Fritz1

I replaced air pressure safety switch because stall vane was stuck in hot mode, my A&P IA cautioned me that the retraction safety part will typically fail soon thereafter, you have to cut zip ties to get to it, think it is above side panel but best to take side panel out to get to it, this is a real pita, I bought new air pressure safety switch, you might be able to have it overhauled if new not available

Air pressure safety switch is high up on left side of pilot foot well hidden behind wire bundles, good idea to take seats out when digging for it, the connector is maybe 10" away from switch

Call or email Frank Crawford at Mooney for service manual with wiring diagram, culprit may be air pressure safety switch

in the FIKI Bravo the stall vane has two stage heat, low heat on ground, you really have to put your lips on it to fell it heating up, full heat when air pressure safety switch is actuated, typically around 60Kt, so you never feel full heat on the ground unless you cautiously pressurize the pitot tube to actuate the air pressure safety switch

find out if Western Skyways will redo the valve guides and valve seats of the factory new cylinders, a lot of overhaul shops do, if Western Skyways does that for the quoted new limits price, there may be your answer

maybe idle just a tad rich and temps getting hot, try leaving mixture at cruise setting for approach, also reduces plug fouling, on the ground lean mixture as much as possible so engine just does not die during taxi

yes, check against ground compass rose first, the earth magnetic field sensor under a removable panel in one of your wings, you can rotate it to align the HSI with the fluid compass and/or the compass rose, I had an earth magnetic field sensor in a 182RG die on me completely a couple of years ago, wheatstone bridge in there, one of the resistors was burnt out.

Agree with statements above, properly repaired, zero deduction, more of a psychological issue, contact Jimmy Garrison at gmaxamerican, he will be able to recommend an appraiser, have the other guys agree with you on the appraiser, this will cut through the haze

Sorry to hear, overall typically no win situation, part of the reason why I ceased to be a corporate guy, airplane typically is a red flag, all kinds of bells and whistles go off

I am self employed and charge an economy plus ticket when I fly my aircraft to a client site, for morning meetings I fly in the night before so I am well rested. Things get a more complicated for a company employee, the airplane catches all kinds of attention from co-worker and customers. Give it a try, charge the company less than otherwise incurred airline, rental car and hotel expense and see what happens. Make sure your flight runs like clockwork, people will be watching the most minute details.

Like my B-cool, runs about 1h full of cubed ice, a little longer with large deep frozen blocks, enough for taxi and climb, if you need longer cooling time pack two of them, about 30lb full, use it a couple of times per year, wired Anderson plug from left No. 1 battery, precool airplane in hangar, start engine on no 2 battery

Can't help with the second alternator, would keep one vacuum horizon and one electric ring laser horizon, two sources of energy, worked in my cabin today, 95F in hangar, filled my B-cool with ice at FBO, 30LB full, runs for 1h, cooling power not tremendous, maybe 3000 btu but cabin is small, cut off airflow during taxi, cabin stays nice and cool, ice box stays at home in winter, if one is not enough, use two, permanently installed ac is at least $30k, semi permanent units suck hot air into the cabin which reduces their cooling power, ice box is good bang for the buck

Check cowl baffles, replace dead pieces, don't count on ram air pressure to close them tight

yes, dig hole, find screw, take out, clean thread with tap drill, find new screw, seal with tank sealant or permatex, apply wing walk compound, let dry for 2 days, if you really want it to look like new spray truck bed line over entire wing walk, be sure to cover adjacent areas of airplane

safety wire and duct tape fixes almost anything, leave ahead of schedule, build time buffer into schedule, the journey is the destination, enjoy the ride!

tough call, best airplanes are the ones from rising owner, flies a lot, spends oodles of money on repairs and upgrades, sells because he is buying a bigger airplane, these are snapped up fast and hardly ever hit the market, the vast majority of birds just hangs in there and requires lots of work to develop a semblance of reliability, takes looking at 20 to find a decent one, keep looking and you shall find

Done the camping, got soaked once or twice, land in Milwaukee at Timmerman field now, get hotel and rental car there away from the hustle, drive to air venture in one hour in the morning

take the individual gear retraction rods off, run actuator by itself, move each gear leg by itself, since you are at it, might as well take the actuator out, take apart and lube gears, there is an SB to do this every 200h or so, does not sound like no back spring, still good idea to inspect for cracks at the tabs when actuator is apart

the LASAR steering horn assy kit fixes a problem that nothing else can fix: a worn vertical nose gear pivot bolt that is welded to the roll cage, if you can find one of the LASAR kits used you are lucky!

think LASAR still has rebuilt OEM steering horns, the machinist that made the upgrade kit retired to my best knowledge and they have not resurrected production

talking East Coast I have heard good things about Cole in GA and Airmods in Trenton, Weber in PA is a long established service center, there is an A&P on MS at KGAI, callsign jetdriven I think, he sounds knowledgeable, personally I am about to take my A&P oral / practical in this summer as soon I have a little time to prep, passed written last year, my Mooney Guru is Brian Kendrick in San Marcos TX, known him for 25 years, he has forgotten more about Mooneys than I will ever know, my local guy has a full time job fixing jets, old salt, he helps me because I treat him well an pay him well, maxed out and turns down business, I will do whatever it takes to get this guy's attention, changed turbo wastegate with him last year, for avionics Freedom in Lynchburg VA is an excellent choice. Good and experienced A&P IAs are typically overworked, a lot of them are burned out like many people who are good at what they do, to get their attention you have to set yourself apart, pay better, cause less trouble, be entertaining and come up with fixes for their business or personal problems that they cannot fix themselves, kinda almost like having an employee on your payroll, bottom line this is a complex management situation often requiring the OPs personal involvement and out of the box thinking, the desired result is your bird ready to fly from sea to shining sea when you are ready

why do you think it is going out? they are available new and overhauled, price difference is not that great, either way you get a core credit for returning the old one, think $20, overall these dry pumps are best replaced after 500h, lots of people go all electric, saves weight, I like to keep one vac pump for one horizon, different source of energy, will keep running with all electrical fried in case of zombie apocalypse or EMP from nuclear blast

no easy way out, over the years I have developed a method where I have a Mooney guru far away do one annual and the next annual I do with a local A&P that is very familiar with my engine, either way I help as much as I can and make it clear to everybody that they will be paid that same and me staying involved does not reduce their pay, after a while they start to trust me, I do simple things and learn, sometimes I find stuff that nobody else does and things run smoothly. Like with any project there are surprises, the OP then has a chance to step in and gently guide around obstacles, find parts, have them shipped overnight so the bird gets back into the air.

Clean suspect areas real good with mineral spirits, dust with baby powder or white developer for dye penetrant system, fly for 30 min, take off cowl, look for oil traces

I have two 6 year old Concords on a battery minder in parallel, they tested 90% at last check, hope to get another 2 years out of them, think the key to long service life is not to run them down and keep on trickle charger when at home