0TreeLemur

@Hank?

That's good to hear. My J is just coming out of annual. Whomever worked on its dual mag last somehow installed both condensers so that the washers on the retainer fastener had broken, resulting in potentially intermittent contact on them. The A&P/IA who did the annual told me how that is a really bad thing, and represents a link in the failure chain for that magneto. I'd feel good about getting into a more robust system.

Some percent of M20s don't have ADS-B out capability. Untangling that will take some effort too, as it adds uncertainty to fleet annual flight time.

Agree. I read an article recently (forgot where) in which the author wrote that the majority of piston GA flights happen between 1500 and 2500 AGL, which for most of the world is below 5000 ft. The author concluded that most flights happen down low because it (a) isn't far enough to justify higher, or (b) the pilot doesn't want to climb to the proper VFR altitude for their direction of flight. This is exactly where we have the opportunity to harm our engine because of all that damn oxygen available to the engine in an NA aircraft. This piece of information suggests that pilots would do well to keep the red box in mind for most flights, unless they pull the throttle back to below 65% power, which I don't think many do.

This doesn't disagree with what Mike Busch thinks either. From his presentation posted to Savvy's web site, slide 44, this is how he conceptualizes the red box, it extends from just slightly LOP to about 75F ROP. Its existence is of course contingent upon running the engine at more than ~65% power.

According to the attached figure (from the Lycoming engine operator's manual, which assumes ROP ops), at 6000 ft and 24"/2400 rpm you are running at about 73% power. Based on my experience, I think at 9.2 gph you are running richer than you need to, possibly near to or in the dreaded "red box". Here's why I say that: At TOC, I level out, reduce to 2400 rpm and mp to where I want, close the cowl flaps, and let it speed up. Above 5000 ft, WOT, else 24" MP typ. At or below about 7000 ft, I quickly pull the mixture back to a ff of about 7.5 gph, then richen to 8.3 gph. That's a good place to start the LF function LOP. Richen to peak, then lean it back to about -15F LOP on the richest cylinder. It will typically be right at about 8.2-8.5 gph. That minimizes time spent in the "red box". Higher than 7,000 you can lean a bit more than 7.5 gph, and start LF from there. How well this works depends on your GAMI spread.

A failing vacuum pump can discharge chunks of graphite back into the vacuum system. I had this damage an AI once. Seems unlikely though given that you didn't indicate a reduction in vacuum. Most likely the replacement they sent you was defective.

Posted on 27 Dec. '23. These two instruments were removed from our M20J this year. The EI R-1-4 digital tach has redline at 2700 rpm and yellow arc for the McCauley prop with the limitation "Avoid continuous operations between 1500 and 1950 rpm below 15" Hg manifold pressure" with the IO-360-A1B6D engine. Asking 200 for the tach and 100 for the MP gauge.

A while back I worked with an attorney who called those "scare quotes".

People are getting rid of "old" Uniden scanners that can receive aviation band VHF on e-Bay that can be had for $30-$40. That's what I did. I'm based at a controlled field and I've programmed it to scan three frequencies, Tower, Ground, and Approach. Works great.

Oil temperature is controlled by the Vernatherm. Cowl flaps have no control over oil temperature unless mostly closed.

@Saira - Don't use goop! Don't use tar! Years ago @Hector clued me into this, and it works fantastically. Before, I got water damage on my radio stack. After installing this stuff, I flew my C through lots of heavy rain with no problems. Replace it once a year and you'll not have problems. Don't install it in the drainage channels. You'll need to use an awl to poke holes for the screws to penetrate it. This stuff is the shizzle.

DM sent.

I land on my fullest tank. Next takeoff is on the fullest tank. If parked outside and it rained use extra vigilance when sumping tanks using gats jar, and let the gascolator drain for a good 10 seconds.

Why do the yokes corrode like that? Are they some kind of magnesium alloy? The ones in my J are yucky. I would love to get them leather wrapped someday but that must wait for the right time.

1) With prop full forward, you can keep rpm above 1950 with m.p. down at about 14-15" . That power setting is pretty good for 80 knot pattern speed after the perch with gear down and flaps as needed. Then you just slow to 70 over the fence. It doesn't vibrate so much doing it that way. 2) A decent amount of right rudder is absolutely necessary when climbing. That's normal.

Aerographics will sell you a full set of vinyl placards for your M20F. Highly recommend them.

I've owned two AV-20-S's. Both centered just fine.

I guess I wasn't clear. Insurance rates for folks with 500 hours retract time and 100 hours in type are $2k-$3k/y. Less than that, double or triple it.

How old is it? Seems odd that it shows up top & bottom at the same time. Suggests an event (thermal stress, bird strike, or improper cleaning solution like ammonia). If it were mine I'd want to know more about the cause before flying it again.

The guys that taught me to fly would literally kick my ass if I ever left a tow bar attached to a nose gear. I NEVER do it. If I ever do, I would take that as a sign that I'm going senile and should give up flying. It is horrible flying hygiene!

I don't know why in the world anyone would leave the tow bar on while parked, but three out of the 12 owners in my common hangar do this! All Cessna owners, I might add. One day, one of them pulled their Cessna out to go fly. I was working in my hangar. I hear "Clear!" then a short burst of a starter, a "clang" then nothing. I looked over and saw a tow bar bent wildly askew and the guy getting out of his Cessna. Bent one of the tow bar connectors wildly. He had trouble getting the tow bar off. Put a ding in the prop, and a did minor damage to the nose wheel pant. Yet, he still leaves his tow bar installed!?! Sheeesh. It makes as much common sense as other rules we have. I'm sure each of these folks have been told to not do it. Laziness?

Good discussions here on MS regarding flight time requirements to obtain reasonable rates to insure a Mooney. Suggest you search and read up on those so you can take that into consideration as well. You can search MS using google "insurance site:mooneyspace.com".

Wow. I look at the old site, and I hear modem sounds. The 80's called. They want their maps back. Personally, I think the new site is an improvement. I really like the view presented in "Tools" "Advanced Maps", and clicking on "Fronts" in the hamburger menu. That presents a ton of info. Like everything, it takes a while to get used to.

I learned about this recent unfortunate event from reading an article written by @Pasturepilot in his new "Words Aloft" substack. Words Aloft author Jeremy King is a flight-passionate Mooney owner and current airline pilot with a broad perspective on aviation. I highly recommend it. Here's the sad part: On Nov. 14, the new owner of a Piper Cherokee flew it VFR into IMC in Florida. It didn't end well. The Flightaware track shows it all. It looks like the pilot kept it aloft in IMC for 30 minutes of sheer terror, ending with a 6000 fpm 290 knot dive, probably in pieces. Sad. Perhaps useful for instruction. Link to flight track here.