chrixxer

Ly-Con will prep the cylinders for $300...

So far: Corona Engines, $19,295 (overhauled cylinders), $24,395 (factory new cylinders). Jewell Aviation hasn't gotten back to me yet. I talked to John at Pacific Continental, but haven't gotten a quote yet. Allied Engines on the field at Torrance is quoting about $16-18,000, depending on which of my accessories can be reused (fuel servo, mechanical fuel pump new a year ago; mags IRAN'd a year ago; new wiring harness; brand new spark plugs sitting in my hangar waiting to be installed...). Semi-retired ex-Lycoming factory guy, has built a lot of engines, no complaints. Ly-Con is quoting (tentatively) $28,550 with new cylinders. None of those numbers include R&R (about $5,000), shipping, taxes (minimized with Allied, as I'll be buying the parts directly from out of state suppliers), etc. This F isn't my "forever" plane (still want FIKI), but it's my "for the foreseeable future" plane, and I fly a lot (>210 hours since April 2018, including the plane being down for 4 months from July 8 - November 3, 2018). $10,000 is a pretty big spread.

Well, all of this is moot. The valve lift check was devastating; the cam has very worn lobes: Initial measurement is showing .480” + on the exhaust lobes and only .250” avg on the intakes. I had an engine builder here earlier and he’s confident the lobes are worn bad. Also your lifters are collapsing and they shouldn’t be. Probably from age. That’s why I have to remove part of the valve train to get an accurate measurement. Sorry for the bad news. Later: Bad news. About half of your front intake lobe is gone. The two engine shops I spoke with said the cam is toast. Intake lobe is at .167”. Exhaust is .335”. They’re supposed to be the same. I had a liquid reserve fund, but... (You know how I said I was glad my Labrador's chemo was almost done, on May 24th? On May 25th he developed hemorrhagic cystitis (side effect of the Cytoxan), which required lots of treatments and ultrasounds etc., and one of those ultrasounds revealed he was failing the CHOP protocol. July 2nd we started him on a rescue protocol and he got another DMSO infusion for the cystitis. July 3rd he died. August 17th I brought home (in the dying Mooney) an 8 week old Labrador puppy. So, yeah, I don't have that reserve right now. Flying was nice while it lasted! I'll get it back up, just need to figure out how, first. What am I looking at, $30,000? (So much for the G3X...)

Meh. Now it sounds like these quibbles are the least of my issues: “Initial measurement is showing .480” + on the exhaust lobes and only .250” avg on the intakes. I had an engine builder here earlier and he’s confident the lobes are worn bad. Also your lifters are collapsing and they shouldn’t be. Probably from age. That’s why I have to remove part of the valve train to get an accurate measurement. Sorry for the bad news.” (I had about $25K put away towards a panel upgrade or an engine overhaul (1800 SMOH, done in 1991 by Firewall Forward), but then my Labrador was diagnosed with lymphoma and the chemo bills started coming in... She might be parked for a few months. )

According to my A&P, yep: “Can’t adjust the prop gov without removing. They put the adjuster screw in the worst place.”

Update. Leakdown looks okay(ish), 78/72/79/78 over 80 (cylinders 1-4 respectively), performed cold. A&P says probably nothing to worry about vis-a-vis #2 (which is also the cylinder I was getting occasional oil fouling of the bottom plug in, before I swapped the bottoms from fine wire to "REM37BY style" plugs (previous A&P had a habit of interpreting my instructions more liberally than I generally like...). Injectors: 40/38/38/37cc (1-4 respectively). Mag timing is spot on. Top plugs were all weak. (Champions. Swapping all to Tempest.) Can't adjust the prop governor without removing it, a relatively big job (have to remove the right mag and oil filter). I'm off by about 50 rpm (seeing 2640-2650 on take-off at sea level). Live with it for now?

Yeah, I mentioned it to a local crank ("LOP fries engines!" "You're shock cooling!") and he was adamant a ferry permit was needed. I wasn't sure. Both LASAR and Top Gun said I wouldn't need one (I think it was Mark who said, "worst case, you'd just use the crank to extend them normally"), since the gear swing normally. I reached out to the local FSDO to see what they have to say.

First thing Mark at Top Gun said he suspected was the relay(s)...

Last week I had what I thought was a landing gear indicator hiccup (it cleared up and stayed normal after not initially indicating gear down), but now‡ I'm convinced the gear are not actually extending normally. (Retracting the gear works as it always has.) 1969 M20F, electric gear, 40:1 conversion done a couple of years ago, current on all 100/etc hour ADs. Approach 1 this weekend, they came down on the first try, but in retrospect might have taken a smidge longer than normal (nothing stood out at the time). Approach 2, the first time I toggled them to down, they didn’t extend (>30 seconds later). Put the switch back in the up position, then down, and they finally came down on short final (green light, verified with floor indicator, and felt it - and had tower eyeball it just to be sure). Landed uneventfully. Grounded until I figure this out, obvi. I'm in Los Angeles (TOA). There are some good A&Ps on the field, but none (AFAIK) are really Mooney specialists. I've reached out to Top Gun and LASAR; just got off the phone with Mark at Top Gun, I'll have to drop it off.; flying all the way up there at <120 mph would suck, but ... (Someone said I'd need a ferry permit, but Mark said no?) Are there any shops more local to Zamperini that would have the expertise necessary to troubleshoot this properly? (Cool, just checked, United has a regional jet service out of Stockton to LAX for $93. That's cheaper than having another Mooniac in trail.) ‡ I originally planned to have the plane offline starting last week for treatment for lupus, but the A&P (a new A&P, haven't been able to get the plane in front of the guy I'd been using all summer, he was too busy ) didn't get to it in time, so I took her out for one last quick X/C. Now she's offline for a bit getting, e.g., the fuel servo adjusted.

https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2019/08/21/half-moon-bay-plane-crash-david-lesh/ http://www.ktvu.com/news/ktvu-local-news/details-of-pilots-criminal-history-and-past-stunts-emerge-following-half-moon-bay-crash https://www.reddit.com/r/skiing/comments/ceo2ty/virtika_founder_caught_ruining_the_high_alpine/

Thanks for the link, hadn't put a name with the incident. Not sure about the editorializing. (Well aware I was incredibly lucky. Twice.)

Who is Mark Brandemuehl? Was he in a Mooney crash?

I'm in California.

Easier paperwork, across the board. Hangar in the name of the LLC; want to add a gate card? That person is now a 0.01% member of the LLC. Add a partner? Transfer a membership interest in the LLC. Sell the plane? Just sell all your interest in the LLC. Etc. Keeps bookkeeping simpler. Layer of obfuscation vis-a-vis public records. Everyone I know with a plane has it in a corp or LLC. YMMV. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don’t know, and I wasn’t going to find out at 100mph. (There were also stanchions supporting the cables.) Edit: This is a carrier deck but the cables on the runway at NTD looked similar: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Navy_110530-N-GL340-073_Sailors_check_arresting_gear_cables_aboard_the_aircraft_carrier_USS_Ronald_Reagan_(CVN_76)._Ronald_Reagan_and_Carrier_Ai.jpg Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

SR20/22 drivers can land gear up too, it just requires more effort. Other Cirrus pilots (VK-30, SF50) definitely have to worry about gear position.

I kinda feel like that would be a worse-than-worthless radio call that would just confuse the pilot...

Anecdote. I was in a similar situation to the Arrow; I had partial power after an engine out and was direct to the nearest runway, which happened to be a naval air station. Sitting right seat was a friend of mine, who happens to have about double my flight time and some type ratings - oh, and who just happens to be a CFI and tower controller. He said two things to me that were not a result of my asking for information (e.g., winds): • “The runway is setup like an aircraft carrier, the first thousand feet has arrestor cables.” • “We’re really high.” We were about 2000’ AGL as we approached the airport environment. Like the Arrow pilot, I wasn’t going to touch a power control until we had the field well and truly made. I knew my plane reasonably well (I’d only had the F a couple of months, but it wasn’t that dissimilar to my old M20E, and I could parallel park that thing on a dark city street... ). When we were good I dirtied it up, pulled power, and slipped it down at like 100 mph. Floated a bit but got it stopped (with some student pilot grade flattening of a bit of rubber - flew on those tires another few months) within the 3500’ I had to work with (more arrestor cables on the other end of the runway). Experienced CFI in the plane next to me, his ass on the line just as much as mine, and he did exactly what was needed: Basically nothing. He knew I knew how to fly the plane, he knew he’d just be a distraction. He worked the radios and gave me necessary information when I needed it, and otherwise STFU. And then we flew back to Torrance in a friend’s Cirrus, and drank. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Yeah, that was one of my considerations buying 3RM - it may not be the avionics stack I ultimately want, but what it had was serviceable (GNS430W, S-Tec 30 w/ GPSS, FDL-978-XVR) and/or easily upgraded for the "right now" stuff (swapping the GMA340 for a PMA450 was an Allen key and a logbook entry; swapping the FS-450/EDM-700 for an EDM-830 was relatively painless). Didn't want to have to see an avionics shop until after 2020, and wanted to be at least US-compliant immediately.

Yeah, I might get a few bucks for the PMA450 and the 496, but those are rounding errors, and I’m not factoring any income from existing hardware into my planning. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

The 430 isn’t going to be supported for much longer. I’m fine leaving it as COM2. The SL40 doesn’t have a NAV radio, the SL30s are all 10+ years old and still selling for $2500+, and the GNC255 is awesome, but for the $4K or so plus install, I’ll just keep the 430 and add the 650. I already have the FreeFlight, I need 1090 for international flight, and a beacon ADS-B doesn’t get me that... I’m good with my panel plans generally, just wondering if the GFC500 makes sense given the existing upgradable S-TEC system...

Non-Garmin audio panels don’t get you voice control of the GTN. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Yeah, I'm already half-Garmin, and like the integration. My hodge-podge (FreeFlight ADS-B half the time doesn't talk to the GNS; S-TEC works great but only takes direction from the nav sources; audio panel is awesome but won't support voice commands once I put in the GTN; JPI is great but I'd love to have the info as a panel in front of me) is "good enough," but could be so much nicer. I'd go Aspen if I wasn't going full glass, but that's still a hodge-podge. I've logged some hours behind a G3X and love the integration... Current plan is to ditch the JPI for the integrated EMI, ditch the KX-155 (with the failing display) entirely, use the GNS430W/GI-106 as NAVCOM2, rip out the GPS496, nuke the 1960s engine instruments, probably swap the GMA350 in for the PMA450, ditch the FreeFlight 978 system and GTX-327 for a GTX345 (maybe the remote version) ... The autopilot is the only real questionmark. I'm not made of money, and if the S-Tec 3100 provides roughly comparable functionality for significantly less investment, it's worth considering. However, I got this from S-Tec: What I found leads me to believe that it will interface in the same manner as the G5 instead of the TXi: Non-Garmin Autopilot Non-Garmin autopilot systems interfacing to the G3X system will only receive Course (CRS) and heading (HDG) output functions from the G3X. The G3X system does not support nav source selection for non-Garmin autopilots. Therefore, when a non-Garmin autopilot is interfaced to the G3X system, only one external navigator (GPS and/or VHF) can be connected to G3X. A second external navigator, if installed, must retain its own dedicated CDI display. The G3X system does not support mode annunciation for Non-Garmin Autopilots. Alternative means to provide annunciation of the autopilot modes is beyond the scope of the G3X STC. If this is correct that it will act in the same manner as the G5 then you will not have flight director capabilities and would need a source of baro-corrected alt signal to us the altitude pre-select functions.

Plan is to go glass panel (G3X). Have an S-Tec System 30, two axis, no manual trim. Servos are in great shape (just overhauled). Being quoted about $12K for the 3100 with electric trim, plus about 50 hours install labor (reusing the existing System 30 servos). Don't know what the GFC500 will run, but I expect "more." Any key functionality I'd be missing out on, if I went with the 3100 upgrade vs. ripping all the old out and putting in the GFC500, assuming it's ever STC'd for the M20F? My "must haves" are: Radio (ILS, VOR/LOC) and GPS-based (LPV, etc) approaches Altitude pre-select, from a bug on the PFD IAS and VSI climb Tracking the heading bug GPSS A flight director would be cool, but not necessarily essential. (Or is it? IDK. The Cirrus didn't have one until recently (upgraded the S-Tec 55X to a DFC90 and the PFD to the Entegra R8.2) and I still have to remember to pay attention to it; no other plane I've flown IFR has had an FD.)

25 degrees. I’d have to check the data plate but it’s an IO-360-C1C converted to an A1A, and IIRC it has the 25 degree timing stamped. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk