David Lloyd

6000 Hours between Mooney and Bonanza, the landing gear always went down entering the pattern (little airport) or at 1000' above touchdown (big airport). Always. Now after 8 years in the RV, I have finally got out of the habit on short final of checking, then saying out loud, "three in the green." Hope it doesn't take that long to get back in the habit!

Had #4 stick a couple times for several seconds in flight before it stuck one morning at startup. Found it then. Had to drive the valve out of the guide with a 7/16" wooden dowel and hammer. Like knee replacement surgery, best not to watch.

Intermittent stuck valve.

Actually did that in VFR conditions a couple months back just to see if I could still remember how. Yep.

Recently been flying with a Garmin GTN750. Either ILS or LPV, this thing makes an approach so easy, a piece of cake. If an ILS minimums are 200 & 1/2 and LPV minimums are 300 & 1 and reported weather is 400 & 1, I will go for the ILS every time. Reason: Far to many times I have flown an approach and found the ceiling to be lower than reported. If I'm flying in low weather, I'm going to play my best card first.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Tax Collector $624.46 this year bas on an assessed value of $60,000 on the RV7. Pretty much the same each year since Charlotte annexed the airport. Before it was a little over half that.

I'm retired. Thinking of trading the RV for a Mooney.

Someone on another forum said, "Never feel sorry for a man with an airplane."

And sometimes city taxes too.

That is going to be a nice looking panel. Please give a pirep later on the PAR200A audio panel/com radio. Jesse Saint & crew will do a terrific job, they are really nice people. From the VAF site, a number of times when someone was AOG in Florida, Jesse offered help, went and repaired. Side note, google Nate Saint, Jesse's either grandfather or uncle.

Exactly what I did in a Bonanza with the same problem in 1984. Was working fine without another lube when I sold it 24 years later.

Rusty airplane, rusty pilot, high terrain, ending in the dark. What could possibly go wrong?

Ach! "inclined." Gyro humor.

It isn't acting odd. It is just an indicator built for a 8 degree tilt installed in a 0 degree tilt panel. Look at the way the mid-sixties panel are made with the bend in between the top and bottom row of instruments--8 degrees. That bend is what makes 0 degree where the AI mounts. Mooney must have got a deal on a ton of 0 degree tilt military surplus gyros when they were making decisions on their panels. The right side panel appears to be 8 degree tilt. Anyone that modifies their old Mooney with a one piece panel (ala Bob Bellville), the entire panel will be 8 degree. Most instruments can be rebuilt for either. Will work fine in the meanwhile, just looks odd.

Toilet paper over or under? Big time opinionated electrical engineer buddy does what you do, wants me to do the same with his airplane. His reasoning is there is more of a chance of a large power fluctuation at startup than any other time. I've always tuned the master and alternator on prior to start and turned them off last.