philiplane

Let me know if you come across an Icarus SAM

any GAE12's left?

https://www.asias.faa.gov/apex/f?p=100:95:::NO::P95_EVENT_LCL_DATE,P95_LOC_CITY_NAME,P95_REGIST_NBR:07-APR-19,MIAMI,N711PP New Acclaim Ultra M20V serial number 11, nose gear collapse. WTF? One month old, probably doesn't have 25 hours on it yet?

Crashing during a diversion after losing one engine in an Aztec, at altitude, 15 minutes from home base, is extreme pilot error. Weight is not a factor, the plane has nearly a 2000 pound useful load, and with five average people it would be hundreds of pounds below gross weight. I have 2000+ hours in PA23's, many giving instruction. It's the most capable, and most forgiving twin for this type of mission.

Bring plenty of bug remover. Clewiston airport is home to everything that could possibly splat on your leading edges... You might call the skydive operation there to see if they would rent you a corner of the hangar for the duration.

If you place freshly greased bearings into the wheel, then fill the space between the bearing and the felt seal assembly with grease, you will never have water intrusion. On the other hand, we have many Cirrus with molded seals operating in dirty environments like the Bahamas, and the molded seals wear faster due to the sand getting on them. The seals are harder, so the sand cuts into the aluminum hub spacers. Properly greased felt assemblies outlast the "new improved" parts in this application.

This particular hot start question is in the the Mooney Bravo section, and we are talking about a Bravo, which has a six cylinder Lycoming, all of which have dipsticks in the center of the engine case, so they have an oil door over the top center of the engine. It would also apply to an Ovation, which has a six cylinder Continental, with a nearly identical oil door location. Of course, other motors and models may have a different arrangement....

Leaving the oil filler door open during a fuel stop will release the heat that otherwise will be boiling the fuel out of the lines, causing your hot start problems.

Flying the Bravo below 11,000 feet isn't much different than any other Mooney. However, if you plan to use its altitude capabilities, you'll need to spend plenty of time with the performance charts, and have a good engine monitor. Those two items are the key to getting the most out of the Bravo.

Running LOP will extend the life of the engine by reducing cylinder pressures, temperatures, help keep the exhaust valves & seats clean, and keep the oil clean.

There's no luck involved. Fine wire plugs provide 1-2 percent better fuel economy, so they pay for themselves well before they wear out in 2000-2500 hours. RAM Aircraft published findings on the topic. In which time you will have had to buy 3 or more sets of massive plugs, and pay for gapping and cleaning that fine wires don't need.

Slick mags are notorious for poor quality, mostly since 2006. They are still having problems with premature point cam wear, premature wear of the Oilite bushings in the distributor block, carbon brush wear, and loose internal drive gears. Also, the distributor gear tangs are coming loose on the shafts in 300-400 hours. I would do a 500 hour on them asap. You may get lucky, or they may be junk and ready to fail on the next flight. With Slicks, it's a crapshoot. I repair dozens of magnetos every year and most Bendix mags need little maintenance, but Slicks are generally a train wreck. If your mag timing has been adjusted more than 4 degrees total in the prior 320 hours, your point cams are worn and the internal timing has retarded.

I Those are one of my customer's spark plugs in the blue trays. I've been involved in the Champion fiasco since 2010. They finally changed their basic resistor design in February 2014, but they did NOT change the fine wire insulators that are prone to cracking. I would not use a Champion fine wire plug. Their massive electrode plugs are OK if the date code is newer than March 2014. I would recommend the Tempest fine wire plugs for any application.

The 310 HP IO-550 specs call for 27-28 GPH at 2700 RPM. You can go up to 29, but going to 31 will guarantee an over rich condition unless you are at sea level on a January morning in Alaska.

You generally need at least a 70 amp alternator to handle the 25-30 amp load from the a/c unit, plus the usual 20-25 amp load from avionics. If your normal loads are higher than 30 amps you should consider a 100 amp alternator from http://www.nationalairparts.com/alternator-product-information/faa-pma-n300-mooney-replacement-upgrade-alternators-new-national-n300-12-volt-70-and-100-amp-retrofit-alternators-for-mooney-aircraft/

I just weighed an early Bravo, original paint & interior, Monroy tanks, all original King equipped, but with GNS480, GMX200 display, no TKS, a lightweight starter, and the useful load is 1002 lbs. These planes are heavier than you think and most of the changes over the years with lighter avionics don't help a lot. I tell people before I put in on the scales, to expect that the old girl has put on some weight over the years.

Any particular airport?

But they do have a diaphragm in the flow divider, made of the same material that fails in the Bendix servos. When the flow divider diaphragm ruptures, it dumps fuel overboard and you may not make enough power to keep flying. The divider is in a worse environment too, sitting on top of a hot engine, and baking at 350 degrees after shut down.

I can find individual cylinder problems during a dynamic balance. Uneven power pulses will show up and have to be corrected before the balance can be completed.

You really need the King manual to do this correctly, it has the procedure for this alignment. The remote compass is generally installed and aligned when new, and further adjustments are made with the slaving switch. The remote compass is only adjusted if the slaving adjustments are out of range.

The cores are only a few hundred dollars now. The prices of the Century and King HSI's has collapsed since Garmin came out with the $2200 G5.

I see that it hasn't been converted to the underwing exhaust. Be extremely careful in inspecting for spar corrosion, since these early models are notorious for that. In addition to the nose gear problems, main gear side brace problems, and of course, the slipping starter adapter problems. Almost forgot to mention that these engines are prone to case cracking. $$$$$

I support a few local C310 owners, and they have all individually noted, "why is is that the brokers and mechanics sell and maintain 310's. but fly Aztecs for themselves?"

Tempest makes great products, and on the rare occasion you do have a problem, you cannot ask for better support. They will make it right.

People go out of their way around here to avoid Palm Beach Propeller. Their work is very good, but customer service lacks, and pricing is well above average.