Ragsf15e

Have you had any software “updates” done recently?

That’s what I do as there are often temps in the 30s or 40s in the morning followed by 80s in the afternoon in the higher elevations out west.

Ha, I’m about to have Western do my 2 x G5s next month. It looks awesome, were you happy with their work? They have had a couple managerial changes recently... Was that Highland upholstery? I’ve heard good things about them.

Jeez, at least it’s not cramped between the engine and firewall!! Mine looks even worse with vac and standby vac!

I’m pretty happy with a ram ball mount on the right side. In my opinion it gives you lots of options - iPad size, orientation, angle, etc. it’s also easy to remove, and it’s close to the cig lighter for power if required. It may also give you a bigger iPad in less panel space. It’s not obtrusive to the copilot at all as it stays pretty close to the panel. It gives you a really simple upgrade path too as technology changes, and if someone doesn’t like an iPad mounted there, it pops off in about 10”. Pictured is an old mini.

Interesting. My pump leaks just a little bit of oil, but my mechanic suggested they generally last full 2000 hours + until overhaul. I haven’t pushed him to mess with it. Are you guy replacing them preemptively?

No difference, they call it a SIM4N or SIM 4P. P is for replacing impulse coupled mags.

Were you able to get the voltage coming into the VR? You need to compare that to the battery and bus voltage. The VR and alternator might be fine but you will get messed up alternator output if the voltage into the VR doesn’t match the battery/batt bus.

True. Also, when you flip on the master, you’re likely seeing a “top charge” that’s higher due to the alternator charging (during last flight) at some voltage higher than the battery spec. It’ll drop down a bit in the first couple minutes with some draw. It should then settle close to 12v at the battery. Remember, the JPI is measuring voltage somewhere else (bus), so you’ve got to measure at different points through the system and find where your voltage is dropping.

The Zeftronics guide is a little tough to follow until you just do it. After working through it, seeing what you’re looking for gets much easier. As David mentioned, the interav may react a bit differently with voltages so the zef guide may not be perfect, but in it’s simplest form: 1. Turn on master 2. Check battery voltage at the battery terminal (i.e. on the battery itself) 3. Check voltage into the Voltage Reg - if it’s 0.5V or greater LESS than battery voltage, work backwards, find out where the drop is and fix it. 4. Check field voltage out of the VR. (This should be less than battery, around 10-11 volts or so). 5. Check field voltage at alternator - shouldn’t have more than 0.5V drop from #4. 6. Turn off master and analyze. Anyway, read the Zeftronics troubleshooting guide. That's the gist of it and it’s not too hard.

I looked up general adsb out protocols... once per second.

Yeah, I see what you’re looking for, but I’m pretty sure the 345 is transmitting multiple times per second, we can probably look that up. Anyway, if it was really offline or losing position each few seconds, you’d probably have a pretty ugly adsb report. I have no doubt you’ve got an electrical issue, but I doubt that airspeed/345 plot is gonna help you diagnose it. I could certainly be wrong, but I think you’re gonna have to get a voltmeter into all the connections to find the culprit. Which kind of VR do you have?

Also, I think a better way to check the 345 would be to run a free adsb report from the faa. I’m pretty sure that would tell you if it was missing reports/data.

I had low voltage as well. VR circuit breaker and low field wire voltage caused by old (original?) master switch. Which VR do you have?? Digital or old mechanical? Bottom line, on a 50 year old electrical system, you’re building resistance on worn wires, circuit breakers, switches. You’re gonna have to dig in with a voltmeter and the Zeftronics troubleshooting guide to find it. Do you have the electrical schematic? Did you know your field wire leaves the VR, goes to your master switch and then back to your alternator?

Honestly, there’s been quite a few people coming in , buying a 22T and then asking us to train them in it. I’m not saying it’s a smart way to learn or efficient, but they do it. Money be damned. There are some other folks that use our SR20 for training and then purchase a 22T for themselves. The transition is simple. These folks want the whole package, car like interior, autopilot, chute, glass. The chute isn’t the whole thing, but it’s definitely part.

There’s one more factor to consider for piper, Cessna (trainers) and Diamond (the trainers)... the pilot shortage. The students trying to fill our worldwide airline pilot shortage don’t have the cash to pay for expensive trainers and they aren’t planning on flying a SEP Cessna for the rest of their life. They just want the hours, ratings etc and are willing to do that in whatever plane they can afford. So those brands may have a market and customers to support their products. Bonanzas and Mooneys aren’t trainers and people who buy them have different goals. They buy them for long term family transport. They care about the Chute and the Cirrus was designed around it as well as their superior marketing.

Bob, I value your longevity and experience in aviation, but that may also be the reason you’re having trouble seeing Urs point. I started flying in the 80s, my dad in the 70s, and I have my grandfathers leather helmet and scarf from his Stearman days in the 40s. When I met my wife, our first date was a $100 hamburger trip in a beat up Cherokee. Was it a test? Yea, maybe. She passed and we fly our kids all over the place in our 50 year old Mooney. Here’s the time though, peoples attitudes change through time. There are many more middle age folks with $$ coming into our flight school wanting to learn in the Cirrus than those wanting to fly our well maintained, glass, cheaper Cessna. Is all of that the chute? No, but it’s definitely part of it. Would it save Mooney to stick a chute on an Acclaim? No, but Cirrus sells that chute and it works. People learning today have a choice and they like the idea of the chute. Maybe you don’t care. Maybe I don’t sometimes, but to be honest, I’d prefer a chute when I fly across the Cascades to Seattle or when I fly IFR, but cost is a big factor for me. If you assume people’s attitudes haven’t changed since the 70s or that today’s students all feel the same way as you, I think you’re making a big mistake.

Yes, so did the factory.

This has nothing to do with your roughness, but others are giving tips (good ones) on climb power settings and mixture... do you really climb at 100mph as you said or is that kts? I have an F, so not exactly the same, but I thought it was pretty normal to climb at 110-120 mph or so. You will notice better visibility, lower chts, and likely be more efficient... we have a research paper around here on climb speeds... I think most efficient for a long flight in the paper is like 1.4 x Vy. I would use Vy or Vx as appropriate until at a safe altitude, then accelerate to your chosen cruise climb speed. Mine is 120mph.

I like Cirrus for the reasons you’ve stated, however, to be fair, I don’t think you have a FIKI TKS system and AC along with a 1200lb UL in a Gen 1. I don’t even think FIKI was an option in 2003. Am I wrong?

And the G3x is the old tech screens... have you seen the nxi screens? Almost makes you want to spend $20 or $30k!

Time may be something else to consider. Let’s say you need to put $50-$80,000 to make it solid - tanks, engine, avionics, etc. well that’s at least 6 months of work, scheduling, moving the airplane around, etc. is it even flyable? If you go down this path you really gotta want to make it your forever plane. If you want to fly now, you can find a flying Mooney with older engine, non-leaking tanks and old avionics, paint, interior for $40k while saving time and money.

Well I just fly it, not mine. It’s real nice, but my F model has more useful load left with full fuel, so there’s that. I use to fly an F-15E, and I’d really miss that, except my F model fits the family much better and uses less runway. All our planes are good...

Is there an annunciation that will come on if the yaw servo is holding a lot of rudder in for a long time? The G1000/GFC700 Meridian I fly has electric rudder trim and yaw damper, however they are not connected. Takeoff trim is 2-3 degrees right rudder. When you transition from climb to cruise, you will get a trim caution until you trim it left. I doubt they would just let the rudder trim servo sit there burning itself up? Also, the Meridian has noticeable tail wag in a little turbulence with the YD off. The YD makes it completely go away. My midbody Mooney doesn’t have noticeable tail wag... YD might be a tough sell for me.

Hopefully you’re right. I needed a trim tube for my F a couple years ago after it wore through the phenolic blocks. Factory was the only place to get it and they had to make me a new one. You never know what you need until you need it. I’m sure there are used parts out there on scrapyard airplanes, but having the ability to make new parts once in a while is definitely a plus.