Kirch56H

Have you gotten a quote on this install yet? I’m in the market for a similar panel and I have gotten numbers all over the place with no consistency from shop to shop. I guess it’ll come down to choosing a shop that you trust…..it’s not always about the lowest bidder !

Well it is finally official.... the long wait is over! It looks like Dynon got FAA approval of the autopilot for the J/K models a few days ago (10/7/2024). Their website has been updated to show this new information as well. I cant wait to see how this goes for folks who install Dynon. I am currently planning a panel upgrade and this would work well with my Avidyne IFD's too.

I would rinse the plane well with regular water and use your hands to loosen any heavier grime on the surface and re-rinse. Follow up with a good soap designed for auto washing and do a hand wash of the plane. Many of the specialty soaps designed for motorcycles and/or aircraft are very similar in makeup but usually cost more based on the “specialty” application. I’m a little bit OCD when it comes to keeping my Mooney clean. I only use the Plane Perfect line of cleaners and waxes on my Mooney. Chris at Plane Perfect is awesome to deal with and their product is amazing. I used to use the traditional wash/wax blue stuff but find this product is far superior. I use their Buddha Belly cleaner to do my whole plane once a year or more if needed and I follow that up with their Plane Perfect One series spray cleaner/wax. The Buddha Belly cleaner is amazing at getting the grime off the belly and it takes almost no time to do it using this product. Their One series wash/wax is amazing and It also has a ceramic in it which helps a bunch. I find that when I’m done flying this time of year I simply spray this stuff on the leading edges after a flight, let it sit a minute and just wipe off the bugs to a like new finish. It also sheds water like rain-x when used on the windscreen and on the painted surfaces. They always runs specials on their website and it’s inexpensive for what you’re getting. That's my 2 cents! https://planeperfect.us

Yeah, I noticed that they’re all within a degree or two when it’s cold in the morning sitting in the hangar. Based on that, I figured they are pretty accurate

Yeah, I checked and all the probes got swapped out for new JPI probes.

I guess it’s me “overthinking” the temps! I have a bit of OCD so I watch the numbers constantly. I know the numbers are good for a 43 y/o plane, I was just hoping I could even them out(wishful thinking). I also know it’s running great as it is currently so I’m not overly worried. modern instrumentation can certainly make you chase a problem that doesn’t really exist. I have checked all the baffling and the rubber is good and hasn’t flipped allowing air leaks and the flashlight trick shows no light leaking through indicating a source of air flow leakage. I’ll just keep flying it like this and continue to monitor for irregularities. Thanks guys!

So I’ve monitored my M20J- IO-360 A3B6D cylinder head temperatures for quite a while. I consistently notice that the number two cylinder runs cooler than the other three. I understand number two is out in front and gets quite a bit of air, but I know the baffling is designed to properly flow the air over all four cylinders. I’ve inspected my baffling, and it all appears to be correct. No obvious signs of air leakage around the soft baffles or air escaping between the cylinders is present as best I can tell. I have a JPI EDM900 so I know the temps are probably pretty accurate. #2 seems to run about 30-40 degrees cooler than the rest. For example- last night I flew it quick to check the temps after checking all the baffling. The OAT was 32 degrees and I flew it LOP at about 68-70% power and in level flight it stabilized out as follows: 1- 333 2- 303 3- 334 4- 336 oil temps and everything else are normal and where they should be. I can’t help but notice that on the number two cylinder more of that cylinder is exposed with the way that the metal baffling is designed from the factory. The number one cylinder has a taller piece of tin in front to deflect air up and through the cowling. Has anybody else experienced this type of temp spread? If so, What did you do to fix the issue?

I had a very thorough prebuy done when I bought it and the Lasar checklist was completed with no shortcuts. We saw No indication of issues at that time. the annual was done at the beginning of the year and the baffles/flame tubes were checked and were fine at that time. the inspector said Normally when they fail, they break into small pieces and leave out the tailpipe. They don’t usually get discovered as “missing” until the next annual when it’s checked and found to be missing. Based on the logs, this exhaust was repaired/replaced several years ago prior to my ownership. Based on a visual look inside It appeared that it cracked off completely and didn’t shows signs of thinning of the metal or rot or corrosion. I won’t name the shop that did the muffler rebuild. But I will say that I purchased a brand new unit to replace it.

Just to update everyone, Upon inspection with the FAA Inspector and A&P/IA, they found that the internal baffles had broken off inside the muffler. The FAA Inspector and IA noticed heat marks and deformation on the inlet pipes going into the muffler housing indicating that the exhaust gases couldn't flow smoothly out of the exhaust and became trapped. They determined that the piece of the exhaust baffles had become lodged and obstructed almost all of the exhaust exit hole in the muffler, thus causing the immediate reduction in power and inability for the engine to run properly or make any power to maintain flight. They did say that they had seen this once before on a different aircraft and normally when a muffler fails the pieces simply blow out the tailpipe. I guess I got very unlucky that mine got stuck. I was very lucky however, that i had such a great spot to make an emergency landing!! We got a new muffler overnighted and made the necessary repairs yesterday. The FAA approved all of the work and all the ground runs showed that the problem was corrected. I was able to take off yesterday afternoon with the plane and fly it back to my local field. I played it safe and made the trip at a high altitude so I had options should any issues arise on the way back. I will say that the FAA Inspector was amazing and did a great job. He never approached with the attitude that he was out to get me and if anything, he was extremely understanding and compassionate to the issues. He reiterated several times that I did the right thing and made safe decisions to result in this positive outcome. He said this is why we have emergency procedures and pilots should never hesitate to use them! Then he said, Never let your pride get in the way of your safety! Thanks all for the kind words above and thanks for reading. Stay safe and fly Smart- Matt

Just to update all my fellow MooneySpace Family, I was the PIC of this flight. It happened quick as most emergencies do. We (my family and I) were in solid IMC at 5k when I lost almost all power very suddenly and without warning. I worked through the emergency procedures checklist but had no success. I advised ATC of my issues and started a descent to VMC about 1000’ ft below. After the emergency procedures didn’t recover the power loss, I advised I was declaring and proceeded to get vectors for the nearest field. I was about 9 miles from the nearest and I worried if I lost the engine we may not glide all the way to the field. When we broke out, I could see what I thought was an airstrip about a mile or two off the nose. ATC advised I was near a private airfield and I thought that’s what I was looking at. I informed ATC of my intentions to circle this field and make a landing. We landed safely and not a scratch on my family or the plane, thank god! Only after I landed did I find out we landed on the Consumer Reports testing facility track. It’s about 4400’ long and makes a great emergency LZ! Now to work through the process to determine what happened and what’s next. This is a sobering reminder of why to practice practice practice, constantly refresh yourself with the POH and your checklists and stay sharp! I credit my save to my flight training and the many days I spent with my CFI working through this stuff! I will continue to be a student of the game and always press myself to study, practice and stay sharp! …..your life and others depend on it!

I am a huge fan of the Plane Perfect products also. I used their Buddha Belly cleaner/degreaser to do my entire plane and then followed up with their Plane Perfect One wash/wax ceramic. The plane is so smooth and the water just beads up and is gone. It’s a great coating and leaves a better finish than a traditional wax. after a flight I always wipe down the leading edges, windscreen and tail section where bugs build up. I use the PlanePerfect One for this wipe down. The bugs wipe away easily if you take 5-10 min after each flight to do some detail cleaning. I’d recommend the PlanePerfect line to anyone looking for great cleaner and ceramic protectant at a great price.

Not sure if this should be on the classifieds or here? I’m looking for a set of split folding rear seats for my J model and I have tried all the major salvage yards already with little to no success. I have the bench rear seat now and want to upgrade to the split folding rear seat and will need all the associated parts. I have a few of the parts, but still need the major components and some of the brackets. does anyone have any recommendations of less known salvage yards where I can source this stuff or possibly know someone who has a set they’d be willing to part with?

looks like they are 7 years. Per the TCW site, you can replace the cells for a few hundred dollars.

I agree that having additional qualified flight crew onboard would make things safer, but even if all 4 seats were occupied by highly qualified and experienced pilots, if/when the stock dual magneto decides to fail in flight, at that point all 4 pilots are looking for an emergency landing location and there’s nothing anyone can do to make the engine run. this is the reason I am seeking input and opinions on going to this alternate ignition system route. By having two independent systems, it would build in redundancy and better safety of flight. I’m sure many think that this is overthinking it, but I always operate in the world of contingency planning, redundant backup and safety. After all, two is one, and one is none when the $&@! hits the fan!

So the Electroair system has 2 independent systems per their information. One unit goes into the current mag drive and the second unit goes into the front of the motor and operates via an added on crank trigger unit. Essentially it is 2 fully independent systems that share no common parts like the current dual drive mag. I have gone to a glass panel system already so I the vacuum system was removed several years ago. I have the open mounting pad where the vacuum pump used to live where I could mount the standby alternator system from B&C. Yes it is a 20 amp alternator but per B&C, it will put out more (up to about 35-40amps) but should be limited to 20 amps. I believe the alternator would be much better than a 3ah or 6ah backup battery which would just run the electronic ignition vs the backup alternator which would power the essentials on the panel along with the ignition system so you could fly more confidently to an adequate airport/repair shop. this upgrade would add weight back to the plane and decrease useful load by a bit