rockydoc

I'm normally aspirated M20B and routinely fly at 13,500 without any problem. Thin air, fast speed, minimal fuel burn. Life is good up there.

I went through the same process and discovered Kevin at Wentworth. He sold me used serviceable guaranteed avionics for a very reasonable price. He is an expert and can tell you what will exactly replace your existing unit. Pull it out and push the new one in--no further installation necessary. Do it yourself.

I've been flying in and out of Mexico and Central America since 1991. No current VFR charts are available, but both high and low IFR are. I had a United captain friend who gave me some old (1982) VFR charts he had iin his files for these area.. I laminated them. They are quite helpful. Also Carribeanskytours.com if a VERY valuable resource for charts, airport information, non-aviation government topographic charts, etc., etc. The owner is extremely friendly and wanting to be of assistance in any way he can. Also, document requirements are quite specific, but AOPA is an excellent resource to ACCURATELY determine what documentation is needed. High grade 100LL is not an issue in Mexico, but further South, it is. Mechanics are another issue, however, you can get two day delivery from Aircraft Sprice via UPS International which is best because of UPS's way of cleaning customs for your parts. Guess that pretty much covers it. Safe flying. Rocky

Yeah. My thoughts exactly.

What a great site. I live in Mexico, but make frequent VFR trips from Mexico to NY to CO and AZ returning to Mexico in my old bird. This site even includes much info on Mexico for which no current VFR charts are available for flight planning. thanks for sharing. Rocky

This thread is exactly the reason i belong to this forum. i.e. we get so many different points interjected that promotes thought on our part thereby making us more prepared to deal with the actual situation when it DOES occur--as we all know it WILL some day. Thanks again to all of you for sharing your experiences here so I can benefit from them. A smart man learns from the mistakes of others. A not as smart man learns from his own mistakes. Rocky

When I purchased my M20B in NC, I had over 600 hours in multi-engine and turbines, but knew nothing about a Mooney other than I wanted one. I bought it in NC. The seller spend an hour with me doing some TOs and Landings and then I entered the bird and proceeded to fly her to Denver. I stopped in the early evening (before dark) at a unattended airport. Because of the information that I had gotten from reading this form for months before my purchase, when I started porpoising, I knew that the third bounce was going to result in prop strike so after the second one, I did what we've all been trained to do. i.e. I cleaned up the bird, pushed the throttle all the way forward and did a go-around. No big deal really. The second approach went uneventfully. I only relate this experience to this group to serve as a reminder that go arounds are a part of flying and the only realistic way to keep the procedure fresh in your mind is to practice Touch and Goes. In my simple mind, there is no reason to fear them. They are a part of flying. Fly safely, Rocky

Been reading the thread with much interest because of the experience I recently had with the FAA after the unpleasant interaction I had with Homeland Security in KNEW. Without a doubt, the FAA is yet another example of the power over us that government has--whether it be appropriate or inappropriate. Whether it truly be in the best interest of the pulbic or just harassment by people that use the power because they can. After I politely refused to allow Homeland Security to search my aircraft without a search warrant and they brought in the dog who gave a "positive response" they used as justification to do the search without a warrant which they used to disassemble my airplane on the ramp but found nothing (because there was nothing to find) and after I politely refused to speak with them without an attorney, the Homeland Security agent, Louis Weaver, had no recourse but to let us go. However, when my wife and I returned to our airplane to leave three days later, I was told that an FAA inspector (a cronie of agent Weaver?) had looked around the outside of my airplane and left something on it. What he left was a FAA Form 8620-1, which stated that he had done a "jpartial" ramp check on the airplane and found it to be unairworthy because 1) there was evidence of oil on the underbelly, a couple of cowel fasteners were missing (because they had apparently vibrated out during my flight after being there on pre-flight, 2) the pitot tube was clogged (of which there was no visible evidence of this and it had been functioning just fine during the flight), 3) he thought the propeller spinner "May Not" be the correct part (which it was), and the coup de grace, the fuel tank plackards were not totally legible! Once the airplane was deemed unworthy by the FAA, I was not allowed to fly it without a ferry permit, or getting an AP to do authorized repairs at KNEW. Now, each of you can be the judge...first, did any of those really deem the aircraft unairworthy? But, what recourse did I have? None! But, as those of you who are pro government would say, "that action was in the best interest of the flying public." I don't share that opinion. On to some more relevant details of the FAA Form 8620-1. The form states that the FAA wants the owner/operator of the aircraft to complete the form and send it back to the FAA. FYI, should the owner/operator do so, they are relinquishing jurisdiction to the FAA and anything that follows is nothing but trouble for the owner/operator. However, when you take the time to carefully read both sides of the form and all the small print, you will see that returning the form to the FAA is purely "voluntary." The devil is in the details, eh? In Conclusion, let me say that the FAA (and Homeland Security) are certainly out of control (yeah, I know...so what's new), there is nothing we can do about it (if the AOPA can't bridle them, what hope would we as GA pilots have of doing so, its not going to get any better because there is no accountability built into the process to hold government agents responsible. You can't file civil rights (Sec 1982, 1983) lawsuits with any expectation of winning the. So, as GA pilots what are out options? I say, be very well education, know the FAR, and NEVER interact with the FAA or Homeland Security in any fashion without having an aviation attorney like John Yoder (General Counsul for the AOPA, who helped me). Remember one thing, it is not their job to prove you innocent. It is their job to gather information from you that can be used to prosecute you. That's the reality of things whether you like it or not. One more thing ic closing, it is exactly these kinds of abuse of power that drive good people to become passive-aggressive in dealing with government and to become non-compliant with regulations. In closing, thanks to all of you for the points of view and information that you so freely share on this forum. You have been invaluable to keeping my old bird flying. Cheers, Rocky

Congrats on getting down safely. Whatever you did was right. Retrospectively, it seems the first thing to do would be to turn on the fuel pump (which was probably already turned on for the TO) and determine if there is fuel pressure. Then if there is correct fuel pressure, switch tanks to see if the problem follows to the other tank. I had a similar issue once and the problem turned out being a SMALL piece of fuel tank sealant that was intermittently clogging the fuel line where it exited the tank itself. Once again...nice job. Should I be so fortunate when it happens to me.

When I purchased my old M20B, it had a cover with it that was incredible. My bird would sit out on the tarmac in the Mexican sun at the ocean and when we would take the cover off and open the cabin door, lo and behold, it was COOL inside. This always amazed me. The cover was decades old and showing signs of wear and fading so I looked for a tag on it to find out where it had been purchased. Luckily enough, I found the info, Googled the name, went to the website and was amazed at the reasonable price. Bruce's covers charges charges $520 for a basic M20 series cover and its not even lined. The one from www.airplane-covers.com is made out of Subrella (the best fabric available in my humble opinion) and lined with a 3M insulating fabric and was only $274.95 including taxes and shipping. WOW! is all I can say. It is a small family owned business. Mac and Kathy are the owners. I can't believe what a positive experience it was. They had my new, Sunbrella, custom made with all antennae, thermometer mods and zipper, etc. to me in one week (I sent them my old cover to avoid any mismeasurements on my part). I can't say enough good things about them. So, if any of you are looking to buy a top quality product from super nice folks at a great price, check them out> sales@airplane-covers.com or 906 343 6664. Cheers

Make a few bucks and keep life interesting..Buy a different airplane with a decent engine, take everything you want out of your existing airplane and put it in your newly acquired airplane and then part out your existing airplane. The sum of the parts is worth a whole lot more than the whole airplane. Just saying.

Yes, I looked at the reviews available. Unbelievable! I can't imagine why anyone buys Gill anymore. Bill's comments very VERY impressive! Cheers

Such strong opinions. Thanks for sharing. After reading your cooments, I just completed ordering the Concord RG-35AXC from Spruce. Cheers

Time to replace my batter. I am leaning toward the sealed Concord instead of Gill. What is your recommendation and why?

And I thought Mexican mx weren't as sharp as USA mx. Did this article ever give me cause to revisit that opinion. An AP that doesn't understand mags--let alone basic continuity testing of wires--Wow! Now that's embarassing. And, I imagine he's charging around $100 USD/hour vs the $80USD/day rate in Mexico. Jeees Luis

Would like to send you another cash contribution, but I've misplaced your mailing address. Re-send it to me and I'll drop another $50 into the mail immediately. Can't thank you enough for the effort you put into maintaining this board. Since I live and maintain my bird in a small Mexico town, the information the other members give me makes it possible for me to keep the old gal flying. Cheers, Rockydoc1

Yes, the crank rotates counter clock wise approx 120 degrees.

My problem is that when I crank the step up, it won't stay up for long. It slowly lowers itself so that it is down about 10-20%. This is a pain when flying because i can't seem to remember to keep craking it back up. HELP!

Maybe one of you can help me find out why my M20B manual step will not stay in the fully retracted position since my AP replaced the cable at annual. It drops down about 10-20% after I retract it.

since installing new cable at annual, my manual step won't stay in the fully retracted position. It slips down about 10%. What is the solution for this?

Yes, just let the dry ice sit on the dented area. Simple really.

The extreme cold of the dry ice causes the metal to shrink. This only works on small areas that are not too deep.

In the trade, Slick mags were always considered "throw away" mags. When they needed repairs just "throw them away." Bendix mags are like that batter bunny. i.e. they just keep going and going and going.

Dry ice is THE best solution. The dent is because the metal is stretched. Now, to repair it, it needs to be shrinked. Dry ice is your best shot for an easy fix.

When I purchased my old M20B, it had a cover with it that was incredible. My bird would sit out on the tarmac in the Mexican sun at the ocean and when we would take the cover off and open the cabin door, lo and behold, it was COOL inside. This always amazed me. The cover was decades old and showing signs of wear and fading so I looked for a tag on it to find out where it had been purchased. Luckily enough, I found the info, Googled the name, went to the website and was amazed at the reasonable price. Bruce's covers charges charges $520 for a basic M20 series cover and its not even lined. The one from www.airplane-covers.com is made out of Subrella (the best fabric available in my humble opinion) and lined with a 3M insulating fabric and was only $274.95 including taxes and shipping. WOW! is all I can say. It is a small family owned business. Mac and Kathy are the owners. I can't believe what a positive experience it was. They had my new, Sunbrella, custom made with all antennae, thermometer mods and zipper, etc. to me in one week (I sent them my old cover to avoid any mismeasurements on my part). I can't say enough good things about them. So, if any of you are looking to buy a top quality product from super nice folks at a great price, check them out> sales@airplane-covers.com or 906 343 6664. Cheers