skyfarer

Chalk this one up to “always learning”. It was warmer today, but still below freezing at 3000’. I closed the cowl flaps while taxiing and watched the CHT’s carefully They all stayed about 280-300. The Oil temp came up much faster, I opened the cowl flaps 50% once the oil was at 150dF. The turbo started to kick in on run up, which is what I normally expect. Then for take off, cowl flaps full open, no issues with the turbo kicking in on command! So lesson learned, when it’s really cold I need to pay attention to keeping the engine and oil warm.

Phillips X/C 20w50

@Fritz1 I think you’re on to something here because this problem has become worse as it’s become colder here. I think I remember this happening last winter, sporadically. Then the problem disappeared in the summer. Yesterday it was the coldest I’ve flown, -4C on the ground. The engine oil was about 40F, and the cylinders about 40F too before I rolled her out to start. I didn’t run up until the oil hit the green arc, 100F. The POH say 75F min oil temp for run up and 100F for take off. Looks like Lycoming says 165F minimum is ideal. Anybody else fly the Bravo in really cold weather and have some tips or similar experiences?

I should add that I'm on Don Maxwell's schedule to deliver it to his shop last week of February for it's annual. So I'm trying to decide if I get the turbo system looked at now or just wait for Don to look at it.

Can anyone recommend a shop in the midwest that is familiar with our Bravo turbo setups? Mine has an issue that I need looked at. As I increase the throttle, normally the turbo would kick in smoothly at around 27" or so. But recently it hangs at 27 even as I'm twisting the throttle higher. It eventually kicks in all the sudden to red line and then comes back. At that point I can smoothly push the throttle in and MP follows normally to red line. I replaced the waste gate last year when I discovered that it was leaking oil. I see some oil around one of the controllers (I'm not sure if it's the density or the differential one) so I think one or both of these could use a cleaning/inspection/test. I'd really like the whole system checked over and properly rigged by someone with experience on these systems. Thanks! Jeremy

I have no affiliation with this airport, but I have landed there for cheap fuel since it's pretty close to my home base. They are celebrating Airventure with a nice fuel discount and bag lunches. I thought I'd pass this on to my fellow Mooniacs in case you'd like to stop for some cheap fuel at a place with a few long runways and a friendly FBO. OSHKOSH FLYER.pdf

"Luna" is the name of mine. My wife just had these blankets made up and gave them to me as a gift!

So on mine, the two doors were coming together, instead of closing in sequence. When the two doors hit each other, that bell crank likely bent and the rod end broke off. They adjusted the rigging to get the door timing right. I haven't had any issues since. Good luck with yours @PilotX Hope you have it back together and working soon.

I called them, and they gave me an RMA#. Said they would examine it and let me know what they can do.

My vacuum pump went belly up Saturday. Thankfully, it only remains installed in my Bravo only for the Speed brakes (early s/n before electric speed brakes and my AI and HSI are Garmin G5's.) Here's the clincher, it's only got 155 hours on it and was installed 3 years ago (before I owned the bird). It's a Sigmatek and looking at their website, they warrant them for 1000 hours or 2 years, whichever comes first. Anyone have any experience getting them to replace one out of warranty? I'm going to give them a call and see what they say, but I'm interested to hear any stories the community has dealing with Sigmatek.

Thank you all for your replies. Today it's a nice VFR day so I went out with my CFII and we got it to couple with a VOR. The button sequence was exactly what several of you said it would be: 530 set to VLOC, KF-150 set to NAV. Then I flew an ILS and while it blew through the localizer, it finally corrected and flew the LOC and GS perfectly. I started the intercept with the AP in HDG mode, and pressed APR before intercept. The APR light blinked until it crossed the localizer then it went steady. Near the GS, the GS light came on also. The winds, traffic, and time forced me to shoot an RNAV LP instead of the LPV I wanted, but I set it up anyway to see what would happen. Approach was loaded into the 530, AP was set to HDG mode, and G5 HSI GPSS off. It flew the IAF dog leg then on the final approach it hung around one dot right of course, but it was stable. The 530 displayed LP+V mode, I was not expecting any vertical guidance. I managed the descent to FAF (2300msl) but before intercepting the GS, I hit APR to arm it and see what it would do. It coupled the GS for the last 1000 feet to circling minimums (1180msl) which is where I cut it off to circle over to the active runway. We're going to practice some more RNAV's and see how things go. I got Crystal Avionics on the phone today, they took the tail number and work order numbers and are going to get me the missing paperwork to get my POH complete for the G5 and GI275 installs. Again, thank you all for your replies, they were all very helpful.

The flight director command bars are not present until I hit the FD button on the KFC-150. So to answer your question, I would say nothing drives them when the autopilot is off so they disappear.

Thank you for taking the time to write all this up! Also, definitely not "more than I want to know", the more knowledge I have the better off I am. This is why I'm on MS!

Thanks, this is interesting. Can you also provide the STC No. you have here? I see in the logs where the G5's were installed and the KI256 moved, I'll review these STC's. Then about 13 months later, the GI-275 ADAHRS/AP was installed, replacing the KI256. I also have an A&P/IA that I trust looking over all this, plus another avionics guy who is the go to autopilot guy around here. Hopefully we'll get this figured out and make sure I'm airworthy and safe for flight into IMC.

The AFMS for the KFC-150, the 530W, and the KAS-297B are in the POH. The GI-275 and G5 supplements are easily found online and I have those, BUT... what I really need is to get from Crystal Avionics, the AFMS they should have provided that contain specifics to my airframe installation. I'm close to finishing my instrument rating, so I only fly this plane VFR at present. But, soon I'll be rated and want all this documentation in order so that I understand all the limitations and operation of the setup.

I have to say when I first got interested in the plane, I thought the 496 would be the first thing I was going to remove and replace. Obsolete and old, right? Nope! I updated it's terrain and nav databases from Garmin, activated the Sirius XM weather and music on it, and can't imagine flying without it! It's a bit clumsy with it's user interface, but now that I'm proficient with it, I LOVE that thing. Maybe someday I'll still pick up a GDL92, but for now a Stratux, my iPad and that 496 gives me multiple redundant weather streams, plus tunes in my headset for long XC trips!

Ah, I see. I'm heading out flying today, I'm going to try this. I was trying to track a VOR with the AP in HDG mode thinking the AP was getting roll steering from the G5 the same way it does on a GPS course. But today I will try it the way you describe and see what I get.

So few of you asked about this, and I can confirm: To track a GPS course that's programmed in the 530, I set the AP to HDG mode, and switch the G5 to GPSS. Also, in HDG mode and GPSS as above, switching the 530 to VLOC and tuning in a VOR, it doesn't appear to track the VOR. Although I do get a good display of the VOR CDI on the G5. Similarly, I get good indications of GS and Localizer on the G5 when flying ILS approaches. I'm going to fly today and try to get the KFC-150 to track a VOR again. Also I'll make sure I'm hitting the AP ENG button, after pressing HDG, that's an easy one to forget!

@LANCECASPER I think a lot of these glass upgrades were made after you owned it, if I'm not mistaken.

So I have the above avionics, and I can get the KFC-150 to track a heading set on the G5. I can change the GPSS on the G5 and it'll track courses loaded up in the 530, no problem too. Even flies holds beautifully. But what I can't figure out is how to get it to track a VOR, or a Localizer. The KFC-150 has an approach mode too, and the manual in my POH says it'll couple an approach, of course this was back before someone installed the G5's and the GI-275. I can press the FD button and see a Flight Director appear on the GI-275, but I have no clue what it gets the information to feed the the flight director. Doesn't appear to be valid when I setup an approach in the 530, I get a good GS and localizer on the G5 when I shoot RNAV approaches. FWIW, there is also a KX-155 and a VOR head for NAV2. I can find nothing in the POH supplements about the G5's, or the GI-275. There are logbook entries where all this was installed by Crystal Avionics in TX. A call to them didn't get returned. So, does anyone have any ideas how this stuff might be wired up, and how I might test for possible configurations? Attached is a photo of the panel. The altitude preselector below the turn coordinator does nothing far as I can tell. Jimmy swapped it out for a known working one before I bought the plane, so neither of us could tell if it's just not wired up at all to the above collection of stuff.The KFC-150 will altitude hold perfectly, and I can command climbs/descents with the KFC-150 UP/DOWN buttons. Selecting altitudes on the GI-275 doesn't seem to do anything either. Cheers, Jeremy

Anybody seen this happen? I took a short flight and when I landed, I noticed that the right gear door wasn't closed. I flew it back over to my home field where my mechanic was waiting on me to do an oil change, left the gear down for the short hop. The mechanic sent these photos, one is the right (broken) linkage, the other is the left of the same linkage. Looks like a push rod is missing, and the bell crank is bent. This was the 8th or 9th flight since annual, where they worked on my nose gear but I don't think they did anything at all to my main gear. I wonder if that push rod popped off on one end, and jammed and that's how the bell crank got bent.

Yes, appears to be used in Van's RV's as an aileron rod end. I know several who are building RV's here, maybe one of them has one not yet installed where I can compare the two.

I exchanged emails with Mooney, Aurora Bearing, some of Aurora Bearing's distributors. Aurora had 7 of the rod ends in stock, but they only sell through distributors. Mooney said it'll take 20 weeks to get one, something about PO's having to go through higher ups and taking a long time. Finally, I started calling every MSC on the list, and I found one with a rod end! They are shipping it to me today. The shop's parts guy was able to source all the bushings we needed. So looks like they have all the parts to get the annual completed and the bird in the air. Interesting find, the Mooney part is REM3-4-2, the Aurora Bearing part number is MM-3M-21. But this thread caught my attention: Could this be the same part on the M20M? If so, Aircraft Spruce has several of the M34-14M in stock. I was going to have my shop verify the measurements but once I found the part I had them hold off.

I'm a new Mooney owner, is there a list of MSC's somewhere? I'd guess that Don Maxwell in TX is an MSC? Thanks!

Anybody have a good source for nose gear bushings and tie rod ends? My Bravo is in annual and this is the last thing I’m waiting for. The shop contacted Lasar, they have none in stock right now. Hoping to not have to wait. (I know, something something supply chain)