Andy95W

Only the Apple ones, Hank.

I like option #1, but done in dark blue and a light grey for an accent color.

You’re absolutely right. Fact is I’ve wanted to install bladders ever since I had my first Mooney back in the 90s. If my wife signs off on the expense, I’ll have to turn in my CB membership card.

@DCarlton- I was hoping you’d chime in. Your post (with pictures) was one of the main reasons I started considering bladders. Thank you! If I go with bladders, I’ll likely be emailing you and your mechanic questions during the process. My dilemma really comes down to patch my tanks for about $400 and about 20 hours, or $10.5K and 60 hours for bladders. (I’ll do the work myself.) Patchwork is a little deceptive, though. I’ll definitely have to do it again in the next 5 years, and maybe twice more.

No. The amount of fuel per cycle is actually very small, but when coupled with compression and a well-timed spark it burns very efficiently and produces power and heat. Again, if there is no compression the small amount of fuel just isn’t sufficient to sustain combustion. I suppose once it reached the point in the exhaust that the other cylinders’ exhausts met, it would probably burn there- but that point is well past the location where the EGT probe lives. Additional proof: if you do a magneto check with a fouled plug, that cylinder’s EGT will drop to zero, even though fuel is passing through the cylinder.

A quick follow up: Jimmy Garrison got back to me, he said he would add about $2000 to the appraised value of a bladder modified Mooney, and maybe a little more. (He’s a top-notch guy, BTW.) I think @Schllc opinion is probably correct, a majority of the added value is likely that it would make it easier to sell. And it turns out my tank reseal is 24 years old, so I’m not sure how that will affect my decision. Thanks again.

Thanks to everyone for their input. Lots of good opinions given, and it sounds like a good bit comes down to personal preference. Jimmy Garrison’s valuation guide used to give an actual $ figure. Does anyone have that? My information is about 15 years old. Thanks again!

Not true. A stuck exhaust valve would result in no compression in that cylinder, and the fuel/air mixture would not ignite. EGT would drop significantly.

This question is to try to determine the added value at resale for a fuel bladder installation in a vintage Mooney (M20C/E/F/G). Particularly if anyone here recently bought or looked to buy a vintage Mooney, how much value would you give to one that had bladders over the original wet wing, if any at all? Secondly, what detraction, if any, would you take away from a Mooney with 20 year old resealed tanks, but patched? Hopefully Jimmy Garrison @jgarrison can give some input as well. And if any of you hadn’t guessed, my 64 M20C was resealed 20 years ago and is just now starting to leak in 2 or 3 spots. I’m considering putting in bladders so I don’t have to continue patching and (hopefully) to gain some resale value. I’m probably going to sell my airplane in about 5 years or so. Thanks!

I’ll second what everyone else has said- only getting 2 years out of a Concorde battery is not normal. It has to come down to only a few possible causes: - over or under charging (Concorde provides a table showing proper charging voltage) - a parasitic drain while the master switch is off - the test that the shop is doing is flawed somehow Good luck, keep us posted!

There was a seminar a few years back where the guy explained it really well. The oil filters need to fill from bottom to top, otherwise the oil dumps in the top of the cooler and then gets sucked out the bottom which leaves the oil cooler mostly filled with air. Of course, that doesn’t do much for cooling the oil.

McFarlane. Not FAA/PMA, so you’ll have to work with your IA to install it. https://media.mcfarlaneaviation.com/documents/VERNIER-ASSIST_THROTTLE_SINGLE_FORM_Rev_F.pdf

@hammdo made one recently, IIRC.

You can have the best of both worlds with G5s.

Bladders are from Griggs Aircraft: http://griggsaircraft.com/fabrication/mooney_bladders The STC is for the M20C and above, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they have worked with M20Bs in the past under a Field Approval. They are about $10.5K, and you should give them a call if you’re interested.

Well, Napoleon stayed there just before Waterloo in 1815. He must’ve trashed the place.

We just talked about this a little bit ago. You’ll see links for the inner tubes with 70° stems that are made of the same rubber as the Michelin Airstop tubes. Also, you can send a message to Jim Peace and ask him what he bought.

And it’s incredibly accurate, as well. In this case, it’s measuring fuel pressure with digital accuracy from a mechanical pump that was designed about 80 years ago. A fuel pump that is basically a plunger pushing on rubber diaphragms, which then moves the liquid into a mechanical fuel injection system that was designed 70 years ago. Variations in engine rpm, tiny air bubbles moving through the system, slight turbulence, changes in altitude, bank angles, change in AOA could all have a slight effect on fuel pressure. The indications show that the variations decreased as the flight progressed. I would surmise that was from the engine (and fuel injection body and servo) becoming more uniformly heat soaked. I'm not saying that you don’t have an issue, but for now I certainly wouldn’t lose any sleep over it unless something changes significantly. The most important thing is your fuel flow, which is nicely consistent.

I’ve seen some worn seat rails before, but never any that would let the seat slide back on it’s own. What I HAVE seen, in that regard, is gunk in the holes on the seat rails. Dirt/carpet fuzz/other gross stuff gets jammed inside those holes and prevents the pins from seating fully. Usually it isn’t even noticeable- until you dig it out with a pick, then alcohol and q-tips (if necessary). I can’t guarantee this will fix your issue, but it’s definitely worth taking some time and trying.

When I was an active CFI and doing retract gear checkouts, I had one favorite way to distract a student. After numerous flights around the pattern, watching as putting the gear down became a habit, I would ask the student just before midfield downwind, “what’s your family doing for Christmas this year?” For a new retract gear pilot, it worked EVERY time to distract them. On final, with the gear horn blaring, I’d ask, “what’s that noise?” Most thought it was the stall warning. None noticed it before I mentioned it. After finishing the lesson, we would talk and I’d tell them how normal their reaction was and hopefully they would carry the lesson forward with them. Our spouses (wives, husbands, doesn’t matter) notice our increased alertness in the traffic pattern and will pick that moment to start a conversation. I suggest talking about it beforehand, by telling the spouse about the sterile cockpit concept while in the traffic pattern. Someone here (maybe @Hank?) has said their spouse has one job in the pattern and that’s to ask if the gear is down when on final approach. If I’d thought about that when I was instructing, I would’ve suggested that. For single pilot operations I’ve always suggested the triple check: downwind- drop the gear and do the checklist. Base- verify green light(s). Short final- look at the runway numbers and say out loud “I’ve got the numbers, I’ve got a green light.” Hopefully one of those three will catch a mistake. And I always try to remember “There but for the grace of God go I.”

Unfortunately, one of the software “upgrades” for MooneySpace limited everyone's data allowance for uploaded pictures, so we lost a TON of knowledge from the site ( @mooniac58 can explain better). But hopefully @N6758N can repost some of them. I’d like to see them again also.

Older avionics had/have a tube on the back of the rack that the hose would fit on. Modern avionics tend to not need additional air cooling unless they’re being operated in significant heat like the desert. It’s possible that the avionics shop that did some of the installations didn’t bother to connect the hose to any of the radios but just capped off most of the ports and pointed the one remaining to the backs of the whole radio stack. Easier than removing a functioning fan that could still do some good.

That looks like an avionics cooling fan.

Mine is painted, but the red has discolored in the concave portion above the exhaust pipe. I’ve thought about painting flat black high temperature paint inside that concave portion. It would be basically unnoticeable unless you stick your head under the airplane.

Asked and answered in 8 minutes. Take that, Beechtalk.