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From Bob Kromer: Here are some thoughts. I was the one who did factory flight testing investigating what happens when a baggage door is left unlatched prior to flight. The test airplane was an M20K. I had a mechanical system installed where I could unlatch (from the shut position) the baggage door from the pilot’s seat during any phase of flight. We discovered absolutely no adverse handling qualities or aerodynamic issues when the door is left unlatched and should open in flight. Interestingly, several times when the door was unlatched from the inside it just stayed in position. But if a baggage door is left shut but unlatched and does come open during flight, it most likely will open at rotation during takeoff. The change in angle of attack during rotation allows the airflow in the vicinity of the baggage door to lift it upward. It’s a noisy distraction when it opens, but if ignored it is easy to return for a normal landing. There were no adverse handling qualities encountered in any of the phases of flight we tested where we opened to door, including takeoff, climb and cruise. The key thing we took away from our testing was if someone doesn’t latch the baggage door on preflight, it almost always opened very early in the flight. Usually during rotation or initial climb. And it was a non-event. Now, having the baggage door depart the airplane is another matter. How could this happen, especially at lower takeoff and initial climb speeds? I am aware of only one other situation where the baggage door actually departed the airplane when it opened. I believe it was for an M20K that we repaired at the factory. But this door came open during a high speed descent. When it opened, the heavy air loads at 160KIAS ripped the door from the fuselage and it struck the vertical tail. As it flew past, the baggage door struck the vertical fin and cut the skin, but with no further structural damage. The airplane came to us at the factory and we repaired both the tail and the baggage door/fuselage. We did a thorough inspection of the baggage door and cabin structure before and after the repair and found absolutely no issues that would cause a properly latched door on this airplane to come open. Incidentally, the owner later admitted that someone was retrieving luggage from inside the airplane during descent when the door came open. We think somehow that inadvertently unlatched the door from the inside, causing it to open during the high speed descent. So how could a baggage door on the airplane shown below actually come off at such a low speed and hit the tail? I don’t know, the air loads at takeoff and initial climb speeds are not that great. Was the baggage door hinge broken or worn out? Did the pilot fly really fast in a hurry to return to the airport? A normal baggage door, even if it opens, just doesn’t depart the airplane this easy. I’m happy it turned out okay. Bob

Ok, so the bill of sale for my B is in the works and the settlement should be done this month. Once that is done, N74562 will be parts unless/until someone salvages it. So, the good news... I have been having a discussion with David (Sabremech) and the plans are for me to buy his plane (N2652W) and give it a new home! We’re working out the timing and the details but, knowing how David is, she’ll be in great flying shape. Yes it WILL have the new Sabremech cowling (drool ;o) I’ll be patiently waiting for David to get his FAA STC paperwork done for his new cowling. Once the stars align, we’ll get the deal done. David and I spent about an hour on the phone tonight going over the details and, needless to say, I’m excited. With all the speed mods, new interior, and all the great work David is doing to her to get it ready for me, I’m expecting an exciting flight back to Texas when the time comes. David and I spoke about him doing the annuals for the next couple of years with me doing an owner assisted so I can get to know the plane. I’ve always believed things happened for a reason and maybe this was the ‘plan’ all along. It’s going to be fun and I can’t wait to fly her... -Don

So that part came from my alternator, I was about to replace my Voltage regulator when I saw this screw came off alternator bracket making the alternator wriggling and not producing enough power to charge the battery. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

No worries on falling asleep. Just watch the TAS and GS. That will keep you motivated!! Tom

I think my USAF experience isn’t the best model for this because being able to bail out right down to the landing gives you some “room to maneuver”. Like flying to a longer field with crash crews. If the airplane becomes uncontrollable on the way there? No problem, eject. Or doing a controllability check? If the airplane goes out of control, eject. In general, I think the methodical approach you’re talking about is highly desirable. However, I also don’t know how hard he was having to pull or roll. Just to circle down to the field. I guess my thought is that he definitely had that field made, unknown structural damage, and difficulty maintaining control (unusual forces). I think you might not want to try flying far or for long in that condition. I also think structural damage isn’t necessarily fixed. It could get worse. What if he hit some turbulence and the door riding on his elevator Shifted and jammed it? All in all, if he had flown successfully and methodically to a bigger field and gone over little ones, we’d be saying great job. But I think landing soonest has some merit as well.

there are 2 or 2 different Floscan 201 trandsducer K-factor ranges. some are 28K ish, some are 24. some are different than that. the EI red cube is 80k something as well., the color of the plastic cap where the wires comes out tells you which model it is. Also, usually the k factor is engraved, stamped, or ink stamped on the unit. but yes, if you dont know the K-factor, set it to where the takeoff FF is close, then burn off 30-40 gallons, and use some math to determine fuel actually used vs fuel it thinks it used, and hone in from there.

You don't want to here this, but... I had Bendix King Avionics for 20 years while they were the big Kahuna. I still think the KLN 90B was the best GPS of its generation. I bought my airplane partly because of their EFIS 40 that Mooney, who was always on the forefront of avionics in their airplanes at the time, certified for the M20M. But times change and I went with it. Being a former Electrical Engineer working mostly on displays and having dealt with interface issues many times, I wanted a package that all worked together without my having to wonder if all the components would work together. I was lucky to be a flight instructor who got to work with most equipment out there. My decision was easy. It was Garmin all the way. Say what you may, but dealing with the big Kahuna has many benefits, like product longevity, definitive interface compatibility, really good customer support, really good warranty handling, and new and beneficial products always coming to the marketplace. And I happen to like their uniform user interface. I can't believe how far avionics has come since I was a display engineer with Kaiser Aerospace and Electronics in the late 1960's, when one of the sections was working with an elementary CRT display that was basically a G5 with clouds, was very heavy, but still worked in the C 172 in which they tested it. Since everyone was a pilot there, that's when I went ahead and got my Private, too. A couple of years ago I took my long retired Section Manager for a ride in my newly upgraded airplane and we discussed how much we would have loved to have been able to design such remarkable equipment. Tech just hadn't progressed that far, yet. So I was lucky to be in on the beginning of it all, and even luckier that life worked itself out in such a way that I could afford to get what I think is the very best of the best today. From a user and former Engineer's point of view Garmin was the best way to go for me. I should have taken a picture of the latest upgrade to the upgrade to the upgrade after I got back from Oregon a couple of weeks ago with the newly installed 750Xi and 650Xi upgrade. I'll post one when I get down to the airport in the next few days.

You don't need to design and certify a new engine. You need to fix the paradigm for the ones we have. For starters, get rid of leaded fuel. If you have Wright J-5 Whirlwind, sorry, you're SOL. You'll have to mix in a lead additive, the rest of us are moving on with unleaded fuel. So stop trying to create an unleaded avgas that works for every engine ever certified. That enables a big change, maybe the biggest change in aviation ever. Lubrication. We can go to synthetics, which means turbos last to TBO (no more shaft coking, ask the diesel boys how big a change that was) and valves stop being sick in the morning. On top of that improved corrosion protection the likes of which we have never seen. Finally we will see much lower engine temps. Heat damages engines. That will be the cheapest way to clean up a poor manufacturing process. Then you can leave the Avblend and Camguard on the shelf. Second, fix the ignition. That will require some dollars, but is doable. We are 50% there, we need to press the FAA to finish the job by recognizing PMA power as reasonable alternative for magnetos. PMAs have been used millions of hours on FADEC jets (how do you think you power the FADEC independent of A/C power?).

Pay it forward because of what people on this forum has done for me.... it was choppy, but could be due to bad wiring, but otherwise it works and I am willing to give it to you. People on here are so good to me, I'm just a broke person trying to piece something together and MS has helped me out alot. Now is time to return the favor! It's yours! All yours! If you cant pay shipping, I got that covered too!

Jose Monroy @Gagarin who bases his Mooney M20J at KFXE has the STC for the Monroy Long Range Tanks, which makes a trip like that possible. I had Jose install the LR tanks in 1997 a Bravo that I owned and I have the in the Bravo I own now. Best upgrade on a Mooney in my opinion, they offer a lot of options when you flight plan . http://www.monroyaero.com/lrupgad.pdf

Exactly this. Missing the door itself wouldn't be a big deal. And damage caused by the door striking, and then leaving, the tail assembly (wherever it hit) probably wouldn't get worse. But looking back and seeing the door wrapped around the horn would make me want to move the elevator as little as possible, lest it shift and wedge further and cause more restriction on input response. You don't know when your situation might get much worse. In this situation, I'd also be happy to be on the ground post haste.

I believe the lower screen stays and the upper one between the mags gets removed with the installation of the spin-on adapter

Or custom make your own out of those extremely valuable oil containers you've been saving....

if the transducer is running slow, it usually means it is dirty. If it runs fast it is either electrical noise giving false pulses or air in the fuel line. Air in the fuel line can come from any fuel line connection, the selector or gascolator. It can also be cavitation bubbles caused by sharp bends just before the sensor.

Hi, yes. Not sure if that’s a doubler on the back or not, couldn’t tell. Just want you to have a safe airplane. My inspector eyes couldn’t help themselves. Take Care! -Matt

I will second Mike on the throttle connection. The old-style ball and socket should be replaced with the new one that uses a heim rod-end. Mooney makes a retrofit kit. I ordered mine through Don Maxwell.

Ok guys, I cleaned up and tested the vibrator, and its condenser, reconnected the vibrator wire to the LR terminal on the ign switch. I also added a jumper wire (missing) per SIL-671A. No kidding, that was missing. This was how the previous owner got the right mag to fire in the ign start position (normally grounded during start). I then removed the spark plugs, and observed a nice hot spark at 0TDC on each cyl, yay me! Once again, I did a continuity test with my multimeter and cycled thru the switch positions, all seemingly correct, good p-leads. I do plan to have the p-leads replaced eventually. Then, I ran out of energy and the smart thing for me was to go home and think about all of this, before my next step. Next step will be to charge battery up a bit, inspect the engine ground connectivity, starter cabling, and fire the engine. It’ll be 2 more days till I get back to the hangar. Stay tuned! And Thank you all for the advice! At this point I have no root cause on why someone would defeat this function. Possibly an intermittent vibrator issue, or a lack of understanding how this works. I can’t imagine a IA would do this.. again, I could not find a log entry where the switch was replaced per SB-583. Maybe I’m the one out in left field!

If you are thinking of mixing and matching different manufacturers in the future, Garmin is NOT your best choice. There are a lot of innovative avionics products and your best choice for compatibility (of different sources) is Aspen. They encourage and work with the little guys to give you the opportunity to install and make them work together.

I should mention that Ross did exactly that, and wouldn't even take something nice in exchange. That cover got me to my annual, so I am grateful.

that is a real problem because the 730 is not a replacement for your primary oil temp and technically your primary is required for flight. The front part of the engine is where oil gets the hottest - at the end of it journey from the rear to the front. Still what you describe doesn't sound normal. If it's real, then oil pressure has to be dropping with the increasing oil temp, otherwise it's an indication issue. Nobody wants to spend lots of $ on old OEM guages - perhaps instead it makes more sense to instead install a modern TSO'd engine monitor like the 900. Lots of benefits for the cost and it adds resale value to your R. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The little Drunk Leprechauns in my hanger went this route, an I’m glad they did. Have you ever felt how hot the OEM bulb gets? These are super bright an have no amp draw to speak speak of. Very please with the installation an their work. Wish they would stop chanting Bud Light every time I leave an turn out the lights. Strange little Guys

No, this is correct. If you have one altimeter and airspeed you know how high you are an how fast you are going. But, if you have two, you're never quite sure. With three, you can vote and the majority wins!

It sounds like you are in a good position to design and certify a new modern aircraft engine and put Lycoming and Continental out of business. Let me know when I can order one!

I don't usually lock the door just make sure it's latched. Will lock from here on out! That could have been much worse! I thought perhaps you were overreacting until I started to wonder if it hit the tail on the way out causing control-ability issues. Then when you posted pics of it wrapped around counterbalance of elevator, I was surprised at HOW WELL you reacted. I saw the plane suddenly pitch down and you had to pull that yoke, good job!

I just wanted to provide a little update here. I went out to the field today to look over things. First, I inspected the ga35 antenna very closely with a magnifying glass. It looks perfect and sealant is perfect. Then, I looked at the bnc connectors to ensure everything was good and not touching anything else. So I pulled the gtn breaker and verified I had gps on the iPad, then turned avionics master on.. neither the gdl, nor the aera could get gps signal. iPad gps sitting on my wingwalk was ok. I stuck my finger under the glare shield to undock the aera and then the satellite signal page lit up. I then thought, ok, something is going on under the glare shield... I pull it up a little to reveal the remote external gps antenna that is hooked up to the GDL39. Its been there for years sitting on top of the panel subframe. The remote antenna has a plastic film coating on the metal on the bottom side of it. Some of the film was worn away from the edge and it seems it was grounding to my panel, which was jamming signals. I moved the antenna to sit on the fiberglass glareshield and I could not replicate the signal jamming issue. Duuuuuuuuuhhhh

I flew to Dallas for the weekend FXE>DAL non-stop at FL240 there and FL230 back. Trying to really make the most out of the Mooney "personal airliner" marketing message! Since the fuel is obviously too expensive at DAL, I made a short hop to LNC to buy fuel at $2.85 before departing. I thought I got lucky when they cleared me direct to FXE as I was climbing through 2k feet (I was planning on requesting a slight deviation later on in the flight so I wasn't so far over the gulf, but I did have my raft in the passenger seat just in case). After about 5 "I have an amendment to your route, advise when ready to copy"'s later, I made it to FXE in 5:13. Unfortunately, I couldn't catch one of those days with a nice tailwind up high heading east and even had a bit of a headwind (I had a little tailwind once I got past Tampa and started descending). Oh well. For anyone who's interested in going to DAL, I highly recommend TAC Air. It's a brand new FBO and very reasonable ($15/night and no handling fee with $10 gallons). Very nice people too from the line crew to front desk.

22nm after take off, mid point between Charlton Park(Private) & Fairoaks (London) the baggage hatch blow off which then could caught & wrapped it’s self firmly around the right hand tail elevator. We immediately lost lift and declared an emergency with ATC who had us on a basic service, lucky we were within distance of a 770m grass / gravel strip between some solar panel farms. Other than the damage to the elevator and hatch looks like we were extremely lucky to walk away unharmed. (3:52) in the video

We immediately lost lift and declared an emergency with ATC who had us on a basic service, lucky we were within distance of a 770ft grass / gravel strip between some solar panel farms. Other than the damage to the elevator and hatch looks like we were extremely lucky to walk away unharmed............With the debris on the wing and the new hole in the fuselage I could feel the extra drag (you can see me fighting the yoke with two hands in the video) the AC wanted to roll right and pitch nose down, it was a challenge to keep her level It reads to me like he did assess the flight characteristics and acted appropriately.

things for a devil’s advocate to consider... When the airplane is in an unknown condition... Similar to flying with a load of ice... Change as few things as possible, shallow changes, get on the ground... Anything that is bent... Can become broken... Where the door is resting, can get worse... If the tail stalls... the plane becomes a lawn dart. Even Sully put the injured plane down, nearly straight ahead... How many choices do you get to make under these conditions? (Many) One wrong move, and your career as a test pilot comes to an early end... Do what ever you can to avoid becoming a test pilot.... if you somehow become a test pilot... minimize the number of tests per flight... You don’t want to find the killer variable, if you don’t have to... Simple changes like slowing down or adding flaps could end disastrously... flaps will change the airflow around the tail... resist taking on additional chances, resist making unnecessary changes... Dang... those Mooneys are built extra strong... PP thoughts only, not a test pilot... Best regards, -a-

Or do they? As you point out, nothing innovative has really come out of those R&D departments in a while. KInd of like Honeywell/King. Not that they need any real innovation, they just need to take a COTS (commercial off the shelf) product, sprinkle some pixie dust on it so it can be called "for aviation". But they don't have to, the replacement cylinder / camshaft / crankshaft is a good market, especially if you time the mandatory SB after most of your warranty obligations have expired (think SB569). If I was a conspiracy theory person, which I try not to be, I could go as far and suggest that the "engineering" is aimed towards introducing planned obsolescence by finding approved solutions that aren't as time-proof as the old ones turned out to be.

You forgot to mention the missing tinnerman and screw on the flap. seriously, do get the MP and mixture cable ends replaced with the new style, heim type as called for in the SB. Its hell to land them when they are stuck wide open because of a failure of this part.

Yes sir, I’m paranoid as hell around that prop. Making sure the mags are grounded, key off, and wire to solenoid removed.

18.2 GPH in cruise at 29/24 when I do the math on fuel usage and cruise time. Similar to @Danb I figure 25 gph for the first 45 minutes (when climbing above 20k) and 18.5 gph for cruise.

I have a JPI 830 connected to the front port on the pilot side of the case. It reads about 10°F higher than the OEM. It is stable and the response is the same as the panel gauge. It reads 170 - 180 during normal operation. Long climbs to 8 or 9k altitude during the summer heat and the oil will get to 205°F but quickly comes down to 180 in level flight. Something is wrong.

I wonder if this topic ever came up before.... Hmmm... MSers are so much alike... they all put their identical iPad in identical locations... it all makes sense... I think this was a cool way to say look at my awesome 252... Unfortunately, one iPad is no longer THE answer... https://mooneyspace.com/search/?q=iPad mounts&updated_after=any&sortby=relevancy&search_and_or=and Have you seen the G3, Dynon, and G500txi threads..? Please accept my sense of humor... Best regards, -a-

Good news! A friend of mine at the KERV airport called tonight to report Mooney had launched 33-0019 (an acclaim?). He said this was one of the aircraft which was almost complete when the factory closed. He said there are about a dozen people in the facility, but not sure what the plan is. Let’s hope there is a buyer in town and Mooney can make it.

Thanks, Paul, I missed the placard; I was just looking at the text. Of course, the placard is conveniently located on the inside of the baggage door, where to read it you either have to be in the baggage compartment or stick your head inside the opening and rotate your neck 180 degrees. BTW, I’m not doubting anyone who claims it was latched properly and still came open. I’ve been around long enough to have seen many things happen that don’t seem possible. I’ve learned to always either have the door fully opened or shut and latched. If it’s only halfway open, I bang my head on it coming down off the wing. If I close the door but leave the latch open, I skin my arm on the latch climbing up onto the wing. Pain and blood are great teachers, I have found. Skip

My lap

If your plan is to spend $20k this year to get an EFIS, my suggestion is that you install a 10" G3X touch. it has its own VFR GPS. I think (not certain) that if you don't intend to certify the install for IFR, you may not need the G5 backup in the first bite...but that's just about $3k installed. the two of them about $16k all in. Now, you can't get the EDM 900 installed or the rest of your first 20k (4k left but the 900 installed will be about $7000). You MIGHT be able to get EIS on th the G3x for the $4k, however. $20K next year: $10k for a GTN650, and $10 for 2 axis GFC500, without pitch trim. $3k more gets you pitch trim. Just a thought. A single Aspen installed is about the same cost of a G3x installed. Also, I'm almost certain the Aspen requires a GPS input to display complete air data, I don't think you can make it even usable without a GPS input. FWIW. Based on installed prices for the same stuff in my panel in 2019.

An Orion 650 is a direct replacement for this legacy unit. You dump this, the old strobe power packs, and keep your existing wiring. Installation time is probably a few hours maximum for a competent mechanic. LEDs are brighter, last longer, weigh less, and look way better! Many Mooney 20C aircraft take the OR6501G and the OR6501R. Don't forget the OR5001V for the tail! http://www.gallagheraviationllc.com/whelen-aircraft-lighting.html Email me with any questions - gallagheraviationllc@gmail.com

Not only do I not lock mine, I rigged a pull ring on the inside to unlatch it. I'm not going to burn in a plane when a perfectly good door is locked. I agree if he door does open in flight it would be irritating but not a great concern. -Robert

So, marine engines are more akin to aircraft engines than automobile engines, in that they both run at continuous high power settings. There is one big difference and that is the marine engine has an unlimited source of cooling water, so it operates over a very narrow temperature range. I doubt that any part of that marine engine ever gets above 180 degrees. We could make our aircraft engines nice and tight too if we could cool them like that, but we can't. I've found that most marine engine's fuel specifics are worse than aircraft engines. I believe the power to weight ratios are not very good either.

pray for an isolated tornado

Thanks for the tip, but the deed is done. I'll post up some photos when I get the ship back, provided I have enough left in my bank account to pay the electric bill.

Lol, gotta have some fun ;o) it will be a couple of months before both of us are ready. That gives me time to get the settlement done and hopefully my medical is issued. Going flying in the F this week and get my ifr training started. It’s been a long month... -Don

Where on the east coast? It doesn't matter what I file, I get 6k over New York. 300 nm is nothing. That's not even 2 hours. Unless you expect to be at O2 requiring levels often, the turbo won't do you much good. I have built in oxygen in my ovation. It hasn't been refilled wince I bought the plane. I've used it maybe 3 or 4 times. Otherwise it seems that because of routing or headwinds, I'm not up high anyway. I have had one trip out west and the ovation handled it just fine but if I was flying over 10k regularly, I'd think about a turbo more. Here on the east coast though - don't need it.

It was a pretty nice day to fly to Myrtle Beach where things are open. Jazzy the Corgi enjoyed the flight.

Okay. You asked for a picture, here it is!

Totally agree. Unfortunately some people confuse their subjective opinions with objective facts. My glider pilot friends are the most stubborn of all...those guys will do anything to save an approach rather than just buck up and go around like a pro.