Loogie

Yup will do that as well; good suggestion, my suspicion that it is the signal and not the vacuum, is because it is so intermitent, also if it was leaking when I reset the caution light it should have come back but it didn't, just a supposition though.

Where are the fuses located (On the M20J panel)?

Well, in my M20J my hi/lo vacuum warning system is still acting up, the lo vacuum flashed intermittently through the flight today, I finally pulled the warning system CB, and reset it, which made it go away for a while. We just changed the pump to a new one so I know it's not the pump. I am planning on installing a vacuum gauge and disconnecting the hi/lo warning system. Anyone else gone through this? Seems just having a vacuum gauge will show you exactly what you are getting instead of a dummy light.

USAF Ret, 28yrs of fighter piloting, F-16s whole time. Airline Boeing jockey Aerospace System Expertise LLC Defense Consultant specialize in South America, Defense articles and Defense company translations Weapons Development Pilot to Vehicle Interface Counter Insurgency Weapons Business Development (Light Attack Aircraft) I stay busy...

Chris, there are parking spots in front of the hangars, bring your own tie downs, airport is very safe, Wakefield is a small town with two cool places to eat; Virginia Diner, and Tasty Treat (kind of like a Dairy Queen). Can't help with lights, they are radio activated and I have never had to use them. Gas is ultra cheap at the self help pump, normally cheapest around the area.

If you load VTF or the whole procedure on FF, it is better to switch to an IFR low map for a quick look, that way you will have fixes and good situational awareness of the possible options, it is simple to switch back to a sectional if needed afterwards. Great advice by irishtiger BTW!

Replaced vacuum pump and is now running great! I have a bunch of trips scheduled including Yellowstone and am confident with the new pump! I also changed the oil and filter:) while cowl was off! Thanks for the advice guys!

Thanks Philiplane will do just that!

Thanks for suggestions, will pass it on to my friend!

By filter I mean the Rapco filter on the picture. It says to replace when the pump is replaced or 500 hrs, not sure how long mr Rapco has been on the airplane. Will address those suggestions with the mechanic.

My M20J has a Sigmatek dry pump, I have been seeing the low vacuum caution light flashing at me intermittently during flights. Does the pump itself have an adjustment? Or is this an indication of impending pump failure? The filter after the pump is a Rapco filter and I can't find when it was replace or if it ever was. Could that be causing the problem? Also at idle 1100 or below the low vacuum lights is flashing continuously and unless I bump it to 1300 or so, it flashes. Any suggestions other than just replacing the pump and the filter? This plane does not have a vacuum gauge, just a caution light (steady for high and flashing for low)What protocol do A&Ps follow for a similar problem? Thanks for any info in advance!

Any recs for a pre buy A&P in Wichita KS? Helping a friend out.

On the 22nd I flew my M20J to Tipton (KFME) from KAKQ, it is normally a 4 hr drive, flew my 3day trip w airline from BWI, then the 25th I flew KFME to KROA and met my wife and daughter for college orientation day at Roanoke College; today I flew KROA to KAKQ and now I'm home! I calculated conservatively 13.5 hrs of driving vs 3.6 hrs of flying. All of it IFR, gotta love a nice autopilot and G530W with JPI 730 and FS 450! Controllers very helpful at dodging Tstorms on last leg! I did get a flashing low vacuum light on last leg so I suspect I will have to change the pump and the filter...oh well I love the efficiency! Just thought I would share how efficient this machine is!

Hank, you make a great point, I was just suggesting an option to find a fix on his foreflight procedure key, it's a new feature and it is obvious by his pictures that he uses foreflight. There many ways to fly; the approach feature on my G530 works great as well etc. but was just suggesting using one option that is a new feature, maybe it helps, if it doesn't then just store it in the bag of tricks. If you don't use foreflight then disregard my chatter... Cheers

Yeah but he knew what runway he was being lined up with, so it would have been simple to load that approach; just an option, not all folks are familiar w loading the approach on foreflight.

You could have the app procedure loaded in foreflight, fairly quickly and it will show your approach fixes. It can be done in seconds, new feature and very useful. It might have helped, also a quick request for a hdg sometimes clears things up. Sometimes they r pretty busy and don't spend the time they should clarifying critical questions...

Tipton, nice place, very user friendly, cab ride to bwi was32 bucks. I even parked by another transient Mooney! The flt planning room was very nice as well. My Mooney will be there for 3 nights, until I return from my trip on Thursday.

Anyone flown there lately, I am planning on flying there on mon 22nd and avoid the 4hr drive. I will file IFR and leave it there for three days while I fly my airline trip. If anyone has used Tipton before would like to hear some thoughts about it, good or bad... Cheers

One better option is to carry a juice pack to supply extra power vs plugging to the a/c. Juice packs are slim, and can be stowed on a pocket to the left of the seat unobstrusively. These packs are approved by the FAA, and circumvent the power converter issues. They also don't generate RF noise like those charging plugs do. Just a suggestion.

You are going to fly your Fam correct? Airworthy and safe are 2 things that come to mind, you need to make sure both are met. Has he kept a log of the engine and taxi runs? Why no annuals (5 yrs of no flights)? Etc. I would say this is a risky proposition to say the least.

Just curious, how do you lean it ROP during ground ops prior to take off? What is your procedure?

If you are at 1.2 Vso on final you don't have a lot of room to slip, all airplanes slip, and are constantly slipping. Small slips are great way to adjust glide path, barn door slips require airspeed, unloading the slip gently will decrease any buffet until you find that sweet spot. Never push the slip past the point of positive control in all axis. Slips are part of aviation, like breathing is to humans, part of proficiency is learning to properly adjust glide path with suttle slips etc. Heavy slips like a Maule @50 mph w 40 deg of flaps and a boot full of rudder to sneak it in a tight pasture are not for Mooney's, but controlled slips to adjust glide path are perfectly ok in any airplane. Exaggerated slips close to 1.2 Vso are asking for trouble unless highly proficient and conditions are adequate. Gusty winds in wrong direction can get your attention. But answering the first question, in this thread,a slip is and should be an arrow in the quiver of any pilot in any airplane. Obviously abide by POH restrictions and slip away... Just thought I would share some professional knowledge.

How long after flying is the oil level settled enough to call it valid (io360)? How much oil does the IO360 stabilize at? Just curious, mine looks like it settles at 6 1/4 QTs. However after I run it on a flight it shows just below 6, if I wait 24 hrs it will be back to 6 1/4. BTW I used my toy to go fly fishing today! Shenandoah by Luray VA, 30 + fish day!

If you are talking about a biannual flight review, then yes your IFR rating checkride counts as your review and it starts your new clock.

By that standard I should also weight 10% less! However it certainly is a rewarding investment!