PT20J

Excellent point. It’s not required for SE piston aircraft 6000 lb. or less, and the second navigator can be a GPS, but prudence would seem to demand a second navigator. Since my G3X has an internal GPS, I installed a GNC 255 for #2.

I tried to design my installation to protect against single point failures. Failure of the GPS constellation is a concern because where I live in the Pacific NW, the MON network appears to me to be insufficient if there is really bad weather. But, the risk seems relatively small and it's something I cannot control. If I can get to an airport with a working ILS, having the ability to couple would be nice, but not critical.

In my installation (G3X/G5/GFC 500/ GTN 650Xi) either the G3X or G5 flight director will drive the GFC 500 and both have RS-232 connections to the GTN. If the GTN fails, I can switch the G3X Navigator from external to internal and use the G3X VFR GPS to navigate and provide a GPS source for the autopilot.

Hey, question for our attorneys here: Since SCOTUS overturned the Chevron deference doctrine, what is the effect on FAA enforcement based on its interpretation of the often vague FARs, and what weight do chief counsel legal opinions carry, and what about appeals to the NTSB? It kind of sounds like the FAA (and NTSB) might have to be much more circumspect about enforcement, but I don’t know.

Let us know. It’s a puzzler.

It’s a valid concern. It irks me that the Government is saving money (well, OK, it’s my money, but still…) by decommissioning legacy navaids and thus making us dependent on GPS while at the same time regularly making GPS unusable in large areas.

Hmmm. Let’s see. 1. This is an airplane you have been flying for many years and know well. 2. #1 and #4 traditionally have the coolest climb CHTs 3. Suddenly, and for no apparent reason, #1 and #4 CHTs got significantly hotter. 4. You investigated and removed a small obstruction from the cooling fins of #4. 5. On a subsequent flight, #1 was cooler but #4 was still running hot. The symptoms don’t make sense, which is why you posted. Just a guess, but I’d assume that the scotchbrite was a red herring and look into perhaps an issue with the engine monitor.

That is clearly described in the AFMS. (Everybody reads that before buying, right?) The G3X VFR GPS will provide sufficient GPS position to the autopilot in the event my GTN fails (Garmin confirmed it and I verified it in flight). So, it’s only interference or failure of the GPS constellation that would be an issue.

Have you tried calling Mid-Continent?

I ripped up the factory carpet with no problems. The Airtex carpet comes with foam backing. I just put down a light coat of 3M spray upholstery adhesive and glued the new carpet down. I had to lift portions a couple of times: once to get to the bolts that go through the floor pan to attach the gear up/down relays when I replaced them, and once to remove the gascolator. I just used a putty knife to separate the foam from the floor. It didn’t even damage the foam. The secret is to not use too much glue.

Lee, of course we all know what you mean, but every time I pass this thread, I chuckle. See, from Eric’s picture, the mag looks more cyan than magenta

You changed the alternator to no effect, so it’s probably not the alternator. 27 V is low for a 24 V battery. The regulator should be set for something between 28 and 29 V. When there is an over voltage, the over voltage protection circuit (OVP) in the regulator shuts down the alternator by removing the field excitation. There are two methods depending on the regulator. The OVP may just shut down the regulator field circuit internally, or it may “crowbar” - cause a short circuit - which trips the Field CB. Cycling power or resetting the breaker resets the OVP. Since you said that it momentarily works when you cycle power, I would suspect something is wrong with the regulator, especially since the voltage also seems low. Something (maybe heat) causes the OVP to trip. Cycling power resets it, but it immediately trips again.

You should fly in sometime in the morning before it gets hot. I did it years ago solo in a J. It's in a big valley. There's a flight school there. How cool would it be to solo at the highest airport in North America? The FBO used to sell T-shirts -- maybe they still do. When I was there, two Army Hueys landed and the pilot's bought T-shirts.

Very nice and proof that Hector is not the only one that can do nice interiors .

It's not so much the mixture control but the throttle. If you set the idle speed low then at high density altitudes there isn't enough air at closed throttle. I used to go to KMMH a lot and I've had it quit on rollout until I learned to advance the throttle a bit after touchdown. You don't need to mess with the mixture because the mixture control isn't really in the picture at idle unless you pull it waaaaay back. The RSA fuel injector normally meters fuel to match airflow using the pressure difference between the venturi and the impact tubes. But at idle (and near idle) there is not enough airflow to meter properly. So, at idle, the mixture is set by a linkage connected to the throttle that opens a valve at the main jet as the throttle is opened. After the throttle opened to maybe 1000-1200 rpm, the valve is fully open and there is enough airflow for the servo to meter normally. Since the idle mixture is controlled by the throttle position, and not actual airflow, it will be off optimum at density altitudes different from where it was set. By the way, understanding how this works is why I quit ground leaning. If you lean it enough to just barely idle, the engine won't accelerate enough to taxi. And, if you lean it so you can taxi, the mixture control isn't really doing much of anything at lower rpms because the mixture is being controlled by the throttle. So, for ground leaning on an RSA fuel injected engine to be very effective, you really need to change the mixture control every time you move the throttle. I haven't ground leaned for a long time and I never foul plugs. But Ross is probably the only one that will agree with me because ground leaning has become another "must do" thing.

Garmin directly copied the KFC/KAP servo installation. In fact some dealers cut cost by reusing the BK brackets when replacing a KAP/KFC with a GFC. Garmin did have some mechanical issues with the GFC 500 servos, but that seems to be behind them and they have an offer out to replace all the potentially bad ones in the field for free including an installation labor allowance even if they are operating well. The GFC 500 FD uses a combination of attitude and rate based inputs for controlling the autopilot. For some reason, this doesn't work well in some airframes. It's not just Mooney: Cirrus and Bonanzas have had some pitch issues also. Garmin has issued alternate gain settings for J/K and presumably will issue them for other models as well which seems to fix the problem by dialing back the rate based component in the control loop. Although, Garmin's communication with customers often leaves much to be desired, it's clear that Garmin has continuously improved it's products and fixes problems that occur. My biggest concern with B-K is that I just don't see that Honeywell has nearly that level of commitment.

Lots of ways to screw up a turbocharged engine. Depending on how high and how long a TIT in excess of redline happens, an inspection of the turbocharger may be warranted. The problem is that these things spin fast and metal grows elastically as the temperature increases and at some point the centrifugal force causes the turbine to drag on the housing trashing things. There are some fairly recent pictures on Beechtalk.

Never heard of a heat soaked alternator. Might be a voltage regulator. Doubt it has anything to do with heat -- the regulator is in the cockpit -- but if you think so get out to the airport early when it's cooler and see if it makes a difference. What's the annunciator doing? If VOLTS is steady on, the OVP tripped.

Depends on whether you have money or time. The cheapest and longest will be to buy directly from an individual owner (no middleman markup). The fastest will be to buy from an honest broker, but he needs to get some money out of the deal. I have had great experience with Jimmy Garrison at GMax and recommend him without hesitation. If nothing else, the fact that he's been in business successfully for 30 years with a lot of repeat customers speaks volumes. In the end, it may not cost you more to deal with Jimmy because you will waste a lot of time and money traveling the country looking at airplanes that turn out not to be as advertised. I bought my last airplane from Jimmy and he described it over the phone and I found it exactly as he described when I showed up at his place to look it over.

Ah, that explains it. Thanks!!

How do those gear lights work? They have three wires each. One is tied to the bus, one is ground and the other is open or bus voltage depending on switch positions. I just don’t see what the extra bus voltage connection would be for.

Unlikely the single mag operation caused this. Running on a single mag does raise EGT but not enough to destroy a good exhaust system. We have two mags because one can fail and the airplane is designed to continue flight on a single mag. It sounds like the exhaust was just worn out. It should have been replaced/overhauled when the engine was overhauled but perhaps it wasn’t. Not sure why going back to both msgs in flight didn’t increase engine performance. That would be worth investigating when you get it back together.

I think it depends on how long you are willing to wait and how much pain you want to endure. Autopilots have proven very difficult to certify (I'm guessing that's why there are no NORSEE autopilots). All manufacturers have struggled to get it right and then after one gets certified it seems to take years to get all the bugs out in the field. This means that Garmin is years ahead of B-K and Dynon in terms of having a reliable autopilot you can bet your life on. If you can afford to wait, or go through the pain a lot of owners have gone through while Garmin tried to figure out why some Mooney's hunt in pitch, then go for an alternative. Many of us threw in the towel and bought a GFC 500 and the vast majority are happy campers. Five or six years from now, there may well be other options that are just as good and just as reliable. And, yes, the GFC 500 does drive other choices because most of the AP software is in the G3X/G5/GI 275.

And then complain that the installation cost more than they paid for the parts.

If you want a really nice look, you can have an upholstery shop make the upholstery with sheepskin inserts and the rest leather and just replace the existing covers.