0TreeLemur

When I wash, rinse and wax, I'll squirt a little water into the overhead vent and watch it run out the drain hose protruding from the belly. That tells me that it is open. I have flown through rain heavy enough to overcome the capacity of the drain, resulting in water coming out of the back vents into the cabin. Maybe its partially blocked, but looks ok to me. I suspect it is just capacity limited.

A while back I picked up a hangar mate after he dropped his RV off to get some work done on it. He is an 80-something retired USAF Col. and Delta Pilot. Well on this particular flight, I lowered the gear and the darn green light didn't come on. I raised my concern with the Col., saying "that's never happened before!" He pointed at the J-bar in the gear down and locked position and just laughed! It was an electrical issue on the indicator light. Have that happen with electric gear and nobody will laugh.

Tonight on a flight back from Gulf Shores after takeoff my Hobbs log booklet fell down on the floor without me noticing. Made locking the gear up impossible because it was under the J bar. Co-pilot got flashlight and fished it out. I couldn't see it. You won't have that problem with electric gear... That said, I don't mind the manual gear.

The cost for a 430W repair is a flat fee- something like 17 amu's now, I think. That's essentially an overhaul. They are robust units and "less used" ones are occasionally available. The probability of a problem is the variable. I'd say that probability is low unless your Mooney has poorly sealed instrument bay panels. Ask me how I know... Furthermore, some prefer knobs over a touch screen in turbulence.

I know of a C that sold with a mid-time engine, three axis AP, weepy tanks, no engine monitor, no WAAS GPS, in the last month in the 60-amu range. Here's my take on what listing that the OP included: 1. Newly overhauled engine. Reputable shop? If so, add 12 amu's. If not, question the deal. 2. Recent tank reseal. That's a 7 amu add. 3. New interior. Add 4 amu's 4. Recently overhauled B hub prop, add 5 amu's. no annoying ECI's or reason to overhaul. 5. WAAS gps. Add 8 amu's 6. No 3-axis AP, deduct 10 amu's 7. No primary engine monitor, shame. This is essential equipment as far as I'm concerned. 8. Needs a paint job, deduct 15 amu's. Assuming overhaul was by reputable shop, that l leaves us with: (drum roll): 71 amu's. 80 would be about right if it didn't need a paint job... 80 amus is too high for this C. But then again, that's the asking price. Offer 65 and settle on 70 or 71. My 0.00002 amu's worth. Fred

I'll be contrarian. A 430W can be had for considerably less these days if you buy it right. Coupled with your Appareo ADS-B transponder and Stratus + iPad you have the lowest price point for a very capable IFR panel.

Filled up yesterday evening for $4.10 at HAB in rural west Alabama. Driving home from the airport I saw local car gas prices as high as $4.09. Lowest differential I've ever seen. Bound to be transient.

I too disagree with the word "lowly" in title of this thread. The C model fits a specific mission very well. The lowest average cost Mooney is a fantastic two-adult airplane, and hauls 4 in a pinch. Carburetor has pluses/minuses, but they are simple and reliable. I could afford to upgrade to a newer "modern" Mooney but I don't want to. Upgrading to a J gets me 15-20 minutes earlier arrival on a 400 NM trip. The additional cost plus all the uncertainty that comes with a new airframe doesn't make sense to me.

Acknowledging that nothing lasts forever, it is a question of remaining life. Corrosion is the airframe killer. When I bought our C that was distant knowledge. A year after buying our '67 C and learning more about Mooney corrosion issues, I took our airplane to a MSC for a detailed 208-B and spar corrosion inspection. Fingers crossed. It passed with high marks. Our C has lived in many places, but spent over half of its life in the desert SW and very little time in coastal regions. Significant, unhangared exposure in coastal environments is a red flag. Since log books don't note whether or not an airframe is hangared, the only way to be sure is to have it inspected by someone who knows what they are looking for.

Thanks Brent- that's cool. I'm eager to get that data exchange working.

That's exactly what I was hoping to see but didn't. Can't wait to continue troubleshooting this at the weekend!

The bulk of avgas is still BTEX, isn't it? I always thought that the TEL is what made our fuel more expensive than UL because it is made globally only at one facility in the UK. Am I wrong? It seems to me that at least in the US, BTEX+TEL+tax should be TEL+tax higher than UL? That is unless you to to one of those "red-carpet/white gloves, free water, soda and mints, FOLLOW-ME golf cart type" FBOs.

Thanks Paul. I agree with your preference to have fuel remaining at destination. Presently the EDM is set up to send Shadin format data, and the 430W is configured to send back Aviation format data. The JPI website is byzantine. I've had trouble finding definitive instructions on doing this setup. If you can send a link to those instructions I'd appreciate it. Fred

We had a new audio panel installed in our C. While they were in there, I had them connect the JPI EDM-900 to the Garmin 430W. Did a test flight today and downloaded the JPI data. Before takeoff I entered a FPL into the 430. Looking at the JPI data on Savvy's site, I expected to see "from-to" info field populated. I did not see that. Still empty. I failed to verify that the 430 is receiving waypoint and fuel data from the EDM-900, so I have another test flight. 430 set to provide "Aviation" format data to the JPI, and the JPI is set to send option 1 "Shadin" format data to the 430. No warning flags on either. Anybody been down this road before? Thanks, Fred

In the past year I read somewhere that big G expects to support the 430 series until at least 2024. Sorry I can't provide a source.

Thanks @Alan Fox! And thanks @carusoam! Hope to get to lift one some day. I saw something somewhere that I think was a Mooney scrapping party. Let me know if you ever have another!

-a- is the all knowing Dean of Mooneyspace...

Aeroflot wasted some fuel yesterday (28Feb2022)

Go Brittain! You just gotta be in a real secret club. We put a 3-axis vacuum actuated, Apollo-era, full autopilot in our C for less than about 5 amus. Went in owner assisted like a dream. Great way to go if you can find the parts and don't mind going analog (and old school), and have friend who can help.

^^^^ That's my guess too. Inquiring minds can't wait to find out...

When was it last done? Most shops guarantee their work against leaks for 7 years. It your last reseal was considerably more than 7 years ago, chasing leaks is probably a bad idea. If you search "tank reseal site:mooneyspace.com" you'll get a lot of info. We had our tanks resealed a couple of years ago. It ain't cheap. Chasing leaks sounds cheap if you're lucky, expensive if you're not. I recall reading one or more posts saying that there is a shop doing reseals in Houston. I recall reading satisfied reviews.

Recently read an article (MS Thesis) comparing the different GNSSs. GLONASS uses a different frequency for each satellite. A test done by the Norwegian Navy showed that jamming GLONASS requires about 7dB more power than that required to jam GPS. The GPS system specs are ridiculous. -150dBm power levels at our receiver!! A low power transmitter is all it takes to overwhelm any GNSS system. In another thread there was a good discussion of the need for a more powerful ground-based GPS system, especially around airports.

My 1948 Willy's CJ2A is EMP proof, so I can drive it to the airport. The M20 will start, and allow my to fly until I can't fill up with fuel because all the electronic card-actuated gas pumps will be shot... Maybe start flying with a pipe wrench and long siphon hose? We'd all mostly be screwed. Hope it never comes to that.

For a good read on what goes into an overhaul, read Don Maxwell's article "Field Overhauls" where he explained what his shop does here: https://web.archive.org/web/20180718211708/http://donmaxwell.com/publications/ In fact many articles there provide useful info to the Mooney owner.

I'm guessing that adjusting the max rpm on the prop governor will fix your problem. Should make something like 2660-2670 rpm in a full power static ground test. Hopefully it won't be a big deal. Attachments to new engines will sometimes require adjustment as things work into a new equilibrium. I've not had the joy yet of living through an overhaul, but I'd guess squawks are common in the first 100 hours. Good luck, looking forward to hearing about success.