Magnum

Quote: Piloto I have an M20 separator on my M20J and have seen it installed on the newer Mooneys. I can fill to 8 qts and have no belly stains. Oil comsumption is about 18hrs/qt when topped to 8 qts. Mine drains thru the valve rockers cover. Because the m20 separator relies on gravity for oil return there are several items to be considered: 1. The separator inlet must be higher than the crank case outlet vent fitting 2. The drain line should be kept as straight as possible with no bends or kinks. 3. The outlet line should run as vertical as possible. 4. There should not be any holes on the outlet line. The M20 separator would discharge part of the recovered oil after engine shut down. So you will see an increase in oil level after a week shut down. José

The reason for considering the autopilot or paint is to make the plane more attractive to purchase when I am ready to sell.

Quote: GeorgePerry As for Oil burn rates, the maximum allowable oil consumption limits for all Textron Lycoming aircraft engines can be determined by using the following formula: .006 x BHP x 4 / 7.4 = Qt./Hr. For a 200 HP engine that works out to about 0.64 Qt's per hour or slightly more than one quart every two hours. That's ALOT of oil to burn in only two hours. Actual numbers vary but "average" oil burn for a I0-360 should be about 1 quart every 3 - 6 hours if the engine's tight. Some folks who don't have an oil/air separator run with between 6 and 7 quarts to keep the crank vent from pumping out excess fluid on to the belly. However - I would NEVER run a 200 HP IO-360 engine with less than 6 quarts of oil. Flying with only 4 quarts is asking for trouble.

Hello, due to the Oil Consumption thread I remembered that I have a new M20-Turbos Air/Oil Seperator laying around for two years. I would like to install it now but I am not sure how to route the oil return line. In the manual they recommend to drill a hole in the rocker box cover or weld a Y-piece to the rocker box oil return line. Does someone have some pictures of his installation? Is it really necessary to keep the downslope at 180° +-50°? Thanks for any info.

My suggestion: If you can keep up with the payments don't change anything. It is the cheapest way, otherwise you just pay a lot more for interest (some people finance their aircraft for 20 years, that means they have to pay back twice as much) If you refinance, don't finance any upgrades. When they are installed they are only worth 50% of what you paid for. If you want to keep her for a very long time you can do it (so you can enjoy the upgrades now). You will not get the money back you put in when you sell her. Try to get her paid down as quick as possible, but you still should be able to fly her regularly. If that is not possible, sell her or find a partner. Once she is paid you can think of upgrades (if you keep her), or sell her and buy one with all the nice things installed. The only exception: If you really need something to make her more useful for you now (e.g. 430 for IFR). Just my 0.02

Quote: FlyDave ... with no option for Jeppesen.

My 205 had a prop strike two years before I bought her. The engine had a shock loading inspection and it got a new prop. It is a low time '87 model, so I was glad that the engine was apart and checked for corrosion etc. at the same time. Due to the damage history I got her cheaper, but I even would have paid the full price because I feel safer with an engine that was inspected after 20 years of service. Another good thing: The twelve years TBO was reset due to the inspection. For me it is more important how an aircraft is maintained and repaired than no damage history. But as it was said before, everyone has to make his own decision.

I had the same problem (CG at the aft limit) and that's why I said: "...Make sure your A&P follows the procedures in the Maintenance Manual...". Weighing a Mooney can easily be done false if someone hasn't done it before. Good to hear that it is ok now.

The Prestolite Starter weighs 18 lbs, arm -21 inch. The SkyTec weighs 9,4 lbs.

You are so lucky in the US. Last time I filled her up I got a good price, only US$ 10,75 / gal. But I am in Germany. I know why I fly a Mooney over here.

Just put it on scales and get a new W&B. You might not like what you get, but this way you'll know where your CG really is. When I bought my 205 the CG was near the aft limit, as someone didn't weigh it properly. So I did it again, the CG is now where it should be and and I was lucky that she didn't get heavier. Make sure the A&P follows the procedure in the Maintenance Manual and that the scales are calibrated. Mine is a '87, no speedbrakes and a Aspen. In my gallery you can see what else I have installed. Empty: 1851 lbs, CG 46,65

Quote: Piloto I had my old ATD-300 upgraded to the ATD-300+ for $600 (mod and antenna). The antenna is of the same type as the previous transpoder blade I had so no new holes were required. I had it for about a month and so far it has always pointed in the right direction. The distance readout appears to be more stable than before. Very handy on final approach so you know if the traffic is ahead or behind. The advantage of the external antenna vs. in the cabin is a no brainer for any avionics in the plane. José

Hello, I am interested in the Monroy ATD-300 Traffic Watch+ with the external directional antenna. It seems to be the only cheap traffic system with an external directional antenna. Does someone have it installed and could give a short pirep? I had a Zaon MRX, upgraded to the Zaon XRX connected to the Garmin 695. As it doesn't have an external antenna the accuracy is not always the best.

I like the Sinn watches. Very easy to read and all information you need. They have matching stopwatch for the Mooney, too. It comes with a JAA FORM ONE and MIL-C-38207A specs.

Quote: KSMooniac It wouldn't be 132 lb hit as the additional weight would have to be balanced aft of the CG as well...perhaps with only another 50 lbs in the tail? Even with the lower fuel consumption, it would really cripple a Mooney.

My post from the other thread: Continental made a deal for the SMA Diesel, it should come to market in 2011. It has 230 hp, so it would be great for the 201. It is flying in the Cessna 182 right now, but they still have problems with high altitude restarts. Hope they'll get it fixed. http://www.smaengines.com/?lang=en

Quote: Geoff One problem with the SMA/Connie is weight. The thing weighs 432 lbs while the Lyc io-360 only weighs 300 lbs. This cuts into payload pretty heavily. I would have to think a long time about giving up 132 lbs of payload.

Continental made a deal for the SMA Diesel, it should come to market in 2011. It has 230 hp, so it would be great for the 201. It is flying in the Cessna 182 right now, but they still have problems with high altitude restarts. Hope they'll get it fixed. http://www.smaengines.com/?lang=en

The best setup for the probes is to use a spark plug washer probe for the factory gauge and a "normal" probe screwed into the cylinder (like the other three) for the engine monitor. Then the measurement for all cylinders is the same.

The Kannad is available with a two wire switch, which brings down the installation cost.

In the J and K the gear actuator has to be overhauled every 1000hrs. IMHO the Ovation has the same system. There is a very small spring inside, the "no back spring" which has to be changed. This spring is only for the emergency gear extension mechanism. If it fails you won't be able to manually extend the gear. The system works like the manual starter of a garden mower. You pull on a rope, and with every pull the gear extends a bit. The rope has a handle attached, which is fixed with a very small screw. If the handle disconnects, the rope will disappear in the floor, no way to extend the gear manually anymore. So treat your mechanism well, especially be careful when you train the manual extension, don't pull too much (only until the gear down light goes on, no further). Otherwise it won't work when you need it most.

Thanks for the posts. Next time I am at the airport I have to try some things out.

Hello, I am looking for a solution to organize charts, approach plates and the Ipad in the cockpit. I already have two pockets on the back of each seat (when I did my upholstery I told the shop to take out the ash tray and put another pocket there instead), but in flight I can only use the pockets on the copilot side. It is not very convenient, especially if this seat farther back than mine. What I'd like is a organizer like on this page: https://www.saircorp.com/home.php Unfortunately there isn't enough space between the seats. So what do you use to organize your Mooney cockpit?

It is always good to have a reason to go flying....

I would get a prop balance done. Not very expensive and you will exactly know how much your engine shakes. If it is well within the limits you can continue your search, but maybe it will be gone after the balance.