MBDiagMan

I hope I am not speaking too soon, but it appears that Saturday’s wind forecasts are improving.

Will the forecast, particularly the winds, hold to what it is now? If it does, KRBD Rwy 31 looks doable. That same wind at my home field, however, will be a direct crosswind. 48+ hours leaves time for a forecast change.

I am not an aircraft engine expert, but I have lots of automotive piston engine knowledge. In an engine that is driven hard, the connecting rod deals with tremendous stresses. It is compressed and then tensioned rapidly, a tough life for a steel member. Rods typically break under one or both of the following scenarios: the most common is loss of oil for obvious reasons, then second most common is at high rpm on the intake stroke at high RPM while pulling hard against a vacuum. This is why an engine designed for low RPM, low performance doesn’t last long if driven by a wild teenager, or anyone who constantly over revs. From that second scenario, one thing that might be coming into play with the retarding throttle situation, could be that the closing of the throttle creates a vacuum that the rods must pull against. Although these engines are designed with strong components and adequate breathing, it might be just the nudge that could make a tired connecting rod decide to give up. Just a theory.

Yep, been to Austin Exec on a warm day, with full fuel and full load in a taildragger and the crosswind was certainly something to deal with. BTW Paul. If the forecast holds, the wind will be about straight down runway 31 on Saturday.

It is Spring in Texas, so the weather can change fast. Saturday’s forecast for Redbird is wind out of the Northwest 15-20, gusting to 35. Since one of the things we do in Texas is ride bucking bronco’s, maybe some of you will be accustomed to it.

Although. I generally agree with this, the cleanliness of ones car or airplane does not necessarily indicate how well the airplane is maintained in ways that really count. I will let a little clutter accumulate in the backseat and baggage hold and even sometimes have more bugs on my airplanes than other folks. I do, however, watch things closely, see that everything works, oil and filter is changed regularly, watch for leaks and fix them ASAP, etc., When I grew up, my Dad owned and operated an independent auto repair facility and I ended up a knowledgeable car guy. With that background I have observed lots of cars and how they are cared for. I have seen MANY cars that are kept washed and waxed and cosmetically look wonderful, but when you see how they are mechanically maintained you realize that they are not a car you would want for your own. Many airplanes and vehicles that are kept nice cosmetically are also tended to properly mechanically, but,.... not always. Make sure you inspect closely beneath the skin. Remember, beauty only goes skin deep. That’s why there is lots of inspection on airplanes BENEATH the skin where it counts.

I have had great service from the Concorde sealed batteries in my Cessna. I have only had my Mooney for one year and I saw in the logs where the Gill battery had been replaced every few years. When the time comes, it will get a Concorde because I love her so much.

This should be interesting and educational.

In the old days, yes, I am plenty old enough to have experienced them, before catalytic converters, us car guys worked toward getting our exhaust pipes to look like that. That color means proper mixture, and no significant oil burning. Be happy.

Yeah! I’ll pretend that I am one of the elite guys.:)

Wow! Are we important or what?! We have corporate sponsors! Seriously though, Thanks Don for all this legwork. You are indeed a gracious host. I haven’t checked weather this morning, but as of yesterday, bad weather is forecast for next Wednesday. If that comes through, then maybe it will lead to the clearing part of the weather cycle for Saturday. I really don’t want to arrive at this event again on four wheels, but we will if necessary. BTW, the Mooney’s annual is signed off and she is legal for the trip now. No taildragger at the Mooney get together.

Me too! All I need is weather and get my annual signed off. It is only waiting on paperwork. If I have weather and no Mooney, look for an orange and white taildragger next to the Mooneys’. I expect it will remain there at least 5 or 10 minutes before some of you drag it to the other side of the field. Don, If I get weather to be there, I will help however I can with getting food, setting up chairs or whatever you need. Thanks for being so dedicated to the event!

Yeah, you can fly it VFR, but make sure you tie the loose wires out of the way so you don’t tangle up in them.:) Edit: Whoa! Wait a minute! I missed something! You can tie the seat to those wires to make sure it does not slide back in the event of seat rail failure.:)

Yeah, you can fly it VFR, but make sure you tie the loose wires out of the way so you don’t tangle up in them.:)

Hmmm...... “Crash” the party. Although I am sure that you would be welcome by everyone, but as fellow pilots we certainly don’t want you to “crash.” That’s not a word that we want to associate with a flyin.:) Seriously though, Don is organizing the event is a very gracious host. I am sure you will be welcome not only by him, but by everyone.

Yes, the decision between a C or E that happen to be available should be based on the three most important plane purchase decision criteria; 1. condition 2. Condition 3. CONDITION Condition trumps the E or C criteria IMHO. That said for those who are absolutely heart set on an E that is fine, but if you are, take the time and trouble to find a good one and don’t settle for a lees than good plane just to have an E. My $0.02,

Okay I bumped the thread a few days ago when I found it, but ended up not having a chance to write my follow up as I expected. Here goes: The plane came through annual with flying colors. The seat rails are slightly worn, but not bad enough to require immediate attention. Everything else was great. I would have to check my logs for an exact number, but I have flown her about 140 hours since purchase. When I started taking off the hatch covers for annual, I saw why the old salt Mooney guy declared her as the most corrosion free plane ha had seen in 30 years. There is a lot of advantage to keeping a plane always in a hangar and that hangar being in a dry climate like Kerrville, Texas. I still, however, need to find someone to do the interior and make her as presentable inside as she is on the outside. The VOR’s are both off by 30+ degrees. Problem is not the splitter. We found a dirty connection in the bulkhead below the tail, but no way to test it yet. Hopefully that will solve it or I might have to replace the antenna and/or coax. They will sign off and turn the plane loose Monday, so I am anxious to go check the VOR’s. This is frustrating because I use the 430W, but I think the VOR’s need to be healthy for the secondary means of navigation for legal IFR flight. Once she was on Jacks, I was able to see how the landing gear lever fits into the retainer lock. I was able to handle the gear fine without twisting the lever. I only needed to push it forward with the button pressed to release it. This still concerns me, because I have pushed it forward in flight with no good results. It has taken a twist of the handle to get it loose. We will see. After a year with the plane I have gained confidence in her and with her. She flies wonderfully, seems to be rigged well and have gotten used to the smoky ASI. A member here has offered the ASI that he will be removing when he puts in a glass panel, so I will have it painted for my speeds and get that in before my IFR certification due in July. We have not traveled as much as we have wanted, although we have been to Galveston and a few shorter trips. We have had many obligations that have kept us from traveling as much as we would like, so hopefully that will be different this year. We want to give her plenty of medium and long distance exercise. My stepson in law bought a Baron in North Carolina, so I expect to take him there to ferry it home. That will be something like 700NM so I am looking forward to that. I hope to make a few pleasure trips shortly thereafter. SO...... a year later and I am still smitten with my Mooney.

The Mooney’s annual is virtually finished and should be done and signed off Monday. Just work on that April 14th weather and we will be there.

I am almost finished getting it back together. Much of the reassembly has been with a Dewalt drill on the number one clutch sitting. I checked the clutch several times by following up with a good old fashioned screwdriver. I am going back this morning to get the rest of the nose bowl back on. Now that I am finished it was not as time consuming as it appeared it would be. BTW the plane came through its first annual with flying colors. Technically it wasn’t my first annual because an annual was done with the prebuy.

I have one of those. It’s main advantage though is its compactness and lightweight, which makes it great for going on a roof or something. In the hangar I just use a heavy, clutched Dewalt. The impact action kind of concerns me on the airplane. My concern might very well be unjustifiable, but the idea of the hammering action of an impact on somewhat delicate aluminum assemblies just concerns me. Probably nothing wrong with it though.

One year follow up: I bumped this thread to the top after finding it. I will return later today and write my one year of ownership follow up.

If everything is equal, then the obvious choice would be an E. If, however, the choice is being made between an E and a C, condition, engine and prop time, panel, tanks, and damage history are factors that would be more important considerations IMHO. IOW don’t settle for a considerably poorer condition airplane to get an E. My $0.02,

You had a great transition instructor, He is not only a good instructor but also a great guy. Congrats on the new plane!

Don is hosting a Mooney fly in at Red Bird April 14th. You should be able to see several, weather permitting. If the weather permits I will be there. Thanks to whoever posted about June First, although that will be my Moms 94th birthday, I will look into it.

Yeah, I am old enough that I have a few Yankees. Glad my current Yankees have batteries.