Schllc

Did you guys practice this stuff regularly in the military? I understand what you are saying, that proficiency is the purpose. I don’t have a lot of tailwheel, maybe 50 hours, and ground/near ground aka slow control is a pretty big deal, but otherwise it flew like anything else. I’m picturing a scenario where I would get slow and uncoordinated to the point I would stall, much less spin. I’m seeing something strange on takeoff or short final so no room for a spin but a stall.. even the 172 wasn’t able to be inadvertently spun, you had to make it stall or spin. I bet the big iron you guys flew isn’t as docile… im not skeptical, I suppose I haven’t experienced the event that makes you “get it”, like a good icing encounter. I will discuss at my next IPC

Even in my early days of mastering the hot start, I have never seen anything close to 40amps coming out of my alternator. Even running the ac on the ground at low rpm’s with a dead battery and a nearly dead battery (yes I drained a battery and almost a second one trying to hot start when I first got my plane). Even then I only saw high 20’s and only for a short while. I have 100amp alternators in my Aerostar and nearly ran that battery down once with fouled plugs and a flooded engine and again running ac and all normal load I was at 5amps on one and 16 on the other. has anyone actually see 70amp draw on your alternator?

Maybe I am missing something, but why would one go out and practice stalling the aircraft? I have done a lot of this in training, and in check rides, but after that I have never practiced this maneuver. What is the purpose of practicing something that you are never supposed to allow to happen? Is it simply for you to be aware of what it feels like so you know what’s happening in the event it occurs? I can honestly say I have never, short of a messy landing, ever even come close to a stall in all the years I have been flying. additional note, I doubt coordinated stalls are what kills anyone. it’s likely it happens while turning in landing configuration. I have never practiced this maneuver, nor has anyone ever discussed practicing during training.

there is no performance loss with the mt whatsoever. the prop whistles a little at idle which you get used to, and there is a slight surging you can barely feel in the initial climb. it is very subtle, and there is no indication in rpm or any other gauges. It goes away pretty shortly after takeoff. Not sure if that is a negative, just something of note. We thought it may be the governor, but same after overhaul. The literature when i purchased i think quoted a 28# pickup of weight off the nose. Well, that turned out to be incorrect. It was actually about 18#. This is still significant on the very tip of the engine, and I imagine the battery difference would negate the CG shift. With the batteries i would easily expect to be close to the mid 900's Upside is it is a lot quieter, and looks pretty cool. Most of the negative comments from past owners were regarding damage to leading edges. The new scimitar prop eliminates this problem with large nickel lined leading edges. I am very happy with the prop.

Good lord! Get a room already!

You are right that there is no shortage of horrible management. However, in this instance, from what I know first hand your assessment could not be further from the truth. In their opinion, the benefit would be an operating parts manufacturing business, providing owners in a niche industry, parts and answers to keep the fleet viable. Was it poorly defined and communicated, absolutely, but they want to make a living, and the options they have with Mooney’s obligations and juxtaposition are limited. If they fail, and the Chinese do what they have stated , we will really be in a bad spot. If an owner of the active TC does not make parts or support the fleet, parts simply will not be available, and there are more parts than not, that are not able to be recovered from salvage aircraft. I would encourage you to be a little more circumspect and thoughtful with pejorative accusations, especially when you don’t have first hand information. For what it’s worth, I am pretty sure if you called them and asked for an explanation, it would be edifying. It was not compelling enough for me to subscribe to the assurance program, but I certainly left with a much better understanding of why they thought it made sense. I actually do think it made sense, it just needed to be defined and communicated in a better way, so people could actually understand the “benefit”.

Most importantly, they will keep the TC active, yet provide no support.

To be honest I don’t know the answer, but I assume they are along the stems. I would think If they were pressed into the head, the replacement would have required a lot of more disassembly.

After talking to several people at Lasar and others, I had a better understanding of what they were trying to do, and it actually makes sense from their perspective, albeit a touch myopic, but only because of how convoluted and difficult it is to explain from their perspective. In their view, they are trying to keep the Type Certificate alive and operating. If they cannot figure out how to make this work financially, the foreign owners will keep the TC active but take all the data and and engineering back to china and provide no support whatsoever. this will be a much different outcome than examples like the commander, because abandoning the TC actually makes production of parts by others much easier. If the TC is not abandoned then permission by the holder must be obtained. From their perspective I think the “support” was analogous to us paying an annual fee for access to this site. Aka keeping the TC alive and accessible. Even as I write this, I can see the challenge explaining this and soliciting funding for something so intangible and nebulous. If their plan was the better option than losing control of the TC I suppose remains to be seen… Selling parts that are not Mooney specific, at double the competitors price does not appear to be a well thought out strategy either, but personally, I see their efforts as more clumsy and desperate than exploitative. I could be wrong about all of this as well, it’s just my opinion, and based on limited information, and admittedly cursory understanding of the FAR as it pertains to this subject. PS.... Before I am flamed, I am not advocating for participation nor abandonment of this concept, just trying to share what I learned.

An ovation with an 1200# useful load is a coveted model. Can’t top that for sure.

Desulphating the batter can take weeks, if not longer. I know at times my hangar probably gets as hot as 95deg during the day, but I have always plugged the charger in at the end of every flight when home and have never lost a battery, and the current ones in my Mooney and A are 7+ for the Mooney and 8 for the A… (knock on wood). I suspect the recommendation is likely referring to charging a depleted battery, not the trickle charge that is applied on a battery that had been “topped off” due to flight. I don’t believe the battery will get very hot on trickle, but haven’t ever really checked…

Wow, so it’s been a little over a year since this journey started! And it’s getting very close to completion. The plane is now at paint which by design was the final step. to date here is what I have done: changed landing gear pucks rebuilt 1 mag and replaced other with surefly new fine wire plugs new ignition harness mt prop and spinner New prop governor new engine driven fuel pump new fuel boost pump new alternator and hub all new engine hoses new engine mounts baffle tune up and replace as necessary one new turbo, one rebuilt new ELT flight stream 210 for flight stream for flight plan upload wass upgrade new transponder with Adsb in and out Type S conversion all new insulation with 1” SoundEX all new windows and windshield with 1/4” glass and UV protection completely new interior and glareshield new amsafe seat belts, inflators and sensors new rear seat belts new led light conversion new light lenses new tires lemo plugs in rear added complete brake overhaul with new hoses Most recent g1000 software compete detail of interior and fuselage once interior removed new style fuel cap install complete strip and reseal of tanks new comms antennas Bore scope review from savvy with prophylactic valve lapping change all intake valve seals (little less than one quart per 10-12 hours since) change all rotocoils new air filter new inflatable door seal & new baggage door seal. complete TKS system service, with many new lines, filter, prop tube and reglued all TKS strips punishingly thorough annual with Brian Kendrick. There is also and endless list of little things that I can’t even remember. The goal was to make this as close to a brand new plane as possible, and make it completely squawk free. The only item I haven’t done yet are the batteries. I’m planning to use the earthX batteries. The concords are 7 years old and test good for now, if the stc for the batteries was done I would have replaced, if it isn’t done by the time I need them I will install with a field approval. now…. I just have to convince the wife to let me keep it! PS sorry for poor interior photos, lighting was awful when I had my chance and when I went back to the paint shop it was masked off and unavailable to photograph. Really excited about the paint, Joe with Hawk is the real deal super nice guy, great communication, and lets me nitpick to my OCD’s content. Hoping to give birth in march!

Oh, absolutely. I could fly 10 hours, and have, with no fatigue at all, the seating position is nowhere near as comfortable as the Mooney though. The noise reductions with rpm’s on the lycoming are dramatic. I’ll fly 26”/2050rpm and you can easily take off your headset. It’s still more comfortable with them on but if you take them off for 5-10 minutes to give your head a rest it’s fine. I tried low rpm’s on the acclaim, I can’t recall but I believe the green arc ends at 22 or 2300 but the noise difference was almost indistinguishable and speed suffered so it wasn’t worth it. the pressurization is 10k at 25k. But it seldom makes sense to go beyond 17-18k so I’m usually closer to a 5k cabin pressure. My o2 stats have always been good at all altitudes, and while I know it still plays a factor, the noise is the big issue for me.

That is a good reminder. I took it for granted with the new prop, but in situ is obviously superior.

Better off sending it for overhaul and keeping as a spare.

I think a quality shop can do as good a job as the factory, the challenge to the first timer is understanding what is included and what is not included in the "overhaul" All "overhauls" are not equal. Make sure you are comparing apples to apples. example, the factory new engine comes with exhaust and accessories. a field overhaul will not include any accessories unless requested, and they will of course add money to the overhaul. Neither will come with new baffles and engine mounts, fuel/oil hoses/scat tubing ect. As with any large purchase, the details matter, and make sure your expectations are inline with what you are actually getting. That being said, it certainly seems like a field overhaul is the only real option, i sincerely don't even understand how someone can run a business with a two year lead time for something as simple as one of our engines. It seems to defy all common sense and rationality. The only excuse is because they can.

I always thought if i owned a mooney with the strap and wanted to change it, I would consider an overhead handle that is like the one in my Landcruiser. it is spring loaded and folds when not in use. there is no reason it could not screw into the same place as the strap and would look a lot better.

One of the factors for me, not sure how everyone else copes, is that 4-6 hours in a mooney is a lot. It is not physically too much, but between the noise, the altitude, and the normal stress of flying, it just adds up. I personally think it is the noise that is the biggest factor for me. The constant sound creates subtle stress that just builds as the day goes on. I have done longer in the mooney, and can, just prefer to avoid longer. I suspect passengers have some of these same factors, and for comfort and compassion, it should be factored.

I am pretty sure only lycoming can do a reman, everything else is a field overhaul.

How can the spar be inspected without major work? Is it possible?

I thought it was because of the damaged nose gear ?

There are only two that I saw behind the side panels, seats need to be removed and it’s a pretty big job to get to them. Had I not been removing the interior for work I would not have gotten to them. The passenger side is a bit easier, and may be reached with less effort. yes to the displays, quarter turn of the Allen wrench and they plug into the back.

There are also two cannon plugs on the left and right side under the side panels. (I didn’t trace the wires to see what they served) I didn’t see any signs of water intrusion when I saw the corrosion in mine, so I assume it was condensate from the heating and cooling at altitude changes. I was not having any issues, but since they were accessible and corroded, I took the opportunity to take them apart, clean them, and thoroughly coat all with corrosionx. there are also large connectors behind the mfd and pfd that are pretty easy to access.

Beautiful. It never gets old…

Hmmmm…. could be a 2 or a 5…