PT20J

In my M20J, TOGA (the GFC 500 STC actually calls for the button to be labelled GO AROUND) commands a 7 degree pitch up which works out to about 95 KIAS at sea level. Vx is 66 KIAS and Vy is 86 KIAS. I need 12 degrees to get Vx and about 10 degrees for Vy. I select TOGA and HDG with the runway heading bugged before takeoff. If I flew without the FD, I would take off and pitch to 7 deg and that's what I like the FD to command. But, I like it in HDG so I can just turn the bug to the first heading without changing modes. And, yes I wait until above 800 ft to engage the AP.

I'd look at the wiring on the back of the switches. Something may be very close to touching. Also, I'd remove the glare shield and look at the back of the circuit breakers. On mine, there were thin strips of insulating material separating breakers on the tightly packed top row and if that is missing or damaged it could cause a short.

It's under my feet - I can hear it when it is running.

All the fuel lines forward of the firewall (including the line to the pressure transducer) have molded silicone fire sleeves and the fuel flow transducer is wrapped in fire sleeve material. Aiming the heat gun at them had no effect.

There was a period where Lycoming was shipping pumps that ran high. The servo, according to Precision Airmotive has a range of 20-50 psi, so it runs fine but it exceeded the Mooney redline and caused engine monitors to alarm driving everyone nuts. They must have solved this by late 2018 because my engine came with a fuel pump that puts out about 25 psi.

I see this on my M20J with a G3X/EIS. Usually it looks like the second plot varying a lot but not going below about 20 psi. Once or twice, I've had it look like your first plot dipping down below 14 psi. Sometimes it will be varying and then decide to get calm for a while and then start varying again. My factory rebuilt was installed in 2018 and has about 540 hours on it. Switching tanks, turning on the boost pump, changing altitude has no effect. @kortopates says he's seen this a lot with M20Js with Garmin EIS but not so much with JPI which he believes to have a better smoothing algorithm. I've checked the system for leaks, had the boost pump overhauled (it was beginning to make noise), replaced the o-rings in the gascolator. None had any effect. If I aim a heat gun at the fuel pump (engine off) it doesn't take much to cause the fuel pressure to rise. Pilots on vansairforce agree that this is common on IO-360s and that the engine driven pump heating the fuel is the source of vapor. I tried filling the hose to the pressure transducer with fuel but after a flight it is dry again, so I know the fuel is vaporizing in the lines.

The first M20Js (1977) were really just M20Fs with some aerodynamic mods. Mooney kept S/N 24-0084 and worked out additional improvements that were incorporated in 1978 model year starting with S/N 24-0378. One of those changes was to replace the Dukes/ITT actuators with the Avionics Products/CONDEC actuators (most recently manufactured by Eaton after various corporate mergers and acquisitions). Starting with 24-0378, the gear speeds were also increased. But, it might only be coincidental that the increased gear speeds coincide with the actuator change because Mooney changed a lot of things in 1978 and subsequently issued SB M20-209 that provided approved data for using the higher gear speeds with the 1977 models without any physical changes to the airplane. Still, if I had a Dukes (especially if it still had the 20:1 gears), I wouldn't push it. Bill Wheat said in the "Boots on the Ground" video that Mooney changed the actuator vendor because it felt the old one wasn't up to the job (or something similar -- I forget the exact quote). EDIT: I should have pointed out that the 1977 M20J also introduced the IO-360-A1B6D engine.

Well, if you do get the extensions, note that the 1.5" kit contains parts for both pedals, but the 3" kit contains parts for only one pedal so you have to order two.

These have to be purchased through a MSC and each MSC sets its own prices. Some are for service bulletins that should have been installed by now. Many are no longer available except by special order. Rudder pedal extensions are probably the most popular.

If you are going to do much panel upgrading along with the autopilot, it will be easier to remove old wiring when everything is opened up.

But, it sounds like he did it correctly. Not sure it's worth the work for 5 kts, but what the heck.

I don't know what would be required but Don Maxwell told me he put them on some J-bar airplane (maybe an F, don't remember) and the air loads were so great it was really hard to raise the gear.

Is the VEP switch just hanging there? I cannot see how it is attached. The two mounting methods I am familiar with is attached to the rear of the airspeed indicator or attached to a bracket near the airspeed indicator.

The Aux Bus breaker protects the wire between the breaker and the bus that feeds the breaker/switches for lights, etc. on the pilot's lower panel. The bus bar that connects the switches does not have a lot of clearance from the panel. I would check it for a short. That's a pretty large breaker and I doubt a momentary overvoltage would trip it.

The standard equation for drag is D = CDqS where S is wing area and q is dynamic pressure which is proportional to air density. Thus, drag decreases linearly with air density (altitude) Anderson Jr., John D, Aircraft Performance and Design, shows that engine power decreases approximately linearly with air density. Thus, engine power also decreases linearly with altitude. So, the effect of increasing altitude is approximately the same (percentage wise) on engine power and aircraft drag. Propeller parameters are usually described in terms of advance ratio, J, using the formula J = V/nD where V is the TAS, n is the rpm, and D is the diameter. David Rogers (NAR-Associates) has shown that for a Bonanza, the maximum efficiency occurs at about J=1. He determined this from a propeller map from McCauley. If we assume this is also true for the Mooney prop, Roger's formula for a rule of thumb to obtain the airspeed that maximizes propeller efficiency is: J = 1.0 = (60*1.69*12*KTAS)/(rpm*74) where 60 converts rpm to rev/sec, 1.69 converts knots to ft/sec, 12 converts inches to feet, and 74 is the Mooney prop diameter in inches. This yields rpm = TAS*16.4. So, at 155 KTAS (where I often cruise at altitude), the optimum rpm comes out to 2542. Note: Rogers' work is well known in the Bonanza world and he has a wealth of detailed technical analysis of many areas related to airplane performance on his website https://www.nar-associates.com/. Unfortunately, this website appears to no longer be maintained and it's security certificate has expired, so some browsers may block access.

When I flew Beavers part 135 we often removed seats to convert from carrying passengers to carrying cargo (usually fish boxes, this being in Alaska). We carried W&B forms for each configuration so it was easy to calculate W&B which we were required to do before each flight. I don't have a separate W&B sheet for the Mooney for when I fold down the back seats, because I'm only removing cushions. But the rear cushions for my airplane weigh 22.4 lbs., so it is important to include them in any W&B calculations if you are anywhere near limits.

On an IO-360, you probably need to loosen the screw attaching the baffle to the lower rear of cylinder #3. Be careful not to completely remove the screw or the barrel nut will drop out. They are unbelievably expensive if you lose one. If you shine a flashlight between the cylinder and the baffle you will note that the way the cylinder head is cast there is no gap between the fins for the air to flow on that side of the head. The theory behind creating a small gap is to let some cooling air flow around the back side of the head.

Most people just wedge a washer between the baffle and the cylinder.

Lycoming told me that the most common cause of scoring was high rpm (>1200) immediately after a cold start. They also said not to worry about any scratches that weren’t deeper than the cross hatch.

Yes. To be strictly legal, you should have a logbook entry and update the W&B.

I believe that propeller efficiency is related to both rpm and TAS so that an increase in one requires an increase in the other. Therefore, Bob Kromer’s comment that the M20J prop was optimized for 2500 rpm likely means that rpm is best at cruise speed. Since Mooney was all about speed back then, that would likely be best power at 75% speed. If you slow down, perhaps a lower rpm would be more efficient.

I read somewhere that the one in the UK was the only supplier for avgas. Maybe that was wrong, or maybe on one wants to deal with the other two.

You expect the IPC and the POH to agree on terminology?

Then you can' t do those cool handbrake turns when the bad guys are chasing you

Different nomenclature for different airplanes. For the non-205 M20J, this would be the "inboard" door. For the 205 and M20K (and others with three doors) it is the "middle" door.