philiplane

the only separator worth using is the Airwolf. It solves the problems of freezing, and of water in the oil, by a superior design. The M20 brand separators are worthless.

Hard starting when warm usually points to the magneto. Slick mags are notorious for weak ignition coils when they get warm.

Before installing the new AI, make sure the vacuum system is clean. The hose immediately attached to the attitude indicator should be removed and checked for debris & dirt. A new vacuum filter, and vacuum regulator garter filter are also needed. Dirt in the system will gum up the vanes and bearings inside the attitude indicator.

the over voltage cut out is built into the Plane Power regulator. It should cut out at 16 volts. These regulators are normally set to 14 volts from the factory, and often require no adjustment once installed. You'll need to monitor and record the voltage from idle, up to the point that it cuts out. You'll need this info in the event of a warranty claim on the regulator.

The Gill 35 has a 40 amp discharge rate for 30 minutes, whereas the ETX is 31 amps to 100 percent discharged. That's a 25 percent loss of capacity in an alternator-out situation. The Gill has a 23 amp hour rating, versus the 15.6 amp hour for the ETX, which is 30 percent lower than the Gill. I don't know why anyone would choose to give up any capacity, especially at twice the price.

If you've got a 28 volt Mooney, you can replace the RG24-11 or RG24-15 batteries now with the True Blue Power TB17 lithium batteries. Similar in size, only 16 pounds, much more reserve power than the Earth-X battery too. $6400, each. https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/elpages/mcitb17-11-15375.php?clickkey=1284457

Merlyn is alive and well, I sent a controller to them a few months ago for test & repair.

WOW, that's, umm.... crunchy. This calls for a detailed inspection of the empennage, and even the aft wing spar attach points. If there was any side load during the hit, you can get other damage that might not be evident upon first glance. Buckling of skins is the obvious sign, but sometimes you'll find oil-canning of skins where the underlying structure has deformed a bit, or maybe some rivets stretched or sheared. Pretty much everything aft of the main spar needs a thorough inspection. Don't be surprised if the insurance company wants to total it. The mechanic evaluating the plane will need to know if the plane was chocked, and if the hit from the vehicle was square, or at a left or right angle, and is the back of the vehicle the same elevation, did the impact push up or down on the airplane? This is to determine what else needs to be examined forward of the tail.

https://www.aviationconsumer.com/maintenance/the-cam-problem-corrosion-failures/

There is a 50/50 chance of a cam problem, or maybe less, depending on a couple of factors. One is the age of the cam, was it new, or re-ground at the last overhaul? Re-grinds tend to rust more easily. And if was a new cam, what year was it? We seem to have forgotten how to make quality metal parts. Cams made from the 1960's through about 1990 seem to last forever. After that, they rust easily. After 2011, it's even worse. And cam problems never result in instantaneous failure. They wear down over time and the affected cylinder gets a little less lift, so it slowly makes less power. Yes, you do have to split the case to fix this, but that would be less than a third of the price of an overhaul. If the plane makes sense to buy in every way, but the unknown status of the cam would make or break the purchase, pay the mechanic six hours to pull and re-install one cylinder. You'll be able to get a complete view of the inside of the engine. Pull a magneto first, because if you see lots of rust on the gears inside, the odds are that\ the cam will look the same. If you see nice clean surfaces, the odds are the cam will be fine.

I was an early AV20s adopter, before uAvionix bought them. Mine has been perfect. But i did physically align it, and my standby attitude indicator, and my Aspen PFD very carefully in the panel. All three are perfectly level to the spar, and perfectly square to the panel. Which is not truly vertical, it has a 2.5 degree tilt. If the unit is off a few degrees in roll, it will also be off in yaw. So make sure it really is level in roll and agrees with the other attitude indicators. Doing the hard calibration while the plane is perfectly level in pitch and roll will show if the unit really is out of spec. And don't take the Garmin units info as gospel. Installers can goof them up too. They have software based pitch and roll offsets to account for discrepancies in the physical mounting, and those can be incorrect. This is all too common of a problem. To be clear, this calibration applies to the AV-20-S, not the plain AV-20.

The plane must be leveled on jacks to get a proper calibration of all the instruments at the same time. You also need to know the panel tilt, it may not be what you think. With the plane leveled, the panel tilt is measured with a digital level, and that info gets programmed into the instruments. I've had many panels that are supposed to be zero tilt, or 8 degrees tilt, and then when measured accurately, they turn out much differently. A few had burrs on the backside of the mounting hole that threw the unit off by 2-3 degrees. The MEMS sensors in these units are tiny, and tiny errors in the mounting are magnified in use. The odds are that the problem lies in the installation and configuration, because uAvionix is making hundreds of these units to the same specs with the same parts. I've been involved in correcting dozens of problems like this with all the manufacturer's products, and I've yet to encounter an actual faulty unit. All were installation errors.

The MP/FF/RPM engine indications go through plugs on the aft baffle and are notorious for losing contact after flying in rain. Corrosion sets into the contacts. The oil pressure sensor may also have the same style three pin molex connector, and on that side of the engine this can get baked by the heat of the turbo. The corrosion problem however usually only takes out one circuit at a time. Those four circuits all operate the same way, so if there is a chafed power wire on one of those circuits it can take out the power supply inside the GEA71. Which will take out every circuit that uses 5V power to the sensor. It would not affect the EGT/CHT/TIT circuits. You will want to follow the wires from each sensor, back to the firewall. My guess is that somewhere on one of those wires, there is chafing and a short to ground. Some of these are wrapped in a corrugated protector, which ironically can chew into the wires too. Especially the MP sensor wires because they pass over the cylinders and the extra heat degrades the plastic. I would examine those engine sensor wires first. I don't have the airframe manual open so I can't give any recommendations on the trim sensors or the BAT2 readings. There is also the problem of the GEA71 and GDU connectors. I have found plenty of unlocked pins in the connectors. So they look fine, but when mated to the socket, the pin will push back into the connector, giving a poor connection. You have to take a 1/16" diameter, four inch long pin with a flat end, or a T3 or T5 Torx screwdriver which has the small flat end you need, and push in on each of the pins to make sure they are locked. You might also find bent pins on the GDU connector if there was recently maintenance done and they weren't careful to put the plug straight onto the back of the GDU. This damage would result in loss of a complete data line though, or loss of a dimmer circuit, etc. Not a partial failure.

Please elaborate. I didn't know that Google has the knowledge and technical skills to address this topic. I should hire it. What FAA certificates does it hold? I work on many planes with Century III autopilots, including my own, that fly any GPS approach well, right down to the runway. Some are driven by the GI-275, some by the original AI, and mine is driven by an Aspen/EA100 combination. I've also helped people fix installation and performance problems on the magical new GFC500 and STEC 3100 autopilots. Who so far are having far too many problems. Some are regretting the decisions, when they could have fixed their existing autopilot for far less.

Move the tach pickup to the other mag and be done. And don't install dual Surefly SIMs until we have a few more years of experience to learn how durable they will be. There is ZERO performance benefit to dual SIMs. But you would have double the risk in the event of electrical malfunction, or problems with the SIMs due to aging of the electronics in them. We're asking these things to operate in temperature ranges that normally shorten the life of the electronics inside them. Keeping one conventional magneto reduces the risk associated with that, and with failure of power supply to the SIMs. I have two Surefly's on my Aztec, meaning one on each engine. I love them, but there is no way I would put two on each engine. Zero benefit, higher cost, higher risk. Heat is the enemy of electronics. I suspect that Lycomings, and small Continentals, which have the mags on the back of the engine will have fewer problems that big bore Continentals. The Continental IO-470/520/550 engine's mags are located on top of the case, where it is much warmer all the time, and then crazy hot due to heat soak upon shut-down. That cannot be good for the guts of an electronic ignition. Those temps are above the design limits of most capacitors, diodes, and processors.

It did. The M22 resulted in the Mooney 301, which lead to today's TBM series from Daher/Socata. During the brief Mooney/SOCATA partnership, the name “Tarbes Built Mooney,” or TBM, emerged and has remained to this day. https://www.planeandpilotmag.com/aircraft/mooney/mooney-301/

There is not enough time in the day for any FSDO to ensure that every airplane in their jurisdiction is properly registered. There is a rat somewhere in this process. Who wants to get you in trouble with the FAA?

I would avoid the closed cell foam insulation. It is heavy, will also retain water, and does not last as long as fiberglass. It does not reduce noise as much as a good ANR headset either. You are much better off using wrapped fiberglass insulation.

it's from 2022

It needs to be crated properly, then any freight carrier will take it. Build a box with 1/2" plywood, if you're handy. If not, ask your local A&P if they have a box, or know someone to build one. You can get a used prop box from a local prop shop. Those are often made from heavy-duty cardboard. Fedex freight is a good choice.

https://www.local10.com/news/local/2023/10/26/small-plane-crashes-outside-north-perry-airport/

If you don't discharge the battery at the rate specified, you won't get a true reading of the capacity. Meaning you can't discharge at half the rate for double the time. It doesn't work that way.

I have a uAvionix AV20-S AOA, and it works very well. I plan to add the AOA option to my Aspen EFD Pro Max as well, just for fun. I was never impressed by the other AOA systems that relied upon anything other than a true AOA vane for sensing. Of course, the vane type of AOA systems are not available for light aircraft, due to $$$$$.

https://shamir.com/us/shamir-lenses/ Shamir makes the absolute best lens there is. I got my first pair six years ago, and they are amazing. In one day, I'm driving, or flying, or working under instrument panels, reading tiny wiring diagrams, tiny numbers inside avionics connectors, in bright light or darkness, and all with one pair of progressives. I've had bifocals one time, then run of the mill (cheap) progressives, but these things are just amazing. I keep one extra pair of polarized Shamir glasses for boating, flying, skiing, or driving in bright sun for extended periods. Those are even better to reduce eyestrain than the regular Shamir Transitions lenses.

The Shamir polarized lenses work with all aviation panel mount displays, iPads and automotive displays, and even on boats. I have no idea how they do theirs differently, but they work. I work on all different types for a living and haven't encountered a display that is a problem with them.