Skates97

Yep, been using my Stratux for a couple of years now and very happy with it, and the price tag. I think it cost me about $120 in parts to build it back then.

Yes, it was not a nice smooth lift off, the wing did rock a little. Looked more like if someone was taking off with a gusty crosswind, but there wasn't any gusty crosswind that night.

I was parked right about where I put the red "X" on the map. He started from the end of the displaced threshold using all the runway he could. From running up the engines while on the brakes and then the release and ground roll everything looked and sounded normal. As he lifted off it looked a little squirrley but then a lot of folks do when they lift off so I thought nothing of it. I rolled my window up right after he lifted off so if anything changed with an engine I didn't hear it.

This is the one I saw after my flight last Thursday as I was leaving the airport. I did not see the actual accident as I started to drive away when he lifted off, just the fireball in my peripheral vision. There is a very long thread over on Beechtalk about it with some good insights from pilots very familiar with the Duke. When I first saw the video yesterday I too was surprised by how quickly it all went wrong. I imagine this video will make its way into many a training discussion on training in twins.

For the super cheap route you can put bike tape on them. Much better than metal when it's hot or cold, lost of colors to choose from. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000C1VLNM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Mine was originally a fixed gear as well. There is one there on the RH but I can't find one on the LH. Going to clean it up really well this weekend and see if it broke off like in the picture above or if it was just never there when the factory put the conversion kit in. Interested in pics and how this plays out for you.

After landing last time the tower told me my transponder had dropped out on short final. Had it checked and everything looked good, strong signal, everything. AP/IA said to go fly it and ask ATC to keep an eye on it so after work I took her up. Asked for closed traffic and an extended downwind, told tower we were trouble shooting a transponder issue and if he could keep an eye on me to see if it dropped out. Landed and all looked good so went for a longer flight and it was beautiful. The only thing better than the flight was my landing and I taxied back and put the plane away. Then it got sad, and a sobering reminder of the risks involved in this hobby. As I was driving away from my hangar I heard a plane getting ready to depart so I stopped and rolled down the window to watch. It was a twin (Duke) and I watched as he rolled down the runway and lifted off, then rolled up my window and started to pull away when I caught the fireball out of the corner of my eye. It took a couple of seconds for my mind to process what I was seeing. Impact was only about 1,600' from where he started his takeoff roll, just to the left of the runway on the taxiway. This one hits a bit too close to home. I called my wife immediately to let her know I was okay. My prayers go out to the family who just lost a loved one. I am not going to speculate on what happened here, and in no way am I saying that this pilot was not vigilant and on his A game, maybe he was and maybe there was nothing he could have done to prevent it. But, it is a reminder to me that I can never let myself get complacent.

Ouch, that's a big swing in the SS/FS price. At my home it is a 10 cent difference so I just have the truck come by the hangar, but at a couple dollars a gallon I'm going to pump my own fuel all day long. If it's a poll towards the CB in all of us, I think you need a lower bracket of $5-10. Under $5 I'll grab the FS, more than that and I'm probably pumping it myself.

Looks good.

I think we actually should bring our beliefs with us, after all, our beliefs are what make us who we are. The problem is that many of us (myself sometimes included) feel it is our responsibility to prove to others why our beliefs are right and theirs are wrong. As some of you know I am a religious person. Some would say very religious. Over the years I have had the opportunity to participate in many different inter-faith events and gatherings. They have been very pleasant and I have learned much from others as they have presented their various beliefs (some of which are very different than mine). At a recent one there were representatives of I think about 10 major religions that all took about five minutes at the podium to share some basic tenants of their faith and then we all enjoyed a nice meal together and visited. My wife and I were the only Christians at the table. We had the nicest conversations and learned much from the others at the table as we asked them questions and they asked us questions in return over the course of dinner. We left that evening with some new friends. The thing that makes these events pleasant is that nobody is trying to prove to anyone else that they are right and the others are wrong. Maybe I'm a bit of an idealist right there with you, because I would hope that the love of aviation, and Mooney's in particular, can overcome our differences and hold the community together. I am also a bit of a realist (can you be both idealist and realist?) and realize that because some of us (again myself included) have a hard time keeping our opinions to ourselves. In light of that, I agree with your opening statement about keeping the politics and religion out of it. If anyone feels the need for a lively debate, just start up another thread on ROP/LOP, when do you drop your gear, manual over electric gear/flaps, etc... At least then it's an aviation debate.

Previous owner wrapped black padded handlebar tape around mine. Doesn't add much width, hardly noticeable, and makes it much nicer to grab onto.

$50k was the top end of my budget and I was looking at C's-F's. I found a nice D that like almost all the rest of them was converted to CS Prop and retract, essentially making it a C. It has been the perfect plane for us getting us all over the southwest and the short bodies are so much fun to fly. Paul, you aren't missing much. I have exactly 1.9 hours in a 172 flying around Maui, Lanai, and Moloka'i. It got the job done and it was a beautiful flight. But flying a 172 after about 230 hours in the Mooney, I was wishing I was in the Mooney...

I did all my PPL in Cherokees and did not have nay issues transitioning to the Mooney. Going from low wing to low wing I think helped.

This weekend was supposed to be a Friday flight to St George to see my wife's dad, then Saturday to Salt Lake to visit family, and a Sunday return flight to SoCal. Left mag check on run-up showed a dead #2 cylinder. Short version (if you don't feel like reading the blog post) is initial check was a loose plug wire. Sure is nice having an engine monitor to tell you things. Snugged that back up and did another run-up, #2 still dead so back to the hangar and pulled the plug, it had buildup on a ground electrode shorting it out to the center electrode. Saturday I replaced that plug, pulled all the rest to clean and gap them, and then took a nice short flight with the engine running smoother than it has for awhile. Bummer is that after landing tower said that at about 1 mile final they lost my transponder. Putting in a call to the local guy Monday morning to take a look at it. Note: Bought a spare plug to keep in the small tool box I keep in the plane... Your Flight Has Been Delayed - Mechanical Reasons

I had something very similar show up after a flight last November. In addition to what he posted in that thread I traded some messages with @Cody Stallings who was a huge help. He gave the same advice as above, no overhaul needed, just a reseal. He said if a local place wouldn't reseal it (12 years since install and 690 hours) to put it in a crate and send it to him. I kept flying it and watching, 20 hours later and after a five hour flight it had progressed to where I could see more than just the sheen on the blades. With some very long flights planned for the summer I decided to get it done. My mechanic recommended Johnson Propeller here in So Cal and I gave them a call asking if they would reseal it even though it was past TBO. After about 20 minutes on the phone answering questions, "No, there's no AD on it, replaced with a B hub in 2007, No, not used, it was a new prop/hub installed in 2007, No, never re-sealed or overhauled before," he said that he would do a reseal on it. The price quoted was $1,100 including pickup and delivery with about a 1 week turn around. My mechanic quoted 2 1/2 hours ($225) to remove and re-install. Mechanic pulled it on a Tuesday, prop shop picked it up same day and returned it two days later on Thursday. Mechanic didn't get it reinstalled until the next Tuesday because he had other work lined up and the prop came back much sooner than he expected. Prop shop came in under their quoted price at $1,034 and mechanic came in under his quoted price at $180. So thankful to Cody for sharing his knowledge with me and having the option of sending it to him. Without his advice I probably would have ended up with an overhaul instead of a re-seal and my bank account would be much lighter.

Ah WISDOM, much different in my book than intelligence although some people think they are one and the same. My grandfather, who dropped out of high school his senior year to work, was one of the wisest men I have ever known. I can't add much to what others have said, but like many I have become more patient with age. Although I notice my lack of tolerance for certain things (*cough-bad drivers-cough) has decreased. I may be fast approaching the old man "Get off my lawn!!" stage.

That works for me, but I sold my wife on more than just a sofa to crash on...

Yep, kicking myself that I missed the first sign-up. Not sure how far down the waiting list I am, but there's plenty of time (I hope) for me to squeeze in.

Just jumped on the waiting list.

Are you using www.adlog.com for yours? I signed up with them before my first annual and then proceeded to spend hours going through the list that they sent and all the logs to make sure everything had been complied with. I (and my IA) think we got them all covered. But as @Yetti posted, you don't know what you don't know.

One of the first things the guy I bought mine from showed me was to release the hinge before trying to close the door. Had he not I may have bent it the first time...

I thought the same thing, but it was actually surprisingly light. (Made me wonder if there was actually anything inside it...) If I can remember I will get a weight with my wife's little kitchen scale.

As promised, here are some pics. There is a brace that runs side to side in the empennage where it was mounted, very easy to see by just pulling the side panel off. The unit has a diameter of about 4 1/2" and a height of about 5" so is a decent size. Also, who says you can't use automotive parts on your Mooney? This one was manufactured by General Motors!

I agree. When I took my dad flying he was amazed at everything that was available on the tablet. Compared what is in my little plane to what was in the HC-130's he flew all over Alaska in the 80's, night and day difference. The part of this announcement that is exciting to me and has me thinking is the GPS 175. I don't have GPS in the panel. That would give me what I am looking for, and it wouldn't be buying a used GPS/NAV/COM that is 10+ years old. I still like the look (and potential price point) of the AV30's to replace my AI and DG. For some reason I just don't get all excited about a big glass panel in a vintage plane.