MBDiagMan

K62 sounds like a good suggestion. Cincinnati was not the most GA convenient airport I’ve ever been to. For those interested in the Ark, don’t miss the Creation Museum nearby on the West. edge of the Cincinnati airport.

Everyone makes mistakes. Even the pro that keeps your airplane going. We are the PIC’s. The final responsibility rests on us. We should always look around after maintenance even if we don’t know what we’re looking at. I went to a safety seminar some years ago that was put on by Lucky at Air Salvage of Dallas. He goes out and brings in the remains of crashed Aircraft. The NTSB literally consults with him to learn more about accident investigations. I know this to be true because my late wife’s twin sister worked for the NTSB and told me so. Lucky showed us a pile of scrap aluminum that was once an airplane. It had been used for giving inner city kids flight instruction in a program to try to help them into an aviation vocation. When annualled, a mechanic left a flashlight behind in the fuselage. Shortly thereafter the aircraft was used to practice stalls. When it was pitched nose up, the flashlight fell into bulkhead hole through which a control cable was routed. It jammed the cable and the instructor and student perished. Lucky’s message was to always have someone else look around and see if something isn’t right. He said that even a secretary from the office would have seen the flashlight. Flying is not forgiving. We need to all try to see everything we can and not be afraid to question the mechanics or anyone when things don’t seem right. We should give ourselves and those who fly with us every chance. The first flight after maintenance is as serious as a heart attack. IMHO that fligh should have no passengers and all precautions possible should be taken like staying in glide distance of the airport, minimal fuel on board, no passengers etc. I’ve been around Aviation long enough to see a few tragedies up close and personal and some basic precautions would have gone a long way. So sorry if this came across as condescending, because it is not my intention. I learned a serious lesson from Lucky at the expense of someone else. I want to share it with others.

I live about 40 statute miles North of where the event was held. Yeah it was hot! Good thing we didn’t have the event later in the summer when it gets REALLY hot. The only regret I have regarding MooneyMAX was that due to my personal schedule and living nearby, I missed many of the social activities, mostly the evening meals where I could have had more chances to meet and visit with other participants.

Are you saying that after maintenance, you did not look around under the cowl and do a quick flight around the patch before taking off for a distant destination or did I miss something?

Glad you’re happy with it and glad I’m happy with my Mooney. That’s why they make different airplanes, for different people.

Yes, if it hasn’t been run at all, whatever was used for assembly lube was almost certainly clean, so very little chance of any acid being present on the surface.

I haven’t read all the responses to the OP, so mine may be redundant. We just finished MooneyMAX yesterday. In one of the presentations regarding speed improvements, one of the tips was to leave the cowl flaps open one inch to relieve pressure for a slight speed increase as well as better cooling. Sounds like someone might have been using that trick.

To the OP: What should your concerns be? Valve lifters! If the engine is new but hasn’t been run in four years, I would do lots of research on how common it is for lifters spalling after long periods of no operation. If they corrode a tiny bit, the pits can start eroding, strewing metal throughout the engine wreaking havoc. Been there, done that. If you are a mechanic such that it wouldn’t cost a lot, I would find a set of the new DLC lifters from Lycoming, split the case and install them. It would be the best engine insurance you could buy at this stage. That said, if the engine was new in 2019, there’s a small possibility that it received DLC lifters during the overhaul. Be excited if you find that to be the case. I’m not sure when they were introduced. The possibility also exists, that it could have received a roller cam engine. Not likely, but most definitely worth researching. Roller lifters would also virtually eliminate the chance of early engine overhaul.

We have had great, informative speakers, but Bob Kromer raised the bar with a homer over the fence while the bases were loaded. Great conference.

Great group and very informative presentations.

I’m 74 and grew up in Texas. Didn’t grow up in an air conditioned house or was never in a an air conditioned classroom until I was in college. I dealt with it then, but it just kills me now. If I am going to just fly around the area when it’s hot, I do it in by 140 with a high wing. The Mooney is just a green house. I’m just a wimp these days. Can’t be due to my age though.

To help explain, there were many local power outages over a really large area. This means that the local outages are being corrected one by one, gradually putting more people back in their homes everyday. We came home Monday, but some are still without power.

Yes, we got power back on in Mount Pleasant yesterday and were able to come home. There should be an abundance of rooms in the Longview area now.

Thanks Pinecone. I will be sleeping at home. I am based in Mount Pleasant 45 nM away from KGGG.

Yeah Don. The YOUNGEST of the Grandkids. Are you going to be in Longview tomorrow? It seems that all there will be is registration, so I don’t know if there will be much to go there for.

I am so excited to be able to go again this year. It hasn’t fit my schedule since five years ago. That said, the shiva app is wearing me out. A few days ago I managed to get the agenda, and haven’t been able to reach it since. I am smart enough to fly a plane, but I’m flunking the checkride on this. Edit: okay, the app had disappeared and I had to reload it. Alls well. See y’all tomorrow or Thursday.

Okay, you’re talking Monterey Carmel. When you said Bay Area, I was trying to envision an airport that wasn’t right on the water. KWVI looks like it’s 3 miles, which is still not the best, but much better than being a few thousand feet from the water. Our family has a beach house in Galveston that is about 500 feet from the water. My brother in law put a golf cart and a few bicycles in a storage area and they turned into solid rust in absolutely no time. The Galveston airport is pretty much right on the water and I even worry about tying down my Mooney there for a week at a time. IMHO, tying down a plane outside is not a good thing. My opinion is biased because I have a nice, large, weathertight hangar in a relatively dry climate, so it’s easy for me to pop off with statements like “I wouldn’t tie down a plane outside no matter what,” but if I lived in a populated area where no hangars were available or were stupid expensive, I might relent like others do. I will say this though: I think it’s really difficult to believe that a plane will degrade no less outside than in a good, tight hangar.

I have a much more grueling flight than you. I will be going 45 long nautical miles from Mount Pleasant. Seriously though, I look forward to meeting you and Turbo.

I ran a tank dry one time while doing engine break in above the airport. The engine never stopped, just started running a little rough. I switched tanks and it smoothed out. No big deal.

Two Months???…… First of all. WHERE in the Bay Area? There are some airports close enough to the salt air to be alarming. Also, will the plane be operated regularly during the two month period? Two months in salt air without oil circulation can wreak eventual havoc on a Lycoming. I have a much different viewpoint about extended outdoor tie down periods. That said, I am extremely fortunate to have a very nice, weathertight hangar in a mostly dry climate, far away from salt air, so I am probably spoiled. I have had 9512M for 5 years now. She had brand new paint, glass a nice interior and a new panel when I bought her. Had I been in the OP’s situation, I would not have bought that plane because I would not be able to bear to watch it slowly deteriorate in the weather. Even in a good climate, being stored outside will take an eventual toll. Had I been buying a plane to tie down outside, I would not have bought a plane with new paint, panel and so forth. I would have looked for a plane that was functionally reliable and solid with marginal or worse cosmetics. I realize that in the heavily populated areas, hangars are very expen$ive and that is if you are fortunate enough to find one available to begin with. That makes it a different set of circumstances for such a decision. My $0.02,

When was that POH printed? Has avgas gone through a few changes since then?

I signed up and paid (I think) but it gives me a link to the Whova page where I expected to get an agenda or something, but I can’t get anything from that page. I assume that it is in the same hotel as 2018, so I guess I will just go there on that Wednesday morning. Looking forward to it. By the way Don, the video in your link is fantastic! It makes me just want to drop what I’m doing and go to the airport, get out the Mooney and just fly all day.

Yes, if I were to put back in service an aircraft that had been setting up a long time and it had barrel lifters, I would replace all of them and then go on about my business. This is not easily done with mushrooms. Not only are most continentals barrel lifters, but the cam is low where it holds oil better to prevent corrosion.

….and….. a bad lifter started getting bad from pitting that was caused by corrosion. The pitting results in metal circulating in the oil that is also bad for the overall engine health. When rebuilding these engines, insist on DLC lifters or convert to roller lifters. If you do, you won’t have to deal with this problem a second time.

All the more reason to just start in the Mooney eliminating the transition time from another type. Mooneys are not rocket science. Are they different from 150’s and Cherokees? Absolutely, but if you start in a Mooney you are learning the differences from day 1. I started flying very late in life. I’m probably the klutziest pilot you ever met, but I learned to fly one. If I can do it, anyone can do it.