AdamJD

I need to move... +1 for RPM. Just finished my second annual owning the plane. The first was done at a MSC. It was expensive, but that should have been expected for a first annual. However, there were a few things done without asking and a few things done half-assed that I should have pushed back on. First airplane ownership rookie mistake. My second and most recent annual was with RPM. Everything is explained and discussed. The base "cost" is in the 30ish hour range. It's a small business, so selfishly I hope you don't all go to Byron for a winter annual as I want to preserve my spot. But the experience was great. Right up until he removed a cylinder for a planned replacement and borescoped the cam shaft. But that's another very painful story...

@Neshi, as of a year ago, you could display multiple misc fields on the GI275 ADI. See below for a pic from a friend of mine's F. HOWEVER, I couldn't configure mine this way because I have the GFC500. The command bar for the GFC500 is the reason. I was bummed. My solution is to display TAS on the ADI, winds on the HSI, temp on the GFX345 and GS on the 430W.

Bought my first plane - an M20F 18 months ago from a private seller. I'm based part time at GAI (where I've flown for 20 years) in a tie-down and fly often. I also have a good friend and CFI based at CGE, but not a Mooney CFI. I did my transition training with a Mooney CFI out of GAI - there are several and mine was good. PM me if you want to chat about my experience through the purchase, training and maintenance. PS - One good thing about GAI is the Mooney community there. Along with RPM, there are 7 or 8 Mooney owners who actively communicate. It's a good resource of like-minded pilots and owners to share and learn from.

Check out Mooney M20 Parts Manual - Parts Catalog Page 247, Fig 58 Cowl Flap Closure Control System. When I bought my F, it had a new engine mount installed as part of the sale. When they installed the engine mount, they reinstalled the cowl flaps incorrectly to the point that my cowl flaps barely opened. And the ball joint connected to the control arm on either side didn't have enough adjustment to fix it. The cowl flaps are actually mounted to the engine mount and can be significantly adjusted by loosening the nuts on both sides where they connect to the engine mount and raising or lowering on the lower arms of the engine mount.

Replaced both sides. Don't have SoS - my previous left mag was impulse. Two shop hours to replace the harness.

Haha! Careful what you post if you don't want the feedback. This plane is new-ish to me. Bought it in 2022. 1st - Buss vs. Bus: Not sure how this plane has passed annual all these years! Lol. 2nd - A/P w/ TC: My guess is that this was because of the Brittain PC and Accutrak system. The adjustment for the Accutrak was actually done with a knob on the T/C. So I think my T/C is a special one specifically for the Accutrak. Both the PC and Accutrak have been removed and I now have a GFC500 on a breaker on the avionics bus (one S). 3rd - Aerographics: Thanks for the recommendation! I'll check them out. Thank you all!

I have a M20F which had the mixture and prop in the "wrong" configuration, Throttle - Mixture - Propeller. I replaces all cables with McFarlane cables and put them in the correct order - Throttle - Propeller - Mixture. However, I had to re-label these to be legal. Right now, these are cheap maker labels. Does anyone have advice on how to get some sort of stencil to match the original labeling? See below for what the labeling looks like for my circuit breakers. This is what I want to replicate. Thanks!

I just listened to "Ask the A&Ps" podcast episode 4 with Mike Busch, Colleen Sterling and Paul New. They address this exact question. The answer was, there is NO benefit to pulling the prop through in either direction. In the opposite-than-normal direction (backwards), the pump moves backwards, so you are adding no oil. And you are likely scraping oil OFF of the cylinder walls. In the normal direction, you are at risk for starting the prop and causing personal harm if you have impulse coupler and you are still scraping oil OFF of the cylinder walls. So both directions are a negative. If you have a radial engine, then there is another reason for pulling the prop through. I assume your Mooney M20R is not a radial engine.

FYI - had this done a few months ago. New harness for a Surefly and Bendix mag combination. Maggie Ignition was responsive and quick to ship. No issues. Christine at MI was super helpful.

Thank you!

First, I love this step actuator. Removed my vacuum, but still wanted the few knots. So I bought one. And, let’s be honest, the retractable step is one of the more unique features of our older Mooneys! I decided on a dedicated “step” switch when I had mine installed and after 100 hours of use, I think that was the way to go. It does come down slow. So being able to put it down after pulling off the runway ensures I don’t have to wait for the actuator to finish when I’m trying to find a bush after a long x-country, if you get my drift. I had my installer put three switches side-by-side. STEP - ALT - AVIONICS. So on startup, checklist item is for all three switches up. Then my clear of runway checklist has Step Down. But worst case if I forget, it would go down when I turn my STEP - ALT - AVIONICS switches off prior to shut down.

Thanks Hank. I have the '67F which has a different yoke than the '75F. The 75F has the round emblem. The 67F has the triangular emblem. @TheTurtle had printed a bunch of these on metal several years ago. Does anyone have one of those to spare?

I missed these by 5 or 6 years!! Bought my F last year and have the sticker on the yoke right now. Need to upgrade that. Anybody have any of these laying around?

I thought the servo upgrade was supposed to help with oscillations. That's not the case?

So I'm assuming those of us who have the separate issue of the GSA-28 servo warranty extension to replace impacted servos (https://support.garmin.com/en-US/aviation/faq/yG9YhFImtt8XiNr8uLLUA6/) will now be motivated to go get those taken care of. I was waiting until the next time I needed something from the avionics shop as mine don't oscillate that much outside of IAS mode. I'm hopeful the software update for this new AD can be done at the same time and on Garmin's dime. The servo replacement is a warranty item. I guess it's up to the shop to include the software update, but I know my guy will likely include that in the visit.

He said he did not.

I too have a "friend" who replaced all interior lights, except panel post lights, with LEDs. This was in a '67F. He was tired of the gear lights and torpedo lights being hot as hell. He replaced the torpedo lights with dimmables and they do dim, although not as much as the incandescent lights. He consulted with experts who said you don't need a logbook entry for lightbulb replacements - even to LED. No modification was made to the lighting system. He loves the fact that he can now twist the gear indicator lights at night to slim the shutter without risking 3rd degree burns. Here are the lights he used: Gear indicator lights - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N1UPFF6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 Torpedos and Overhead are from https://www.superbrightleds.com/ Items Qty Price 67 LED Bulb - 12 LED Tower - Cool White - 2 Pack SKU: 67-CW12-G-2PK 1 $13.90 67 LED Light Bulb - (12) SMD LED Tower - BA15S Base - Cool White 2 x 67 LED Light Bulb - (12) SMD LED Tower - BA15S Base - Cool White $0.00 67 LED Light Bulb - (12) SMD LED Tower - BA15S Base SKU: 67-NW12-G Color Options Natural 4000K Pack Single

I have two 12v 100ah batteries. So far so good as far as battery life. I keep them cycled as I use these in the summer to power a trolling motor for a kayak. Together, they last 7ish hours depending on temps (I use a thermocube). So by 6 am the batteries may die, but the oil does go right back to ambient temps. My oil temps usually aren’t lower than 60-70 when I get there. Generator is great if you can make it work. For me, I can keep the batteries, inverter etc. in a locked box even when using them. The downside is hauling them back to the house when I need to charge them. It’s a good workout. edit: $70 for the inverter, $130 each for the batteries from O’Reilly. So $330 total.

I have this same problem in Maryland. I put two marine batteries daisy chained in my storage box (if you are allowed to have one), an inverter and a thermocube. I cover the cowl in moving blankets and plug in the night before if I’m flying in the AM. By morning the batteries are usually dead, but the oil is still fairly warm. I have a sump heater. I usually just take the batteries home and charge them after I return. But if you need the plane more frequently, buy 4 batteries and always come to the airport with a freshly charged pair.

Dumb question. I have a Pacific Oil Cooler mounted on the nose on my M20F. It looks reversible. The fins on the inside, facing the engine, are mostly unbent. The fins on the outside, facing the impact air, are fairly bent and beat up. Looks like it has mounting holes on both sides? Is the oil cooler reversible? Can it be turned around? Does the direction of oil flow through the cooler matter?

https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/192738/pdf

Let me weigh them tomorrow. And yes, I camp at osh and often wonder about the damage a hailstorm would do to a field of airplanes! Update: I don't have my scale here. I've asked Bruce how much these weigh individually. I'll post the answer when I get it.

I have an F model. Same issue. My CHTs are btw 350 and 360 in the summer depending on how hard I'm running the engine, but the oil temps are between 210 and 220. My oil cooler is mounted on the front. I had the oil cooler flushed. I even had the thermostatic oil bypass valve tested in boiling water and it opened just fine. I would even touch the oil cooler each time I landed to make sure it was hot, and it has been. Then I noticed many of the fins on my oil cooler are bent. OSH is the only grass or dicey area I taxi or takeoff on, so I'm not sure what did the damage. The location of the oil cooler means anything hitting your plane, including possibly moderate rain, can bend those thin delicate aluminum fins. So I suspect air is not making it through my oil cooler efficiently. I talked to Pacific Oil Cooler at OSH and the guy said to carefully take thin duckbilled pliers and straighten out the fins. I haven't looked for the tool yet, so I haven't done it. I'll report back if it works when I do.

These have been sold. Thanks. ********************************** Set of 2 Bruce's padded wing covers for Mooney Models M20B and up. Part number M20-255. These were purchased new in July 2022 when I was way back on the hangar wait list. I used them for 6 weeks until I miraculously found a hangar. They have not been used since late August 2022 and have remained in their bags at my house. See pics for both wing covers. These were $1,125 new for the set. Shipping for these + my canopy and tail cover was $278. Make me a *very* reasonable offer, and you can have almost new padded wing covers. Great if you keep your plane outdoors, particularly in an area susceptible to hail. I'm located at either KGAI or KSUT. You can pick them up at either airport. I'm willing to deliver these to an airport nearby either KGAI or KSUT for the right price on the covers. Also, we can discuss shipping options if you are not close to either airport. Send me a mooneyspace message if interested. ~ Adam

Selling a PAR46 LED Parmetheus Plus Landing Light Model P46P1L for $200 + shipping. Part number is 01-0790750-10 - 14 volts. Retail price is $295+. See photos of this landing light in the airplane. It works perfectly. Adam