PT20J

And probably everybody knows this, but just in case: Every once in a while someone figures out that if you take a steel rod and rub it on the leading edge of the prop it smooths out the nick without removing any metal. But what is really happening is that you are essentially peening the metal over the defect and creating a hidden stress riser. Skip

The small stud/nut just holds the housing that covers the micro switches. The big screw should adjust the spring tension on the static side of the diaphragm. Here are some more pictures and info: https://www.knr-inc.com/shoptalk-articles/25-shoptalk/93-201901-electric-gear-safety-system Skip

Got my undergraduate EE degree in 1975. Masters in Computer Science came later. First job was at ESL, a company started by Bill Perry (long before he was Secretary of Defense) making signal processing stuff for the government. We had a lab with a lot of seasoned technicians. I learned early on that while we engineers were arguing the finer points of Maxwell's equations, the techs had found the problem and fixed half a dozen circuit boards. Engineers design stuff; technicians are better at fixing stuff. I agree that crimp connections are better than soldered because crimp connections are engineered. That means that properly crimped, all the variations of technique are removed. But... the biggest problem is that each crimp connector pin requires a specialized crimping tool and the good tools are really expensive. A good avionics tech has a few thousand dollars invested in crimpers. I just chased down an intermittent problem with a Navcom that was caused by a bad crimp. Soldering irons and solder are cheap and effective if you know how to use them properly. Skip

Guess you don’t care much for surface mount PCBs then either. I think it’s a matter of scale. If I were soldering wire larger than 20 AWG, I’d twist it together first. But smaller gauge wire I would want to make the smallest joint possible. The problem with solder is too much of too little, and too much heat or not enough. Too much solder wicks up the wire and causes a stress point. Too little and the joint is weak or subject to corrosion. Too much heat damages insulation and connectors. Too little and you get a “cold” solder joint that will eventually cause problems due to high impedance. I’ve spent a lot of time and money chasing down cold solder joints on through hole PCBs and bad crimps on connector pins. Skip

Ah, now I see your confusion. That's only part of the circuit. Trace the wires from connector 21PL34B and you will find that they go to a couple of transistors. This part of the circuit is just a voltage divider to control the transistors over by the circuit breaker panel. Skip

I don't see your problem. Vcc is connected to the collector. The rheostat controls the base current through the forward-biased base-emitter junction which sets the collector-emitter current through the load connected to the emitter. Skip

According to the M20J maintenance manual section 39-12-03, the original transistors were 2N2016. They were superseded beginning with S/N 24-1214 by an equivalent part when the 2N2016 was no longer available. The 2N2016 is an NPN power transistor and I believe the drawing is correct, although it doesn't show the emitter arrow. https://alltransistors.com/pdfview.php?doc=2n2016.pdf&dire=_rca Skip

I believe the Western Union splice was designed back in the telegraph days as a means to splice solid connector wires without solder. For small gauge wires that are soldered, the technique that Bob showed earlier would be better. You want a soldered splice to be as small as possible because makes a stiff place in the wire that can lead to stress fractures when the wire flexes. The shorter the stiff section, the better. A butt splice adds mass and can cause failure if it vibrates, so butt splices are best used where they can be supported, for instance, in a bundle of wires. I don't understand the description of the mag ground wire. Mag P-lead wire should be a single conductor with a braided shield (the shield is for radio interference). A shield should not conduct current and thus should be grounded at only one end. I believe that Slick recommends grounding the shield at the ignition switch end rather than the magneto end. Skip

Actually, I wasn’t aware that there was a Windows sim. My iPad sim crashes frequently. Skip.

I believe the G5 is integral to the GFC 500. You can build a system with two G5s replicating a standard attitude indicator and HSI, or you can use the G500 Txi or G3X Touch to supply the horizontal inputs (HDG/NAV) and display the command bars -- but you'll still need one G5 to command the autopilot pitch and roll inputs. https://www.aviationpros.com/engines-components/aircraft-airframe-accessories/avionics/press-release/21113404/garmin-international-garmin-expands-approval-for-the-gfc-500-autopilot Skip

I might trade in my GNS 430W if the simulator didn’t crash every few minutes.

You cannot "pull the circuit breaker" on the KG 258 because it is vacuum driven, not electrical. That's why there is a standby vacuum pump. You might want to get together with your avionics tech and go over what you have and what you would like and figure out the best way to get there. They can figure out where your noise is coming from at the same time.

All this Cirrus talk reminds me of my grandfather who used to drive Packards which were pretty pricey back in the day. When someone would tell him all the reasons they would not own a Packard, his reply was always, "Then if I were you, I wouldn't buy one."

Not sure what you are seeing. The lights are connected between the emitters of power transistors and ground, and the transistor base current is controlled by the panel rheostat. Early models of the J (and I'm pretty sure for the K also) had the transistors located under the panel and later models had the transistors moved to the rear near the battery. Skip

I don't know how Mooney made the seals, but apparently there are variations between model years. Gee-Bee has obtained original ones from owners and created dies to cut them to match. I ordered some and they were perfect except for the bottom front where we had to make a piece from material Guy sent me. So, just because something fits your plane doesn't mean it will fit someone else's. They weren't built like this : VIDEO-2019-11-21-09-41-47.mp4 Skip

I would find out because it determines what failures affect the autopilot. The Aspen requires an EA100 to interface to the KAP 150 which adds around $3000 to installed cost. Your installation paperwork should tell you. If the KG 258 doesn’t drive the KAP 150, it doesn’t make much sense to keep the standby vacuum pump as a backup for a backup. Skip

Section 3.3.4.1 in the G5 manual: Activating ROLL commands wings level if bank <6 deg ; Holds current bank angle if 6 to 20 deg; holds 20 deg if bank angle is >20 deg.

OK, lets' sort this out. First, the problem is electrical because it happens when you turn on the master switch and not the standby vacuum pump or engine. Second, it's not the BK attitude indicator because that is a vacuum instrument, not electrical. As an aside, it is most likely a KG 258 and likely still drives your KAP 150. Blowers and motors turn slower than gyros and sound more like vacuum cleaners. Electric gyros spin really fast and when the bearings go out they sound more like a whine and/or a grinding sound. If the sound is coming from the instrument panel area it might be the turn coordinator which is electric. Or it might be a bad avionics blower as already suggested. My bet would be that the defroster blower is running. There is a little microswitch behind the console that connects to the control cable with a wire "whisker" that can become detached. It's easy to check, just pull the defroster circuit breaker. Skip

I flew floatplanes Part 135 for a couple of seasons in SE Alaska where the weather is famously terrible. One of the most challenging flights was often the 12 minute flight between Ketchikan and Metlakatla. One of the older, wiser and not-so-bold pilots taught me that if it’s barely VFR at each end, somewhere in the middle it’s probably worse. Not a bad way to think about any flight, I think. Skip

Hey, Don, a couple if questions: Do all GFC 500 installations require the G5? I thought that the autopilot logic is distributed between the G5 and the servos with the mode controller just being a “dumb” user interface. The ROLL mode holding bank is interesting. In my experience, autopilots without a turn knob hold wings level in roll mode. Do you find this feature useful? Thanks, Skip

Here's what I did: I bought the cleanest, latest model airframe I could find/afford with a run out engine and avionics that I could live with. I replaced the engine with a factory rebuilt. Lycoming IO-360s rarely make TBO unless they fly a few hundred hours/yr as the lifters corrode and cause the cam to spall. The factory installs roller lifters in its new and rebuilt engines that should fix this. At this point I had a solid airframe with a new engine and good IFR capability: Aspen PFD, GNS 430W, KAP 150 AP to which I added a GTX 345 transponder for ADS-B and an iPad yoke mount with a USB power cube for a moving map. Today there is a bewildering array of avionics available. It's very easy to get panel envy and put a LOT of money into a 25-40 year-old airplane that you will never get back. It's certainly fine if you want to do that, but I'd think it through carefully. One of the nice things about Mooneys is that they came pretty well equipped from the factory. Sure some of the stuff is old, but a KX165 for instance works just as well as newer Nav/Coms and you can find lots of used replacements to inexpensively maintain the old stuff. In my case, I only plan to upgrade things that add utility or replace items that are no longer cost effective to maintain. I figure once your cake has an electronic PFD, WAAS, ADS-B In/Out and a 2 axis autopilot, everything else is frosting. I didn't worry about paint and interior during my search so long as the condition was reflected in the purchase price. After all, I figured I was buying an old, used airplane. But do be aware that a new interior and paint job will set you back around $20-25K - more if you go premium. Also, be aware that airplanes for sale frequently have deferred maintenance not all of which will be caught on the pre-purchase inspection which is really just a quick look for deal killers. So, the first year of ownership is often costly in terms of unexpected maintenance. Skip

Hard to tell from the scant info you provided. Where were you when you activated the approach? How did you activate the approach? Did you select VTF? Did you designate DUCER-EDLUC the active leg? Did you edit the flight plan and perhaps eliminate the hold?

Anyone use ZPH?

I think your approach to managing the maintenance of your airplane is a sound one. But, keep in mind that there are few items on a Mooney that really require the expertise of a MSC (control and landing gear rigging come to mind). Much Mooney service is pretty generic and can be done by any competent mechanic. (Also, I've had some pretty ham handed stuff done by MSCs -- there is a shortage of experienced mechanics and the MSCs hire from the same pool as everyone else). Many of us have found it very useful to develop a good relationship with a conveniently located mechanic who is willing to work with us. This allows complete control (which really is your responsibility as owner/operator) in managing the maintenance of your airplane. You can do what you can yourself; get help from the local mechanic as needed; go the the MSC for specialized items. I've noticed the folks that seem to have the most problems are those that just drop of the airplane at a shop (MSC or not) and say "fix it." Skip

It's a little difficult to figure this out from your description. I think you are saying that you were able to transmit and receive but you could not hear yourself in your headset. So, if you only don't hear yourself when you are transmitting, that sounds like a sidetone issue and sidetone comes from the radio. Check to see if it is specific to one comm radio. If you cannot hear yourself when the mic is NOT keyed, that sounds like an intercom issue. Neither sounds like a KMA 24 issue, but perhaps I misunderstood your description.