0TreeLemur

I have high school buddies who do that for a living- them that's still alive, that is. Of five, two are dead and one should be. The one who should be finished a pass and the morning sun glint of a nearby tower guy-wire made him think it was closer to him that it was. He pulled back into a full stall, which ended in a pancake with the chemical tank crushing his lower legs. Also continuous exposure to herbicides and pesticides doesn't seem conducive to happy retirement even if you never crash. Nothing about that job appeals to me.

Of interest, a NASA Tech. Note D-3970 published May, 1967, testing the utility of the PC system in assisting non-instrument rated pilots in flight in the case of inadvertent flight into IFR conditions. Interesting to see a Mooney referred to as a "test vehicle". Oddly, the words "Mooney", "Brittain", or "PC" don't appear in this TN. I guess they didn't want to appear to endorse any particular product or brand. Experienced test pilots conclude that the PC system significantly reduced flight workload, and results showed automatic recovery from the graveyard spiral. https://books.googleusercontent.com/books/content?req=AKW5Qaf63BDkGtbmb6iECe9nOJOykPLCHYZCGr9V0pW1EDbU_ITlHmmoy5sp8UOIfbt08BwtK1bca6a98i67Z5U_k8Fsfp-ZJzeAoaCMtfw_5SwVWpw7OWWYIguRjr95RGmuk9f5B5FmjLwABJFyuOtpTK2XCiWsaAG0nkOhyns7FGmmC6VeDO7MZsTdzlw18nTTUbaMKHyPfs8eBItFPsyte6wj88lYmz_1qZSVfyk8dh-qdz9GyAOSGx1_NBDPseUSdblER_qyj5otLSLrBJvCZJMdwjtjNg Short on references too.

That is a great question. I've thought about doing the same, but haven't yet. Please share what you find. I'm guessing that the Brittain system has its roots in WW-II aircraft or perhaps before that. Anybody know that history? Thanks to some help from MS members, I've assembled all the parts for the altitude/pitch hold. I have two each of the altitude hold and pitch hold modules. One of them should work! My plan is to bench test before installing in the aircraft. I've designed a bench test apparatus and am starting to assemble the needed parts for the test rig. I should be able to test both control modules. I need a bench vacuum source. Just curious, does anyone know off hand how much air flow a standard suction gyroscopic instrument requires at 5" Hg suction pressure? That will help me select a vacuum pump. It seems like rigging a used Rapco vacuum pump to work off an electric motor with a pulley system would be a PITA given its splined shaft. How fast does a Rapco pump turn at 2500 rpm engine speed? Have you seen the Brittain Altitude Hold Installation instructions? I think they exist in the MS downloads section in a big zip file containing Brittain stuff. If not PM me and I'll send it to you.

When I first saw this thread, I mistakenly thought it read "Al Mooney and his Drugs". Gotta read that.

Your wing leveler won't work without your Brittain DG unless you also have a Brittain gyro/valve system in the tail. I think that is an older (pre '67 models or older) feature. @takair has an electric step actuator that replaces the vacuum actuated retraction system. Might was well go all in with the vacuumless system.

Sadly, Cecilia Henderson of Brittain told me that the knowledge required to service those systems passed along with her brother Jerry couple of years ago. She knows of nobody else who can service that equipment. Wish I had better news for you. If someone else knows of some expertise out there, please share! Fred

My A&P did this today. Both sides. Thin film.

The law of airplane purchasing: It is worth your time to buy as much airplane as you can afford, with the features you want, because whomever got it into that condition will not recoup their investment. The corollary of this law is, if you buy somebody else's neglect, you will pay for it, and nothing in aviation is cheap. You might pay with your life. I agree with @MikeOH - RUN!!!

The permit just arrived in my inbox! 12 days after the first application. Apparently this DAR inspection thing is an Alabama thing. The rest of ya'll are save. I've heard theories about why the FAA is requiring DARs to issue ferry permits, but won't repeat them here. I guess it's because we're "special". Grrrr. I hear you. My Mississippi-based A&P IA has no problem getting one in Mississippi. Anyone needing a ferry permit from the Birmingham office, either in Alabama or NW Florida (LA) must pay a DAR to inspect their aircraft. That's just the way it is, as the DAR explained it to me.

For the sepo, fuel in litres is just mind boggling. Everything else made sense (knots, ft, ft/min).

That's publicly available info. Type in my N number and you'll get my address. It's the law, isn't it?

Recently I bought the lightweight carpet from SCS, with the soundproof backing. It will be interesting to see how it wears- it truly is lightweight and if you hold it up you can see light through the weave... It came with integral heel pads. Its an experiment. The carpet in our bird is really old, worn, and dirty. Haven't installed it yet. Waiting for annual to have A&P help with issues around fuel selector.

I've been tracking down and eliminating noise in my intercom. I found another source- the LED landing light switch. When I switch it on with the engine off, I hear a low-volume noise. The noise is a high frequency screechy noise. Not constant frequency, just noisy and variable- kind of a continuous low-level screech. When I put my hand on the landing light toggle switch and jiggle it a little, I can get that noise to stop. The connections are tight. The switch is tightly held to the panel. Something wrong with the switch? Anybody experience this?

Wondering if Lycoming has a similar note someplace?

Bitcoin mining.

Definitely true- I did that a few trips ago. To quote J. Clarkson, some poo came out.

Helps, sure. But my home drome does not have an A&P IA that I can afford or work with. A great IA that I used to work with flew west a couple of years ago. So I pay $500+ for a DAR to tell the FAA that she's airworthy. What a crock. There is an analogy here, and that's a strip club. A lot of money changes hands for no action. Except I didn't choose to go.

Mine was made in the 60's, and so was I- but three years before.

What I meant to where I wrote "unairworthy" was "not in safe flyable condition". Just what I was told, not what I know. And you are right, relationships matter. My A&P IA in Mississippi has no relationship with the folks in Alabama. That is certainly part of my problem.

Followup- according an acquaintance who is extremely well connected in all things aviation, the FAA no longer allows FSDO's to issue ferry permits. They transitioned that task to DAR's as a matter of policy. Apparently too many folks were getting ferry permits for unairworthy aircraft and somehow the FAA figured that out.

So, things have happened since I posted this question. I've been contacted by a DAR who is going to fly into my home airport this weekend to inspect the a/c. He told me that in the covid times, this is the way they want to do it. I suspect that this stems from the fact that the shop I'm working with is in Mississippi that has no relationship with the Alabama/NW Florida FSDO. My A&P told me that in Mississippi, it is no problem for him to request a ferry permit and get fast turn-around. The DAR wants so see the A&P's endorsement in the log certifying that the aircraft is airworthy. The only reason it technically isn't airworthy is because it's out of annual. What a pain. This is the most bureaucracy I've dealt with in a long time, and I work in the government sector! Anything specific I should be wary of, other than the whole process?

Ice storm prevented me from getting our M20C to the shop before the annual expired on March 1. My A&P IA applied for a ferry permit a week ago. Still no word. Seems like a black hole of information. A question for those of you with experience: what is the elapsed time to you expect to receive a ferry permit after you submit the application? I'm sure it depends on the FSDO, but I'm looking for ballpark numbers. Days? Weeks? How did they notify you? -Fred

This assumes your PC system is working. It seems that you only have one CDI (Nav 1). The Accutrak receives input from your CDI in most (all?) cases. If you had a second CDI that would be Nav 2. Go fly. Center the CDI on a GPS track or VOR radial to some distant point. Switch it on (TRAK=ON). It should keep you on course. I find setting SENS to LO is sufficient. No altitude hold function so you'll need to do that. Hope it works! If so, its awesome. If not, troubleshooting expertise on those abounds on MS. Fred

PC system is not an autopilot. It was not designed to hold a heading. So even with the PC system you must maintain heading. That said, if it is working properly, you can take your hands off for 10 seconds at a time and expect no upsets, even in light/mod. turbulence. Being driven by the TC, it rapidly detects roll and counteracts it. You must maintain heading with frequent, minor corrections unless it is perfectly calm. However, add the Accutrak and the PC system will follow a magenta line perfectly, even in 72 kt crosswinds. All you need to do is manage the trim to maintain elevation. Apollo-era technology still going strong. Also +1 for reactivating an existing related thread. Shows you are doing your research! Good on ya!

What's a monney?