Andy95W

Do you really expect us to believe 2017 was the year of your "last upgrade"? We understand that's what Mrs. Marauder thinks, but you're supposed to be straight with us.

I do! I'm currently typing this from here:

Everyone who's been should recognize the main entrance, even with snow!

The reason that it's not quite the same is that bending the trailing edge acts as a servo tab, but only on that one aileron. The other aileron stays the same, so the net effect over the whole system is to lift the heavy wing. (Full embarrassing disclosure- when I was a new A&P I thought I could fix my first M20Cs heavy wing by "adjusting" an aileron. I ended up with an airplane that was catty-wumpus and still had a heavy wing. The only way I could put it right was to get out the book, borrow the rigging boards, and do it right.)

I'd like to start by saying I have the utmost respect for you and your husband and everything you've done for the Mooney community for 50+ years. My ailerons are the old (pre-1965) style and have been bent and unbent over the past 50 years by previous mechanics who might not have known what they were doing (I'm an A&P myself and admit I'm not perfect and don't know everything). Setting it up the way I described, then giving a very small adjustment to a flap stop, keeps it within Service Manual limits and kept me from having to bend my ailerons any more than they already are. Now, if Loewen's Mooney Salvage has any new-style ailerons that I can buy for a reasonable price, I'm all ears!

I've been reading the maintenance manual for about 27 years and own a few copies, some of them digital for different years/models. I've rigged Mooneys using the rigging boards. The boards are essential for up/down limit stops and for new installations of pushrods or after significant work. There are a few additional issues: the ailerons were changed in 1965, and are the ones shown in the manual. The 1964 and earlier ones, like mine (picture below) don't have the same effect from bending the trailing edge. Additionally, over about 50 years, mine have been bent (and probably rebent) by previous A&Ps so I'm not really comfortable bending them more. Also, the maintenance manual shows bend limits for them. This is fairly easy to measure on the newer ailerons, less so on the earlier ones (excerpt included below). Moving a flap stop by 1/2 turn is still within the +/- tolerances shown in the service manual limits. Correcting a heavy wing per the manual is all well and good if it hasn't been screwed with over 50 years by people who either didn't have the boards or didn't understand what they were doing.

"Dropping an aileron" does nothing other than put the system even further out of whack. The reason for this is that the ailerons simply trail at a point of least resistance for both of them- since they are connected! You can "drop an aileron" as many times as you like and all it will do during a flight test is change the angle of the yoke. This is why adjusting a flap slightly to correct a small wing dropping tendency does work because the flaps are fixed and can move independently. One thing that many folks don't account for is the rudder to aileron interconnect in the belly below the pilot's seat. My current C dropped a wing because someone had adjusted a bunch of linkages to the point that the ailerons and rudder (and nose wheel steering) were fighting each other through the 2 springs that connect the aileron and rudder pushrods. My solution, that actually worked: -I disconnected the interconnect springs, leveled the yokes IAW the maintenance manual (easy to do on Mooneys without wingtips) and straightened out the bent rudder trim tab. - I put the rudder straight in relation to the nosewheel, adjusted the rod ends and reconnected. - I moved the interconnect Pushrod attachment point on the aileron pushrod so that all the tensions were as neutral as possible, and reconnected everything else. -I adjusted the flap stops (not just the outer stops, but the inner linkages as well) to make them even with the ailerons (IAW the maintenance manual). After test flying, I had to tweak the rudder trim about 1/4" and I adjusted my right flap outer flap stop 1/2 turn. My airplane flies straight, hands off, with the ball centered and it stalls straight as well. TAS for my M20C at 75% power is 149 knots.

This is exactly the point. If you gave me (an A&P) your airplane and said, "Fix my throttle cable.", I would have to get approved parts from either the manufacturer or a PMA producer to repair your airplane. They have the responsibility for ensuring the quality of their part. I have the responsibility for ensuring applicability and a proper installation. If you said, "Install this part that I acquired/produced for MY airplane", then the responsibility for the quality of the part is on you, although I would certainly inspect it to ensure its applicability to your airframe. (I would also put a discerning eye on its quality for both of our sakes.). The FAA doesn't mind because it's YOUR airplane and you accept the responsibility for the quality of the part. It is still my responsibility to ensure it is installed properly.

Maybe swap #1 for #2 each annual?

Well, that certainly changes my opinion of your decision. I truly hope it all works out for the best.

Military pilots have always been in high demand because of the quality of the training. Duh. The problem is that except for post WWII and post Vietnam, there just aren't enough Military pilots to fill the job openings at the airlines. I've flown with former C-130 and P-3 Orion guys who did a great job. My last trip was with an A-10 guy who was fantastic. But the guys who came from the regional airlines with 5,000 hours hand-flying ILS approaches to minimums were definitely just as good (and a little better at understanding the job, frankly.)

I'm with Ross. The differentiation is whether or not the case is opened. You can replace all the cylinders (top overhaul) and never open the case. When you do open the case (bottom end) lots of other ADs and SBs come into play and the cam and lifters get replaced if necessary.

Sometime in the next 2-10 years, you and your wife will be sitting in a restaurant and you'll hear yourself say, "If it was just a little bit lighter in here, I could actually read this stupid menu." That's how you'll know you're less than a year from needing reading glasses.

@cliffy mentioned this a few years ago. Not sure if he actually went through with it. As a J-bar owner and A&P, I'm wondering why you're asking?

That looks pretty normal for a carbureted Lycoming. There are a few hints to getting EGTs more even. First, try pulling the throttle back until the Manifold Pressure needle just barely moves. This tilts the carburetor butterfly valve over so it will "swirl" the air/fuel mixture as it enters the induction manifold. Then, try adding a tiny bit of carburetor heat. Not so much that it decreases your power, but just a little to help atomize the fuel a little better. Once you do these things, the EGTs will even out some and you will probably even be able to lean the mixture a little bit more.