Marc_B

Since CO is slightly lighter than air I’ve always heard that it should be mounted more at head level or higher. But I think since the biggest concern is coming in from cabin heat through vent it seems like early alarm might be vent? Of course the cockpit of our plane is small enough my suspicion is it probably wouldn’t matter where as long as you have a detector. Has anyone read any studies on optimal location of CO detectors in aviation? Panel/eye level seems the best to include it in your scan. Especially to make sure batteries not dead and it’s on.

Last word was maybe 2022 Q2/Q3 on the thread above started in Jan 2020, but last update was Nov 2021

I have an Accu-Gage RH60X that works really well. You can pick one up at Spruce or on Amazon. It has automatic pressure hold and a button to reset that you can use to let out a little air if you overshoot PSI. The hose is so much easier to hold the gauge where you can see it and bend the hose to check pressure. Regarding checking pressures, my habit is to check tire pressure at least monthly and as needed. But the best idea would be to check tire pressures a little more frequently (say weekly) until you see a trend on how long pressure is maintained. But don't discount a big drop in pressure; I had a tube that was leaking at the valve that seemed to hold pressure fine between fills...but seemed to need more air than the others. Went to check it once and had a decent drop in pressure that only had a slight change in tire appearance...checked the tire and needed to replace the tube.

Not the best pic (its a zoom of a panel pic), I'll have to snap a better one next time I'm at the hangar. Trim (left) - Wing Flaps (middle) - Elevator trim (top right) - Cowl Flaps (bottom right). Been progressively worsening since this picture was taken 8-12 months ago. I initially reached out to Lasar and have an email out to DMax. I'll reach out to Matt at Engravers.net to see if they've done this before and what information they'd need. Thanks for the suggestions!

Thanks for the suggestion @carusoam, unfortunately no dice. Are these only available from Mooney? Any other places that make them? marc.

Colorado sunsets lately have been really pretty! this was a couple of days ago...tonight it was overcast and snowing with the front coming through

My multifunction lens (PN: 880089-003, #4 in parts sheet below I think) is peeling pretty bad and I reached out to LASAR and they said Mooney didn't have a vendor who could make those right now. Is there any other place to source these? I've thought about cutting away the peeling parts but I think that would probably look even worse! Thanks!

I'm planning to upgrade my autopilot and I'm going to need to replace at least the pilot side panel. Panel was previously done by Envision Avionics Panels in 2017, but I can get limited info from them as they only deal with certified shops. The avionics shop where I'm getting my updates has their panels done at one of their other locations but they screen print labels. Trying to figure out the difference side by side in the same panel and if I should just have them use Envision again vs. complete panel redo. Don't have Envision pricing and the cost of panel work was rolled into install costs for upgrades from shop. Looking for a great looking panel rather than a patchwork quilt. My guess is laser etching is easier to get aligned and less likely to peel or fade, but may be the more expensive choice? I really like the quality of the panel I have...will I be disappointed with screen printing?

Interesting. I didn't realize there were other options for the buttons. I have two buttons on the right pilot yoke horn: 1) Garmin telligence voice command and 2) playback which replays the last radio communication. (I use this all the time when I verbally confirm a frequency change and then my brain flushes and a blue screen appears in my head). Is the freq change leveraging a function of the G3X? I think both of mine are tied to the GTN.

Question to the gurus...what parameters on your engine monitor data would you look for to suggestion time or profitability for valve lapping? Or is this based on asymmetric appearance of borescope, low compression of cylinder? I suspect that increased EGT in a single cylinder would be a late finding? Paul New mentions, "If performed too early, it’s just an extra unnecessary expense. If performed too late, it’s ineffective and a total waste of time." What defines the right time???

Did a very quick/brief search to see if this was recently discussed...but read the Jan issue of AOPA Pilot about borescopes, low compressions, and valve lapping. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2022/january/pilot/savvy-maintenance-cylinder-rescue https://resources.savvyaviation.com/wp-content/uploads/savvy_pdf/exhaust-valve-lapping-paul-new.pdf Great info that prompted me to venture further down the rabbit hole of learning. After a lot of reading I came across this video that I thought was just really informative for the non-mechanic pilot! I found it interesting about the rotocoils/rotator caps and this definitely gave me another thing to keep an eye on at annual and with maintenance moving forward. I found it well worth the time to watch.

One MSC who put in the LEDs on my aircraft said: The Whelen LED lights are TSO’d and do not require a 337 because the aircraft was already equipped with these position lights and no modification was made to the airframe in order to install them. We verified this with our local FISDO (FAA location) they stated this was correct. The MSC I have my aircraft at for annual now says I need a 337 completed. So I guess this is just open for individual IA interpretation? Hmmm.

@M20Doc Quick scan through logs...2010 removed left MLG retract tube assy, replaced rod end roll pins and re installed tube assy; 2012 replaced roll pins on RH MLG retraction tube fwd rod end with new P/N P19-125-0750-ZM. Hmm. Sounds like you called it. Is this a common issues? Normal wear and tear with use of gear or indicative of something else? Thanks again!! Marc.

Clarence, I'll have to sort back through the logs to see if the rod ends were ever listed as replaced...I don't recall that off the top of my head. But I'll reach out to Mooney and see what they say. That was my initial thought but the MSC I'm at said he thought that was a no go. Marc.

Have the Mooney at annual and one of the items they noted was that the main landing gear push pull tube roll pins have slight fore-aft play. Recommended replacing the tubes with estimate 14 wk lead and 1.5AMU. Is this a common issue and is there an allowable tolerance in play? I tried looking at Service Manual but couldn't find any specific info. Has Mooney come out with a better tube (shop said something about welded vs roll pin connections) vs source from salvage? Looks like PN: 560244-501 if I'm looking at Parts Catalog correctly. Partscatalog_MLG.pdf

https://aircraft.faa.gov/E.GOV/ND/AirRecordsND.aspx Out of curiosity, what records does the FAA keep on aircraft? Wondering if this is just regulatory filings vs actual helpful information to have in the file?

I’ve seen comments of surface cleaning, prep, priming. I.e. Prekote, Alodine, and primer. Regarding basic protection and surface spot treatment before eventual repaint. What’s needed for basic chip and spot paint? If you’re using a self etching primer do you need alodine?

The second video above shows why the LED taxi lights needs to be oriented specifically. I think Whelen says taxi beam projection is ~40deg wide by ~10deg high. The lines they are referring to are the ridges on the lens. Surprisingly I found that my taxi lights were installed incorrectly by previous MSC! No wonder it seemed dark...

for M20K with wing lights adjustment is pretty specific for adjusting lights. I also have the Parmetheus Plus and don't feel they are all that bright. Of course landing with lights off at night is sometimes a good exercise just in case. Although I'm most disappointed with taxi lights as there is not much light around my hangar and it always seems way darker than I'd like and they haven't repainted taxi lines around the older hangars in ages.

@OSUAV8TER Looks like pro on top and plus on bottom per file name? Have you seen mix and match or do you typically see use of same line throughout...curious if anyone has used one model for landing (i.e. Pro) and another for the taxis (i.e. G3)? Seems like you have options even with the same power output to focus that differently. Wondering if you see a clearly better pattern/output with landing lights that is different from taxi lights. I saw a comparison of yours between G2 & G3 taxi lights that appeared to be MUCH better coverage with the G3s.

Its interesting to look at the current draw between the Pro (0.9A at 28V, 0.634#), G3 (1.9A at 28V, 0.8#) and Plus (0.68A at 28V, 0.52#). I guess that's what you pay extra for with the Pro's...low current and brighter after 5 minutes with the standardized testing.

Great thread and videos @lithium366! Curious as to how they repaint the gear and wheel wells and what that prep looked like given they don't want paint stripper up inside the aircraft; you can see from the stripping video that gear were covered with plastic and tape. Also, in episode 4 you mentioned a leak in the windshield and not getting a chance to change to one piece...what was the thought about not doing this before paint? It's awesome that you're close to a paint shop and can be so involved in the entire process!! I'm sure that has to be a very uncomfortably patient and horribly rewarding process! Marc.

Seem like the two most common recommendations I see here on MS are for Hawk and Artcraft. I’ve also seen a list from Scheme Designers with recommended shops they’ve worked with. Of course both of the above are listed: https://schemedesigners.com/paint-shop-referral-list/ Is the work by these shops similar? Meaning process, procedures, prep work, cowl repair, corrosion treatment and long term durability/quality… seems there are many things besides just final paint that contribute to a quality job. I think prep work and attention to detail (ie removing control surfaces/access panels, etc) are huge. For a mid continent pilot what’s your deciding point? West or east? (of course I realize OP asked about California so makes more sense to stay close all things else being =)

I've used Arapahoe Aero at KAPA (Denver, CO) - closest Mooney Service Center - for oil changes, and am scheduled for annual with them later this month. I've also used Advanced Aerotech at KGXY (Greeley, CO) for avionics/oil change/fuel senders; one of the owners has a Mooney. Another well known MSC is KNR / Kerry McIntyre at KEVW (Evanston, WY). Not sure what the availability and time frame for any of these shops are. I'd imagine all of these options are close enough to SBS that you could have them take aircraft there for prebuy. Good luck!

Trying to understand the pro's of changing the beacon...my aircraft had LEDs installed but the original beacon was left as were the recog lights. I can hear it in the radio if you listen close and cycle on or off. Do the Whelen LEDs have the same "signature"? Is there a significant weight difference between the stock and Whelen beacon assemblies? I would imagine that the difference in bulb longevity and visibility would be real. Marc.