Greg Ellis

Maybe add another option...."I have the greatest gear system ever made...A Johnson Bar... so I don't need no stinkin' spring."

So, in light of this poll and some of the responses, I decided to revisit what the "book" speeds are for my Mooney. I looked them up in the AFM that is specific to my airplane. So, at 5000 feet with RPM's at 2500 and MP at 24 inches, the "Book" True airspeed is supposed to be 180 mph or 156 knots. Seems to me that is a little high for a C model. So I went out and did the TAS check using the cardinal headings and GPS. At 5000 feet with the RPM and MP set the same, I got 143 knots TAS. 10 knots slower than "Book". So either I have a dirt slow C model, or I have lost a lot of speed in 61 years the plane has been flying or they had absolutely perfect conditions, with a perfect airplane, and a perfect pilot when they got their "book" numbers or a combination of all of the above. And I was roughly the same weight as shown on the chart in the AFM. I would really like to see any C model that cruises at 156 Knots true. That is getting into J model territory I think. No question here, just commenting on my airplane.

Thanks @Rwsavory. I found what I was looking for.

1963 C model… I know this has been covered many times on Mooneyspace but the search engine is not so good at narrowing down things. I have three screws in a lower panel on my right side fuel tank that are weeping some fuel. I would like to just try to fix these three screws. What is the best sealant to use? I am thinking I can remove the screws, put some sealant on them and put them back in place, correct? Thanks for any advice.

For you folks that use Buddha Belly, the instructions on the website say to try first in an inconspicuous spot and to dilute as necessary to avoid staining. Have any of you found that it has stained anything? Thanks.

Have you tried Release 32 oz Ready to Use Aircraft Cleaner/Degreaser | Aircraft Spruce or Xhaust & Soot Remover | Aircraft Spruce I have found that these two work very well on tough issues but you have probably tried them already. Just a thought.

This may have nothing to do with nothing but back in 2022 Garmin issued a service bulletin for the G5 saying that if the G5 was not powered up for an extended period of time, the battery would drain to 0%. They also published a list of serial numbers affected by this Service Bulletin and their website shows this list recently being updated as of yesterday so I wonder if you somehow have a unit that falls under this old SB. Just a thought. (2022) Service Bulletin 22013 Rev A: G5 Backup Battery Discharge | Garmin Customer Support

I had an issue much like this with my C model when I first bought it. My issue was a worn out accelerator pump in the carburetor. It is a leather type membrane that may wear out or break. When it does, you cannot prime the engine and may take many, many blade turns to start if it ever did. I wore the battery down one day trying to start it. When the accelerator pump was repaired, the plane started on the first turn of the prop. So, I think I would look electrical first like was said above but do not rule this out.

The oddball file name looks like it may be that map of the US of all the states he has been too. The file name looks like a list of state abbreviations if you break them down into their 2 letters. The pic just isn’t coming through.

So this thread has made me read over my entire policy which I have never done. Is it bad that I am two pages into it and am already confused?

It is amazing that after 17 years of ownership, there are still things to learn about my airplane. My 1963 C model has the 3 pin external power receptacle. I just thought that it was standard and not some option. I found no where in all the logs any entry for its installation. Interesting.

Just an FYI, I just received a notice that an AD for the Garmin GFC 500 will become effective August 20, 2024. I apologize to anyone if this is old news. The AD says that within 12 months of the effective date you must update the software to something newer that 8.01 for the G5, newer than 9.01 for the G3X Touch and newer than 2.59 for the GI 275. It is for Mooney models C-S and goes along with the Garmin Mandatory STC service Bulletin 22123, REV A, dated Jan 3rd, 2023. It apparently is for the runaway trim issue.

An update….was able to get a coupling nut and make a fix for my issue. These are yet another Mooney part that no longer exists. Fortunately MacFarlane may be able to make a new one. But at least things are working again. Thanks for all advice.

My experience as well. Updated the Database manager on a windows machine at my house and could not download anything to a card. The Database manager would not even start up. I didn't have the time to troubleshoot with Garmin so I went to my Macbook and it worked with no issues. I dread every time I open up the windows version of the Database manager and it says there is an update. I wonder what else will go wrong. It happened today. A different windows machine, the manager updated, went to download the database and it would stall out part way through the download. I had to shut down the computer and reboot everything then it worked. it had already done its own shut down after updating the database manager. It seems these updates are put out to the public before they are really ready for primetime.

I am going to admit to something that maybe I shouldn't. The world of Dentistry is much like that of aviation. If the product is for medical or dental uses, the price gets jacked up 10 fold or more. Same thing in aviation. If it is for a certified aircraft then the price sky rockets compared to homebuilt/experimental. One year I was walking around Fly Market and saw they were selling hemostats at about 2-3 bucks a piece. They were the exact same that I use in my office. So I bought a bunch. Why? They get bent, beat up and abused over years of use and sterilizing them. A good pair of hemostats from a dental supply company can run anywhere from $20 on the low end up into the $60 and $70 range. These two dollar hemostats have worked well and lasted longer than their expensive counterparts. They take the abuse of use and sterilization better than the high dollar ones. Not sure if anyone needs to emulate this but does that count?

Thanks for the response. There is a jam nut in the other side. I removed it to get the photo since it broke right at the nut. I had two on one side and one on the other. Thanks again.

Thank you.

Thanks for that. I thought about it as well and found some at McMaster Carr but I am unsure of the thread size. Any easy way to measure that? Also, there is not an alignment problem. The stop block has some play in it and can be move slightly side to side to realign the cable pieces.

I have a 63 C model. As you can see in the photos, the trim indicator cable broke at the threaded part near the stop block (left side of the block). Anyone have a creative way to fix this? I called an MSC but I don’t think they understood what happened. They said just pull out the wire and thread in new wire. They gave me a Mooney part number but said it was just piano wire. That does not look like piano wire to me. Any thoughts? Thanks. I looked in the parts catalog and the maintenance manual but could not see this cable in there anywhere.

That is pretty cool. You'll put the rubber band companies out of business.

They have lots on Amazon at very small quantities. This one for instance... Amazon.com: InterDynamics Certified Auto Pro Oil and Fuel System UV Dye Leak Detection for Cars & Trucks & More, 1 Oz, 374CS, Universal : Automotive As well as others in small quantities.

@00-Negative On another thread on Mooneyspace, someone mentioned that planexhaust.com (They said PlaneExhaust.net but that does not seem to exist) was able to make them a down pipe in an hour and get it to them the next day. Maybe they can do something for you and still help you make it to the Bahamas. Although with July 4th upon us, that may be difficult.

Added to my checklist...."Check Fuel Selector for Rocks"

If your concern is with Beryl then go to the National Hurricane Center website. They have the storm tracking much farther south than Galveston and it will hit more towards Corpus Christi, South Padre and northern Mexico. You may get some rain and wind but according to the NHC it is not going to hit Galveston. Although that could change because landfall isn’t predicted until Sunday. If your concern is generally for any hurricane that may hit Galveston, head up to DFW. When the Texas Coast gets a hurricane, we barely get a rise in wind and maybe a drop or two.

I think I would transition into something that allowed me access to remote airstrips and mountain airstrips to visit places in the US that are not accessible by Mooney due to unimproved runways, etc..