0TreeLemur

Just returned from my first big IFR cross-country that took us from AL-WY-CO-TX-AL. Got about 4 hours of actual and flew through a lot of rain. I'm pleased to report that the weatherstripping suggested by @Hector plus the rain shield shown above worked wonders. No issues with the avionics in our C. I recommend the weather stripping. Using the black tar-rope of death in a hot hanger in Alabama is not an option. That stuff just is unworkable.

@Skates97 this is a good point. I view the landing gear in my C as "speed brakes" so I can get the flaps down!

where's what's-his-name??

The 50+ y.o. airframe on our C spent much of its life in dry climates, but since moving to the SE about 9 years ago some minor corrosion has started on the tubular frame. None on the spar. This week she leaves the MSC with a completely new coating/corrosion-proofing, both inside and outside of the tubes. Have been told that the final tally will be about 2-3 months payment on a Cirrus after 4 weeks in the shop. That's how I look at it.

Rudy Aircraft Instruments in Arkansas took a used indicator that I purchased, overhauled, calibrated, and repainted the face to POH arc/limits. I love it.

I agree- if you buy it right with a good PPI by an expert.

@DustinNwindThe full-size Brittain TCs that control the wing leveler are the model TC100. You can find them and their little attached can-like "inverter" for sale on eBay for not too much (a few hundred $), then have them overhauled by a reputable repair shop of which there are several. That will replace the gyro that -a- mentioned in the tail. You'll need to get the approval of Brittain to do all this. They are replying to e-mails but still in the process of transferring their STC to new owners, was the last I heard.

I don't see it. Work done at 5:00 a.m. can and does disappear.

Treatment with goops/sprays/lotions and potions is often done with a spray nozzle. Mechanics love doing it. When that is not enough, SB-208B describes what/how to control corrosion once it starts. In non-arid climates with dew points regularly above say 60F for parts of the year, condensation will occur. This is a particularly big deal for the tubular steel frame in our Mooney's, for in places where paint has lost its 'stickum' to the steel, corrosion will begin. Water leaks in around old and poorly sealed windows, poorly sealed instrument bay panels, dorsal air vent with plugged drain tube or other problems. It can run aft along the floor and members and accumulate near the main spar and cause corrosion there. If it enters inside the tubular steel frame, those will corrode from the inside out. That can happen where old steel screws that penetrate the tube wall have corroded. SB-208B requires regular inspections for incipient corrosion. This requires removal of most of the interior panels. Sometimes corrosion begins in the upper portion of the tubular steel frame, which means removing the plastic headliner and giving those steel pipes a look-see. Depending on climate, hangared/tie-down, IFR/not, do it occasionally. The steel tubes in our a/c are just itching to start corroding. Coating them with corrosion-X or some such inhibitor is a great thing to do. Working with someone that knows what they are doing is important. Finding major corrosion in a Mooney is the equivalent of standing up when the music stops... Don't let it get bad. I'm up to speed on this because my bird is in the shop getting all kinds of tubes sanded and re-painted. It is a big job. Pushes one out on the "cost-of-ownership" curve.

Since the installation of ADS-B I find it incredible how many others out there within 5 miles that I don't see. Little white airplanes against a hazy sky can be really difficult to find, even when you have data where they are. Sometimes they are hard to spot within 1 mile. I hate that. A 717 will fit right behind the frame between the windshield and door until it is within 1/2 mile. Assume there is someone in the pattern NORDO. My PPL instructor used to urge me to fight against "fat, dumb, and happy" by trying to remain alert, smart, and grumpy.

Everyone would probably fit inside a truncated gamma distribution like this. (except for a few outliers...)

I really have enjoyed watching your work on this. Thanks a bunch for sharing. I'm gonna do that in a year or two, right be fore we get 'er painted.

I like to use these to lay tools on wings. If you put them latex side down, they don't slide off the wings.

^^^^^^^^^ This Pre-buy cannot detect when the seal on the tanks is gonna go. We got unlucky and were standing up when that music stopped playing. Leaking right main increased suddenly from a thimble full overnight to a half gallon overnight. A full strip -n- reseal is at least $7500. Just one example. I could go into more but I don't want to relive it.

Can't see it- does it by chance have Brittain altitude hold?

Thanks for your reply.

Do the rear seat belts have shoulder harnesses too? If so, I'd be interested in buying all the rear seat belts.

Paul's list is an all-inclusive excellent set that will be almost impossible to find all together. I kind of like @McMooney 's priorities. The time since major overhaul is a price deduct if high, so I wouldn't necessarily rule out something with 1300-1400 SMOH. Most 2-blade props have the 100 h eddy-current inspection requirement, so that should be a lower priority. It adds $2 to $3 per hour to the cost of flying if you have to do it. Maybe you buy a plane with slightly leaky tanks- another deduction from the purchase price. Autopilot is optional if you like to fly by hand. A working PC system will follow a magenta line quite nicely when equipped with an Accutrak or some such doohicky. If you have GPS you don't need DME. GPS is DME. Plus, the old DME's of yore are power hungry and heavy. Skip that from your list. Have it inspected for corrosion by someone who knows what they are doing. That is the biggest show stopper. The rest is just money.

A good LED landing light that has gratings over some of the LEDs and that casts some light to the sides like a taxi light makes taxiing a lot safer.

Our '67C only had two wires (+/-) for the original Grimes Type E position lights. So we had to run two more wires, one for strobe power (+14V) and the other sync line, which just connects the two 650's. If your aircraft already has strobe power going out there, you might only need to run the sync wire.

Yes, Whelen 650's - look great after we did this install. The extra two wires needed by the 650's to power the strobes and sync are a PITA to run out the wing. The issue it that there is no direct access to the bay directly forward of the fuel tanks, at least in my a/c. I've got special tools that we custom configured to route those wires, which required some clever contortion and overall smart thinking. I take issue with @Raptor05121's claim that they are "super easy to wire". Once the two additional wires are run, they were easy. Running those wires was absolutely not easy. It took two hours of grunting, bending, scraping, sweating and swearing to do the first wing. 1-1/2 hours to do the second. but I loved every minute of it.

Seems infinitely sensible, given that parts availability for our our "legacy" aircraft is becoming limited by dwindling demand... Keeping a relic "certified" in the same category as a new aircraft seems unlikely. I might hope they pull it off. At least until I understand what the reaction of the insurance industry might be to such a change... If it goes the wrong way, it might mean that "certified" parts become unavailable such aircraft in this new category.

If your a/c has scat hoses, they might be shot. My bird had mud dobber nests in there that were blocking most of the airflow. No kidding.

I like stopping. Visiting a new-to-me aerodrome reminds me of why air travel is so cool. Stretch the legs, talk with strangers, get a short feel for a new place. In a way it kind of reminds me when I was working on my PPL way back when I was 16, visiting far-off distant places that I'd only heard of. Like @Hank I start to get crampy after about 3 to 4 hours of sitting still.