PT20J

I put a strap between the yokes for the ailerons. Rolling the trim full nose down will cause the trim bungees on the A-J models to keep the elevator from banging around. The K and on have a downspring. The nosewheel holds the rudder. Skip

Before my MEL checkride in a Seminole without unfeathering accumulators, I told the DPE that we shouldn't shut down the right engine because the starter was weak. We launched IFR to VFR on top through the morning stratus at SJC and the first maneuver was a steep turn during which he failed the right engine (of course). So I went with it and shut it down and feathered and we did all the single engine stuff. Then we couldn't get it started (starter wouldn't turn the engine past a compression stroke with the prop feathered) and had to shoot a single engine ILS to minimums. The whole ride lasted like half an hour. We didn't do all the maneuvers, but he said if I could shoot a single engine ILS for real it was good enough and he signed me off. Skip

Most of the Junker machine tests on Youtube are posted buy the makers of Nord-Lock showing how much better their product is compared to split lock washers. And, it does seem to be an impressive product. But, I cannot find a video of a test showing how well internal tooth or external tooth star washers perform. Since Nord-Lock didn't compare their product to these, it makes me wonder if the star washers are not pretty good -- and cheap. Skip

I slip my M20J sometimes on short final, but if you were riding with me you likely wouldn't notice unless you were paying really close attention. I'm not talking wing really low, full rudder deflection slips. If I need to do that kind of maneuver, I've screwed up and should come back for another try. But sometimes I'm on final and there is thermal updraft or wind gust and I find my self just a tad high which would lead to a long landing. If the power is already well back and I'm on speed, I find the easiest thing to do is just a bit of uncoordinated flight to increase the drag and the sink rate momentarily. It doesn't take much. Skip

I don’t believe you can. The DPE is required to test maneuvers in the ACS unless the airplane is incapable of safely performing them. I looked at the POH for the M20R and found no limitation against slips. The only mention of slips I could find was a recommendation to touch down in a slight sideslip for crosswind landings. You could try telling the DPE that you don’t want to do slips because many people on the Internet say it’s unsafe, but I doubt you would be successful. The obvious solution would be to use a different airplane. Skip

Paul, this seems intuitive, but...as the videos show, it doesn’t work that way. What really happens is that the split washer flattens when torqued and essentially becomes a flat washer with no holding ability. See page 9. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19900009424.pdf Skip

At static run up, the prop blades should be sitting on the low pitch stops and at rated power it should turn slightly less than 2700 RPM (the service manual calls for up to 50 RPM less). As you accelerate, the prop will speed up to 2700 RPM at which point the governor should begin increasing pitch as necessary to keep it there. If it doesn’t turn nearly 2700RPM static, 1. The tach is not reading correctly, or 2. The governor is adjusted incorrectly, or 3. The engine isn’t putting out rated power, or 4. The low pitch stop is not set to spec. Skip

This may be what you're looking for: https://www.blackstone-labs.com/about-aircraft-oils-2/ I've never seen any actual data showing that one brand is better than another for engine longevity. Likewise, I haven't seen any data showing that multi-viscosity is better or worse than single viscosity for engine longevity. Lycoming and Continental seem agnostic on the subject; to the manufacturers, oil is oil. I have heard anecdotal evidence (including the engine that was on the M20J that I purchased that went through two camshafts in 1000 hours) that Aeroshell 15W50 semi-synthetic might not be a good choice. I have heard from a lot of folks that some engines burn less oil (and have cleaner oil) running Phillips 20W50 as opposed to Aeroshell 100W. That's been my experience. I've heard others say the opposite occurred with their engines. I think it's best to try both and stick with the one that your engine seems to like. Skip

Do you really understand this, or are you just repeating what the talking heads say on TV? The national debt is a function of fiscal policy and is controlled by the Congress. The money supply is a function of monetary policy and is controlled by the Fed. https://www.investopedia.com/updates/usa-national-debt/ https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/07/central-banks.asp https://www.investopedia.com/terms/q/quantitative-easing.asp Skip

Well, at least my auto insurance is getting some relief. I just received this with my billing notice. State Farm Mutual Returning $2 Billion Dividend to Auto Insurance Customers On average most customers will see a 25% policy credit for the period March 20 - May 31. In an effort to help customers during these challenging times, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, the nation’s largest auto insurer, is announcing up to a $2 billion dividend that will go to its auto insurance customers. With schools and businesses closed, and many of us sheltering in our homes, people are driving less right now, so we’re returning value to customers as we anticipate fewer auto claims. Customers do not need to take any action to receive this dividend, which will appear as a credit on their auto policy. The dividend is part of the Good Neighbor Relief Program that also includes customer payment options and neighborhood philanthropic relief. This is the single largest dividend paid to customers in our company’s history. As the national leader in auto, home, and individual life insurance, State Farm has the financial strength necessary to help millions of customers and communities recover from the unexpected. On average, State Farm Mutual auto customers can expect to receive a credit of about 25 percent of premium for the time period March 20 through May 31; exact percentages will vary by state. Every State Farm Mutual auto insurance customer will receive credits applied against bills beginning as early as June. We’ll continue to monitor our loss experience and respond appropriately. “State Farm is returning value through a dividend to our customers,” said Chairman, President and CEO Michael L. Tipsord. “We insure more cars than anyone and we see from our claims activity people are driving less. This dividend is one of the ways we’re working to help our customers during this unprecedented situation.” We’re committed to giving back not just to our customers, but to communities where we live and work by providing $5 million in donations across the country. These efforts are in direct response to COVID-19 and are focused on relief and recovery efforts. State Farm is here to help our customers in these challenging times. We are making decisions that balance short-term solutions with maintaining our ability to remain financially strong for our customers to keep our promises now and in the future. We encourage customers facing financial challenges to call their State Farm agent. Agents are working with State Farm customers one-on-one providing payment options.

@cliffy, the NASA report I remembered is the one you cited. There is a Junker test that is used to rate locking devices https://www.boltscience.com/pages/junkertestvideo.htm. There are a lot of Youtube videos showing poor locking for no washer, plain washer and split washer, and I thought I remembered star washers being tested with similar results. But just now I couldn't find a test showing results for internal or external tooth star washers. It's clear that the split washers compress and become flat washers when torqued and are therefore useless as locking devices. But, perhaps star washers have some locking ability. Thanks for the clarification Skip

That’s great advice, and what Lycoming specifies. Unfortunately, tests show that star washers aren’t any better than splits under high vibration. There are a bunch of youtube videos and a NASA doc attesting to that.

That's a great idea, Clarence, and no, I don't think it's common practice (at least not in my experience). What I do know is that every year at annual we find a few exhaust and intake bolts that have lost their torque. There is a lot of info out there that split lockwashers don't do well in high vibration environments. I guess this maybe proves it. Skip

I just received this year's quote: Hull $170K, Liab $1MM smooth $2173 last year, $2562 this year, $389 (17.9%) increase. To put this in perspective, the current US inflation rate is less than 1% https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/historical-inflation-rates/. So with inflation so low, and the airplane insurance being a small part of my annual household expenses, this increase is lost in the noise. If oil prices stay depressed, I'll likely save much more than this on fuel this year. I think of expenses like I do investments -- it's not the single item that matters but rather the performance of the overall portfolio. Skip

My understanding is that it is linear, but perhaps @Parker_Woodruff could answer that. Just to be clear, I'm not recommending that a person underinsure, but it is an option. Another option might be to see if you could negotiate a deductible in exchange for a reduced premium. I believe that the trend has been away from deductibles, but given the changes in the market, perhaps it is an option now. Insurance is a product that we hope never to need. I know people who have lamented about all the money they "wasted" on insurance because they had the good fortune to never have a claim. For me, the greatest payback from good insurance coverage is a good night's sleep. I especially don't want to collect on my health insurance! Skip

If the price seems too high, it might be good to remember that insurance is a form of risk management whereby a financial risk is, for a fee (premium), transferred to another party. If you can't get the premium down to your liking, you might consider taking on more of the risk personally. Since the hull is insured for an agreed value, you could insure it for a lesser amount than actual value. For instance, say the airplane is worth $40K. If you could afford a $10K loss, you could insure it for $30K instead of the full value. In the unlikely event that you total it, you're out $10K. The risk, of course is that if the damage was slightly over $30K it would still probably get scrapped when maybe it could have been fixed. Skip

Easy to do. The fence messes up depth perception. GLAP and LASAR both have PMA parts that require trimming and drilling. Best way to trim is a Dremel with a cutoff wheel. Use the original as a template and trim oversize and test fit and then trim again until you get it right. Best way to drill without cracking acrylic is a step drill bit. There’s a thread here somewhere with more details. Skip

It's kind of a mechanical analog computer. My wife says I'm enamored of archaic technology. That's why I volunteer at a museum with lots of old round engine airplanes and hang out around steam engines Skip

Just for reference, the 200HP IO-360 flows betweeen 17 and 18 gph at sea level, standard day. I checked this number three ways: Test cell data from Lycoming supplied with my rebuilt engine, flow bench specs I obtained from Precision Airmotive for the specific RSA injector system used on this engine, and my own fuel flow indications (New floscan transducer, properly installed, feeding a Shadin totalizer that has been cross checked with two others). I have a A&P friend with a C and his climb CHTs run 400+ on the JPI even after the carb mod. The previous owner was also an A&P and both of them spent a lot of hours trying to figure it out. Nothing seems to help except airspeed. Skip

One of the keys to steam locomotive efficiency is setting the cutoff -- the point at which steam is no longer admitted to the cylinder. When starting from a standstill, there is a need for maximum torque and the steam is admitted for most of each power stroke (steam engine pistons are double acting so the steam pushes it both ways, and there are four power strokes per revolution). But at higher speeds, it is more efficient to admit steam for only a small portion of the stroke. The reverse lever controls the cutoff from full forward admission to no admission to full reverse admission and all points along the continuum between the forward and reverse extremes. The three main valve gears were the original Stephenson used on US locomotives in the 1800s, the Walshaert developed in Germany and widely adopted in the US and the later Baker. All three were progressive refinements to the difficulty of using a purely mechanical system to adjust valve timing. It's pretty interesting stuff. Skip

You know, the Johnson bar originally referred to the reverse lever on steam locomotives, supposedly colloquially named after an engineer at Baldwin Locomotive Works. Not to say it's a throwback, but .... I enjoyed it on the Ranger I used to check people out in at a club in San Jose, CA so many years ago. But, I like the little switch on my J Skip

The mechanical pump on the engine has a drain that will dribble gas if one of the diaphragms has a leak. The boost pump has a drain (shown in the OP) that will dribble gas if the internal seal has a leak. It's good to check both of these on post flight. Also, during annual it is good to check all the B nuts for security and torque seal them. I once had the B nut back off (apparently undertorqued at the factory years before) on the outlet of the engine driven fuel pump. I arrived back at the airplane after a short flight to find gas dripping on the nose wheel. Skip

I'm using Philips X/C 20W50 + CamGuard. Aeroshell 15W50 is semi-synthetic and there is enough anecdotal evidence that it is problematic for cam wear (including my experience) that I no longer use it. Shell and Pillips both have oils blended with LW-16702. There is a lot of confusion about this. LW-16702 is required by AD 80-04-03-R2 for certain Lycoming O-320 H engines that use automotive style lifters and had cam spalling problems. The oil is made for those engines so you don't have to add the additive. Because a lot of Lycoming engines have had cam/lifter issues, some use the LW-16702 additive (or oil with the additive) in other Lycoming engines as a prophylactic against cam distress. I have not seen any authoritative evidence that it helps with non-H engines, and I've heard plenty of laments that it did not. LW-16702 is NOT an anti-corrosive agent and it seems that most non-H engines suffer cam problems due to disuse and resulting corrosion. CamGuard is supposed to have anti-corrosion ingredients, but the mixture is a trade secret and I have not seen any real evidence that it prevents cam distress. But I use it figuring that it can't hurt and was developed by a knowledgeable person. I currently operate a L:ycoming IO-360-A3B6 factory rebuilt with roller lifters. I broke it in with Aeroshell 100 and switched to AS 100W after about 40 hours. After about 130 hours, I switched to Phillips X/C 20W50. My oil consumption went from about 8 hrs/qt to 12+ hours/qt. I have no idea why, but it seems pretty consistent. Skip

Hoppe's No. 9 is specifically recommended by Lycoming (SI 1275C) for cleaning fuel injector nozzles. The SI says only to soak for 20 minutes and makes no warning about possible damage. According to Hoppe's website: Hoppe's No. 9 remains the most widely used remover of powder, lead, metal fouling and rust. Hoppe's isn't claimed to dissolve lead, just to remove it. So, because it is claimed to remove lead from gun barrels, and because some brass alloys contain a small amount of lead, we are making a big conceptual leap that it will damage fuel injectors. Before creating yet another OWT, there needs to be some authoritative reference for that conjecture, IMHO. Skip

Cotter pins are AN380-5-3/ MS24665-418 Alternately, you can use 8-32 screws with nuts and bushings as on the later models. Skip