0TreeLemur

M20J with no factory engine gauges:

The JPI EDM900 fuel flow sender in our previous C model was dialed in perfectly. It would say 43 gallons used, and when I filled it up, it took more or less 43 gallons. In our J model, the fuel flow sensor it isn't so accurate. Three weekends ago I flew 21 hours over three days. Lots of opportunities to compare indicated vs. actual fuel use. On one long cross country the totalizer said I used 50 gallons, when the actual use was 43. Another time, the JPI said I used 56 gal. when actual use was 62 gal. That's +15/-9% error. Anyone else dealt with this before? Thx.

I've got both. I've taken over several times from George when it has either disconnected due to turbulence, or failed to capture the vertical descent path (typ. due to operator error learning a new system or a slam dunk). I look at the steam gauges to get the quickest sight picture, especially the VSI and altimeter. The glass attitude indicator is easier to read than the vacuum one though.

The prior owner seems to have left it in the airplane, held to the panel with velcro. So maybe @ArtVandelay has the right idea. But I've got a plastic beard trimmer and an ooma VOIP box that both have had the same thing happen to them and they lived their entire lives indoors. Maybe it's humidity? Plenty of that to go around here in 'bama. I'll give it the @DonMuncy talcum powder treatment.

The Avidyne IFD-540 in our J came with a tiny bluetooth keyboard. The plastic on the keyboard case has become tacky (as in sticky feeling, not gauche or untastefully out of date). I tried magnetic tape cleaning isopropyl alcohol and rubbing. While that helped maybe a little, it's still tacky. What's the best way to deal with this? I've got several handheld electronic things that this has happened to as well. Some say baking soda solution. Before playing whack-a-mole, I seek professional advice. Oddly enough, I peeled the velcro off the back of the keyboard and in the area protected by the velcro adhesive the plastic feels normal. Thx. Fred

Of the three tires, the right main did not have one of those yellow painted brass/gasketed valve stem caps. I bought one and put it on the valve stem and made no difference. It's probably not the valve stem.

The right main tube on our J loses a couple of psi of air pressure per week. Doesn't seem to be anything in the tire. Can I just keep topping it off until the next annual or is this more urgent than I think it is?

I flew up/back 24 square burning 7.8 gph LOP in cruise. The engine monitor says that I burned just a tad under 10 gals up and back.

With fuel at my home drome at $6.50 and my tanks needing about 50 gallons, I flew 25 minutes north for a top off.

What audio panel do you have? If it is an older one that might be your problem. New ones sold today filter noise very well.

Hoskins strobe power supplies weight about 1/3 lb. I did go LED with the tail position/strobe and removed the power supply. Surprisingly light.

When I landed I had about 20 knots of headwind component, so I wasn't going that fast groundspeed. Still 70 KIAS over the fence. I landed on rwy 20 leaving an enormous amount of runway to coast. I couldn't even see the end. I used no more brakes than usual, just to make a turn-off. If no headwind, a little more wear on tires and bearings landing at higher TAS. It felt normal. The ground roll on takeoff on the other hand was noticeably longer. Instead of the usual 10-11 seconds, it was probably more like 20-25 seconds. With your four bladed fire breathing beast, you might not even notice much difference.

Those are rare. Usually you gotta buy the whole strobe to get one. Maybe somebody around here has one sitting on a shelf from an LED upgrade. Good luck.

Weekend before last I landed our J at SAF on rwy 20 with winds 230@18G30 , temperature 29C, and density altitude 9200'. So busy dealing with gusty crosswind component that the 8000' runway seemed immense. RJ's and 737s use that runway. Runway length is a non-issue for a piston single. Have a good trip.

Similar to mine:

Do you have a transponder antenna on top of your aircraft? I recall reading that all GA aircraft flying in Canadian airspace must broadcast ADS-B signals up to a satellite. Since in the US our default transponder position is on the belly, this creates a need to add a second antenna on top.

Wow Rich, what synchronicity. I did exactly the same thing in our C also amber colored, because the switch is hidden behind my left hand on the yoke so I was always forgetting to turn it off. My co-pilot always reminds me to switch it on or off when she's with me. It got to the point where I started to not enjoy when she caught me not switching it on/off before she asked me "how 'bout that pump?" In our "new" J, I synchronize flaps with pump. Flaps down, pump on. Flaps up, pump off.

Last week after leveling out and leaning at 11,500' with OAT 10C (way warmer than standard), I noticed the cyl 3 & 4 CHT's were in the 380's. Being used to seeing them in the 360's in cruise, and realizing the warm OAT, I opened the cowl flaps in our '83J to the first detent. Brought CHT's down to 330-340F with no discernible effect on IAS or GS. Makes a huge difference on CHT's with very little penalty on AS, if any.

Agree, digital tachometers are generally very robust. Usually they either work or they don't (low/noisy signal). Lots can go wrong with analog tachs.

NNE bound at 11,500 about 20 NM south of the Colorado-New Mexico border last Sunday (6/18), 154 KTAS burning 7.8 gph. The photo shows the canyon of the Rio Grande where it has cut through a ~30 million year old flood basalt deposit. In the distance is the San Louis valley in Colorado. Looks otherworldly.

I thought the answer to this question was "Big and Shiny!"

While northwest bound last Friday at 8,000 ft near Neosho, Kansas, I looked up and saw this on the windshield. It looks like I ran into a blob of viscous goo. No discernable feathers. Nothing that looked like blood. Some tissue. I heard/felt nothing. Anyone have a similar experience? I stopped for fuel in Goodland, Kansas, and the nice man who re-fueled the plane washed the windshield (!) destroying the evidence before I could get a good look at it. Any guesses on what caused this strange snarge to appear on my windshield? Let the good idea train roll.

It depends on state law. Some states still have "open range" laws on the books, declaring that it is the responsibility of vehicle operators to not hit livestock, not the responsibility of livestock owners to control where they go.

Followup. Saturday June 17 I flew my son from FNL (Fort Collins/Loveland) to visit Los Alamos, New Mexico on a house hunting trip. I filed IFR because of cloud cover in Colorado. My plan if smooth and calm was to land at LAM. Sadly, it was not smooth and calm. We flew through about 120 miles of mountain wave from Raton south to Ft. Union VOR. I finally got a block altitude because the KFC-150 was about to make us both puke trying to hold altitude. Winds at 12,000 were 240@45. At the surface they were 260@18G30. Landed at SAF with a real strong crosswind component. Lessons learned: - They did not issue a SIGMET for mountain wave in northern NM (or I possibly didn't get the memo) . - The KFC-150 is very aggressive about holding altitude. It will turn a Mooney into a roller coaster in mountain wave conditions. - In those conditions, get a block altitude and turn the altitude hold off. - Thanks to its longer rudder, the J model has quite a bit more rudder authority for crosswind landings than my '67C did with its shorter rudder. Roughest damned flight I've had since one of my cross-countries (LAA-PUB-TAD-LAA) as a 16 y.o. student. Look at that velocity trace... To our credit neither of us puked.

A superior pilot uses his superior judgment to avoid situations which require the use of his superior skill. - Frank Borman