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Update: I am back home. I spent the last 6 months in Springfield, IL flying survey for corn fields. I logged 400 hours between a 172, a 182, and my Mooney. She's been a flying carpet and has ferried me to and from home four times in my stay up there. I did get a prop balance done on N6744U. She was at .27 IPS and they got her down to .07 IPS. The great part is the IA who did it has a program with the local college so I got a good deal on labor in exchange for letting him use my plane to demonstrate how to balance a prop to a bunch of new AME's My Concorde RG-35AXC finally died after 650 hours/5 years during the multiple starts during the balance. I replaced it with a Gill sealed unit (no pictures). My decision was based on $70 cheaper price, longer warranty, higher CCAs, and lighter weight. I know they got a bad rap with their wet units, but I decided to give them another try. Of course her first trip with the new battery and prop balance was used as a parts ship to retrieve parts for the work planes which was fun. But I'm finally home. Season came to a close and I loaded her up with half of my possessions. She did well for little volume. I managed to fit my 29" Trek mountain bike inside the plane. With no hat rack, the head tube was jarring me in the shoulder and the derailer was smashed against the back wall. The only way to fit my suitcase and 52lb desktop computer (priorities, right?) was to fit one wheel behind me and the other in the passenger seat, which precluded me from getting in the airplane first- I had to crawl in then pull the wheel behind me into the copilot seat. But we are home. Sitting at 1,200 hours now. I'd like to go after my CFI next but work has been throwing new work at me faster than I can keep up. Next step is some multi flying (fingers crossed) and hoping the airlines recover. Because, now I'm able to fly them since this came in: First Class Medical & SODA with monocular vision. According to the FAA, I am one of 247 pilots with a 1st class and monocular vision. I don't see much Mooney flying for me in the future. Still undecided what to do with 44U.

You should change them out for month brakes, I hear they are more effective. The braking on my bravo isn't great and I'm told there are upgraded brakes that I can buy. However, I thought they may have fixed that by the time they started making Acclaims...

Winter survey season starts soon- hope to be in a multi by next week. A couple hundred hours of that will set me up pretty good I think for the future I'm trying to fit a CFI ride inbetween that.

Might I suggest this....You come up with a number and he can either buy your share or sell you his for that number.

Instead of bitchin about my situation, I ought to be glad I am in good heath and I got to fly a Mooney as long as I did. But still ....

You might want to start with the fluid. Over time the brakes on my 1995 Ovation were very poor and getting worse. It was due to the fluid starting to gel. I have been getting my brake fluid changed each year at annual and the brakes are much better.

Well, we left N252AD in Smithville, TX in the capable hands of JD and Laura Casteel at SWTA. It's time for the big one. Her engine made it to 1830 hours on the original cylinders and turbo. But she's definitely tired. Only one cylinder was able to make compression over about 50. And her belly is just one long oil slick all the way to the tail skid. The governor is leaking oil as well, and the vacuum pump can't seem to muster enough power to deploy the speed brakes anymore. This year's annual will include an engine overhaul and Encore conversion. The engine, turbo, waste gate, governor, and fuel pump will all go to Jewell Aviation for overhaul and conversion from an MB to an SB engine. All of the other Encore parts are laid out and organized by Laura, ready for installation. This includes new double puck brakes and all the associated parts and pieces. New control surface counter weights, instrument remapping, and the engine stuff. We will also swap the vacuum speed brakes for electric and remove the remainder of the vacuum system. And finally swap the dangling compass for a panel mounted version. We're looking forward to a horse power increase and useful load in the 1100 lb range when it's all said and done. To say nothing of a clean belly. A big thanks to @Denver98 for picking us up in Smithville and giving us a ride back to Denver in a Cessna 421. A very nice ride.

Made it to smiley creek and then johnson creek, and stayed the night in johnson. What gorgeous places to fly.

The message is bad, but will eventually come to all of us--Hang up the headset, hand over the keys, ride in the wheelchair . . . . But sometimes the way the message is delivered makes a bitter pill easier to swallow. This event did not do that!

Just curious. Nothing but happiness here

For some reason Continental cylinders can get their compression rings to align, and the compression reads somewhat low, randomly... So... if you get a low compression reading, it doesn’t necessarily mean take immediate action, or replace the cylinder... It does give a good heads-up warning... I dragged my feet looking to buy a Missile once... it had bad compression noted in the logs... I couldn’t get educated fast enough regarding the Missile and it’s engine... That was 10years and 31,830 posts ago... First question I posted on MS... Best regards, -a-

Every now and then I get one wrong... I didn’t know how to describe the tweet “ Covfefe...” and a few others like it... We have pretty much left the politics out of things... pretty well for a decade... Every now and then it sneaks back in... What I was actually describing was the behavior of the new guest... the word unprofessional would have been better descriptive... I’m still learning how to write this fine language of ours... I have made it up to full sentences... Every now and then, I get a whole paragraph correct... So... it wasn’t a political attack as much as it was pointing out improper approaches to things... You would think some people would be better than that... I have high expectations for Dana, but he didn’t respond... Maybe he was having a crappy day... Best regards, -a-

It's probably a Razorback covering. The fiberglass fabric goes through the same dope process. Supposedly Razorback has a life time warranty. My understanding is that Razorback is difficult to work with and it much heavier. If I ever redo my wing I would like to use Oratex. No dope or chemicals. Fabric comes painted and is lighter. Just needs to be glue on wing and shrink it.

I have used both. Maybe I had an early portable device but there was akways a power/charging issue and I think the warranty was pretty meager (90 days?) So I bought a second one and maybe even a third generation. Those things are nice but pretty flimsy. I got in moderate turbulence one day and it flew off its mount. I put in a 345 and it works great. Not having to worry about recharging and toting the portable around is nice. Plus I suspect in 20 years when you look at my panel the 345 will still be there, I suspect that 5 or more portables will have come and gone.

@gsxrpilotgood for you. I’ll send many positive thoughts for you in hopes that you stay to the Christmas timeline. I see the light at the end of the tunnel for my mother of all annuals.....my baby made it to 1632 with original cylinders and accessories. Bit the bullet in April for overhaul on everything under the cowl. Stayed MB though. Can’t wait to get her back next week for the fall weather. You will get itchy at week 3 of not flying then hives at 8 weeks.....followed by numbness until.....you see your new engine arrive in the hanger all wrapped up nice and new....then it’s like being a 5 year old Christmas morning waiting for mom and dad to get up while waiting for your mechanic to complete the install......I call this the 4 stages of overhaul grief.... I also used the downtime to pull and refurbish the interior plastic and install new glass....you know.....because I just didn’t spend enough on the overhaul......

I am sure you can't install 2 eMags - for the simple reason the engine won't run that way after your alternator dies and the battery is drained shortly thereafter. As it is, many pilots never notice their charging system has failed till the radios and panel go dark - imagine if your plane also just became a glider when the lights go out! Before we ever see 2 of these installed I'd expect to see a very elaborate warning system and mag specific battery backups to keep us airborne in the event of an electrical failure which could get very expensive. The two different parts #'s aren't so much to replace both left and right mags together but to replace the specific different type of mag you would have on the left versus right such as an Impulse mag on the left side versus a plain mag on the right side. For engines that use the same type of mag in both positions they list the same part number - I believe that is all that means and not a statement about replacing both together.

Wooden Mooney wings are a special case. The typical fabric-covered wing uses fabric that is tightly stretched between ribs, with nothing under it, and uses a combination of tension and coatings (dope, paint, etc.) for strength. If the fabric tears, the wing surface literally disappears. A wooden Mooney wing is covered in beautifully patterned plywood that is laid atop the ribs, and will fly just fine with no fabric. My guess is that the fabric, paint, etc., lends a little strength but is mainly to protect the wooden surface from damage, chemicals, UV rays, etc. The lifetime of the two is likely drastically different, the former being shorter is my official engineering estimate. But so much depends on the thickness and condition of the coatings, how well it absorbed into the fabric vs. laying on top of it, etc. Cracks in the paint are especially worrisome, as I would expect localized degradation of the fabric and wood from water ingress. Maybe someone here could provide actual experience . . . .

How can this action not fit the classification of Age Discrimination? Call AARP, too!

Composite prop—done! Power flow exhaust—done! IO-390? Let’s not get ridiculous!

O's don't have them. Or should I say....Cowl Flaps? They don't need no stinkin' cowl flaps!

Just when you think you're having a bad day................there's this ! Nuts.mp4

I appreciate the compliment. Airspeed is reaching that critical mass where there will soon be a need to hire some talent to keep this level up but we will be sure they are aviation competent and insurance competent so no one feels like they're being "handed off." In the meantime, I've made some tech investments to help increase my capacity.

Certainly not the worst news in the world, but probably in the top 10; I got the word today that I am no longer insurable in a retractable gear plane due to being alive for 82 years. It appears that I have less than 30 days left of being a Mooney pilot. I know many of you will immediately think of a dozen ways to avoid this, but I have had the best Mooney insurance guy, Parker, working on it, and it appears there is no real way around it. I could get a liability only policy, but I am not quite rich enough to risk absorbing the loss of my 231. As much as I hate it, I have to consider the possibility of going to a C182. I think I am not really looking for advice, just commiseration.

Sounds right. Not sure why you want to get rid of the vacuum unless his broken. I have two gi-275 and the vacuum attitude. When did anyone cry because they had too many indications of life saving attitude. -Robert

The hydro test is not an FAA requirement (unless it is in the ICA for the bottle). It can be done anywhere. The local cylinder shop charges about $20 to do a hydro test. Most large cities have hydro test facilities. Think of all those welding and medical bottles that need testing.

I can't blame the A&P for listing all the items - that's what he was paid to do after all. Maintenance is the owner's responsibility and he should have some idea of what is an airworthiness item and what can be differed. The story doesn't say how the A&P presented the info to his client but I wouldn't assume he told the client that all items needed to be rectified at annual. As a buyer, I would be rather disappointed if the mechanic simply omitted items because he made the call that it was irrelevant. When I bought my Mooney, a number of things were pointed out to me that will be differed, possibly for a few years, but I am really glad that I know about them so that I can budget for the work and adjust my upgrades budget to match.

Last post discussed noise levels/reductions. I can delete if it really makes you confused and unhappy Tim.

Thanks for all the replies and advice. I have decided to go with the Reiff Turbo XP. It’s also what Joe Cole over at the MSC recommends for ease of installation. Also just a log book entry vs a 337 which is required with the other brand. It’s cheaper than the competition by three or four hundred bucks too. For you guys up north, you would be surprised at how many 40° and below days we get here in the winter time in the Atlanta area. The hangar typically stays a few degrees warmer than outside, and sometimes I will turn on a space heater or two which I really don’t like doing, but this is a lot easier.

Tim - a lot will depend if they have him on blood thinners and the cause for the clotting. If he is on or will be on Coumadin, they require a stable blood INR test for a period of time. Most of the challenge with clotting is knowing the cause. Since they know the cause, it should be easier to approve. If he has to go on a thinner, Xarelto is approved after 2 weeks of showing stability. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

1) We used to sit around on rainy days and discuss what life would be like when the Class III medical couldn’t be passed... 2) That happened for a lot of people by age 65... 3) Many MSers at 65, have finally reached a point in their lives to go buy their first Mooney... 4) Fortunately AOPA helped with the creation of Basic Med... So now most can be medically sound(?) for quite a few more years... 5) Oddly... the system has moved up the ladder, but failed again... 6) Mr. Muncy hasn’t failed a medical... 7) Mr. Muncy hasn’t had a slew of GU accidents... 8) What are the insurance companies afraid of..? Memory loss exacerbated accidents... aka things that happen when the old guy’s memory gets overloaded like GU landings... Cognitive speed challenges... aka things that happen when the old guy’s thought processes have slowed down... like busting through the traffic pattern at Mooney speeds and struggling to get back into line... Strength challenges... climbing up on the wing and getting seated... or fighting a failed trim Situation... 9) Remember... Getting old doesn’t happen to everyone... And it affects everyone differently... and it doesn’t come with a best when used by date conveniently laser etched onto it.... 10) Also remember... For all of these strength deficiencies... there are remedies... 11) If we can’t get insurance to the level we are familiar with... can we step back a level and limit some of the coverage ? Only close family and friends... No more than 1 or 2 passengers High deductibles 12) 82 years of not giving in... what is going to be different this time? 13) Rally the troops! It started with calling the insurance companies... Next on the list is AOPA... The really good news... It is much harder to think through this challenge after you wake up in the hospital... Fortunately, there was no hospital stay involved... 14) For a man that is physically healthy, and cognitively healthy, there isn’t a valid reason to give up flying and driving... Or cooking dinner... Might want to show the insurance company your gym membership, your physical trainer’s picture, and your last MAPA training certificate... Or go get your tail wheel or glider rating.... 15) the punishment doesn’t fit the crime... everyone gets to have one GU landing... 16) I’m convinced there is still a solution out there... it just hasn’t presented itself yet... MSers seem to get into their 80s generally and surprisingly often... we don’t mention age much... but few(?) have reported being in their 90s... Keep the discussion going... if we are fortunate, we run into these kinds of challenges over time... PP thoughts only, I may have gotten old before my time... Best regards, -a-

Don, this is tough, but it is not like losing your medical; You can still fly. An Rv-8 would be fun and fast. Lee

It costs $55 more and it looks like you'll be stuck with the 20° BTDC timing, instead of 25°. And the Surefly gives you the option of variable timing, the Lycoming doesn't.

I noticed that, and that's why I suggested the PS Engineering PMA450B which is a lot more capable than the Garmin 340. Plus the buttons eventually stick on the 340 after a number of years.

Tanis uses the Cylinder temp holes so if you have or want an engine monitor you will have a conflict. I have the Reiff system and it works well, does not interfere with any other equipment and is relatively easy to install.

Yes I do. But I couldn't tell you what the color is. We just kept mixing until we got it close to what I wanted.

What we have found is that SureFly's tach output signal does not appear to be consistent. What isolator value works for one system, does not work on another. Having discussed this further with SureFly's engineers, we calculated that a 4.02K isolator should work to interface their system with our CGR/MVP systems. Of course, after we made that determination, we have had reports from customers that 4.02K is still too high a value. SureFly has developed an interface box, however, the first one we have had experience with results in RPM displaying half of what it should. We believe it is because SureFly only triggers 1.5 times per cycle instead of the industry standard of three times per cycle for a six cylinder application. However, it appears they did use the industry standard to triggering twice per cycle in 4-cylinder applications.

Vantage plane plastics all around. Don’t try and repair anything. Plane plastics are very thick and durable. They are also inexpensive. The spatial parts might be good for the pilots side though.

So where's the PIREP? I've had an Apple Watch since the beginning and have a 4 now. The 5 just didn't have enough new goodies to justify a change, but the 6 with always on screen and pulse ox has garnered my attention. The big question is, will it alert you to a low blood ox reading, or does it only read when you tell it? If the former, then it would be the cats meow for flying. It already does a status display for ForeFlight.

consider getting your baffling powder coated while you have it a part. It looks really good and is easy to clean. I did on my last J when I replaced all cylinders. I did just a spray can overhaul on the bottom end:)

Yay! Encore! Said the guy standing to clap.... hope the transition goes as smoothly as planned. Best regards, -a-

Just relocate the oil cooler to baffle behind #4 cylinder. It works better there too. See Laser mod.