DonMuncy

My advice is to buy the newest nicest Mooney you can comfortably afford. The bigger engine is nice, but far from necessary. The turbo is very nice, but not necessary. The J model will do close to what the newest and nicest will do. In fact, a J will perform as well (or perhaps a smidge better) than my K model up to about 8000 ft. Only above that level does the turbo start to shine. But be careful what comfortably will mean to you. I suspect one who has not owned a plane has no real idea about the costs involved.

I posted this before and got little response, so I thought I would try again. At the Mooney Summit, I won a pair of gift certificates from Wisconsin, one for $250 toward an interior refurbishment and one for $250 toward an annual inspection. Being in Texas, if no one is interested, they will go to waste. They are good for their locations at Watertown Municipal Airport, Dodge County airport and Dane County Regional Airport. They expire 9/19/23. Surely they are of some value to someone in that area. If you have any interest. let me know.

In theory, you are absolutely correct. In practice, there are a couple of problems. I think there are some variations in the capacities of tanks due to minor variations in the production. Also it is very hard to establish where "full" is, both when you are looking at published useable fuel and when you are measuring your own. The extrapolation is also a little tough to be super accurate. It is not as liner as we would like. But this is not much of a problem at the lower fuel levels, as it takes a few gallons before it begins to show on the stick But overall, this method will get you awfully close. We all like to know, down to the ounce, exactly how much fuel is there, but in practice, nobody (with good sense) ever flies that close to the limits. I still think the best way is to fly one tank down to where the engine sputters. (And no, there is no real danger here. It is only a little spooky the first time you feel that loss of power. Remember, the early POHs approved the process) Land and add fuel in one or two gallon increments, marking your stick as you go. I also suspect to be super-duper accurate, you would have to have a separate stick for each side.

Take a look at my album, under the heading "album". That picture is not very good. It is labeled "Dryer". It sits on a wheeled platform. The compressor is much much overkill, but it has been running well over 10 years. Let me know if you need any details.

thanks

I thought I saw it tonight, and now I can't find

I have been using the same dehumidifier medium for 10 years, or more likely a lot more than that.

I built a one-way air escape valve to fit over the oil filler neck on my K model.

My understanding is that a Black Max sells for about $600; meaning yours was about $300. That is a very good price for an engine dehumidifier. Mine was not that expensive, but you didn't have to buy parts and assemble yours; and you don't have to cook the pellets every 4 months or so, like I do. Thanks for the information.

Is there any chance, one could over-inflate a tire enough to present a problem with these cartridges?

It would seem that an AC type dehumidifier would be awfully expensive (relatively speaking). The one I built uses silica pellets. Naturally, it entails the periodic re-drying of the silica.

Nobody can predict the future with accuracy, but thus far, the price on this particular cruise has gone up. My guess is that since COVID has subsided somewhat, the demand for cruise travel has been increasing.

Any idea how that dehumidifier works? What the mechanism is for removing moisture?

About the only thing stronger than the CB tendencies of MSers is the desire for increased "ramp appeal".

So sad to hear, David. We had a bunch of really nice Mooney get-togethers there over the years. Good luck to you and your family.

I just found out that our travel agent put aside a few balcony cabins before the price went way up. The current price (before taxes and port fees) is $3,430 per person. She has 2 or 3 balcony cabins for $1,500 per person, but Royal Caribbean will only allow her to keep these cabins at that rate until December 21, 2022. If a $450 per person deposit is not put on these cabins by that date, the cruise line will take them back into their inventory to sell at the higher rate. It would be great to have more MSers on board with us to talk Mooneys, and it would be a great Christmas gift for your wife. I would be glad to pass on questions or orders, but I am fairly ignorant of how the system operates, so you may want to contact her directly. Pat Brewer/Owner Travel Planners We Shop the World for YOU! 972-243-1186 Email: Pat.TravelPlanners@gmail.com

We appreciate your letting us know. The best to both of you.

Was I ever wrong. Sorry!

I think that dome shaped piece must be stuck only with gunk, etc., as the screw is now removed. Perhaps some solvent/penetrating solution could loosten it, and/or perhaps judicious tapping with a small hammer. Keep us posted.

Take a look at my album for my solution.

I have some from the 50's

They look good.

I'm not familiar. I have used a bunch of tools and almost all are fine. But, boy, do Snap-Ons fell good to use.

Go with Snap-On. That is one of my most used tools. You will forget the price eventually.

Patrick, Glad to see you signed up for the Panama Canal cruise. I look forward to seeing you.