PT20J

TOGA is an autopilot function, not a navigator function. The GNS series are navigators. Maybe I’m not understanding you. Can you describe what you mean when you say TOGA works with a GNS?

That’s because TOGA is an FD/AP function and legacy GA autopilots lacked it, so you cannot just add it with an avionics upgrade unless you change the autopilot. As noted above, the modern Garmin autopilots have it and the button is required by the STC.

I read the FAR again, and here is how I understand it 45.22(b) simply says you can operate a small airplane 30 years or older that has 2” numbers. It does not include language such as “notwithstanding paragraph 45.29” so that paragraph still applies which says repainting requires 12” numbers. I’ll be interested to hear what the FSDO says.

You might also ask AOPA - this probably comes up a lot.

Do you happen to recall how many hours were on the muffler in each case?

I think you misunderstand the intent of the rule. The owner/operator is responsible for getting required inspections done and seeing that all applicable ADs are complied with and, upon discovering an unairworthy condition, getting it fixed. The A&P signing off their own work is responsible for the work done - no more, no less. So in this case, the A&P that signed off the work was responsible for that and clearly messed up. The owner, once discovering that the airplane is unairworthy is responsible for getting it fixed, which is exactly what he did. Suppose it were otherwise. Suppose you took your airplane to a shop to have the oil changed. Suppose the A&P, during the course of the oil change found something that they felt was unairworthy. If the A&P rather than the owner was responsible for airworthiness, they could ground the airplane. But since they are only responsible for changing the oil, they merely inform the owner. The owner is now able to determine the best course of action. It's actually a pretty good system and it gives the owner a lot of flexibility.

It is; I'm looking into this for someone else.

Alas, they have started charging for documents and tech support. EDIT: But I was able to snag it from the wayback machine. Thanks for the link!

My gear doors just have AN3 bolts. Each door is shimmed differently due to manufacturing tolerances, but you should be able to find a common AN3 bolt that works with your combination. You can add an extra washer under the bolt head if need be. But, since this was disassembled for painting, are you sure that all the original spacers and/or washers were correctly replaced? It might be worth putting it on jacks and checking the gear door fit.

I'm looking for info on this unit: Installation instructions, troubleshooting info, drawings, schematics, etc. Can't find anything useful on Zeftronics website. Anybody got anything in their stash?

I bought one for my wife 5 years ago. The mic was always out of position every time she would try to talk to me on the intercom forcing her to reposition it and repeat herself. She finally took it off and threw it in the back seat.

Page 78-00-00, item 23, I called LASAR to purchase one about 5 years ago and it was about $50. I don’t even want to think about what they want for them today. I did what everyone does - cut up an old tire.

The black ducting behind the instrument panel for heating and ventilation is CAT which is single-ply neoprene impregnated fiberglass. It is good for low temperature applications. SCAT is the same thing except it is silicone impregnated for use forward of the firewall. SCEET is double wall SCAT and is more durable, but it is less flexible. CAT (or SCAT) is fine for the interior air ducts. SCAT and SCEET are rated for up to 500 deg F and don't require fire sleeve. The ducts from the avionics blower to the avionics trays are smaller maybe 3/4 or 1 inch in diameter. I don't know what material was used for these.

This may be part of your problem. There should be movement of the ball joint, especially without the tailpipe attach hardware. If this were my airplane, I would remove the tailpipe, inspect it for any damage and clean the ball mating area with Scotch-Brite. I would coat the mating surface of the ball with a light coat of C5-A anti-seize and reassemble it with the correct tailpipe hardware.

The TRIM CB will kill the power to the trim servo on the King autopilots. But, on the GFC 500, it will only render the manual electric trim inoperative; the autopilot can still actuate the trim servo. That’s why you need to pull the autopilot CB and not the TRIM CB with runaway trim on the GFC 500 One good thing about Garmin ESP design is that it only commands the pitch and roll servos. It doesn’t use the trim servo. So, it can’t get you dangerously out of trim like the infamous Boeing MCAS.

The original service instruction, SIM20-88, was issued in 1990, so the change would have probably been incorporated in production airplanes around that time. My 1994 MSE came from the factory with the stepped nuts. We often hear that service bulletins (mandatory or otherwise) need not be complied with for part 91 operations, and this is true. But, sometimes complying is the smart and safe thing to do. The owner/operator is primarily responsible for maintaining the aircraft in a safe and airworthy condition. It's not difficult to search Mooney's website for all the SIs and SBs that apply to your airplane and check the logbooks to see which have been complied with.

LASAR used to maintain this spreadsheet. But, it hasn't been published for several years so it may not be current. SB_chart.xls

The auto engagement of the autopilot it level mode is part of ESP, so it won't engage if you disable ESP. I usually disable ESP for VFR flights. I'm unlikely to lose control VFR and I don't like the automation taking uncommanded action. But, I always have it on if flying IFR. With the latest G3X software versions, you can disable it flight by holding the AP DISC switch on the yoke for 5 seconds. The GI 275 and G5 might do that also -- I don't know.

If the autopilot is engaged and you push on the yoke it will normally trim against your input so when you disconnect the autopilot, the airplane will not be in trim. On autopilots I have flown, the yoke disconnect switch should be held down to remove power from the servos until you get the autopilot off. It's a good idea to review the autopilot emergency procedures in the AFMS periodically because autopilot failures, while rare, can easily lead to loss of control.

Check the circuit breaker panel -- my 94 M20J had a breaker for the avionics blower. There should be a duct from the blower to the back of the rack for the KFC 150 flight computer. I would check the operation of the blower and the integrity of the duct.

I’d check with your broker on that. I’ve been told by two different brokers that some companies don’t care about loyalty once you reach a certain age.

When I was flying float Beavers part 135 (a Beaver is really noisy) several of the pilots swapped headsets and the conclusion was that the Bose A20 was quieter than the Lightspeed Zulu. But, personally, I found the Zulu more comfortable on longer flights and the difference in ANR performance in a Mooney is negligible. So, I'd pick whatever is more comfortable. I used to use the Bluetooth in the headset, but don't anymore since installing a PMA450B audio panel that has Bluetooth capability for phone calls to clearance delivery. A lot of folks like the Halos. I bought one for my wife but could never get mic to stay in the right place and she got tired of messing with it and doesn't use it anymore.

I seem to have missed something. How is we assume that the insurance companies have no data? There are about 1200 GA accidents in the US annually. That’s a lot over a decade or two. Insurance companies certainly know their own claims history and may well share with each other.

Why not just call and ask: Hartzell Engine Tech 2900 Selma Highway Montgomery, AL 36108, USA 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST Monday thru Friday Customer Support +1 (888) 461-6077 Toll Free +1 (334) 386-5400 Phone

I installed a rebuilt IO-360-A3B6 that came with an AvStar fuel injection system (servo, flow divider, nozzles) in Oct 2018 and it has been flawless. I do find that it idles more consistently if I set the idle mixture a little rich. I wonder if some of these cases are due to having the idle mixture set too lean. If it’s too rich, you can always lean it with the mixture control, but there is nothing you can do if it is too lean.