Bob - S50

Its always a good idea to ask. When I was at Holloman they had HUD film of a light twin that flew through the MOA unannounced and got between two aircraft during guns tracking practice. Now that's close! Should not be a problem flying ...below... the MOA though, unless you guys bust the floor. I guess they should probably update the times on the sectional though.

Looks like a pretty reasonable general route to me. If you are looking for more airports, after Lakeview you could head up toward Burns then east. As for MOA's, Whitmore (near RBL) is 11,000 and above so you can fly under it. Goose MOA (near LKV) is M-F so if you fly on the weekend you don't have to worry about it. Hart is 11k and above. Juniper Low could be active but ask ATC, its active by NOTAM. Juniper High is 11,000 and above. Or you could go east under Hart then north to Burns. Going to Burns allows you to avoid the rest of the MOA's. Or if you go direct to EUL, Saddle B starts at 8000. Or, after RBL, fly to LMT, fly past Crater Lake, and take the wife/girlfriend (but not both) to S21 (Sunriver) and stay at the Lodge for the night. Sunriver is a great family vacation area. We try to go there every couple years. The next day you can go east to EUL and avoid all the MOA's Good luck. Bob

Only making assumptions here (not an A&P). Wing ribs are attached to the skin. That leaves a 'ridge' that fuel/air has to go over or under to get around. I assume the ribs and skin form an open box on the top of the fuel cell. Just like putting an open box, open end down, into a tub of water, if air can't get out, water can't get in. In this case, if air can't get out, fuel can't get in. When we calibrated our wings for a fuel stick we noticed that with the wing empty, if we added a gallon it would initially appear to have fuel below the fill hole. However, if we waited a minute or so, all that fuel (that was trapped up slope from the rib) would drain down leaving the wing dry. Add another gallon, same thing until we finally got enough in to cover the rib. That leads me to believe there are weep holes in the ribs to allow fuel to flow downhill to the sump. I assume the same thing exists on the top of the wing with small weep holes or gaps that allow trapped air to move out and fuel to move in. So my 'guess' would be that when you fill the wing to full there is air trapped in the top of the fuel cell. By the next morning, that trapped air has found its way out, allowing fuel in, lowering the fuel level for the rest of the wing, resulting in a tank that then looks less than full. Since you said the wings were sealed a few years ago, perhaps they inadvertently sealed up most of the weep holes. If that was the case, I don't know if it can be corrected or not. The good news? Even with only 60 gallons useable, your plane will still probably fly longer than your bladder/butt want to. Have fun, Bob

Only dealt with them once so far but I agree. Plan to go back there for the annual next summer.

Sold

I put some items up for sale that we removed from our '78J when we did a panel upgrade. KRA10 Radar Altimeter KI208 Indicator KR85 ADF TAS MPH/Knots Airspeed indicator Everything was working when we took them out. You can find details and pictures in the Avionics for Sale section. Bob

TAS, Knots/MPH airspeed indicator for sale. Removed from our 1978 J. We replaced it with a knots only indicator. Asking $150. Make offer

KRA10 radar altimeter for sale. Was working when removed from our plane. Asking $4500. Make offer.

KI208 CDI for sale. Asking $395. Make offer.

Complete KR85 ADF for sale. Asking $395. Make offer.

If the Magneto truly is bad it could hurt the engine. Spark plugs firing too early either due to mis-set timing or internal failures could cause the peak cylinder pressure to occur too close to TDC which can pound the bearings in the engine and could even lead to detonation or pre-ignition if bad enough. Here is a link to a webinar about magnetos by Mike Busch: http://www.eaavideo.org/video.aspx?v=1367499350001 Not that I would fly it that way, but if the engine runs smoothly on one of the two mags but not the other, I'd rather run on the one mag that gives me smooth operation than on both (one of which was bad). Bob

I agree with Marauder. For our plane with a GTN 650 we bought just the NavData update. Mountains don't move. They don't build tall obstacles all that quickly and if you fly the approach as published it should keep you clear of all obstacles. We don't care about SafeTaxi because we can get the airport diagram on our tablets. I then buy the annual subscription to Naviator for $35 to get all the approach plates, sectionals (including Grand Canyon), Terminal Area charts, and low altitude charts I want. I could also get the highs for no extra charge but I don't fly that high. Good luck, Bob

Not a maintenance guy here and only going on what I've learned on the internet (scary). From what I've read, a leaned engine at runnup will have larger than normal RPM drop so that alone would not bother me too much personally. However, a difference between the left and right and a rough engine would. Have you had them check the Magneto timing? If the left Mag is advanced too much, it would cause peak pressure closer to TDC. That would cause higher peak pressure, higher CHT (neither of which I think you would notice during a runnup) and a reduction in power. The engine would be pretty unhappy too. Just a thought. Bob

Just thought I'd start a new thread and give people something to think about. Everybody remember the old line about, "if you find yourself fighting a headwind, in order to get maximum range you need to go faster"? Don't believe it. I think it was either Mike Busch or John Deakins who points out that is only true if you are starting at L/D max which is about 90k. Here are some numbers I worked up to prove the point. Let's say I'm cruising along fat, dumb, and happy (my normal state) at 8000', 65% power and I had planned on no wind. All of a sudden (I told you I was FD&H) I realize I have a headwind and might run a bit short on fuel (forget the obvious that I can land someplace short and get fuel, or change altitude for better winds). Should I speed up, slow down, or do nothing to maximize fuel? All these numbers are from my POH, 8000', economy leaning ('78J), your mileage may vary. I take the stated cruise speed and divide by the stated fuel burn to get MPG. For a 10k headwind I subtract 10k from the cruise speed but keep the burn the same. I did the same for 20k and 30k headwinds. This first table assumes you use 2700 RPM for all settings because that is what you would need in order to get 75% power. Power 0k HW MPG 10k HW 20k HW 30k HW 75% 169/10.8=15.6 159/10.8=14.7 149/10.8=13.8 139/10.8=12.9 65% 157/9.7 =16.2 147/9.7 =15.2 137/9.7 =14.1 127/9.7 =13.1 55% 145/8.6 =16.9 135/8.6 =15.7 125/8.6 =14.5 115/8.6 =13.4 However, in reality, to get 65% at 8000' I only need 2400 RPM and to get 55% I can use 2200 RPM. The numbers become: Power 0k HW MPG 10k HW 20k HW 30k HW 75% 2700 RPM 169/10.8=15.6 159/10.8=14.7 149/10.8=13.8 139/10.8=12.9 65% 2400 RPM 157/9.1 =17.3 147/9.1 =16.2 137/9.1 =15.1 127/9.1 =14.0 55% 2200 RPM 145/7.8 =18.6 135/7.8 =17.3 125/7.8 =16.0 115/7.8 =14.7 With either set of numbers, all the way up to 30k of HW, I still get the best gas mileage at the lowest power setting. Of course the difference in distance depends on the power settings being compared and the wind. Using the 75% vs 55%, minimum RPM, no wind, 20 gallons can take me an extra 60 miles. With 30k of HW, it only gets me 36 miles. If was starting at 65% and slow to 55%, it is only a 14 mile difference... but it will take me 22 extra minutes to fly those extra 14 miles! I may just continue on FD&H... but I won't speed up! Just something to think about. Bob

How about a small 12v electric fan plugged into the lighter adapter and placed at floor level to blow air toward the back?

Our J has an 8 qt capacity but we quickly determined it spits everything over 6 quarts overboard. We now fill it to 6 quarts and keep it between 5 and 6. Another place you might check for an oil leak. When we did some extensive work on our plane last summer, we found an oil leak where the vacuum pump mates to the accessory drive case. Apparently one or the other was not exactly flat so a small leak developed. We ended up using a slightly thicker gasket material than normal and solved the problem.

Maybe you can find a clear plastic fuel line at an auto parts store that has an inside diameter just a little smaller than the frame member. Or maybe your local hardware (Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, etc) will have some clear plastic tubing. Cut the plastic fuel line to length, split it nicely with and exact-o knife and slip it around the frame member. Just an idea. Bob

Each group does their own costs differently. Our plane is paid for. We charge a fixed monthly fee to cover fixed costs that will not change regardless of how much or how little we fly the plane (hangar, insurance, annual, GPS database updates, registration, etc.). We then charge a dry hourly rate that we feel with cover costs that are related to operating hours (oil changes, engine overhaul, mag inspections, tires, prop, etc.). Each person buys their own fuel. The purchase cost could also be because they may be using a system like us. We do not each own equal shares of the plane (LLC in our case). We invested as best we could to get the best plane we could. We each get equal voting rights and access though. The only time it will make a difference is when we go to sell it. We'll each get back in proportion to what we have invested.

We have a '78J and from the looks of the parts manual I thought we could use a Weldon pump too. Since we could get a 'serviceable' unit cheaply we bought it. Went to put it in and found our plane had a Dukes and the Weldon would not fit in the same space. Apparently you need a modification kit. We had to return the Weldon and ended up having our Dukes overhauled. If you decide not to overhaul your pump but buy an already overhauled pump instead, look at your pump first. For simplicity I'd recommend you get the same pump if you can. By far the cheapest option is to have your pump overhauled if you can wait for the turn around.

Did they take over for ViaJet? The Mooney website still lists ViaJet as an MSC in Burlington even though as far as I know they have not been there for quite some time? Same people new name? New people same place? New altogether? Just curious. Would be nice since we are just down the road at S50.

When filling out the form, if there is something you are not sure about, leave it blank or ask the Dr. about it when you see them. They can add items but I don't know if they can change items. You'd hate to answer something wrong and not be able to get it corrected. Bob

You may not like him, but if you'll take the time to read the article, you'll see he cites an actual case where a pilot died when he ran out of fuel when he thought he still had fuel remaining. Like almost all accidents, it was caused by a sequence of events, any of which had they not occurred, would have prevented the accident. It was caused him ferrying a plane that was not his, with inop fuel gauges, reliance on a fuel totalizer instead, a wing that allowed trapped air in one tank that made the tank look full during fueling when in fact it was not, and his personal habits for fuel management. So what can be learned from his article? 1. Don't count on a fuel totalizer to know how much fuel you have. If you give it a wrong starting point it will give you a wrong end point. Not mentioned in the article but still true, a totalizer will not indicate fuel lost due to venting or leaks. 2. Make sure your gauges work! And what good are they if they are not accurate? Since they are only required to be accurate when empty, how do you know they are accurate unless you test them? How can you test them without draining the tank? You can do that on the ground or in the air, your choice. Easier in the air, safer on the ground. 3. Get accurate fuel sticks. Know how much is in your tanks before you fuel. Figure out how much you need to add and add that amount. Stick the tanks again and see if the sticks indicate what they should. If they don't, figure out why.

Why would trash in the bottom get sucked up when there is little to no fuel flow when it did not get sucked up during normal operations? The feed line does not connect to the bottom of the tank, it connects to the side of the tank in the cockpit, thus the 1.25 gallons of 'unuseable' that should remain when it flames out. That would be a lot of trash to reach that high. Its the trash that is floating in the fuel you have to worry about, not the stuff that has sunk to and stuck to the bottom of the tank. Your sump drain is at the low point of the tank, any loose trash should come out when you check the sump for water. Even if trash does get in the line, prior to flight it should be flushed out when you check the gascolator. If it happens in flight, the gascolator has a filter in it. If it gets past that the servo (injected engines) has a filter in it... I know, ours was filthy because the plane sat so long before we bought it, we actually did have trash that made it that far during normal operations. I'm more interested in knowing more precisely when I'm actually out of gas than I'm worried about trash in the tank. However, we are all entitled to our own opinions. Bob

Try Aero Motors LLC: http://www.aeromotorsllc.com They just overhauled our Dukes boost pump for $400. We paid for shipping both ways to Wisconsin. They had it back in the mail to us within 3 days of arrival at their shop. Bob

Here is another good reason for running a tank dry from Mike Busch: http://www.sportaviationonline.org/sportaviation/201204#pg26