0TreeLemur

Isn't the rule "look both ways"?

Hang out in any decent MS thread and it will go off topic.

Unless you are a wiz at boolean search, I find the best way to search mooneyspace is through google. In the search box type keywords like: "repair pc system site:mooneyspace.com" Google will then search mooneyspace.com for those key words. Several of us here on MS have working 3-axis autopilots in our C, all Brittain. Here's a great article: https://knr-inc.com/shoptalk-articles/25-shoptalk/91-201806-pc-systems

Something is loose. That shouldn't happen.

"What is Lasar"

During a BFR years ago in a 172, the instructor pulled out the throttle and said the obligatory "Ok, you've lost your engine- where you going to land?" I spied a gravel road with no power lines, no traffic and lined up with it. At about 20 feet AGL I glanced at him expecting him to tell me to go-around. He didn't. So I landed. Then he said "let's go". That road was barely 20' wide.

Ethical considerations prevent aviation safety professionals from engaging in speculation about the cause of a crash without access to all the information. Do you consider yourself an aviation safety professional? I do. So with regard to the first question in the poll, I'd answer that we should avoid speculation. With regard to the second question in the poll, I'd prefer we wait until the information is available, which usually accompanies the NTSB report but not always. It takes a while. Speculating after watching doorbell cam footage of a crash and presuming that's enough to draw educational conclusions is unwise. Voyeuristic at best in my opinion. Calling it "shameful" is perhaps a bit harsh. "Likely to be wrong and a waste of time" might be more like it. If you want to learn from past accidents, take a walk through the NTSB archives. That's where you'll learn things like: Never assume you have enough fuel. Always check for water in the fuel. Don't take cold medications then fly night IMC. When you do fly, only fly airworthy aircraft. Don't try to penetrate a thunderstorm. Avoid steep turns in the pattern. Don't fly in the pattern at less than 1.3 Vso. etc... When was the last time anyone learned anything earthshaking from Monday morning quarterbacking? Finally, "experts in the news" is subjective. Does Scary Mary count? For each and every expert there is an equal expert with the opposite opinion. After the facts come out, one opinion is usually shown to be incomplete, based on faulty assumptions, and wrong. There are exceptions to all this. A great recent example comes from the case of the duuuud who intentionally crashed poor his airplane after an "engine failure" when he "happened" to be wearing a parachute while wielding a camera on a selfie stick to film the whole thing... That one deserved Monday morning quarterbacking!

Best first investment is a primary engine monitor. Allows you to get rid of a bunch of gauges and hard-to-read tiny little easy-to-ignore meters that live down by your co-pilots left knee-cap. Keeps flammables outside the firewall. Allows you do diagnose power problems and actually warns you when something is wrong. 4AMUs+install. Add a WAAS GPS. Add a Appareo ADS-B out transponder if you don't have that capability. If you pay full install, you have spent 20 AMU's and have the beginning of a very capable "modern" airplane. If you have good hand skills and can work with your A&P, you can do most of the labor on the engine monitor install. Maybe you'll have some funds left over to start thinking about an autopilot. We've gone Brittain, 3-axis, old-school, low tech, vacuum driven that requires friends in the know to maintain. But it cost 20% what a "modern" autopilot would cost. I've run the value calculations, & to me putting G5's in a C isn't particularly wise if you have a capable GPS from a financial standpoint. Unless you just hate steam gauges, a six-pack is still a powerful thing, and backup AHRS is not very expensive.

FAQ worthy- if MS had a FAQ section. I'd put it under the paint/finishes/cleaning section.

In situations where there are towers, but you can eyeball that they are not growing fast and no anvils, I'll ask center what their radar looks like on a particular heading. If they say it looks like only light precip in a gap about 10 miles wide or greater, then I'll consider going through. Their radar is real-time and they are usually happy to tell you what they see. I find them a great resource in such situations.

I always have the AV20 showing the AI when flying in IMC as a second source. On the plus side, it's got other nice timer functions built in too. The AV-20S starts a timer when your airspeed tops 40 knots. Useful for tank switching in case you forgot to note the time you took off. On the minus side it's AOA function is not worth turning on.

WOW! That's the stuiff of carrier landings! I think I recall reading that they used to do a "drop test" to certify airframes for carrier landings before letting them try it. Maybe they still do? I imagine that Mooney was dripping fuel from broken tank sealant? Or is the "hard landings cause tank leaks" a myth too?

I'm gonna try this seal. The weatherstripping solution reduced airflow, but not noise. A ride in the other M20C on my field showed me how loud the wind noise is around my door. Hoping that the aircraftdoorseals.com seal works to stop both.

I love this simple, short thread. If MS had a FAQ, this would be a great entry under "Carburetor Adjustment" Thanks @Clarence and @PT20J for sharing your experience. I've got an appointment with an A&P to install an O/H carb on our C. This info will help me help him.

Mike gets money by suing people who have insurance and/or assets. As you wrote, uninsured motorists are not often wealthy. Big settlements yield very little gain from them because they don't have assets. Insured motorists on the hand represent potential deep pockets for personal injury/accident lawyers. First, if you have liability insurance your insurance company is on the hook. Second, if the award exceeds the insurance liability limit, then they go after policy owner's assets, garnish wages, etc. Airplane owners are great targets for injury lawyers for the obvious reasons.

Appeared on AVWeb just today. Good advice for folks considering major avionics upgrades in today's supply-chain/labor disrupted market. https://www.avweb.com/avionics/used-avionics-market-more-volatile-than-ever/?MailingID=954&utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Honeywell+Boeing+757+Turns+40%2C+SpaceX+Required+To+Mitigate+Environmental+Impact+Of+Planned+Launches&utm_campaign=Honeywell+Boeing+757+Turns+40%2C+SpaceX+Required+To+Mitigate+Environmental+Impact+Of+Planned+Launches++-+Tuesday%2C+June+14%2C+2022

Thanks Rich @Skates97! Really appreciate it. So, the bend in the arm at the float points forward! I thought it would point aft. So much for my thinkin'. I appreciate you letting us know you have those parts available James @jamesm. Somebody will need them. I bought a removed set from someone a couple of years ago just in case this happened. I replace the left one last year, and now must do the right. Gotta send that off to Air Parts of Lockhaven for rebuild. In my experience, when they are working, the old analog senders are fine. According to the logs on our bird, they worked fine until recently- meaning they lasted over 50 years. The right hand sender recently developed a noisy signal. It just occurred to me that before sending off for a rebuild and replacement, I should probably double check all the connections between the sender and the JPI EDM900. Signal noise like this from a variable resistor just seems odd...

@Jpravi8tor thanks, but my fuel senders don't look like that. They look like this:

Our C has a bent belly comm antenna, and the ELT antenna is installed just forward of the fuselage rib at the forward end of the hat rack, slightly left of centerline.

Anyone want to take a swing at this softball?

In our O-360 the oil doesn't turn black until after 25-30 hours. Just flew 10 hours after a change and it is the color of maple syrup.