sw1024

Thanks very much, Mike. I will pass this on to the mechanic. The prop is off and everything is getting looked at now.

Thank-you--I looked but need the -029 part of the S/N--there appears to be different types. The shop is not holding it up for just that--but they want to go in the replace or repair direction. I think these parts have failed at the weak point for others too--saw a couple of other posts in the past. I was hoping to find one as that is the easiest path for getting things done quickly. I'm just a little surprised that they are "unobtainable" per most of the MSCs I've spoken to. This is the first time I've had an annual where a few different Mooney specific parts are nowhere to be found. Makes me nervous that we're getting to a point where sourcing Mooney specific parts makes it difficult to keep flying.

Thank you so much for the write up--I really appreciate that. Sadly, I am woefully inept when it comes to a project like this. I will run it by the shop where my plane is currently being worked on--they were suggesting that there may be someone who would be willing to weld it back together but I don't know how that works in terms of regulations/sign offs. Plane is two hours away--making it harder. This has been my worst annual since I've owned it...a number of parts we can't find. Thanks again--appreciate your time in responding.

In the midst of what is turning out to be a very expensive annual and being challenged with sourcing parts. Latest need is a spinner bulkhead/fillet that is broken at the weak point. S/N 680031-029. I know this is a hard to find part--I've been calling MSCs and salvage places with no success. Mooney has none in stock and I don't know that they will ever support it again. Pics attached for reference--any ideas on where I might find one?

I just recently moved my M20F to the Chicago area for the next six months or so--hangared at KUGN. By no means am I a high time Mooney expert but happy to meet up if you want to check it out/go for a spin. I've owned it for about four years--coming off of mostly Cessna rentals and training. It was a "go places with my wife/dog" purchase while I was working on ratings for fun. As others have mentioned...Mooney gets you places pretty fast for what they are. Personally, I like where you can get in three hours or less in a Mooney...leaned out at altitude, a very economical fuel burn. If you're building time...maybe you want to go slower and/or save on maintenance. Also...I don't know these guys personally or have any experience with them...but there is a shop up the road in Racine that evidently has a J model for rent/training. I've been working on my commercial rating and my instructor works a bit with them. Hard to find Mooneys for rent anywhere but if If you wanted instruction or a Mooney instructor, it appears they are in that game... https://www.centurionaviationllc.com/aircraft-rental

I've had two shoulder reconstruction surgeries on my right shoulder in the last few years - from a mountain bike accident. In my late 40's at the time--the amount of time it took to heal was a bit shocking. It just takes time... In terms of flying, I was out for a while--about a month and a half before my wife felt comfortable enough to fly with me. Biggest hurdle was operating my manual flaps (pumping), reaching over to input transponder codes (mine is on the right side of the panel) and closing the door if I was alone. Pulling the plane out of the hangar too--would have neen nice to have something other than a standard tow bar. So I didn't fly unless I was with someone who could help. Best of luck with your surgery--hope you heal fast!

Here are all of the manuals I have from Brittain. Hope they help--my TC was not working and was the problem at the time. Had it overhauled and everything worked great--just recently died again--so hope you have better luck. IM 2-1000-5 Rev. G.pdf IM 11980 Rev. -, Model LSA-4.pdf MM 3962, Accutrak B-11 Maintenance Manual.pdf MM 11990 Mooney PC Operation and Service Instructions.pdf

I had this similar conversation/debate recently while getting some work done on my F. I was standing around with my A&P and two Cessna owners--206T and a 310 drivers. Both had previous experience in the Vans world. Both said they'd be back in the Vans world again if it wasn't a mission issue with useful load or number of seats. Speed, flight characteristics, fuel burn, low cost maintenance were the highlights for them. My A&P/IA is a big fan as well... Made me start thinking hard about it...wish they had more options for 4 seats...the RV-10 is amazing...but not at that price point for me.

I have used Foothill and had a rather negative experience as well. Not here to bash them so I'll skip the details unless someone wants a recap. Post-maintenance test flight was...how can i be nice..."exciting." Not the good kind. All in all, my experience with MSCs in general is pretty mixed. As a first time Mooney owner, I thought that was the best course--did a pre-buy with one and turned it into an open check book annual (not Foothill). The time they took and the cost was egregious. Over the few years I've had my F, I've taken it to three different MSCs...two out of the three experiences weren't good. The third was a minor maintenance issue so it really didn't count. So Foothill isn't an outlier. After those experiences, I found an independent A&P/IA who has been nothing short of excellent. Also owns a Mooney...so I'm sure that helps. There are a number of well known MSCs that are great...the Maxwells, Top Guns, Lasars of the world all have great reputations. But I think there are probably a fair amount of others that may have the MSC designation...but not necessarily the expertise or focus. Two out of the three MSCs I have given business to were also service centers for other brands as well...I guess when my 1967 F is sitting next to two Cirrus planes getting high dollar annuals/maintenance...it's easy to see where the focus goes. My two cents...admittedly not a huge sample size of experience to draw from. But I'll keep going to my independent guy forever...great guy and the dude has worked on Sunday mornings to get me safe...and he always answers my calls.

Hi Drew, I have these two PC maintenance and operations docs from Brittain as pdfs—see attached. Hopefully what you’re looking for. IM 11980 Rev. -, Model LSA-4.pdf MM 11990 Mooney PC Operation and Service Instructions.pdf

Sorry, my bad. I don’t have the Accuflight. I emailed Cecilia at Brittain and she sent me all the manuals for my set up. This was last year—she was still checking emails so perhaps give that a try.

Hi--I have the install manual--see attached. IM 2-1000-5 Rev. G.pdf

Hi Bob—I currently live in Mammoth but I hangar my Mooney just to the south in Bishop (KBIH). As another mentioned, Mammoth can be tricky in the mid to late afternoon with the high DA and nasty winds which are almost always a fairly severe crosswind. Mornings are typically best. It’s a nice little airport though with a fair amount of GA traffic and some commercial jet flights. Fuel is pricey. There are rental cars available on the field too. We tend to avoid flying/crossing mountains when the winds aloft are 20-25 knots or more at 12k. It can be very turbulent. KBIH can be a very good alternative if the weather or winds are bad. Cheap fuel too if you wanted to fuel up at a lower elevation. It’s about 15 minutes south and is lower in elevation by 2000 feet + with lots of runway options as well. Happy to discuss Mammoth if you need more info. If you’re staying overnight, my wife is the director of revenue at the resort—might be able to get you the Mooney driver discount.

Alot of great comments and insights--which is why I am a habitual Mooneyspace lurker. Seriously, my wife makes fun of me. Guess the real question comes down to L3's future in GA. I can understand glitches and the need for software fixes--even if they do require travel to a dealer, as unappealing as that sounds in today's crowded avionic shops. But if they are planning on exiting GA, that's a tough pill to swallow for those that own the units or maybe thinking about getting into one late in the game (me). I appreciated what they brought to the table when they introduced this box--in many ways they were a "disrupter" despite being a large company. Nobody was doing what they did--especially Garmin--at the time. I am surprised that there aren't other in/out option at this point from other companies--start ups or big corps. They marketed the Lynx in some respects as being a future proof option--the idea that more capabilities could be added to the existing hardware down the road. The ability to display what it does...or upgrade to something like active traffic is very appealing. Not sure who else is doing that... Wish they would provide some insight as to the their future plans--sort of was hoping they might say or do something when Garmin released the new 375. But maybe they just want to do big money military stuff now. Too bad...sadly it appears that I'll end up rolling over and capitulating to big G. I have no beef with Garmin--have three of their products in my panel now...just don't like their approach to keeping every single thing Garmin centric. If I fork out thousands for an in/out solution...would at least hope to have the flexibility to run the data to a non-Garmin owned app--like Fly Q. That's a $200 problem though...back to Foreflight.

Thanks. I thought about the new 375 but I have a 430 that I want to upgrade to an Avidyne. Garmin only plays nice with their own products...so you’re pretty confined within their product ecosystem once the investing begins...wondering if they’ll even continue supporting Foreflight down the road...