A64Pilot

Curious, where was that? Georgia not too long ago put a HUGE amount of money into GA, specifically airport infrastructure, repaving runways, lengthening runways, new FBO buildings etc. I forget who was Governor at the time but he put Georgia’s tobacco settlement money into local airports, there was a formula, if your town was more than some number of miles from a min 5,000 ft runway, Ga would extend yours for example, it was grant money so there was some paperwork. Bainbridge got their runways resurfaced, Cairo I think got new buildings and resurfaced runways etc. Many towns were too stupid to put in for it, sorry but there just isn’t another way to put that. It was Billions of dollars, not Millions. I’m sure some of the money went elsewhere of course. I don’t believe any of it was supposed to be put into airports I’m sure On edit, maybe it was Thomasville not Cairo

Trust me, Tampa North doesn’t look anything like that. We go there often, runway is in sad shape, non existent parking, what I’ve seen is old and run down, a few what I’m sure are privately owned hangars that are in better shape than the rest of the airport. There are hangars on the side that the restaurant isn’t on, and if there is any money in the place that would be it. I have no idea who owns those though, but I suspect that if someone put in a whole section of hangars to rent considering what hangars go for around there and their availability that they could turn a pretty profit, if the numbers work of course. I think it not unlikely that it will become a housing area myself, you just get the impression that it’s not making money when you visit.

I beg to differ on the diving, I think San Salvador has the best diving. Way out there island but in an airplane that doesn’t matter. Best wall diving I’ve ever seen, and small 6 pack boats, usually four or five divers, two dive Masters, no cattle boats. There is a big French Resort on the island that does have cattle boats even if you stay at that resort, don’t dive with them, dive with the link I’m posting https://ridingrock.com/bahamas-diving/

When I did it, they had a Maule and I called asking about using the Maule. When I showed up the instructor said that they had figured I was obese, because I asked about the Maule. Now I’m fat but wasn’t then. I bet they have one 172 and ten Cubs, if I’m right the overwhelming majority of training is in the Cubs. That’s what it was when I trained, one Maule and a gaggle of Cubs. For safety they are over floated, which of course turns them into dogs and a Cub with 85 HP is no performer to begin with, but it was fun. It takes more skill in my opinion to fly off of water if underpowered, but I don’t have a lot of experience. No electrical system, instructor hand propped standing on the right float from behind the prop of course. A month or maybe more there was a mid air between one of the Cubs and something training at Winterhaven, when I was there we flew well below pattern altitude, and splashed I think in every lake within 10 miles and there are dozens of lakes. https://www.flyingmag.com/ntsb-reveals-likely-cause-of-florida-midair-collision/

One’s I’ve evaced from they turn both sides of the highway into the same direction, and it still turns into a parking lot, and sometimes you’re not allowed back for a significant time. I rode one out on the boat in Brunswick Ga. and it missed completely, but they wouldn’t let my Wife come back for almost a week, they blockaded the roads, but in truth if one hits it’s likely that you really don’t want to come back for awhile, Hotter than Hell, often no water, can’t even flush toilets, certainly no power and over stressed people running around, it’s just not pleasant. Evacuating from Savannah was a nightmare if you took the official route, but if you took back roads it was a nice Sunday afternoon drive. If your in Fl now, think about how bad the I-95 and I-75 traffic is on a normal day, multiple that by at least ten times the number of cars and I think it explains why so many stay, because they can’t hop into an airplane and in half a day be in a safe place. If going to visit family or friends isn’t in the cards I think as soon as possible I’d pick a destination and lock in a reservation, but I guess in truth even Oklahoma isn’t really that far for a Mooney. Many install generators, bunker fuel and water, food etc. and hope for the best. You have an option many would kill for, the ability to leave in comfort, be crazy in my opinion to not use it. Me, I’m stupid, and in Central Fl with a hangar, a generator, 300+ gls of fuel etc. I’ll probably stay unless we have a Cat 5 bearing down, then I’ll leave Oh, schedule your annual outside of hurricane season too. I like to do mine in fall when it’s cooler

My 1946 C-85 engine’s two magnetos are identical, both have impulse couplings. If that was any kind of safety issue one supposes that at sometime in the past 75 years one would have been removed, as the old C-140 doesn’t have a key, it has independent mag switches you can start on one mag, I’ve tried out of curiosity and it starts better on two, better meaning quicker. Yeah I know the party line has been forever that dual mags are for redundancy, but that’s not really the case or not the whole truth anyway, if it was just redundancy then it would run just as good on one as it does on two, but it doesn’t, you make significantly less power on one mag than two. Top fuel and funny cars run dual mags, not for redundancy, but because they make more power that way. On this case I’m sort of hanging my hat on a flooded engine with wet plugs, the more fouled they are, the easier it is to happen, and massives are more prone than fine wires. I had it happen once, right on the shore of the Arctic Ocean in a town called Tuktoyoktuk, with no place to stay, but I had a really good battery and after it sat a couple of hours it started, that had a lot to do with me going to fine wires

As a a side note I never have understood the logic of only one Mag having an impulse coupling, to save money is the only reason I can come up with. Of course a dual mag there isn’t any other choice, I can hear my impulse coupling snapping on start. I don’t listen for it, but think if it wasn’t snapping I’d notice that.

If your ignition is a little weak, if you over prime or just flood it, it won’t start. The wet plugs won’t fire

The min bearing safe limit for oil level is a really stupid low level, meaning our engines both Lyc and Conti can at least for a short time operate with a very low oil level. Don’t quote me because this memory is about 20 years ago, but min oil level is about 2 quarts. Do not of course ever let it get that low. Once running the oil level certainly drops but of course that’s by design meaning wherever it is when running is the proper level. ‘Many years ago I remember the 30 and 60KW generators in the Army, they had markings on the stick for both sitting and running and they were very different

Maybe someone who is no longer with us answered? That was a zombie thread Just a guess

That shouldn’t happen either, steady state there isn’t much difference between a light and a heavy prop, it’s accelerations positive or negative that inertia really comes into play. I’m ignoring aerobatics of course. If your speed is wandering plus or minus enough for you to be able to hear and or feel it, somethings wrong and I’d suspect the governor. If you can’t hear or feel a change then maybe it’s your tach, an inexpensive photo tach will tell if it’s really wandering or not. One thing to be aware of is rapid accelerations, like maybe an unplanned go-around could get a light weight prop into surging, could not saying it will. Been a long time ago but on the search for the perfect prop for an airplane we were developing Hartzell built me a four blade 108” prop. On a Turbine airplane a Hartzell prop has beta nuts, these Beta nuts set min pitch setting and are easily adjustable, with a turbine you can flatten the prop quite a bit and it really causes an airplane to decelerate, sort of like big speed brakes. Well to make a long story short I found that on that prop when the Beta nuts were set for a nice decel for landing that a rapid pull to idle at a high cruise would cause the prop to run away, then the overspeed governor would catch it with a big bang, overspeed governor operated by adding pitch, but when the prop dropped in RPM the overspeed governor would turn loose of it and then another overspeed, another bang as the overspeed governor kicked in, reducing prop speed stopped that of course but it really scared me

A dog thinks, they feed me, take care of me and love me. They must be God’s A Cat thinks they feed me, take care of me, and love me. I must be a God.

Yeah, if it keeps slinging, eventually it will stop when it runs out I would say if not excessive that it’s normal for a few hours but then it ought to stop, 20+ plus hours I think I’d be calling someone. We would flush the Hartzell props on all the new turbines we built then balance them, don’t try to flush a piston prop of course, but the new Hartzell’s the majority did sling minor amounts of grease for the first few hours but would stop pretty quick. I’ve always been nervous about props that don’t need periodic greasing, but it seems to work.

It shouldn’t within reason the prop governor should maintain RPM, of course like everything a change that’s rapid enough will shoot past before it can be controlled. My guess based on how I could adjust the beta nuts on a turbine prop, that setting min pitch, that your prop whether the min pitch is correct or not is set too flat, so that when power goes away the prop goes flat and becomes driven rather than a driving thing and it’s driven at too high an RPM before the prop governor catches it. An example of what I’m talking about is a helicopter in autorotation, in normal flight the engine drives the rotor of course, but if engine power goes away the pilot can drop the collective, reducing pitch and the rotor is driven by airflow through it, have to little pitch and the rotor will overspeed. All unsubstantiated theory, but airflow not the engine must be what’s driving the prop, or you have an engine that when leaned very quickly has a rapid huge power increase, something I find unlikely. When the prop increases RPM rapidly, you should feel a pretty strong deceleration of the aircraft

I hate to sound like I’m preaching, but before you spend $$$ chasing low voltage, be sure you measure the voltage at least at the main bus. Often the cigarette lighter is connected pretty directly to the main bus, but in truth it can have issues too like dirty contacts. Actually for ANY reading out of spec, fuel oil pressure whatever first step is verify the gauge, often the engines fine, it’s the old wiring / gauge that’s bad. Best to run a couple of jumpers directly to the battery and use a good multimeter, but honestly one of those volt meters that plug directly into the cigarette lighter aren’t bad for just diagnosis, test it in your car first. Don’t adjust your VR to a cheap often unreliable volt meter though, to adjust read voltage directly with a known good multimeter. Unfortunately and I’m going to pick on the Chinese, but many products sold they just lie about accuracy, output whatever. With tools treat yourself to good ones, resist the temptation to save money on tools. I’ve always had good luck with Fluke multimeters, they may be Chinese for all I know but they seem to be good quality, or I hope they still are

I respectfully disagree. 13.7 is an operating alternator, it’s well above open circuit voltage of the battery. I think that was his point. But I agree it’s below optimum set point, however before I did anything I’d verify actual voltage at the battery, depending on where the reading is taken on our older airplanes there is some wiring resistance due to age, my panel voltage reads 13’s, but my Garmin 696 indicates 14.1V. If I went by the ship installed voltmeter I’d be chasing a non existent problem. Actually and call Concorde to verify but 13.7 will charge a battery, not as fast as they would like but it will charge. Float voltage is around 13.3 V and even that will charge, but it takes days to do so, literally. Any voltage above open circuit will charge, how high within reason determines charging speed along with available current of course. Depending on where you look because vehicles including airplanes voltage are not set for this or that battery, but very often voltage should be 14 plus or minus .2 Are any of our voltage regulators adjustable?

That’s my experience with Apps in general. There used to be and may still be Artificial Horizon Apps, and they appear to work, some of the Ag guys would velcro their Iphone on the panel just in case. But Iphones don’t have gyros, just accelerometers so if you put the phone in a bank and hold it there for a short time because the phone isn’t sensing acceleration, the Horizon will return to level, but your still in the turn That thing can get you killed

@Pinecone I’ll take your antique prop tach and raise you mine. It was originally used by Aero-Commander back in the 60’s but still works well.

@Shadrach Re-clocking the arm would I think increase or decrease RPM depending on which way you went because you’re changing the relationship of the shaft to the set screw. I guess if there is enough adjustment in the set screw to return it to 2700 then you would be OK. But rotating the assy I think just moves the assy leaving the RPM set point the same and I think would allow much more adjustment. Can you call the manufacturer and ask?

What’s been the standard in Fl is of course Jack Brown’s, and I suspect in the Cubs it’s a whole lot less expensive. $2K all in. Straight floats, not Amphibs. https://brownsseaplane.com I did it 20 years or so ago, it’s a blast anyone who’s coming up on a bi-annual I highly suggest doing this. It’s only 2K and a lot of fun. Anyone looking at a seaplane as a toy, I’d recommend and LSA seaplane as putting amphib floats on a Cessna or Maule kills cruise speed useful load etc. really turn one into a dog, and often the floats cost more than the airplane. I keep contemplating it myself as Fl is very sea plane friendly where many states like Georgia are not, there are only two place in Ga that you can land at in Ga, unless things have changed. One lake and the Savannah river.

The model airplane ones are very accurate. You can check them for accuracy by selecting two blade prop and pointing it at a florescent light, it should say 3600 RPM, because the light is flickering 60 times per sec, and 60 x 60 = 3600

Sometimes and I know this may sound stupid but on the ground the governor hits the stop, but the engine being rubber mounted will pull a little forward under power and pull it off the stops, hence the requirement of cushion as was mentioned, cushion is nothing more than maybe 1/4 of cable movement left when the throttle, mix or prop hit the stops. As an A&P I’m not aware of any adjustment I’m allowed to make to a governor except of course adjusting the arm stop screw. Loss of oil pressure should make the prop go to high RPM, unless it’s a feathering prop or aerobatic prop.

Good friend of mine who is gone now bought a whole bunch of Kruk crop dusters, I believe maybe 2 dozen of them, and in one of the transport containers was a trabant. That was I’m pretty sure the absolute worst polluting thing in existence. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trabant Left a cloud of blue smoke wherever it went, two stroke and I think 25 to 1 mix. Thousands of these things came into West Germany after the wall fell, they were two strokes and made out of some kind of plastic made I had heard from some kind of seeds, but the Germans couldn’t recycle this plastic, couldn’t “throw it away” I have no idea what became of the things. Anyway remember as a kid it was very common for older cars to leave a cloud of oil smoke leaving a stop light, but today it seems even the junkers don’t burn oil.

If you want a 200 HP NA Mooney and are the type that thinks a couple of kts in either purchase price or mods is worth tens of thousands of dollars then in my opinion you want a J. If you either don’t want to spend the cash, or can’t afford the buy in price, then you want an F. I wanted a J because it’s what I flew back in I think 92 to get my Commercial / Instrument, a couple of brand new AT’s and have wanted a Mooney ever since, but I needed tailwheel time when I Retired from the Army and bought a Maule instead, then had use of a C-210 so I didn’t need a Mooney. Interesting to me was the Maule and C-210 burned exactly the same amount of fuel over a distance, but the 210 was 25 kts faster and had two extra seats and lots more useful load. But then strange as this sounds but my J gets much better fuel mileage than a Piper Cub. I think best bang for the buck may be an F, but they are getting old, but then so are the J’s. I think by the time an airplane hits 30 or so age is irrelevant, then it’s condition and maybe airframe hours. If you have money and want speed, then I don’t think either an F or a J will do, you need a “Big Block” Mooney, because there isn’t any replacement for displacement

It’s one wire to mount a temp sensor to the neg post of the battery though, so it wouldn’t be hard, question is, is it necessary? But I suspect that the temp in the tailcone gets to close to what’s in the cabin over time, and that in truth temp compensation isn’t as important as dropping to float would be and yet we know that leaving the battery at a voltage that is really a state of constant overcharge doesn’t hurt much as they last for years like that, so if not dropping a whole volt doesn’t hurt, does not trimming .1 or .2V really matter? Old military helicopters OH-58, UH-1, Cobra etc had Ni-cad batteries and we would adjust the voltage regulators twice a year, a Winter and a Summer setting and they were frequently removed and the battery shop tore them apart, replaced individual cells when necessary etc., continual maintenance and expensive as Hell. AH-64 had lead acid SLAB or sealed lead acid battery that didn’t start anything, was really just to run things until you got the APU online and as an Emergency battery, and to be truthful I don’t remember one ever failing in 15 years even in the Desert. I guess they were checked in Phase or something or maybe a calendar change item. The old lead acid battery it seems requires very little attention, is extremely tolerant of abuse and yet lasts for years. There is a large number of modifications sold in Aviation and I won’t name them as many are so adamant on how they are necessary and I don’t want to start a battle, but in truth operationally they don’t really seem to make a whole lot of difference. I think a “Modern” precision voltage regulator just might fit that category. For whatever it’s worth I flew yesterday and looked after the flight with everything on my voltage at 700ish idle RPM measured by my Garmin 696 was 14.1, same as in cruise, everything means all Avionics and lights, but not pitot heat and landing light is LED. So my bone stock system holds set point at all RPM, once fully charged anyway.