PT20J

I installed the G3 PAR36 landing and taxi lights in my M20J and they are really bright. I'm very pleased with them. I purchased them from James @OSUAV8TER and he gives great service. Skip

Marker beacon. It's too big and fat for a transponder. It it were me, I wouldn't replace it since marker beacons are disappearing. I didn't even get the marker beacon receiver when I ordered a new audio panel. But, if you want one, I'm pretty sure I still have the one we removed.

That looks different than mine. But I notice that the plastic part where the wire comes out is square. Does it unscrew from the housing?

Blinking light is low voltage; steady means that the overvoltage relay has tripped. Usually the latter is a voltage regulator problem because lot's or faults can cause the alternator to quit, but only too much field current causes an overvoltage. But, I would check all the wiring for security because that's easy. Why did the VR need adjusting? For diagnosing electrical problems, I have found avionics shops to be better than most mechanics and they often have a lower shop rate. Skip

I don't think so. I just noticed it when the panel was apart getting the new avionics installed. Fortunately, I never had to mess with it. One of the frustrating things about Mooneys is that it seems like every part I need to service was the first part they started adding other parts around when they built the airplane.

The previous owner of my plane had an ACK E-04 installed with a new antenna. They just left the old antenna unused in the dorsal fin. I had the ELT connected to the GPS.

I would expect the fuse to be near the solenoid to protect the wire to the annunciator. In my M20J, the solenoid is inside behind the circuit breaker panel.

I did that once. In a hurry to fly to the avionics shop at a nearby airport before work one day years ago.

My setup is a G3X with a G5 standby. So, if one "fails" I have a backup. There are a couple of problems with that, though. Not all failures are "hard" and immediately obvious. Buried in the manuals is that the two units compare solutions and if they don't agree they annunciate a MISCOMPARE and leave it to the pilot to figure out which one to believe. The other problem is that both units were designed by the same team at the same company using the same technology. So, something that affects one is likely to affect both. To protect against this I bought an inexpensive third unit (AV-20-S) as a tie breaker.

The AHRS part of all these systems use MEMS gyros and accelerometers which are accurate in the short term but have long term drift. So, they use other inputs to "aid" them and the common inputs are airspeed (pitot/static inputs) and GPS velocity. So, loss of pitot input can affect the accuracy of the attitude solution depending on the design of the system. Because airspeed may be more critical in these systems than older systems with a gyroscopic attitude indicator, it is probably a good idea to turn the pitot heat on as part of the pre-takeoff checklist if there is any chance of encountering ice. Some advocate not turning the pitot heat on when on the ground because the reduced airflow supposedly can cause it to overheat and burn out, but I have never seen this prohibition in an airplane flight manual. But, even if it were an issue, turning it on shortly before takeoff should not be an issue. In a non-FIKI airplane any ice accretion should trigger an escape plan (hopefully one already made during planning) because there is no way of knowing how much worse it may get and how fast that may happen. Skip

Updating this thread with my experience... My indicator on my 1994 M20J broke. The acrylic plastic rod with the black tip is attached at the bottom end to a plastic slide that is moved up and down a slot in the mechanism by the cable attached at the cowl flap motor. The reason mine (and probably everyone else's) broke is that the slide is not centered with the channel in the indicator and this puts a side load on the acrylic rod which eventually causes it to break loose at the base where it is attached. Then it falls down to the bottom of the console. To fix this required removing the plastic cover of the console which requires removing all the nuts for various controls and drilling out a lot of pop rivets. The cowl flap position indicator and the wing flap/ trim position indicators are attached to this plastic console cover. I left the wing flap/trim indicator attached but removed the cowl flap indicator by removing the light bulb and two attaching screws. I could then pull the plastic cover aft enough to gain access to the cowl flap indicator mechanism and work through the front opening and glue the rod back to the plastic slide with some acrylic glue taking care to align it properly this time. To keep the indicator aligned while positioning and gluing the rod, I attached the plastic part of the indicator to the aluminum plate with double sided tape. This kept it in position until I could put the screws back in through the front of the console during reassembly. The picture below shows the rod after gluing to the slide and you can see the offset necessary to make it align properly with the indicator. Skip

Ouch. If they are like my J seats (I think they are the same) there is a plastic frame of sorts internal to the cushion. It’s not shown in the IPC because it’s part of the seat assy so it would only be detailed on the factory construction drawing.

Mooney has a very good latching system with two separate positive latches and an over center actuating mechanism. I don't think it is possible to come open in flight if nothing is broken and it is adjusted correctly. Also, the door has a very long and sturdy piano hinge and the skins are heat treated after forming and it's difficult (but not impossible) to spring it. Now the doors on a Beech Duchess are a entirely different story. Skip

Do you have a tail strobe? My 1978 J had wingtip strobes but no tail strobe and it had a Grimes rotating beacon. My 1994 J has wingtip and tail strobes and no rotating beacon.

The idle mixture and idle speed screws are on the throttle side. The mixture control is on the other side. I would check that the mixture control goes all the way to ICO. If that is good, I'd next check that the mixture valve isn't leaking excessively. Disconnect the input to the flow divider and run the line into a container. Set throttle about half open and mixture in ICO. Turn on boost pump and run it for two minutes. Measure the amount of fuel in the container. The servos are shipped from the factory if they measure 5 cc or less per minute and the servo should be overhauled if the leakage is more than 8 cc/min.

Now you are getting into the somewhat complex and confusing area of what parts may be installed on a certificated airplane and who is permitted to install them and what logbook entries are required. Since you are going to have to have annual inspections done by an mechanic with an Inspection Authorization (IA) my suggestion is to develop a good working relationship with that person as soon as possible and discuss how to proceed with various repairs and improvements with the IA. That way, come annual time there won't be any explaining to do. For instance, an STC requires filing a form 337 with the FAA which must be signed by the IA, and most IAs take a dim view of someone coming to them after the fact and asking them to fill out the form. Skip

Do you have any pictures of the panels? Usually interior refurbishers just repair and paint the Mooney plastic panels. Some cover them with synthetic leather. The Mooney panels are just attached with a lot of sheet metal screws. You have to remove the long padded trim strip which is held on with clips and just pulls off (unless someone has glued it on). Prying gently at the clip locations with a putty knife helps avoid damaging the plastic.

it's not the airplane -- it's the pilot

I've got a lot of time in PA28s and M20Js. I always flight planned the Warrior at 110 kts, the Archer at 120, the Arrow at 140 and the M20J at 150. The Piper is a simpler design and easier to work on. I find the comfort about the same. The Piper has a bigger door compared to the Mooney and many find it easier to climb into and out of -- especially the back seats since it sits level whereas the Mooney sits about 5 degrees nose up. The visibility out of the Piper is much better which is especially noticeable in the traffic pattern. The Pipers have a parallel valve carbureted engine which is highly regarded. Lack of retractable landing gear and the fixed pitch prop mean lower maintenance costs for the Piper. And the fixed gear is going to have an insurance benefit. My biggest gripe with the Piper is that stupid air cylinder seat adjustment mechanism: hit it by mistake when seated and you take an elevator ride to the basement and it's really hard to get your weight off of it to raise it back up. Must have been designed by a new grad engineer. So, the Mooney is more airplane and you will pay for that in increased maintenance, inspection and insurance costs. Buy one if you really want/need it. But I always remember what a friend told me when he was complaining about the cost of maintaining his Baron. I asked him why he bought it. He thought for a moment and then replied concisely: "Ego." Skip Edit: A couple of other things. The Cherokees have a very gentle stall compared to the Mooney and the longer oleo struts make for consistently gentle touchdowns compared to the stiff, short gear on the Mooney. And compared to the Cherokee the Mooney is pretty heavy on the controls and has a lower roll rate. The Mooney flaps are more effective than the Cherokee at reducing stall speed but the Mooney is very sensitive to landing speed -- a few extra knots is hundreds of feet of float. A lot is made of the Mooney laminar flow wing, but the Cherokee has a laminar flow wing also. The Mooney is purpose-built for efficient transportation and it excels at that.

I keep a spreadsheet of all AD and SB/SI compliance indicating date each was complied with or why it is not applicable, if that's the case (e.g., N/A, serial number). I just update it every year. My IA has some software that he uses to check also. The governor is a good example of how this stuff can bite. AD 2020-19-06 for a McCauley prop governor bearing affected my governor which was overhauled by West Coast Governor Service in 2018. I was able to comply with the AD without opening up the governor by getting a copy of the work order from West Coast showing that a PMA bearing was used and not the McCauley part called out in the AD. Sometimes all that pesky FAA-required paperwork is helpful Skip

Not to mention all the broken links now on various FAA webpages!

Some while back, Garmin changed its warranty database software. In the process, they apparently dropped some email addresses. So, if your Garmin equipment is registered in the warranty system and you are not getting alerts, Trek Lawler suggested emailing warranty@garmin.com and getting it sorted out. Skip

Those numbers refer to specific subsequent sections in the TCDS for that model. Keep reading. For instance, 200s are landing gear, 400s are interior equipment, etc. NOTES are at the very end of the TCDS document. Skip

The GAD 27 is used to supply power to the G3X during starting brownout in 14V systems and to provide wig-wag light functions in 14V and 28V systems. That’s all the STC allows for a certified installation. If you want to use some feature from the experimental version that is not in the STC, then you have to find some other approval means. Skip

Do what I did and become a lifetime member and never pay dues again. Did it with EAA and Seaplane Pilots Assoc, too.