Andy95W

Round trip on Southwest is $585. Round trip in a Mooney is about 30 hours, 300 gallons, or about $1200. This don't make no damn sense to me.

Well said, Andrew. Thanks.

No, I'm not. I have fine wires in my bottoms and regular Tempest massives in the tops (to save money- I'm pretty cheap). At the time, I didn't realize these were available. I did an Annual inspection on a neighbor's 172 who had the BY plugs and I was favorably impressed by how clean they were. That was when I decided to switch to those when/if it came time to replace a plug. Since then I've read here on Mooneyspace some people's reviews. They seem impressed by them.

The same way as Cirrus pilots- they don’t. They taxi around at night with all the strobes on annoying the crap out of the people around them.

I agree with you. This is one of the problems with folks who think that all MSCs are great and if you take your airplane there, you'll get a great Annual inspection. I would put more stock in Alex's Annual inspections ( @Raptor05121) than at a mediocre MSC that works on a lot of Mooneys. Alex's IA had him remove all the inspection panels and checked everything- and taught him along the way. The mediocre MSC uses the Mooney 100 hour checklist and looks at nothing additional- because the shop doesn't get paid until the airplane is pushed out the door. For a 2008 M20R, that's not a big deal. For a 1964 M20C, that's a huge disservice. Not all MSCs are created equal. Some are noted positively regularly- like DMax, LASAR, AGL, SWTA, Dugosh, Top Gun, @M20Doc's shop. Others- who knows? You pays your money, you takes your chance.

The scope of an Annual Inspection and a 100 hour inspection are the same. It's spelled out in FAR 43. The FAA wants an IA to perform the Annual inspection because of the greater experience that an IA is expected to have. To be eligible to get the Inspection Authorization (IA) an A&P must have 3 years' experience and must be approved by the local FSDO to test for the IA certificate. When I got mine, my boss had to show the FSDO why nobody else was really available, and the local maintenance inspector wanted to "talk" to me for a bit before he signed off on me to take the test. It's actually a much bigger deal than a lot of people realize. I've seen FSDOs not approve a 3 year A&P to get the IA due to a lack of "necessity" for the region- but all the other A&Ps in the local area knew the real reason. I've also seen A&Ps who never bothered to get the IA but could do a better Annual inspection than the IAs he worked with.

It seems like the long-nosed Tempest "BY" plug might be the best of both worlds. They have the robustness of the old massive plugs but the long nose does a lot to prevent fouling. I'm not ready to go back to Champion plugs (at this point I have trust issues with them), so Tempest it is, for me!

IIRC, it was Chocks that was making/selling them... but there might've been some supply/demand/delivery problems and some were a little upset with the process. Not sure what the current status is.

Please take pictures and post. (We need reference for exactly which parts you’re talking about. Laughing about your “bone-headed move” will be a nice bonus .)

It's not really about patience, but it does seem to apply here: ------------------------------------------- "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; And the wisdom to know the difference." ----------------------------------------- Alex, didn't you hitchhike back to Buffalo after dropping off your Mooney for its engine overhaul? That took a lot of patience, IMO. You had the courage and fortitude to do what had to be done, but the patience to put up with the long trek home. You probably even enjoyed the trip, when it was all said and done. So enjoy the journey! There will always be more things to do and more mountains to climb. It's the man that can enjoy the process as well as the final result that enjoys life the most. Ralph Waldo Emerson said it first, but I think Steven Tyler and Aerosmith said it best in their song "Amazing": "And how high can you fly with broken wings? Life's a journey not a destination And I just can't tell just what tomorrow brings…"

It says "Built in 40 channel glideslope receiver." Probably need some more wiring installed to a new indicator? http://tkmavionics.com/our-products/mx155-navcomm/

LASAR has oversized bushings for all the pivot points on the Mooney landing gear, not just the big steering bushing. And they are PMA'ed. Everyone here should thank Paul Loewen for the legacy he has left us.

I might be! I'm probably weird, but I still enjoy walking through airline terminals. I still look forward to going to work, particularly if I've had a week off. This is my 3rd career field, the first was great, the second one sucked. There are 2 adages I like better: "Do what you love and the money will follow." "Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life."

Seriously, Alex, get your licenses and get a job in aviation. Maybe pickup the A&P license along the way if you can find the time. Airplane ownership and flying started as my hobby. Now it's my job. The coolest thing is that it's still my hobby- but now I get paid really well to do it.

Yes, Alex is living proof that what super6 is attempting is not only possible, but feasible as well. And Alex was working a full time job while he did it, not retired. @Raptor05121- any progress on your instrument and commercial licenses? With your knowledge level and age, I still think you should consider aviation as a career.

Are you sure you're not a dentist living in New Jersey?

Lots of things could have caused this, the least likely is that your cylinders are going bad. Cylinders rarely go bad all 4 at once; since yours are so comparable to each other, this just isn't likely. Some possible causes, in order of likelihood, IMO: - A&P technique (top vs. botttom spark plug holes make no difference, BTW) - cold vs. hot (cold cylinders often register lower than hot) - compression tester differences (or not calibrated) The bottom line is that if your engine seems to be making the same power that it was before, there is nothing to worry about. The limits for a compression test is 75% of pressure applied (60/80psi) and all cylinders within 10% of each other. (FYI- I've been an A&P for more than 20 years and done a lot of compression checks).

Try adjusting the squelch on the GNS to a point where it stops. Test fly to ensure the radio still works acceptably at the new squelch level. I had to do this for the same reason because of 123.0, which is a very common UNICOM frequency where I am.

You do realize, as retribution, he's going to post one of his pictures, don't you?

+2 for LASAR. They also have PMAed oversized bushings.

Pretty sure that's not the case, or at least it doesn't make complete sense. Think about all the airplanes out there with old 2" GPS's, like KLN 89/90/94s, GPS155/155XLs, GX-50/55/60s, Trimble 2000, etc. This GPS175 is a perfect low-cost replacement that is current, WAAS, identical sized, and easier to install than a GTN/GNS.

They also did it with their UAT solution- they rebadged a Freeflight Rangr system. When I found that out, I bought the Freeflight and have been very happy with my choice!

If they do, I’ll buy it. But $4295 from Sarasota Avionics for the GPS175 means I’ll be doing that instead. And as for the old GNC 300xl- my guess is that by OSH there will be a GNC375 out with comm radio.

Unfortunately, my opinion of this project has just been reinforced. Super6, I truly wish you the best of luck with your project. I hope it turns out well.

@MIm20c- where did you see this add? I haven't seen the $4295 price for the GPS 175 before.