Pasturepilot

I’m under my mooney right now. 1965 M20C. My main gear discs are a 1968 date code. Yeah, I know. So I bought some from a local MSC. Went to install them today. But wait, it gets better. Under compression, the gap under the collar is Right at limits. When I jack it up, they expand exactly as designed. The retaining bolt on one side is rusted and won’t come loose. I hit it with PB blaster and will try again tomorrow when the rain begins. For now it’s sunny and clear in Georgia, so I’m gonna button it up and go fly while the blaster does its thing.

It’s not a replacement for an autopilot. It’s closer to a knee on the steering wheel, or letting your right seat passenger hold the wheel while you unfold a map on the interstate. Properly maintained or repaired, they’re a good aid in the cockpit. They’re not hard to fix when they break (lots of manuals and advice available here) and I’m pretty much just letting mine ride a couple years into the future.

Exhibit A: the world’s most reliable tachometer congrats!

If you’re looking for a cheaper bonanza, the Debonair ain’t a bad way to go. whats the going rate on a set of bearings to overhaul an E-series continental? I worked at an engine shop before I started flying for a living. We returned an E-225 to one owner because there was one part we couldn’t source. Can’t remember what it was. Want to say it was main bearings or rod bearings for a crank that had been ground. I did a prepurchase on a rearwin a couple years back, and the owner told me that main bearings were unobtainable. Some guys were modifying some automotive bearings to fit properly. That was a Franklin engine. Different mill, but similar scenario- enthusiast owners are scouring the planet to keep them running while certain parts are made of unobtainum. I’d much rather fly a four cylinder lycoming that every FBO has a mechanic who can care for it.

You don’t have to be an expert to keep The engine in any Mooney going. E-series continental ownership, on the other hand, ain’t for lightweights. Yes, you can keep one going, but it’s a low TBO and you’ll eventually find some part that’s common on any more modern engine, will wind up grounding your airplane for a long while as you scour the globe for parts. An older beech swapped to an O-470 is better in this regard, but it’s gonna bring a higher price.

I’ll get a word in before the floodgates open with guys screaming “GET A MOONEY INSTRUCTOR!” I start it the same way I do most any other low-wing 180 horsepower lycoming. Mags and master on. Fuel pump on until pressure stabilizes, then off. Mixture rich, throttle two pumps and cracked 1/8 inch. Should start within a couple blades. Concerning your fuel flow numbers, make a lunch run somewhere so your fuel flow is stable for a while before you get too concerned. How many years and hours are on your mags since they last saw service, overhaul, or replacement? The 500 hour inspections often slip one’s attention and failures don’t always manifest themselves as running rough or a severe mag drop. Difficult starting often is an ignition problem when it sometimes seems a fuel problem. Welcome to the “owner by a Mooney” club

He was a big help when I was sorting my PC issues too.

@Huitt3106 I had a similar problem after some recent work. Oil temperature either pegged out or showed 80 degrees. Got to chasing wires and the temperature gauge waved like a flag in the breeze when I wiggled the wires just outside the temperature sender’s cannon plug. One of the pins had broken loose inside the plug and pushed back just enough to make contact... sometimes. Got it together well enough To function while I wait on a new plug to arrive.

Plane and Pilot’s “Lessons Learned” (about flying and life) are broader than “I nearly died” tales. If you’d like to frame up a 1500 word story about how an airport can come to be more than just a patch of ground to park a plane, I know some folks who might could make it happen. my username at gmail or PM me and we’ll get that ball rolling.

How many hours on tour mags? My C model had similar issues a couple years before I bought her and we chased all sorts of leads: Carb rebuilt, replaced intake seals, all sorts of stuff. Carb heat helped. (But that’s not gonna help you a bit) it turns out, the 500 hour inspection was about 200 past due. Sent them out and not a hiccup since.

A produce rubber band or a 35 mm film canister will work to keep the button down as well. if you’ve got a good servo, swap it in. Should fix that leak. I fixed a series of leaks in mine which always revealed others. Took a little time to get it squared away, but the system is pretty straightforward once you’ve messed with it a little.

Is it possible that the wires for both of those lights are in the same bundle, possibly chafed against each other? If both of those wires were bare then either one would power the other.

See? Reading comprehension before coffee is a concern in this house. Completely missed that this was all cylinders.

An intake leak would introduce the most air into a cylinder’s intake at low manifold pressure. Someone back me up. I just woke up and am waiting on the coffee to make so obviously anything I say has to be double checked.

When I was the airport kid, I thought all the airline pilots had airplanes.... because most of the guys with planes were airline guys. It was a shock when I started flying for a living and it dawned that most professional pilots hang it up at the end of a trip and don’t think about flying until they’re on their way back to work.

Our little trip west, properly documented: https://www.planeandpilotmag.com/article/flying-to-the-american-west/ it’s easy to lose perspective, bouncing between airliners and general aviation. In a four day trip, we’ll cross the continent a couple times. But each time I’ve recounted this trip to a captain as we’re hauling 200 folks at Mach .78, almost every one’s eyes glazed over. “That’s the trip of a lifetime,” many explained. Here’s hoping it will be one of many trips of this lifetime. That’s what this Mooney Zoom stuff is all about, right?

Open up the big panel on the right side of the fuselage behind the aft cabin bulkhead. They’re attached to the pushrod with cables.

@ROZ, where are you located? I’m sure if you let us know, someone nearby would probably happily invite you for a hangar visit to let you poke around and see some of the features we’re talking about if you haven’t already. I find that first interactions with a design (car, plane, boat, etc) happening with a seller over your shoulder are a lot more intimidating than getting familiar in a friendly environment with no expectations. If Atlanta is nearby, I’ve got a 65 C model you’re welcome to try on for size.

I love the idea of a Mooney kit, but having built an RV-4 tail with my granddaddy and done a couple condition inspections on others, I’ll say this: Mooney’s wing is not suitable for homebuilders. The wing and tail jig for the RV fit easily in our little workshop; a jig for a Mooney wing would take up 40 feet by the time you had enough room to squeeze around either end. The structure has a lot more to it than an RV as well. So you’d have to either have some really advanced quick-build option for the wing, or go to the factory to handle that. Or just make a “plastic“ wing. That could lower the parts count and tie up fewer man hours. Use the experimental wing to develop the process and design for an improvement to the certified design that might reduce hours on the assembly line. This is all hypothetical rambling from me of course. I’m no engineer and to be honest, my antiquated C model is about where I need to be in terms of finances. A 20 year old Mooney is about the best that my day job will ever subsidize. I’m not complaining - when I need to go somewhere in a hurry or in bad weather, I go to the bigger airport, flash my ID and beg nicely for a jumpseat wherever I need to go. My Mooney is for a different kind of travel. I just wish to see continued success for our friends in Kerrville, regardless of how they can brainstorm a way out of their situation. I’ve flown and maintained several designs that had zero factory support. It’s doable, but not what I signed for when I bought a Mooney.

I replaced my landing light and fuel pump switches with new old stock ones I found online. Easy fix.

There are two currently registered locally to me- I’ve got Facebook friend requests sent out to owners hoping to meet up. Fingers crossed.

Different brands have different thicknesses. Cornwall was often much thicker than Snap-On, for instance. If you’ve got a mechanic handy with different brands of sockets, you might try that route.

Hey guys, Forgive the widebody Mooney owner sneaking over here into your forum. I'm working up an (admittedly small) feature including the Mite and need a picture or two and a chance to pick your brain with a couple questions as it comes together. If you're interested, shoot me a PM or email (my username at g mail dot com) and let me know what you've got. Would love a good quality air-to air shot. Wouldn't protest if someone wanted to check me out in their bird for the story... but probably can get what I need after a game of twenty questions. Thanks! J

You’re not wrong. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

So, yeah. Filed under things I meant to look at earlier and hadn’t. Someone was talking about their landing gear donut date codes and I made a note to take a look next time I flew. Which was today. landing gear donuts. These things are good for 50 years or so, right? I guess it’s time for lord mounts down below and firewall forward! Ugh.