EricJ

Understanding how the tail works on a Mooney is a big benefit to anybody who flies one or owns one or even just has to take care of it on the line. All owners/pilots would be better off knowing the nuances of how the tail works on their particular airplane, since there are subtle differences between some of the models. Taking a peak at the trim wheel gear box, torque shaft, jack screw, hinge, hinge stop, and assist bungee springs and pushrod while the airplane is opened up for annual inspection is a good idea for those even minimally mechanically inclined, I think. Open up the avionics hatch and see how the electric trim servo works, too, if you have one. There are other small airplanes that don't have elevator trim tabs, but I don't know of any others that implement it the way Mooney does. It's a pretty unique system, but it also has it's own benefits. I still find that some very experienced pilots are kind of amazed to learn how it works.

See whether there is a spring fabricator in your area and what it would take to get a new one wound. I suspect ebay or BAS may be a lot cheaper, but having a new one fabricated is always an option.

I think this is just another example of Lasar demonstrating that they don't understand the market they're in.

AUX->System Setup->Display Units->Position

In the C182s that I fly we change that in the G1000 all the time. The PC simulator will do it, too. I don't know why it'd be locked out in the Mooney.

Handheld radios typically have much less transmit power than the ship's radio. Even using the external antenna expect greatly reduced transmit range.

I replaced the ancient ACK-01 with an ACK-04, which does everything you mentioned. You'll need a different antenna, too, to support the 406MHz output. I've been very happy with it, and it works because I've gotten contacted after the 406MHz went off a couple times inadvertently during maintenance.

Maybe the guys from Lasar will buy BAS and raise their prices, too, since clearly they're not high enough.

On mine the oil pressure will go past the high green limit for a little while at takeoff if the oil isn't fully warmed up, but it does that during a go-around, too, if the throttle has been back for a while.

On mine I replaced them with screws and self-locking nuts.

Mine reads 0 in cruise, and usually low single digits on the ground or in climb. If the door is open and the breeze is right it can go way up, but rarely other than that.

On many Continentals there's a plug near the front of the engine that covers a timing mark on the crank. On Lycomings the flywheel has timing marks that can be sighted for accurate timing.

Nice! I have an IFD540 and a PSE PMA450 audio panel as well. That's a very nice pairing. The whole thing looks very nicely done.

In any single-engine airplane with a fuel selector with a single tank selected, learn to make it a reflex, without even thinking, that if the engine quits or has a very significant stumble, just switch tanks and turn the boost pump on. It doesn't matter how much fuel is in the selected tank, just do it. Fuel level is only one of many conditions that have to be sufficient in a tank to make the engine work, and if it quit, even if there's fuel, it could have become clogged, had a big slug of water dislodge from a rib, had a big chunk of contamination break loose and become an issue, or hit some other contamination in that tank that just made it to that pick up, plus a number of other potential issues. Switching tanks removes any potential condition associated with that particular tank from being an issue. Don't even think about it, just switch tanks and turn the boost pump on. Make it a reflex. It's not hard to learn to do, but you need to make an effort to do it. If your fuel selector isn't super easy for you to manipulate, practice doing so quickly so that you get muscle memory for that task.

Standards are typically developed before products, with as much testing as the standards participants deem necessary in order to develop the standard. The science and engineering are known well enough to do that. My understanding is that engine and airframe manufacturers participate in the ASTM standards, which can accelerate acceptance downstream. Contrast that with engine and airframe manufacturers publishing "don't use that" letters for other products.

If it was water it's likely that it got in through the filler cap if the o-rings are deteriorated, which isn't unusual. If the aircraft gets stored outside during rain this is definitely something to keep an eye on.

I'd guess the middle part of their graph.

If there's a big enough bubble of water it'll just quit (BTDT). I had a similar experience and pulled the throttle back to idle once committed to land to prevent any surprises. When I rolled off the end of the runway onto a taxiway the engine was idling (it had restarted on its own). I'll suggest checking the fuel filters and screens, including the finger filter in the servo. In my case it was also shortly after acquiring the airplane and I had multiple instances of power loss and clogged injectors. The finger screen was full of rusty gunk, and I've no idea what it was or where it came from, but ultimately the problems were solved with a fuel servo overhaul. I think it'd had water in it a lot (and dirt from being parked outside in dust storms). You may be lucky and just got a bad batch of fuel, but if problems persist be sure to look further.

They mention turbocharged engines specifically. Turbonormalized engines won't be any different than a naturally-aspirated engine at sea level. Rotax engines may include the turbocharged examples. I think essentially everything seems to be included. Transition Plan Complete FAA-Certification Work Swift Fuels certification work is being completed in tranches to allow critical segments of the unleaded avgas market to utilize FAA-approved fuels once our work is completed. The lower octane (≤ 94 motor octane) portion of the market (including ROTAX testing) is being deployed first to replace UL94 by end 2025, followed by the middle tier of higher horsepower naturally aspirated and turbocharged engines (called the “550-Series”) expected by end of 2026, followed by a final diverse set of moderate compression, large bore, turbocharged and radial engines planned for completion by the end of 2027. These dates may depend upon the availability of FAA and Tech Center resources. All experimental aircraft transitions to 100R will be fully initiated by end of 2026.

Aviation applications seem to be paranoid about grounds, and tend to put more than needed. I suspect this is just for redundancy, but there may be some static/lightning mitigation going on as well. The pitot heater is just a resistive heater, so it doesn't care about polarity. A specific pitot tube may be made with one side grounded to the tube or mount, though, so it may be worth checking that.

Two things to try that work for me depending on the situation: Prime like a cold start, but for about 1/2 the normal time. Then start like a cold start. This is usually what I do. Whatever you're doing, once it starts turn the boost pump on. If the problem is that the mechanical fuel pump is hot and cavitating, the boost pump will add input pressure and reduce the likelihood of cavitation (vapor lock). I do this at high DA or when it otherwise seems to have trouble starting.

If the "true cost" of a part is more than the market will bear in a sustainable fashion, then you can't charge that much. I think there was just a different assessment of the business and marketplace between the two managements. I'm not sure the new path is any smarter than the old one. Maybe less so.

That's the part I find least surprising.

Research "Owner Produced Parts". There has been a lot of discussion here about it, there are many FAA presentations about it, etc., etc. Basically, you can make them or have them made for use on your own aircraft, there are several different ways in which you can "particpate" in the production to make it officially blessed as a properly produced part for use on your aircraft.

Many older airplanes (i.e., ours) have damage history. It's pretty normal for something to have happened over 40-60+ years. As long as it was properly repaired, there's usually not much consequence after a few years.