Ross Taylor

Okay, since the oil issues seems rather sorted out...I'll tell my wasp story. Until about 4 years ago, I was doing technical training/troubleshooting/project management on wind turbine installations. I had climbed a 140-foot tower at a site on the shore of Cape May, thinking what a beautiful place and a great view. As part of the troubleshooting, I turned the rotor by hand to feel for bearing roughness or cogging...and found out then that there was a wasp nest inside the alternator windings, and my actions pissed them off royally. They came swarming out and I did my best to descend quickly, balancing the need to go quickly and avoid as many stings as possible against the need to not fall. Complicating things, my harness had a slider which rode on a vertical safety cable and if you descend too quickly it locks...damned thing!

And I'm envious! Thanks for the laugh.

Thanks all...and thanks @Culver LFA for reminding me of that part name...bellcrank, not "long white linkage cross tube thingy"... I presume there's no aftermarket approved addition for that, right? Like an adel clamp with a marker? During the day, this isn't an issue as it is now. But I'm careful to look closely with a flashlight at night. Of course, looking carefully at this isn't a bad thing...

Hi all, and thanks in advance for your help! I want to improve the visibility of my mechanical (floor) gear down indicator in my '66 E. It was a mechanical system off the factory floor, but got converted to electric about 2 weeks later. So, I don't know if this is "normal" or not...but I'd love to see what other vintage gear down indicators look like. Mine is basically a black line painted on the linkage cross tube (not the official name) and a black line marked on the clear cover. I'm taking off the cover tomorrow and at the least it will get a good cleaning. But even clean it doesn't really jump out at me. Maybe that's good, because I definitely make an effort to look in there and ensure the gear's really down. I would, though, though like something more visible. I don't see anything helpful in the parts manual and I definitely don't have a light, as I've read about in other (later?) Mooneys. Here are pics of mine. Thanks all, Ross

Well, first off...congratulations! We also have a '66 E and love it. While not uncommon, I'm sure, we have a refrigerator/freezer and I would really miss that. The freezer section has ice packs in it, so when we take a trip we've got a way to pack up the soft cooler right there. And the stash of fizzy waters in the fridge, with some snacks, makes a work/cleaning day at the hangar much more pleasant. Now, my buddy two hangars down has a fridge and a grill and a recliner chair...but he's also got a twin.

Could have fooled me!

And that (the police motorcycle in the shot) is why we used to ride around in the City of Phoenix parks and the desert and justify it as practice...you never know when you might need to go off-roading. And it was fun, of course. 7th St/Deer Valley...almost made it back to DVT...glad it ended up injury free.

Thank you @kortopates - that response and information demands more than simply hitting a like button...very much appreciated! In my case, I picked up our E in Virginia and had to get it jumped by the cart to start - then I merrily flew to Arkansas. I may have cooked our not-too-old battery in the process. I now carry jumper cables connected to a 3-prong power plug, only for use at a remote or unoccupied strip. If I need to jump start, I'll do so knowingly.

Is it super bad form to quote myself? Like giving myself a high five? Is the potential for damage to a battery real, in a situation like this...where a low battery is jump started and then charged rapidly (and ungracefully) by the alternator/regulator system? Or is this an OWT and my experience was just a coincidence? I keep my new Concorde on an "aviation calibrated" BatteryMINDer charger now. But I do carry jumper cables and a plug, in the event we're stuck somewhere without an FBO. What is the real risk of jump starting and then system charging a low battery?

Good question about the ceramic coating! I look forward to seeing *someone else* try that first...and reporting.

I'm no battery expert, but I believe doing a rapid charge may do more long-term (or additional) harm. I'm pretty sure I heard Mike Busch warn against this in a discussion of jump starting an aircraft, saying that the resulting rapid charge from the alternator and VR can damage the battery. I only have anecdotal observation on this, but our 2017 Concorde battery failed shortly after just such a jump start incident last year. Maybe coincidence, maybe not...

Thanks @bradp - that was really interesting. And kudos to the student pilot who tested the wing for movement...and identified that. It could have been tragic. That bolt hole wear was impressive.

@EricJ Kroil is obviously the best because I paid more for it and I always thought it was the best... haha! That video just ruined my hopes and dreams. Thanks, buddy.

Is this because your caps are tethered/chained and need a place to sit during filling? The caps on mine are not attached so maybe that's why I haven't needed a pad. Color me confused, until I considered the tether issue.

And that's with the Gtechniq C2V3, right ? @aviatoreb I've got a 1000ml bottle on the way, arriving tomorrow. I also have a bottle of Rejex which arrived this week...but it sure looks like the C2 is the way to go. Nice!

^^^ You, sir, are a philosopher. Well said.

I was actually waiting for you to share your experience here!

Thank you, sir, for still watching over me! For those who don't know, we became stewards of our E from Mr. Bronson and he put a lot of love into it. It recently had the first annual in our hands and our A&P/IA (who also owns two Mooneys himself) was super impressed. I hope you are well - and please know that this aircraft is still loved and enjoying new adventures!

I definitely think mine is too high. If I remember what I've read on this, it's supposed to be close to 80mph...but ours is closer to 90. When we're next behind the panel, I'll get that addressed (that's where the adjustment is, right? on the sensor behind the airspeed indicator?). At first, I thought we had a finicky squat switch and cold donuts...then discovered that the '66 Es don't have a squat switch.

Like yours, our E came off the line and had the first factory test flight (and COA) issued with a Johnson bar...then got converted in less than 2 weeks. I'll not bother converting it back, after all this time, but it's the only thing on our plane that wasn't "ideal". I like the manual gear simplicity. I also like that there's no minimum speed limitation on raising it. I'll soon be adding an override button on ours, because sometimes I want to raise it before the speed sensor activates. Good for you - and I'll be watching for pics!

Thanks much for the pointer @Freemasm - I placed my order last night!

Good indications from all of you...good relationships, indeed! My wife fully supported buying our '66 E last year and she's a very participatory passenger. In fact, she's more than just a passenger - she's watching our progress on her iPad, she leapfrogs from nearest airport to nearest airport getting ATIS/AWOS info, she looks up and dials in destination airport freqs, and she helps with traffic watch. I'm very lucky, too... and no pillows so far @Air pirate

@s10sakota I think I connected it was you, as I'm a fan of your videos about your kitplane builds...and your (too few!) C videos. I didn't connect the dots until I saw your "dogfight" video, though. I appreciate your style on YouTube and I really appreciate that you've never jumped on MS saying, "hey, buy my stuff!" The stealth, respectful approach is the best approach. Now...make an E shirt and more Mooney videos!

Another Kroil fan here! Edit to add: ...and heat, where appropriate.