PT20J

Just download the experimental installation manual and pilot’s guide. Some items like flap position and gear warnings require modification to airframe systems and that’s where it gets sticky.

The speed brake switch is a separate part that goes underneath the B-K part. Mine is black anodized aluminum. It's probably a Precise Flight part.

74068 according to the Lycoming IPC

Wings are swept for high speed characteristics. Someone needs to explain to me why they create more aerodynamic braking at low speed. Lots of stuff I don’t know, so I’m eager to learn. (BTW, Mooney wing is swept forward).

Hard to normalize because there is no reliable source for hours flown. Maybe now that most everyone has ADS-B … P210 likely a lot of mechanical failures

That is correct. I believe the KAP/KFC 150 autopilots had fixed gains unique to each airplane type set by resistor values in potted modules in the flight computer. I suspect the problem is less about gains and more about the fact that the autopilot uses pitch rate and acceleration measurements in addition to attitude probably in an attempt to get sprightlier response. But, that’s a guess - I didn’t design the thing.

There are a number of things that can be set in experimental mode that persist in certified mode. I discussed this with Garmin and Garmin’s position is that if the STC does not prohibit it, they don’t care. But, you have to use some basis for approval other than the STC. Some installers have been enabling some experimental features on certified installations and logging them as minor modifications to the STC. So, it’s really up to the owner and the installer since the owner is responsible for airworthiness and the installer has to be willing to make the logbook entry.

The GFC 500 STC documentation includes a Gain Addendum specific to each aircraft. What Garmin did was update the Gain Addendum for the M20J/K to include optional gain settings. The note says “Use gains in “Optional Value” column if pitch or pitch trim is overactive. Must use all values in “Optional Values”, if using any.”

The originals were some sort of stretchy fabric. If you can find some 1970's era plaid double knit polyester fabric it would be perfect

When I get offered a lifetime subscription, I always ask, “Who’s life?” I guess if they EOL (end of life) a product, that answers it. I’d tell them I want a death certificate for my files.

Nothing humble about a C. It’s a great airplane.

I own a 20 year old Volvo XC90 5-cyl turbo airport car. I do 5000 mi oil changes, but I've never cut open the filter. I don't do oil analysis. It sits a lot. I have no idea what the compression is. I never worry about it, and it always starts (hot or cold) and runs fine. I own a 30 year old airplane, and .... oh, never mind

You can tell where the leak is by listening for the hissing during the compression test: Out the oil filler tube = rings, out the exhaust tail pipe = exhaust valve, out the air filter = intake valve. If the air is getting past the rings, lapping won't do a thing except empty your wallet. Even if some air is leaking out the exhaust, it might be prudent to run it a few hours and recheck. Sometimes there is just a bit of carbon between the valve face and the seat. Lapping is generally done when the heat signature on the face of the valve is not concentric but before it gets bad enough that the valve has burned. If the valve face looks good in the borescope pictures, I wouldn't mess with it. Piston pin scuffing on the cylinder walls is common on Lycomings. The piston pin floats in the piston and the plugs on the ends can rub on the cylinder walls by design and leave a witness mark. If there is some roughness in the cylinder wall due to corrosion, it might cause more wear. As long as it's not making metal, I wouldn't worry about it.

Which end?

Where’s the switch located?

Apparently, if your airplane is registered in Australia.

Just search MS; I’ve explained it several times. It took me three tries to figure it out. In general, using the Brown T-9088 seal, I applied it so that the centerline of the bulb was on the rivet line where the inner and outer door skins are attached on the top and sides. The bottom is the hardest and the trick is to follow the contours of the door frame and not the door because they are not the same - especially the radii of the corners. When done, you can test the fit by closing the door on a piece of typing paper. The paper should be very difficult to pull out. If not, reposition the seal or shim it as required. (You can cut a piece off the tail of an unused piece of seal to use as a shim. The yellow 3M glue has enough open time to allow repositioning. And don’t use too much glue. A thin coat on each surface is all you need. Clean the seal off with denatured alcohol first to get a good bond. Then leave the door shut for a day or two. Initially it will be hard to close, but the seal will take a set and mold to the space between the door and the frame and eventually the door will be easy to close and won’t leak.

@Parker_Woodruff how do Cirrus hull rates compare to Mooneys with similar value and pilot experience?

Just send it to aeromotors for a rebuild.

10% seal; 90% placement. If it leaks air or water, usually the seal is too far from the edge. If the door is hard to shut, or the seal protrudes into the gap between the door and the fuselage, it’s too close to the edge. This assumes that the door latches are properly adjusted. If the door is tweaked by portly persons using it to hoist themselves during egress, then it may need shimming in some locations.

The software updates for the servos required by the AD are separate from the gain settings that were always available. The updated settings are only currently approved by the STC for the J and K although I have heard of some successfully trying them on long bodies. The installation instructions say to only use them if the standard settings do not work. I think Garmin just threw in the towel - it couldn’t ever figure out why the standard settings work with most airplanes but not on some. Bonanzas and Cirrus have also had pitch oscillation issues on some airplanes, so it’s not just a Mooney thing. Apparently the autopilot uses attitude augmented by rate for better pitch response. The alternate settings dial back the rate component (or maybe eliminate it). Closed loop control systems can be complicated.

There is a philosophical issue here. Some people like to try to get all their maintenance done once a year during the annual. But this often leads to expensive annuals and the airplane being in the shop for weeks waiting for parts and mechanic availability. Others (and I’m firmly in this camp) like to take care of things as they come up and want the inspection to just be an inspection. Certainly if an airworthiness item comes up, it will have to be addressed. But I’d just like a list of the non-airworthiness items so I can address them (or maybe not address them if I determine that to be the prudent decision) at my leisure.

SB 388 is the 400 hr wobble test to check valve clearance. Lycoming valve guides before 1998 were prone to wear and excessive clearance allows oil to coke on the valve stem and can cause valve sticking. Your call whether to do this or not, but many just wait for “morning sickness” (very rough engine on start up when engine is cold due to sticking valve which clears as engine warms). If the engine was overhauled after 1998, it should have the newer high chrome valve guides and the recommendation is a one time inspection at 1/2 TBO.

The Blue Angels rig their planes with a downspring to apply a constant 40 lb. nose down force. The Thunderbirds use nose down trim for only about 20 lb. force (wimps ). So it is clearly possible to fly precisely when out of trim. It’s good to practice go arounds at altitude until the forces become expected and manageable. The airplanes would not have been certified if the control forces were overwhelming.