MikeOH

I'm struggling with that. Why can't Joe Blow Machine Shop build to Mooney's print/requirements including traceability and heat treat coupons/data? It seems that if the FAA had to approve every last part and manufacturer (no, NOT standard parts), the manufacturer would have to build everything themselves, or be stuck with a single suppliers, any one of which could stops production until they can get the FAA to approve another supplier. Is the FAA oversight really that bad??? I thought PMA applied only to third party manufacturers that wanted to supply to the market in general; not to a direct supplier for a certified aircraft manufacturer.

Interesting. Thank you for the education. Does this apply to all parts? Say Mooney is fabricating a small flat metal part with some holes in it. Now, they decide to have an outside shop fab the part. Do they have to get the FAA to approve this, and the subcontractor?

Help me understand this. I thought as long as the finished part (wing spar, in this case) met all the original part design requirements the manufacturer with the type certificate was free to pick and choose whether to build in-house or subcontract out. IOW, I didn't think the FAA certified the production process, just the design. Looking at it another way, would Mooney have to get FAA approval if THEY bought the fancy CNC machine and started using it themselves? Are you telling me they are forced to use hand assembly, and manual Bridgeports since that's how the plane was originally built for certification?

My understanding is that the wicks only become important if you do a lot of flying in the rain, i.e. precipitation. Without the the wicks the precipitation you are flying through causes charge to build up on the airframe which then suddenly discharges and causes electrical interference to your avionics (p-static). The wicks slowly and continuously bleed off the charge preventing that. Even without the wicks, by the time you land and taxi any charge would have dissipated regardless of having wicks.

That seems like a pretty rational estimate. I wonder how many manual labor hours are being spent with the present methods...

What would they charge for set-up, jigs, programming, etc.? That is, what are the costs that would need to be amortized? Honestly, while I love all this talk of taking massive costs out of Mooney production, I'm skeptical only because I find it hard to believe that NO ONE at Mooney has EVER thought to pursue these cost reduction ideas. I just don't believe their management team is that ignorant that SGOTI can solve all their production woes.

Hmm, perhaps ownership isn't for you I'm somewhat serious with my humor. You really need to be mentally and financially prepared to spring for an engine OH at any time. Otherwise, you run the risk of your plane becoming a hangar queen or ramp rat; just look around at your local airport and you'll find many planes rotting away on the ramp. Many, I suspect, are due to owners that could afford to buy, but not properly maintain them. Before you buy anything, give yourself honest answers to these two questions: 1) Am I prepared to spend $15K to $20K year in and year out? 2) Am I willing to spend $30K to $40K at any point to OH the engine? (The above numbers are for 'vintage' Mooneys: A, B, C, D, E, F and maybe J). Can't tell you what to expect for newer models; never owned one of those!

Yes, sir! We are more than willing to tell you how to spend your money

WHOA! For a aviation part??? That has got to be a typo; I'm thinking they dropped a zero!

I carry a small pair of ViseGrips in the seat pocket for that possibility.

IF you are really planning on travel of more than an hour or two, you will really appreciate an AP. I lucked out, an AP wasn't on my list of required items, but the F I bought had an STEC-30 with altitude hold. Boy am I ever happy I have it:). It failed on me before a 4 hour trip...hand flying a total 0f 8 hours SUCKED big time. As gsxrpilot astutely points out, you want to BUY the plane with the avionics you want already installed. Buying a low cost plane and upgrading later will result in a high cost plane. Spend $15K more upfront and save >$30K. New avionics have to be the worst value ever; depreciation is 50%. Be the guy that lets somebody else cover that cost

How many hours has it flown in the past six months since you first posted? How much had it flown in the 6 moths prior to that? In the words of the sage Elmer Fudd, "Be vewy, vewy careful!"

So, criticism you agree with is welcome, but that with which you do not is deemed to be unworthy since it is clearly from those that 'simply lack credibility.' Got it

My point is: It doesn't matter what the outcome, Monday morning Ex Spurts will always be all too ready to criticize. Sad.

Yeah, I learned that there's always a few arm-chair QBs ready to criticize anyone, after the fact, for just about anything and excuse it off as "constructive learning." As far as 'knowing what to do' if the 'unfortunate event' happens to me...well, thanks to RedSkyFlyer, I'll know what to do.

Heretic warning!!! (And, I'll likely lose my CB membership over the following comment) Yeah, 185 bucks for a protected switch is WAY over the top STUPID. However, even with my limited ownership experience I long ago decided anything under an AMU is just not worth sweating over. Sure, you can buy a MIL-SPEC switch for $20 and a breaker for $35, go through the hassle and time of figuring out how to mount it, find a friendly A&P (assumes he will work for free, or add in his cost) to figure out how to make it legal, and, guess what? You saved, maybe, $125. Now, don't get me wrong, IF you enjoy stuff like this as much as flying the plane itself, then I can totally see this...you save a small amount, accomplish something you're proud of, and feel great! In my younger days, I enjoyed that kind of thing. Maybe when I retire, I'll feel that way again. Meanwhile, I'd have already ordered the $185 switch from Spruce, and installed it(yes, with proper A&P supervision).

To further skydvrboy's comment...I used to think about how much I was spending when renting. Now that I own, I honestly never give it a thought. Get off work, nice day, time for a quick flight. Fly to Paso Robles for the weekend, climb in the plane with no more thought than a drive to the grocery store! Most of the money is really fixed costs, the variable cost of a give flight is lost in the rounding. I don't even worry too much about gas prices if I'm on a long trip; a buck more a gallon is only an additional $40 or $50 and is an insignificant annual adder; I'm more interested in keeping my wife happy at a gold plated FBO with "free" cookies Believe me, we spend way more on a nice dinner in Paso...

I rented for decades before owning. Never tried the club route. Here's why: I just didn't see the big advantage...maybe a bit cheaper, but all the same scheduling problems that renting has. Still going to have to wonder what the last guy that flew it did, things are NOT the way you left them, etc. IMHO, if you are worried about the cost difference, you really can't afford to own. That's the one advantage of a club: the downside risks are mitigated by spreading out the unexpected expense. Bottom line: If you can afford $15K to $20K per year (forget the number of hours flown) then it's totally worth it to own. Just remember, it's oxymoronic to justify the cost under any circumstance So, don't even try.

My lap

Seems to me that this issue falls squarely into the reason you have reserves: Unplanned, variable, and/or difficult to quantify effects.

Really no reason to wait to see if they print again. I bought my copy, signed by the author, on Amazon about a year ago; like new condition. Paid under $100

M20F with NA 200 HP. Here's the Cliff Notes of what I do: 1) Take off with all levers forward (DA less than 5000 feet) 2) Above 5000 DA I lean to maintain my take-off EGTs of 1350 3) Once at cruise altitude I set desired rpm, usually 2500-2600. 4) Pull mixture to set desired power (typically 8.5 gph and around 65%) I do NOT use the engine monitor (EGT/CHT), only the FF gauge. After things stabilize I'll check that CHTs are okay. (Typically I don't even bother closing cowl flaps as I get virtually no speed increase and oil temp/CHTs rise) Note the throttle stays at WOT. Even in descent. I just start enriching mixture as I descend. That way I make up some of the time lost in climb. I'll only pull power back when I get within a couple thousand feet of TPA in order to slow up.

Excellent! You just made me feel REALLY good about my M20F...EXACTLY the same engine story: PO found cracked case and replaced along with new cam, lifters, bearings, etc. but didn't spend the coin to call it an overhaul. So, I'm over TBO, as well. I've got the STEC-30 with alt. hold, 430W, slaved Stormscope, speed brakes, a G3 Insight and all the speed mods. Paint's decent. I paid tens of thousands less....maybe my plane IS an INVESTMENT

Well sure. But, good planning allows for a reserve, right? If we were all so perfect why have a reserve? Why do we keep having fuel exhaustion incidents? So, I plan for 10 gph, and run LOP at 8.5 gph; I look at as a another 'reserve' on top of the hour I built into my flight plan at 10 gph. No guarantees of course, but I absolutely think it "lowers the likelihood of fuel exhaustion."

I flight plan for 10 gph, but run LOP at 8.5 gph. Very comforting