00-Negative

I went with a Qidi Plus 4 which I can't believe hasn't become a bigger player in the market. Their design is much like Bambu in the sense that it is a true plug-n-play. I went with this device over the Bambu because the enclosed chamber and bed temps get hotter which allows for printing in ABS and ASA. ABS is what our side panels are made from. Prior to my Qidi purchase, I had zero experience with 3d printing and have had no problems printing what I want. I also bought a used Creality Raptor 3d scanner and have scanned parts and sent to my Qidi successfully. -David

I know this one! There are actually more than one style of headrest available as factory options. The 2nd picture below shows an adjustable headrest. I have a pair of these that were with a set of seats I bought from a guy in Florida. Interesting design. Bulky, but very lightweight. -David Edit: actually the 3rd picture is the adjustable headrest

Lubrication. I've read the threads here and often refer back to them when going over my plane. More specifics on how to apply lubrication to areas such as universal joints and tubes where they pass through guide blocks. Should we remove previous lubricants? Where to look for signs and symptoms of wear? -David

I'll buy this from you. Sent you a PM. -David

Don, my wife and I met you at MooneyMax 2024 in Fredericksberg, TX. A group of us, along with you, stayed up late one of the nights in the lounge having drinks and telling stories. If I recall correctly, you closed down the place with us, but didn't have any alcohol while I think I paid the consequences for my behavior the next day. I guess that's why at 87 years old, you can still fly an airplane- you make good decisions. See you at this year's MooneyMax. - David

This has been talked about extensively over the past 2 years on this forum. There was a guy on here who took the task to a respectable level as he reverse engineered the boot and worked through alternative materials for production. He gave up, lost interest, or went underground with his work as there was plenty of skepticism and questions regarding legalities from fellow Mooney owners. This part is a obviously a critical part that will have catastrophic consequences upon failure. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/plane-crashed-after-3d-printed-part-collapsed/ar-AA1RJalY -David

It will eventually stop running the software, probably sooner rather than later. Eventually the foreflight chart database update will require an updated security version in the OS which will not be possible d/t Apple stopped the support. This is an industry-wide practice. Google does this with their chrome OS devices. Because chrome os based on Linux open source code, people smarter than me colluded to create a mirrored operating system that updates just like chrome for free. So I can wipe my device and reflash it with the open source version and continue updating which allows me to continue using it. Funny thing is, Google then bought the Chromium project. It's still available and still free for now. -David

Aeroshell 7 or Aeroshell 33?

I did this too. From my hangar to the fuel station is approx 300ft with a slight grade. Pulling the plane myself is possible and it's a nice workout, but I'll sweat through my clothes and need a shower in our typical 100% humidity climate. This pulls the plane easily. But it won't push the plane in this configuration. The ball/hitch attach point allows vertical movement of the tow bar and the nose gear attach point acts as a hinge. So the tow bar gets pushed upward before the heavier plane starts moving. I know what I can do to correct it, just haven't. It does work well pulling the plane and all in for around $500 on sale.

I would guess 60-120 seconds or so total time to pull into hangar. I'll pay attention next time I'm out there.

1000lb winch is prob adequate, but here's what I bought. I removed the heavy iron hook and put a lightweight aluminum carabiner. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08ZN5NVGM?ref=fed_asin_title&th=1 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XJVYDDW?ref=fed_asin_title&th=1

Shape of the T-hangar won't allow this.

I put a winch on my hangar for this. My area is pretty much flat expect for the threshold. I bought a very inexpensive atv winch w/synthetic rope and mounted it directly to the floor in the back of my hangar. Bought a 12v dc power supply from Amazon and mounted on the wall connected to the winch. I push the plane until I'm within a few feet of the threshold, then connect the winch to the LASAR tail skid/tie down combo. I fabricated ramps to lessen the resistance of the door tracks and concrete lip. I read the opinions here on Mooneyspace from over the years regarding the safety of this method before implementing. The consensus is about 50/50 damaging vs no big deal. We haven't found any damage as of yet. I always check Mooneyspace before I make any decision in my life, big or small. -David

I put the strut on my cabin door. Works great. I'll probably do the same to my baggage door soon. -David

@FloridaMan

The $3k salvage M20E I bought 6 months ago is getting more valuable by the day.

I mentioned the seat rollers going from $10.64 in 2024 to $116.57 in October 2025 in another thread recently. I guess the fine folks at LASAR read that thread and didn't like us complaining and want to teach us a lesson. They have since raised the price even higher to $139.89 per each seat roller. What LASAR is doing here is absolutely harmful to the Mooney community and I believe that any financial contribution to them only contributes to making Mooney parts harder to obtain. -David

This. My short body E with passengers and baggage in the rear ends up with an uncomfortable deck angle before it's ready to land with full flaps. Half flaps yield much better results when I have weight in the back seats and baggage. Also I think much better on the airframe and landing gear to touchdown lightly 5mph faster than to plunk down at a slower speed. The landing characteristics of my plane vary widely depending on wind and weight distribution. -David

The final product uses 1/8" silicone baffle seal as suggested. I've replaced the seal 2x. After that flight, my A&P and I replaced the worn seal with the same material that was already in place which is a thinner, more flexible rubber material. I did find the original broken piece of seal behind the air filter. The first seal we made lasted less than 100 hours and I found it cracking again on the top. I then used the 1/8" silicone baffle material which was trimmed to fit perfectly in the opening without bending or stressing the seal material but still touching the side walls of the RAM opening with the door fully closed. The previous thinner seal material was cut slightly oversized and flexed against the side walls with the door closed which caused it to crack in short time. The 1/8" baffle material will not allow flexion in such a short gap, so it will need to be trimmed absolutely perfectly. As mentioned in the thread above, I had elevated silicone levels in my oil analyses through the first few months of owning my plane which I attributed it to new silicone rocker cover seals, push rod seals, air filter had not been changed in 2-3 years, replacing worn intake accordian boot, and other such overlooked maintenance items through the first several months of ownership. After the second RAM air door seal, my silicone levels came down. The ram air door can be removed easily without removing lower cowl or disconnecting anything. Remove the air filter and open the RAM air door nearly all the way. You can then access either 2 or 3 round head machine screws on the back of the ram air door and slide the door off of the tongue that holds it in place. There are flush rivets holding the seal in place. My A&P told me to drill out the rivets, cut a new seal, come back and we'll put it back together and re-install. I went to my shop and completely shredded the thing with terrible technique and ignorance about rivets. So we then fabricated a new door with a new seal. The RAM air door can easily be reproduced with hand tools. It might be a good idea while you're doing this to fabricate a completed and painted 2nd door with a new seal in place. I have compiled a hangar full of backups like this. I can remove and replace that RAM air door in a few minutes. But to remove, drill out the rivets, cut a seal, and re-install (If I have the materials on hand) will take a few hours which can delay or cancel a trip. I flew to Galveston that weekend for the competition, but it was eating at me. -David

Is there a way to do what's pictured below? A guy sent me this picture of his modification for Starlink Mini. He went through his country's aviation authority (not sure what country) for what sounds like a simple approval. I asked him for a few details , but he hasn't responded yet. I have an extra baggage door for my M20E that I can modify and keep the original intact. I also have a very reasonable A&P/IA that is interested in finding a way. By the time I got through any STC or other FAA routes, Starlink or a competitor may have developed a different product making this modification useless. It doesn't have to be plexiglass. I would rather use a carbon fiber panel or fiberglass in matching white so it wouldn't be noticeable. -David

@Sabremech Is there a path to FAA approval of those blocks? If so, are you pursuing it? Also of note- I purchased a new down-lock block from LASAR last year and have not installed it on my plane yet. It looks exactly like the blocks referenced by the FAA letter. It is anodized black CNC'd aluminum. Almost as though the good folks at LASAR got you shut down, then copied your design and methodology. I would rather have your block on my plane over LASAR's. And I'm not just sucking up because I want your cowl for my E. Or am I... -David

You can Google this topic and the letter that the FAA sent out to Mooney owners that had possibly installed this part can be found. I read as much as I could on this topic but didn't want to ask any questions out loud as it seemed sensitive. The guy that developed this part is a real asset to the Mooney community, especially vintage Mooneys. -David

Crap! I switched about a year ago and started putting LPS everywhere. I think it was something I read on MS that made me switch. And LPS-2 smells better! -David

I think that's exactly what's happening right now. But I don't think LASAR's model is sustainable. They're essentially pricing out vintage Money owners. I, for one, well not spend essentially >1% of my plane's value on plastic seat rollers. LASAR seems to be targeting the much higher valued Mooneys in the fleet. But those Mooneys represent a much smaller number and probably will need far fewer parts over the next decade. With the astronomical increase in parts pricing, I think it will push down the resale value of all Mooneys.

Is there any place for a rust encapsulator or rust converter on an airplane? https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-rust-encapsulator-platinum.html