gsxrpilot

Yep. The enjoyment from having a fully functional panel, autopilot, engine monitor, etc. will more than outweigh the benefits of 20 hp, 10", or 12 gal. I wanted an E really bad. But buying a C with a 530W, Stec30/altitude, etc. was a much better decision than an E with Narcos, no GPS, and a Brittain or PC wing leveler. I never once regretted that decision.

@"Chocks" made up a bunch of them. Not sure he has any left.

Some of the best advice I got when buying my first Mooney four years ago, was to find one with a proper autopilot. In all the time since, we see lots of panel upgrades including engine monitors, GPS units, WAAS, glass, GPSS, etc. There have been lots of new paint jobs, cowl upgrades, interiors, etc. But I don't recall a single example of someone installing an autopilot. They are just so expensive to buy and very expensive to install. Even @donkaye with one of the most upgraded Mooneys flying, is still on his factory autopilot. This might change in the next year, or two years, or five years as TrueTrax, Garmin, and others bring new/affordable autopilots to the market. But as of today, it's still all speculation on when they might be available. So for anyone out shopping for a Mooney today... start with a corrosion free airframe and a good autopilot.

I'm pretty sure you'd also be wearing a survival suit (dry suit)? So even if you went in the water, you're not immediately dead from the cold temps. While it's certainly more dangerous than flying around Texas in daytime VFR, the crossing is done regularly by lots of pilots who don't die. I wouldn't hesitate to make the trip with proper equipment, preparation, and planning.

During a mag check, while running on a single mag, only one of the plugs in each cylinder is firing. This will normally result in an EGT rise. But if one of the plugs is fouled and not firing at all, when on that mag, the EGT will drop to basically zero. There's no fire in that cylinder. This will pinpoint the offending plug.

JD at SWTA is the one to ask. I'll probably see the Aveo guys at Oshkosh and talk to them there.

EI makes several engine monitors. Which one do you have? The lean mag check is done in flight. You need an engine monitor that shows all four EGT temps and all four CHT temps. While in flight and leaned out for cruise flight, do a mag check. But leave it on each mag for at least 30 seconds. 1 minute is even better. Note if there is an EGT drop to zero on any one cylinder and which mag you were on when it went to zero. That will tell you which plug is not firing.

It's super simple. Turn your nose wheel with a tow bar, all the way to the stop. No get down on your knees by the front wheel and feel where the bars of the linkage touch prohibiting the wheel from turning any further. Next time, you're checking for dents in those tubes/bars where they meet indicating someone force the turn.

"No wonder you charge so much for this oil... you got a Bonanza to feed... and they have to eat a lot more to go almost as fast as my Mooney"

You can do all of this in less panel space and for less money... even after the rebate, with a JPI EDM-900. I love EI as a company and their tech support is supposed to be excellent. But they have to sell two gauges to do what other manufacturers offer in a single gauge.

What engine monitor do you have? Learn to do an inflight lean mag check. You'd know before you landed, exactly which plug is fouled.

Good on ya... And this is no question, the MOST accurate way to know how much fuel your tanks will hold. The K is certainly a long distance machine. But it's all predicated on knowing how much fuel you have on board, where it is, and how fast you're burning it.

I can certainly understand the reluctance to do such a flight in a piston single. But personally, I'd do it in a minute and intend to do it one day. Anything can happen, but preparation can mitigate a lot of the risk. I just did 4700 nm in my Mooney with several bits of that over cold water and very inhospitable terrain. We just got home and I'm pretty sure I could refuel and do it again. The airplane never complained once.

It's pretty easy to make a tow bar out of pipe from HomeDepot/Lowes. Probably $25 in various fittings. There are pictures on here somewhere. Lawn tractor, 4-wheeler, golf cart, pickup, etc... all work BTW... what Mooney do you fly? Understand it's new to you. Is it an M20J 201 or an M20K 231, 252, Rocket?

Would you mind sharing your routing? Here or in a PM would be fine.

When I got a new panel installed with all new toys and gadgets in my 252, this is what worked for me. Take a pilot friend along. Ideally they are Instrument rated, but its not required, but not a CFI... ( I don't want to have to pay for the time). Go out and find an uncontrolled field with an instrument approach on a VFR day. I flew the approach over and over again (VFR and not talking to ATC, just local traffic on the unicom), until I learned the box, buttons, autopilot, etc. As far as anyone was concerned, we were just out for a scenic flight and there wasn't anyone else in the pattern. It was the best way for me to try all the different combinations and learn what worked, what didn't, and what the results were for different actions. Have fun.

I'm bringing a couple of nephews... 15 y/o twin boys.

Sounds like a plan!

Believe it or not, living in Austin, my Mooney hasn't crossed any warm water of any significance. It has, however, been over the water on all five of the Great Lakes. Some were pretty short hops, but we have actually crossed Superior and Michigan. We're looking forward to flying over warm water in the Caribbean one day soon.

I reckon if I fly my Mooney as much as possible from now until they revoke my medical, DMax will still have forgotten more about Mooneys than I'll have learned.

The benefit of an MSC "should" be that they work on a lot of different Mooneys and therefore spend less time troubleshooting (seen it before), are more accurate in their diagnosis (same reason), and know what the "typical" Mooney problems are and therefore keep an eye on them. An MSC that doesn't always have a few Mooneys in the shop, are an MSC in name only and not one I'd be using. The ethics, honesty, working in the best interest of the customer, etc. has nothing to do with the MSC designation in my opinion. In my experience, building a relationship with a shop is key to a good service experience. I'm very fortunate to have a close relationship with an excellent MSC. There are two shops that I have absolutely complete trust in, to work on my Mooney. And both are MSC's.

I typically use the sunshades on the inside and still throw the cover over the outside. It keeps the interior much cooler and also keeps eyes out of the plane. If someone takes a peek under the cover, they see the plane is locked and the windows are covered from the inside. Unless she's at home in her hangar.

I'll still be around.

Best budget engine monitor - GEM G2Replace all stock/failing gauges - JPI EDM-900Money and panel space is no object - EI MVP-50 Feel free to reach out to me via PM and I'm happy to talk through why these are the only three "new" engine monitors worth your money. You might find a used one which might be a different story. I've had two Mooneys and installed the G2 in the first one and the EDM-900 in the second one. Anyway, I'm happy to talk about it. I can also further explain the GAMI thing.

Without a proper data logging 4-EGT/4-CHT engine monitor... You can't know if you need GAMI's You couldn't know how to order them, tune them, or know if they made any difference You can't run LOP, which is the whole purpose of the GAMI injectors You don't have any idea what your engine is doing anyway, so why do you care Best budget engine monitor - GEM G2 Replace all stock/failing gauges - JPI EDM-900 Money and panel space is no object - EI MVP-50