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The Story: I bought an Ovation last October that needed some attention. My son and I are going to travel in it and he is building time for a flying career. It had a new and very nice glass panel in it but everything else was well used. The airplane flew about 35 hours in the last 5 years. The paint was very oxidized, carpet old and dirty worn through and the seats looked like a frat house couch. Both wings had fuel leaks. It had been well maintained but it was tired when i bought it. I used the Winter months from then until now to refurbish the airplane. I tackled a bit more than i wanted to but my thinking was to fix everything now and fly it versus fly-it-and-fix-it etc….. So, this is what we did: Firewall forward is all new. Every line, hose and connector. Factory new IO-550. New engine isolators. Stripped and painted the engine baffles. Prop Governor Overhaul Prop Overhaul to include new internals. Compete external light conversion to Whelen (WATT) LED’s. New wingtip and taxi/ landing light lenses. New tires and tubes. New batteries (2) New O2 bottle and fill. Polished the spinner and took the dents out. 18 hours with a buffer and ceramic wax to bring the paint back to life. Complete fuel tank seal scheduled for this year. New Interior. (I started with the just carpet but I had to take the seat out to take out the carpet………and one thing led to another and i just took everything out). I also removed most of the old adhesive, cleaned every inch of the inside and added insulation and sound proofing to the interior. FIRST FLIGHT: Accomplished the first flight and first two hours of engine break-in yesterday. The new engine and prop are powerful and smooth. Everything else mostly worked as advertised. After the first hour I landed. We took the cowlings off to inspect. No leaks. We adjusted the prop governor for full take-off thrust and the gear warning horn on the throttle cable. We flew another hour and I got two more landings in since it had been awhile in GA for me. I would have added 4 more hours to the break-in except i was limited to lower altitudes and high power settings for the break-in and it was VERY windy. TAS was 176-178 on 24/24 at 3500” so I am guessing 180-185 higher. It was a rough ride. I have a fuel pump that needs overhauled so that is going out. I also have a small box in the avionics bay that controls glareshield and panel lighting that needs overhauled. Maybe one EGT probe as well. Otherwise, for the amount of work we did on the airplane……everything went well.

For your entertainment and viewing pleasure, I will be presenting Anthony @carusoam on display at the Dean of Mooneyspace Lunch Fly In at 47N Central Jersey airport at noon on Saturday 4/20/24. Free autographs on a first come first serve basis. You might even have the opportunity to buy him lunch. $5.35 100LL self serve. Park on the main ramp and a very short walk out of the airport to the restaurant on the corner of the road leading into the airport. Don't let the name "Pizza 'n Pasta" fool you. This place has Stromboli's, Calzone's, and other Italian delights such as Anthony Caruso. Need I say more?

I was playing my daily crossword puzzle and it occurred to me if you rearrange the letters in Mooney C you get economy.

+1 that Varsol is essentially a brand name for a particular (supposedly purer) type of mineral spirits. The brand is currently owned by Exxon Mobil. Stoddard Solvent is similarly just a particular type of mineral spirits. It's like "Kleenex" or other brands that have become product names; unless there's some reason to believe otherwise, they mean "mineral spirits". Stoddard Solvent was branded as a dry cleaning agent. There's nothing special about it for aviation use, other than it is less flammable than gasoline so safer as a general solvent. Another thing that is often used for ring flushes is Marvel Mystery Oil (MMO) which is usually available at places like Wal-Mart or auto parts stores. People often use MMO straight without mixing it with anything. FWIW, MMO is mostly mineral spirits but also has some other interesting stuff in it. If you want you can cut it with your favorite motor oil, but it's probably fine to use straight. Whatever you do, after the ring flushes are finished, don't run the engine until the oil is changed (probaby goes without saying, but is mentioned for completeness).

Hello Mooney world. When the time comes to seal or repair your wing fuel tanks I highly recommend working with Edison and Wet-Wingologist East (KFXE) as the THE place to receive high value for your investment and excellent results! My previous PIREP was after Edison resealed the tanks in both wings in March 2016 for my 1990 J Model. In that PIREP I recounted my high satisfaction with the value delivered and results achieved. This update covers my recent warranty leak repair experience, 8 years later, during which Edison worked my airplane into his rather full schedule on a Saturday morning, charged me nothing the, and had the airplane ready for pickup by Sunday. If you prefer short PIREPS, you can stop reading now. Otherwise, below are additional details in the spirit of contributing to the knowledge of the Mooney community. After the initial, reseal the right wing periodically (and inconsistently) developed minor seeps in 2016 and 2019 in the same outboard tank area that would not last and I could not find the conditions to replicate them. In each case after discussions with Edison, I decided to postpone taking the airplane to him and continue to monitor instead. Edison was always ready to schedule the in-warranty repair without question. There were no signs of leaks between 2019 and late 2023. During the November 2023 Annual Inspection, my A&P/IA found signs of a small leak at the bottom of the outer right wing fuel tank, none evident on the outer wing skin, and we could not determine for certain if it was old or fresh. I called Edison, who suggested letting the airplane sit in the hangar with the right wing filled to where it could take no more fuel. After a flight that started with full tanks and included left/right steep turns and maneuvering flight, I topped of the tanks as suggested. After a few hours in the hangar with the right tank completely full the leak was evident in the area my A&P/IA found. Edison thought a sealant bubble at the top of the outer tank had broken and was allowing the fuel to leak when the tanks were left sitting and completely full, and that it would require a small repair. I confirmed this by draining fuel to where the fuel level was 1-2 inches below the fuel cap, and the tank did not leak after a day of monitoring. Following discussions with Edison, and setting a date for the repair, he called me back a few days later to explain the leak could also be coming from the fuel sensor gasket located on the vertical outer wall of the outermost tank. Before taking the airplane down several days for repairs, and the added cost of the trip to/from KFXE, Edison recommended that my A&P/IA replace the sensor gasket and check again. After replacing the gasket and topping the tank, the leak returned after a few hours. At this point I decided with Edison it was time for a repair, and we agreed on an earlier date than planned provided I could get the airplane to him the next Saturday morning. I flew to KFSE early Saturday morning and taxied the airplane directly to Edison's shop; Edison started work immediately; the airplane was ready on Sunday, 8 years after the initial reseal; Banyan Air Services towed it to their ramp late Sunday; and I picked up the airplane on Tuesday 4/9/24. My assessment is that the source of the inconsistent seeps in 2016 and 2019 was the same repaired by Edison in 2023, with the fuel just finding its way out to the bottom wing skin by the path of least resistance. Finally, fuel is expensive at KFXE, but Banyan gives a discount to Edison's customers, so I added the 10 gal minimum they require to wave some of the ramp fees, and flew the airplane home early Tuesday afternoon. The folks at Banyan were a pleasure to work with. With dry wings and in great appreciation of Edison at Wet-Wingologist.... Hank

Mooney N58089 $175,000 OBO 1985 M20K 305 Rocket Serial 25-0872 Based at: KHEG (JAX area) and 6D6 (Hastings, MI) TSMOH: 602 TTAF: 2894 TTE: 2000 Prop: 602 Annual due: 11-2024 IFR Cert Due: 04-2025 Empty Wt: 2230.4 Empty Wt CG: 42.87 Useful Load: 969.6 Avionics: Garmin GI-275 Engine Monitor, Garmin GNX-375 GPS w/Transponder, PMA-8000 Audio Panel, Garmin GTR 200B VHF Com, Garmin G5 HSI, Garmin GNC 255 Nav/Com, King KAP 150 Autopilot w/297 Altitude Preselect. Full IFR panel makeover 9-2022, USB port included. Detailed Description: 1985 Mooney 305 Rocket. 2894 TT, Turbo Continental 520, Garmin GI-275 Engine Monitor replaces all engine instruments, Garmin GNX-375 GPS with Transponder, Monroy Long Range Tanks, Speed Brakes, Four Place Oxygen. Misc: All logbooks digitized, extras include instruments removed from panel upgrade in 2002, LED landing light installed 2021, nose gear landing pucks replaced 04-2024, Mike Busch books, customized aircraft cover & accessories, 2 lightspeed headsets, and various other aircraft consumables. Currently subscribed to the Savvy Aviation maintenance concierge program which is transferrable. Additionally, I have a Garmin database subscription that expires 10-2024, which may be transferrable. Extra SD card included for database updates (handy!) Note: I bought the plane 3 years ago and installed the new panel, as well as cleaned up some deferred maintenance items. The plane is a beautiful, fast cross-country IFR platform that burns approx. 18 gal/hr at cruise of over 180kts. It has a 100+ gallon fuel capacity, and 4+ hours range. Unfortunately, due to health issues in the family, and a change of mission, I need to sell it. Google drive link for all logbooks, pictures, etc. More pictures to come! https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1oTd_xgbmIGT7MtCUBK49v5czTQ8zBwwZ?usp=drive_link

Take it off and clean it real good by scrubbing it with a tooth brush and comet cleanser until it rinses off clean, inside and out. Then get some 1oz fiberglass cloth and cut it into patches a little bigger than the hole. Apply a thin coat of black RTV around the hole, on the outside and stick on a piece of fiberglass. Then apply a little RTV over the patch and work it into the cloth till it is saturated. Massage it until it fits the shape of the boot folds and doesn’t protrude into the boot. Now apply another piece of fiberglass and cover with RTV. Let it cure overnight. If there are any fringes of fiberglass, trim them with a surgical scissors. Then add another thin layer of RTV to make it look good. All RTV work should be done with rubber gloves on. The RTV layers should be as thin as possible while saturating the fiberglass. The RTV will only bond to the boot if the boot is clean and dry.

There is a little chain that connects to the trim wheel. The chain can pop off if it isn’t properly lubricated, and when it pops off the wheel will spin freely. Definitely talk to an A&P because you’ll want to rule out a need to lubricate the trim jackscrew. But this might be a 5-minute fix.

Y’all are not true CB’s. I use the packing paper in Spruce boxes to making an oil drain channel. Since the paper isn’t rigid, it is easy to push up under the oil filter. I also usually wait a day to remove the filter. Lee

Just to update those who haven't checked, but the dates (from the website) are September 27th and 28th. My wife and I plan on arriving on the evening of the 26th so we don't miss the first half of the event like last year. Registration is open! -R

I flew my F model today for the first time since annual was completed last month. My plan was to do a timed climb to 10k and gather speed data. It was 81° so I opened the vent in climb. To my surprise, I was blasted with high heat. It was like running a heat gun in the cockpit. I closed the center vent, but by 4500’ the heat radiating from the duct itself caused me to RTB. On the ground I started trouble shooting. It turns out, the cable mount was disturbed while reclocking the prop governor. This prevented the internal flapper valve from fully seating in either the open or closed position. A simple repositioning of the Adel clamp holding the cable rectified the situation. Those of you with heater issues would do well to simply ensure that the valve is moving over its full range of travel. As you can see the heater box and the seal are in fine condition even at 57 years old. The seal material look like table tennis racket rubber. Heat on heat off Adel clamp after repositioning.

Posting a little late, but here’s a little write up from the trip to Arkansas to meet up with @0TreeLemur to watch the eclipse… https://wordsaloft.substack.com/p/flying-far-for-four-magical-minutes Hats off to Fred for picking the winning destination. Clear skies, ramp space, and a fresh grilled lunch courtesy of the local maintenance shop.

Figured I would dust off the cobwebs on this thread. Still own the old girl. Many avionics updates, fuel tank reseals and everything in between. 380 hours logged now since this thread started. The biggest question everyone was always worried about and asking….”is it still the same original engine? Yes. Top end was overhauled as a precaution a few years ago. However, No metal. And SOAP sheets are looking good still to their day. Flew her into Sun N Fun this past week for the first time. What a great product we all have and get to play with! #teammooney Will post some before and current pics of the panel. Thanks for following along. before: After:

We've flown into the SLC area a lot over the past 7 years. I haven't gone into KSLC but have heard they are GA friendly. Depending on which family we are visiting determines where we fly into. In the Salt Lake Valley, South Valley Regional (U42) is the easiest. It can be busy but everyone seems to make good traffic calls and you can coordinate for a rental car to be there waiting. I think the overnight is around $10. The fuel is the same price if you pump it yourself or have the truck do it so we just let them fill it up. There isn't much space under the Bravo, the shelf is just above TPA but it is doable. Looking at my logs we have been there 15 times and it is my preferred airport for the Salt Lake area. You can easily get an Uber if you don't want to rent a car. If you are coming from the south stay over the 15 freeway going past the point of the mountain. It will keep you away from the restricted area over Camp Williams and away from the paragliders and powered gliders that are directly above the point. We've been into KOGD as well because it's 5 minutes from our family up that way. It is convenient if you are going to stay in Ogden, but the drive to Salt Lake is not as good as going from U42. Skypark (KBTF) is just north of KSLC, we've been there once. It's a friendly little airport but is very tight to the Bravo surface. Provo KPVU is great, they have Go Rental on sight, but they are more expensive than going into U42. We use it if we are just going to be visiting family down there but I would not use it if you are going to Salt Lake. It might not look like a drive but the traffic at the point of the mountain can be a mess. Not CA traffic mess but still a pain. It's only about 10 more minutes of flying to get to U42 and saves you 45+ minutes of driving.

I would never want to second-guess a successful emergency landing with no injuries to person or plane, but I usually think of a highway as a last-resort landing option. I wonder what factors led to the highway decision.

I recently sold some pedal extensions and some other loser tried to get payment directed to him. And a month ago I sold some brake masters and the buyer got scammed out of a deposit. There are bad guys amongst us, sometimes its easy to spot, sometimes not. Don

I hate being “that guy”, but you’ve got one glaring error that needs to be addressed so no one gets hurt. It’s wintergreen, not peppermint.

So I live in an airpark now. I flew VFR from CRG to CPM, good times. Now I need connections for everything from a good pilot supply store, maintainer, painter, flying buddies, etc. I'm in 54CL on the weekends and CPM during the week. 54CL in the pics. That's me heading into town for the work week.

Hi Don, I find the ground situation completely different now that I have a wood wing Mooney. David

If it’s the chain, the indicator will move with the electric trim. If it doesn’t, the trim torque tube is disconnected somewhere.

Swift is actually saying that both peak and LOP are a no no. I read nothing compelling in that BT thread, though there is some reasoned speculation. Lycoming once again seems to be proving that their default position is to make general statements without providing supporting data. There may be a carb issue, but parallel valve Lycomings have always had somewhat more challenging cooling characteristics (flame suit on but Lycoming's cooling charts prove it). If the operators are adhering to the manufacturers CHT limits and recommendations, "mircowelding" should not be an issue. I am also dubious on the idea that detonation sufficient to cause valve recession (not something I've ever heard of) would fail to produce any of the other common issues associated with detonation (cracked spark plug insulators, deformed electrodes, ring and land damage, piston pitting, scuffing etc). Lycoming is suggesting that the recession is caused by aromatics, but 94 UL does not have high concentrations of aromatics (relatively speaking), not to mention that many, many Archers have been running on Mogas (much higher levels of aromatics) for years. The situation is as clear as mud. Hard data would be nice, but I have yet to see any analysis. UND and their propulsion engineering dept. should have been an impartial analyst collecting and analyzing data, but I have not seen evidence that they've done much of that. Maybe this will happen in the future as all aircraft were equipped with Garmin G1000, so they should have the raw data. To do this correctly, they should have had a control group and an exclusively 94UL group of the same aircraft running the same missions and then analyzed each group post trial. Instead they ran 94UL in the whole fleet of eligible aircraft and also mixed 100LL in with 94 UL during the trial (any offsite fueling was 100LL). I have seen no synopsis of engine telemetry from the trial but it looks like they are working on that. Lycoming and Swift are both "interested parties" and both should be sidelined when it comes to analyzing this less than ideal trial.

I'd think it'd be a minor alteration to take that out with a logbook entry. It weighs less than a pound, so won't affect WnB. As always, though, your IA has the opinion that matters.

It bothers me that most people I do transition training with aren't comfortable with crosswind landings. They are actually the most fun landings. They're relatively easy if you just think "rudder for alignment", "aileron for drift", both done simultaneously. It's the "both done simultaneously" that creates the issue for most people.

It would make sense to check on the ground against known runway direction prior to takeoff before jumping to any conclusions.

[Sigh....] And I really do know how to read... really!

I would call Hector at AeroComfort and sweet talk him into letting you ship him your side panels (not heavy or expensive to ship in the grand scheme). He will cover them in Ultraleather and stitch the seams. It's the closest thing to a new Mooney interior you'll find. BEFORE: AFTER: This is from a ‘93 Bravo that I had him do. I took out the panels - he did them and I re-installed.

Thanks for the diagram, that makes it a little easier. 12, and 13 if you need, to lube the rod ends for the aileron pushrods. 15 to check the end of the gear assist spring attachment and spar. Once in a while, or if leaks are evident, the forward 16 to see if there is any staining inside or evidence of fuel travel along the leading edge. Also whichever 14 is just off the end of the tank (which one depends on the tank configuration), likewise to check for any leaks, condition of the fuel sender gaskets, etc., if issues are evident. For a pre-purchase inspection, or once in a while in an area where corrosion is a concern, the rearward 16 gets you a look at the attachment point of the wing and steel cage and the rear spar caps. This is a common area for corrosion. Corrosion isn't an issue here, so my previous IA only ever wanted 12, 13, and 15 off. I do the same now unless there's reason to do more, like fuel stains or something. Looking in either or both 16s once in a while is not a bad idea, especially if corrossion is a concern.

A few years ago, I found some oil in the bottom of my #4 cylinder and engine oil was fouling that bottom spark plug. I did a ring flush of that cylinder using straight MMO. Worked very well for me. I look hard at that cylinder every annual and it still looks good.

Thanks for your reply! I just talked to my mechanic over the phone today and he says if the flame tube is completely gone, he is ok with it. If there's any remaining flame tube inside his suggestion would be to change the muffler, since it risk blocking the exhaust. I think it make sense.

I'd have marketed it as something like "block-proof open flametube technology" or something like that.

Ross, given the short time they seen to last, that might have been a design improvement.

If you get a certified EM, you can lose the factory instruments and will have plenty of room.

Braly (GAMI) is promoting G100UL, so it's probably wise to interpret everything he does in that context. I met him and heard him speak here earlier this year, and he is not remotely unbiased in my opinion. I now look at what they do in an entirely different light. I suspect other solutions may turn out to be more marketable than G100UL.

Could you go to a modern HSI and drop an engine monitor in place of one of the old CDI's? Sent from my motorola edge plus 2023 using Tapatalk

Here is a link to a recent revision (-28) to the Parker Manual referenced by Shadrach, just in case. https://www.parker.com/literature/Aircraft Wheel & Brake Division/AWB Static Files for Literature/AWBCMM0001.pdf

I loved my M20F. I have a working relationship with my J. Looking at your plane brings back good memories.

Replace it

Oscar… LASAR website says the STC is limited to open baffles (no doghouse), 1967 and later E / F models. https://lasar.com/stc-kits/laskit126

I'd suggest a JPI 900 instead of an 830 and ditch the old engine instruments except maybe a mechanical tach. Also, a PSE PMA450B audio panel would ditch the intercom, give you 2xBT, etc., etc.

So it sounds like you have an audio issue. The sidetone while transmitting is typically taken from the modulator, so it is as close to the final amplifier as possible. As stated above, I would start by reseating your radio and your audio panel. The fact that a bump in the air will cause it to change, indicates that it is a mechanical bad connection. Usually at a connector. Reseating them will often fix this.

This is one reason I am not planning on painting my airplane. Right now it doesn't matter if anybody scratches it a little bit, and life is just much easier that way. That said, even in A&P school we were often reminded to not put tools on the airplane surfaces, cover stuff up if you need to be on it, etc., etc. Some shops and mechanics are just better at it than others.

Seems like you could take a clean shop vac with a fresh filter and pressurize the intake and spray all the connections with soapy water same as testing for exhaust leaks.

Very happy with the service. Occasionally, their serving as an intermediary slows things down. That drawback is more than mitigated by knowledge, having a second ear, troubleshooting, break down service, etc. Last year, I saved so much money on a complicated problem, after their negotiation, the service easily covers itself for over the next decade.

Hats off to you! I underwent a similar project but found a local custom car outfit to do mine. The hardest part of doing the interior is contorting into the fuselage to remove and then reinstall the pieces you took out. If you can measure and use scissors and a screwdriver…….you can redo your interior. The upholstery part is real skill so if you are interested in good results, I would find a good one. Otherwise, take it slowly, take notes, take a ton of pictures, put the screw from each section into baggies and label them. Good luck.

Circuit breakers exist to protect wiring. They have a secondary use for deactivating a circuit manually if they are the push on, pull off type. Some voltage regulators react to an overvoltage failure by intentionally causing a short in the field circuit to trip the field breaker and disable the alternator. The 70 amp breaker protects the wire between the alternator and the main bus. The alternator cannot supply enough current to trip this breaker but the battery could if there were a short circuit in this wire.

Pulled a PT6 in July last year. Just received it back from OH this month. Stabbed it on today. Seems that way across the board with regards to timing. -Matt

I fly cross country a couple times a year and fly to Alaska occasionally and fly the Mooney for business and breakdowns can be a huge issue. I've had a flat tire on a runway at night (Savvy breakdown advisor told me to go to Walmart and buy a car moving dolly and we got the plane off the runway!) Another time I had a gear door broken hinge and need a double check that I could continue the trip with the gear door removed (I was advised to take both sides off so the plane was symmetric) and so the savvy breakdown has been a good value for me. I don't use it for annuals and routine service as I like to do my research about which shops I use so my annuals always come in on time and at the estimate.

The gathering on April 8 for eclipse viewing at 42A (Melbourne, Arkansas). The crew of that large grey military airplane (single engine turboprop) landed just before the totality started. They landed long and filled the air with tire smoke as the pilot slammed on the brakes with the end of the runway rushing towards him. I've never before seen an airplane fishtail like that! There were four Mooneys in attendance, including @Pasturepilot and family!

Not as much as Americans, here is a 5 seconds summary Cousin Avi (Snatch film, Guy Ritchie)