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gsxrpilot

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Everything posted by gsxrpilot

  1. I run ROP if I can do so and still make the destination without a fuel stop. I run LOP anytime that will allow me to skip a fuel stop. LOP saves me 33% fuel for a 12% speed penalty. When flying in the flight levels, not stopping for gas saves time measured in hours.
  2. I've only been seriously interested in running LOP since 2016. So that's only the last 5 years. Before that it either wasn't my airplane, was renting on a "wet" rate, or was flying a carbureted engine. But in the last 5 years, I've taken live classes, online classes, and read/studied everything I can get my hand's on regarding the operation of our piston engines. As a relative newbie to this, I've heard a million times how it's so easy. Just lean to rough and then richen it up just a bit. That might work when you've got 50K hours behind these engines and can smell the difference between 10° LOP and 30° LOP. But for someone just trying to figure it out, and yet on the hook for the engine if you screw it up, that isn't enough for me. For one, a very well fuel balanced distribution, will never run rough but will run smooth all the way to idle cut off. With a poor fuel distribution, it might start to run rough with some cylinders LOP while others are still ROP. Richening that up "just a bit" might put you in the worst possible place to run the engine. What is "rough" and what is happening there? Avoiding any LOP operations above 65% power would seem to be good advise with a good margin for error. Advice that running any mixture at 75% power or below?? This is contradicted by some sources. Who's correct? Cirrus says anything below 80% power is ok. Maybe that requires a parachute? Modern engine monitors are easy to read. And with a little education are very easy to understand and interpret. Fuel flow spread between the first cylinder to peak and the last cylinder to peak. If the spread is too large (>0.5gph) "rough" will probably happen before all cylinders are LOP. Number of degrees LOP based on last cylinder to peak or degrees ROP based on the first cylinder to peak. A read out of % of HP without having to triangulate the numbers on the very faded power chart in the 40 year old POH. Quick diagnosis of intake leaks, weak ignition systems, or the specific plug fouled. When you don't have enough hours to have experienced a bad engine or know one from a good engine. And you can't tell the difference between "rough" from being a few degrees too lean and "rough" from being over open water or high mountains without any engine change at all, and you really need that engine to get within shouting distance of TBO or you might be walking... an engine monitor can be the most valuable and comforting instrument in your panel
  3. If you don't get it done with @FoxMike I can probably help you any early evening, or I also have availability on Wed.
  4. I've seen JD use a thread repair file. It's amazing what that tool can accomplish in skilled hands.
  5. There are some nice interiors around here... in my case, the nice interior is still in my head and not yet in my Mooney
  6. Porsche/Ferrari Fancy: Drop the Mooney off in San Antonio at AeroComfort. Have a chat with Hector and make sure you've got a large credit card. It will include carpet, seats, yokes, glare shield, center post, headliner, etc, etc, etc. As @Hank says, there is a knock on effect. After returning from Hector's, you'll be shopping for better paint.
  7. I love my vernier throttle in my 252. Even though it's a hassle when flying formation. I wouldn't want to be with out it. The McFarlane vernier throttles are a modified vernier in that they don't have the button. I'd really like one of those and should have done it during the last annual/engine overhaul... but it was just one more thing.
  8. With the turbo, I know if I'm making full power within the first 100 ft. I took off once without full power. I knew something was wrong but didn't really recognize it until about 5000 ft. I turned around and returned to the field. The induction boot had come off and folded over blocking the turbo. Now I know. With everything full forward, I'll feel the turbo come on and verify full MP within the first 100 ft. or so.
  9. Best Budget Engine monitor (good enough for carbureted engines): Insight G2 or G3 Best Priced Full Primary replacement: JPI EDM900 (Close second with discount coupon: EI CGR Combo) Best top of the line primary replacement large screen: EI MVP-50 Just my well researched $0.02
  10. It's pedantic I'm confident @M20Doc is referring to all Inspection panels. But would probably include such things as the back seat to expose the spar. But we'll agree that pulling a cylinder is beyond the scope of a typical pre-buy.
  11. @A64Pilot either you're not reading or not understanding what we're saying... sorry. Maybe @carusoam can explain it better. BTW... @M20Doc has probably lost track of how many Mooney annuals he's signed off. But undoubtedly more than anyone else on this forum.
  12. There is absolutely nothing magical about getting an annual done on an airplane. Pencil whipped annuals are available everywhere. (I personally know two who will sign it off for a case of beer) And are seemingly very common as attested to by those very same expensive first annuals sited by @A64Pilot When I have a pre-buy done, it's a more thorough inspection than any annual requires. And it's done by a shop and individual who I trust completely. And no force of law will make me trust him/her more. In fact if I feel I need the force of law to have any confidence in the pre-buy, I've chosen the wrong guy, and wouldn't trust his signature on an annual any more so. Even if you have the highest quality annual performed, it's not enough for a pre-buy for me. I don't just want to know if the plane is airworthy, but rather I'd like to know a lot more about it. Airworthy is the minimal standard. The process is very simple. Open everything up for a detailed quality pre-buy inspection. Give me the buyer a report on the condition of the airplane. The report will have two categories of squawks. Airworthy issues - Seller will either pay to have them corrected, or reduce the price by the estimated cost to correct. Non-airworthy issues - If there's enough, I might walk away and forfeit my deposit. Or I might have the shop set to correct them after I own the plane. I agree to buy the plane, transfer funds, take possession of the airplane, log books, pink slip. Have the shop now complete the annual and sign off a new annual in the log books. There is no double cost, the plane is already opened up and 80% of the annual done. I also might have other squawks addressed at the same time. If I'm selling the plane, no shop that I'm not paying, will put anything in the log book. If you want an annual noted in the log book, you have to complete the purchase and own the airplane. (Of course, I wouldn't be selling a plane that's out of annual) I've never had a problem with a first annual, or second or third for that matter. It starts with a thorough pre-buy and good maintenance after that.
  13. None taken When I got home with my new-to-me M20K 252 turbo Mooney, I said the first thing I'm gonna do is get Brian to go fly with me and teach me proper engine management. We just never found ourselves in the same cockpit at the same time. And now 700 hours of turbo Mooney time later... well, I would still like an opportunity to have Brian fly my Mooney. There is plenty to learn and like you said, he's got a wealth of knowledge on the subject.
  14. I'll agree with regards to LOP, ROP, cruise power settings, climb power settings, etc. There is lots to learn. But MP=<RPM is just not relevant to our engines. It's a myth, an old wives tale, and shouldn't be taught to anyone.
  15. I'm using an 8GB stick. I also select "new" when prompted.
  16. There's no such STC but you could retrofit the interior out of a later model K... if you can find one.
  17. Our engines don't care. But even if you subscribe to the myth, the supposed problem is with MP over RPM, not the other way around. When I flew a naturally aspirated Mooney, I'd never touch the throttle after takeoff. I'd fly WOT (wide open throttle) all the time, once in cruise, I'd pull the RPM back to 2500 just for the efficiency, or 2400 for better economy. And lean as appropriate. Now I fly a turbo Mooney and it's almost always over square. I climb at 39" MP and 2600 RPM. I cruise at 26" MP and 2500 RPM. Needless to say, I don't spend two brain cells thinking about "over square". It's just not a thing.
  18. That refers to the RPM number being higher than the manifold inches number, i.e. 28" MP and 2500 RPM. You can ignore this old wives tale. "Over-square" is a non-issue with our engines.
  19. You might start a new thread on this issue. But I have an EDM-900 and download to USB all the time.
  20. Yeah, I was estimating 3 hours in my 252. But I'd hate to do 3 hours without possibility of landing for any reason other than an emergency.
  21. M20C's are all nearly 50 years old and many are older than that. That means M20C's on the marked are all very different and worth wildly differing values. So many things go into the valuation of a vintage Mooney. One of the most important things in the valuation will be if it's currently airworthy, flying, and flying regularly. Make yourself a spreadsheet something like this and fill it in with every single M20C for sale in the country, over the next few weeks. It's not hard, there aren't that many. It will give you a pretty good idea of the market.
  22. Never mind the cannulas... Can you get to Alaska without stopping in Canada? We were going to go this summer, but Canada is still closed.
  23. And by Paul, he means @kortopates, not me just incase that wasn't completely obvious! I couldn't agree more. While I didn't have any transition training prior to flying my turbo Mooney home, there were countless conversations with @kortopates and @KLRDMD, and Brian Lloyd about how to fly turbos. I'd only owned the 252 for a few weeks before going to Ada, OK for the weekend, in person, APS class. I didn't see all that much difference in the flying part, takeoffs, and landing, between the M20K and the M20C. There are certainly differences but nothing an average pilot can't adapt to quickly. But the engine management is very different. And if you don't know, you don't know.
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