00-Negative

Careful buying used even from a reputable seller like BAS. That unique barrel-shaped bearing may be missing. I just did this a few weeks ago. Removed mine and installed a light weight strut which I read about on earlier threads. -David

@Gary Bymers

So do you think the ground personnel warning system is a bigger factor for lower rates of gear-up landings per hour flown by military pilots than regular repetitive redundant training exercises? I wonder how often the flare is used to prevent a near-miss. I'd bet that pilot gets some crap from his peers if he gets a flare popped because his gear isn't down. -David

This is what I deal with all day every day at work. That emphatic statement suggests that the etiology of our ever-more distracted and attention deficit population is somehow organic. Are some people just unfortunately born with this disease of being more distracted than others and nothing can be done about it? If so, why is this not screened or tested for prior to obtaining a license to pilot an aircraft with passengers? Seems extremely dangerous to put unfortunate "distracted persons" that will not benefit from training in positions requiring high levels of focus. It is not a disease. It is a set of behaviors, habits, and mannerisms completely controllable by the pilot or person in mind. On the contrary, I believe that we can train ourselves to focus and operate without distraction. I haven't analyzed any statistical data, but I suspect that the rate of gear-ups among military pilots is much lower than that of civilian pilots. The most glaring variables are training and consequences. Both of which are much higher among military pilots. I bought the Microkit LHS system when it was on sale around a year ago. Was maybe $800-900 or so. I installed it myself without any hiccups and what a world of difference it made mostly with night landings and landing with passengers/baggage. I fly a lot solo and make good landings in different configurations and conditions. The ground-effect characteristics and sink rate are quite different when I'm loaded down with fuel, family,. and baggage. -David

I did mine myself as well. Ceramic coats do not last very long at all on airplanes that fly often. Planes are subjected to harsh elements/UV damage every time we fly. Much more so than automobiles. I've done it all including 3 stage paint correction, ceramic, polish, glaze, wax, etc... I've used several commercial grade ceramic coatings available only to professional detailers. I basically wipe down my plane after nearly every trip with Aerocosmetics waterless wash. Takes me less than 10 minutes. I use Maxl triphene spray every couple of months on the entire plane. I don't mess with ceramic coatings anymore. My plane stays so slick, no one can put tools or parts on the wing. Everything slips off. The business structure of professional detailing has evolved to exactly what the OP described: $5k initially, $2.5k every 2 years. You will eventually need paint correction after 4-6 years or so. Doing the math, you'll pay around $25k in 12 years for a shiny airplane that will still pick up chips, nicks, scratches, and other flaws. Ceramic coating on airplanes should be measured in hours instead of time. It will last a very long time in a hangar. But I estimate the ceramic coats I've seen last around 100-120 hours flown. That's less than a year for me. Check out Maxl. https://maxl.com/products/maxeasy - David

I did this around a year ago. Bought it from Woot as well. It works well but I would prefer the full speed pace slightly quicker. I use it frequently to pull my Mooney approx 100yds to or from the fuel pump before/after flights which prevents unnecessary startup and run for only that short time. I welded a generic trailer tongue to a universal clamping tow bar. I posted a short 6 sec clip on one of the Mooney Facebook groups yesterday. Seems I can't post the video clip here. -David

I know with hydraulic flaps and manual trim, four pumps of flaps will induce a significant nose-down attitude which will have to be fought with the left hand/yoke while the right hand then reaches down and and rolls the trim wheel several times. All of that would have to be done after clearing the trees at the end of the road. I can see why he didn't get the flaps in. He probably saw a clear stretch of road and committed. Good form. -David

I did this only one year ago. Bought my M20e before i had my ppl. No one world insure me, so i bought it without insurance. I paid $71k. I finished my ppl 1 month later and insured the plane with Avemco for $3k. I had approx 85hrs total time. Requirement was 10hrs dual in my model. So i paid a Mooney CFI for the 10hrs & complex. My renewal was a little better at $2900 d/t safety training throughout the year. I look at it this way... if insurance rates are as much as a note on the same value plane, it would be much smarter to take that money and just buy a backup plane. We're only talking $70-110k. We buy vehicles in this price range every 5 years that have basically no value at trade-in time.

Meaning I don't think the advanced timing has any effect on starting. I'm pointing out that the change to the SureFly itself changed my engine starting characteristics.

We removed the shower of sparks. I would think it would have some impact on starting.

Just installed SureFly to replace my left mag last weekend. We set if for advanced timing. My initial startup after install was fine. However, a few days later, I went to startup and I think I almost immediately flooded the engine. Usually cold starts easily. I hammered on that starter for 25 minutes before it finally started. I will have to change my cold startup technique. Once it finally started, it ran like normal for a few laps in the pattern. I have not tried hot start yet. -David

What about a Dynon SkyView with G5 in lieu of Dynon's D30 backup and Garmin's GFC500 autopilot? The best of both worlds. What's appealing to me is that I can buy Dynon over the counter. The downtime quotes that I've gotten for Garmin installs are 3-6 months and I frequently see plans down longer than that. I rarely go 2 weeks without flying.

I put a cheap, Amazon dehumidifier hanging from the coat rack in my plane. The outlet tube runs into the tailcone and hangs above the opening for the retractable step. I just leave the tubing in place and connect the dehumidifier when I put the plane up. My hangar leaks through the roof and during periods of high rain volume water comes in under the walls and remains standing on the hangar floor for a few days. But I don't have any other hangar options and my cost is $60/month. The humidity in south Louisiana is 99% year-round. The dehumidified air inside the plane gets as low as 30%. I don't do anything for the wings/ fuselage. -David

Maybe reach out to this guy. I think he installed his own nearly a year ago. He seems to like it. - David

Haha. That's why I do more reading than posting. I would get corrected too much. This group has a very diverse spread of expertise.

Okay. My bubble is officially burst. I will immediately revise the fire safety protocol aboard N2586W "El Delorean". I'm taking that crap out of my plane and I'll find somewhere to mount a real fire extinguisher. Thanks for the info. -David

I bought 2 of the Element fire extinguishers. My plane did not have an extinguisher when I bought it. Everything I have read on this product convinces me it is a superior extinguisher. I just need someone to waste the money on one and test it for me. I mounted one under the instrument panel on top of the nose gear cover that I can easily reach while flying. The other is in the back seat pocket. My AP/IA saw it during annual and wanted one, so I gifted him one when we were done with the annual. https://www.amazon.com/Element-Extinguisher-UTVDISTRIBUTION-Mounting-Magnet/dp/B0C1WMGBNQ/ref=sxts_b2b_sx_reorder_acb_customer?content-id=amzn1.sym.f63a3b0b-3a29-4a8e-8430-073528fe007f%3Aamzn1.sym.f63a3b0b-3a29-4a8e-8430-073528fe007f&crid=KWN2QRCUXBIY&cv_ct_cx=element%2Bfire%2Bextinguisher&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.LHO8B7K0HWzEXQNQ7A-56A.nHFwWyW2jhhZAY3QRMwLyGgojS9QkBjgeW9E489yBHI&dib_tag=se&keywords=element%2Bfire%2Bextinguisher&pd_rd_i=B0C1WMGBNQ&pd_rd_r=23bc7d51-3e30-4238-9ea3-a98997dc97c5&pd_rd_w=UYxUa&pd_rd_wg=MVnb9&pf_rd_p=f63a3b0b-3a29-4a8e-8430-073528fe007f&pf_rd_r=6QNETKMMJY0Y6S6HH85Y&qid=1722448744&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sprefix=element%2Bfire%2Caps%2C168&sr=1-1-9f062ed5-8905-4cb9-ad7c-6ce62808241a&th=1 - David

Absolute truth!

The digital prostate exam is outdated and should be performed as a confirmation test by a urologist in most cases. No one is getting a prostate biopsy without an elevated PSA. Annual prostate specific antigen is the gold standard for prostate screening. While a digital prostate exam is still listed in the guidelines for prostate ca screening, it is a completely subjective exam and has minimal value unless one or both parties enjoy the test. Haphazardly extracting tissue samples of a man's prostate using traumatic methods can lead to bad outcomes... -David

Yes. I have a need for one. I'm about to try fabricating one out of aluminum. I would like it to be collapsible so that it can stand upright and clip into a pipe clamp mounted in the corner of the baggage compartment so that I can reach this even when I have the baggage compartment full. I'm running to all kinds of scenarios where I need to park the plane but we're leaving our luggage in the plane and my tow bar is at the bottom. And it's starting to rain. Can't leave the tow bar on top because my family can't travel without filling the baggage compartment to the ceiling of the plane. If we have any space left, I swear they'll go get something from the house to fill the space. And after we get in the air, one or more persons in the backseat will need to access their bag to get something out. I basically don't eat for 4 or 5 days before a family trip so that we can stay within Max gross take off weight. So I have a need for a very smart, lightweight tow bar for my m20e. -David

That's it.

Glad to. I'll take a picture tomorrow. The mount you're referring to has a rubber gasket that sits between the mounting plate and the plane's inspection panel. It's a solid, low profile mount that I leave in place and just remove the camera. I'm not putting anything in the log book about a camera mount. I've moved the mount several times after flying and wanting different angles on the landing gear, nose, etc. I just use common sense when mounting the camera and go fly. I've moved and altered my camera mounts so many times, my airplane log would look like a 5 year old's scrap book by now. Now, I was initially worried about the camera coming falling off d/t vibration or wind speed so I did make sure I took off with the memory clear of any identifying video and my first few flights were over wooded areas near the airport just to test it out. Now I'm confident in the security of my mounting process. I initially started videoing purely for the purpose of improving my landings. I could not feel how close I was to the ground. I wanted to view my landing gear, and my instrument panel, so I bought a few Ghost Drift cameras for a little over $100 each. Same camera that Skates uses. The wing tie-down ring is the easiest mount, but farther out gets a better picture of the plane's attitude. You can't see both main gear wheels from the wing. The tail tie-down is perfect for viewing mains and nose gear touchdowns. The quality diminishes on the tail tie-down location d/t oil/exhaust residue buildup on the lens. After 1.5 flight hours, I can still easily see what I need to see, but the clarity is less than desired toward the end. Now, I want to capture the memories we're making with this airplane. I can't recreate the reactions I get from my wife and daughters when we fly to places. We're not a well-traveled family, so their reactions are priceless. What's going on inside the cockpit in relation to what's happening outside is what I need to capture. Sometimes it's just reaction to the scenery, other times it's reaction to ATC instruction or diverting around weather, or can't find the runway in the middle of a huge city and having to admit to tower that I still don't see the runway, or ATC saying Mooney, if you can keep your speed up and fly to the numbers I'll let you in 1st before the 3 students in the pattern. Sometimes it's hilarious, other times it's high-stress. The Insta360 is the best camera I have ever seen or used. It's expensive. I currently have only used my Insta360 inside the cockpit mounted on the windshield downtube. It drinks battery juice, so have it plugged in. I turn it on and forget about it. Really. We land and I completely forget about it leaving it on recording an empty cockpit. Because it is always recording 360deg, you get constant video of your front, left, and right sight picture and what's going on inside the cockpit. Also note that the Inst360 is only compatible with high speed SD cards which are more expensive. You should get several large storage SD cards. I'll probably add another for use outside the plane. All the rage now is to use a 360 cam on a boom extension to create a view that appears to be taken from another airplane flying alongside. I use FlightFix mounts and have several configurations. I find the most steady and low profile mount to be the one you're looking at: https://flightflix.aero/collections/exterior/products/rock-steady-surface-standard-ball-mount I'll upload the picture of my mount on the inspection panel tomorrow. I've never used the Insta360 outside the plane. it's a heavier camera than the Ghost, but I'm sure it will remain solid if mounted correctly. There are 2 videos you should watch. Lookup Flying with Bruno on Youtube and he has recent video outlining how he makes his videos. His videos are very well done, are in good taste, and he is a like-able guy. A video of the Insta360 inside and outside the plane on a Mooney. It appears to be a couple of Insta360 cameras and he is mounted on a boom either from the wingtip or inspection plate:

I use that same mount on the most outbound inspection plate under the wing. -David

I was curious about the accuracy of my own useful load in my '66e. I have approx. 850 lb useful load. A few mods and only a Garmin gtn650 and a three blade prop upgrade. The plane was painted in the '90s and most of the logs I have start from that point. I wanted an unofficial weight. So I borrowed a livestock scale and made some leveling ramps. I took three weights, one under each wheel with the plane level. I subtracted my remaining fuel in the tanks. Believe it or not, I was within 1.5 lb of the documented empty weight of the plane. Since then, I have flown at max gross weight a few times with my family. We still get off the ground no problem, but I'm at sea level with about the highest density altitude I deal with around 2800. I can definitely feel it, it makes me fly very conservatively regarding angle of attack and bank angle. I now have come to respect that max gross weight and believe it is probably a true maximum weight tolerance for stability. -David

Pretty sure the donor metal came from a Piper exhaust stack. The guy that did the job for me is a pilot. He owns a C182. A new down pipe was ordered. I'll plan on replacing the entire exhaust as soon as I get back home. Flight from Ft Pierce was the most uneventful flight we've had. We didn't need to thread the needle between ominous looking thunderstorms. Just boring point A to point B at 7500. Although the flight home in a couple of days looks like dodging thunderstorms all along the gulf coast. -David