MooneyBe

Oxygen topics must be in the air! Dad jokes aside, does anyone have a recommendation on where to purchase just the Scott fitting that will fit a constant flow tube (like an Aerox or MountainHigh constant flow)? Aircraft Spruce has the "Retrofit kit plus Scott type fitting" (#13-18992 here https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/retrofit.php) but I really only need the fitting itself and don't want to drop $105 on a 1 inch piece of brass, though 0.1 AMU to ensure oxygen flows is probably fine if it comes down to it (Other relevant thread on this topic pasted below for anyone that ends up here because of a search for "oxygen" or "Scott fitting".) B

One word of caution on yoke mounts and autopilots. It is purely a theory but I was having fits with my A/P disengaging in relatively light turbulence when I had my iPad mounted to the yoke (no it wasn't hitting the disconnect button ). I removed it and have since not had the issue. Again, theory but I wonder if the additional weight on the yoke puts additional burden on the trim servo. B

Roger that. I'm looking at ~22.5k quote all-in for the GFC500, G5, and GAD (install estimated at ~10k), which is tough to stomach given my KFC was doing great until the computer fried.

Has anyone on this thread installed the GFC500 with a G500 (not Txi--the original G500)? It's frustrating but it seems like even with the G500 you still need to install the G5 backups and associated GAD29 interface.

Appreciate the input. Have sent a note to a few recommended avionics shops in the area in addition to Weber. Will report back when we figure out the problem and what we do/did about it!

Acknowledging that there are a plethora of KFC150 commentaries on MS, coming back to the well for more. Our panel: G500 with GTN 750, GNS 430, KFC 150, KAS 297B (and then a bunch of Garmin gear for XM, traffic, etc but not really pertinent). Our problem: We were in the decent yesterday (around 2200 feet) when the KFC 150 failed (basically powered down). It did not pop a circuit breaker--just failed/turned off. The KAS 297B altitude preselect was still 'on' and indicating it was receiving but had 4 horizontal bars across and would not allow for any inputs/would no display an altitude. The electric trim was still functional. After landing, the electric trim rocker switch also failed (i.e. it would click itself off after being turned on but again, no circuit breakers would pop). It's worth noting that the panel mounted thermometer was about as hot as I've seen it with the temp just below the dash/above the annunciator panel at 115 degrees). Diagnosis: We went back today following some calls and were able to isolate the problem to the KFC 150. The electric trim switch would stay 'on' (and requires the A/P circuit breaker to be in), the altitude preselect will not work (though it powers on), and the KFC 150 will just not power on (no lights no nothing). Question: Has anyone else had their KFC system fail like this (it feels to me like a failure that will require some level of overhaul...) and what was the price to fix? At this point seeing some of the other horror stories pouring 5-10k into a KFC repair when a GFC 500/G5 all in is 19k makes me wonder. And I know executive autopilots on the WC is well liked--any suggestions closer to home in Northern Virginia? Thanks, as always!

I would recommend prior to pre-buy you have a Mooney professional review the logs. It will make the prebuy much more targeted and give you a relatively cheap sniff check of the plane before you go to the trouble of a deposit/P&S/PPI/escrow/etc. I used JD and Laura out of SW TX aviation and couldn't have been happier. For 0.2 AMU, you can have a detailed write up of every inspection, what's out of date, what's coming up, etc. They will point out things like an O2 bottle that needs replacing in 8 months (which wouldn't be obvious necessarily but can cost ~2.5k when you account for everything), or that the fuel tanks have never been treated (which means that you almost certainly will be the one to treat/seal them if you own the thing longer than a few years), or that there was a tiny print entry for an AD compliance with sudden prop stoppage (even though the seller didn't note any prop strike/stoppage as part of the posting). The specific cautions are long to list and highly dependent on the systems installed. But send the logs/review them yourself and things will start to emerge. There are also a few threads here on the topic of PPI cautions. One that perhaps is politically incorrect to note is the previous owner. Even when dealing with a broker, I insist on speaking to the owner to understand what kind of owner/operator they were/are (and owners before the current one if possible). Some owners treat their Bravos like a piece of old lawn equipment... others respect them and treat them like the extremely capable (but also temperamental) machine they are. You can tell within a couple minutes of speaking to someone what kind of owner they are....

I was in the Bravo market for several months. I can tell you that although some languish, the 'good' ones are scooped up in <1 week. To your point, there are a lot of red/yellow flags to look for when diligencing a Bravo.. many of the ones that seem to sit (probably/possibly) have some of those flags when you get into the logs.

Relighting this thread, does anyone happen to have Bravo performance numbers that would be readily importable to Garmin Pilot? If you only have for Foreflight, I'm happy to take that file, convert to GP, and then share back out to Garmin users! One thing's for sure, I won't be using the POH numbers as I'd like my engine to last longer than 300 hours :D.

Thank you and I have been using the search feature heavily :0. Is it 'safe' to tow/winch the plane from the aft tie down point? I actually used to do this with my amphib because it had no other tow points, so have all the gear to do it!

Hi all, A few questions that I have following some initial flights... 1. Oil: Do you generally use Camguard/oil additive? I've never used it in the past (on an IO-360 that ran Shell 15-50W and already had the additive included) but given the Phillips 66 X/C 20W50 doesn't have that additive (I don't think), I wanted to see if yall are using it. 2. TKS: I have heard a lot about the importance of pre-flighting the TKS system and 'priming' it. Is there more to this than what is stipulated in the operating manual (i.e. more than just turning the system on as part of pre-flight and ensuring fluid is flowing where it should/shouldn't? Also, is there a good way to tell the TKS fluid quantity as you're filling the system? I suppose you could turn master on and fill the system and look to see the gallons on the panel display but wondering if there's another method? 3. Preferred motorized tow bar? I have a winch in that used on my old amphib but don't like the idea of yanking the Mooney from the tail tie down so we're in the market for a tow bar (push bar?)?

Closing the loop on this topic, we are now the proud owners of N9153Z. The experience with N611DG and Maxwell was sort of like finishing school for the pre-buy process/inspection of 53Z. We flew it back to its new 'home' in DC from North Dakota yesterday. There are a few squawks to resolve following the ~12 hrs of flight in the last couple days as you'd expect but I'll start separate threads/see what else is already documented. Thanks for all the input and messages the last month! As an aside, the team at Oasis Aero out of Willmar, MN was great to work with. We got a thorough honest inspection in about 5 hours on Friday in time to close before the weekend. PM if you ever need any details/guidance as I've now gone through a few 'false starts' before this one worked out! (I tried to recreate @DVA and @LANCECASPER's photos. Here's the post from a few years back on 53Z: B

Along the same lines, if you gut the attitude indicator, DG/HSI, and vacuum system (primary and secondary) to replace them with a single G5 backup instrument... How much weight savings are we talkin'?

Thanks gents. For now, I just need to get the factory CHT 'steam' gauge into working order (as part of a purchase) but I think the 900 (although perhaps the G5 so we can gut the vacuum system will take priority..) is on our 2-year roadmap. @Skates97 let us know how the install goes!

Any perspectives on the cost to upgrade from the JPI-830 to the JPI-900? I'm curious why it seems the 830 is more ubiquitous than the 900 given the 900 frees up all the original engine gauge(s) space? Is the 900 much more expensive, prone to fail, just didn't come out until after the 830, etc?

Bringing this thread back to life.. Does the requirement to have a 'steam gauge' CHT instrument apply across Mooney models (I'm asking about a Bravo) if you have the JPI 830? I.e. if I have a fully functional 830 but the CHT gauge is inop, am I not legal?

Hey all, Appreciate the input and thought here. Just to close the loop, the sale fell through following pre-buy inspection. There were a number of airworthiness findings that came up and the final kicker was that the TKS system was inop (would have likely required an overhaul of the pump), and really hadn't been used much which carries its own concerns. All in all we were looking at pretty significant work/investment to address the airworthy items and we couldn't agree on an adjusted sale price to build in some of that work. That said, it was still a good experience. Learned a lot by spending the day at Maxwell and know what to look for/not to look for going forward. I'm hoping the next one works out more favorably :). B

Thank you. Will do on the TKS and have read some other threads here on potential issues to look for re: TKS. Prop has 120 hours on it since overhaul. The last log entry for the speedbrakes is 800 hours/10 years ago (removed and 'repaired' but reason unknown).

Hey all, I posted to the forum some time back re: recommendations for pre-buy inspection shops (landed on Maxwell at GGG, thanks for all the advice!). Coming back to the well for advice on what to look for as part of a pre-buy/demo flight and inspection tomorrow and this coming week. The 93 Bravo with TKS has ~2100 hours on it with 800 hours on the engine since major overhaul. From my read, I cannot see evidence of oil analysis but compressions are all above 70. O2 tank has recent static check--no red flags. My primary concern is just lack of flight time in the last ~3 years (~ 100 hours) but that also means it was flown regularly for its first 24 years.. Will let everyone knows how it turns out on the other side! Thanks, B

For what it's worth, I used the free version of VREF offered through AOPA and it was helpful in selling my last plane. I put in the information exactly as VREF asked and got an output. I then added the fact that I was including ~$2500 retail worth of Bruce covers and some replacement parts/decals valued at ~$500 retail. I totalled this up, reduced the output by ~1% because the number seemed just slightly high compared to prior sales I had tracked. The plane then sold for that amount (well, 0.5% less than that amount). Honestly without VREF I would have had trouble determining the price and it helped me 'defend' my price when prospective buyers asked 'how i arrived at my price point'. I actually found that to be the most valuable piece of it--I had a solid leg to stand on in defending the price.

We're looking at Dugosh--bring it home to mama so to speak.

Hi all, Apologies if there is already a thread on this but I am wondering if you all have a perspective on the 'top hit' items to look for during Mooney inspection for a TLS with Bravo conversion. The big things I've gleaned so far are ensuring the engine is healthy and not going to blow up in the next 10 hours :), fuel tanks/leaks, O2 tank inspection, wing spar corrosion, and landing gear (apparently there is a component that isn't manufactured anymore that costs 10+k to repair?). Appreciate additional perspectives/considerations and thanks for helping a 'newbie'. Looking forward to joining this community. B