DXB

Update: The "reputable" engine overhauler was not exactly prompt about fixing this issue, making me do all the leg work to find the right part number to correct their mistake and also wait for my first oil change so I could add a qt at a time to prove the marks were incorrect. It ultimately took a phone conversation with Lycoming tech support to figure out what dipstick Mooneys with O-360-A1Ds shipped with. Those minutiae are recorded below in case anyone ever needs them again. The shop owner made it sound like there's no way the dipstick was swapped in his shop - claiming it must have been the remover/installer who did it, a claim that stretches the limits of credulity. After tons of back and forth, he wanted a $300 deposit to send me the replacement before returning the old one, which finally annoyed me enough to say screw you and just buy the correct dipstick off ebay. It does make me wonder what other incorrect parts are on my 32k freshly overhauled engine!! . Anyway, dipstick minutiae are below....thank you Lycoming tech support: Mooneys with O-360-A1Ds originally came with dipstick tube part #75736, which is 11.5” in length - it's one of 3 possible ones on this engine. The original dipstick part number matching this tube is LW14758, 21.25” in length That dipstick has been superceded by part number LW16783-18, 19.44” in length The 1.81” shorter length of the newer part version results in the 4qt mark being just above the bottom of the stick. Based on pictures from internet searches, both dipstick versions have 4,6, and 8 qt markings that are spaced fairly evenly.

RESPONSES IN ALL CAPS BELOW Should I engage a broker to help me find and purchase my first plane? Any recommendations in North Georgia/Atlanta Area? How should I initiate this process now that I have decided to buy? [NO! USE THE STANDARD LISTING SERVICES PLUS WORD OF MOUTH/INTERNET, INCLUDING WTB IN FOR SALE SECTION HERE, OWNERS OF SHOPS THAT SEE A LOT OF MOONEYS] If given the choice, would you rather find the perfect airframe, power plant, or avionics? What is the order of priority and why? What upgrade is easier/quicker to complete; a panel upgrade or an engine/prop overhaul? [AIRFRAME FIRST - NO SUCH THING AS PERFECT BUT MAKE DEAD CERTAIN NO CORROSION OF SPAR OR STEEL CAGE, THEN ENGINE - PRIORITY IS WHATEVER ENGINE IT HAS IS APPROPRIATELY PRICED FOR AGE/CONDITION, THEN AVIONICS - GREAT AVIONICS SAVE YOU A TON OF MONEY IN LONG TERM BUT ARE HARD TO FIND] As I compare different planes, I'm trying to normalize the pricing by budgeting for panel upgrades, engine/prop overhaul, interior upgrades and paint. I've done some research and found some rough numbers, please let me know if I'm off base, and let me know how I should be comparing prices from plane to plane. Engine Overhaul: $40K for reman engine plus $20K for install/consumables/unforeseens - $60K total [40K IS LOW THESE DAYS. FORGET FACTORY REMAN - WILL WAIT FOR YEARS. WANT GOOD OVERHAUL] Prop Overhaul: $20K for new prop or $5K for overhaul including governor [A BIT LOW - MORE LIKE 7+AMU] Avionics: $75-100K, varies widely, based on my goal for a 10" G3X w/ EIS, GI-275 Backup, GTN-750xi, GTN-650xi, GMA-350, GTX-345, GFC-500 [LOW - REMEMBER INSTALL COSTS CAN EXCEED THE HARDWARE COST] Interior: $10-15K for seats, carpets and refresh on the plastics [BALLPARK YES] Paint: $20K for strip and repaint [BALLPARK YES] I've read many people recommend finding a mechanic before you buy a plane, any recommendations for Mooney A&Ps in the North Georgia/Atlanta Area? [COLE AVIATION DALTON GEORGIA IS THE BEST MOONEY SHOP IN THAT AREA BY FAR] Lastly - if you know of anyone with a J model in North Georgia looking to sell, take on a new partner, or form a partnership, please let me know! I'm not on Facebook or social media, but if there's value to networking please let me know what FB groups I should be looking into. [AM NO HELP HERE. REMEMBER A PARTNERSHIP IS LIKE A MARRIAGE SO IT HELPS TO KNOW THE PERSON WELL AND TRUST THEM]

Shallow and/or antiquated views on engine maintenance seem pretty common among A&Ps. It seems like many never go much beyond faa and manufacturer regulatory guidance in their understanding of what contributes to safe and reliable engine operation. I wonder how much is taught regarding borescope usage and engine monitor interpretation for instance in modern curricula. Mooneys as you know have some systems with idiosyncratic design relative to aircraft of the same class - control surface linkages, trim, gear. I'm not sure how much A&P curricula help here. BTW what you're doing is great - owners with A&P background are highly valuable to the Mooney community. I hope you stick around in the coming years....

Get the ones @jetdriven mentioned. No need to dig though part numbers - many have been resized from the old factory spec anyway so the original part may not fit your setup. Just send Aero Hose Shop your old ones to duplicate with 124JJ - low profile, integral fire sleeve, indefinitely long service life - far better than rubber hoses for not much more money. I just used them to replace all oil and fuel hoses firewall forward at time of overhaul. It was ~$1400 total. They were great to work with and had a 1 week turnaround. Contact Ben McNamara. (I have no relationship to this vendor - I was just pleased with their service).

This respost notification triggered terrible memories -thanks for nothing . Of note the pitch servo did evenually go back to working normally without my having to pull it. But I haven't fogged my plane since that date, and I probably should consider doing it again. I wonder what the safest most modern approach is.

My JPI 900 is quite solid and reliable now. The issues were all install related. JPI's technical support is spotty in quality, so it took a long time to troubleshoot properly - by contrast to EI for instance. I suspect your situation is the same.

Apparently the CVR was at the base of the main impact crater - blows my mind that this thing is predicted to be readable

Are you referring to "specks" in the form of abundant ferrous metal sticking to a magnet when you run it over the filter (which is concerning), or just the oil analysis (which is much less concerning - so much so I'd suggest quit with the oil analysis, which is generally not actionable information). If visible "specks" are nonferrous, analyzing their composition via Avlab can be informative, as mentioned already.

We don't know the identities of the pilots and their experience/training records yet, but this question of competence will at least be partly answered. The company is based out of both Mexico City and Miami and operates in the US under part 135 rules. https://www.jet-rescue.com/

Perhaps some minor or major distraction in the cockpit or cabin? The distraction could be human in nature or, perhaps more likely here, aircraft systems related and lead to commanded or automatic disconnection of the autopilot after they first tried to engage it. It seems like they never made the turn to assigned heading of 290, which should have been in the heading bug and followed by autopilot. Spatial disorientation may have become the key factor once the autopilot was off, assuming it was ever on. It also seems like these possibilities will be nearly impossible to sort with a pulverized/incinerated aircraft and no CVR/FDR; however, this broad category of issues seems more likely than a catastrophic, unrecoverable aircraft systems failure, particulary given poor weather plus nighttime.

Taking off into low IMC is serious business in a Mooney or any other bird. This departure was into 6SM 400 OVC BR on Friday night from my home drome and tragically ended 40 seconds later in a crash into a densely populated area resulting in at least 7 deaths (including 1 person on the ground), several serious injuries on the ground, and major property damage. I find Juan Brown's interpretation of spatial disorientation LOC here compelling (albeit admittedly speculative). Sadly we might never know much more given lack of CVR/FDR and the pulverized state of the wreckage after a steep nose down impact and massive fireball. I'm curious what the seasoned folk here think about this disaster and how they personally handle such departures. I'm far from a pro, but I'm forever grateful to my IR instructor for having taken me through real departures like this, and I continue to hear his voice any time I climb into IMC...

Does anyone else with bladders worry there's spar corrosion hidden under their old sealant, and now permanently hidden upon bladder installation?

Outstanding, detailed guidance, particularly for any owner taking a plane to a prebuy. Speaking about this stuff in advance to the A&P involved seems critical to prevent a lot of potential pain.

Interesting question - I'm not sure. In my case, I chose to turn the prebuy inspection into an annual (which is when the cylinder was pulled and the cam corrosion was discovered). In that context he certainly did have ability to ground the plane. As an aside, he mentioned several vintage Mooneys that had come to his shop for prebuy over the years and never left due to discovery of serious spar cap or steel cage corrosion. He showed me an old C with corrosion of the cage that was languishing in the back of his hangar after the prospective buyer getting the prebuy walked and the owner was unwilling to pay the substantial repair cost. I wonder what the dynamic there was. Also BTW despite my one substantial disagreement with him, my impression was that he and his crew run an excellent operation overall, and I would go back to him in a second if I were in that part of the country.