Raptor05121

You cant beat parking in the grass and watching the show from your tent

LASAR has a cheap parts kit. My IA and I rebuilt ours in about an hour, including dropping the little detent balls 6 times...

Should we continue to donate to the original fund to help cover the extra expenses?

I cannot rave enough about Sheltair at Orlando Exec (KORL).

I'm really excited for this. Please keep up apprised on what is best to get one of these, either ordering one, GoFundMe, or finding a machine shop that can ship

I haven't checked to see if I have the spacer SB installed. That will also be on my list to do, if needed.

THIS is what too much play looks like... video-1558224432.mp4

Annual for N6744U is coming up soon. This year (in my quest of upgrading something every annual) is focusing on the landing gear. For reasons unbeknownst to me, I found the entry where the old style puck system was changed out and my plane was retrofitted with the newer style, but when this was done in the 1990s, they used rubber pucks from 1968! So mine are extremely worn. My plane rides harsher than any other Mooney I've flown and it desperately needs to be redone. At the time time, I'm going to replace the steering horn as its also got some play in it. Lastly, I hope to get one of those down block locks being made. If I had more time, I'd look into getting my landing gear trusses powder-coated but I think it would take too long to accomplish and I plan on switching careers here shortly and will be using my plane as a commutable vehicle to get between where I am stationed and home. Stay tuned for updates.

tl;dr'ed the entire thread just to drop this- my previous mechanic had an Aero Commander 690 with LS engines (don't know what type). He's been working on getting it certified for a long time- perpetual FAA roadblocks from what I hear. It sounds like two Corvettes in 6th gear doing 100mph when it flies past you. Very dull tone like the T-28 Trojan

Wow a day late and already past the goal. Awesome! Whats the next step?

Doubly interested, ready to buy!

Wow.

$9,000 for a working, flying engine is a steal!

This. As long as you have the supplies and correct procedure, its not hard to do. Between myself and my mechanic, we did mine in about a week chipping away a few hours a day. Most of that time is spent scraping everything 100% clean

anyone else notice the jack go through the wing? I just got sick to my stomach

How did you get WAC?

In late 2018 I was a 400 hour private pilot with no idea what I wanted to do in life. I originally wanted to be a commercial pilot but discovering I was legally blind in one eye, I had thought there was no way I could do that. It took me 6 months of red tape to get a 3rd class for my private. One day I sat down with two close friends who fly for different ends of the aviation spectrum (121 vs 135) and they convinced me commercial is the way to go and that there is a way to get my 1st class even with one eye. Starting 2019, my goal was to finish the year with a 2nd class medical, 750 hours, instrument rated, and commercial single & multi. I finished December 31, 2019 with 680 hours, Instrument, Commercial Single & Multi and my unrestricted 2nd class medical. My goal for 2020- become a CFI, get some sort of paying aviation job to stave off the bills, obtain 1st class medical, reach 1500 hours, get my ATP and join a regional airline. All being done in my Mooney (sans the multi) and eating ramen noodles

I don't have any local CNC shops. I would prefer to buy them made

Ironically I sat next to the owners of that plane at a pancake breakfast in Arcadia, FL several years ago. It's been for sale for at least 4 years now. Very well equipped, I just hope someone has been flying it and keeping everything lubricated.

My D model with a 3-blade constantly trues out 143-147KTAS depending on mixture setting and weight. Not sure how accurate my ASI is, however.

If your friend manages to make them, I would love to order some!

Airport manager let us borrow his truck. About a 30 minute ride- we topped off his tank for being so gracious

I flew over to Alabama to a small little airport called Eufala. It was hit by a tornado last year and absolutely everything was removed except the runway and lights. The FBO and fuel tanks were in place but all the planes on the ramp were gone and hangar slabs remained. It was sad. But anywho, we went there to visit the nearby Providence Canyon, which is a miniature Grand Canyon in SW Georgia caused by eroded farming practices in the 1800s. There was an abandoned settlement nearby with old 1950s vehicles still in place. Awesome experience. Flying west was tough- 1:30 on the hobbs but made it home in under an hour on the way back.

I did a thing

Absolutely nothing wrong with a C model. 20hp would be nice to have but at the same time, I'm not worrying about the all-too-common split cases, the more expensive angle-valve TOH cost, injector spiders, etc, etc. And for 2 people, any Mooney will be light and will climb well better than 500fpm. Speed wise, its a wash. You're talking an E model touching down with a C turning downwind after 150 miles depending on how many turns the red knob gets. As long as you're doing 45 knots faster than a 172, I think we're all happy. I'd take that 50k and find the nicest panel-equipped C model I could find. $10k difference will buy a year and a half's worth of fuel for 20hp and more expensive MX