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Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/06/2026 in all areas
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You guys are all GREAT THANK YOU Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk2 points
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For all the engines we've hung lately, they never did consume oil. But after about 50 hours, the cylinder walls are pretty well broken in, and the protective varnish glaze starting to form. So I would take it to mean that the thing isn't broken into 50 hours and then you can put cam guard and AD oil in it. Continental says you can put AD oil in it for break in and I've seen that done for Lycoming's as well, so it probably doesn't matter.2 points
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My engine was overhauled by Lycoming in 2022. I sent e-mail to their tech support with the work order and teh reply was that the OH was done after the date range of the ADs and that it does not apply to my engine. Getting to the suction screen on a Bravo is a royal PITA and it requires disconnecting hoses, etc. More opportunity for maintenance induced issues, IMO.2 points
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I had a Dynon HDX system and autopilot installed in my k this past fall, and have been getting used to it. See photos. Overall, I'm very impressed with the system and especially the autopilot. I've previously flown behind a Garmin G3X touch, and the systems are very similar. They system was installed (and the panel redone) by P-Factor aviation at Penn Ridge airport just north of Philly. Phil Babb is the owner, and really knows what he's doing (also found an induction leak for me on my TSIO-360). Can't say enough about the service provided, very happy. The only complaints I have are with the D30 standby system, which only provides attitude, altitude, and airspeed, but no heading (or track) or navigation data. A Garmin G5 is much better, but not approved as a back up for the system. Autopilot has been silky smooth. Also, swapped out all the old Klixon switches for the new style from the Ultra models. Nippernaper2 points
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According to the IPCs, both the M20J and M20K used either of two 28V motors, and the IPC notes say either will work: 880050-501 (1 RPM) 880050-505 (4 RPM) There is also a 880050-509 14V motor for retrofitting older airplanes from manual to electric cowl flaps. Byron's picture shows a 880050-505. There has been some discussion about this version allowing the cowl flaps to creep open if the switch is placed in the center off position rather than left in the close position.1 point
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Anyone think it MAY have been a request of FAA or NTSB to reduce GA in cockpit use1 point
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After the second flight which was a total of about 4 hours I changed the mineral oil including oil filter and the dreaded filter screen. Temps were stable by the end of the first flight and if it used any in the first 4 hours, it was negligible. Changed mineral oil after another 10 hours and then another 25. That’s about 40hr on mineral oil and I’ve been on Phillips AD oil since then. I add 7 at oil change and it stabilizes around 6 quarts on the dipstick as expected.1 point
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They use the term for the whole engine, but not for cylinders. For example, how does a rebuilt cylinder meet all new tolerances? You guys take a look at that tag that comes with a Gibson cylinder, it says repaired. And that could mean anything too. It means that it was in one piece when it left their shop.1 point
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The movie wall-e was ahead of its time on space debris in orbit around the earth. Launching lunar or mars missions will get tricky just getting through the satellite field without hitting some.1 point
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Wanted to put a good word out there about this MX facility. I found myself AOG in LWB a couple Fridays ago. No one on the field was available to work on the Mooney. I called Mr. Kerns who’s shop is based at BKW. (a hour and some change drive away) They came out the following morning (a weekend) to troubleshoot. While unfortunately they didn’t have the part in stock they got the plane fixed as soon as the part came in with excellent communication and fair price. Not sure their Mooney experience but I would recommend them to anyone who is in the area/finds themselves AOG around those parts. I felt like this post was needed with all the posts about poor MX experiences that are floating around as of late.1 point
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Alright. Since nobody NOBODY uses the term REBUILT, you’ve got a lot of people to teach so get to work.1 point
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A friend of mine was doing eights on pylons practicing for her commercial, in a Piper Arrow. The engine started to run rough and about two seconds later it shut down. Luckily, she happened to be right on top of a grass crop duster strip and in about 20 seconds she was on the ground. They took the engine apart on the airplane and they discovered that one exhaust valve head had broken off, but it got sucked into two other cylinders and those cylinders also ended up with bent valves, so the engine completely shut down. So yes, it can certainly get you killed. Interestingly, I had flown this plane with her about four days before that, and I remembered it would only do about 120 mph with the gear in the flaps up at cruise power. There are tons of oil jugs over in the corner of the hangar, and the engine had plenty of cylinders from those discount places that advertise in trade a plane. They stuck four cylinders on this thing, and they flew it another few hours until one guy took it for a 90 minute cross country and it used up all the oil and lost oil pressure on final. He measured the height of the fence, but he did make the runway. They finally sent the whole thing off to the engine shop, were they declared the whole thing unserviceable.1 point
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We have finally found a good candidate that is in pre-buy shop tomorrow morning Having 60+ years in this business I find I have to actually lay eyes on anything I'm involved in buying. Ads and pictures do not share an accurate picture. Only first hand viewing works for me. Private sale or broker it makes no difference. My mantra has always been- never believe anything someone selling an airplane says. I've seen too many disappointed buyers to change my mind. AND - NEVER buy the first airplane you look at. I'll be flabbergasted if we find anything to kill the deal on this current candidate. The new owner should be very happy with what we have found There may be a couple small warts but nothing of any significance from what I see ALL 50 year old airplanes have visible and non-visible warts. No matter how well they are kept up. Its the cancerous warts that kill a deal If all airplanes were maintained to the manufacturer's standards there would NEVER be a need for a pre-buy.1 point
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Yes, the new AD includes that part number as one terminating the repetitive inspection of the AD. If the part number of your bushings isn't included in Table 1, then the AD does not apply to you.1 point
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As Eric said, all the smaller oil "seeps" from the engine work their way down to the wheel well. You should get comfortable removing the "cheek" cowlings and top cowling and looking all around your engine compartment roughly between oil changes (or anytime you see increased oil leakage) to assess where it's coming from. There are return lines from the rocker boxes that are "sealed" with hose clamps and notoriously leak. These engines tend to seep some oil from the inside to the outside. It's definitely not like a car. Generally it isn't a symptom of something bad, but it should be looked into, especially if a new one develops. Just be advised, a couple small drips of hot oil can spread over a very large area and look much worse than it might be. Welcome to ownership! Getting comfortable removing/replacing the side and top cowlings and identifying all the bits in your engine compartment will be well worth your time. Ask away if you need help. Drew1 point
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Yuup. If there was ever a "don't ask, don't tell" harmless situation, this would be it!1 point
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Any leaks in the engine compartment run down the inside of the cowl and the firewall and wind up in the nose wheel well.1 point
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Fix the cowl flaps full open and fly the plane until the replacement is ready. A few knots slower but no big deal. This was my MSC solution a couple years ago. No need to be AOG for this.1 point
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As mentioned above, most people will use less than 8 quarts in the sump as the engine will blow out anything above 6ish anyway. You kind of have to know what your engine likes, but oil use will appear much higher with 8 quarts in and suddenly be great if you just keep it around 6. The belly of the airplane will look a lot different too.1 point
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It's a die cut skateboard tape i cut six colors per customer spec Combination colors 35.00 to 45.00 each I sold over 1k the first month and over 6k so far . My inventions and investments are why I fly a turbine Custom color door and wing seals for the Boutique paint shops .1 point
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The factory has done all of the testing and the math already. The performance numbers are in your POH. I don’t know why some still insist that they know better than the manufacturer. Another thought, Mooney could have called the flap settings whatever they wanted to. They went with “TAKE OFF” and “DOWN”. Pretty self explanatory, no?1 point
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I generally fly between in Washington and NorCal at 8000 to 12000 feet. A mix of urban and rural areas. I am surprised how often my wife has a signal on her phone to keep texting throughout the flight (AT&T, if you care, and please do not tell the FCC) If patient and waiting for overlfying a city, I am able to get longer range weather than ADS-B feed through the phone, at 4G or 5G speeds, too. A robust high speed internet connetion would be better, but our existing cell network is surprisingly good.1 point
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I planned on using mine to replace the XM Radio/Weather for the same price. Thankfully I just put XM on pause so there won't be an activation charge. Anyone want a great deal on a Starlink . . .lol. Actually I'll probably just keep it for my Sprinter Motorhome.1 point
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Follow the break-in guidance from your overhauler. If they don't have any, follow the Lycoming break-in guidance, which includes oil changes.1 point
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Perhaps relevant in this thread, SB M20-186A addresses corrosion at the outboard flap hinge. It advises that if the operational environment includes coastal areas, replace the up-stop bolt with an NAS 428-3-7. https://mooney.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/SBM20-186A.pdf1 point
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Everything you've mentioned is a convenience, except perhaps the weather updates which are already adequately available through other sources, so still a convenience. If you want the convenience or feel you need the capability for your business, then pay for the capability. As for phone calls, texting, conducting business and other distractions, as long as you're talking about having that capability for someone else in the airplane then great. Single pilot, not so much. Your point about this being the cell phone all over again is very valid. Look what the cell phone has done for driving safety! (tongue firmly in cheek). Like all tech in the cockpit, using it as a risk and workload reducing tool and not allowing it to be a distraction from the primary job at hand is key. There was a post on MS a while ago that really caught my attention; someone was talking about how nice it was to be able to watch movies on his iPad on long solo cross-country flights. Not cool. We can't fall into the same distraction pit with in-flight internet access. The use case you're talking about sounds more like transporting passengers for business. I don't believe this applies to most Mooney operations.1 point
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If you don't think in-flight internet access is a valuable tool, I'm here to tell you that you should try it and be a bit more imaginative. (though the new pricing makes it harder to try) Perhaps if you don't travel in your plane and you only fly in excellent weather, then it could have negligible value to you. But it's pretty weird to tell a bunch of people who find it valuable that they are wrong. FIS-B weather is nice, but there are much better and more comprehensive weather sources available on the internet. Mooneys can fly through multiple weather systems in one flight, so I like to keep up with the big picture and the latest analysis. It's useful for strategic planning, such as keeping track of where the weather develops and when relative to your destination and various diversion options. Internet weather is not just for getting higher-resolution radar, though that is nice to have. Staying in touch with people on the ground is valuable. Someone onboard can email, text, or even call an FBO to find out what you should do since you'll arrive 10 minutes after they close. Send updates to the people you're meeting. Change hotel and car reservations. Change your dinner reservation. Answer a quick question from your significant other without making them wait 3 hours for you to land. In many ways, this is the cell phone all over again. It's useful to be able to communicate with the world. Passengers also sometimes like to get actual work done in-flight. The internet is not just for entertainment. Being able to stay in touch with the office can enable a passenger to have more flexibility about when they can fly. That's good for those of us trying to plan flights. Those are just the top-of-mind benefits.1 point
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There's a guy in our Orlando pilot group that has some backchannel contacts at SpaceX's Starlink division and has created this feedback form that's being provided to them. Apparently it's still being debated over there. This is like the 3rd or 4th iteration of this stuff. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdFUZNS8BQbkbSGuWMHzfztI8kpuLdHw_InALwpQWsockLl0Q/viewform?fbclid=IwY2xjawQTx4pleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe-bKtw7aRAJQQlSlyG9RuPG1_ijakgmv9tS-e5MJRXNnDG_oWasIhTM5wLt4_aem_3B22m7hL8xuaHDqpAyCu3g1 point
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Put down the devices, and look out the window. There's a whole world out there. This obsession with "connectivity" will be the death of us as a society.1 point
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In-flight internet would be a nice to have for passengers, but not a requirement for me. Not really buying the "necessity for flight safety" angle. Most, if not all, of the information that can be obtained by internet can also be obtained from other sources in flight. For those who cannot imagine spending few hours in a plane without constantly checking their social media feeds or wathing you tube videos of cute pupppies, I recall a sign I saw in a restaurant in Aruba a while ago - it read: "No Wi-Fi - Talk to each other". It may be worth trying.1 point
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I can understand folks being upset after buying the equipment based on the original subscription pricing and policy. If the new plan is too expensive for you then you're either stuck with equipment that's useless to you or you have to sell it, probably at a loss. Internet access in the airplane isn't a safety of flight consideration, it's a convenience. A distraction at its worst, and a source of flight-relevant information at its best. But still a convenience. If the convenience is worth $250/month to you then you'll have it. If it isn't, you won't. The market demand will drive any price change, if the business determines it's required. Considering the new price is about 4-5 times what we were paying, Starlink could lose 75% of the subscribers who were using their antennas in airplanes and still have the same revenue from the remaining 25% at the new plan price. And subscriptions will still continue to grow as operators who want the capability continue to add Starlink to their aircraft amenities. Besides, of 10,000,000 subscribers, what percentage of the revenue comes from light GA subscribers? I don't like it, but I can appreciate the business case. I wasn't using it in flight yet but I had everything set up to do so. I'll repurpose mine for other uses where I need (want?) remote internet access. Still at $60ish a month with a subscription that can be paused indefinitely. Until that changes too.1 point
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Still don't understand why people even need it. It's an obvious distraction causing problems and close calls because people eyes and minds are no longer outside. People reaction says a whole lot1 point
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If the broker is paid by the seller they have a fiduciary responsibility to the seller. Its a buyer beware situation. Newby buyers need to think like a real-estate transaction. Before submitting a deposit a purchase agreement should have an escape clause that entitles them the return of the deposit if undisclosed defects are discovered. Newby buyers generally don't have the experience to recognize an airplane that should not be purchased.1 point
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https://leo.amazon.com/ Is coming soon, but who knows when. Their smallest antenna is even smaller then the mini (at least thats what they are saying).1 point
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I know there are good brokers...but in all my aircraft purchases, I've always "bought the seller". Unscrupulous sellers (or brokers) can make a bad plane look good, but visiting with the seller at his home, or hangar and getting insights into him/her is extremely revealing about the plane. A broker might fear getting sued if he told a buyer everything he knew about a seller. It's hard to beat a word-of-mouth, person-to-person transaction.1 point
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I purchased the nose gear tool which I will be glad to share if someone is in need.1 point
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The problem at shops is that they work on a lot of airplanes, each of which has its own quirks in starting. Partially through the POH, but mainly through trial and error, we have all figured out what works with our individual airplane - and many times that varies with airplanes that are the same model and sometimes requires prayers and sacrifices to the aviation gods when hot starting some models. The likelihood that a shop will get it right starting it once or twice a year is not good. You’re not really going to change the way they do things. If the way they do it bothers you, and your schedule allows, just tell them that you want to be there for start-ups. You’ll both be happier that way. Personally I have never seen the need to do that. I only let people I trust work on my airplane and I don't micro-manage them. I expect good work, hopefully excellent work, but I know I'll never have perfect work. I live a happier life that way.1 point
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I don’t think the manual mentions it, but the disks are very temperature dependent. Almost any disk will fail the test in the dead of winter in a cold hangar and almost any disk will pass on a hot day here in Arizona.1 point
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Absolutely my opinion. They also did the mistake not having the airframe in the position required when doing the weighing (spirit level on the row of rivets on the fuselage). They just put it on the scales on the workshop floor, I assume. This falsifies the weight reading in such a way, that the CG shifts rearward by 1,5 inches (IIRC, the wrong weighing procedure shifts about 30 kgs. from nose gear to the main gear...). When I bought the plane, the CG sheet showed an empty CG of 48.05 inches. I reweighed everything myself (unofficial) - weight was correct, but the CG moved forward to 46.7 inches. This gives you a lot of possible weight in the rear seats and baggage compartment, compared to 48.05 inches... As the plane was stripped and paint, the offer also included a new w&b (done by a different company than the paint shop). The paint shop did a perfect job. But it´s a PIA when you expect to get a new, correct w&b after repainting the aircraft (I even sent them the instructions for determining the correct values...) , and then it´s just useless... Theis just said: No, we don´t do the "empty plane method" - it´s too much work do drain the fuel. And I am quite sure that they have not nivelled the fuselage by means of using a spirit level. Grrrrrhmpfff... But what do you think - isn´t she a beauty ??? I´ll just do a new w&b sheet with my A&P/maintenance facility !1 point
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Wow, I had G3X and 3 servo GFC500 installed for $30K, and that includes new panels. I think the smaller the job, the more the “overhead” costs add up.1 point
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I just put one in my 1965 C model in February. Great shop in the Mid Atlantic region. GFC 500 (2 axis); $9,800 Labor; $10,4401 point