tim417

I don’t think anyone here is against helping LASAR or Mooney. The issue isn’t whether the cause is noble or worthy. It’s that the funding model is being promoted without clear terms, structure, or accountability. Comparing this to writing a check to a golf club or school misses the point. Those organizations are transparent about what members get in return. Here, we’re being asked to prepay for undefined discounts (10%-25% off what exactly) and “priority access” with no published details of what will be available when. I may end up eating my words if LASAR provides this (and I hope that happens.)

If a lot of key context was provided at the event, it hasn’t made its way into the website or public documentation; that lack of transparency is exactly what’s makes me uneasy. Before anyone talks about “buying in” or taking a position, LASAR needs to clearly define what that even means. Are these actual equity shares with governance rights? Are they prepaid memberships? Is there a legal entity to own equity in? Right now, it’s not clear, and asking for money without that clarity is risky, and from where I sit, sounds disingenuous. So far, the model presented is still ask for money first, provide value proposition second. That doesn't work for most people.

RE: The LASAR program As far as I'm concerned, this isn't purely an ROI decision. This is more of an issue where LASAR is asking for a fairly large financial commitment and blind faith it will help the factory stay afloat, with nearly zero details as to how the money will be used. Teasing swag and quarterly reports for the highest tier contributors is not compelling nor does it build trust. There needs to be far more transparancy.

I agree with this. Bur before I give any money to any membership or subscription model, I want to see exactly where the priorities will be. Right now, everything is completely opaque.

This is how I read the situation: LASAR is pushing the message that Mooney may go under, and to be fair, that’s a real possibility. They’re leveraging that sentiment to sell what looks like a prepaid membership program, asking owners to inject capital into a LASAR/Mooney relationship that remains opaque to the public. Owners are being asked to fund this project on the assumption that parts availability will improve and that discounts and priority access will be honored long-term. Unfortunately, several red flags stand out. There’s no information about which parts or models will be prioritized, what discount tiers will look like, or even what “priority ordering” actually means. It’s a funding-first, value-second approach. They’re asking for money before quantifying what they’ll deliver. No matter how much Mooney owners want to help, that doesn’t foster trust or goodwill. What would build trust instead is real transparency: – What are the deliverables for membership? – What are the timelines? – Which parts and models will be prioritized first? – What will pricing and discount structures look like? Show us a parts roadmap. What’s available now, what’s in the pipeline, what’s planned, and projected pricing. Hiding that information behind higher contribution tiers only fuels suspicion. Other transparency items: – What’s the projected annual cost to keep Mooney operational? – How exactly will membership funds be allocated? – What happens to unspent funds if this program folds? And beyond finances, I’d like to see LASAR actively engage the Mooney community: participate here, contribute to the Mooney Flyer, sponsor the Mooney Safety Foundation PPP program, or support training initiatives. I might be wrong but their only recent participation has been their pitch at the recent Mooney Summit. Sustained involvement in these established community channels would go a long way toward establishing trust and goodwill. I’m not rooting for LASAR to fail, I’m rooting them and Mooney owners to work and thrive together.

I get that Lasar is trying to save Mooney and this is good background. However, the marketing language and apparent lack of transparency and candor about what the actual plans are is off putting. And $250/mo is not an inconsequential amount of money. .

I really WANT to support LASAR or anyone who wants to do this in earnest. But with no transparency as to what tangible benefit I am getting for $250/mo minimum, and a real possibility of the entire project failing and disappearing, it’s really difficult to get excited. They need to share more information and provide potential investors (because that’s essentially what we are here) confidence that they will benefit from their hard earned cash.

I’m confused. So this program is only for owners of modern Mooneys? Even so, there seems to be very scarce information as to specific benefits like what parts will be available right off the bat, what pricing looks like, how much of a discount does each tier get, what production schedule is being proposed, etc., I’m not trying to shoot this down. I think there should be more information. It is also concerning and bewildering that parts ordering is completely removed from the Lasar website. Tim

I want to support Mooney parts production but this value proposition for owners is not compelling at all. $2000/year minimum for extremely nebulous (at best) benefits and no details on what parts or discounts might be available is not compelling.

Thanks for all the feedback. I’ll definitely keep everyone posted as to what we find!

While prepping my 63 C model for annual this week, I scoped the cylinders and found this in cylinder 3 next to the exhaust valve. My A&P and I suspect a crack and I am prepared to replace the jug, but my Savvy Aviation IA suggested it would be worthwhile to clean it and examine whether or not it is simply a crack in the deposits. Worst case, I pay for a little labor and have to trash the jug. What do you guys think? Cracked?

Heck yeah!

I'm having a strange issue with my trim and I am having my A&P look at it, however I wanted to the hive mind input to see what specific recommendations for my mechanic to follow, as he isn't sure what is going on either. The issue is with the trim/elevator behavior during landing. As you know, as you deploy flaps in the Mooney, it pitches the nose downward. So with every notch of flaps I deploy (or pumps, as it were,) I pull the yoke back to compensate for the pitch down, and trim off the pressure. Around the second to third pump, after I pull the yoke back, I try to trim off the pressure but the pressure doesn't release. I give it a couple partial turns of the wheel as I am used to, but nothing happens. Then a few seconds later, the yoke/elevator abruptly releases the pressure and it can be startling. Everything during preflight as far as controls feel like they are working properly. They are free and clear and move smoothly. The trim wheel moves normally. This behavior just started a few months ago and hasn't seemed to have gotten better or worse. It doesn't matter if I manually adjust trim using the wheel or use the trim servo of the GFC500 system. The empennage behaves normally with the trim adjustment on the ground as does the elevator movement. However, I am suspecting that maybe the elevator bungees have something to do with this issue?

The patch cost me four hours of labor, which I felt was more than reasonable.

As many of you probably already know, Advanced Aircraft Services out of Troutdale, OR is a MSC. They used to do full reseals in the past, but no longer do them. I had heard they still do patches for leaks and had a reputation of being able to give a no sh!t assessment of whether or not a leak can be reliably patched without a reseal, and could do the job. Earlier this year, I called Greg and set up an appointment to fly my M20C up there for him to check out. The left tank was seeping fuel on the spar and my A&P/IA had been bugging me about it for a while asking me to please get it fixed. Greg and I set up an appointment for Monday of this week, so I flew up on Sunday so it would be ready Monday morning. I met with him as scheduled and he got to work on it, diagnosing and patching the leak. He let the fuel sit in the tank until Tuesday around lunch time to make sure the leak was indeed patched and by 1400 hours that afternoon, I was on my way home. It was extremely refreshing to deal with a shop that keeps its appointments and lives up to its reputation of solid work. That and Greg just seems like a very kind, hard working guy that takes pride in his work. Tim

I downloaded one and also ended up buying an old copy off eBay as it was cheaper than printing one out at the print shop/FedEx Printing. Very handy to have a hard copy.

Yeah, he did a great job. No, my original control wheels had a leather wrap that was dried and cracked and the shafts had the 500hr AD. I scoured the Internets and salvage shops for the 201 style wheels and compatible shafts and then sent the wheels to Hector for wrapping.

I did the DIY kit for my C model. It was way cheaper than the six panel Mooney kit and was very easy to do. Hector at AeroComfort did my leather wrap. Phenomenal quality and great communication

Ooh that is also a great option! Great for when I sit in other peoples' planes.

I dont know if I am just terrible at it but I tried the static tint and could never get the bubbles out to my satisfaction and didnt like that it wasnt as clear as I would like. Probably user error on my part. Definitely cheaper than the Jet Shades, which appeals to me.

The summer heat has once again reminded me how hot it gets in the cabin, so I decided to splurge and get a set of Jet Shades for my humble M20C. These shades are removable, flexible shade panels that are custom fit into the aircraft. According to the manufacturer, the premium version of the shades block 84% of the solar energy and 99.9% UV rays. While Jet Shades offers a single kit that encompasses all M20 models, it appears the kit is a six window configuration designed for the modern long body. I contacted Jet Shades by phone, and discovered the best option for me was to buy their DIY kit (only offered by telephone) and cut them to fit myself. This is actually a great option because the DIY kits are cheaper than the custom cut panels and really, you don't add that much work because even the custom cut panels need trimming anyway due to variations of interior trim. The premium shade panels are lightly mirrored and labeled to avoid confusion as to which side should face out. They are semi flexible and can be rolled into a tube no smaller than 12" in diameter. Once cut, rubber trim is installed to clean up the look and also protect passengers from the sharp edges. I spent an afternoon trimming to fit, following the easy-to-understand instructions both in booklet form and also on YouTube. After I installed all four panels, I dragged the plane into the afternoon sun and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Normally it would already be quite the oven inside the plane, but the shades made a significant difference. Yes it was still warm, but definitely less uncomfortable than before. Jet Shades says it decreases interior cabin temps by 15-25 degrees F. I believe it. I will report back with more time with them. The shades are set up to be removable so vision isn't obstructed at night. Here are some pictures of the installed panels.

Yes, it turns out it was a loose terminal at the toggle switch on the panel. Two seconds with the flathead and thr issue was resolved. I love my tech buddies.

Latest and final update. My tech came by and found a weak connector in the line and rewired with new terminals. He also found that one of the terminals at the switch was loose. Once that was tightened, he hooked it all back up to test and the tube heated up immediately. Good reminder to check the obvious things first Tim

Well, here’s an update. I connected the pitot tube directly to my car battery with a 15A fuse and it heated right up, so that rules out the heat element. I brought my multimeter to the hangar this time and I’m getting good voltage at the connector to the pitot tube (12.5v) but only 3 amps. Checking my breakers, I see that the pitot heat is tied to the AUX BUS breaker which is 40A. I am guessing there is a weak connection somewhere that is robbing some power. Any suggestions as to where to look? My A&P stopping by the hangar periodically as he has time to check on me but hasnt had time to troubleshoot it directly. Once I isolate the issue will get him to address it. Tim

Well this makes me sad.