IvanP

Thanks for posting this, Don. Glad you got it down safely.

Avionics fan on my Bravo is activated by Radio Master. My guess woudl the that Ovations have similar setup. Not sure if there is a separate breaker for it, but you should be able to hear the fan when you turn the radios on with the engine off. These fans are not very quiet.

Apparently, some California CDL holders cannot drive either

Could you please cite the relevant CA law that mandates aircraft insurance for part 91 aircraft operations? It would also be helpful for all of us here to cite the specific laws in the other 10 states you mentioned. That way we can make better choices about our aircraft and risk management. Thank you,

I do not have a drawing or pictures of the disassembled switch. It was couple of years ago when I did this. The springs that return the split toggle switch into neutral position are just simple steel spring wires held in place by couple of pins. If I recall correctly, my hangar elf found some steel spring wire that was close enough to replace the tired original springs. Once you take the switch apart, the solution will be self-explanatory. It takes a little patience and skill to do and for someone inclined to tinker with small stuff, the repair can be a lot cheaper than $2.5k what Textron is asking for the switch now. The actual microswitches (3) that make up the assembly can be had from Mouser or other sources for about $30 or so.

I reconditioned teh switch by replacing the springs

I woud check the switch Fritz mentioned. I have reconditioned mine on 1990 Bravo, including the toggle springs, and it works fine now.

That looks ugly. Hope all occupants will recover from the injuries.

It seems that courtesy cars are rather rare these days (at least at the airports that I have been to lately) as are decent airport restaurants.

I would be curious how could the IA sign off the aircraft with dented push rot tubes without noting it in the discrepancies.

There are some Mooney CB's who spent several hundred dollars on a sticker saying that it is OK to put paint stripper (aka G100UL) in their tanks

The 2-3 ft swing out at 175 mph was probably pilot's perception under rather unusual circumstances. I tried to open cabing door in flight once at much slower speed to retrieve a seatbelt and was not able to get more than few inches (of course, I was not able to close the door either). Our minds tend to play tricks on us under stress .

While that may be true, it is also true for props installed on certificated aircraft. Just becasue something is installed on certifcated aircraft does not mean that bad things did not happen to it. Of course, I understand the CYA approach taken by the manufacturer and the reasons for it. Sucks for the OP, though.

Here is anothe great "deal" on Mooney part - Nose gear bolt for cool $375 plus shipping. https://lasar.com/hardware-bolts/machined-bolt-nose-gear-914004-000

Most likely fake news, but it would be nice to see new Mooneys roll off the line again.

According to the IPC, some Bravos had shuttle valve on dual brake installation (s/n 27-0108 to 27-0143).

To determine if the plug is the issue, you can just take the plug out and taxi around to check if the brakes are still soft. I seem to recall that my plug has a small hole in it.

Strange. I would still check the clearance betwen the middle doors and caliper when applying brakes to see how much clearance you have there. Also, check the bleeding procedure for dual brakes. There is a shuttle valve between the pilot and co-pilot side.

If you have the dual puck brakes on your Bravo, you may want to check your brake linings. I have been chasing similar issue on my Bravo last year. One side would just be soft and I had to pump the brakes couple of times to get good braking action. Inspection did not show any leaks. Bled the brakes 3 times to no avail. Always tested good in the hangar while bleeding, but then got soft again on taxi. Then I noticed that my brake linings were a bit thin on the affected side and the caliper had to travel to the point that it would push against the middle gear door (there is very little celarance there). The door would flex enough to allow the brake to bite, but then the pressure would push the caliper back in, hence the need to give it couple of pumps for the brakes to be firm. Replaced the linings and the caliper is now not touching the door when brakes are applied. All is good now. Because you need to remove the middle doors to get to the brake caliper, I did not spot the problem until I had someone apply the brakes while I was watching the caliper movement without removing the middle doors.

Both great planes. Hopefully they will continue to suport the existing fleet.

Nice J...but still a J with engine past its half-life for Bravo or Ovation price. Lot of effort and money went into this plane for sure, but is seem a bit overpriced to me even with all the gadgets and very nice interior.

I have owned 1970 E with 200HP IO 360 for over 15 years with mission parameters very similar to yours. It was a great machine that carried us in relative comfort to many destinations in US and Mexico. My wife and I loved that plane. Good fuel economy and reatively reasonable maintenance costs. Mine had bladders put in for 54 gal usable and I could take full fuel and reasonable amount of luggage for 2 people for xc trips. That provided enough fuel for 3-4 hr legs when flying xc with reasonable reserves. Changed to Bravo couple of years ago. WHile the Bravo is great when it comes to speed and the ability to climb high over mountains and weather, fuel economy is nowhere near what the E provided and given the amount of fuel I need to carry, it si essentially 2-people plane at best.

I will have to check the flap alignment in closed position as I never have the flaps closed on the ground. Thanks for the tip.

Cyl #2 in my Bravo is always the lowest temp in all phases of flight. Recent baffling (3 yrs), CHTs stay below 400F in climb at 110-120 KIAS. In cruise on high power, I need to crack open the cowl flaps a bit to keep CHT on my hottest cylinder (#5) below 400F. I run ROP - too chicken for LOP.

That is my primary concern. The in-flight fires that we can see on the videos appear to have occurred in airliners where there is relatively ample space and resources to handle such situation. Mooney cabin with a single pilot - not so much. The idea of handling a burning object in small cabin while controlling a plane is certainly not very appealing.