JETmachine

The STC calls for the Strikefinder to be placed here (arrow). This antenna was installed 20 yrs ago and shows lightning in the Sierras when flying around San Francisco. Last winter when working in the hangar during a storm, the Strikefinder lit up during lightning strikes. The VOR antennas are in the wing tips. The ELT is in the glass dorsal fin and checks Okay with ground control. That said, the Strikefinder is sensative to about 200 miles in this position. jt

Bill made easy work of a problem when I STC'd the '93 24v LYC onto the '63C 12v AC. The engine doesn't care if its 12v or 24v. He counseled to remove the shower spark parts. exchange the bimetal oil temp sensor (if anyone is about convert their 0-360 to an IO-360, shout out: Connecting the bimetal sensor is an easy but not an obvious fix.) And, saved me from replacing the ignition/starter (Bendix) key by flipping the switch upside down. By removing the 3/8"s brass terminal link, the 1963 switch worked perfect without further alterations with the '93 single drive mags. Some of us had the good fortune to meet Bill at the San Antonio Home Coming circa 2002. Some may recall Bill talking about the 540 they put on an M20E. Bill said the Commanche 250 guys would stop by the factory occasionally. Bill would fly the 540 E with the 250. Bill brought the house down with his tale about getting the dude's 250 going flat out. Then Bill hit it with the 540 E flying away and pulling straight up just to tick the 250 off. Of course several of us asked if Mooney had any paper on that mod. No such luck. Apparently in those days, Bill, Roy and others were AC hot rodders experimenting to see what worked. Those days are long gone but the memories live on. jt

I spoke with Bill Wheat (my 1963 logbook's flight test pilot entry) about the the C's Vne. Wheat noted the 63 M20C had a two-piece windshield. In those days, they picked a number they thought would be Okay. Bill went on to say, the 1/4" 201 windshield mod has been tested up to 240mph. My concern was flutter. Wheat said flutter is not possible in an Mooney. He observed that the control surface hinge-lines are not 90-degrees to the longitudinal axis making flutter impossible. The inspiration for 175KT was a talk by Roy LoPresti describing how he got 200mph out of 200hp in 1976. LoPresti, as Mooney's CEO and test pilot came out of the US Atlis missile development program with his specialization in parasitic drag reduction. LoPresti said he took a Mark 21 (lighter and 29" shorter than the J model). LoPresti said they sat outside looking at the AC trying to imagine how to reduce drag. That led to the rake on the cowl & windshield. the square wingtip vorticies drag was reduced with aerodynamic wingtips. The drag was reduced around the high psi of the belly's seven panels by removing and designing a single-piece belly pan that smooth the surface in the high psi area. Aileron counter-weights were taken out of the slip-stream and put inside the wingtips. Wing-fusalage mod smoothed the transition between body and wing. It turns out, Mooney bought the North American P-51 wing jig (in the 1950s?) which accounts for the excellent high speed performance.

Please walk us through your technique for searching for a rusty cam during a PPI. Curious minds want to know. A&P COM GLD SEL IFR Dude here. (suggestions how to flip pic are welcome, grrr))

Tomgo2, My 1963 M20C modified is powered by a 1993 IO360A3B6D with 980 TTSN. The mod includes the 1993 M20J cowl and McCulley prop. Question: Can a RayJay turbo attach to a fuel injected engine? Question II: The 190kts on the M20C is impressive given the unmodified Cs don't have the LoPresti aerodynamics of the J-models. 175KT is the shortest bodied M20C, with the 1/4" J windshield, Cowl, one-piece belly-pan, wing-tips, wing-root mod, and the empenage speed mods causing me to wonder how all the drag reduction would play with the RayJay equiped 200hp power. We made a two-way pass at sealevel at 55F, 28"mp & "2700rpm on radar at 204mph. If the RayJay can be installed on a fuel injected LYC, what will that set me back, and how long would the installation take. Where is your shop. We are in the San Francisco area.

Thanks, Mike. So, if someone is parting out an STC'd RayJay equiped Mooney M20C, the parts-buyer could install the the turbo with the original STC attached to the 337 avoiding a nasty $$$ installation bill, maybe.

Steve, Am I reading your posts correctly? Did the engine go south over the weekend?! If yes, was it from over-boosting the engine with the Ray-Jay Turbo? jt Flying from the SF Bay Area over western mountians, I've lusted for a turbo. So, following this thread is much more intersting that sales propagnda. NOTE: A good friend has an M20 K. The '63 (light/short) M20C-modified w/200hp leaves the K in the dust up to 5'K when he blows by me like I'm in revears. Years ago, flying out of Watertown into Oshkosh (80 Mooney formation-yikes) I was wingman to a 231 with the '63C 200hp. In the climbing departure to the I had to power back to maintain position with the 231 (heavier/longer). Again, at 5K, the game is over as the turbo eats my lunch. Question: Can a RayJay be fitted to a IO-360A3B6D, or do they only attach to carburated engines?

Installing the M20J Edo-Aire Mitchell electric trim on a '63M20C is an easy power-trim upgrade since the 2A3 Type Certificate is the same for all models. Problem: the equipment lists obviously changes from year-to-year. So, if there is an Edo-Aire Mitchell electric trim STC out there (or even the STC #) it would be a huge help with the paperwork. Any PM's are appreciated. Cheers! jt.

Dang

Aggie, How do you change the order of pictures in an album? jt

Sorry, I don't. Call Paul Loewen (‭(707) 263-0462‬). He's retired but has a used parts business. jt