tomatl

I am the proud owner of a 231. It is a wonderful airplane - but I would not buy one with a GB engine without the necessary upgrades. Mine has the LB engine and the intercooler, waste gate, GAMI, etc. upgrades. It runs relatively cool, and has great climb performance. The turbo is definitely a plus. Still, even in this configuration, I would expect mid-time cylinder and turbo replacements, which mine had done before I bought it. What I don't particularly like is the fact, that takeoff is not with full throttle, which takes time to get used to. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

On my K 231 I have a three-blade prop, which gives nice glide control due the increased drag at low rpm. Do you have a 2- pr 3-blade? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks, I'll share it with the mechanics. Mine does currently not have any cooling line like this going to the alternator. Best, Tom Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks, I‘ll check with the shop. A picture would be great. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Can you elaborate which "cooling line" you are referring to. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Seems to best option is to get all new/refurbished coupling and let the mechanic deal with it. When taking the alternator off, another problem emerged. Some of the safety wires inside the engine appear to be broken and need to be replaced. (The engine itself has no sign of problems.) Anyone an idea of what could have caused that? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

These were all the parts that where on the drive. The small gear, as much as I (or the mechanic) could see, did not have a polymerized part or surface to it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Here are some pictures of the alternator that is installed in the airplane. It is still not clear to me (or the mechanic) where the polymerized coupling is that may start to slip. Maybe I am slow, but could someone please explain. Thanks! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for the advice! I brought her home with Master OFF but on mine tach or TIT gauges, for example, don't work then. More importantly, I have next to the Aspens no backup airspeed indicator. I would not mind in cruise, but for T/O and Landing, I want a bit of a cushion before losing primary instruments. (The Aspen Emergency Backup Battery will last for a while though.) I am generally more on the conservative side and don't take off on shorter runways when something feels odd.

Thanks everyone!

Thanks! I tried to do that today (flying with Master Off to the MSC). On takeoff, the plane did not seem to accelerate properly so I abandoned the plan and put it back into hangar. I hope it's not the "cotter pin and nut into the engine" scenario elaborated here. Definitely in need of a good Mooney mechanic in Western NY. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks everyone for all the good advice. If possible, I'll try to ferry the plane over to the MSC who installed the alternator and will report back as soon as I know what's going on. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Where in this schematics is this bushing that sometimes is not correctly installed? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I get perhaps 13.5 max when everything is working. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you! The installation of the alternator was done last year at a MSC but I did not have good experiences with them in the past. A faulty installation would not surprise me. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you! The installation of the alternator was done last year at a MSC but I did not have good experiences with them in the past. A faulty installation would not surprise me. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A couple of days ago I experiences a low voltage situation with my 231. The voltage warning light was blinking and the ammeter shoed a significant discharge (right on the line between 0 and -70A). I turned back home, turned off as much as possible, and reset the alternator. After a while the alternator came back online but quit again after 10' or so. Today, I ran up the engine and the electrical system was operating normally. The mechanics suggested to replace alternator and regulator. (The alternator is just a year old.) Does anyone have a suggestion what the issue might be and how to troubleshoot? Thanks, T Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Smart fix!

I have not looked at the design of this latch but I assume that is similar to the "over center leverage" of the door or the cowl flaps. On both of these I had malfunction due to bad adjustment by a mechanic. Based on these experiences, I don't assume the baggage door will always latch properly. My baggage door opens from the inside, which is good enough for me. Locking it is on my preflight checklist, and it stays there unless someone has a really strong argument against it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just for fun: Assume you are hit by a small, 1 pound, waterfowl while flying at 120 knots. If the total momentum is transferred while the plane travels into the bird (assume 8 inches), the force on the windshield is about 8.5 kN, or equivalent to almost 2000 lbs. This is an order of magnitude more than what you can achieve pushing with your feet (at least for me).

To add some numbers to the discussion: I found six reports in the NTSB database that include an unlatched/open baggage door in a Mooney. Half of them with fatalities. Would be interesting to know how this compares to rescues through the back. Mixed bag ... Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I lock it. However, mine has the upgrade allowing unlocking from the inside. Off course, rescue could not enter from the rear ... Difficult question. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I had exactly the same problem with my M20K (I also have the same monitor, which is very precise.) After weeks of investigation, I found the culprit. In my case it was a single missing belly panel screw in the exhaust path. Caused readings up to 60ppm. A small hole in the wrong place can make quite a difference. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I rewatched the video again today, and I am still impressed about the great airmanship of the crew! Really well done! Question to the community: on my K, I always lock the baggage door before each flight. It’s on my checklist after reading about incidents such as this one. However, there are also good reasons not to lock it (supporting rescue, not fully trusting the inside escape mechanism, access to life support equipment, etc.) What is the balance of arguments, lock or not lock?

Great job getting the plane down safely!