0TreeLemur

So do spouses! When we flew a C model I used to like to run a tank dry when doing long cross-country flights so I was left with all useable in one tank. Normally I noticed the fp drop and switched without anybody else knowing. That one time I didn't, I got her attention. From that point forward, when I would work to dry a tank I'd tell her. Man, she was all over that fp gage. Never happened again. In our J with LOP ops burning 8-8.5 gph and 64 useable, I practically never need to run one dry. Six hours is about the longest leg I want to fly.

The blades were red tagged. One was overcut 0.001" and the other 0.003". I don't know how many times it had been overhauled. The A/C was a '67 model and prop was installed in 1977, don't know if it was new or used. Probably used. It had the "A" hub. I didn't want an "A" hub- PITA. Rather than hunt around for a B-hub prop, I decided to go for the new Top Prop. All I'm saying is that a good B hub prop works great if you can find one. There is little to gain by going with a new Top Prop, unless your wallet is just too darn heavy from all that extra money in it. The challenge of course is finding a used prop that is in good shape and will take another O/H if necessary.

Thanks @Rick Junkin. I too suspect a connection issue. Looking back through the EDM data collected during the past year, this problem has been intermittent, but increasing if frequency and severity of late. The transducers included with my JPI use MetriPak connectors, which are "supposed" to be weather resistant. I'll go ahead and remove the cowl and give them a look see.

When I bought our M20C, I was a 400 hour private pilot coming of a 15-year non-flying sentence (life got in the way). Most of my time was in non-complex airplanes. Flying a Mooney was a handful for me because there is just so much more to pay attention to- especially speed control in the pattern. I flew VFR for a couple of years before starting my work on instrument rating and it was definitely a good way to go. I got used to the flight complexity before adding a whole bunch more IFR complexity to the mix. Something to consider. When shooting an approach in turbulence under the foggles you want flap settings, boost pump, landing gear, speed control, to be automatic. If they aren't you will struggle mightily.

I have a J model with a JPI EDM900 installed. Lately after startup the fuel pressure has been indicating over 30 psi. With or without boost pump on. During runup it sometimes indicates above 30. After takeoff, it indicates 27-28 psi. It seems unlikely that an engine driven fuel pump is going to go over max. rated pressure at any engine speed < redline. Suspect a transducer problem. Anybody dealt with this? I'm not worried about it- I just don't like it. Anyone got a working spare they'll part with? The part is made by Kavlico, with 0-30 range outputting 50mV at 30psi. EDIT: Added screencap of JPI data. The red line is MAP, light blue line is FP. You can see after I took off, it went back down into the normal range. Had a time mid-flight there were FP was pretty noisy.

Yeah, but that costs money too- I didn't see it as my problem. Who better to repaint than a prop shop? Their repainting job didn't stick so I doubt that an A&P rattle can paint job would have. Anyhow, that propeller and the aircraft it is attached to is no longer mine. I just offered my experience to help the OP make a decision. I would not spend money on a new Hartzell Top Prop if I could find a good used prop with a B hub. It ain't worth it, and Hartzell did have a QA/QC problem with the one that I bought that was not resolved to my satisfaction.

The original Hartzell on my C was condemned because it had been overhauled the maximum allowable number of times. Both blades with root diameter under min. limit. So I bought a Hartzell "Top Prop" to replace it. I saw no increase in speed. It might have been a little bit quieter, but not obviously so. I had it installed in August. The paint started to come off the stripes on tips the first time I flew through rain, in Sept. Took it back to the shop where I bought it and they repainted it in Nov. I paid (again) to have it reinstalled. Next time I flew through rain- paint started coming off again. Repainted in November, and here is a photo of what it looked like the following June. Hartzell couldn't care less. The prop shop said that they would keep repainting it if I returned it to their shop. It costs money to remove/reinstall a prop, and the prop shop wouldn't pay. Hartzell couldn't rub two coins together. I never landed on grass or taxied through weeds. Nothing unusual. Just flew through rain. My experience with the Hartzell Top Prop was not positive. If I had it to do over again, I'd try to find a good used prop with a "B" hub.

Flew a round-trip mission yesterday from Alabama to Iowa. Here's the confluence of the Mighty Mississippi (left) and Mightier Ohio (right) river at Cairo, Illinois (center). The Mississippi on that day was more turbid than the Ohio. Both legs done VFR.

That would work great if it's just me and my screwdriver. One trip to a shop and there go the threads.

^^^^ This.

Somebody did that in the past. It was a #10. I'd rather not have a #12 in there. You guys are just full of good information!. My original question - does anyone have info on the dimensions of that wheel? I want to put in a thread locking insert. Before I do, I would like to know if there is enough metal to do that.

In my experience #10 and smaller helicoils are hit or miss. Maybe others have better luck with them, but I don't.

When calibrated after the JPI EDM900 install the reading on the right tank wasn't right in the mid-range, causing repeated "Fuel Qty. Mismatch" warnings. Yesterday we ran the right tank dry in flight and re-calibrated. To my surprise, starting from 0.0 usable when filled it to 32 gal. it wasn't up to the tabs! Full to the tabs was 33.1 gallons.

One of the wheel cover holes on the nose gear of my J is stripped. Since I've owned the plane it's always been a bit "squishy" when I tried to snug it up. After this year's annual it gave way and won't stay in. I gather it is: 040-08700 CLEVELAND NOSE WHEEL ASSEMBLY. Anyone have experience? Does anyone have a cross-sectional drawing of this wheel showing the maximum depth of those holes? I'd want to know that before trying to rethread, helicoil (unlikely to work) or install a thread-locking insert. Thx.

Islands in the sky. Photo taken from my Mooney somewhere over the U.S.

Somehow, runways on islands always seem to look like postage stamps! Have fun!

Hank- I could fly up and give you a ride back home if you want. I need to fly.

If that's part of a fence then it is a weird fence. Fences don't usually have black painted metal ribs and short white cylinders. Could it be part of an Instrument Landing System antenna?

Is that buckled skin aft of the rear windows where the empennage connects to the tubular steel frame?

Nope. I go power, pitch/trim, establish climb, flaps, then gear. I'm not talented enough to count seconds through all that. If I stop flap retract at something close to T/O I'm lucky. My point was more that I wish they had built a T/O trim detent into our flap controls.

Flying south this evening home after visiting the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Highly recommend it!

Very interesting. It seems that Wix is head-and-shoulders above the rest at total capture. Larger particles are more likely to do damage. I'd like to know what is the particle size where removal is a) most beneficial and b) essential for engine longevity?

$450 earlier this month for two altimeters and one encoder.

Did you also need a second wrist or elbow? If worth the space, could have my son 3-D print a receptacle of some kind. Not deep enough for a pen it sounds like. That would be the first thing I would think of using it for.

Related dumb question. If an aircraft does not have a KC290 autopilot controller installed in that location, I suppose that means that there is a hollow space behind the cover? How does one remove the blank cover? I'm thinking storage.