PT20J

Excellent point. I see people often just press a button without verifying that it is the correct button and that it actually took effect. The pros figure out what they want the automation to do, then double check that they have selected the correct button, and then verify that it has taken effect.

How long did they have your airplane?

The source for the “Rules of Engagement” is the AFMS.

Interesting. The one in my 1994 J is rock solid, but I notice that Mooney changed the valve at S/N 24-0764. I'm betting that the fluid is old and thick and needs to be flushed.

Gotta do the post flight run up and leak check. I fly it around to warm it up before the annual to do the compression check hot and drain the oil warm also, although we never could do that at the museum and it didn't seem to make a difference.

I recently did an insurance checkout for a new owner in a really nice 1978 M20J. It was kind of a nostalgia trip since my first Mooney 35 years ago was a 1978 J. Anyway, the seller had mentioned that he didn't trust the parking brake. I've always found the parking brake to be pretty good, so I tried and it worked fine. Until we wanted to taxi, that is. Then the left brake dragged. After half a mile of taxiing and repeated applications it eventually released. I've never had to deal with the intricacies of Mooney brakes, but looking at the IPC it seems that the parking brake valve cuts off fluid return to the reservoir for BOTH master cylinders. So, I'm at a loss to understand why the left brake hung up. Anyone have any ideas? Skip

The preflight is what will save you. People make mistakes. I have a friend that worked at the United Airlines maintenance depot at San Francisco and she has stories that will make your hair stand on end. One tip I picked up was that they made it a rule that no one could set a tool down on the airplane while working on it. This was after numerous incidents of opening inspection panels and finding tools inside the airframe. Try it. It's really hard as the most convenient place to set tools is often the airframe. I always inventory my tools after any maintenance. After maintenance I have found all the screws on the spinner loose on a Beaver, the pitch links on a Schweitzer 300 unsafetied, a throttle control missing a cotter pin, and an inspection plate not reattached and stowed inside the wing on my airplane. I once flew an C-152 aerobat and during a hammerhead, a cleco fell out of a lightening hole in the rear of the wing and got trapped between the aileron and the wing causing a control problem. I don't think a test flight would have found any of these things. Skip

OK, we figured it out. But remember that there are a lot of different Mooneys from carbureted to fuel injected (Lycoming is different than Continental) to turbo. So, please, next time tell us which airplane and engine you have.

This comes up every so often and some make a big deal of it. In reality, thousands of airplanes undergo annual inspection each year without the mechanic flying the airplane afterwards with absolutely no problems. Many great maintainers are not pilots. The airlines don't have the mechanics fly the airplanes after maintenance. I flew for two part 135 operators and the airplanes flew scheduled revenue flights immediately after being returned to service by the maintenance department. The only time a test flight was required -- and this was done by the line pilots, not the mechanics -- was if the controls had been disconnected or a new engine or cylinder installed. Think about it: if you don't trust the mechanic, do you want him or her to crash your airplane? Get a mechanic you trust and do a good preflight and go flying. Skip

There is no such thing as a Lycoming service manual. Traditionally, Lycoming produced an overhaul manual, an operator's manual, and all additional information was contained in service literature (letters, instructions, bulletins). Many, many years ago, the FAA mandated a requirement to create maintenance manuals that included airworthiness limitations. Because of the shear number of products involved, Lycoming got the FAA to delay the requirement. A few years ago, the FAA finally made Lycoming begin creating maintenance manuals, but they are only available for some later models. The only IO-360 maintenance manual that I'm aware of is for an IO-360-N1A. It's probably very similar to what a maintenance manual for an IO-360-A3B6(D) would be if there was one, but there may be differences. I believe that the overhaul manuals must be purchased, perhaps with a subscription.

The ball to the seat. If that doesn't work, there is a procedure to lap the seat I believe.

No, not odd at all. If I am paying someone to work on my airplane, I want them to take due care. It's entirely different if I'm working on my own airplane.

How long since the suction screen was checked? It can get plugged up with carbon and restrict the flow. The oil pressure relief valve can get some small piece of junk caught in it that keeps the ball from seating. According to instructor for the Lycoming factory class, 90% of pressure problems can be corrected by replacing the spring and staking the ball in the valve. Lycoming also has a service instruction 1172

Same for the B-K autopilot red disconnect button.

I always remove the cowling because I want to inspect the engine. Removing lower cowl on a J is easy single handed. Just get two short bungee chords that stretch from the lifting eye to a camloc socket for the upper cowl that is about midpoint the lower cowl on each side. Then disconnect the cowl flaps and landing light (if the light is in the lower cowl), put the prop horizontal, and then unscrew all the lower cowl camlocs. The bungees will support the lower cowl. Next, support the cowl with one hand while unhooking the bungee on one side, switch hands supporting the cowl and remove the remaining bungee. Then, just lower the cowl moving it down and forward away from the prop.

Make sure the gauge is accurate first.

Depends on the switch. Switch caps 5/16” or larger often snap on or screw on. Smaller ones with smooth shafts are designed to be glued on or they come off and get lost. Super glue is commonly used - just use a small amount so it doesn’t ooze out and glue the switch shaft to the case.

I imagine Trek's a busy guy right now. I had a conversation with Joey Ferreyra about why Garmin doesn't have a greater presence here. What he told me is that there are so many aviation forums that they just can't monitor them all consistently. They made a decision to focus on BeechTalk because it's a large forum with a lot of owners and pilots of various types and it gives them the largest audience for their communications. Trek does check in here every so often (often on weekends), but his team is also responsible for trade shows and it's the season.

It appears that G3X v9.15 fixes this. It will require wiring changes. I would get with my dealer and review the G3X AML STC Installation Manual Rev 13 (MDL Rev 15). https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=k6HsnoUBSm5HLK5X7Twj19 Skip

Note first of all that you are not required to disable trim. Garmin advises it, but it is not an AD. The decision is up to you. Second, the software that originally fixed this is 9.02 for the G3X and 8.02 for the G5. This G3X release (v9.15) will include all the changes from previous releases so it will have the same fix as 9.02 and the service bulletin states that it includes G5 v8.02. The service bulletin for v9.15 does not mention any changes for the GFC 500 servo monitoring. This means that if you previously installed 9.02, and it is not flagging bad servos, this release should not do that either. Third, if you are getting bad servos flagged after the software update it is a problem with the servos, not the software. It's likely that this is one of the drivers for Garmin replacing all the pre late-2022 servos. This release is going to be especially good news for those who bought a GI 275 for a backup for the G3X and then found out that it doesn't integrate. I don't have the latest G3X installation manual, but from the release note it seems clear that the GI 275 can now be wired into the system in the same way the G5 has always been able to be connected. Skip

Simple solution: see if Mooney has them in stock as @carusoam suggested. More complicated solution: remove the existing lenses and figure out how to fabricate a duplicate.

Byron Rogers @jetdriven installed his with snaps for easy removal. Bruce Jaegar's practice was to use lots of Velcro. I figured it was unlikely I'd need to remove the carpet again anytime soon so I just bought a can of spray glue and applied a light coat and glued it down. I didn't bother cleaning up the original glue because I didn't see any point in cleaning off glue and then putting it back. But, mine was factory original and they didn't go wild with the glue. I used a can of spray upholstery glue from an automotive store with fan spray pattern and it was easy to put a light coat on where I wanted it without making a mess. The Airtex carpet has a foam backing and you will ruin it if you have to remove it for some reason, though, so if you think you are going to need to remove the carpet in the future, you should use another method. Skip

I like it. It looks like the stand is quit a bit cheaper if you buy it directly from Vevor https://www.vevor.com/roller-head-pipe-stand-c_10836/pipe-stand-fold-a-jack-v-head-pipe-capacity-12-height-24-42-2500-lb-steel-p_010756516367

I would be very careful about any claims made via Garmin support as I have not always found them to be a reliable source of information. Ditto with many installers. The GI 275 most certainly is certified for CAN Bus since that's how it interfaces with the GFC 500 in a non-G3X installation. If I were in your position, I would contact Joey Ferrerya, Garmin sales and customer experience manager, and explain your situation and see what he says. He's always been straight with me. joey.ferrerya@garmin.com Skip

Has to be heat treated.