chrixxer

Oh. Yeah, that was a gripe. I had everything setup the way I wanted it by the next day. More of a "I just paid you thousands of dollars to work on this thing, and you couldn't be bothered to follow the one-page instructions regarding things like GPS<->JPI integration and display customization?!" complaint.

Again, I think you're confusing the two flights. One was taking off from Tehachapi with a relatively high density altitude (5000'+), and corresponding low MAP (24" sounds about right for a 29.xx" Hg day) and lower fuel flow. The other was from Torrance (sea level, for all intents and purposes), and ~29" / ~16 gph.

Um, no, I was around 15.8 gph departing sea level. There's no way I was at 240' at 12.1 gph (unless I was landing at idle).

Flight #1 was from Zamperini Field (KTOA, 100' MSL) to Tehachapi (KTSP, ~4000' MSL, DA was in the 5,000'+ range), flown at 8,500' (after leveling off for the SFRA corridor through the LAX Bravo airspace). Flight #2 was from KTSP back to Torrance, at 7,500'. Not sure where the JPI is getting 240' from. GPS altitude maybe?

I actually departed from Tehachapi (KTSP), not sure why it shows as Mountain Valley, but I digress. I don't recall bumping the mixture control, but with the f*&king quadrant, anything's possible (it was a bit turbulent). And yeah, I was leaned to what appeared to be best power during a full power static run-up (DA was over 5,000'). First graph was a sea level departure (97.8' MSL, KTOA), and 15.8 gph seems to be what I hit.

Plugs have 78.5 hours on them, installed mid-December. They're Champion REM37BYs. Mags were IRAN'd by Aero Accessories in October, 100 hours on them. JPI's capture rate is now faster than 2 seconds (I set to 1 second this morning, per Savvy's guidance, but could have gone even finer).

There were no obvious indications any of the mag checks were "bad" (no stumbling, no spikes I noticed, RPM drops were within spec)? 1700 is what the book calls for, and what I've always used. I did some longer mag checks today (see below, once I get caught up with these replies, for a narrative of today's diagnostic flight), not quite 30 seconds, but longer than I've been doing. Also did a 65% power in flight mag check. Not using the previous A&P anymore, for anything (so many issues), but he was a one-time thing anyway, "nearest port in a storm" when I needed someone local to go rescue the plane from the ramp at the NAS.

Not sure what you mean by that?

Throttle goes to the stops (though IIRC the idle stop was adjusted just before I bought it; it was dying on idle check). Injectors were checked at the last oil change (10 hours ago). Plugs don't seem to be the problem (see below). Fuel servo (new) was installed about 6 months / 100 hours ago. (Not field serviceable, AFAIK.)

Two flights with "GAMI test" performed(ish): https://www.savvyanalysis.com/flight/3177203/e4c19471-6101-4b8c-b4d9-963e34dc94d3 https://www.savvyanalysis.com/flight/3177204/19684e01-d8df-46f1-aec8-a26e577bd6a8

Current mechanic has never looked at the fuel servo (until this deep dive, I didn’t know I needed him to). The guy who did the work after Pt. Mugu, I agree wholeheartedly, was ... “less than stellar.” Edit: I’ve read through the Precision Airmotive manual and don’t see where take-off fuel flow can be adjusted on the RSA-5AD1? Idle settings are fine... (I’ll double check them today, though.)

Now that I have a working EDM-830 (saga), I’ve been trying to figure out what’s going on. I’ve been working with the folks at Savvy, etc. It’s a work in progress, and I’m going to go up and do some calibration and gather more data, but issues that have come up so far: Departing my home airport, which is at 100’ MSL, my EGTs are over 1400F, which the Mooney specialist at Savvy says is “on the lean side” and outside the cohort of F/J models they’re tracking (usual range 1250-1350). Fuel system is almost all new (servo, mechanical fuel pump replaced ~100 hours/~6 months ago). Is there an adjustment that can be made? I have the quadrant throttle (blech). Edit: “Your max FF is a little on the low side of what we typically see...” When I went about 15F LOP (which was at 7.5 gph at 8500’), EGT1 and 4 spiked about 40F each, “showing us that both #1 and #4 are misfiring.” Ignition System should be dialed in; same service ~6 months/~100 hours ago, had the following done: IRAN’d mags, new ignition harness, new p-leads, engine timed. Within the past ~5 months/~80 hours, all new spark plugs. Run-ups are fine, including mag checks (100 rpm drop both sides). What should I check / have checked first? (Could just be a couple of dirty plugs? I lean pretty aggressively for ground operations including the mag check...) I’m going to redo the gami spread test a few times, but my initial run, ~22” MAP, 2500 RPM, 8500’ peaked EGT4 at 8.3 gph, 1 @ 8.1, 3 @ 7.7, 2 @ 7.6, a spread of 0.7, higher than the <= 0.5 gph required for LOP operation. Per the Savvy analysis, I have what “appears to be poor mixture distribution - which is unusual for this engine. It usually does fine. ... Its rare these engines need gami's - very few need them. But if 0.7 is accurate that's not going to support smooth LOP ops.” Which would be just my luck, I get one of the only Lyc IO-360s that needs GAMIs. I’m going out this morning to get more data, but if the 0.7 is accurate, is there anything short of swapping the injectors to GAMIs I should look at? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

SELECT aircraft.id AS id , aircraft.serialno AS sn , aircraft.tailno AS registration , aircraft_make.make AS manufacturer , aircraft_model.model_number AS model , aircraft_engine_propeller_link.pitch_range_high_feather as pitch_range_high_feather , aircraft_engine_propeller_link.pitch_range_start_lock AS pitch_range_start_lock , aircraft_engine_propeller_link.pitch_range_low AS pitch_range_low , aircraft_engine_propeller_link.pitch_range_reverse AS pitch_range_reverse FROM aircraft_engine_propeller_link INNER JOIN aircraft ON aircraft_engine_propeller_link.aircraft_id = aircraft.id INNER JOIN aircraft_model ON aircraft.aircraft_model_id = aircraft_model.id INNER JOIN aircraft_make ON aircraft_model.aircraft_make_id = aircraft_make.id WHERE aircraft_engine_propeller_link.propeller_id = 1; +----+--------+--------------+--------------+-------+--------------------------+------------------------+-----------------+---------------------+ | id | sn | registration | manufacturer | model | pitch_range_high_feather | pitch_range_start_lock | pitch_range_low | pitch_range_reverse | +----+--------+--------------+--------------+-------+--------------------------+------------------------+-----------------+---------------------+ | 1 | 690039 | N803RM | Mooney | M20F | 29.0° | n/a | 14.8° | n/a | +----+--------+--------------+--------------+-------+--------------------------+------------------------+-----------------+---------------------+

I should have expected all the digression ... My question was pretty simple, and I think I've got it figured out: Specific to the airframe. More or less. So it's data that should "live" in a separate table, not tired directly to a particular prop or aircraft (e.g., an M20J with a McCauley B2D34C212/78CDA-4 is Low 14° ± 0. 2°, High 27.5° ± 0.2°, while the same plane with a McCauley B2D34C214/90DHB-16E or -16EP package is Low 13.9° ± 0. 2° High 33.0° ± 0.5°, etc). So I broke it out into what would otherwise be a straightforward many:many link table: +--------------------------+------------------+------+-----+---------+-------+ | Field | Type | Null | Key | Default | Extra | +--------------------------+------------------+------+-----+---------+-------+ | aircraft_id | int(10) unsigned | YES | MUL | NULL | | | engine_id | int(10) unsigned | YES | MUL | NULL | | | propeller_id | int(10) unsigned | YES | MUL | NULL | | | pitch_range_high_feather | varchar(255) | YES | | NULL | | | pitch_range_start_lock | varchar(255) | YES | | NULL | | | pitch_range_low | varchar(255) | YES | | NULL | | | pitch_range_reverse | varchar(255) | YES | | NULL | | +--------------------------+------------------+------+-----+---------+-------+

Looking at the propeller log for my M20F, I see the pitch range is noted as 29.0° high, 14.8° low. Is that specific to the propeller (i.e., every HC-C2YR-1BFP/F7497 install will have the same range), to the engine/propeller combo (every HC-C2YR-1BFP/F7497 bolted to an IO-360-A1A will be the same range), or specific to the M20F (i.e., specified in A23 or ...)? It looks like it's specified in the Mooney type certificate, so it'll be specific to the application (presumably by STC, since the Scimitar prop isn't listed on the TCDS)... Just wanted to sanity check before I start building SQL tables.

The JPI probe is piggybacked on the factory probe. Here's what JPI (Tim Sullivan) said: "Disconnect factory CHT probe and go on a flight. If that probe is bad or not grounded well, will induce voltage into EDM. 2-3” separation from ignition harness. Ignition harness shielding and p-leads terminated correctly." (This was after properly grounding the EDM-830 to the engine block didn't cure the issue.) (Well separates from the ignition harness and the harness and p-leads are brand new and properly installed.) I've flown ~2 hours with it behaving perfectly, now; before it would start to spaz before I hit 400' AGL on climbout.

It's been re-grounded. I've been working with JPI on troubleshooting. The factory CHT was the culprit. We swapped in a new one and I did 0.7 and it works perfectly now (before it would start to freak out almost immediately after rotation). The factory CHT gauge also reads a lot closer to what the JPI is showing, too, bonus. Now to fix the seat recline!

"If it isn’t working on the ground, it probably won’t get any better in flight" Ah, but that's the rub. It works(ish; it reads lower than the EDM-830, but it does provide a reading) on the ground and in flight. And the EDM-830 never hiccups on the ground, no matter how you test it - but a few minutes into any flight, it starts complaining about bad probes and flashing red Xs at you. I've reached out to the FSDO, and I'm told there are "options," but I don't know yet what those are. Worst case I'll just replace the factory CHT probe, un-INOP the factory gauge, and see if that cures the issue with the JPI.

Three laps around the pattern, the -830 didn't flake once. Finally!! Now I just need to fix the seat recline issue... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just a couple of laps around the pattern to finish troubleshooting the JPI. Went with the 730 to replace the 700 as a slide-in replacement and upgraded to an 830 once I saw SavvyAnalysis reports. $1200, an hour of labor, plus some probes. A -900 would have been several thousand more. Ultimate goal is to go full glass (G3X now), if I don't end up swapping to a FIKI Encore, Bravo, or Ovation... But that's probably a year or so away, and last June, the 730 swap made sense. If I'd known how long I was going to be troubleshooting the install, though... :/ Mechanic is bending to my will and replacing the factory CHT probe... And seems to accept that when I give him a detailed written list of exactly what I want done, it's because I've researched it ... "saving me money" by hammering down the one obvious nail, isn't, when I already know the truss has to be replaced too. Sigh.

Not sure if serious or trolling, but a 1969 Mooney M20F came with an owners manual, not a POH (which started circa 1979 if memory serves). The owner's manual says, for Required Equipment - VFR (p. 5-7): "Cylinder head temperature gage." But I don't know if an STC'd/TSO'd (but not PMA'd) instrument can substitute. Could my A&P (he's also an IA) sign it off on a 337 or similar? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Okay, none of this in any way addresses what I asked (and my 1969 M20F has neither a POH nor an MEL)... Factory CHT required when a TSO’d EDM-830 (including 4-probe CHT) is installed: yes or no? If yes, based on what?

If you're flying with a FreeFlight 978 ADS-B system (I'm sure there are half-dozens of us; half-dozens!), don't upgrade ForeFlight just yet. 11.2.1 (36515) has an issue where ~99.95% of the time, GPS Altitude is "Unavailable" and ADS-B traffic information isn't properly processed. (An iPhone running 11.1 (34885), connected to the same hardware at the same moment, had no issues.) ForeFlight is looking into it, and confirms at least one other user has reported something similar:

I'm troubleshooting a JPI EDM-830 that goes cray-cray intermittently in flight (multiple reported "bad probe" alerts that usually clear themselves up after a minute or three, including brand new known good probes). We've run a new ground and it's still problematic. JPI's advice was: "Disconnect factory CHT probe and go n a flight. If that probe is bad or not grounded well, will induce voltage into EDM." The factory CHT gauge reads very low (never gets up above ~200°F even when the EDM - when the CHT functionality is working - is reading mid-300s). My A&P checked it out and confirmed the factory CHT probe is "shot." He "disconnected [the] harness and tied it back [and] placarded CHT indicator as inoperative." But I don't think that's enough; the EDM-830 is not a factory gauge replacement. I'm exhausted, battling over this stupid fracking instrument. The shop that did the install didn't do a proper post-install test (and they're in Marana, so it's not going back there to get sorted out). Another A&P installed several sensors during an annual (bringing my -730 to an -830 configuration), but installed the wrong RPM sensor and installed the MAP sensor incorrectly. Another A&P diagnosed several issues while I was in St. Louis but didn't have time to fix everything. The current wrench is local to my field at least, and is supposed to be a great avionics tech, but I've several times given him clear instructions ("remove and replace these known bad probes"), but he'll, e.g., see that one of the identified probes is loose, replace it, do a run-up, and declare it "fixed," only for me to have the exact same failure happen the very next time I fly it ... Urge to go Jeremy-Clarkson-on-a-Prius on this thing, rising... (If only the 35-year-newer SR22 I also fly didn't have many of the same issues; pretty much every flight, at least one, usually two EGT or CHT sensors go out and give us pegged-hot or zero'd readings, etc. :/)

"Whatever." A telling rebuttal. "To put it simply, I don't think 5'9" pilots will fly with the seat anywhere near as far back as 6'2" pilots." You don't think. Without any evidence or running the numbers. And ignoring completely the role that inseam, not height, plays. "It is not anecdotal to say that the average sized male pilot, and an even higher %age of female pilots, can fly a short body and leave enough room for an adult behind their seat." It's also not based on facts or averages. The average sized male pilot will have an inseam of 32" or longer. To reach the pedals comfortably, that dictates a seat position that leaves less than 4" behind the front seat. These are all facts. (And, sad to say, the average female pilot isn't really a consideration; how many folks coming here asking about a short- vs. mid-body Mooney are female pilots? Female pilots represent just 7% of the licensed pilots in the U.S. For the purpose of a general discussion, looking at where the bell curve sits, for the vast majority of average pilots, the short body is not a 4-place airplane.) "Of course w&b is more likely a limiting factor trying to fly 4 above average adults in any Mooney. With 350 pounds of fuel Mooneys, even long bodies, have only 550-750 pounds for passengers and luggage." I have 1045 usable, and fuel at tabs is 300 lbs. That leaves 745 for passengers and luggage. That's four "FAA standard" adult males, or more likely, two guys and two gals, or two parents and two teenagers. Easily.