with the voltage/load/temperature display. The unit that has a CO detector in it didn't work this time, but I included the results for it from last time that show it's pretty quiet, too. The very expensive, certified unit was also quiet, as was a very nice, non-certified unit that is popular with homebuilders (experimental). I also include some discussion about the non-relevance of the certifications from an rf interference point of view. Doc here: http://ericjacobsen.org/Files/USB_Power_Supply_RF_analysis_3.pdf These were the units tested: The two on the left are the crappy ones (which I fly with regularly and don't cause problems), and the rest are very quiet. The right-most one is the Appareo TSO'd unit that Aircraft Spruce sells, and they also sell the Blue Sea Systems marine unit next to it that is popular with homebuilders. The Blue Sea unit has device detection capability so that it can presumably do smart-charging to connected devices. On my Galaxies (tabs and phones) this often means a 15-20 minute charge to full instead of a couple of hours. This is also a marine unit with a conformal-coated circuit board, etc., i.e., you get something for the extra money. Amazon sells a round, lighter-socket fittable version that I think I'm gonna try: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BV1MTAA/ My personal opinion/conclusion is that the TSO/RTCA certs get you next to nothing either from a standards or performance perspective for interference mitigation. Neither standard provides confidence that a compliant unit won't cause interference. A very cheap unit like the white Wells Fargo-branded model is already essentially as quiet as the more expensive units, and with twenty-cents worth of shielding could be essentially guaranteed to suppress radiation. It may already have some, I don't know, because I didn't take any of them apart. The Blue Sea Systems units: https://www.bluesea.com/products/1039/12_24V_Dual_USB_4.8A_Chargers_-_Switch_Mount https://www.bluesea.com/products/1045/12_24V_Dual_USB_4.8A_Chargers_-_Socket_Mount Anyway, just some additional info for Those Who May Care.

My airplane had been stuck in Stockton for the past 3 weeks. I had taken it over there to get my prop deice fixed. It was completed a day after the "social distancing" went into effect. It didn't occur to me until a couple of days ago that there was a way to get it back without the need of another person helping me to get over there. I called Atlantic at San Jose International where my airplane is based and asked them if they could get me a car for a one way trip. After talking with Hertz they confirmed, yes. So, for $58 I could drive over and leave the car at Atlantic in Stockton. So armed with a large can of Lysol Spray, Clorox antiseptic wipes, CVS wipes I had bought before they were impossible to get, and several pair of 5 mil Nitrile gloves from a stash I had bought before all this happened, I drove down to the airport yesterday to pick up the car. I put on the gloves and pickup up the keys. I opened the car and spayed it down with the Lysol Spray and wiped the dash and steering wheel with a Clorox wipe. I still was a little uncomfortable driving the hour and a quarter (usually an hour and forty five minutes, but with no traffic...) to Stockton because I didn't have a mask (impossible to get now). My thought process in doing all of this was that I would only have to interact with 2 people, the Hertz person and the Atlantic person in Stockton when I dropped off the keys. I had already asked Mark at Top Gun to leave the plane outside with the keys and logbook entry. So far so good. I dropped off the keys and walked over to Top Gun where the plane was outside as planned. I did the preflight and opened the door. I sprayed the Lysol over the cockpit, wiped down the glare shield and yokes with the Clorox wipe, and kept the gloves on. I started up and taxied for takeoff. I planned on stopping at Byron, C83, for "cheap" fuel. I was cleared for takeoff, and as I started rolling I noticed a crackling sound over my headset but discounted it as a battery issue. However, as I gained speed, I noticed the AOA did not light up as expected. I aborted the takeoff, knowing from a previous experience that the AOA connector was probably not hooked up. So much for my planned 2 person interaction. At least this issue would be dealt with outside. As I walked down the wing walk, I was shocked to notice that the baggage door latch was in the open position. That was the takeoff noise. I profusely thanked the mechanic for forgetting to hook up the AOA. In the past I always check the baggage door before getting into the plane. I also do a quick look over my shoulder before taking off. During the heat of this battle I didn't, and it almost bit me in the a.. Extra care in these times needs be exercised when other things may be on your mind. Other than a bumpy flight over to C83 and winds on landing at 14G24, the flight was uneventful. The gloves were unnatural to me but all the avionics worked with them on. I've not worn gloves pumping fuel in the past, but will in the future. After topping off, it was off again to KSJC. I pickup up flight following on the way back. I've never heard 125.35, one of the major frequencies into the Bay Area, so quiet. I almost asked for a radio check, but as I was about to key the mic, the controller came on and handed me off to the next frequency. San Jose Tower was next. On downwind I saw only a couple of Southwest planes at the terminal. Many times on landing when I ask for a back taxi on the runway if traffic permits, it doesn't. No problem this time. For the time I was at the airport no other planes either landed or took off. Really unusual for San Jose. So the plane is back home in its hangar, and I'm back home to continue our indefinite Shelter in Place.

It is too bad that got cancelled, I am from Longview, Texas, learned to fly at Gregg Country Regional (KGGG) and just bought my first Mooney. I currently live in Brazil but my folks are still in Longview and I would have loved to make it! I hope that it will be rescheduled next year in the same spot, and I'll definately be there, assuming the zombie apocolypse that they are making COVID-19 out to be has been brought under control by then. I have been lurking the forums for a few weeks but this is the first time I saw something that made me post. I bought a mooney here in Brazil after looking at several in the States, I was going to bring it down here anyway to help with my business which has me travelling all over Brazil with spotty commercial services as my business is rural based. For those interested, I ended up buying a 2007 Mooney Acclaim M20TN (it's serial number 15, it is not the subsequent S model but has the GFC700 AP in it)... it is registered as PT-ALN and there are pictures of it on this forum from when it was painted here. It was much cheaper to buy the Mooney here than buy in the States and bring it down and re-register... Look forward to seeing this event again next year!

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

1. Raw, un-fettered, fire-breathing POWER. 2.$125-150k probably. 12K, 65% power 17 gph: 195 KTAS easy. Loafing. not even trying hard. Quiet and smooth like a turbine at 2200 rpm. Because short of a $350k+ Acclaim it's the meanest mutha in the valley. also, it's beautiful...

Response from Tempest Thanks for the e-mail. I apologize that you‘ve had an issue with removing a Tempest oil filter. We take great pride in manufacturing the highest quality products in the aviation industry and when those products don’t meet our customers’ expectations we take that very seriously. To provide you a little background on the Spin EZ™ oil filters, they were originally a request of Continental Motors. Continental had seen over the years that oil filters in general were getting stuck from time to time when using DC-4 or oil as a gasket lubricant and asked us if we could come up with a better option. After going through many months of R&D we introduced the Spin-EZ oil filter which has a patented lubricant applied to the oil filter gasket during the manufacturing process. This lubricant should allow you to install the filter dry and remove with the same amount of ease or better. A couple of things I’ve noticed since the introduction of the Spin EZ filters, is that if they are installed without the mounting pad being completely dry it can cause the filter to stick upon removal. The second being that if you install the filter using DC-4 or oil it will nullify the benefits of our lubricant and could possibly cause the filter to stick. I’m not sure either of these would pertain to your situation, but I definitely want to help you solve the problem. If you would please send me the P/N and lot number on the filter. The lot number is located on the bottom of the filter around the seam roll. Once I have this information I can determine when the filter was manufactured and continue to help from there. Lastly can you provide me with your phone number. Sometimes I find it more helpful to discuss over the phone vs. e-mail. Thank you for your continued support. I look forward to your reply. Sincerely, Vince Bechtel Director, Aftermarket Sales Tempest Aero Group, LLC 2801 Wade Hampton Blvd. PMB-122 Taylors, SC 29687 Cell: 843-991-1199 vince@tempestaero.com

Thanks for the info. Can't find them here. But Hank has gone out of his way to help me and has already sent blanks!

I’m not a hardcore foodie that requires a white tablecloth and 4 forks when I am seated, but rather like Guy Fieri in Diners, drive ins, and dives. But I do love a well prepared quality steak. You could eat in Omaha for several days just sampling the town and eat fantastic meals. There’s a brew pub near the baseball stadium whose name escapes me, but their food was amazing. Blatt Beer & Table..... that’s it. And another one in some industrial warehouse near downtown. All great food, the guys with me were reluctant because I will eat just about anything but they loved all the places I picked. Omaha is a hidden food gem.

Thanks Gents I got all four deflectors off today, with help from your responses, prior posts and from Byron (thanks again,). Here’s what worked: Remove headliner Insert 7/16” box or open end wrench between the air plenum and the metal plate with triangle cutouts that is attached to the knurled knob. There is no way to remove this knob without breaking the deflector as there is a screw accessible only from above that holds the plate to the knob. As mentioned above, there is no set screw (78 M20J). Your plane may be different. Grip knob with a Pair of padded vice grips (a nitrile glove works great). You’ll only get 1/8th turn at a time until it’s loose enough for the plate to clear the stop pin, or as Rich suggests above, you can pull the plate (disk) down a little to clear the stop pin. Caution is advised. The plenum is riveted through the top fuselage skin and will be brittle on your 40+ year old treasure. You don’t want to break that part!! Here’s a look after removal Note the countersunk screw that keeps the flow controller plate from spinning around the shaft. Thanks again for your help, Team Mooniac!!

Or better yet, one of these. Tom

Where do you get your pizza Anthony?!! (...just kidding...!!!)

Yet you risked your life on the way to the post office... ;-) But on a more serious note, the monetary value is often secondary to being a nice human being... So - thank you!

The amount of gasket compression achieved with the specified torque, most likely is much higher with a lubricated gasket. With the dry lubricant, the friction causing the torque builds up quickly, with oil or grease on the gasket, you will have to squeeze the hell out of the gasket to get the same friction (torque). So, my theory is that if you lube the gasket and torque it to the torque on the label, you are drastically over tightening it.

@Danb Things to look for... Six exhaust valves are the most important... they get the hottest... Check the circular pattern the carbon build up makes... looks like a pizza, good... waves from something dropped in the center... looks like some kind of edge effect... waves from something dropped near the edge... (not so good) Of the six valves in your post... Four have good round pizza looking pics... one is hard to see a good portion of the valve... and the last doesn’t have the usual pizza image... (was that an exhaust valve?) intake valves are usually cleaner, as they get washed with cool air and fuel... overall no bad edge effects noted... For improvements... next time... try to get the whole valve in the pic... to see all of the edges... PP thoughts only... -a-

Direct link to the vid in case it's helpful:

You betcha! Been here a while. I joined before you, but only have half of your posts . . . . Must be that silly "job" thing that I do.

In the present situation, I suggest this: https://www.omahasteaks.com/buy/Steaks/T-Bones-and-Porterhouses?shopsrc=PRMHomeCategoryTBone Otherwise, Misty's in Lincoln.

This has got to be the most horrific, ATC recording I have heard that unfortunately, I cannot un-hear, and will probably remember this voice every time I fly IMC. I won't speculate what happened, but would like to know the NTSB report final, but I sincerely hope that NO ONE is ever in a similar predicament or fate. Very sad, very sincere condolences to his family and friends.

Missile is gonna be faster at those altitudes. the fuel flow difference will be negligible at best. Missile is a 190 knot plane at 10k. the a 231 with a 252 power plant is not.

We did! Two legs and two dogs. This is Chester, he was rescued from an Indian reservation and is headed to a rescue here near Denver. Chester had been very badly mistreated, it was just so sad but the woman from the rescue here is Denver was just awesome. Hopefully, Chester’s days will get much better, soon. The flights are both rewarding and heartbreaking at the same time. We’ve now brought 7 dogs to the Denver area and 2 have been very badly mistreated. Nothing is better than a loving dog, we do these flights with the hope that these dogs find the life they all deserve. During these very uncertain times, there is no better way to social distance from Humans than to use your airplane to rescue at dog. Or, like @gsxrpilot, sign up to fly supplies. Remember, the say at home orders don’t apply to these flights.

Valves don’t know whose name is on the data plate.

Hey, I like to save money just like the next guy. But, since the airlines and military stopped using avgas, and more and more of GA burns kerosene, I’m just kind of glad that they still make the stuff. And, I’m grateful that major FBOs are still willing to deal with little airplanes. I always tip the line crew, fill the crew car with gas, top off the airplane and never complain about the pump price. Skip

I commend your desire to follow the rules, but considering the other forms of recreation that are allowed, going for a recreational flight by yourself in your Mooney is probably one of the safest. There is a huge difference between renting an airplane for profit and flying your own airplane for fun. If you owned a Corvette, you'd still be allowed to drive it.

I thought I'd take a few moments and update you on the outcome of this thread. My initial intentions were to do about a 20 AMU project consisting of a PAR 200B, a Garmin VHF radio (GTR 225), MD-93 and a GNX-375. You'll note that I failed to include a CDI as part of my planning. That led me to look at CDI prices which weren't too far from a G5 price that would serve as a CDI too. Well you wee one G5 isn't too far from 2 G5s and I could get rid of the DG too. Then I saw that 2 G5s were not too far from the price of a G3X touch. Anyway, you see how this goes. Let me tell you how it ended... I installed a G3X touch with G5 back-up, remote audio panel (GMA-245), two remote radios (GTR-20), Garmin USB, a GNX-375, an AOA sensor and a couple of new VHF antennas. This will set the stage for the GFC500 install and a GAD something or another interface for a gear warning as well. You'll also note a nicely done powder coated panel. No regrets yet on not having a ground based back-up IFR capability. We'll chat more as I approach adding the AP. I'm contemplating adding 201 yokes to permit PTT, trim and AP disconnect on the yoke. That's another discussion for another day. Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that the work was done by the team at Palmetto Avionics (KGRD) in Greenwood, SC. I worked with Amanda, Russ and Evan who was the mastermind/primary architect/installation expert and coached down the path of the remote audio panel and radios. Needless to say I'll be back... Meanwhile enjoy the a few pics of the before and after below.

As an owner of multiple FBO's, I decided I would weigh in on this and explain some of the factual reasons why 100LL hasn't dropped as precipitously as oil. First & foremost, the decline in oil has been very fast, over a 2 week timeframe. Oil is a feedstock for fuel. The fuel we are using now was refined weeks ago, before oil declined precipitously. Compounding matters, 100LL is a boutique fuel. Very little of it is refined, very little consumed in the big scheme of things. There is also a transportation issue with 100LL - it is transported exclusively by truck to the airport. In some cases, it is moved from refineries to distribution points via rail car, but it is moved from those rail cars to the airport via truck. This is in contrast to JetA, Diesel & gasoline, all of which are transported via pipeline to distribution points around the nation. The cost to move a load of 100LL is about 20 cents per gallon. There are also very steep state and federal excise taxes on 100LL AND flow fees that you pay based on the airport where you purchase it. In California, the excise taxes alone are around 40 cents per gallon for state & federal combined. That doesn't include any airport imposed flow fee. Finally, the fuel in the tanks of most FBO's was purchased well before prices started to drop. So there you have it, no joy for those of us who use 100LL. For what it's worth, we price our 100LL to be the lowest in the state by design, to encourage people to fly in. MooneySpace discourages promotion, so I cannot tell you which location we do this at, but you can look on AirNav and might figure it out. Next week when we take our next delivery will be in the $3.xx range, and it will be lower than any airport within our state.

Hmmm, Tampa, Mooney Summit? Sounds like a great idea!

Berns in Tampa is also great , killer wine cellar as well.

Ate at Bob's with Don Muncy, Parker Woodruff and Joe DIon last month. (Thanks again, Joe) Since I cannot get my monthly Texas fix, or go to the old country tavern for some BBQ, I have taken matters into my own hands....Next up, a 10 # pork butt...

My personal favorite is Bob's, the original location on Lemmon Ave in Dallas. A flight into Love Field (DAL) and a short ride in the crew car will get you there. And while the steak is to die for, eating it at the FBO would cut 50% of the pleasure out of the experience. The other half is the cocktail at the bar before your seating, the ridiculous wine list, and a really nice Port to finish it all off. Before finally falling into an Uber for the ride home. Another great place in downtown Dallas is Nick and Sam's. I've been privileged to travel the world on an expense account where I was expected to entertain customers in the best restaurants. Bob's on Lemmon is still my all time favorite.

My CHTs go way up if I don't position the baffling correctly. The front baffles on mine need to be pulled forward. They tend to move backward when reinstalling the lower cowling. The problem one is just below the alternator on the passenger side. Makes my CHTs go up by 25-30 degrees.

Typical exhaust valve... pizza look... Very symmetrical... note the intake valve in the pic... nice and clean... Extra cleanliness is typical of being new or flying LOP... Alex’s chipped valve... note the strong edge coloration caused by no longer distributing heat evenly... The chip probably happened after the edge discoloration began... Alex’s data only showed a flight or two where this may have begun... it was Not hundreds of hours... some oddities in the pics... mirror images up the cylinder walls are funky... views out the spark plug holes are funky as well... Alex flys a TC’d Lycoming and K has an NA Continental... PP thoughts only... -a-

The plan is for this to be an FAA/PMA part for the J model.

The lag in prices dropping certainly does not exist when the price of crude oil increases. That seems to be almost criminal and fraudulent but then again I keep buying stock in the refiners.

Adhesive backed Velcro tape attaches the foam to the floor. The foam was the insulation type with an adhesive side on it, I believe that I had to cut them to size but it has been a while since it was done. A coupe of years of use, and they have not come loose.

You stimulated me to go take some picture and change my oil:) I also posted a link to the article I was referring to.

Jeez, you’ve got room for a 20” lcd with Netflix on the copilot side! Awesome!

Love the insight. Thanks

I'm planning on wool as well. I already have some kind of foil backed fire insulation under the carpet that is still in good shape; I'm going to leave it. I'm going to try going to a local auto upholstery shop and seeing how much to cut for me. If too pricy, I'll just buy the material from them.

As said above, Auto filling stations set their price at the pump according to the spot market price Plus some fudge factor according to local competition. The pump price of Avgas is set by what was paid for the gas in the storage tank. So to reduce the pump price of Avgas buy as much of the expensive gas as possible to drain the tank!

So I guess I'll update this. I flew the Mooney up to Winchester, TN this Tuesday on my way to Springfield, IL. Nice little airport for cheap gas but it wasn't long before the weather started closing in. I tied the plane down and covered it. I blew up my air mattress in the FBO and had cheese crackers for dinner since Uber wasn't running. Soon my phone was going off for tornado warnings. The winds got BAD. light poles were twisting in the wind. Power to the entire city goes out. I ran out and put more tie-downs on the plane and sat in darkness as the wind picked up to 45+ mph and got REALLY scared if she was going to get hit or not. The building was creaking and shaking. I sat by a window with my pulse skyrocketing for about 40 minute until it calmed down. The next morning, staff came in and confirmed my suspicions- a tornado touched down less than a mile from the airport. A quick check of the controls and systems turned out the Mooney fared fine. The next morning, I filed and climbed out of a thin overcast layer and finished the next 3 hours in smooth air. Made me wish Rosen made visors for the older birds. I used my laminated checklist as a visor for several hours I arrived into Springfield and quickly met my new coworkers. We're flying 172s for 6 months and it wasn't long before the Mooney was pressed into action- we needed to head east to Indianapolis to retrieve one of the Cessnas Two Cessnas and the Mooney in their new home for the time being. We still need to go to Iowa next week to get two other planes (yes I've already warned them about the nose truss)

Full refunds will be given this next week for the convention. Rooms will be Refunded through the hotel. If there are any problems getting the refunds call our office and talk to me I’ll make sure it gets taken care of. Paul Maxwell 9036439902