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On my '87 201 (with A3B6 engine), I'm seeing a 2 to 3 knot improvement in top speed over 7,000'. Climb speed seems slightly better too, but I don't have before and after numbers on that. I noticed more significant performance improvements with the O-360 engine in my Husky. Before I installed the PF, my friend's Husky was slightly better than mine in climb and top speed. He was able to consistently walk away. I had bigger tires with more drag and I attributed the difference to that. After I installed the PF there was a complete reversal between the our two Huskies flying side-by-side. Flying formation, both leaned at 55% power at 2000 rpm, mine burns .8 gph less than his. Climb speed is now equal. bumper His Husky has a Hartzell 76" vs. my 80" MT which clouds the fuel efficiency comparison, but not the performance improvement in both climb and speed in my Husky.

I don't add snake oil to fuel or oil, but I understand it provides excellent lubrication for snakes . . . otherwise, just wasting money. bumper

Seth, You might consider "wiring" the landing and taxi light so that when you switch the taxi light on, only it comes on. But when you switch the landing light on you get both taxi and landing lights at the same time. This is super easy to do with no extra wires to pull. Simply install a 5 amp diode, "banded side" (cathode) to the positive terminal of the taxi light and the other side of the diode (anode) to the positive terminal of the landing light. BTW, we ran some tests comparing the Whelen Parmetheus (sp?) to the AeroLeds in PAR 36 in a pitch black Idaho mountain meadow. No contest AeroLed wins hands down. Like switching from low beams to high in a car. bumper

Some here have recommended Dawley Aviation for overhauling exhaust systems and components. Just to be clear, when using Dawley, you send in what you have to get overhauled. What comes back to you is essentially new, or better than new. And at very reasonable prices and exemplary customer service. I haven't tested this, but I think you could send them a rusted beer can and they'd send you back a like new exhaust system - - really! bumper

I respectfully disagree. In terms of dynamic loading, if the vertical fin in left the same height (length), then sweeping it back will decrease the flat plate area (e.g. if swept back 90 degrees it would theoretically have no flat plate area). So, if one wanted to have a fin/rudder combination that has the same height, sweeping it back will mean the need to extend it's length. This would obviously increase wetted area which would increase drag. I recall reading somewhere that swept surfaces really have no advantage at subsonic speeds. If you are primarily considering static loading, i.e. having the weight of the fin and rudder cantilevered further aft behind the pivot, I agree that would increase static load. However, and without any tests and being just a WAG, the added stress should be insignificant as compared to the dynamic load the pivot must be designed to withstand. Bottom line, any change in loading due to sweeping the fin/rudder back would be of little consequence. I think Al did it that way as he knew there was no aerodynamic advantage in sweeping it back and there was some advantage in the flare of not doing so. bumper

Most planes have a built in 45 degree bank indicator, no vacuum needed, assuming you have an outside horizon reference. When the diagonal mounting screws on any standard instrument line up with the horizon, that's a 45 degree bank. I suppose it's rare to have excess airspeed to trade for altitude during a departure power failure, but maybe in cruise. When trading speed for altitude the rule is 1 knot gets you 9 feet per 100 knots speed (e.g. 1 knot gains 18' at 200 knots). This is the "roller coaster rule" and generally holds true for clean airframes. It works the other way when trading altitude for speed. If the engine is windmilling and there's oil pressure, pull the prop to coarse pitch for less drag. If you have a long way to glide and not much excess altitude, consider pulling the nose up to stop the prop as that presents lower drag than a prop windmilling, then go back to best glide (or faster depending on headwind etc). Leave the gear and flaps up until you know you've got your landing spot made. If it becomes obvious you are not going to make your intended landing spot, don't press on towards it anyway. Choose a closer spot you can reach. bumper

And I think you're right.

Not trying to encourage anyone to try a turn back, but an impossible turn turns into a doable option depending on several factors, not the least of which is pilot skill and training. Flying ultralights in the early days conditions one to near instantly get the stick forward upon power failure. 2-stroke power failures were common, while kinetic energy and penetration were far less so. Speed decays so rapidly, the a moments delay means you are no longer flying. Glider training is an excellent way to master energy management - - besides being a lot of fun, getting a glider rating can't help but make one a better pilot, especially when Mr. Motor gets quiet. bumper

Wonder what the asking is?

2 degrees?? Not meaning to be argumentative, but I've never heard of a landing light with a beam that narrow. IMO, a 2 degree landing light would provide far too little peripheral lighting. Heck, the old standby 4509 sealed beam (PAR 36 bulb) provides 12 X 6 degrees. As an example, the AeroLeds 36LX landing lights on my Husky, one each wing, have a focused beam width of 10 degrees. The 36LX taxi lights, also on each wing, have a pattern of 40 degrees wide by 10 degrees high. The only difference between the taxi and landing lights is the taxi version has vertical fluting on the lens to provide the additional horizontal beam spread. This is desirable as it allows you to see critters and such off to the sides while the plane is in motion. bumper

On the underside of the wing a couple of feet out from the root. The underside of the wing has some advantages for computing density altitude when on the ground (shaded, though will be affected by radiant heat from the tarmac - - not entirely a bad thing). Easy to wire in this location. In flight I agree that a probe in the air inlet should not be much affected by engine heat. bumper

Good find, kurtsnyder. That Whelen would cost a lot more if it were on Aircraft Spruce with approvals. Still, it's an 8 degree spot beam, so not the wide pattern needed for a taxi light. Wonder if Welen makes that with a fluted lens? $200 or less for a good aviation LED in PAR 46 (or 36 for that matter) is still a ways off. bumper

Will Lyc take a cracked case in as a core? When I was facing an early overhaul (1550 hours) on my IO-360 A1B6D, that "D" at the end was the prime mover to buy the 212 conversion with a new A1B6 engine. And when the next time comes, with a first run engine, I'll do a field overhaul rather than taking a crap-shoot of what Lyc puts together which may include cases that have been run out several times. bumper

If it breaks and you are using nylon rope, it certainly can whip. If using Dacron (polyester) or other low stretch line, this isn't a problem. Instead of putting a metal hook directly on the gear and risking chipped paint, take a short length of rope or nylon strap and tie in a loop. Pass this loop around what you want to tow and attach the metal hook to the two loops thus formed. bumper

No pictures . . . it didn't happen!

I can't think of many aircraft that deal with high and fast approaches worse than a Mooney! Maybe a dozen years ago someone on a previous Mooney forum posted a video taken by his passenger going into a narrow tree lined strip in the San Juan Islands (can't remember which island). It was classic. From almost the start of the video any "normal" Mooney pilot was saying to himself, "You're too high!" They did overrun, then started a ground loop that had them stopping just feet from the fence. Anyone remember that or have a link to it?? bumper

I've hear this concept repeated often, though I've never heard of a specific example where a claim has been denied due to something awry that was not directly causal. Not saying it hasn't happened, just that I think it the rare insurance company that would even attempt to weasel out of paying such a claim. Case decision holds that unless something is causal and/or involves gross negligence, or something that is specifically excluded in the policy, the insurance company will cover the claim - - and sometimes even when the insured *logically* shouldn't be covered. I know Avemco covers me even if I forget to get my medical renewed in a timely manner and fly without it . . . same goes for aircraft annual. Mistakes happen. Avemco, and I assume other good insurance companies cover you anyway. (Not meant to be legal advice - - check your policy to be sure.) Think about, if this were not the case, the insurance companies would be all over every accident, inspecting each aircraft with a fine tooth comb trying to find any nit that would get them off the hook. And if they behaved in such a manner, customers would quickly go elsewhere. Some insurance companies specifically allow behavior that might not sound reasonable to some, like landing airplanes off field. (Avemco covers my Husky even though I play in the dirt.) bumper

Lexan is hell for stout and can be cold bent (not for this app of course) or hot formed. But, it is not as optically efficient as acrylic (Plexi) and more importantly, it is softer and scratches can't be polished out. Acrylic can only be hot formed. It is hard and brittle as compared to Lexan, not as mechanically strong, but it optically superior, better even than glass. Also, scratches can be polished out. For gentle bends like we're discussing a wood block (like MKTurbo suggests) is good, but cover the block with terrycloth or soft cotton first. Then into the oven at about 275 - 300 F - - electric oven strongly preferred. Don't leave it unattended. To drill holes in Plexi requires either special drill bits, or you can grind off the relief angle on a standard bit so it cannot grab, dig in, and crack the plastic. bumper

Got in the 201 to fly to the Bay Area yesterday and the Insight Gem 610 was DOA . . . blank screen. No longer supported by Insight, but they do have a trade in, $500 off program. So the question: Fork over the $2.5K + for a G3 - - advantage, basically plug and play. Spend more'n twice that and get a EDM 930 - bigger (but will fit where ADF and Northstar loran are :c( wasting space ), more functions, approved for primary and those little analog gauges are starting to get flaky, will go better with glass panel if I ever get around to doing that. I don't fly the Mooney enough now to truly justify the 930, but saving $ isn't really the object I guess. What to do, . . . what to do?? bumper

wiseng, I had a problem very similar to yours . . . it was caused by an intermittent *open* P-lead within the mag . . . NOT a short! Back when my Mooney had a D3000, the mag left me in a lurch a couple of times. Seems before I bought the place an overzealous mechanic pulled too hard on the mag cover with ignition leads when servicing the points - - it's awkward getting that cover out of the way and in so doing the wire going to one of the sets of points was over stressed and stretched enough for the P-lead wire to break. The wire in question is rubber insulated and when the wire broke the insulation remained intact, pulling the wires ends back together in contact and essentially hiding the damage. That lasted a couple of years until the wire ends arced and melted hidden within the insulation. Every time the wire went open, it caused the engine to hammer and buck. The magneto guy at Sac Sky Ranch said when it went open, removing the capacitor from the circuit, it effectively advanced the spark. bumper

And when cleaning plugs you can simply anneal the old gaskets (copper work hardens in use, so annealing should be done to insure a proper seal): Make a hook out of safety wire. Hang a couple of copper gaskets at a time on the hook and heat to dull red with a propane torch. Immediately dunk in a cup of water to quench. Use a ScotchBrite pad to clean the gasket. Feel good about saving $.083 or more each gasket. bumper . . . yeah, I'm parsimonious

Either Tri-Flow or Super Lube spray will work fine . . . probably better than mineral oil, as they both have a thinner/carrier that evaporates after assisting the lubricant in penetrating. bumper

If you've ever had yours badly reamed, you'd know. And also understand why that poor bloke is looking for a new one. bumper

I've always sort of liked debauchery as long as it's not just someone else having all the fun . . . which usually seems to be the case,. I say down with everything, and up with me! And it ain't NIMBY . . . it's "BANANA!" . . . build absolutely nothing anywhere near anything. bumper