mhrivnak

There's only one lead supplier for 100LL, so we're already at the mercy of a monopoly.

I'm 5'6" and have no problem flying Js. I put my seat at the third notch back.

Mine are routed similarly to Eric's, and they're closer to 4" from the cylinder than 2. So far one of them failed with less than 400 hours on it. I typically see peaks around 1480 at 65% power.

The straps won't feel any lift until the total lift exceeds the weight of the airplane. So you first need enough wind to make the airplane weightless, then add enough additional wind to generate 300lbs of positive lift per tie-down. I'm not saying they're great, but 300lb tie-downs might be ok even into hurricane force winds.

That doesn't sound right. If turning it on makes the ride worse, something is definitely wrong. In smooth air, I find that the yaw damper does nothing. It's definitely not intended to be rudder trim. I leave it off during climbs and fast descents so I can manually apply the appropriate rudder input. In turbulent air, turning the yaw damper on and off has an obvious impact on the amount of yaw that the turbulence induces. I think it's time to take your installer for a flight. As an aside, while most people (myself included) seem to initially assume that these are called "yaw dampeners", they are in actuality called "yaw dampers". I don't know why.

Go out and practice 100kts in advance. Some people just put the gear down, but I've managed 100kts pretty easily with gear up on similar arrivals. That's pretty close to most people's clean downwind speed anyway. On a long arrival like SnF or especially OSH, I find that approach flaps helps reduce speed a little, but more importantly lowers the nose enough to give better forward visibility. Be prepared for the plane ahead of you to go much slower than 100kts. And they might deviate from the lateral course. Mentally be prepared to break out and go back to the beginning even if it's not your fault. If you have a passenger, brief them in advance to get them involved in watching nearby traffic. Personally I'm happy to fly into a nearby airport and rent a car there, without the insanity of the SnF arrival. Some people like the challenge, but I've checked it off the list and am happy enough staying out of all that traffic. I'll fly in Thursday (planning for Tampa Exec) and be at the show Friday and Saturday. Looks like the weather should deliver plenty of "Sun"!

I think your points here, which I agree with, are: An engine with electronic ignition is very easy to start. That makes it less relevant to compare which starter might be better at starting. For example, one spins faster or is stronger than another. That just isn't of much value if you have electronic ignition. If you are considering spending money on improving the quality and reliability of starts, you may be better off investing in electronic ignition instead of a starter upgrade. I'm anticipating an engine overhaul in the near future, which will come back with electronic ignition. That definitely factored into my decision to not spend more money right now on getting a better starter.

I went with an overhauled Aerotech. The Skytec sounds nice, but I couldn't justify paying more than double. Thanks for the input and discussion.

The Skytec policy says: 3. Cores must be of like purchase, a directly superseded unit or replaced unit when installing an STC'd product. 4. Competitive product cores are acceptable returns.

I had a King autopilot do that once. An avionics shop diagnosed that the trim servo was sticking, which set off an alarm. I had no idea it was the autopilot until I started pulling breakers, and that's the one that silenced the alarm.

My J's starter is dead. It's an Aerotech MHB-4016. Here are two options: $585 for an overhaul exchange with spruce $1250 to exchange it for a sky-tec 149NL/EC It sounds like the sky-tec is about 7lbs lighter, turns faster, and people like them a lot. Is it worth paying more than double? My J's useful load is already around 1025lbs, so I'm not exactly clamoring for additional weight savings. In the next couple of years I'll probably swap my A3B6D with a Lycoming reman A3B6; does a factory reman come with a fresh starter? That would lead me to take the cheaper option right now. Thanks for any input. Other ideas are welcome, though expedience is a requirement, because I really want the plane back in the air for a trip next weekend.

I also replaced the shunt in my J. It had different specs than the one JPI sent. I managed to do it without removing external screws, but it was challenging and an exercise in patience.

I'll also endorse using lower RPM to achieve low power settings. It'll reduce the wear on your engine, which is one of your goals, and significantly reduce the amount of friction loss, leading to better efficiency. It's also quieter, which is nice for quality of life! This article includes a good discussion of using lower RPM settings for best fuel efficiency, but I think it fits your goals as well: https://resources.savvyaviation.com/wp-content/uploads/articles_eaa/EAA_2012-10_flying-efficiently.pdf

I made my first visit yesterday to Triple Tree Aerodrome in western South Carolina for their Chilly Chili fly-in. I saw at least two other Mooneys there among to 200+ aircraft that visited. As others have said in other threads, the 7000ft grass runway is smoother than many paved runways. The taxi to and from parking also wasn't bad; the grass was fairly short, so it was easy to see the contour of the ground. There was a lot of traffic on the arrival, and many people were not following the prescribed route very well, but it worked out. I was thankful to have another pilot in the right seat to keep an eye on traffic, especially when a Cessna turned early base and cut us (and at least 4 others) off. At least they exited the runway quickly, and the pilot was nice enough to apologize after we parked. https://photos.app.goo.gl/BdBJ1yqHidJojTXv7

I happened across this video from Victron that demonstrates the pitfalls of charging LFP from an alternator:

It probably needs its own GPS antenna though, right? And another database subscription? The 355 as NAV2 would definitely give you more options in case NAV1 failed. You could probably continue your flight uninterrupted and would have access to a lot more approaches. If my NAV1 fails in the clouds, I'll be asking for vectors to an ILS. But considering how rare that (hopefully!) would be, I'm happy with the less-expensive and simpler NAV/COM that may never go obsolete in my flying career.

A DC-DC charger like this is popular: https://www.renogy.com/12v-20a-dc-to-dc-on-board-battery-charger/ They're not small and they need to dissipate a lot of heat, so incorporating them into a battery would not be ideal. But they're an easy addition for situations where the battery being charged has its own bus that's not connected to the alternator's output at all except through the DC-DC charger. And that's the reason you see vehicles that regulate the alternator's output instead of using a DC-DC charger, because they have just one battery and just one bus.

Or if my GPS navigator fails in the clouds. A backup NAV can always get me to a runway and is a lot cheaper than having an extra certified GPS.

This is very doable, and it gives you a power solution you can bring with you in the plane. Let's focus on the pre-heating part, since that's simpler and hopefully a more common use case than charging your plane's battery. Figure out how much power your heater pulls in watts. Using a kill-a-watt is a good way to measure. I think mine pulls about 800W total to heat the oil sump and each of the four cylinders. If yours only heats the sump, it probably uses a lot less power. Want to pre-heat for an hour? In my case I'd be looking for a LiFePo4 battery that can output at least 800Wh (watt-hours; that's literally saying it can output 800W for an hour). A standard 100Ah (amp-hour) battery will give about 1300Wh, so that would be more than sufficient. Then you need an inverter that can handle the load. Over-size it. For my 800W load, I'd look for something rated for 1000W or more. Connect it all with appropriate gauge wire, and you're in business. A simple approach is to secure the battery, inverter and charger in a milk crate with straps and zip ties. Or just buy one of the ready-made power stations with a sufficient power rating. DIY example with respectable components: $100 inverter $180 battery (after coupon) (updated Feb 2025) $50 charger plus wire, connectors, and a crate or toolbox to put it all in. You get a fun project and save a lot compared to buying a Jackery 1000 or similar. To charge the plane's battery, you'd want a DC-DC charge controller along with a way to connect it to the plane's battery. But hopefully that isn't a common need, and it may not be worth worrying about.

How did it go? Any tips for someone else who needs to remove that panel?

Keep in mind that lithium-ion batteries you find in phones and similar devices are entirely different from lithium-iron-phosphate batteries (LiFePo4 aka LFP) sold by EarthX and used in many other applications in recent years, including electric cars and home power banks. LFP batteries are in many ways an amazing innovation. They can be discharged to near-zero without risk of damage (lead acid needs to stay above ~50%), weigh less than half of an equivalent lead-acid battery, and can easily last through 4000 complete cycles (you might get 1000 out of a lead acid battery). There are other pros and cons when used in an airplane, but just be sure to note the difference between lithium-ion that's been around for a while in devices, vs LFP which is fundamentally very different and has become popular more recently.

If you're comfortable with just a little bit of wiring, you can put together your own portable kit for a few hundred bucks and leave the car out of it. Then you can even bring the kit with you on trips. LiFePO4 batteries are an amazing innovation; they're lightweight, can be deeply discharged every day for a decade, and are affordable. Here's an example: $50 - 10A charger (I have this one and like it): https://ampedoutdoors.com/products/10a-fast-lithium-charger-lifepo4 $130 (after coupon) - 50Ah LiFePO4 battery: https://www.amazon.com/Ampere-Time-Phosphate-Trolling-Sweepers/dp/B08K7MKRF7/ $100 - 1100W inverter (oversizing because you'll find other uses for this portable kit): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T564EIY/ Put all three in a milk crate secured with a luggage strap (for the battery) and zip ties. For your 240W heater, you should get 2+ hours out of this setup. Or go for a bigger battery to heat for longer.

UNLESS you get the LED replacement lights, in which case you still need the 24V/28V part: https://www.gallagheraviationllc.com/WAT-Mooney-28V-Recognition-Light_p_337.html The short reason why is that since the LEDs don't draw much current, the resistor won't drop the voltage much.

It's a good thing we have airplanes! Fly in during the morning, enjoy the eclipse during lunch and early-afternoon, then depart late afternoon and land somewhere for dinner far from the congestion. That's what we did for the 2017 eclipse, and it worked out great.

I agree that those look like GPS / RNAV annunciations. I'd check the logs for what previous navigators have been installed, and that'll hopefully lead you to an ID for this part.