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I was looking forward to this year's Mooney Summit. Really bummed it was postponed. Nevertheless, I still wanted to hold the presentation I had planned to do, but virtually. I don't have a solid date and time yet, but thinking Thursday, October 21st at 8 p.m. EDT...will post the official time here once I can solidify my schedule. I'll be more than happy to do this assuming I can get a good number to attend (say 30 or more). If there's very little interest, I won't bother. So, please add a "Thanks" or "Like" to this post if you are interested so I can get a feeling for the number of you that might be willing to attend.

Nothing spectacular, 6R3 -> T82 (Fredericksburg, TX). But what was so special about this flight is that it is my first IFR flight! I passed IFR checkride yesterday and could not resist to get on top of the cloud layer. Flight back on Sunday, already filed IFR FLP for the return home.

The perfect day came with LIFR ceilings at Brunswick GA (KBQK) and IFR at FHB for me to go "play in the clouds" and see how low I could go at KBQK. Could I get down below DA without actually seeing the runway? As it turns out I could have landed but opted to do the missed approach at KBQK and fly back to KFHB after one turn at the hold. Had to do an RNAV into KFHB. Great IFR day!!! Chris Koppel

New mini announced today. Complete re-design. Narrow borders, larger 8.3 inch display, but same overall size as older ones. Retina display. 40% jump in CPU performance, 80% jump in GPU performance. They showed Foreflight on it at the introduction. USB-C connection rather than lightning. 5G on cellular models. Supports 2nd Gen Apple Pencil. Looks like most of the features of the iPad pro in a mini size. Starts at $499. Orders start today, available next week.

I use this:

I took some pictures of my D/C aircraft with the trim full down then take off then full up trim. Mark

I flew over to Byron late yesterday afternoon to get fuel in preparation for my Wings Program Flight Review today. On takeoff from Byron I heard a "clink" just as the gear was at the end of its retraction cycle. I knew what that probably meant; the right inner gear door rod had broken---again. It was 4:00. I was 10 minutes from Stockton, so flew over there to check it out. I got out of the plane to look at the gear with my fingers crossed. Well, that was useless, since in fact the rod WAS broken. I taxied over to Top Gun at 4:15. They close at 4:30. Mark got right on it to try a wielded repair, since they didn't have the rod in stock. That was completed and tested at 5:00. I took off again and as I raised the gear again I heard the "clink". By now it was 5:15 and all of the mechanics had gone home. Mark was still there and brought out the masking tape to temporally tie it open, while he fabricates a temporary rod this weekend. Mooney will have to make one over the next couple of weeks. They had none in stock. As you can tell, what I'm trying to say is Top Gun it top notch and will go the extra mile for you in a pinch. I've been using them since I bought my airplane 29 years ago. In fact they did the prebuy. How's that for a testimonial?

This place has the best deal I’ve been able to find. Free shipping at $75, and I just order a few cases at a time. They’re very fast and have great service. https://aviationoiloutlet.com/

It's been a while but I lucked out and found a pristine autographed version... Excellent shape for sure! -Don

Even though its common to stress relieve 4130 (ask anyone who has welded a fuselage for a homebuilt) we don't have the "approved" drawing from Mooney on how the either "stress relieve" or "heat treat" the nose gear so therefore we can't make the part to comply with its type design. We can't just guess they stress relived the part. It might actually be heat treated and to what specs we don't know without the approved paperwork.

Good news! One of the bearings had disintegrated, save a part number. My mechanic was able to source a replacement bearing and fixed it! Brushes still have 50% life left. Going to keep it running.

Thanks everyone, very helpful. I am scheduled with Mark at Top Gun for October.

When size matters change the perspective.

So if I understand the "rabbit hole" proposition: You have a well equipped Mooney that is a very capable and stable IFR platform With autopilot, alt hold, digital PFD, GPSS, Flightstream etc. Everything works perfectly You contemplate spending $30-40K - maybe you save a few dollars salvaging the old units The result is that you will have a well equipped Mooney that is a very capable and stable IFR platform OK so you trade a rate based autopilot for an attitude based unit. You will be able to touch one of the screens with your finger. And you can get stability protection and Smart Glide which you don't mention so it is not clear if it is any value to you. Going all Garmin may play better together and have a smoother upgrade path over time. And the new equipment may reduce maintenance cost (but there are a lot of comments on MS and others about the Garmin servos being weak and may not go the distance). But basically it seems like a slicker version of what you have with the same capability plus a couple bells and whistles. Has the S-Tec or any of the other components failed you or restricted you from making a mission that you desired? Will the new set-up allow you to do things or make missions that were never before possible? Will you be able to fly in weather or instrument conditions not previously possible? From a monetary standpoint you are contemplating adding upgrades that could be close to 50% of the current value of a 55 year old plane. If you add $40k of avionics upgrades to a $80K plane will you be able to sell it for $120K?....no. Will it be worth $90k?....probably. Will it be worth $100k?....maybe someone will pay. Perhaps half of the upgrade cost is unrecoverable - in the short term you can't get it back and in the long term Garmin will have new equipment out making the GTN750xi as obsolete as the GTN750 you replaced so you still won't get it back. The previous comments by carusoam above reminds me that avionics are becoming like iPhones or Samsung Galaxy's - it's all about screen size and processor speed. An iPhone 8 works just as well as an iPhone 12 for 98% of the tasks. They run the same apps. And today comes the 13 which Apple hopes you will pay a premium for a modest improvement. It becomes a treadmill of spending. But if the unrecoverable 50% investment produces value in your eyes then spend it - Garmin and your avionics shop will be happy too.

The micro extractor set should work well for you. I felt pretty lucky when both gear trunnion forward zerks came out using a simple valve core repair tool.

It depends where you have the trim set when you shut down.

That reminder was for the home A/C filters.

That really is the nub of it. I don't let anyone fuel my plane, unless I am present supervising it. You can't trust anyone or anything when it comes to the process. It often makes my wife mad as she is waiting in the FBO for a while, but it just has to be that way.

I have to admit I haven’t lost any sleep over the loss of my “formerly laminar flow wings.” I don’t think I lost any airspeed, either. I do get a smile every time I land in a strong crosswind and feel like I have more rudder authority than I could ever ask for. Or when I land at a short strip and think “wow, that was easy!” I’m sure if I crash in a field somewhere I won’t be sad that the decreased energy (v squared, remember?) makes it more likely that I’ll survive. To each their own…

I’ve got some good news to report. I took the sniffle off and bathed it in my ultrasonic cleaner. I found a glob of what looks like some kind of sealant in the exit elbow tube. I tested it with my mouth to make sure the ball is moving as it should. I reassembled and started it up. wow, egts went straight up to 1300 and it was running like normal. The fuel flow was initially higher, but it settled down after about 10-15 seconds like it should to about 2.0gph for warm up. I had a 20min ground run due to traffic, but got airborne and it ran fine…. Came around after 10-15min and taxied in like normal. I didn’t see anything come out of the sniffle, so I fished wire through the aluminum fitting that’s on the cowl and pulled the hose off.. the hose is dry. I remember in the past, I might see some steam, vapor and maybe a drop forming at the end of the tube after flying. My plan is to come back out later this week and fly again and see if things are normal again. Perhaps remove the sniffle and inspect again before flying to ensure its opening to drain.

One other helpful thing - if I’m doing something that is not normal - do something awkward to remind yourself of a not normal situation. Example if I don’t extend my gear at my usual spot, I’ll stick my hand on the gear lever or dash pointing to it until I select it. I’ll do this if my kids are being loud or distracting in the back. I did it one night when my then 4 year old woke up with a night terror as I was turning onto final. Another time when she woke up and started kicking my seat back when I was flying an ILS in IMC … so that was fun.

The FAA could give a rats ass about that. If you can’t start your plane, it is very safe. What they care about is how long it will power the avionics and other required loads after your alternator fails. That time is measured with a capacity test.

Don’t do it. Just don’t do it. It starts with the short body Mooney. You get a taste of what a fine traveling machine can do, but only a taste. Then you’ll meet other Mooney owners that will let you fly in a J or K, and you see there’s a bit more out there and the obsession gets a little deeper, then you’ll run across an Ovation or an Acclaim with all glass, and we’ll, you’ll find yourself on controller late at night with everyone in the house asleep looking at Mooney’s for sale and trying to figure out how much you can get for your dog so can make that next step up the line a reality, at that point there really needs to be a 12 step program…. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

500 ft/min is way more optimistic that what your POH specifies. 500 ft/min is a very popular descent rate under power. but agree 500’ isn’t enough altitude to make the turn its a 180 or less and your close. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

He’s right, of course, and the amount of damage done here indicates ground handling that might have broken any airplane. The problem with Mooneys is that the turn radius is more limited than many other airplanes and the older ones don’t have turn stops (except for the rudder stops that are in the tail). The later models with turn stops aren’t completely safe either since the stops are not very strong and are fairly easily broken as shown in the pictures. I’ve never found an FBO that doesn’t know about Mooneys. It’s almost impossible not to have them tug it — they are not going to hand tow it out to the north forty when they decide to park it for the night. Most times, I talk to whoever is going to move the plane and make sure they understand. If I’m not comfortable with the situation I just ask them where they want it and park it myself. Skip

I would look carefully at the upper trunnion, it has a pretty good mark in the paint. Also the belly should be opened from end to end to inspect for damage to the nose steering linkage, rudder pedal linkages, rudder push rods, rudder control stops in the tailcone and lastly the rudder for signs of damage. Clarence

A big voltage drop on activation of the starter may mean dirty/corroded terminals at the starter or battery. Check any/all of the high-current terminals (the big, fat ones) around the battery and the starter and in between.

With a long enough tow bar and a big enough tractor you can do amazing things to nose gear. Does Mooney have stock? Why settle for an overhauled one if someone else is paying for it. Clarence

The Kelley system is much better in many respects. it doesn’t add work for the fragile starter adapter it gets the weight aft, which is big for the acclaim it can be run from an apu it can operate during takeoff, though I’d carefully monitor CO levels that said, I’d be really surprised if a motor repair shop couldn’t fix it. i hade the same issue with a Carrier A/C unit on my motorhome. Carrier got out of that market and ceased supporting the low profile units. very frustrating, but if you’re going to keep the plane for a while, consider the Kelley unit. -dan

@Fly_M20R's video also prompted me to upload a file to our library. It's a pdf with the approach light system layout graphics depicting format and measurements from Code7700 . The file is bookmarked for easy reference.

Sorry, its been a busy week and just noticed this thread has some unanswered questions and an unforced "ERROR" on my part. PS Engineering, Inc. provides 8130-3 for our new products when requested. DMIR, DAR, DER, and FAA are the only entities that can complete 8130-3 form. PS Engineering has several DMIR in house who sign 8130-3 on request for a charge of $35. I should have typed Form 337 Form 337 We require that a PS Engineering Authorized Dealer to perform installation of flightmate(R). All of our dealers are CRS (Certified Repair Stations with at least a Limited Radio Class Rating). If our dealer decides not to submit the Form 337, that is their judgement call, not ours. NOTE: If the customer is removing a GMA340 or a PMA8000 series and replacing it with one of our newer models, a simple log book entry by a mechanic is all that is required, provided it does not include flightmate(R). And our full warranty is valid. Because flightmate(R) might be connected to devices that may be primary systems we require flightmate(R) to be installed only by our Authorized Dealers (which is stated in our installation manuals.) Finally, we only supply the required information to set up flightmate(R) to our Authorized Dealers in our attempt to make it clear the requirement of our Authorized Dealers to perform the connections to flightmate(R) Hope this clears up the mess I made when I typed 8130-3 rather than Form 337. Mark Scheuer PS Engineering, Inc.

I do it through the hole that is left. The entire zerk is missing.

Since I am spending yours, G3X backup G5 and GFC500 and 255 Nav/com

Chris, Just poking you a bit about the ID. It is very easy to forget when everything comes alive where it should. Your iPad had the filter change reminder pop up. That was good. Gonna watch it again. Reminds me of the old days. Uh except for the GPS, clear radio communications, all the neat stuff, etc.

it is very tight in there. It is a PITA to get it out and put it back in. The biggest problem is the length of the spark plug wires. you can barely get the cap out of the way. If you undo the wires from cylinders 2 and 4, both top and bottom along with all their clamps and ties, it will make your life much easier. When you put it back in, put the gear in the engine and slide the mag into the cushions. Good luck finding the perfect combinations of sockets and extensions that allow you to swing a torque wrench. I use a deep 1/2" 1/4 drive with a 2" extension. Practice your cursing beforehand, you don't want to go into this unprepared.

From your description it has to be the Surefly. This statement doesn't make a lot of sense, if you're referring to checking timing with the timing light on the Surefly and magneto timing box on the right mag - they should be split by 25 degrees Since you installed a new maggie harness on the Surefly, I'd double check you have the wires routed properly to the correct cylinders - it may have a couple crossed explaining the roughness and starting difficulty. Otherwise it seems you have a timing issue and if everything else checks out I'd try with the MAP advance turned off.

We should have left them all operational. They will kill themselves learning to fly them. During WW II, the US lost 65,164 aircraft but only of those 22,948 in combat. https://www.realclearhistory.com/articles/2019/02/12/staggering_statistics_15000_us_airmen_killed_in_training_in_ww_ii_412.html Skip

I think @aviatoreb has experience removing his, but I haven’t tried to remove mine. I have a 2000 FIKI O2 with the 310 HP STC so it’s a little slower than the non TKS Ovations. I didn’t notice a change in cruise speed and according to the VG company they don’t affect the FIKI certification. Crosswind landings are WAY easier, though. I have noticed that my wing looks 200% more awesome, though.

Too much of a tech geek. Already ordered a new one. My logic is they don't update them too often so grab one while you can. The difference between the 5 and 6 is significant. I will let you know if it was worth it from a pure pilot point of view. Rumors were Apple was going to cancel the Mini. If that ever happens I will buy a 2nd.

It appears we have enough folks that are interested and willing to attend. I will attempt to record this webinar and make it freely available after the fact. There will be a Q&A session at the end of the presentation...so if you attend live, you will have the opportunity to ask a question. Therefore, I can confirm that Thursday, October 21st at 8 p.m. EDT (0000Z, October 22nd) will be the date and time of this webinar sponsored by EZWxBrief. The webinar should last 50 minutes with a 10 minute Q&A. Here is the link to the Zoom meeting: Topic: 2021 Mooney Summit presentation on weather sponsored by EZWxBrief Time: Oct 21, 2021 08:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://uncc.zoom.us/j/98368886764?pwd=Qk9nRHdoeG4wUVhVUDJHU1ptejhQUT09 Meeting ID: 983 6888 6764 Passcode: 946402 Keep an eye out in this thread for any changes to the schedule.

I can't promise it will be recorded, but that is the goal. If all the planets line up and the technology works, I may be able to make it available to the group a week or so after the presentation (depending on my current workload).

I thought that the shop that held that STC for the M20L conversion closed years ago due to a hurricane around 2004 or so? I don't think the rear seats weigh anywhere near 40-50 pounds. The Porsche Mooney (M20L) had a single power lever, the conversion had to work around that. This conversion may have looked like an Ovation on paper, but don't get fooled. It had the single puck brakes. The landing gear on this long body is from the mid-body 252 (meaning not robust enough for a long body Mooney - no way it's ever going to get a gross weight increase with that landing gear and those brakes). If it was equipped with speed brakes they were the vacuum brakes, which can be troublesome. It had the small fuel tanks, etc, etc, etc. They are nearly impossible to sell once you're done with them. The only chance you would ever have of selling it is to someone who believes they are smarter than everyone else out there looking for an airplane.

Thanks for all of the responses. It’s not a financial issue, Avemco has been pretty reasonable. I was just hoping for Basic Med which would give me 4 years instead of a yearly Class 3. I was with Falcon and Starr insurance. They were the ones who did not renew. I’m going to contact Parker just to explore my options.

A while ago I cut a Floscan transducer open to see what is inside. Clarence

I think the numbers prove this wrong. One distraction at the critical time of where you normally put the gear down without a method to catch your error is what leads to a gear up. We're human and make lots of mistakes. It's far better to recognize this and adopt strategies to catch our errors before it's too late. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You know, life is so short and you probably shouldn’t attempt to dissuade her from her desires. Let her know you support her in this adventure and also tell her to please write occasionally, letting you know all is well !

Here is a picture of it. A little bit of glare but you can see how well the dial turned out. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro