David Lloyd

My 1975 was weighed at the factory with full fuel. The weight was backed out based on the fuel weight at 80*F. They also measured wheel centers to correct for disc compaction. Useful load was 936. Over the years, a lot of stuff was changed, radios, mods. Some showed up on the W&B, others... ? Two years ago, I put in another leather interior, removed a huge amount of extra foam insulation, installed some new radios and had the plane weighed. Shop disconnected the fuel line and pump all possible from the tanks, then drained the remains from the tank sumps. They only got out another cup and a half per side. Put in the unusable fuel, leveled and weighed. Useful load was now 828. Just for fun I added all the stuff not installed at the factory: bladders, 3 blade prop, wing tips, all the 201 mods, articulating seats, stormscope, HSI system, Stec auto pilot, extra for the leather seats, powerflow exhaust for a total of 108 pounds. Yep, without all the extra stuff, it would have weighed just what it did leaving Kerrville. Every now and then I do believe in coincidences.

N314EB you will need to figure what the EB Anything to do with Green Acres? One Eb to another.

Was that a clutch plate from an Ovation?

Some older non-waas gps units such as the 430 and 530 will work, some older stuff may not. What do you have? Dynon Certified website has a FAQ section under customer support. Answers some of your questions.

WAAS does not make anything IFR. In fact, you might not even be able to buy a non-WAAS GPS any longer. It doesn't matter if you buy a Garmin G3X, Garmin G500, Dynon Skyview, etc., they are mainly fancy displays. Each needs an IFR navigator such as a Garmin 430, 530, 650, 750, 175, 355, 375 or Avidyne 440, 550 etc. to be able to file IFR and fly a GPS approach. Dynon does not and has stated many times they have no intention of developing an IFR navigator. They do have a fine display that can be used for IFR as long as it is connected to an appropriate navigator.

I had Dynon Skyview in my RV7. Loved it. When I looked at upgrading the Mooney, I watched as Dynon missed promised action on autopilot approvals. Not altogether their fault but since the Dynon would not play with my working 60-2 Stec I went in another direction. Two years ago, if Dynon showed progress with Mooney approvals, it would be in my panel rather than GI-275s. And the reason Dynon uses a WAAS GPS is to provide position info for ADSB using only their system. In addition, they use that position info to add stability to their ADAHRS an provide a very nice VFR only GPS navigator. The ADSB approved antenna is about $600. If you were to use another source for the ADSB info, you could use a less expensive (about $250) Dynon antenna that would add stability to their ADAHRS and provide a very nice VFR only GPS navigator. Either way, Dynon recommends using their antenna. The STC may demand it.

Carrying passengers, I always tried to make the flight as boring and smooth as possible. Sleeper, good job.

That does not look worn. Small sprockets need a snug chain. Better check the instructions on how snug.

Continentals on a Bonanza would have a high crankcase pressure if the front crankshaft seal was leaking. I had one seal leak in thousands of hours, several engines. It caused a lot more oil than normal to exit the breather. The oil dripping of the tail skid made it obvious something was going on. Another cause of high crankcase pressure could be from a large amount of piston ring blowby. Again, a lot more oil than normal would exit the breather. Blocking or restricting the breather would blow out the front crankcase seal. You would notice the big oily mess. Some people said that repositioning the breather outlet could suck more oil out of the crankcase making for an oily mess. Without the oily mess, I would look for another cause of high oil consumption.

Partially remove the seat back cover and see if the support tubes are in place. If so, the headrest support is fairly easy to make with a couple feet of 1/2" tube and a 6x3x3/16" aluminum. Airtex can provide the appropriate foam block and cover as needed.

AGL Aviation at MRN, Morganton-Lenoir airport. Lynn Mace. They got a web site with phone numbers. Just search here and you will find a great reputation.

Shucks, I thought 2.42 was supposed to make these "more robust". 2.41, 2.42 were the shots and 2.43 is the booster? Now I am really suspicious this will work.

When Richard Collins at Flying Magazine wrote almost yearly about things that killed people in airplanes. Some were mentioned above. Another common factor was a combination of darkness, mountains and weather. Airplane doesn't care if it is dark. Airplane doesn't care what is below. Aside from thunderstorms or ice, it really doesn't care what the weather is like. Handling each is up to the pilot-in-command. Treat each flight professionally and you will get professional results. Have a plan, follow the plan. Have a plan B. And at least have a plan C thought out. Lack of planning will give poor results.

That multi page confession said it all! No judgement whatsoever.

The CQ1 owners are RV owners and quite active in that community, see vanairforce.net. I will suggest they advertise here. Looks like the QT but with some improvements. A few years ago when they started building headsets they said something about a microphone that stays in place. I've had a QT for years and have realized every few minutes I am repositioning that sucker. They have recently added bluetooth capability. I have been switching back and forth between my Halo and DC with the Headsets ANR. Clamp or reposition, get tired of one, do the other. My social security check is increasing this month, may be time for a new headset.

I have had too many comm radio issues to rely on only one comm. One nav, one gps, one autopilot, one audio panel, one transponder, two comms. Check my panel, PAR200B is audio panel and comm.

I did pretty much the same, looking at all general aviation accidents. My conclusion was if doing the stupid stuff was avoided (continued VFR into IFR conditions, busting minimums, buzz jobs, running out of gas, etc.), flying a single engine was nearly as safe as flying a turboprop. For the last 8 years before I retired, fully 1/3 of my hours were at night. If the weather was flyable, I went. Averaged 250 hours per year, IFR currency was never an issue. Current, Competent and Confident, I like that.

Others say to go with a new GPS. I agree. G5s or 275s. Either. The GFC500, Yep. Do it all at once. Yep. The new stuff is just incredibly good. The 275 can display from either the GNX375 or KX165.

DC has a 5 year warranty. Hopefully yours falls in that period. I have had two ANR failures, both required a new ear module to fix. Each had pops, clicks, hums but not a squeal.

More than 40 years ago, one of my customers told me he had a Mooney inherited from his father. Over the course of a couple years he convinced me how great a Mooney is. After a trip to New Mexico in our Cherokee 140, I slammed the door, sold it and bought a Mooney. Changed airplanes a few times and bought my second Mooney a couple years ago. Soon after buying, a friend wanted a ride and commented the last time he was in a Mooney was about 40 years before, with a girlfriend's father. 'A guy named Fortenberry, had some kind of conveyor business in south Charlotte." Small world, the guy that inherited the Mooney and the conveyor business in south Charlotte, still owns that same Mooney and the same, very successful business.

And the ailerons were changed at that time. The older style, the control forces were too much for the PC to overcome. Many older airplanes had the PC installed later but had the newer ailerons added.

The 275 Pilot Guide says you can select from ISA, OAT and TAT. Then goes on to another subject not telling you what each does. How do ISA and OAT differ? For our Mooneys, is TAT the most appropriate setting?

I get next to no flow or heat from the defrost vents or heat vents until level and the cowl flaps are shut. Then there is plenty of heat and about enough from the defrost vents to defog the windshield in about 30 minutes. Others here have reported the same on older models.

Speaking of bladder mysteries, my C has the 27.4 gallon bladders that go in the same place that formerly held 26 gallons. How is that possible? Is one of the bladders in a previously unused part of the wing? Have wondered for a while but haven't ever seen an explanation.

Dark and marginal weather, got too low and snagged some power lines. CTL is NA at night, ATC cleared him for left pattern, VFR. ATC and crew worked together to skirt the rules. That's the kind of thing that gets rules changed later. Just watched a security video, looked like a tight turn, possibly a stall, a steep descent, then the power lines. Either way, marginal night weather, hilly terrain, non-precision approach: Beware!