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  1. Like the title say's i just bought my first plane, 1966 m20c project having to rebuild the panel with new avionics but gives me time to finish getting my PPL. so ill be in the parts forum alot but anyways heres some photos of the craft
    4 points
  2. Time for my quick drain story, now several years ago. Was headed for a Mooney PPP in Niagara. A few days before, we had noticed a single drop of oil on the nose tire, where there had been none before. During pre-flight, that drop was back. I had the FBO pull the aircraft into the shop to specifically look at the leak. I told them we would be going eastward, over Lake Michigan, probably at night or partially at night, and I wanted to know that there was no oil leak. Their diagnosis was that the quick drain was leaking, and they told me not to worry, that quick drains just do that. We made it to the eastern side of Lk. Michigan, at which point the oil pressure, which usually reads around 38 psi at cruise, fell to 14. I knew immediately we had lost oil and were in danger of seizing the engine. The problem was that we were at 19k with very strong tailwinds, at least 75 knots and sometime more as I recall, and we were being blown out over the next great lake at about 231 kts, which would have been Huron. I declared an emergency with Canadian ATC, they gave me London ONT which was only about 20 miles away, and I began a rapid descent. I throttled the engine back thinking I might be able to save it just in case I needed some power to make the runway. We entered the back side of a front and about 7,000 feet of the descent was in IMC, on instruments. It was more like a dive, I had the ASI pegged and was watching NE speed. About half way through the clouds I realized I had no idea what the terrain was like and whether we were over some high elevations, so got the ground level from ATC, we were ok. It was a little disconcerting when I tipped the nose over to start the dive and the OP went to 6. I knew that was going to happen when the oil flowed away from the intake, but it was still disconcerting. When we broke out, the way I found the airport was the lights on the crash trucks on both side of the runway. I was really lucky, the dive worked out perfectly and I was able to glide to a spot perfect landing. The crash trucks followed us down the runway. At the ramp we found oil dripping off the entire undercarriage. The fire chief held out his hand and said "Nice landing, Captain." I am not a captain of anything, but maybe I deserved that one. In the shop the next day it turned out that a very small but long sliver of plastic swimming around in the oil had entered the quick drain but could not pass through. It lodged where the quick drain seals up, and when the engine was operated, the compression was blowing oil out. It turned out there was another, larger piece of rubber that the A&P though might have come from a gasket when a cylinder was installed. It was about 3/4" in diameter. The A&P in Canada surmised that when the oil got low enough, that plugged the quick drain inlet, so I had about 2 qts. left in the engine and the engine was put back into service, I went to the PPP. I learned that quick drains get "kits" installed periodically to make the seal work. I also learned it is a very good idea to have your A&P periodically, like at annual, pull the quick drain and let the oil drain out through the big hole to vacate any "swimmers." Have been doing that regularly ever since. That is not the whole story, the other half was how we got back into the US without passports or eAPIS codes, involving a landing between an Embraer and a 737, a tale for another day. The moral of the story is, yeah, your quick drain needs to be regularly maintained and periodically rebuilt. The "tail" to the story was that, in the nonpowered descent I probably had some piston slap going on, so I eventually had the engine IRANd, which was painful at the time, but the thing is nearly 200 hours over TBO now and still going strong. Lessons learned. BTW, my oil usage even in an engine at TBO is now about 1 qt. in 35 hours.
    3 points
  3. Head studs on air cooled VW motors pull out of the case. These inserts are used to save a used case or protect a higher horsepower engine from coming apart. Do aircraft engines have similar issues? No Carusoam, I just walked out to the hangar in the backyard to take the pictures.
    3 points
  4. I’d get a flash light and and an inspection mirror and discover just exactly what’s wrong. ‘My guess is that three points are in the track and one riding on top, but I think you need to know before you start applying force.
    3 points
  5. 3 points
  6. For those of you still operating a Brittain wing leveler or autopilot, Kevin Westbrook (former Brittain technician for over 30 years) is willing to help over the phone with troubleshooting. He has helped me trace a recent problem to the DG. I'm trying to keep my Brittain system and in particular the EVT turn coordinator operational for as long as possible. Kevin may be reached at 918-521-5139. If a turn coordinator needs overhaul, it can be serviced through Porter Strait Instrument Co in Tulsa. I asked Kevin if it was OK to post his phone number and he said it was fine.
    2 points
  7. If my insurance goes up again this year it just might...
    2 points
  8. (conspicuously clears throat)
    2 points
  9. Glad to hear that your problems are solved. Thanks for letting us know. Amazing how Avidyne got bashed in this thread when both problems were related to not following the installation instructions and using the correct cabling. I hope your shop treated you fairly when replacing your RG58 with RG400.
    2 points
  10. I just finished upgrading my C to these yokes. Picked the plane up yesterday. Seems a lot stiffer on the controls than with the original yokes and shafts. Wonder if there is an adjustment or greasing that maybe didn’t get done. Use to I could fly with very little input, that is no longer the case. Also noticed the autopilot was chasing the heading bug, that never happened before.
    2 points
  11. Update for future reference. Took the plane back to the installer. Despite my initial inquiry as to the type of cable connecting to the antenna, they discovered that it actually wasn't RG400 as they had thought (or assumed) but instead was RG58. They replaced it with RG400 and everything sounds much better now. Though I did have a stuck mic issue on the flight home. Hopefully coincidental and unrelated...
    2 points
  12. There's no need for a pre-buy inspection to be "legally binding". A pre-buy inspection should be what you want it to be. As a buyer, any pre-buy I get done will be more comprehensive than any annual inspection. It will be done by the shop of my choosing, airworthy issues will be called out and up for negotiation. As a seller, there will be no annual done nor anything entered in the logbook until money changes hands. If you want to use an "annual" checklist for the pre-buy, be my guest. But it's not an annual unless it's written in the logbooks and nothing gets written in the logbooks until the sale is complete. If the plane is out of annual, then it's a whole other story. But I wouldn't buy or sell a plane that's out of annual anyway.
    2 points
  13. When I bought my Encore I had the pre-buy done at a well known MSC. It was close to the sellers home airport, and the broker was handling the details. The problem came when the shop refused to categorize the squawks as air-worthy or not. They didn't want to get involved in the negotiations. Yet my purchase contract said the seller was responsible for air-worthy squawks. Since I was planning to roll the inspection into an annual anyway, I asked them which of the squawks needed to be fixed to pass the annual. That became my air-worthy squawk list. The cost of the repairs for the air-worthy squawks was subtracted from the sales price at closing. Unfortunately for me they didn't notice the O2 was empty/leaking and the knob didn't work during the inspection/annual. I found that when I arrived for my test flight and transition training. There were a few other things missed as well. At this point, I just wanted to get the deal done and the plane home, so I dealt with them later on. I think you just have to expect the pre-buy and annual will miss things.
    2 points
  14. Light, strong, cheap. Pick any two.
    2 points
  15. Over the past year (or two) at various times I've had the gear warning and stall warning circuit breakers pop--together. It started getting worse this year, so I decided it was time to solve the problem. I realized that it didn't happen in the wintertime; only the summertime. This year it was happening every time I flew when it was reasonably hot. I took it in to an Avionics shop hoping it wouldn't take them too long to diagnose the issue. They spent a lot of time trying to track down the problem and finally decided to just change out the circuit breakers. The first flight after the new breakers were installed both breakers popped again. That money was down the drain. Nobody understood why both breakers popped at the same time. Time to call Top Gun. It turns out that the only place where the two circuits meet is the Tone Generator box located by the left rudder pedal. Mooney still sells them--$2,000+. That's a lot of money to spend on a guess. Turns out the product is made for Mooney by International Avionics Incorporated in Addison, Texas. They do repairs and quoted about $650 to look at it. I had Top Gun send it out to them. A week later I called them to see if the problem was diagnosed. Ken, their tech who has worked there for 30 years, said he was going to work on it the next day, but in the past they had had a number of them returned for the same issue, and as such they redesigned the power supply. I gave them the go ahead to replace the card if necessary. They replicated my problem, so the card was replaced. Today, Mark installed the unit in about 15 minutes. We tested it on the ground and with the new design the circuit breakers are independent of each other. (In the past if you wanted to disable the stall warning you had to pull the gear warning breaker as well). I feel comfortable that the problem is solved. I'm posting this to save anyone else the expense of troubleshooting this issue should they have it. Just send in the Tone Generator for repair and your problem will be easily resolved. PS Just got the Bill. Less than new, but $$.
    2 points
  16. I am in awe. And dang - no step!
    2 points
  17. WOW!! I'm so honored to have a friend in Captain Harry Moyer.....................Harry just called letting me know................Guinness Book of Records 2021! Congratulations dear Harry!! https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/oldest-qualified-pilot
    2 points
  18. No Seller in their right mind, especially in this market would agree to that. A legitimate pre-buy will cost 1500-2000 by someone really Mooney savvy and it is looking for airworthy items that will cost thousands. They will list all discrepancies they find. The seller should cover the airworthy items according to the terms of the purchase agreement. Edit: I meant "seller" should cover airworthy items and changed it above. For the seller to have have a mechanic or shop, that he is unfamiliar with, do an "annual" and possibly hold the airplane hostage would be crazy. If you want to leave it open and turn it into an annual after money has changed hands, no problem if I'm the seller.
    2 points
  19. Some people, this just wouldn't work, others no problem. A man has got to know HIS limitations.
    2 points
  20. You have just found the one feature, more than anything else, that will sell more yaw dampers to Mooney owners.
    2 points
  21. My father suddenly passed away in January and I have inherited his 67 M20C. A few months before he passed away, when we didn't know that he was having health issues, he had a landing incident which left a dent on the inner wing (the skin that also covers the fuel tank) and one near the opposite wingtip (2nd skin from the end). I hate to see a mooney die for these, but they are significant. I don't believe the internal structure of the wing is compromised. Does anyone have experience re-skinning a mooney wing? Would I be better looking for a replacement wing? The IAs I have asked about it aren't really giving me options, probably because they are very busy and this would seem to be a large project. How do I say this, I think I would be fixing this plane up to sell. I already have a Mooney and as much as I would love to be able to fly my whole family in 2 Mooneys in formation, I don't think that is currently in the cards. I'd appreciate any suggestions. Thanks
    1 point
  22. Along the flight I had a Mooney cross over me, crossed the Columbia River and seen the beautiful Tri Cities valley of Washington. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    1 point
  23. Leading edge dents are fixed all of the time, find someone who works on crop dusters, they are all the time denting their wings, birds, trees, even telephone poles on occasion, to say nothing of the occasional fence post.
    1 point
  24. I know you didn’t ask, but don’t forget the anti-seize, there is a special type just for plugs of course.
    1 point
  25. I don't know if Olsen is still in business, but years ago, he pulled a "significant dent" out of my wing. Complete magic. I haven't a clue how it works, but it works. http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=ce235ce7-0f60-4556-8667-e6093987a349
    1 point
  26. Ok. I’d hate to speculate on a repair without seeing at least a picture or two as it could be relatively simple to like you said a re-skin. Thank you, David
    1 point
  27. If I were the owner I would not allow anyone to pressurize the system with something other than O2, nor would a trained A&P allow it. O2 systems must be “O2 cleaned,” meaning that all traces of petroleum (typically petroleum based lubes for O rings, etc.) must be removed because it can spontaneously ignite in the presence of O2 over 40%. Other gases, such as compressed air, don’t have that restriction and the gas is usually compressed in a compressor that uses petroleum lube, so there may be traces of petroleum in the gas, in fact, some systems such as those that run power tools actually have oil injected into the airstream. If someone uses a non-O2 cleaned system to fill the tank in the aircraft, the aircraft tank will need to go through an expensive O2 cleaning process before it can be filled with O2 again. You do need to check for leaks, the shut-off valve has a tendency to leak. Somebody on the field usually has pure O2, ask around. Maybe the seller knows, how did he keep the system filled?
    1 point
  28. Back when C172s lost their 40-degrees of flaps and stopped at the far less fun 30 degrees, the word was that there was a certification requirement for climb performance with full flaps. Cessna wanted a higher gross weight but couldn't meet the climb requirement with 40 degrees of flaps, so limited it to 30 in order to get the gross weight increase. I've no idea whether that was actually the case, but it made sense at the time.
    1 point
  29. Congratulations for doing this the right way, mech!! My first annual after my IA retired, the "new IA" found this on my C. I asked if he had travel boards, he said No; I said, "Don't replace the rod ends without travel boards. I'll have it done at a nearby Mooney shop." ["Nearby" is just under one hour flight time, or I'd have had them do the annual.] He did it anyway . . . Had to get get re-rigged; the Mooney IA asked how interesting my takeoff was, as the elevator only went 15º Up and off the scale for Down. The spec is 20º ± 2º . . . . Also, don't adjust the gear doors because they look funny. The Mooney IA said that not only was my nose gear very bumpy going down and making the yoke twitch after "new IA" adjusted the doors, but that I was lucky it didn't hang up on the obstructions it was hitting. I'm now finishing Annual #2 with "Newest IA," and the last guy will hopefully never come within a nautical mile of my Mooney.
    1 point
  30. This has been a very interesting read. I was diagnosed as hypoglycemic when I was 21. Fasting is a real challenge. I do become another person. Like that green angry guy in the Marvel world, then I pass out. When my wife sees this other green guy show it's ugly head, she feeds me. This really makes fasting difficult though it is part of our religious beliefs. I am sure that there are more educated here on this issue, and I am looking forward for more information from those more wise than I. In the mean time, fasting doesn't seem to be an option for me.
    1 point
  31. If all goes well I'll be adding the 64 gallon option to mine. you can never have enough fuel. That, and we're going to need 64 gallons to fly to Europe...
    1 point
  32. well out of 172/pa-28/super vikings the m20c is the best over all value, better speed, gph, manual landing gear, retains value longer and low op cost This mooney was just too amazing of a deal to pass up, speed mods, fresh smoh on prop n engine newer interior, new sealed tanks, ect missing avionics is going to be costly but also allow's me to build the panel how i would like it. enabled me to buy this one at a super super steal for less than the cost of brace's for a kid
    1 point
  33. When I travel to Portland ( I may go on Monday ), one of my favorite watering holes has a couple who are always there. The wife grew up in Hanford. Her father was an Instrumentation engineer. He died young from leukemia. I’ve read extensively about what they did there. It was fascinating and OMG at the same time. The first reactor, the B reactor was made of Home Depot parts. They would continuously shove aluminum clad uranium slugs in the front of the reactor pushing the radiated ones out the back where they would roll into a collection chute, then off to the PUREX canyons where they were dissolved in nitric acid and chemically separated. They have tours of the B reactor. I wouldn’t spend too long in there...
    1 point
  34. I fly right over Hanford descending into Pasco when I visit my son who lives there. The thought crosses my mind every trip as to whether any of that radiation leaks up
    1 point
  35. 1 point
  36. Sure would be nice to have Mooney take over the LR tanks stc as well...would be nice to have both IMO.
    1 point
  37. I was in your position and had been looking for a Mooney while working on my PPL. Someone wrecked the plane I was learning in so when I found my perfect plane, I didn't hesitate too much and bought it. I finished my PPL training and took the test in my Screaming Eagle and have not looked back. I also jumped right in and got my IFR which took another month to complete. So far, owning the plane almost 2 years and 300 hours, it has been the best decision I have made. The Screaming Eagle is an Eagle that has had the STC of the O2 or O3 depending on which STC was done a the time of installation. It also has generally better UL because it was a stripper model originally and sold for less money, but most have been upgraded with better avionics and such. Enjoy the hunt! When you know what your Unicorn airplane is, when you find one, jump on it.
    1 point
  38. Listen... no offense to all my friends on here who say your "mission" doesn't need an Ovation. You don't know the possibilities of what your mission could be, because you're flying trainers. It is a common situation that pilots who love to fly 50 or 100 mile trips, get a Mooney and all of a sudden realize that those 200 to 500 mile trips are lunch runs. An Ovation will put the whole country within range. And you can't imagine that until you own one. Get the Mooney you want and can afford. The "mission" will somehow grow to fit the airplane. It's surprising how it works. Oh, and it will take you a solid 10 hours or so to get comfortable with the additional power and speed. So don't sweat it. By the time you've figured out how to use your new found speed and range, you'll be comfortable with it.
    1 point
  39. GS above 200 is why you sail a Mooney..! Best regards, -a-
    1 point
  40. In spite of the fact that Lycoming has approved the use of Helicoils to repair damaged spark plug hole it is not the best product to use. It is obvious that the Helicoil brand coil inserts are approved and legal. Are the solid inserts also legal to use in certified engines? Picture 4 shows a Helicoil brand solid inset. They work. I my extensive experience in auto repair taught me that each type of insert has its place but spark plug repairs are better done with a solid insert. A helicoil is both an item and a brand name. Helicoil the company also makes solid inserts. Solid inserts work much better than the coil inserts for spark plug repair. The attached picture #1 is from the brand Timesert. I use it to show the difference between coil and solid inserts. There are many brands of these products. Coil type tend to come out often, are not permanent and can cause additional thread damage. They should only be used in permanent installations. They should not be used where removal is expected, like a spark plug. Solid inserts used in conjunction with high strength Loctite are more permanent and much less trouble. Picture#2 is the thread repair stuff left in my toolbox from 40 years auto experience. I’ve done many over the years. picture 3 shows 3 different tools used. bottom one is used to clean up threads. If threads can be cleaned up and can accept the proper torque clean up is the best first option. the top tool has two sizes of threads the smaller thread matches the original spark plug size. The larger part is the thread size for the insert. The use of this tool helps keep the new threads centered and straight. the center tool is harder to center and rarely used. If a coil type insert was used you probably need to re install the same type.
    1 point
  41. Thanks for the responses - It isn't that much more to get the right one, on time....so might still go that route. I'll check back.
    1 point
  42. Your pancreas dumps glucagon into your bloodstream when blood sugar gets low to transform glycogen in the liver into glucose. Problem solved. Your body regulates its own blood sugar. Normal healthy people don’t get low blood sugar unless the endocrine system isn’t working properly.
    1 point
  43. If you are set upon this, why are you asking for advice?
    1 point
  44. I personally have done fasting and used to regularly skip lunches at work but dont do it much now that I'm spending so much time at home (cant resist the temptation of others eating around me). I wont typically skip liquids ever and will have things like such as tea or coffee with almond milk but no additional sugar added. If you can get through the hunger portion, its quite easy. I found the opposite...heightened focus, elevated energy and so forth. One's body will either use the glucose available through meals, or it will synthesize it from fat stores but unless something is truly medically wrong (or unless there is no fat stores left), blood sugar should remain within a certain range. It seems like fasting is one way to stave off diabetes as it appears to sensitize one to insulin per literature. Evolution kicks in by providing energy and better concentration when as hunters we didnt get that meal we were going for. Certainly mirrors the animal world as fasting (although involuntary) happens quite often. Would love to here an Endo's opinion on this subject.
    1 point
  45. Folks I just spoke with a dealer and they said the GI-275 Battery is TSO 179b Class A-2C. So it doesn’t require venting but the “C” means the unit doesn’t contain the emissions and it can exhaust gases/fumes if the battery enters a thermal runaway state.
    1 point
  46. I don't find that to be the case. With a nose up attitude of about 8° at touchdown you can and should see at least two centerline strips ahead. If you don't, then you flared too much too soon. It should never be necessary, and is in fact dangerous in my opinion, to look out the side window prior to touchdown. You might not be on centerline and might be drifting. I've flown and taught in all model Mooneys except the D and G and none of them have an obstructed view of the runway at touchdown if flared properly. All Mooneys, and for that matter all airplanes, land the same if flown with a stabilized 3° glideslope and with the proper airspeed +/- 1 knot.
    1 point
  47. Some would consider an incredibly expensive hobby not an investment. if you think owning and operating a GA airplane is an investment, you’re an idiot.
    1 point
  48. Our STC was just released for Mooney Mooney R, S, TN, U, and V models. http://kellyaerospace.com/mooney-airconditioning-system-now-available/
    1 point
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