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gsxrpilot

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Everything posted by gsxrpilot

  1. If I'm buying any short or mid-body Mooney, I'd expect to see damage in the history. NDH on a bird that old probably means not much flying either, which is much worse IMO.
  2. gsxrpilot

    GoPro Mounting

    I would be hesitant to use the sticky mount on the ceiling of the cockpit not because it will fall off, but because the sticky mount will be very difficult to remove and might take some of the ceiling down with it. The sticky mount works GREAT on the outside of the airplane. In the top of every GoPro package is a flat squarish mount that the GoPro is mounted on in the package. I took that mount and used some existing screws in the ceiling to fix it to the ceiling. This way it comes back down and leaves no trace behind. To get the best picture of the panel and out the windshield, use a neutral density filter first of all. And then also use the ProTune settings on the camera. You'll have to experiment a bit, but it's possible to get great video from the cockpit.
  3. One of the nice services provided by SWTA when your plane is there for an annual. Laura puts together a very nice, clear, and easy to maintain, AD Log for your plane. It makes continued compliance very easy.
  4. Taking my '64 M20C to Don was the best thing I ever did. He saved me quite a bit of money and the result was one of the very best examples of the C anywhere in the country. There are a lot of great shops around the country, and SWTA is my go to shop. But Don Maxwell is still the gold standard for Mooney service. And if you want to know who the other MSC's call when they have questions... it's Don Maxwell.
  5. @skydvrboy you don't need a new plane... well we all actually need new airplanes... but if you'll replace your audio panel with one from PS Engineering... such as the PMA450b... I'm sure any Halo issues will be gone, the sound quality will be improved across the board. Any electronic noise will also be eliminated. I never thought a good audio panel could make such a difference in the cockpit.
  6. After watching SWTA work on a plane covered by Avemco, I wouldn't buy insurance from them no matter how good the price. They were absolutely terrible to work with.
  7. What @mike_elliottsaid. I spend a lot of time out at SWTA as they're on the same field as I am. I regularly see Mooneys come in for annual that have been with a "local A&P" for years and JD typically finds lots of "differed" issues. Mooneys are not difficult to work on or maintain, but since they aren't as plentiful as say Cessnas, many A&P's only see one to two of them. That just isn't enough to really learn about some of the issues unique to Mooneys. There are specific areas that commonly wear on Mooneys and an A&P that doesn't work on them often might not know. It's no fault of their own, just inexperience with the breed. I like using an MSC for all my maintenance and am fortunate to be on the field with one of the good ones.
  8. I started with an M20C just to make sure I could afford this addiction. After a couple of years I had a good handle on the actual costs, I also discovered what my actual mission was. I learned how to properly fly a Mooney and how to take care of one. I made a fair number of mistakes and learned a lot. Then with much more in sharper focus... I went and bought a 252. It's the perfect airplane for me, right now. My approach to airplane ownership is to separate the costs between CapEx, the cost to buy the plane, and OpEx, the cost to own the plane. For me the CapEx is money that is just parked. I'll get it back when I sell, or under less fortunate circumstances, the insurance will pay it back to me. So what I have to budget for is OpEx. OpEx is just spent and isn't coming back.
  9. Hey JD... can I get an oil change. Cost - $74.40 a case - installed
  10. We'll never be in as tight as the Blue Angels. But anything closer than a mile horizontal and 1000 ft vertical is close. And safety IS paramount. So we practice and critique and practice some more. I'm fully convinced that I'm a much safer pilot because of all the hours of formation practice I've flown. This all got started with Mooneys just "casually" flying together to Oshkosh. It's called a Gaggle. And it became very obvious very quickly that the Gaggle was anything but safe. And so if this group arrival to Oshkosh was going to continue, it needed to be much more professional and include some proper training. The result is what is today the Mooney Caravan to Oshkosh. And as everyone who's participated over the last several years will say, it's the easiest and likely safest way to fly to Oshkosh.
  11. Nice PIREP @Cyril Gibb. My wife and I both use the Halo's exclusively. I have custom ear molds for mine. My wife uses the foamy ear plugs. They take a bit of getting used to regarding the position on the head. But once it's worked out, they are super easy to wear. I don't wear glasses, but almost always have sunglasses on and they work fine. Just keep tweaking the wire until you get it to fit the way you want. I keep a set of Zulu2's for guests to wear. Halos are not for sharing. My wife likes it that even though other people are in my plane more than her, no one ever wears her headset. It stays in the little case on the hat rack unless she's flying with me.
  12. Yeah, I'm just thinking of what could be done to result in a very light E. Pulling my back seats out is 26# and since it's rare that anyone is sitting back there, I'd rather leave that 26# in the hangar. I'd probably leave off the speed brakes and the bladders, add a composite prop, and then a few bits here and there... maybe a UL of 1000# is more realistic. The E is the original Mooney hot rod. It would be fun to build one as light and fast as possible.
  13. Maybe when I'm not up to flying in the flight levels any longer, I'll move from a 252 to an E. I think an E restored to factory new condition, much like @Bob_Belville would be awesome. An all glass panel would remove the vacuum pump, LED's to remove power packs, a composite prop on the nose, and the removable back seats out of my 252, might give the E 1100 lbs of useful load. Add the LASAR speed mods and the @Sabremech cowl and it would likely outrun most J's. It would be a hot rod for sure. #whatMooneyshouldbuild
  14. Mooney doesn't make the plane I want anymore. Regardless of the money, I'd rather have a brand new 252 Encore than an Acclaim Ultra. But since Mooney won't build them, I'll have to refurbish mine.
  15. I need to remember this and stop in and buy you dinner or at least a beer some time. I don't get to Santa Fe often, but when I do...
  16. @jgarrison just posted that he has an M20G coming in today. He's asking $39K but you should at least take a look to compare.
  17. That might in fact, be the case. It's pretty a pretty common situation. #2 is the easiest position in the formation. While Lead is holding a steady position, #2 is trying to match Lead. #3 in this case is trying to also match Lead, but has to do so with #2 constantly moving in an effort to match Lead. Therefore it's common, especially with #2 is relatively new to the formation, to give a little extra room. #4 should actually be flying off #3 as if #3 was Lead.
  18. I knew you were... but for the rest of the civilians...
  19. If this Mooney can pass a good pre-buy inspection then I like it. But there are so many things that could go wrong or could be wrong. If the $35K is everything you've got, I wouldn't spend it all on the plane. What is your monthly/yearly budget for flying, maintenance, upgrades, upkeep, etc? Tanks start leaking - $7k for a full strip and reseal of both thanks. Landing gear pucks, truss, ect. - $1500 to $5K Engine corrosion, cam, valves, etc. - $25K I actually like that it needs paint. I'd rather buy it and fly it the way it is rather than pay an additional $10K for someone else paint scheme. It's not unusual to spend 10% of the purchase price on the first annual just taking care of deferred maintenance. @Raptor05121 can tell you a lot about buying a cheap Mooney and bringing it up to flying condition. This one seems to be in flying condition right now. But your best protection would be a good pre-buy inspection. That will cost $2000 or so.
  20. In all seriousness, the debrief is as important as the brief before the flight. We take formation flying very seriously and the brief and debrief reflect that. Egos and your Colonel's Eagles are checked at the door. When the other pilots in the element say you were out of position, claiming you weren't won't win you any friends, or an invite to fly with the element again. We're all always working to get better at this and accepting criticism is key to making that happen. Actually as a wingman, I spend much more time out of position than in position. But I'm always working to get back into proper position. It's a continual struggle for those fleeting moments of perfection. Of those that do fly formation, most say it's the most fun type of flying we do. It also certainly makes one a much safer pilot just because of the very fine control one develops. My experience is that after learning to stay in close formation on the wing, keeping the needles centered on an ILS is child's play. And just one of the side benefit of flying formation, is getting good inflight pictures of your airplanes.
  21. No, there's not. We are never close enough to overlap wingtips.
  22. Send Chase an email. If there's a deal to be had from a manufacturer, Chase will have it. @Avionics Source
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