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Update - local guy repaired the wing tip and painted. I took the opportunity to have him touch up several other minor hanger rash and paint imperfections adn then clean, degrease, polish and ceramic coat the whole plane. I can say that I am happy again!

I thought it would be fun to go back down memory lane and look at some articles (Flying, AOPA, etc.) at important points in Modern Mooney history. Mooney M20J 201 Intro https://books.google.com/books?id=5pLFHBEpbF0C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Mooney M20J 201 Follow-up https://books.google.com/books?id=MikeOg4yGbMC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false https://books.google.com/books?id=3O3xoV-q02gC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/1996/september/pilot/mooney-mse Mooney M20K 231 Intro https://books.google.com/books?id=S8rkR5Hozv8C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false https://aeroresourcesinc.com/uploads/197904-1979 Mooney M20K 231.pdf Mooney M20K 231 Follow-up https://books.google.com/books?id=filryD-DNz0C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Mooney 201 vs. 231 https://books.google.com/books?id=WzZQlhAb1ZcC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Mooney M20K 252 https://books.google.com/books?id=bO2ZODqlC8AC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false https://www.youtube.com/live/-d-tkDxJjwM?si=JPn8xZs69wMEfcio Mooney M20K 252 Follow-up https://books.google.com/books?id=9S6jthMxz_8C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Mooney M20L (Porsche) Intro https://books.google.com/books?id=IxmAkTaX8OEC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Mooney M20M (TLS) Intro https://books.google.com/books?id=6cC-eWQx5Q4C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Mooney M20M (TLS) Follow-up https://books.google.com/books?id=CGIuxeSmYt4C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Mooney M20M (TLS) vs. Corvette https://books.google.com/books?id=VT7C_Y4Wm54C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Mooney M20M TLS Bravo https://books.google.com/books?id=SWTxHyD-U_wC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false (There is an error in this article which describes the Bravo's engine as being de-rated to 270hp, compared to a 350hp Navajo. A Lycoming rep dispelled this theory at a MAPA convention by saying that if those two engines share any parts, it would be just that they use the same spark plugs, and that a better comparison would be the 250hp engine used in a Trinidad TB21. The article below in AOPA corrects this mistake.) https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/1998/january/pilot/mooney-bravo https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2016/april/14/a-life-changing-mission Mooney M20R Ovation Intro https://books.google.com/books?id=J6O7Ctdb13MC&source=gbs_all_issues_r&cad=1 https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/1994/july/pilot/m20r-ovation Mooney M20R Ovation Follow-up https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/1996/february/pilot/the-mooney-ovation-at-two https://books.google.com/books?id=cTatyvxs0YMC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2003/june/pilot/mooney-m20r-ovation2-dx https://www.flyingmag.com/pilot-reports-pistons-mooney-ovation2-gx/ https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2005/february/pilot/mooney-gets-glass https://books.google.com/books?id=tvfuczRE650C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2017/november/20/mooney-delivers-first-production-ovation-ultra https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2018/january/pilot/climbing-back https://www.flyingmag.com/we-fly-mooney-m20u-ovation-ultra/?cmpid=enews113017&spMailingID=31965892&spUserID=NTE5MDMzMzc2NQS2&spJobID=1180001766&spReportId=MTE4MDAwMTc2NgS2 Mooney M20K Encore Intro https://books.google.com/books?id=0iNHz-kt9n0C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/1997/august/pilot/mooney-encore Mooney M20S Eagle https://books.google.com/books?id=W0WNUy4d8qQC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false https://www.aopa.org/go-fly/aircraft-and-ownership/aircraft-fact-sheets/mooney-eagle Mooney M20S Eagle Follow-up https://books.google.com/books?id=qZJRCyJPbvQC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2001/july/pilot/new-mooney-eagle2 Mooney M20TN Acclaim https://books.google.com/books?id=7-XCkSuHHAoC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2006/september/pilot/muscle-mooney https://www.flyingmag.com/pilot-reports-pistons-mooney-acclaim-type-s/ https://www.flyingmag.com/mooney-announces-m20v-acclaim-ultra/ https://www.flyingmag.com/project-notebook-mooney-m20v-acclaim-ultra/ https://www.flyingmag.com/mooney-achieves-certification-for-acclaim-and-ovation-ultra/ Misc. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/1995/october/pilot/mooney-safety-review https://airfactsjournal.com/2014/03/whats-wrong-mooney-pilots-lot/ https://mooneymite.org/articles-history/baxtermooney.htm https://airfactsjournal.com/2019/05/visiting-the-mooney-family/ https://www.planeandpilotmag.com/aircraft/mooney/the-marvelous-mooney-m20/ https://www.planeandpilotmag.com/article-category/mooney/

When I did my flight up the Hudson corridor, I flew 90-100 KIAS. In an Ovation. With a fast airplane, slow is a choice. With a slow airplane, slow is a requirement.

Great conversation! NA or TN’d there are some differences… and many similarities… in my O1…. 1) I prefer to fly LOP. 2) Long body speeds as they are… I start slowing down a couple miles from the traffic pattern… 3) This gives the opportunity to have gear down, and T/O flaps deployed once in the white arc… 4) This is also the time I go into ROP mode… not full rich. 5) the LBs got a blue arc on the EGT gauge for climb power… a 100°F range… starting about 200°F ROP 6) the Acclaims have the G1000 with the white box instead… same range, same engine safety, same operability for the go-around… 7) Essentially my first Gumps occurs a bit earlier than the rest of the world… 8) And the mixture is now steady in the blue box… 9) In the traffic pattern the usual flaps and gumps checks… and full rich at my near SL airport…. Note: leaving the engine leaned from altitude… won’t be noticed until the plane is on the ground… it will stumble and die on roll out. if you are fast on the mixture control it runs easily… if the prop stops turning… you start to wonder if the next start will be a hot, cold, or warm start… wondering if the plane’s momentum will carry you to the next turn off… Note for Dan… this is my NA IO550 experience for my O3 powered O1. Consider using the white box on your G1000’s EGT/TIT sensor..(?) going full rich at sea level the EGT will be lower than the white box… in a slight too rich zone…. But, realistically when we are turning 2700 rpm full rich is considered 30gph… (310 hp discussion) it’s hard to get there even at full rich… The big difference from standard Mooneys… the EGT gauge is calibrated with real temperature readings, and an arc is ‘printed’ on the face of the instrument… that makes it really easy to put the engine in a safe ROP zone… not too rich, not too lean, no matter what altitude we are landing at… the IO550s got a standard EGT sensor location for this important ship’s gauge. A location machined in the exhaust’s 3 into 1 collector allowing for the calibration between sensor location and the instrument readings… where an 1/8” really changes the temp being displayed… Oddly, for years… the G1000’s EGT display in the Ovations was marked TIT… it took a while before the software ever got updated… PP thoughts only, not a mechanic… or CFI. Best regards, -a- Soooo many Mooneys currently have nice engine instruments, and their sensors installed in standard locations… it wouldn’t take much to have the blue box actually indicated on a JPI or EI device… making absolute EGT readings totally useable…

I recognize it's de rigueur to speculate on how to achieve best longevity of fuel tank sealant, given how expensive and frustrating it is to deal with seeps. But I think there is much speculation and little (or no) evidence for most of the pet theories. Even if the pet theories have merit, it's hard to say to what extent non-full tanks compete with hard landings, and operating on grass runways, and differential heating from sun exposure when unhangared, etc. as sources of decreased sealant longevity. Furthermore, the fuller the tanks when sitting, the more weight sits on the ridiculously expensive landing gear doughnuts, potentially causing them to wear faster, etc. Call me a contrarian, but my suggestion is that you pay no attention to any of this. You can't really control most of it, and even if you could, there is no serious evidence for all these pet theories about sealant longevity. Just fly the airplane in the manner that best suits your needs, keep an eye out for seeps (and other wear items), and address them when needed.

This little E has about 2000ttaf and 650 Sfrm - so rather than going with a vintage scheme, I wanted to take the acclaim ultra scheme because it has a little retro in it. Sneak peak, not yet finished on the detail, but thought I’d share. Don’t be too harsh - yes the shop is dirty - getting ready to blast and paint the walls.

Just went on a 700nm trip Tuesday, I do the return tomorrow morning. We flew w friends, he and his bride were in his 180hp Skyhawk, and my bride and I in my m20F (first real trip in her). They left an hour and 20 mins before us. We passed him 30miles out from our planned evening stop point. He about crapped his drawers when he put 15 gallons in, after putting 30 in at his first stop, and I put 30 gallons in as my first fill up. He said “are you kidding me? It costs that much less to fly a Mooney than a Skyhawk? And you beat me leaving later? That’s crazy! I thought you were going to go broke buying fuel w those speeds”. I just shrugged n grinned Oh then I rubbed it in, “well we could have just finished the trip and got gas once there, I was only at half tanks”

$250/mo for a hangar is what some people pay for a tie-down - that's a deal. I would do it and keep your name on a hangar wait-list at your home field. As you know, cleaning off your tied-down airplane in the winter in Wisconsin is not fun. (By the way I wouldn't consider this a big dilemma - you have two options. There are metro areas where there are no tie downs or hangars available.)

I think Craig McGregor set it up many years ago, He had owned an M20J and lived on the Big Island of Hawaii until he moved to New Mexico and bought a Malibu. We're lucky he continues to maintain it. I think MooneySpace is valuable enough that I donate more than the minimum and, if you find the forum useful as I do, I recommend doing the same.

Hey all! My favorite topic! How to get the best NA Mooney at a fantastic price? The Eagle as stated above… started out as a decontented Ovation… Nothing that couldn’t be reversed, or added, or adjusted… re-contented. 1) they cut the power output… to less than the Ovation 1. 2) put it back to the O3’s 310hp engine.. and call it a Screamin’ Eagle. Same engine, different governor, tach update fuel adjustment, and possibly a different prop to meet the STC requirements… 3) they cut the fuel capacity… to less than the Ovation 1. Keeping the weight down to match the reduced power output… 4) cut a vent hole in the fuel neck to keep the fuel neck from limiting the capacity… 5) the paint… lots of white, and little color… less than the Ovation 1. 6) Add a big red stripe with a swoopy style… to go with the Screamin’ Eagle decal on the tail… 7) Limited avionics… compared to the Ovation 1. 8) Either way… the Ovation 1 avionics were good… but who is still using DME and ADF approaches…? 9) Go all color screens with WAAS capability… 10) Rudder trim… Eagle didn’t get it. It is super nice to have. Especially with 310hp, and long descents from altitude… 11) cockpit sound insulation…. Ovations got some upscale treatment that the Eagle didn’t… 12) there are plenty of other Mooneys that decided to update this as well… 13) cruise speed for the Eagle… is slightly less than the Ovation… because the O1 got a 2500 rpm red line… the Eagle, slightly less… 14) Go with the 310hp STC… and you get to choose what rpm you want to cruise at, up to 2700 rpm. The STC writer recommended 2550 to match the prop’s design efficiency… These details were discussed early on when @Cris (RIP) bought an Eagle in about 2010 or 11…. Cris was a businessman, a pilot, and a CFII… listed in the MAPA who’s who of CFIs…. Cris was a skilled aviator and liked his Garmin and Bose devices… I gave Cris insight on knowing what was available for his Eagle…. He helped get me get flying again after some time off in 2012… that included getting a new prop and the 310hp STC for my O1… If you go this route… make sure the Hartzell spinner OD matches the diameter of the hole at the front of the cowl… it should be a smooth transition…. or consider the M-T composite four blade… Flying around at 175kts ROP… you want the transitions to all be smooth! If you are into efficiency… 165kts LOP… you really want the smooth transitions… Go Standing O! Or Screamin’ Eagle… you decide! If you go with the standard Eagle… be ready to calculate your T/O distances and climb rates… as they are most affected by the lower power output…. Some short fields may seam shorter… PP thoughts only, not a CFI… Best regards, -a-

Richard was a good friend and colleague and a champion for aviation safety. He reached out to me quite regularly on issues related to aviation weather. Will greatly miss his contributions.

I don't think it is "1 hour" difference. I believe you have overlooked some of the time that you will save with a hangar. You posed it as a 40 min. drive vs a 15 min. drive each way. That is an extra 25 min. commute each way and only an extra 50 min. commute in total to start with. But if you have it tied down, covered, engine plugs, pitot cover it takes some time to remove them and fold it up and stow it somewhere. And it takes longer to put it all back on - and if the weather changes as you land - i.e. windy or rain starts - it takes even longer. I bet you save at least 15 minutes total - maybe more What if it is a beautiful clear winter afternoon in Wisconsin, perhaps hovering around freezing, maybe slightly above? - in the hangar there will be no ice, slush or stubborn ice stuck in the shadows to clean off. What if you land after sunset? - you can push it into your lit hangar. There will be no fumbling around in the dark, losing time trying to put the cover on and tie it down. You will have lights, power and supplies handy to check/add air to the tires and check/top off the oil saving time. Depending on the airport and policy, you may be able to park closer with the hangar (or in the hangar) and save time. In the hangar, there will be less chance of rainwater/slush getting past the fuel caps - hence less time spent sampling/draining accumulated water out of the sumps. And there will be less chance of the unforeseen delay - animals in the cowling or making nests in the empennage, cleaning bird crap off the prop or antenna where birds have chosen to perch, etc. (when I was young my neighbor, who had his Bonanza tied down, had a small animal crawl out the front of the cowling as he revved the engine up for the first start on a cool day. - they lost a lot of time cleaning that mess up)

I believe we have spotted @carusoam on a few threads!!!! Welcome back!!! Better than any UFO sighting...

I heard he was hanging around with Taylor Swift recently

Is the service center brokering the airplane going to bring to your attention things that might break the deal? You would like to think so, but not likely. It just doesn't work that way. Buying an airplane is a completely emotional decision, no matter what else you might tell yourself. You want this to be the one so your search will be over. The seller wants this to be the one so they can move on. The broker wants this to be the one so they can get paid. If the one doing the pre-buy also wants this to be the one, you aren't getting an un-biased look. They should be the reality check. A good pre-buy evaluation begins with getting to know a little about the seller, even if it is being sold by a broker. I want to talk to the seller and I will not try to cut the broker out of the deal. Then well before the first panel is removed, the next step is a thorough review of the logbooks by someone who knows what they are doing. Decades ago I didn't even know what to look for, but now since I have bought a lot of airplanes I know exactly what to look for. In years past, believe it or not, I had actually had two different people overnight me the logbooks to look at. They had already "bought" me by trusting me that much. Thankfully now, if they are a serious seller, they have the logs on a .pdf file. If it's a seller direct deal and perhaps they haven't sold an airplane before, I have had them take the logs into Office Depot of FedEx office to get them scanned. In a couple cases since I felt really good about it I flew there to look over the logs and then the airplane. Some pre-buys never make it past the logbooks and those few hours are money well-spent. If after that you decide to proceed further you don't need to know about $50 or $500 items - that's a waste of time and money. Those items are just part of ownership. You really need the time spent to focus on the big things. You need to know about the $5000 and $50000 items. Do your homework and direct whomever you decide to do the pre-buy in the areas you want him or her to look and then ask, "In addition to those areas, where else should we be looking?". In my opinion, if you're going to pay for an evaluation you need to be there to subtly oversee it, not hovering over them. However, inspect what you expect. Especially if this is your first airplane purchase you need a dis-interested third party that will point out all of the major good and bad things that they see and not gloss them over. The fact that you are asking the question, "What are the thoughts of the group of getting a pre-buy inspection done by the same muni service center that is brokering the airplane?" should tell you something. That is that little voice telling you that something doesn't seem right about allowing this to happen. The fact is that a reputable shop wouldn't put themselves in that conflict-of-interest situation.

It is a common problem. It is leaking at a screw. That cover plate has two stiffeners because it is walked on. There are screws at the ends of the stiffeners. Your leak is at one of those screws. Most have had good results from removing the screw and coating the screw with sealant and replacing the screw.

I don’t need an airplane. I want an airplane, and I want a fast one.

I think this borders on blasphemy.

Well, the OP flies a turbocharged aircraft, not an NA. Reading through the answers, quite a few apply to NAs. For example, in an NA it would indeed be a problem at a high DA airport to go too rich. That is not relevant to turbo ops. The turbo needs all the fuel it can get at full power to keep the engine cool. Lots of answers from F and J folks. I don’t fly an Acclaim, I fly a 231, so it may be that the fuel setting issues are a little different between the two. But I am going to relate what I do in my 231 to the extent it is applicable to the Acclaim. Turbocharged engines are generally set to provide a very rich fuel flow at full power in order to keep the engine cool on takeoff and during a long climb to altitude. Mine is that way when set up properly. During landing the engine will burble if I make the fuel flow full rich. The burble is because the engine is drowning in fuel and not igniting consistently. The way to handle it is to keep the mixture lean during the landing phase. For that reason, I don’t make the mixture full rich unless I actually need to go around. Typically it is necessary to make the mixture a little richer after touch down. Once the aircraft’s descent is no longer helping the prop, the engine can die during rollout if it is very lean, so a little more fuel may be needed. The 231s induction system is not as sophisticated as the Acclaim, so it may be that the mixture issues are less pronounced, but advice applicable to leaning an NA engine is generally not applicable to a turbo and in fact can damage the turbo.

I also don’t worry about fuel level on the ramp, but much more of an issue for you is water. Make sure your caps are properly sealing and you sump all applicable places.

I'm with @Vance Harral. Does anyone actually have documentation from the manufacturer or some other authoritative source that tank sealant lasts longer if kept wet? Or, is it just another OWT?

Cherokee owner explains 10 reasons flying a slower airplane is better. Or at least tries to rationalize it. For the most part he has good points. But they don't exactly apply the same way to flying a Mooney and here's why: 1) Price of Avgas vs Time Flying Craig says his Cherokee gets 7.5gph for 108knots on a good day. That works out to 14.4nmpg M20J will get 135ktas on same 7.5gph (18nmpg) and 155ktas on 9.5gph (16.3nmpg). It uses less fuel to go faster on a calm day. Factor in some headwind and that extra speed makes an even bigger difference. 20knot headwind: Cherokee - 7.5gph for 88 knots is 11.7nmpg Mooney - 9.5gph for 135ktas is 14.2nmpg That's over 50% faster while also consuming less fuel in total. On a 500nm flight, Mooney would get there 2 hours faster while consuming 10 gallons less. 2) Relaxation Craig says that faster airplanes are more work and stress. This is true. However, arriving 2 hours sooner means there's plenty of time to relax after the flight. 3) Cost of acquisition and maintenance Craig is quite right that the faster planes are more expensive to buy and upkeep. I would only say that it's less drastic than it sounds because you can travel the same distance in a year using less time. Less time means less wear and tear on components. This and the fuel savings slightly offset the higher costs making them more but not as much more. 4) Cost of insurance Craig says he insures his Cherokee for $800. It's over $2000 to insure most Mooneys. Most of this is due to higher hull value. I bet cost difference between insuring a $200k retractable vs a $200k fixed gear would be less significant than the fact that most retractables are significantly more to begin with. But overall, this is a fair point. I'll go further to say that activities that are deemed more costly to insure also carry great risk of death or injury so that is something to consider as well. 5) Safety of simple systems He says that simpler systems are safer because they do not provide the same opportunities to get into as dangerous of situations. This is largely a personal choice as it is possible to fly a fast airplane only in the same "good" weather as well. The simpler airplanes lack the choice. But, I do agree that having the capability to make that choice may carry those extra risks of failure. 6) More money for avionics/paint Craig says that for a similar budget, you can get newer avionics or paint by flying a slower airplane. I would say that a fully array of modern avionics makes an airplane no more capable than simply adding an ipad to a WAAS equipped airplane. Except not having panel GPS, newer avionics don't play any role in the utility of that airplane getting you places. 7) Good paint job makes it look faster Craig says that a new paint job can make a slow plane look faster. A Mooney with any paint still looks and actually is faster 8) Lower performance margins might make you a better aviator He says if an airplane has less capability, pilot has to be sharper to make up for it. I suppose you can do reduced power takeoffs or fly slower in a faster plane to get the same benefits? I don't really know the purpose of this point. 9) 90 kts gets as much respect as 160 kts Craig says that slower flying planes get same amount of respect from ATC as faster ones. While largely true, I can say first hand that I've had much better accommodation from ATC in busy situations in Mooney than back when I flew slower planes. I can't say for sure if it's from having more experience and being able to ask things the right way or the plane. But, I hear far less of "too busy to take on VFR or remain outside the Bravo" than Cessnas and Cherokees in the same area. 10) You just might have more fun I agree that any airplane is fun regardless of how fast it goes! Ultimately it comes down to mission and budget and any airplane is better than no airplane. If you don't use it to travel much or far, for local flying they are all just as good. I would say the #1 biggest benefit to the Mooney's speed advantage is the kind of range it opens up for the same amount of time flying! There's only so many hours in a day that you can spend in the air going some place. That extra speed extends the range so much that it makes the plane beneficial for many more trips! So, the plane gets used for more travel instead of being sidelined by airline tickets because the distance becomes impractical.

You don't need to empty the tank, or even drain it much, and the wingwalk is easy to remove on the screw with a small steel pick. It helps if the tank isn't full and below the level of the screw, but sometimes that isn't even necessary. The only wing walk material that needs to be removed is that attached to the screw head, so a little pick that just digs out the cross for the philips screw bit and then pops the wing walk material off the screw head only, allows the screw to be removed for sealant (e.g., Permatex 3) to be applied to the screw. After the repair it's only necessary to reapply wing walk to the top of the screw. The stain will remain, but can be covered with a light coat of the wing walk material if desired. https://web.archive.org/web/20190103195252/http:/donmaxwell.com/fuel-tank-repairs-how-we-fix-them/

This is really a very sad and especially humbling accident. If a guy as accomplished as that.... Its also in my neck of the woods - close enough that I had friends contact me asking me if I was ok (not knowing it was a different kind of airplane). KLKP is about 15 min flight from here. Also - right where the wreck is - I have even walked with my son as a fun thing to do was to go to KLKP with fishing rods and then walk off the end of the airport grounds through a hole in the fence, down that ravine and at the bottom there is a nice trout stream. Also I was in the air flying right past that spot within 10 miles that I looked over and saw lake placid thinking how lovely on a gorgeous autumn day - just 1 hr after the accident - not knowing on a beautiful day that something tragic had happened right where I was looking. I had been with my friend in Schenectady and we had done a crew race in a 2x. :-(

Humbling and cautionary. If this can happen to Richard McSpadden, it can happen to any of us. Please be careful out there.

The Batteries dont last forever and with one gone, the other will probably be weak soon enough. I simply pointed out an opportunity to get a certificate good for a new Concorde Battery and help out the Mooney Community. One of course could wait and take their chances of them even being available from the distributor as Mimi unfortunately found out the hard way recently when she needed one and couldnt scrounge one up. Thanks Concorde for donating this to the Mooney Summit Silent auction.

This comes up all the time, the ROI on a hanger is negative. This can be proven with very simple math. You can repaint the entire airplane every 6 or so years for what a hanger will cost. Most airplanes get repainted every 15-20yrs thus no issue. Hail is covered by insurance. I have often had 2 hangers because I commuted and having tools, spares, etc. was useful. I have 1 hanger today. That though has nothing to do with the airplane. Hangers are like engine monitors (I have a MVP-50) where people swear without one you will destroy your airplane. I disagree both with the engine monitor and the hanger portion of this argument (even though I have both). If you can afford a hanger it is great but not imho necessary. I find an engine monitor less useful but I had the cash and I like the flashing lights. With both engine monitors and hangers you will never have a logical conversation. People will tell you what they “feel” or talk about some very bizarre one off. For the most part though park it outside and use stock gauges, has worked since the Wright Brothers. I do like my hanger though, it has a freezer which I keep ice cream in.

I share my hanger with two other aircraft and we have a snack shelf. A large container of peanuts from Costco is more than $10.

I drive 45 miles/1 hour to the airport where I could get a hangar. It’s a pain, but having the plane out of the elements is important to me.

I’d say most likely the problem is you have air in your right brake line, an issue with your right master cylinder or both.

That pretty much sums it up. I had to sell the Malibu some 4 or so years ago though. I currently don't own/fly anything because I cannot afford to. The moment I can afford such a thing I will be diving back in - more than likely into another Mooney The Malibu was an amazing ship but one needs to have some serious income to keep one of those in the air. Safe flying everyone!

I wish the doc would come back and put his 2 cents in.

I own an Eagle since 2009. Flies faster than most Ovations. Will not sell until I can no longer fly. Fantastic Mooney

It depends. A patch job might be something like two grand, with limited results, but a full reseal is something like 15 grand. Long body airplanes, kill the shock discs in a couple or five years no matter what. Meanwhile, a short body airplane can go 20 years. It all depends.

Pretty simple answer, and I’m not trying to be cute. We had a saying in the Army, it was think how your going to explain it to the accident review board, that had a tendency to make you follow checklists, because “I followed the checklist” is usually easily defensible, argue that you know better than the approved POH is tougher. Gas, undercarriage, MIXTURE, Prop is of course generic, but I’ll embarrassingly admit I can’t give you the approved format from memory. Why would you set mixture for landing anywhere else except in the before landing check? Notice it says mixture, not full rich because as has been said full rich at high altitude may not be optimum, but I think it’s safer to be extra rich than extra lean for a go-around. Personally I descend at altitude lean setting, meaning it gets leaner the more I descend, therefore it’s pretty likely that it’s so lean it won’t accelerate with rapid throttle advance, but I do go full rich during GUMPS as I’m pretty much at sea level. I’m also well below 65% power so any mixture is safe. In my opinion you should be prepared for an unplanned nearly instant go-around, whether it’s some idiot crossing the runway or wildlife at some small airport, fly long enough and you’ll suddenly see something in front of you that you had rather not hit. Where I am now, it’s Sand Hill cranes, you would be surprised how well they blend in on a grass runway, the other day it was cows, we had a break in the fence I guess. Your not going to foul plugs and any fuel difference in landing will be ounces at most. For those that say they will foul plugs, somethings wrong. It’s not normal to foul plugs on landing

Epic flight on Saturday. I decided to try to hit all the airports in the Inland Empire in a single flight. Video and blog post coming in the next week or so. Totals: Flight Time 1:58 13 Airports (Including KFUL where I'm based) 12 Touch-n-go's and 1 full stop back at KFUL

This major/minor/STC/337 stuff has been debated forever. But to me, the simplest thing to do is just file a 337. It's only a piece of paper and if you file it no one will ever question it. It also provides backup documentation if the logbooks are ever lost. I just don't see a downside. Skip

6 years ago I traded a non-TKS J model for an Encore with FIKI. With the J I was tired of cancelling flights if I could not guarantee that I would not touch a cloud in below-freezing conditions. I don't use it much but it absolutely allows me to consider flights that I would not have without. A few weeks ago, yes, in the summer time, I was flying from Medford Oregon to San Jose, CA. I was in clear air above an overcast at 15K. I could hear another Mooney, an Ovation, picking up ice below me. He was constantly asking for lower but ATC could not give it to him as he was over the mountains. I could hear the stress in his voice. I tried to help over the radio, but just could not seem to get my message through to the controller or the Ovation that conditions were much better a bit West of their position, where he could descend lower over the central valley. I was comfortable knowing that I had TKS for when it was my turn to descend through the layer.

That kind of opulence will get you thrown out of CBC. lol

JOSRU was the IAF for the RNAV rwy 8 approach. It’s a little baffling if he did have an IFR gps in the plane that he couldn’t load an approach and navigate to the IAF. If you are going to actually fly an illegal instrument approach with an IPad it would seem like a good idea to bring a charger and also maybe a back up device.

I received a $14,000 repair quote to install a new electric speed-brake system – an ‘upgrade’ that did exactly the same as the original vacuum operated unit. I assumed that the diaphragm was the problem, but I couldn't locate a replacement to repair my existing unit - at least one that was still intact - so decided to experiment. Having checked that the Vac pump and actuator solenoid were functional, I removed the RH rear seat panel and the belly plate and was able to remove the vacuum actuator. Sure enough there was a tear in the rubber. I used motor cycle inner tube 4.00/4.50 19" (normal weight) and cut a sleeve from it a little longer than the original diaphragm.. The sleeve can be pulled over the inner cylinder - approx 4" diameter - and then (with some difficulty) stretched over the end lip of the outer cylinder. Here it is secured with a hose clamp. The other end of the sleeve should be trimmed neatly and clamped under the end-plate of the inner cylinder. Bench tested ok, re-installed with slightly stronger retraction spring (the tube rubber is thicker than the original diaphragm) All working again - I will keep you posted if any problems appear...

Personally, I set up for go around by going rich when I have the field made.

For example, when I was looking for my plane. These are the ones where things went well enough to place a deposit to hold and start the process. First one was nice, but failed on log book inspection due to questionable engine. I made an offer low enough to cover a FRM engine, but they did not accept. The plane was still for sale a year later. Second one, they would not fly it 100 miles for a pre-buy and insisted on the mechanic flying to them to do a pre-buy. It was not a nice enough plane for that hassle. Third one was good but seller failed to deliver for pre-buy and backed out of the sale. Engine was high time, but price reflected this. Seller said he got hold of some money and was going to overhaul the engine and keep the plane. This one was back on the market a year later, without an over haul. Fourth one was the charm. It was advertised on Monday morning, offer was in by Monday afternoon. Pre-buy was started the next Tuesday. And by Saturday I owned an airplane.

The first year expect to lay out 5 figures for all the deferred maintenance on your airplane.

I noticed that @RescueMunchkin joined MS earlier this month and may be a new owner/aviation enthusiast. And I see that @PT20J followed up this post with guidance per Service Bulletin 229A. Just to be clear so there is no misinterpretation, this is the type of "Preventive Maintenance" which an owner can do. (and do it without having to first seek the approval of an A&P or having it observed/signed off by an A&P). AOPA summarized FAA P-8740-15. Among other things it states "6. Lubrication not requiring disassembly other than removal of nonstructural items such as cover plates, cowlings, and fairings." An owner can do a lot of things without A&P authorization including replacing seat belts, replacing non-structural fasteners, remove/clean/repack wheel bearings, grease the landing gear, replace fuel lines, remove and clean/gap spark plugs, replace cotter keys and safety wiring and more. However it is all prefaced upon the owner self assessing that "you have the ability to perform the work satisfactorily and safely." Although you don't need the approval of an A&P, it doesn't preclude or hurt you telling your A&P what you are planning to do. In fact if you are a new pilot/owner it is probably good to run it past your A&P but it is still a task that you can perform. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2012/june/01/answers-for-pilots-preventive-maintenance https://www.faasafety.gov/files/gslac/library/documents/2011/Aug/56398/FAA P-8740-15 Maintenance Aspects of Owning Your Own Aircraft [hi-res] branded.pdf https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_43-12A_CHG_1.pdf

I've never worried about how much fuel is in the tanks when parked outside or inside. I worry a lot about the condition of the fuel cap O-rings when parked outside!

It is tough, but in my view the best chance to survive is to maintain best glide speed and gradually reduce to fly into the crash site. It may or may not be survivable, but risking an inadvertent stall spin is not an option. I have found practicing the impossible turn to be good training in overcoming the urge to pull up as the first response is to forcefully push the yoke forward to reach the all important glide speed.

turn on the Master and throw the speed brake switch....if they work, they are electric, if not, vacuum-driven

I would get the Maggie.

^^This. If you're willing to futz around with it a little bit sometimes you can make it come out however you want, which is why there are a lot of opinions that these types of leakdown compression tests aren't a good measure of engine health, which I agree with. If you always do it yourself and are consistent about how you do it, long-term trend can be useful but even a short-term anomaly is often not a big deal. To me this is the main utility of a compression leak-down test, to get some idea of where the air is going if there is a significant leak, so that you can analyze what's going on and/or make a plan about how to deal with it. Sometimes that's just getting an idea of what to monitor over time. Following up a really bad leak with a borescope inspection is generally a good idea, but on a brand-new overhaul I think it'll be more about just keeping an eye on trends for break-in.