Schllc

The repair is pretty straightforward. The tedious part is trimming the outer skin to fit perfectly. Someone familiar with sheet metal and riveting could certainly do it in a day with the right tools and expertise. a weekend warrior could do it as well, but without the right stuff it’ll take a while. it is not a major repair. Painting was the biggest pia of the whole repair.

I had a few boats i did keep there years ago. I was in sombreros marina It was a few years ago, or I should say a few hurricanes ago…. docks weren’t floating which isn’t ideal but ok. Water is hostile for growth so if it’s in the water you want to hire someone to scrape pickups and zincs regularly. be aware that the insurance will require you to move your boat for a named storm or face a giant deductible or possible non coverage. These aren’t problems, just notable things that are nice to know ahead of time. it’s the keys, so expect the normal nuttiness of island life. otherwise it was great to hop on the boat and go.

A brass wire brush on a drill takes about 30 min to clean off the old glue. Make sure you tape off the cabin for this because it flings debris everywhere , a mask and goggles are highly recommended. This is the most time consuming and difficult part of the job. While taking off the interior door panel is good for removing the old seal, in my experience, you need the panel in place during install to prevent your seal from interfering with the panel. The door does not need to be removed. It is very difficult, on most planes, to properly seat the seal so that it contacts the jamb all the way around. What I have done is use strips of blue tape every 6-10” to hold the seal in place while I open and close the door. Then use a lead pencil to mark the edges of the seal prior to applying the gluing. It’s best to try to do the entire seal in one shot so that you can open and close the door with a flashlight and move the seal around for best fit. Once it’s attained, close the door and let the glue dry. I have changed this seal in 6 Mooney doors, and I have never gotten a factory seal to contact all the way around the door. The inflatable seal is foolproof and works better than anyone would believe without riding in the plane. I tried the first generation of geebee’s silicone door seal, it worked great on the baggage door but no matter where I placed it on the main door, it bound the door hinge. They have since reworked the seal and I dont believe this is an issue any longer. This would be my second choice behind the inflatable. The factory seal is just inadequate in my opinion. Disclaimer, my entire focus is on noise. My understanding is that the inflatable seal can be problematic on the ramp for water intrusion so if you don’t have a hangar it may not be a good idea. I hangar my plane 95% of the time and when I’m traveling and staying on a ramp I use blue tape to cover the gap.

That is not correct at all, and I’m surprised an AP would tell you that. While it would absolutely be easier off the airplane, the difficulty of removing the door is more hassle than the extra difficulty with the door seal. removing the door guide/limiter makes the job a lot easier. I have never heard of anyone removing the door for this. Not saying it hasn’t happened, just that I have never heard of it done. although the instructions for the inflatable door seal said to remove the door as well.

I have bought and sold 11 planes and I have only done one prebuy, and that was because the owner refused to sell it without me getting one. He paid for it. I inspect them personally, I review the logs, and I give a thumbs up or down. I read all of these stories about things missed in prebuys, and figured it’s a gamble either way. I look at the history, only want something that is flown regularly, and has good maintenance shops. I have been fortunate, and it has worked out well for me. that being said, the oldest plane I’ve purchased was a 1979, and the rest were post 2005 so I haven’t owned any real old ones…

Aerostar lands gear up, then takes off and flys home. https://www.military.com/video/aircraft/civilian-aircraft/plane-lands-gear-up-then-keeps-flying/4189092003001

Correct, it you have to look at the dates, I don’t think you can just search by tail. if you can I haven’t figured out how!

An opt out will still show up on adsb exchange. the main difference there is it only tracks live flights. but I’m pretty sure the info is available regardless of what you opt out of.

Assuming I was situationally aware enough to process this, I would grind it all the way to a full stop. I think it would be unsafe to try a go around without knowing what damage to the engine/prop from the prop strike. in for a penny, in for a pound….

I just had my tanks done at wetWingologist at KFXE. he told me he needed four weeks and that’s exactly how long it took. there was another plane in process when I dropped off so it was easy to see exactly what they are going to do. he redid my wing walk, changed both sump assemblies and it was exactly the amount he told me it would be. this was hands down, the best service/upgrade experience I have ever had in aviation. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

You know the cirrus training regiment requires you to engage the ap at about 300’ and to keep it on until the absolute last legal moment. when I was getting checked out, after each flight they did a review, and the only comment they had was to leave the AP engaged longer on approach. I responded that the perspective g1000 was a lot different and when I felt like I was getting behind with the interface on approach, I would cancel the AP and hand fly the approach. he said this was wrong and I should never do this. I said, my “go to” when on approach is me, not the AP. he didn’t really push back on this, but I could tell he didn’t like the answer. while I do use the AP on approaches, if anything isn’t exactly how I expect I cancel and fly it by hand. I still believe this is the correct reaction.

I’m betting it’s your door seal. My climb rate is usually declining by 3000’. tear a bunch of strips of paper and when you start hearing the noise, move the paper methodically along the door seam. The scrap will stick where there is a leak. I’m betting you will find your noise eliminated…

had the rain event deposit water in my tanks as well. now when i am on the ramp with a chance of rain i cover the caps, and the door jamb with blue painters tape. super easy to remove before leaving, even if it its been in the sun a week.

Aim small, miss small… It is comforting to see the centerline of the runway on your pfd align with exactly what you see outside the window.

Sad and unusual indeed. Vigilance must be a mantra…