jasona900

I just posted a rideshare idea about an hour ago in the "Bug Reports and Suggestions" section that would have perfectly provided additional support to what you did. Good on you for getting some much needed supplies down south!

I recently flew my plane back from Maxwell, and on the American Airlines flight down, I had an idea. Wouldn't it be nice to hitch a ride with a fellow Mooney owner who may be going in the same direction as me? As a result, I was wondering if there would be any interest in creating a Rideshare section. We could use this section to coordinate a ride home while your Mooney is in annual / out for maintenance at a far-away shop, help a fellow member who may have broke down on a trip, or introduce the next person to one of our awesome machines, or even find a safety pilot while you get your practice approaches in. I have seen similar posts in various sections of Mooneyspace, but believe an opportunity to help can get missed when certain sections of the forum aren't checked by everyone (myself included). This is why a dedicated section can make it easier for those interested to help.

I was stationed in Okinawa for two years... some of the best years of my career. Mainland Japan is fantastic as well. PM me with any questions you may have about the move, or living there.

While living overseas for two years, I had a friend who took care of my Luscombe and Swift. He was someone I trusted, and took excellent care of both airplanes. He flew each about 2-3 times a month, so not putting an excessive amount of time on them, but didn't let them rot either. Pickling is a great way to preserve the engine, but I would be concerned about the prop seals, landing gear, instruments, and other systems gremlins can get their hands on. I still paid for the annuals, and insurance (which I did get his name on the policies). It worked out well for me and him.. and the airplanes were taken care of.

Unsure what the issue is, but would probably be best to put it on jacks and swing the gear. Make sure you read up on the proper jacking procedures for a Mooney if you aren't already familiar...a quick search on this site and the assistance of an A&P will help... and welcome!

Any hints from the engine monitor? I had something similar very recently, and turned out to be a bad #3 plug (the lower one as expected). The engine monitor showed a low EGT on that cylinder when I did my run-up. Looking at the plug I pulled, there was a big glob of lead at the bottom of the plug. My plugs were old, and almost all of them failed the ohm test. I put 8 fine wires in, and it's been running smooth ever since.

Count me in! I keep my Mooney at Offutt. Would be great to arrange a fly in around here. Happy to help with arrangements/logistics.

You will likely have to stay with the same insurance company, as others will not insure you with a prior claim history. After a claim with Starr Aviation Insurance (total loss) I got a new policy with them when I purchased another Mooney to replace the first. I went through AOPA, and Starr was the only company who would accept my policy request. Likely to recoup some of the payout they provided. My premium doubled in cost, even though the incident on my first Mooney was not my fault. I'm told it takes about 3 years of incident/accident free flying to bring the premium back to normal.

I have found the roll rate and angle of bank is rather "brisk" when I select GPSS on my 55x. Mine is being fed by a GNS-480, and to my knowledge, there is no roll rate setting on that unit. I have noticed when I select HDG or NAV, the roll rate is much slower. I have not yet tried a hold with the AP, as my purchase was also rather recent. On a side note, and defiantly not trying to steer the thread in a different direction, but I cannot dim the display on the 55x during night operations. Wondering if that is something that should be wired into the instrument dimmer, or if I am missing something. Searched on google with no luck, so I'm guessing it is either not wired correctly, or not possible.

Great write up! Thank you!

I've noticed the same. Unless there is a screaming deal at Oshkosh, I'll likely make the permanent switch from Plexus to Pledge.

I think the Plane Perfect spray would take care of the exhaust soot you speak of on the belly. Mine wasn't too bad, but there was some grime under there which it removed with no problem. A lot of people also swear by Lemon Pledge to remove the bugs off the wings. I tried some on my motorcycle, and it worked wonders. I then tried it on the wings of the Mooney after a fight this weekend, and now I'm a believer! Some use Pledge on their windscreens too. For now I'm sticking with my over-expensive can of Plexus, but I may transition soon.

Congrats! Looks very nice!

I spent 3hrs cleaning the Mooney today. Started with a water rinse to wash any dust away. Then hit the with the areas around the cowl flaps, gear, and belly using Plane Perfect which works wonders on those "stubborn" areas. After the plane was dry, I used the Ibiz Everything Waterless Wash & Wax. Pretty easy to use. Spray on, wipe down, and then wipe again with a clean microfiber cloth. This gave the plane a nice shine, and it was very obvious the wash did its job. I then applied a coat of Everything Wax... wipe on, wipe off. No need to buff. It's a very simple process and overall, I'm very pleased with the results. I took a "before" picture with the plane outside of the hangar.. but with the bright sun, it already looked clean without me dong anything, so not the greatest data point. Here are some before and after pics. I could not see the reflection on the N number in the wing prior to cleaning..

Very nice.. it was not me however. Stuck in the office all day. Should you decide to stop in Omaha on your way back, maybe we can put together a photo flight.

Looks really nice, Paul. Love the layout!

Just ordered one.. had no idea they were that cheap.

Very true!

We'll be driving in this year.. camping from Fri-Sun. Can't wait!

I paid $59 at Costco which included the wash, wax, interior cleaner, and metal polish.

I'm going to start cleaning over the next few days. I'll post some before and after pics.

Anyone ever use Ibiz products to wash/wax your Mooney? I saw this at Costco over the weekend and picked up a box. They put on a pretty good demo in the store. https://www.costco.com/ibiz-car-care-schedule.html

7% of the purchase price in Nebraska (can vary slightly depending on which county you hangar it).

Whoa! We have some mighty fine folks here in Omaha!

Got one of those already, and also one of those reverse backpack things (couldn't tell you what it's actually called) to carry her on the front. It's mandatory equipment wherever we go.