A64Pilot

If the needle moves without the engine running then it’s not the alternator or charging system, or I guess it could be, just unplug one of the spade connectors to the alternator field from the master and see if it makes any difference. I guess maybe the VR could be pulsing the field with the engine off? Flyboy, take the spade connectors loose and apply some Dow Corning DC4 grease, that will prevent any oxidization, or at least greatly slow it down, AKA silicone or “light bulb” grease.

I don’t think you’ll get a knowledgeable answer on total capacity, but I’d bet lunch it’s way under a quart. Still have two on hand and buy that silly insect sprayer that’s way overpriced at AC Spruce to make life easier. I’d disconnect the reservoir can and use a Ball Mason jar or similar, holds a lot and you can see when it’s getting full, never hurts to flush a lot of clean fluid through. ‘Sometimes though a pedal that just goes away isn’t air, it’s the O-ring or rings in the Master cylinder, especially if it comes and goes, air doesn’t usually come and go, it stays

My 81 J model has two gear relays of course, one up and one down. They are mounted in front of each other and are not marked that I can tell. ‘I need to replace the one that lowers the gear, which one is it, the one near the nose or the tail?

I start at 22 squared for LOP myself, because that’s close to 65% power and will vary some due to DA, but it’s a safe place I can get I think about 145 kts ROP at best power and I think that’s about 9.5 GPH, unsure because I don’t run there. 8 GPH is about peak and maybe 140 ish, kts 7 GPH is LOP and 135 kts, this is often where I cruise when I’m not in a hurry. 6 GPH is real LOP and about as LOP as she will run smoothly and is 120 kts, it’s my just out to cruise setting, but that’s 20 NMG, and that’s not shabby at all. ‘These are at lower altitudes, speed ought to get better up higher in thinner air

Oh, and on the LED’s it’s the power supply that’s noisy, the USCG has a Notam out warning boaters about cheap LED lights, they are so noisy they make it so you can’t use the radio. Beware the cheap Ebay LED’s etc. a quality LED will state or supply on request it’s EMI output. AIS is ADSB for boats

I have both an ICOM and the Sporty’s the ICOM is smaller and lighter, and the Sporty’s works better and costs less. ‘For awhile during test flights on new aircraft I would use the handheld with an external antenna, with the ICOM I had to call tower on the telephone, they could hear the Sporty’s For emergency comms, you might be better off with the telephone

Good Lord, how did you form the pan?

Any formula would be based upon the Brake Specific Fuel Consumption, which is a fancy way of saying how efficient an engine is, the BSFC will change some when LOP and will vary with how LOP you are. ‘If it didn’t then there would be no reason fuel consumption wise to run LOP. With mixture to some extent your swapping power production for efficiency, it’s not much, but it is real.

I’m saying that LOP doesn’t have to be complex, as I said my Father ran LOP in the 60’s, it wasn’t called LOP back then it was just called leaning it out. But the “new” ways have people believing that you have buy expensive equipment and resolve complex problems inflight, and y9u don’t. There is a KISS way to run LOP for those that don’t want to make a science project out of it.

I understand that 75% is 75%. However what chart do you use to determine 75% LOP? I’m not aware of one and anyone’s monitor that displays percent power is a rough estimation at best, and of course percent power is proportional to mixture, so an LOP chart would be tough to develop You can determine percent power LOP by first setting 75% at best power mixture, recording the airspeed, then going LOP and adjusting manifold pressure, (if possible) to achieve the same airspeed. Way too much trouble for me, I just want to save fuel sometimes when I’m not in a hurry. ‘I have if possible in parenthesis because it’s often not possible for a NA motor to achieve due to altitudes manifold pressure restrictions if you stay lean enough to be safe But why bother? Plus your pushing the limit, and that can be costly. The procedure I spelled out is for those who want KISS, and a way to safely run LOP without expensive instrumentation and without any mods to the engine. ‘Even though many will tell you that you need an analyzer to run LOP you really don’t, you do if you want to push the limit, but if you stay well away from it you don’t.

Are you interested in selling? I’ll send a PM

Define optimal. I agree with you that it will most often put one so lean the power just “goes away” and that’s regardless of timing advance too. Timing doesn’t make a whole lot of difference, some but it’s not 10 kts difference. So to keep us safe, just don’t lean aggressively until your at a HP output that you can’t hurt anything with mixture, I believe Lycoming puts that point at 75%, but as I’m risk adverse I use 65%. Those numbers are derived from best power mixture which is what the charts show, I think. Not actual power when leaned, much of the fuel savings from LOP comes simply from reduced power, more than you might think, but who cares where it came from, so long as it shows up. Now it’s not for people that are in a hurry, and some will say that slowing down just is not what they bought a Mooney for, and that’s fine, for those that want to cruise at high power, just go ROP, the cost isn’t as high as you may think, especially when you reduce the high fuel consumption by the reduced time aloft and reduced time on the engine etc. ‘You can get into trouble by wanting your cake and eating it too, and decide you want to go fast, and do it LOP, for me the risk isn’t worth it. ‘If you have an Ipad or Iphone, there is a neat app called Aircraft Power that seems to work very well for calculating percent power, just enter OAT, manifold pressure, RPM and indicated altitude and it gives you percent power, stay at or below 65% and you can’t hurt anything

If we are asking for parts, does anyone have a J model landing gear switch? #8906K2875

That’s a interesting thought, the C-210 was mechanical but had stops so you knew where they were in intermediate steps. ‘The Mooney’s flaps due to the over center mechanism aren’t linear, meaning the first half of the knob travel opens the flaps only slightly, but they do seem to hold where you leave them. I think that’s going to work out for cruise, I’ll see.

Actually it may be, it’s been known for a LONG time that the rough CARC paint doesn’t slow down Military jets, where in days gone past they were polished. The theory is you trap a molecule or so of air and the air shears against itself with less drag than against even a polished skin.

Read today that there will be a gasoline shortage that Summer, due to not enough qualified truck drivers. Then read also today that US manufacturing is hurting, particularly for skilled workers like welders, but in fact they can’t get even unskilled workers

Some airplanes you can hand prop from behind, most you cannot. Cub on floats you pretty much have to prop from behind, or I guess have a ladder in the water. ‘My C-140 if you try to prop from behind, with your back against the lift struts, your nose will be close to the prop, not for me. ‘I personally am against hand propping, too much downside to it, and no real upside that I can see. Neighbor has a Baby Ace, he has a glider tow hook installed after he gets into the airplane he releases the hook, we were at Deland and I asked if he wanted my help, he declined, when it started it looked like it almost got away from him, I’m sure he didn’t mean to have that much throttle, rope and hook held. The tow hook seems to be a good idea for a bad plan. Another neighbor has or had a Hatz biplane, it got away from her hand propping about a month ago and the ditch took its gear out before it got into her neighbors house, she had a dog twist screw that got pulled up, you know the ones you buy to tie down at Sun-N-fun. ‘No FAA involvement for her, good thing I suppose as she flies for Netjets.

Just read your post. If the model is different and it sounds as if it may be, then your going to have to use another approval method than the STC, unless the STC has the new model listed. ‘Knowing nothing about it, I’d suspect it to not be an issue though. With avionics it’s extremely common to install equipment that’s not covered by an STC, avionics shops pretty much have an inspector on speed dial and they have worked together so much that the shop already knows what they want, and the inspector knows they supply what he wants to see etc,. they have a working relationship, so it’s not big deal, usually. Most often the shop can tell you up front if it’s going to be hard or not. ‘If an STC doesn’t cover it, then a field approval is the way ‘It can be a big deal for a mechanic that doesn’t have that working relationship though, I’ve seen paperwork go back and forth several times and each time it reenters the que and it may be a few weeks before the inspector reviews it, marks it up and sends it back, then the process repeats.

That statement doesn’t really mean anything, what’s “normal” As far as I know if you change the model of aircraft, the data plate changes or more often I believe there is another data plate put on beside the original. ‘If that doesn’t happen, then the model of the aircraft didn’t change and things like STC’s if applicable can be installed, it’s up to the responsibility of the installer to determine applicability and suitability of the STC on that aircraft, and other installed STC’s. ‘If it becomes something other than a J and you want to install a radio for instance that has J models listed, but not the new model of your aircraft, then your going to have to have another approval method. I’d suspicion that even with the big motor and different prop, multiple batteries etc, it’s still a J model.

1/2 needle width or less could even be the natural harmonic frequency of the needle being excited by engine vibrations. hook a good multimeter to it and see if voltage is actually fluctuating. put the probes on the cigarette lighter socket any real fluctuation will be in the whole system. Or simply jumper past the switch, if it’s the switch when jumped the issue will resolve. ‘My issue is intermittent, after 10 min or so of flight it seems to stop, I think it’s my switch and it stops when the battery becomes fully charged and the amperage draw lessens, lower amp draw shoud equate to lower field current and the switch can pass a lower current without issue. ‘At least that’s my theory anyway

I don’t know anything about Rockets and Missiles, but if they were a J to start with, unless the data plate has been replaced or more often another one added, then they are still a J. This becomes important for things like STC’s etc.

We are definitely in a bubble, a lot of people buying now are doing so based on current incomes and or betting on continued income growth. ‘When the bubble busts or deflates if you will, they will have to sell off some of their acquisitions or the bank repossess them, either way they come up for sale, and supply will exceed demand, because the demand dried up. ‘In 07 to buy a house meant you paid top dollar for it, in 09 you could have as many houses as you wanted, and all at a huge bargain. Nothing wrong with buying at the top of the bubble, just as long as you understand what’s going on. ‘Two or maybe even one year ago there were no more Mooney’s than there are now, yet the prices were far lower then. ‘Got an email the other day from a relator that stated that the average house sold price in Daytona was 24% higher than last year in Apr. ‘People are buying anything and everything, maybe some of it is pent up demand, but I believe mostly it’s readily available cheap money. ‘To some extent it’s the early 2,000’s again. But bottom line, you need to have cash in hand and be ready to jump right now. I bought my J model I think two months ago, I knew the IA that maintained it well and he ensured the seller that I was a real buyer. Airplane was close and I drive up there almost immediately. By the time I got there the Seller had a verbal agreement to pay full price, sight unseen. ‘I didn’t pay full price but not far off either about 10% less, I got it as silly as this sounds, because I was a local guy that every one associated with Aviation around there knew, although I didn’t live there anymore. ‘But the Seller literally had his pick of buyers, that simply wasn’t the case a year ago, and isn’t the new normal, it’s a bubble ‘I know I overpaid some for my house and my airplane as I bought both this year, and it’s a sellers market, but I know that and can live with it. I’m retired and simply due to age don’t want to wait for another year or two, that’s a significant amount of the time I have left to fly. You may not have a few weeks to do your due diligence on an aircraft, it seems that good aircraft at decent prices come up for sale and sell in a week, I know I had a handshake agreement on mine within 72 hours of it coming up for sale, and as I said he honestly had two offers for full price, one who was willing to purchase right away, sight unseen. ‘Were they for real or some kind of scam? I have no idea.

For us simple NA guys with little motors LOP works best for the East Coast. There are very few rules that work best for all altitudes GWT and air speeds But it’s just like the advice of don’t lean below 5,000 ft. For those that don’t really inderstand what’s going on, following that rule will ensure they don’t hurt their motor. ‘But altitude has nothing to do with leaning, manifold pressure does, on 30 min trips etc I’ll lean the snot out of it and I’m at 2,500 or so, but I’m at 22” manifold pressure. ‘My factory stock ignition and fuel system on my motor will continue to run smoothly so far LOP that it just doesn’t develop enough power to keep flying. ‘For instance I can set 22 squared and lean to 6 GPH, she slows down to 120 kts but is still smooth and I need cowl flaps to close fully to keep CHT in the green. ‘I fly like that when the mission is just to fly around for the enjoyment of flying, no destination. Makes me wish I could open the window and hang my arm out.

VR’s don’t usually go bad this way, they usually just quit totally. Being that’s it’s surging indicates that something is causing a variable resistance, testing with a multimeter may not show anything as when off the resistance is likely static. ‘Which doesn’t mean don’t test the switch, do so, just a test my not be conclusive.

However the same switch has different mounting attachments, Cessna going off of memory uses a split switch thwt “clicks” in where my Mooney’s switch is held on by screws. So I’m trying to find which manufacturer other than Mooney uses a DPST switch that’s held in by screws, but a split switch would also work