PeteMc

What would you buy if you started up your plane today and had no VP? I would buy that. Odds are you're not going to have this spare vac. pump put in and then taken back out in a few days when you get back to your home (or mechanics) airport. You're going to have it swapped and be done with it. The other equally important question is how do you store it!! My guess is that it's going to have to be in a fairly big box with a lot of padding. I think there is some protection for hard landings when the VP is fully spinning. But how much shock can they take when sitting in a box? I've whacked my head pretty hard in turbulence before, so I could see a non-padded VP taking a good whack too. And this last spring while landing in strong winds I had a gust stop gusting while I was just a few feet above the runway and dropped with a good bounce. Again, I don't know how durable they are in a box, but that was a good jolt.

Verizon and AT&T have also put the breaks on rolling out 5G. https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/at-t-and-verizon-agree-to-pause-5g-rollout-over-faa-safety-concerns/?ftag=CAD-04-10aae4g&bhid=26339908233399705146355489002685&mid=13575949&cid=819709498&fbclid=IwAR0phgVxsLyIfAUo0kpMfcxeZCKSqEUCaoNDQ6g6qTeKBttmBdfN9qdTHrs

The 71888 is not a replacement LED bulb for the 70303, it's a different bulb and assembly. It is possible it would fit with some modifications if you wanted to put in a whole new assembly. But I'd check with Whelen since the old part# that lamp replaces said it was a for a Gulfstream. But it did also list 12v as an option.

Check with Garmin Support, I doubt you need to use a TSO'd SD Card. (Unless it is going in something other than a GA Mooney, if so, I have no clue.) But G Support told me that none of my Garmin products require it. Any good quality SD card will work just fine. Just get whatever size your current one is and you should be fine. (Guessing it is between 8GB and 32GB which is what all the G Manuals I've read indicate.)

I was basically going to say the same thing that @Greg Ellis did. The GDL88 looks like the only option other than going with the GTX345 (or equiv.) if you have no other source. What does the 172 use for ADS-B out now? Is there an add-on to that unit to get ADS-B In?

Just heard back from Whelen... Making the LED replacement is still on their radar. Biggest issue is getting out their other (newer) lights due to the supply chain issues. Once things get back to normal, I think they will revisit the replacement recognition LED light.

Did I miss something? You have an LED bulb that is a direct replacement for the Whelen? I've seen your site, but never saw the bulb on there. And to @Airways comment on profitability. I don't think this is a Mooney only product. I think there are other GA planes that put in the Whelen Wingtip Recognition Light.

Ummm... Whelen. Aren't we discussing if Whelen is ever going to come out with an LED replacement for the wingtip recognition light? (Sorry, I couldn't resist...)

So now the question is.... Red or Green LED lights? There's a lot of talk about how Red may be slightly better for retaining your night vision. But Green is much better for reading instruments, charts, etc. And then there's the issue of all of our iPads, an panel displays.... Do we really think we're maintaining our night vision like we did back in the day with the orange radio displays and the panel lights dimmed down to almost nothing and also in a orange/reddish glow.

I just tried calling again. Their phone system is in serious need of an upgrade as I got disconnected multiple times on my cell and landline. (Same thing happened a couple of months ago when I tried calling.) Since I couldn't talk to anyone, I sent in an email. Hopefully they'll be a little more attentive to their incoming emails than they are to the phone system. And I get that they may be working remotely with COVID, but there are a lot of other people doing that with no phone issues...

As some others have said, for any kind of prop strike, I don't believe the plane is airworthy without the inspection. I know someone that sucked up a rock and did a pretty good ding in the prop, but no actually contact of the prop to the ground. The engine had to be torn down for inspection for that, so I sure don't see why this one with actual ground contact can get away with no inspection. The A&P may very well know from the type of strike that there would PROBABLY be no damage discovered. But I don't think it's his call. More likely he knew the insurance company would come after him or his insurance to pay for the tear down. And on the purchase... If you like the plane and feel the price is fair if there had not been a prop strike. See if you can get the owner to do the inspection since the insurance company would be paying for it. Don't see why the owner would care since they're not out any money, esp. if they're not renewing the insurance and don't have to worry about a bump at their renewal. And if you do go this path, then I'd be sure to instruct the shop to replace ANYTHING they see that's not 100% (okay 95%) at your cost. Even if this work is not considered an "overhaul" of the engine, you know starting out with the plane that your time on the engine is basically SMO.

You need a WAAS GPS source for ADS-B Out compliance. So if your current GPS is WAAS, then it's a quick conversation with your avionics guy or Garmin just to confirm that your current GPS (WAAS) has the outputs to feed the GNX345. (I have one and so far no issues at all.) If you do not have a WAAS GPS or for whatever reason it will not feed the GTX, then you have a couple of options. One is that there is a version of the GTX345 with a built in GPS for an additional $500. Down the road there may be an advantage of having an additional GPS onboard, but not sure my choice would be to have it in the GTX vs something like the GNC355 which I have as my second Comm and backup GPS. The other option is to install the uAvionix tail beacon while you complete your instrument training. Once you're done with your training, then you can revisit exactly what you're going to do with the entire panel. At that point a GTN750 or 650 along with a GTX345 might make a lot of sense. And if I'm spending your money.... I'd say consider the GTN650 and GTX345 now before you start your IFR training. Then you'll get all the kinks of learning the GTN out during you're training.

@epsalant The first winter I had my plane I asked my mechanic about boiling off the oil and if it helped to take the oil cap off after flights to get whatever moisture I could out while I was tying down the plane. He said that even if the oil temp didn't get real hot, there were still a LOT of hot parts in the engine the oil was running over. So if the plane was flown often or on a long trips, there was no issue on getting any water out of the oil. On the cap, he wasn't sure. But figured as I did that any water vapor you could get out was not a bad thing. But you do not want to leave the cap off or moisture would find it's way back into the engine after it cools. So for those few minutes while you're putting the plane away and you see vapor coming out of the oil filler, that was fine. Then close it back up.

My guess is that the "problem" was recognized because a lot of the older/older design Radar Altimeters probably don't do a good job of of filtering out adjacent bands. And it was probably discovered on the bench vs. in real flight (since there have been no 5G related crashes I'm aware of). Best bet would be for everyone to keep screaming about it and the FAA (hopefully paid by the 5G people) will offer highly discounted replacement Radar Alt. that are not affected by adjacent bands.

That's why I (and I'mguessing some others) always leave stuff in the baggage area. Staying more on the aft side of the envelope will always help a bit.

If you were just watching the webinar I was watching, he was talking about the Profile View. There are a number of videos on Profile View if that is indeed what you're asking about. It came up as a blank page in the webinar. Guessing you need a Pro or Professional subscription. In the Profile View you can see Terrain, Airspace, Clouds, etc. Lots of options and you'll find a full list in the manual. (Remember that Wx info is always delayed.) Here's one video, but there are a lot of others: https://foreflight.com/support/video-library/watch/?v=route-line-in-profile-view

I actually leave mine open for that very reason (covered @ tie-down). Even on dryer days I'd open the door to find the cabin very humid, so I started leaving the window open (under the cover) to get some better airflow. I realize when it rains or is very humid, their is going to be humidity in the plane. But now when I open the door there is no damp humid feeling. Guess it might be worth getting a stand-alone humidity data logger and leaving it in the plane. After known humid days I could see how the humidity was in the cabin with the window open or with it closed.

I was just going to Velcro a little cover over the switch after I hit it a few times putting the cover or something else into the baggage area. Now days with all the 3D printers out there, someone should be able to make something that is a perfect fit. I'm about to do the interior, so the plan is for LED lights and hopefully a recessed switch.

I was taught that there was no need to put excessive pressure on the prop, but you did want to make sure you were doing a good Mag check with clean plugs and under power. So Mag check is done at 1800-2000, not that critical, just get the RPMs up. Then reduce to 1600 RPMs which is still in the range of the prop governor, and slowly pull the Prop Control back. The reaction is a little slower than at a higher RPM, but you will still get a noticeable change to confirm good operation. But the mechanical pressure of pulling the prop all the way back will be much less.

I do not land on grass strips "regularly" but I'll toss in my 2 cents that I learned from my first mechanic. With my K I've landed at a few strips which were basically taken care of by golf course grounds keepers. So the strip was level and the grass was short. So operationally nothing different from the manual and the primary goal of not landing hard. I've also taken my plane into a field in norther ID which is also in great shape. HOWEVER, the grass is not all that short. So I removed the inner gear doors before going up to that field. Left them off for a few weeks with multiple trips into that field and with no issues with the longer tougher grass without the inner gear doors. Put them back on before my trip back to the east cost.

Just shot a note off to one of the MAPA guys. Don't see a 2022 schedule yet. But assuming there will be a FL or other warm-wx PPP in Jan/Feb.

Don't know if you've flown other planes with similar equip. But if not, I'm going to toss in my THOUSANDS OF HOURS OF EXPERIENCE and *NOT* so much with the Glass Panel. First few flights I went up with various pilot buddies in the right seat to be looking out the window because there were multiple times I'd do A, B, C..... ummm.... now why isn't D doing what I thought it was going to do... (Or... where the H*ll is D!) And I know you know this, but just taking a perch on your shoulder saying it's VERY much heads down playing with all the new gear on the first few flights - even when you tell yourself to keep looking out the window. Not that it took a long time get through the basics. But there is a LOT of muscle memory to unlearn and all the new places to reach, tap, twist, etc. to learn. And the friends I fly with have vintage panels like I used to had. So did I ever feel like a pre-solo newbie after the first couple of flights. Let us know where your head was at when you shut down after the first flight.

If the place you're talking to falls through, check with LV Avionics over at Allentown, PA (KABE) 610-264-1430 https://www.lvavionics.com/

@aviatoreb Be sure that you DO CONFIRM the Part# with your avionics shop. My guy told me stories of people coming in with the wrong servo installed and not discovered until it was pulled and on the bench. At that point he said he can't legally put it back in the plane. My guy is also a firm believer is spending a few bucks every so often (maybe 5+ years) to have the servos cleaned and checked. With the part shortages and prices, he said you can get a LOT more life out of a servo if he has a little preventative maintenance and potentially save $$$$ for a rebuild.

Lincoln Park?!?!? So 165 feet is a game changer for you??? I assumed you were flying out of someplace with 4-6000 ft runways and the short field was the issue. If it's okay with your instructor, maybe use it as a cross-country. When you're ready, don't give it a second thought if you fly out of N07. You don't even need to do much about the NY Class B. You could go around the north which really wouldn't add that much time, or just scoot under the outer ring.