GeorgePerry

21 May Update on the First Post

Seth Thanks for the kind words... Salinas was a hoot! and I'm sure FDK will be even better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SvLFZlqbPY Hope to see lots of Mooney's at this year's AOPA Fly-In at Frederick MD!

This is a great idea... We should have a "hop a ride" ride sharing section on the website. Admin...Your thoughts?

A little more than one week until Salinas! Hope to see lots of planes with backwards tails! http://www.aopa.org/Community-and-Events/AOPA-Fly-In/2015/About/Salinas-Fly-In

Thanks! at lease we aren't talking about bladders v/s reseal. this is a much better topic to learn from.

Robert That's a great story! It warms my heart when people share things like this b/c it makes us all safer. I had been thinking about the "risks" associated with flying the plane after such a significant maintenance procedure. I think based on your story I'll likely do an extended 20 min run up on the ground and switch tanks to get at least 10 minutes a side of 7-8 GPH running through the system before I even think about going flying. Assuming all goes well that should pretty much purge the system and get fresh gas through the pumps, pipes and spider to verify system integrity and function. If you get the chance to stop by one of AOPA's fly-in's please introduce yourself...I definitely owe you an adult beverage!

5 May update posted w/in the first posting

If anyone has details on this please PM me. AOPA Safety and our Government Affairs department are very interested in learning about the details.

29 April update posted w/in the first posting

For any Mooniacs planning on attending the Salinas CA AOPA Fly-In, please be sure to check out the arrival information video and download the pilot info packet. Hope to see you there! Salinas Arrival Video Pilot Information Packet and NOTAM

Chance to win a Status II from sporty's http://www.aopa.org/Pilot-Resources/Air-Safety-Institute/Learn-and-Earn

Good points...To be successful, the student will need: Dedication, proper preparation, proper instruction and a unwavering commitment to learn. With those prerequisites met, I would not hesitate to teach primary flight training in a mooney.

Let me be clear...I have no idea why the plane went down. My only point is that putting 5 people in a plane equipped and certified for 4 is a bad idea, and by doing so the pilots actions reflect badly on us all as a community. GA is small and getting smaller. We can not afford this type of behavior because it validates the public's collective consciousness that "small planes, and sometimes their pilots" are dangerous. The cause and legalities will be sorted by the FAA and NTSB in the days and weeks to come.

Brand new Navy pilots who've never flown before in their lives take their first flight and learn the basics in a 450 SHP turbo prop, so yes, you can learn from day one in a Mooney. You just need a good instructor who's got lots of dual given in Mooney's. Also the right plane. A "J" model with brakes on both the pilot and co pilot side is a good candidate. Very doable, but since Mooney's are a bit more complex than a fix gear, fixed pitch spam can, you may need to plan for your Private Pilots License (PPL) to take more than 40 hours in order to feel fully comfortable on your check ride.

It's not plug and play. 7000b is an allen screw replacement. 8000 requires a different tray and hours of install time.

no thx - I want a 7000b

This is not another Bladder V/S reseal thread. That grounds been covered, and covered, and covered... This thread is about long body mooney's that don't have a bladder option. A reseal is the only option. Paul at weepnomore is the recognized expert and with a 7 year no questions asked warranty and hundreds of happy customers, I'm confident in his abilities.

You are absolutely correct...Yes there is some "fudge" room if you're talking small kids that don't put the plane out of W&B and can be belted under one belt. However if it turns out he had 5 adults in his C then shame on him. the news report didn't specify the age of the other passengers. Glad no one was seriously hurt.

Without knowing the specifics of the accident, the report states there were 5 passengers on board. As someone who spends every day working on GA safety, when I see things like this it is VERY FRUSTRATING! If this proves to be true, then it's a clear violation of the POH. If we could eradicate flagrant rule violators, the GA accident rate would immediately be reduced by 50%. Every time a GA pilot breaks the rules or demonstrates poor judgement, he does it at the detriment of general aviation's reputation and worst of all the wellbeing of his passengers.

I back in Jan 2015 (3 Months ago) I had my local avionics shop install a CGR-30P in my Eagle. My experience has not been positive and I'm not sure if I would buy an EI product again. Full disclosure it was my fault for not researching more thoroughly, but the base model of the 30P does not include manifold pressure. At the time I purchased no where on EI's website or literature is there a picture of the base model. Everything you see includes MP. MP not being a function of the base model 30P was buried in the fine print and (at the time) the website was misleading. I discussed this with customer service and there position was "too bad", I should have read the ordersheet which specifies what is and is not included more closely. They are correct, but when I asked if I was the "only" customer surprised by this, the answer was no, there were others with the same complaint. They have since updated the website to show the base model's display under their pricing and options tab. Secondly after only a month of service the dimmer rheostat burned up in flight. ( See pic). The smell of burning electrics is not something you want to smell when you're flying at night. It resulted in a divert and an unplanned night in a hotel before the plane was checked safe for flight the next day. I let EI's customer service know about the rheostat issue and they seemed unconcerned and immediately blamed my installer say it "must have been installed wrong". I had my local (well respected) avionics shop remove and replace the rheostat. The part was installed correctly, was less than a month old, and EI would not compensate me for the labor for the replacement. Moreover they wouldn't credit my account for the replacement part until the "bad" part was returned to them. Additionally they knew this particular part was bad b/c customer service said they'd ship a replacement that was a new "improved" rheostat. Lastly the screen flashes full white one or twice every flight. It only lasts for a second, so I'm living with it. My avionics shop deals with dozens of vendors regularly. They are just as frustrated with EI as I am. And the foreman reminds me every time a new problem pops up that they advised my not to buy an EI product because of their track record with customer service and product support. Having been through these issues myself, I now share their frustrations. I'm only one person and I'm sure EI has hundreds of happy customers, I'm just not one of them.

If anyone has a line on a PMA700B please let me know and send a PM

I wouldn't hold out for portable. Cost are low enough now that most consider the cost to equip reasonable. FAA is not going to approve a portable solution for Part 23 certified aircraft. The only aircraft that the FAA might consider portable solution are gliders and ultralights.

16 April update posted w/in the first posting

I'll be around the AOPA tent all week. Please stop in and say hello!