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Jakes Simmons

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Everything posted by Jakes Simmons

  1. Update. Apparently the avionics folks who were working on my Ranger discovered the aileron pushrods for the Piper AeroCruze install would work for the Ranger. Not desiring to take on liability for an informal fix, they are currently petitioning the local FSDO for a one time approval for my aircraft. Reasoning that since the part is already approved in another install, should work for me. We will see. Holidays have slowed all processes down and I flew the Ranger back home until I hear about some resolve.
  2. Curious to know if anyone with an AeroCruze 100 and M20C is having the same new problem. ‘76 M20C Ranger. Paid for AP kit some time ago. Kit arrived last month at my avionics shop. Scheduled the install and flew the Mooney down. A day later get a call from shop, aileron pushrods for Aero Cruze aren’t in kit. A call to Duncan was made and apparently not all Mooney’s have the same aileron linkage length, and of course the airplane used for the STC is different from mine. The whole kit is held up by the need for slightly shorter pushrods which we were told needs to be re-STC’d. No predictions or guesses when that will take place. Back to square one.
  3. Hey, I appreciate the reply. I still have the original engine gauges, who knows what actual numbers they represent, but I haven't noticed any discernible changes even after long climbs. Were you deciding between Electroair and SureFly when going with an electronic ignition? If so, and if you get a minute, I am interested in why you chose SureFly and if you thought it worth it, plus does the change in timing work well with the MP drop? I already run fine wire plugs and was thinking about a mag replacement next yea
  4. During my last annual in August at Maxwell’s, had a PowerFlow exhaust installed on my ‘76 Ranger. Thought I would do a PIREP after 25 hours since install. Short version, no regrets and plan to keep it but if I was starting from scratch would have waited until original exhaust had issues and needed replacement. I think the PowerFlow works best for owners who consistently fly long cross countries at 10k and higher. Lower flying and hamburger runs, probably unnecessary. Had money saved for a couple years waiting on TT/AeroCruze to be available for M20’s. Finally last year, and a month before Duncan announcement, decided to throw in the towel and put the money toward something else on the airplane. I had been aware of PowerFlow systems for a number of years and seen good performance gains on friends’ Cessna’s. I called the company after seeing one of their specials expire and asked if they could extend it if I had an eight month lead time. They said no problem and even added the ceramic coating since delivery would be so far out. Just as scheduled, they sent the exhaust directly to Maxwell’s before my plane arrived. Normal install, I also added the Challenger air filter. Prop was dynamically balanced by the local wizard. THAT made a crazy difference. I had prop balanced 18 months before but the local Maxwell guy must have performed black magic. 2700 to 2300 no appreciable difference in vibe level, very smooth, or at least as smooth as a Lycoming four banger will go. Important note, my mixture control was repaired and adjusted during this annual. I had not realized there had been a significant problem. This plays out later. New exhaust added a couple pounds to front of airplane but was a wash because of previous removal of vacuum system. Looks cosmetically good and the coating stays clean. I seem to have lost a bit of speed down low. Previous multiple cardinal runs at 2000 AGL consistently showed 151 kt averages WOT. Did a few with new install, now consistently 148 kts. I haven’t noticed any measurable differences in TO distance or initial climb out. Butt says it’s a little reduced but that’s not quantitative. The positive performance differences I have noticed are up high. Depending on OAT, I’m getting 20-21.5” MAP at 11k, before it was 19 or a hair higher. Coming back from Tupelo MAPA yesterday, the Ranger was still climbing 5-600 fpm at 100 kts indicated at 11000 ft. My airplane has most of the major speed mods and that with the PowerFlow, the Mooney is getting original POH numbers. It was showing 145-147 TAS at 2450 rpm. I do not have an engine monitor so no real time fuel flow. My after flight fill up numbers haven’t changed. Maybe getting to altitude faster offsets any higher burn. The biggest operational difference is mixture control setting. Previous to this annual, I had two mixture settings, full rich and a spot well back, maybe 3/4 inch from cutoff. Engine ran smooth with rich all the way to cruise and smooth down to final with it pulled back. Now it’s a different story. Passing 5k in the climb, I need to start leaning or engine will stumble. It needs to be gently leaned throughout the entire climb. At cruise 10-12k, I pull it back to a spot physically forward of the original one, showing 100 ROP on the single point EGT gauge. On the way down same thing, mixture needs to be constantly attended to for the engine to stay in a sweet spot, smoothness wise. First time in a landing descent after install, engine was stumbling so bad, I thought it was going to quit. Called Lynn at Maxwell’s to see if something had been missed. He explained how much adjustment my control had needed. Now I have learned not to go full rich until short final. Cabin heat is also better. No noticeable difference in noise level. I used to cruise at 2350 but now I do 2450. I had read they tuned this exhaust for 11k and 2450 and that is where it seems happiest. So, if you’ve got the O360 and consistently fly 3-4 hour legs above 10, AND could use a new exhaust, it’s worth it. Hamburger runs at 5k, 1 to 2 hour flights, probably repairing your current exhaust makes more sense, as always depending how much you’ve got squirreled away in the kitty. Since this all was done, the AeroCruze kit came in. Now I am “squirreling” away for the install price. Hope this helps…
  5. Just wanted to do a quick, public shout out to AGL and thank Lynn and the crew there for taking such good care of my Ranger and me during its recent annual. Those folks did an extensive maintenance check and found a surprisingly large number of items that had been missed in a distressingly large number of past annuals. This was the Ranger’s first annual at AGL although they had seen the airplane once a couple years before on a rigging issue. My airplane actually flew noticeably better on the return flight from this last visit. I’m already on the schedule there for next year. And Tamara went way out of her way to make sure I was both dropped off and later picked back up from CLT exactly when I needed even though it meant making that drive well after normal business hours. And in regards to that and trying to save them some hassle, any folks from the OH or right close by area that would be interested in trading ferry rides when taking their airplane to them, feel free to give me a shout. It’s an easy non stop flight and the area around Foothills, NC is beautiful.
  6. Received a reply email from Chris at Duncan covering a couple more of my questions about support, parts, and BK. He responded that Duncan and Peregrine did all the STC paperwork and pushed it through. Duncan plans to stock all the autopilot parts and handle any warranty issues. I am going to go ahead and roll the dice on this one and get in the queue. Certainly not risk free but considering what I use my Ranger for and how often I fly it, this is the best bet for me currently. If I had a 201 or better, I’d probably be going STec but my $$$ is just not there. If folks are interested, I’ll post now and again how things progress. p.s. what I’m really buying the autopilot for? Something that will just hold the plane steady for 10 minutes while I contort to use the blue gel…
  7. For those of you who get the online Mooney magazine, The Mooney Flyer, there was an announcement posted of STC approval for the AeroCruze 100 for M20’s. Shocked and reeling in disbelief, I had to read it twice, nay, three times to verify what I was seeing. I called Chris at Duncan Aviation and sure enough those folks got it through. The autopilots will be ordered through Duncan. They are building a list now of M20 owners and which specific control head they want. That list goes to BK and then we wait for the parts to be produced and kits built for Duncan. Chris told me 90 days but I’m betting min of six months. Prices vary among the six available kits by less than $200. They all come in a hair under 6 grand unless BK decides to change it. Considering all the crazy stuff going on with this economy, a 1 AMU over the original TT price seems pretty reasonable. Chris at Duncan is a super nice guy and already deluged with emails and calls from us CB vintage Mooney drivers…
  8. Review after a couple cross countries and IMC work with the newest Aspen E5 with optional unlock. Minus an engine monitor and the Holy Grail of an AeroCruze 100, my panel is done having $$$ “invested”. Long saga with original dual AV30’s and I am now satisfied with what I’ve got. That’s the latest version of the AV30 in the lower left installed as back up AI. It is still being fed OAT and GPS info and with its own internal battery makes a great stand by instrument. I’ve noticed it still has some precession issues even with the new internal hardware. Attitude information is solid though and much better than the original units. However using the Aspen in real world IFR is much more confidence inspiring. Very stable, easy to interpret quickly, and easy on the eyes. The AV30 AI representation never seemed quite “fine” enough. My only complaint about the Aspen is it’s vertical speed indication. Nothing inherently wrong with it but for some reason my eyes never pick it up naturally in a scan. The analog gauge still works better. Favorite compliment is the real time winds aloft. Often what’s actually being experienced is different from forecast or even the free ADSB stuff. I like watching the winds as I climb just in case I need to go lower for turbulence and have an idea on how ETE’s might change. That mildly haphazard panel does make for stately pacing on the start up procedure. Master comes on first and nothing is touched while the AV30 aligns. After that one is stable I go through the normal engine start procedure. Leaned for idle, avionics switch on next, then once lights look good the last switch is PFD power and I wait for the Aspen to align and self test. I do cockpit organization for each alignment “wait” and I find the process keeps me from hurrying through checklists, probably safer overall. So thumbs up for Aspen and the latest E5. If I had my current knowledge now and was starting from day one, I would have gone full Dynon. Costs would have ended up being comparable. However that road is closed, spent my money, and I really enjoy what I’ve got. Never underestimate big knobs in turbulence. Turns out I am not a fan of Garmin touchscreen. That’s a D3 off to the right and I run FlyQ off an internally mounted Stratus receiver with AHRS so I believe I am pretty well covered for attitude back ups…I hope…. VAL 429 for VHF nav work, so far that unit works really well too.
  9. I ended up pulling the original AV30’s and installing a new Aspen E5 instead. I swapped one AV30 for a ver. 2 to use as a back up AI and am pleased with the overall result. The E5 works much better for me as an IFR instrument. Perfectly stable and I have the OAT installed, the displayed winds are nice. The newest AV30 works pretty well but I still didn’t feel comfortable with it as a primary IFR instrument. The E5 seems to have been designed by someone who shoots approaches. I still like the Uavionix company a lot and was always impressed by their attention, but am much happier with the E5 as primary.
  10. I just swapped out my two AV30’s for the Aspen E5. I plan to do a better PIREP once I get some solid IFR cross countries in. After an hour test flight and one three hour cross country, I REALLY like the unit. Exceptionally stable with crisp graphics. My middle aged eyes don’t have any trouble with the screen real estate. It’s still super early in the game but although more screens or Pro upgrade would be cool, I don’t think it is at all necessary with a good ADSB in and an IPad. I do have the TAS and OAT upgrade on the E5, worth it. Crossing my fingers just like you on the AeroCruze. Congratulations on your M20 ride…
  11. Quick check to see if anyone had been by the folks at AGL in North Carolina recently. I’ve left a couple calls and email last few weeks about scheduling a Spring annual without any response.
  12. What part of the country are you based? Definitely HSI and TAS unlock if I go this route. Did it meet your needs when in the clouds? One thing about the AV30 and Garmin round hole stuff is lots of info on a small screen for middle aged eyes. I tended to de clutter the -30. The Aspen seemed to have a small advantage in screen real estate for a slide in unit.
  13. Appreciate responses. This is a financially driven decision also so Dynon and GI275’s although great units are too far out of my current budget. I want a basic raw data setup that doesn’t need a vacuum system. I keep technologically current with the crazy amount of portable stuff available. Shout out to the D3 which has performed flawlessly since purchase. And other customers love the Uavionix units although I never found any owners who had IMC experience. May be a Mooney thing so I won’t badmouth the company. As stated, they worked with me much longer than any profit they might have made and in the end, full refund.
  14. Although support from the folks at Uavionix have been exemplary, it looks I will be pulling both AV30’s from my panel due to a dead end in solving a “lazy” AI issue. I still like the company a lot and have nothing but great things to say about the engineer there who has been patiently working with me since the original install. She went above and beyond in terms of time spent on the problems. In the end, I do not feel comfortable flying into actual IMC with the units and I can’t justify a pretty day Mooney. Actually, probably can’t justify the airplane regardless but that’s another subject entirely. Looking at replacement options now and am leaning toward the latest version of the E5. I have been unable to find good opinions online of the basic version and how it performs when in the weather. Does anyone have or know of anyone who has installed the unit with its HSI and can share flying experience? Also would like to check out an install in person if possible, doesn’t have to be a Mooney. My own AV30 issues involved an AI that would still show a mild bank when visually level and level when in a mild bank after a heading change. It was enough that when IMC, increased workload significantly to maintain heading and altitude. DG did end up precessing less, up until back up battery failed and now has to realign every flight. Rectifying attempts included multiple initial set up menu actions, degaussing of airframe, replacement of voltage regulator, dynamic balancing of prop, and more. All pitot static driven functions worked perfectly, internal AHRS, not so much. Appreciate any knowledge about the latest Aspen basic box…
  15. Have you flown IMC yet with the -30’s and relied on them purely for reference? I’ve had two for several months now and still would not trust the AI for actual instrument work. The roll function lags. They have limited my -C to VFR only until I figure out what to replace with.
  16. Do the other folks’ that have the AV30’s installed have the units tied to the avionics buss or main buss? Mine are on the avionics switch and the Uavionix engineer suggested they need to be on the main buss, that way they will be on with the master switch and remain on during engine start after alignment. I’ve tried the procedure suggested, power them up, wait for alignment, power avionics off and put the -30’s in battery mode for engine start. Did not seem to help. AI still lags in roll in flight showing a bank when level and level when banked. Definitely not safe for IMC. I am getting close to pulling them and trying the E5. Anyone out there have a recent install or PIREP on the latest version? I just want a reliable AI and DG. Funny but I had that with the original vacuum system.
  17. Looking for feedback for folks currently flying behind the basic IFR Aspen E5 unit. Most of the stuff I see online is from ‘19 including the crash and reset reports. Especially with the latest updates on the intro model, I am interested in real world experiences including use in IMC. I am considering pulling my two AV30’s and would like to know if the Aspen product is more reliable. The Pro stuff is cool but I don’t need the extra capability, Ill use portables for screen size/cost. A chance to see in action would be great for anyone in the OH or West TN area. Appreciate the help. From what I’ve gathered, most folks happy with the AV30’s don’t fly IMC, I bought my Mooney to go places...
  18. That would be great if you update your experience. I received an email reply from Uavionix, an engineer, who suggested electrical noise/interference might be causing the issue. Or the tubing being magnetized on the Mooney. Not quite sure how that would be a factor. I don’t have any noise from radios and the D3 with its AHRS works fine. I hope you have a better experience.
  19. Recap from previous post. My ‘76 Ranger recently had installed two of the AV30C’s to replace the vacuum driven instruments. The number two used as a DG has the same excessive precession issues as others have noted. The number one used as an AI acted like a weak vacuum driven instrument and lagged showing up to a 5 degree bank when level. The shop swapped out the number one with a brand new unit and I flew the plane back to its home base yesterday. Fun part was up to a 190 kt ground speed with 22” and 2350 rpm at 8.5k. Bad part was same poor performance by the new AV30. When I operated solely in reference to my portable Dynon D3, I stayed spot on altitude and heading, (GREAT product by the way), if I did that with the -30, I was constantly wandering on altitude and course. Rolling the airplane level visually I would watch the -30 still show a bank then slowly come back to level. Very frustrating and especially so since I’ve gotten myself into a box financially with the panel upgrade and no longer have the AMU’s to pull both out and redo with Aspen or Garmin. Searching forums, I have found a lot of folks complaining about the precession issues but nothing on AI problems. I am interested in others’ experiences with a dual AV30 install, especially with attitude reference. Does anyone here also have them or directly know other aircraft type owners with the certified version? My free time is inconsistent but if anyone here is interested in checking out the AV30C’s firsthand to see what they are like in use, I’m based in Columbus Ohio and would welcome a visit to help others out. Fly safe...
  20. Congratulations! I think you are going to be just fine with this one. You have already started from a good place by going with GMax. Follow the advice of Mike Busch on operating on condition and I think the engine overhaul could still be years away. I’m jealous you are buying some one else’s panel upgrade...much cheaper way to go than paying for it yourself. I speak from recent experience. Have fun!
  21. Update on some knowledge gained after speaking with an engineer from Uavionix. I’ve got two of the AV30C’s in my Ranger and have had the DG precession issues as well as the AI acting like a vacuum system on its way out. The firmware update has been released for the Experimental version and is awaiting approval by the, surprise surprise, FAA. It will involve either wiring into the RS232 interface with a connected laptop or the more ideal way of removing the individual units and installing the AVLink in each one. The -Link is essentially a tiny WiFi receiver and once installed will only need a computer nearby to wirelessly transfer firmware files. The engineer said the Link would be inexpensive and future proof so any future capabilities certified could be easily added. The current update awaiting approval MAY fix the precession issue for Mooney’s. Apparently our aircraft are giving them trouble that other types are not. There is some question as to whether a Mooney with magnetized tubing might be having some affect. Merely the messenger here, I’m not offering any data based opinion. It’s the same with my AI issue. Currently my shop swapped out the number one with another new AV30 and is awaiting my return to test fly, I’ll let folks know the results in another week or so. Another tidbit, Garmin devices continue to not play well with other brands. Apparently there is a proprietary signal from the 175/355 units that confuses the AV30 data fields for GPS destination. Mine show correct nav info like distance to go and cross track but will rarely display the actual waypoint identifier name. It displays “ALT” instead. Kind of annoying but another issue Uavionix is aware of and trying to fix. SO, jury is still out on the final performance of the certified AV30’s. I still like the company a lot, they have always been responsive in speaking with me even though it may not be the answers I desire. The engineer also admitted they have been facing headwinds with the FAA because they are a small company with tight pockets and aren’t able to muster the attention the big G can afford but they stay persistent. Traffic on the AV’s and autopilot interfaces are the next closest projects. Hope this helps some folks. I’m keeping mine for now, no guarantees on what I do in the future.
  22. No, I didn’t think to do that on the local flight. Couple steep turns but no 360. Next chance to fly is in 2 weeks. Hope to have new AV30 then to try.
  23. Early experience PIREP on dual AV30’s recently installed in my Ranger. 7 hours flight time including two cross countries and a short local flight. The pitot driven data points on the displays are spot on. VSI, altitude, airspeed, all great. The digitally driven stuff, not so good. The -30 used as a DG is just barely usable because of precession as others have noted. I have done the Uavionix “procedure” which is mildly ridiculous and did not help. The DG is usable but no where near as stable as the vacuum driven one it replaced. My real disappointment is with the attitude indicator AV30. It behaves like a lazy vacuum driven instrument, completely unsuitable for IMC. Just for practice, I flew a cruise portion of a trip solely referenced to the AV30 and was all over the sky. It tended to float in roll +/- 5-7 degrees. It also precesses at a pace that can almost be watched. I feel like they were rushed to market. Promised firmware updates have been delayed and are only supposed to address the precess issue. I will be sending the AV30 used as an AI back for an exchange. I have also had issues with the slip/skid ball and some issues with text data from the GNC355. I am hopeful for the promises the AV30’s were marketed for but as of yet cannot recommend them. For others on the fence about their purchase, I advise waiting another year if possible to see if the product and it’s support matures. Ill update as I make progress...
  24. I vote for keeping the B hub. I had the three blade, balanced out great but still had an annoying vibration. I now own the Hartzell scimitar two blade. Looks cool but still has not been nearly as smooth as that original Hartzell of the early C’s.
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