3914N

I'm late to the party, but recently did some modest panel work on my '68 G. Went from /U to /G with perks. Installed a 430W, GMA-340 audio panel, and 4-place intercom. Now I've got a highly-capable IFR platform with headsets for everyone and a music input for the pax on those long XC flights. I kept all the factory steam gauges and the vintage-style layout with wood grain panel cover. Not an A&P so I had to pay for the parts and labor, which ran me about 15.5 AMU. Advantages: I have a modern IFR navigation system highly capable in today's environment and a much more comfortable aircraft for my pax. Disadvantages: Still using vacuum gyros with no backup pump, no AoA, no engine monitor, no "J-style" panel. To me these are still nice-to-haves, but not required.

+1 for Plexus, although I normally go the cheaper route and use Pledge or similar generic-brand furnature polish. Works just as well on the plexiglass as anything aviation-specific. Many of us here use the same thing. I never buff the window with anything other than a very clean microfiber cloth.

I believe that removal of the PC system requires a 337 form. Many here have removed/replaced their PC systems with better A/P's. Not sure about the logistics involved. I'm looking for an actuator in working condition. If you remove your system, PM me and I will buy one off you.

Heard about this new instrument from Garmin- https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/in-the-air/experimental/flight-displays/g5-electronic-flight-instrument-for-certificated-aircraft/prod570665.html Looks like an incredible way to get certified AHRS + extra airspeed/altitude indication for (relatively) low $$. My avionics guy says the installation is very easy.

Beautiful airplane. Welcome!

Today we completed the my first annual with my G-model, also the first annual as an aircraft owner period. I assisted a A&P/IA friend to get it done. We spent a while re-doing AD's that had not been properly documented, but nearly everything looks good. No airframe corrosion, all compressions 76 and above, flawless tank sealant, generally everything is very clean. We did replace all the plugs (at my discretion) and had to fix a leaking hydraulic line in the belly. Less than $350 in parts. So, a big sigh of relief. Everyone told me to be apprehensive of the first annual, but it was no big deal and didn't have any big items to fix. A re-affirmation that our Mooneys are superior aircraft.

The problem is that I don't have the servo at all. It must have been removed by a previous owner.

Recently purchased a M20G and found during the annual that the PC boot in left wing is completely missing. It does explain why I couldn't get the system to work. Would be great if the control linkage was included.

Vance, does that service instruction apply to both the O-360 and IO-360? I have the former in my 'G.

Coming back with an update. We are about 10 hours into annual. The spark plugs looked pretty good after 90 hours since cleaning, except for one that was worn out of tolerance. None of the plugs show evidence of uneven fuel distribution. As the new owner, I elected to replace all 8 plugs. Probably conservative, but I'd like to make everything consistent. They're 8 years old anyways. We discovered that the mag timing was significantly off (20 and 22 degrees TDC), which we fixed back to 25 & 25. I'm a bit surprised that the mag timing was that far off. They were rebuilt 160 hours / 8 years ago. I don't know if they were re-timed at the last annual as there is no explicit record of it. Maybe that type of drift is normal? Compressions are all between 76 and 79. It will be another week before we get everything back together and do an engine run. I'll report back. Hopefully the mag timing and plug replacement solves the issue.

Hey Patto, welcome to the wonderful world of Mooney ownership! Your current panel looks dated, but in pretty good shape. I have to jump in here and say that I strongly disagree with those on the thread that are suggesting any type of engine monitor. Yes, they're useful. Yes, I would absolutely love to have one in my 'G. But as much as we love to swap log data and really dial in those exact mixture settings, the fact remains that pilots have been flying their O-360's quite safely long before multi-probe monitors were standard. If you're getting your instrument rating and want to use your own airplane, then you will get much more use out of an IFR-approved GPS. A Garmin 430 will also get you an updated COM and NAV in the same box. If you're going to be owning the airplane for more than a few years, get a WAAS-equipped model. While I believe you can fly IFR safely on VORs alone, an IFR GPS will add a significant amount of capability to your airplane through the approaches it opens up. I'm a bit of a hypocrite because a 430W+indicator+install will run you $11-12 AMU. A non-WAAS model may save you $1-2k. Either way, I'd really suggest saving up for it instead of nickle-and-diming what you already have in the panel. Just my $0.02.

Did an in-flight mag check today. Running on a single mag made the roughness worse, but not to the point where there was a significant power loss. No perceptible difference between L/R. I think I'll get through the annual next weekend, including a good clean/gap on the plugs, and see how the results are. I'm also highly considering replacing the bottom four with fine wire, regardless of condition. Good idea?

There are many vintage model POH's online, I would encourage you to look through them and see what the performance charts say. My normally-aspirated M20G, probably the worst climber of all vintage Mooneys, does a solid 400-500 fpm at 7,500' DA and gross weight. Not breathtaking performance, but enough to visit most of my local mountain airports with passengers in the back. The bigger factor is what the surrounding terrain looks like. I think most pilots who play around the rockies want the RayJay on their vintage birds.

Looks like lots of people suspecting magnetos. I haven't done a mag check in flight before, but I'll do that sometime this week and report back. I haven't pulled the plugs since the prepurchase inspection 11.5 months ago, so I'm hoping that the issue will be solved when we clean/gap them during the annual next week. Oil consumption is very good (quart every ~8 hours), and I don't really notice any premature darkening. The oil is 40 hours old and is dark but not excessively so. I'll send it in for analysis at the annual. What are the symptoms of a prop imbalance? How is it diagnosed? How many AMU's to rebalance?

I've finally decided that the slight engine roughness I thought was in my head is actually real. Here's my observations from a normal flight: Preflight: somewhat dirty oil (40 hours since last change), passes mag check at 1700 every single time Climb: I seem to start noticing the roughness around 5-10 minutes after departure. Leaning helps a bit but doesn't completely get rid of the issue Cruise: At my normal altitude (~8,000) and 21"MP. Engine seems to be happiest somewhere around 50-100 deg ROP, but still seems rough in those ranges. Going full rich makes the engine run extremely rough. I don't notice a huge difference between 2400-2500 RPM Descent: pulling power back to 15" makes roughness go away (or at least so I can't feel it) This is roughness, not vibration. Feels similar to if I leaned excessively and one cylinder isn't firing quite right. It's been 11 months since the last annual and I haven't done anything to the engine besides an oil change. I only have a single-probe EGT/CHT so I have no idea what all the cylinders are doing. So what do you think? Fuel distribution issue requiring a carb overhaul? Bad cylinder? Dirty plugs? Mag timing? Something else? I'm down for annual in a few weeks so I'm sure we'll find it. Just want to mentally prepare myself for the AMU's and figure out how safe it is to fly. What do you all think?

Nice to meet a fellow Mooney pilot at WJF. Though I'm assuming 80X won't be there for long... What's going in the panel?

Maybe similar to Patto, my 'G seems to be running a little rough, but I can't really figure out if it's in my head or not. I'm down for annual at the end of the month, so I'm hoping that some plug cleaning and mag re-timing may help the issue (or at least get it out of my head). It will be interesting to see what the compressions are as well. One thought. My engine does NOT like to be run full-rich with the carb heat on. The result is pretty extreme roughness as the mixture is just way too rich. I'd recommend playing with your mixture in the descent to see if that affects the problem. Please keep us posted.

No suggestions, but I'll say that I'm in the same boat. Fiance gets extremely anxious in turbulence, and a coworker friend of her's suggested she get some "pinch-hitter" training. I've been told that learning a bit more about the airplane can calm nerves.

I wonder if that percentage would change much if you weighted IFR and VFR GA flights equally. Surely most GA flights are VFR. One would imagine that IFR flying is inherently more risky?

You're pretty much spot on. In our conventional airplanes, the CG is forward of the center of lift. This means that the tail actually "lifts" downward in order to balance the airplane. When you slide the seats back, you bring the CG backwards closer to the center of lift, which reduces the amount of down force the tail has to produce to balance the airplane. Less "lift" in the wrong direction, and less induced drag too. The downside is that pitch stability is adversely affected. Like you said, I've tried this in my 'G and can't seem to get a measurable difference. Maybe a knot or two.

Looks like it's in good shape. The interior is exactly the same as mine. Panel looks VFR or very basic IFR, depending on your comfort level. Can't find any other info on 41K online. Let us know if you have any questions about the purchase process.

Is this compatible with the original brittan boots? I just spent $15k installing a GNS-430W and GMA-340, so I'm really not able to commit serious funds to anything else at this point. But if there were a plug-and-play solution that I could install with the help of an A&P without taking out a second mortgage...

This is a writeup of my own experiences, hopefully to spur discussion. I've been flying IFR since I got my rating back in 2010. I've flown in the soup in 172's, cherokees, and a friend's M20F before purchasing my G. Equipment ranging from dual VORs to WAAS GPS to 1-axis autopilots and everything in between. After all this, I've found that I really just don't feel comfortable flying IFR at night or in anything other than a nice coastal marine layer. I don't have an autopilot nor working PC, so I find myself busy enough hand flying while programming the GPS and talking on the radio. Throw in some turbulence from cumulus clouds and I get pretty uncomfortable. I don't necessarily feel unsafe, but I just don't have fun with it. I also can't help but think that an engine failure in night IMC is essentially certain death. So, where do you all draw the line? I'm sure it's equipment-dependent... I felt a lot more adventurous when I had a roll autopilot to help me out...

Garmin 430W + indicator, GDL-88 ADS-B out. All the navigation you need for IFR XC flying, plus no worries in 2020. With the FAA's new 0.5 amu ADS-B rebate, you could probably keep it under 15 amu with installation.

Sounds like you are ahead of the curve. I hope the one you found is up to snuff and you are able to take her home. Please let us all know how it goes. For your negotiating power: I think the Mooney appraisal tools err on the high side. These tools say my 'G is $53k, Vref says $49k. Personally I wouldn't pay above Vref price. Also, use this forum for a wealth of knowledge about prebuy questions. R