Zippy_Bird

If an order is happening for some replacement Brittain BI-706 rubber boots, I'd like to know!

Thanks C.J. Exactly what I found as well. All analog TCs I researched are built to a specific mounting angle. Most being vertical mount only (0 degrees tilt). My original 2” Garwin is the dead instrument, and indeed had a 14 degree wedge installed to bring it vertical. I have a replacement 3 1/8 now, and am trying to sort how to obtain or make a wedge for it. Any tips on wedge buying / making? Thanks, Z Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi All, The ancient 2" turn coordinator in my original Mooney shot-gun panel has died, and I need a replacement to finish my annual airworthy. Got really excited about installing a R.C. Allen RCA2610-2 (2 inch) with Digital Turn & Slip Indicator in the existing 2" hole which would have put a digital horizon backup under the primary vacuum AI. This is compliant via FAA AC91-75 which replaces a TC with a second AI having a different power source. It would have been awesome, but unfortunately the bezel of the new instrument was too wide horizontally about 3/16 on each side, which conflicted with the adjacent altimeter and VOR/ILS instruments on either side. Ended up returning it. If others are considering this, it didn't fit in my M20E shot-gun panel. I've looked into rebuilding this bad one or others found on eBay, but everyone I called said that was not viable. Plus, aside from the RC-Allen that didn't fit, I have not found any 2" 14v replacements anywhere. As of now, the plan is to move the 2nd VOR to the passenger side panel, slide the pilot side VOR/ILS one hole over to the right, and open 3 1/8 standard hole by the yolk. There we plan to install a standard size T.C. Question for the group is this... Will the 14 degree tilt on this bottom row of the panel cause problems with a standard TC? I.E. Will we need to install a 14 degree wedge to make it vertical OR, does the TC have the capability to function on a 14 degree tilt like this? I have seen pictures of other Mooneys with a T.C. in this exact same location, but don't know if they are "wedged" or built to 14 degree purpose. Any knowledge folks can pass along would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Zippy_bird

When I bought my M20E from GMAX two years ago, like you I did the log reviews myself with help from experienced professionals. I then hired a local AP to go onsite and do the pre buy. We prioritized the airframe first, engine second. He removed exterior airframe panels and some choice interior panels to inspect for aluminum corrosion and steal tubular corrosion. Airframe came up solid. Engine inspection and test runs also came up solid. With those inspections plus the logs I closed the deal. Hired a local Mooney instructor who ferried the plane to my airport and also did the insurance required transition training with me at home. Now, I am happy with my plane and the price, but this approach missed some things. Had we arranged to fly the plane and test all the instruments and systems, we would have caught some surprises before closing. We didn’t miss any deal killers, but I would have liked to negotiate a few squawks. Assuming the priorities of airframe and engine come good, recommend flying and testing everything. One specific thing I’d look for (and test) is the fuel indication system. If it’s been upgraded awesome, but if original definitely test. Problems can be in gauges or senders and can result in an non-airworthy condition. Flight instruments can often be replaced one for one without much fuss, but repairing the fuel indication systems sucks for many reasons. Good luck and keep us posted on the purchase!

Hi All, sorry for the late reply. Been away from MooneySpace for too long. Kevin Westbrook is still going strong and earlier this year rebuilt, tested, and 8130’d a number of Brittain PC parts through Porter-Straight for me. These included a pilot control value, a servo control valve, a brittain basic PC gyro, a B-11 accutrack, and a B-12 accuflight. Cecilia at Brittain sent across the STCs for my bird at no cost! Can’t beat that. Also have a spare TC I considered sending over for rebuild, quoted $850 at the time, but my setup doesn’t need one. Highly recommend contacting Kevin and sending your brittain parts over for rebuild while you can! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

We got ONE off using this technique. The others... not so much. Other suggestions?

Hehe. Mooney airplanes do two things... Fly fast and Leak!

Hi all, Currently in the middle of my first N9353M annual with my trusted local A/P. All has gone well up until today. We need to get into the Fuel tanks but someone incorrectly used "standard tank sealant" on the tank access covers versus "low adhesion sealant." These suckers are stuck-on TIGHT! Does anyone have suggestions or hacks on how to get these off without damage? Any feedback is much appreciated! Sincerely, zippy_bird

I’ll ask an obvious question since I didn’t see it mentioned yet… what is the fuel balance between tanks? My M20E presents a strong turning tendency away from an empty tank. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi All, I recently had two separate attempts by scammers on MooneySpace to lure me into a trap. Because they were so close in time I made some observations on their techniques. This is what I noted. I hope others find this helpful: Firstly, they started chasing me only after I posted a question to a real classified thread. This leads me to believe that once a legit seller posts an advertisement the scammer “follows it” to receive auto notifications. Then once a member (like me) posts a question to a real ad the scammer gets auto-notified of a potential target and goes to work quickly. Secondly, and this is were its gets dirty, the scammer private messages a member target with a link to the original forum ad and subject line and text content in such a way that it looks like the member target is getting a legit response to a real question they just asked in the forum. Some nice words accompany a phone number, and with that they hijack the conversation. Please know It can look convincing. Had they not made a grammar error on the first attempt I may not have paused to reassess the communication. Folks may have different thoughts on how best to deal with this but I plan to: 1) private message sellers directly with any questions I have about an ad rather than posting those questions on the classifieds thread for a scammer to see. 2) when I post an ad I will explicitly tell folks to PM me directly and to not post questions on the ad. 3) I will delete old ads and repost as necessary versus bumping ads to break the thread following feature the scammer needs to target folks. Thanks for reading, Good luck out there! Z Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Agree with the above statement. Did my training in my plane after purchase. My thoughts are that regardless of insurance policy one should choose to do transition training in the insured airplane for optimal safety... especially if one is stepping-up from fixed gear and fixed prop. An individual airplane's STCs, Avionics, and minor modifications all make a difference in the cockpit. Every situation is different, but I'd give the training a hard gut-check. It is a good idea to transition train in one airplane then jump into a different airplane for a fingers-crossed solo? Maybe it is. Maybe it is not. For the insurance nerds I have a quick story. When buying my plane the initial Avemco policy stated: "Prior to solo, must receive not less than 10 hours dual flight instruction in the insured aircraft or one of the same make and model to include not less then 10 takeoffs and full-stop landings. They must also obtain written approval from that Certificated Flight instructor who is current in make and model." Standard stuff, but I found the "same make and model" language vague considering models across the years. I reached out to Avemco and asked for clarification on "model" exactly. I thought there would at least be a difference b/t the Lycoming's and the high performance Continentals but surprisingly NO. For transition training purposes they see all M20s as the same. Really?!?!

Hi @Jeremyjford There is no functional difference between an AccuTrak I and an AccuTrak II. The guts inside are exactly the same. The only difference between them are the switches and face plate. You have a version 1 there with heavy duty toggles and screen printed face plate. If you want it illuminated, use over-head map lights or install post lights adjacent. The Version II has plastic rocker switches that are backlit and can be connected to a dimmer input. Also, the face plate is decaled verses screen printed, which some find less fancy than version 1. Anyway, I have attached a version II picture below. I looked through my pile-o-stuff and found an AccuTrak I but the face plate is not great. It was tight-mounted above a round instrument and unfortunately "trimmed." See picture below. Its ugly, but If you still want to swap face-plates just PM me. No worries if not. As an aside, I found @Hank's suggestion intriguing. I had not thought of using a trophy shop. In your case you could remove the faceplate and give it them as a pattern. From there you could either give them an image of what you want or you work with them to do something custom. I need a face plate to mount my AccuFlight On/Off switch. If an original part doesn't manifest soon I will definitely pursue this option. Sincerely, Z

Hi @Jeremyjford, Couple of quick questions... Could you attach a picture so we can see the vertical unit/faceplate? The AccuTrak box came in two versions. Also, are you wanting to trade your entire B-11, or just swap the faceplate like Igor_U suggested? Does your TC-100 EVS have a failure flag on the faceplate and the power inverter attached? These are VERY sought after. K.W. is looking for one now! While you are mulling these over, I'll look through my Brittain pile-o-stuff. I may have some of what you are looking for. Pretty sure I have a B-12 adaptor and maybe a horizontal B-11 unit. Will keep you posted. For you and others, I am looking for an AccuFlight II face-plate (Part # 112-016) AND AccuFlight II Switch-Cable-Plug (Part # 234-017-500). Thanks, Z

Hi All, One last question before this thread slides into history... has anyone used a Garmin GI-275 to drive a Brittain AccuTrak? It seems to me that if this were possible, it could help bridge a gap when upgrading avionics, particularly if one plans to get a GFC500 eventually, but can't muster the funds to do it all in a single install. Thanks to everyone who added to the discussion! Z

Hi @McMooney, What make/model beacon is that? I still have the original beacon on 66 m20e, but would like to upgrade it during next annual. Thanks, Z