whiskytango

Hi @TrekLawler, and thanks for your response. Your post made reference to "assert logs". Could you provide detail on what that refers to, and how we can obtain them them to forward to Garmin?

There is an online course you have to take for any SFRA operations. Make sure that you file IFR into and out of KGAI, even if it is Severe Clear - it makes entering and leaving the SFRA much easier.

I have noticed the same problem occurring intermittently. It seems to occur after I get a new altimeter setting from ATC while in altitude hold mode. The GFC500 will cyclicly hunt about 40 feet above and 40 feet below the previously set altitude over about a 5 second period. I have not tried lubing the controls or testing with Alt Static (I will try those on next flight). What does seem to make it stop is to temporarily use Vertical Speed mode, set to 0 FPM. It will then hold selected altitude perfectly, until the next altimeter setting change. Not sure how to interpret this.

+1 on Air Mods. The MSC in Maryland is Freeway (W00). Both shops are good.

Anthony, you may be referring to Thurman Munson. He died in a crash while practicing landings in his Citation 1 (SP). According to Wikipedia, this was his 4th plane in about 1.5 years...Because he could...

I saw the documentary and thought it was fact-based. If I understand the documentary right, Boeing initially intended for the "fix" to be some additional lines of code in the MCAS program. Did the final fix include addition of one or more redundant AOA sensors?

The last airport Up North where I had a hangar was KMTN, Martin State Airport. The Airport Management was part of the State Aviation Agency, so the manager was a government employee. He and his staff made sure that every airport tenant received an email, and sometimes a followup email, if ANYTHING was going to occur that could potentially affect the tenant's use of the airport. This included things that were covered by NOTAMs, but also things like painting, relocating dumpsters, planned changes to gate codes, work in non-movement areas etc. I agree with @DonMuncy that any airport manager should be capable of providing emails as a courtesy to tenants, above and beyond the NOTAM system. I think @ilovecornfields was right to tell airport management that they screwed up and needed to do a better job - how else will they know?

FWIW be glad that it was a Mooney and not a Cirrus that was damaged. A buddy had the wing of his Cirrus punctured by use of an improper jack by a shop when they were working on his brakes. The repair required that the Cirrus factory send an engineer to document the damage, do an extensive engineering analysis and design a custom repair. His plane was down for months. Fortunately the shop ate the cost of the repair, which was substantial.

I hear ya. That's what brought me to Georgia. After seeing that photo I'm going to sip a little bourbon to show my support

Update: Well @ArtVandelay and @M20Doc got it right: I used the special Mooney Seat De-Jammer tool (below) with a wood block, and sprayed PB Blaster Silicone at the point of the jam on the rail. All is good now - the seat is correctly in the rails at all 4 corners. Thanks to all who offered advice!

Agreed. Even though the new avionics work perfectly, I would never go back to this shop. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks Clarence. Unfortunately, your explanation makes the most sense. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I loosened the two bolts at the bracket that was on top of the rail, hoping that would “unload” the jam, but no joy. May loosening all of them will work. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That was what I was thinking- lightly greasing the tracks and then applying controlled impulse loading (whacking with a hammer) at all 4 corners to get it to move.

The shop that did the recent avionics work on my 231 K model managed to jam the front passenger seat in place when they put the seats back in. What they did is install the seat so that 3 out of 4 of the base brackets are properly in the rails, but the 4th (inboard rear) is sitting on top of the rail - sorry I don't have a photo. I have tried moving the seat forward and backward but it won't budge. I would like to try and fix it myself if possible. I am familiar with the seat removal procedure for seats that are properly connected to the rails. Any suggestions?

I had the vacuum system removed when my G5s were installed. I also had an electric backup vacuum source removed at the same time. I got over 50 pounds back with all that stuff removed. Like others, I am concerned about a failure that takes out both G5s so I have a Dynon D3 as my 3rd AI. It is not hardwired to ships power and has its own (rechargeable through USB) battery.

Update: The pitot and static tubes to the gear safety switch were reversed by the mechanic when he had the airspeed indicator overhauled during the avionics work. He was honest enough to admit that he did not mark which tube went where, and said that the switch was not marked. He switched the tube connections and the gear operates normally. With that out of the way I can say that the GFC500 is amazing! It holds heading, course and altitude far better than any other autopilot I have ever owned. Operation becomes intuitive after 15 minutes use. Thanks to all who responded!

Thanks for the info. The shop is now saying that they may have reversed the pitot and static lines on the gear safety switch. Could that give the symptoms I am seeing? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My 231K just had a GFC500 and 2 G5s installed. On the first flight after the work was completed the gear won’t retract, the Gear Down and Gear Unsafe annuciator lights are lit and the gear warning beeping sound is on continually. Any ideas on what the mechanics should be looking for? The manual gear operator handle is in the proper position and no breakers are tripped. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

@Candy man it sounds like you did everything right. The last time I declared an emergency (engine oil pressure went to zero) I got a letter from the local FSDO. All they wanted was a copy of any logbook entries that were made as a result of repairs associated with the emergency declaration. I sent them a copy of the engine overhaul logbook entry. End of story.

I have owned 4 Mooneys during the period from 1998 to the present. In the words of @carusoam Go Mooney! My first exposure to a Mooney was actually right after I bought a C-172. I sold my 1964 C-150 (an aeronautical POS if ever there was one) and bought a C-172. I wanted to move the new-to-me C-172 to a different airport, closer to where I lived. The seller agreed to follow me to the new airport and then give me a ride back to the airport where my truck was parked. Yes, the seller gave me a ride in his M20J. I was stunned at how cool this airplane was, and had immediate buyers remorse! Fast forward 1 year later and I bought my first Mooney, an E model. I now have a 231 K model, and later next week it should come back from the avionics shop with 2 G5s and a GFC-500. I can't wait to fly this already great plane with glass!

I have used this ^^ with a garden sprayer when I was living Up North, and it worked well to melt ice. The one downside is that it leaves a pink residue on the paint. For that reason TKS fluid might be a better choice if it is available.

This offer is brought to you by the same folks that give you an "introductory rate" on their internet service for 1 year, and then raise it through the roof in year 2. Shame on the FCC / FAA if they fall for this.

I managed to transpose two letters in the first waypoint in my flight plan. Turns out that the intersection was about 2,000 miles away in a 150 mile flight. Departure control came on and asked "05N where are you going?". Oops. Time to file that ASRS report. At least there weren't any mountains around the airport. Note to self: Check the heading and distance to each waypoint to see if they make sense.

I use an empty plastic Mott's apple juice bottle. There is plausible deniability if you empty it on the ramp.