Loogie

Most M20Js came out of the factory with shims. That is how they got a perfect alignment with the cowl. Lots of IAs that don't have mooney experience think that way. A little proper research will show them that in most cases shims will be required. There is tech data that says how wide and how much is allowed etc. After the MOH on my engine shims were required to make it align perfectly and that was with new mount discs. An IA that says he is "not a fan" about a procedure is not properly informed, I would challenge his thought process and find out factual data about why shims are not good. I venture to say there is none...

After two years of trying to see an increase, I just don't see anything happening on the MP and I have a digital gauge as well as an analogue. Most of my experiments have been at cruising altitudes of >5k, I feel I have given that ram air a fair chance. Even Mooney folks don't believe it does anything. Any airspeed gains could be a trim adjustment etc. 3-5kts of ram air speed, I just don't think that is a reality in my Mooney (I average 158kts at cruise). Not discounting that it could probably increase the HP at low altitudes and but I just don't hang around there enough to make it a system to keep in the air. There are more bad things that come from having the system operational, the rubber seal, the door itself, the ability to ingest moist air, extra maintenance etc. I am getting my cowl redone this Feb annual, and will have that thing removed. I'll probably gain a couple knots by not having that hole in the cowl.. Loose a couple pounds in the process as well. I am also putting LED lights all around and an LED landing light. Thanks for the info guys...

Thanks guys! Appreciate it! vr loogie

Trying to get rid of the ram air in my 84 M20J, is there an sb that will allow me to do this? The sb posted earlier doesn't match. Anyone have any pointers on how to accomplish this?

Because it ate the fly I offered! I live to fish!

What you need is "differences" training, not transition. The a/c is similar enought that your knowledge will transfer to flying he machine. What you need help with is all the differences. Starting from normals to non-normal procedures. Review the POH, make sure you are comfortable with all the procedures, and with non-normal stuff like glide speed, emergency gear extension, electrical problems, what do the annunciator lights mean? Etc. you definitely need help with that, someone who is familiar with that plane should share that with you. You will be better prepared to fly it home if you are comfortable to deal w all those contingencies. Remember a plane doesn't care it's you first hour in it, if something weird happens you want to have already thought about it at least...

How about wheel well pics of nice paint jobs...I am concerned of the effort to get the wheel wells painted correctly. Attention to detail is required for that. If they do good wheel wells, they will,probably do great with the rest. Any pics of some "fails" and "success'" wheels wells?

FYI, high speed taxi tests are responsible for a lot of bad things. A Long list of bad things...trying to find problems or duplicate an event during a high speed taxi can lead to a myriad of other issues. I would try and find the problem in a hangar, with the plane jacked up first. If there is a problem a good mechanic will find it. Just a thought...

Pull up the RNAV (RNP) 19 at DCA, we shoot it all the time, lots of criteria to meet. Special training required. Not a lot of room to get it wrong...

OK, that is perfect explanation! Thanks for the schematic, that helps. I will jump on that on mon, when I get back. Appreciate the effort and help!

Will certainly look at it with a ten power loupe! Will report back. mooniac, 15U, here are some back panel pics, could you put little blue arrows on the pics of your explanation if able? Would be really helpful if you can.

Don, thanks, will do that tomorrow, I just made sure the nuts were tight, cause I'm a fighter pilot not a professional hangar elf:) i will do as suggested. Based on my research, I was down to juice to the gauge, or the connectors as well. Off course you you need tiny monkey hands, tiny tools and super magnets to work in that space! Geeze they are fast a/c but a pain in the arse to work on in tight quarters!

Gents my left fuel gauge has decided for the last 10 hrs to work intermittently. What is funny is that it works when I push down on the glare panel. It also shifts its indication If I push on the main instrument panel but then it returns to its faulty reading.i have checked the connections and the ground behind the panel. I am out of ideas, just curious if this has happened to anyone? If so how was it fixed? Pic, left gas should read 24 its not a big deal, it's just annoying, since I have a 450 and a JPI730 both w fuel flow.

You should always have a small roll of duct tape, once locked if you need to fly I would add some tape to seal the door until it can be repaired at your destination. Makes amess but good insurance and easy to clean the tape residue once removed. Good tape is always useful for small repairs etc, broken latches etc.

I just flew a 500nm leg the other day w some headwind. In my M20J I used 45 gallons, 19 gal reserve. I would imagine a C can make it as well w some less fuel? Off course if the total the C holds is 52gl I would imagine you would want to have at least 8 gal at the destination (not sure how much is a min comfy number to land a C with). Certainly sounds within its capability to fly a long leg like that, especially with a good fuel flow gauge/totalizer. Hopefully that wasn't the issue.

The JPI 730 does not work w the factory accurately, either piggy backed or using the factory sensor direct to JPI. The JPI sensor also reads inaccurately inside the scoop on the right side of cowl, plus it looks horrible. JPI's words... Mine is installed below the right wing in place of the factory sensor; you can't really tell it's there and it reads accurately. Accurate temp sensor will give you a more accurate level of performance of your engine. Good compromise.

I like my toys with a lot less "surface" area and better tactile buttons then large flat surfaces Marauder...just saying:)

Update: I followed the advise and worked that switch 100 times before cranking up. After powering up the 530W it started in VLOC, I pressed the CDI switch and voila it worked, switched back to GPS! Lesson learned, actuate all the switches you don't use on that Garmin every now and then so they don't get stuck. thanks guys!

Lance, thanks, I will give their technique a try. Need to warm up my finger to press that thing 100 times! Will see if it works! Hopefully it does. I don't use that switch that much. It was IFR today at KROA so had to use it, normally I dont...

I reloaded a different approach on the return leg. Didn't make a difference. I think my button is stuck or not activating the switch.

Gents, any Garmin wizards out ther? I can't get my G530W to switch from VLOC back to GPS. The CDI button will not switch it. I shot an ILS this afternoon and on the return flight it never went back to GPS. Any ideas on how to get it back to GPS? Is there a global reset? Could the button be stuck?

TargetDriver, at this point your aircraft is degraded, you are on a "Back Up" system. Safe to fly? VFR day yes, but only if you have to in order to affect the repair. At that point, ground your machine and get it back to a non degraded condition. If you can repair where it's at, ground it until you have fixed it. It is a thought process, and a disciplined approach to safe aviation. Acceptance of risk and getting away with it can lead to bad decisions in the future; only you can decide how to approach what is operationally acceptable or not. Where do you draw the line, everyone has a different level of risk acceptance. Good Airmanship also applies to good common sense approach as to what is acceptable or not. My .02cents

My vacuum is in the green at 700 rpm on the vacuum gauge and my dummy light stays off even at that low rpm. For comparison purpose. I have a Rapco dry pump. Something definitely that needs to be looked at, filters are the first step, if hoses and pump are relatively new. If filters check ok with no debris, the regulator that controls the volume of air to instruments would be next thing to look at. W new hoses and a new pump, it sounds like an obstruction or an air regulator to instruments. Not a A&P but I did go through this last year. My problem was with the last air filter, it had debris in it, and it had been changed at the annual, two months later it was blocked... hope it helps!

Have you made sure all the filters for the pump are ok? Did you change them when you put the new pump? I think there is a main filter w time life expiration, and there is another filter behind he instruments that can be changed. if you checked hoses, make sure filters are ok before anything else.

In ref to question #5: DME is required for that approach, not necessary to clarify under notes as that is the only approach depicted. On the ILS LOC/DME there are two approaches, the non-precision needs DME while the precision can use radar to replace DME. The missed approach on a precision approach is decision height, no DME required. For the LOC, you need DME as depicted.