0TreeLemur

@MB65E where did you find clear lenses.?

The other weird thing is this: Owning an older Mooney is like playing musical chairs. The music stops when something is found that will cost more to fix/overhaul/replace than the ship is worth parted out, unless your place some intangible value on it that somehow tips the balance.

Damn, @Yetti I want to have this cast on a bronze plaque and framed. This and the above quote by @SantosDumont about flaming C-notes at will for fun. <wipes tear from eye>

Nice pics! The smoke in the cockpit from the dodgy Stratus power connector is scary as hell. Most of us have one of those. Looking forward to details on WTF went wrong with that! Please advise when able.

Interesting story. The IFR ticket is the thing to have, I'm convinced, to make personal air travel much more certain. Spent five days with our Mooney tied down in CDC in August while we toured Southern Utah in a rental. Very nice area. Regarding running tanks dry, I was taught by a WW-II era pilot to always run your not-last tank(s) dry. Then you know by god that they are empty. So I warn my co-pilot that it is about to happen, and _she_ will watch the FP religiously, because _she_ hates it when the engine sputters. That's my trick.

My inner CB says that sawed-off wing tips are a cool "retro" way to save $2.5k+install if there isn't a solid performance benefit. I would like to replace my tinted nav lite bulb covers with clear ones though.

Paul- Having no experience with turbo Mooneys, I should have qualified my statement. Regarding normally-aspirated Mooneys, I think the article really clears up any uncertainty regarding climb power settings.

I love the article by former Mooney test pilot Bob Kromer regarding climb power settings. To me, his article definitively answers the question regarding climb power settings. click here.

Without reading the fine print, it seems similar to my example. That would provide an option for this case if the fine print is acceptable to the buyer of an a/c that has not been flown frequently. Perhaps you could negotiate a lower purchase price that would allow you to buy such a policy. It does give an indication of how much financial risk is for just any-old engine before overhaul.

Curious question that might help in this situation. Is it possible to buy parametric insurance on a/c engines? For example, buy a policy for $X,000 that if it needs an overhaul in the next 200 h or two years due to corrosion as determined by the rebuild shop, then the policyholder is paid $25k? I wonder what the premium would be on something like that? I just attended a meeting on risk management, and yes, I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express.

For those wondering about installation of an LED landing light, I recommend this video. https://www.avweb.com/blogs/insider/AVWebInsider_FAACounterSafety_203196-1.html

Like I said, I'll reply to a PM, but I'm not gonna recommend anything that somebody might find objectionable in any way on a www site where every word I type is immortal. You might try google. That's how I found them.

OK, so the new LED really lights up the numbers on final. Here is the bigger advantage: the old incandescent light was worthless on the ground. The new LED light that I bought has a grating over four of its 18 LEDs that casts some of the light on the ground around the a/c, making taxi opns much safer...

I purchased a PAR46 LED bulb from a non-certified vendor that cost less than half what a certified bulb cost. I did this after studying the AIM and acknowledging that the incandescent bulb that I replaced was not certified. The AIM says that landing lights are required for commercial aircraft, not for private aircraft. The second thing the AIM says is that landing lights shall not start a fire. So, I tested the bulb that I bought outside the aircraft driven with a 14V power supply for hours. It didn't catch fire. So I installed it. If you want the name of the vendor send me a PM. It is BRIGHT. So much brighter and with a considerably wider beam than the incandescent bulb it replaced.

Just curious, where can one obtain legacy analog floats for the 1967 C model with 26 gal tanks? Anyone know?

See this thread "Lube the step" for some hints

As an IFR trainee, it is encouraging to hear that the system is working that well. Thanks Paul.

That one on Spruce https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/elpages/singlechannelpwm.php that looks like the one on Amazon is not certified. The certified one definitely has a price that would repel a CB. The certified one on spruce here: https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/elpages/maxDimUnit.php

Certified PWM is not for CB's.

The fuel stick in the photo by @Hank looks like acrylic to me. I'd try 1/8" ID acrylic. BTW- @M20F-1968 I really like the paint job on your aircraft.

Hi John- I've searched for data on wetting contact angle data for gasoline- haven't been able to find it. I'd suggest go with the 1/8" ID of either. That should help.

Wetting contact angle plays an important role in this behavior. It might be that the plastic tubing you bought has a wetting contact angle near or greater than 90 degrees, which will negate the surface tension effect, and allow air to freely enter the tube, which lets the fuel run out. It will be a property of the tubing and the liquid. If the wetting contact angle is >90, then the liquid is considered a "non-wetting" liquid for that solid. No molecular affinity. That probably explains your problem. The plastic has a greater affinity for contact with air than for gasoline at an interface between the three. I'm a fluids nerd.

Since we bought our M20C 11 months ago for less than the cost of a new Toyota Tacoma, my co-pilot and I have done a ton of work under the watchful supervision of a really cool A&P. We bought her in flying condition, but with a 1967 panel and 1985 radio stack. Now she's got a contemporary engine monitor, new panel layout, and WAAS GPS with ADS-B transponder. It has been really fun work doing these upgrades, and the down time has been a month here and there. We still have managed to fly over 100 h this year. Considering the advice of others, I think you would do well to buy a very affordable C model, use the money saved by not buying an F to modernize rather than repair. It's been great for us. Best of luck with your decision.

After pondering this photo a bit, I think there were probably some CBs (not cheap ba$tar&s) over the horizon that were blocking some of the suns' rays.

Hey @211º I had the B11+B811 install done in combination with a GPS430W/ADS-B upgrade at a small airport in Mississippi. If you want the name and phone number let me know and I'll PM you.