flyer338

I keep hearing that Mooney destroyed the tooling for the short and mid-body airframes. Is this true? Why would Mooney do that?

My drink of choice is gin followed by Irish Whiskey.However I also like Tequila, Rum, and other Whiskies. Below is a picture of a a nice sipping Tequila I paid too much for in Puerto Vallarta and a good margarita tequila I get at Total Wine.

The first time I had the pitot static test done on my electric-gear C model, the shop did it wrong (This was pre-internet and I did not figure it out until years later.) The result of the shop’s lack of knowledge was a burst diaphragm in my gear safety switch. The leak did not prevent the gear from retracting, but it make a change to my indicated airspeed of about 15%. Even as a new Mooney pilot, I noticed. I did not know there is no requirement to test the pitot system. My J is in the shop for an Aspen PFD upgrade. I will make sure the shop tested the pitot system before I take delivery.

Based on the radar track, it looked to me like they selected the longest runway within gliding distance. That was great judgement, and not likely to have been easy under the stress of an engine failure.

When I needed it, the lens time was critical. Great Lakes did not have it in stock but promised to manufacture a lens in time for me to do the installation. Knots2U did and does have it in stock. The price was the same. I suspect Knots2U gets the lenses from Great Lakes Aero. The MSC in Florida told me Great Lakes Aero makes the wing tip lenses for Mooney.

I have copy of Flying magazine from 1961. The magazine has a test of the Mooney B model, the first all metal Mooney. The president of Mooney is quoted as claiming the B model was dive tested to 300 mph.

Shawn, I needed a wingtip lens recently. They are available from Knots2U. Fitting the lens required about three hours. The rear edge, top and bottom, was the only place where I had to remove material. I used a bench grinder with a fine stone to remove the material. Knots2U also sells a set of special drill bits for drilling and countersinking the mounting holes. I bought the drill bits because after three hours of careful fitting, I did not want to chance cracking the lens when drilling the holes. Here is the link for the wingtip lenses. https://www.knots2u.net/categories/mooney-aircraft-models/wing-tips.html

Thank you all for the videos. Am I missing something; it looks like in the video posted by alexz it looks like the cowl flaps are closed for the entire video.

I have had difficulties with my King HSI system as did the previous owner. I decided it made more sense to upgrade. My plane is in the shop for installation of an Aspen Evolution E5 and removal of the vacuum system. I expect to net 10-15 lbs. of useful load. The Aspen is supposed to play well with my KAP-150 and GNS-430. I will report back.

When and not if, you decide to reduce drag and increase efficiency, I suggest modifications in this order: cowl closure fairing, flap gap and aileron gap seals, and the three tail mods - dorsal fin, tail root, and rudder/elevator hinge covers. In my experience these are easy to install and are cumulatively worth 8-9 knots cruise and 200-300 fpm in rate of climb. The 201 windshield improves visibility and reduces cabin noise, but I could not tell that I got much speed increase. The fiberglass belly pan improves access and makes maintenance easier, but it did not do much to increase the speed.

What a great 2+2 a modern E with the latest aerodynamic refinements would make. There is no reason it could not have a 2740 gross weight and cruise at 165 knots on 10 gph.

Well deserved Don. I appreciate you helping scrub the rust off of my pilot skills after being on the ground for 8.5 years.

I am glad this thread has been resurrected. It is interesting to see the differences between models and individual examples of the same model. My 1983 J left the factory with 916 lbs. of useful load. That was its best day. At present the useful load is 898 lbs. At the moment it is in the shop to have the legacy HSI and AI removed to be replaced by glass. The vacuum system is going away as well. I think that just may get me somewhere close to the original useful load. Down the road, I am considering a MT propeller (8.3 lbs. reclaimed) and a smooth belly (about 5 lbs.). It would be nice if the lighter weight lithium batteries were certified because that would net about 15 lbs. more. A useful load of 950 leaves 558 for people and bags with full fuel. With three hours and reserve, the P&B number improves to almost 700 lbs.

God job handling the emergency. How many hours on the airframe? I have never heard of that part breaking.

I always want to know the payload. I define that as the useful load remaining after the fuel tanks, oil, and everything else is topped off. One must also consider the weight of headsets, portable O2, and anything else that lives in the plane. For my J, the 904 lbs. of useful load translates to 522 lbs. payload. My Sweetheart and I combine for 290, leaving 232 for baggage and additional passengers. I do not always need 64 gallons of fuel, so some payload can be reclaimed there. I get another 81 lbs. by fueling to 50 gallons (tabs - verified as accurate). Thus four Mooney sized people but very little baggage. Leaving another hour’s fuel behind gets me 58 lbs. of baggage. I think with a few upgrades (about 25 amu worth) I can reclaim 30-40 lbs. with improved performance. We shall see.

I have read, more than once, on Mooneyspace about the emergency gear mechanism being armed inadvertently during loading of rear-seat passengers and preventing gear retraction. I have added an item to my pre-takeoff checklist to check this.

I have a fuel stick made from a half-inch wooden dowel. I marked the fuel level in the tank, then added five gallons and remarked the dowel for every five gallons added. I cross referenced the sight gauges as I added fuel. With the tank full, I subtracted the number of gallons necessary to fill he tank from the usable fuel capacity to determine the number of gallons shown by the first mark. Then each mark adds five gallons. Among other things, I learned that from 10 gallons indicated to 25 gallons indicated, the sight gauges are accurate to within a gallon. Total cost was $1.58 for a 36” dowel from which I made two fuel sticks.

I toured the Mooney factory in 1995. The told me the labor hours to build a J model was 3200.

My Mooney is in the shop for an avionics upgrade - I am getting rid of the King HSI and AI in favor of an Aspen Evolution E5. I get to lose the remote boxes, lose the vacuum system, and keep the KAP-150. As soon as my wallet heals, I am going to think seriously about an MT prop. I wonder how much resale value there is in my McCauley? That might make a huge difference in when I do this. And three-blade props look cool. I will collect some climb, cruise, and noise data, before and after to share. I suspect the lighter propeller moving the CG aft might help with the cruise numbers. I think I will measure the cruise at 6,500 and 13,500. The EIS-4100 helps a lot (I think) between 11,500 and 13,500.

I used to wash my C with soap and water, then dry it in flight. I used simple green with a rag to wash the belly. Over 20 years I did not see any corrosion. After I sold it, it went to Florida for a while, and it now lives in New Jersey. I few it in a lot of wet and occasionally icey IMC.

I was never able to get the Hartzell prop on my C-model to stop. I made the attempt at 12,500’. I wonder if the result might have been different at lower altitude in denser air? I closed the throttle while measuring glide ratio in order to lower cylinder pressure and allow the prop to turn more easily and thereby reduce drag. This thread has me seriously considering a MT prop for my J.

I have an appointment at Horton for 9/21. I will report on how it goes. My current thought, once the electric trim and autopilot are sorted out, is to replace the vacuum AI and the electric HSI with an Aspen Evolution E5. Opinions solicited.

How about using fuel flow to set the mixture for a higher density altitude take-off? Then refining by the egt during climb. I generally cruise at altitudes where the max manifold pressure is 17-20 inches at 2400-2500 rpm. I do this because my electronic ignition (EIS 41000) provides maximum spark advance, and therefore potentially best effiency at 18 inches manifold pressure. A recent example was a flight a week ago from KFOT to KVGT. Cruising altitude was 13,500 feet, DA was 16,400. We were at gross weight for take-off, TAS was 143 knots, and the fuel burn was 7.22 gph during cruise. The works out to 19.8 kmpg. It was actually better because I had a little bit of push from the wind.

Jerry, my 201 has a pre-Oiler installed. The cost is 5.4 lbs. of useful load. I use it before the first flight of the day. On my previous Mooney, I always filled the oil filter with oil before installing it. However, the pre-Oiler does nothing for the camshaft. The Lycoming O-360 oils the camshaft lobes with splash oil from the crankshaft. It requires 1,000 rpm to get enough splash to oil the cam lobes. My practice is to avoid idle speeds below 1,000 rpm, even if I have to use more braking - brake pads are comparatively cheap. I am also a firm believer in the value of multi-grade oil during cold starts. Cold starts, even in Las Vegas, are when the majority of engine wear takes place.

How does one acquire the paperwork for a legal install in a Mooney?