Greg Ellis

Before you respond, I wrote down the wrong thing in the title. I am looking for the master solenoid, not the starter solenoid. Sorry about the confusion. I have a 63 C model with an O-360-A1D. What is the correct master solenoid? I have searched Mooneyspace and I am getting conflicting answers. Mine is giving out and I need a new one. The one that is on my airplane is a Lamar p/n X61-0028. Aircraft spruce says this is a non FAA/pma approved part and I can find no logbook entry of when this one was installed. I want to make sure I put the right thing back on. Can I use another of the same p/n or do I need to go with something like this which is FAA pma approved. Thank you for any advice. https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/eppages/sts-12s24s.php?clickkey=7013673

The last time I was in Fond du Lac, the only grass I had to be on was being parked on it. I then pulled my airplane onto the taxiway to start up. However, I was parked on a front row right at the edge of the taxiway. They usually have planes parked multiple rows deep that may mean a short grass taxi.

Not to mention trying to practice spot landings. While the controllers at Oshkosh give you a little leeway, they really would like you to land on the dot they tell you to.

I have noticed that as well. I think, and they probably won't do it because the cost would be astronomical I am sure, that they need to regrade the grassy areas that planes taxi on and park and then replant grass. Over the years with rain and taxiing on softer ground and parking on softer ground, I think the ruts have set in and need to be removed. Maybe they could just use a steam roller or a heavy roller to try to smooth out the ruts. But I am sure it is not something the EAA or the airport is willing to spend any money on. But Oshkosh sure is a heck of a lot of fun and a great experience to be had many times. I think this will be my 9th or 10th time, not sure. I used to go into Fond Du Lac and drive over. That was nice because it is just far enough out to not be too crazy. I have flown the Fisk arrival a couple of times and that was just nuts unless you go well ahead of opening day. I now fly in with the Caravan and that has been quite nice. There is so much to see that when it is over and you come home, you will look back and find things that you missed and wonder how you missed them. And, a lot of folks put a lot of effort into helping you with your aviation life in the form of forums and workshops to learn new things, new skills or reinforce things you already know.

Have you asked these same questions to the person/people that would share the hangar with you? Are they instrument rated as well and find it difficult not being able to get back often? Maybe see how they manage the same issues that you would be facing.

Here is the owners manual that I have. However, when I had my EDM 900 installed, I actually used the pages from the AFM. That is specific to the airplane it is in including W&B etc…. N6541U Owner's Manual.pdf.pdf

Okay, so this is 8 pt font. Imagine what a 4 pt font would look like. This site won't even let you go that small. Amazing. You would need a magnifying glass just to know it was there. And that is not just fine print, it is ultra fine print....

Unfortunately, like my 63 C model, not all Mooney's have an emergency release. There are plans for retrofits but not all of them have it.

There was someone on Mooneyspace that showed a picture of them putting ketchup packets on their nose gear and if the ketchup package was broken, they knew that the airplane had been over steered with the tug.

It would be interesting to hear how screwing up your nose gear with a "huge boom" is somehow your fault when they were the one's towing the airplane.

There have been recent articles on cylinders exiting their engines due to the use of a sealant or gasket maker between the mating surfaces of the cylinder and the engine. here is one such article. I am not saying that is what happened here but I would check for sure and ask the folks doing the annual if they saw anything other than a cylinder base O ring. Because it could be on your other cylinders. https://resources.savvyaviation.com/wp-content/uploads/articles_eaa/EAA_2013-04_a-little-dab-ll-do-ya-in.pdf

Just an update. My avionics guy came over and installed the latest software update. Went flying on Sunday and battery showed 95% charged prior to the flight and 100% charged after the flight. Just a reminder, it was showing 71% charged and would not show it was charging up even though there was a yellow lightning bolt indicating it was charging. I then did the battery capacity check as suggested and the battery checks out good. Yet another thing to keep an eye on….

It may not be true but I was just speculating as to why we could not close the door. I was in the copilot seat, not flying the plane. The pilot slowed down but not sure down to what and he also slipped it to try to help. I never said it was impossible….just that on this day we could not get the door closed.

I have been in a Mooney when the door popped open and there was no way of closing it. The wind got underneath it and flexed the door just enough that the latch would no longer go in the hole at the top of the door. No matter what we did, we could not get it closed. Fortunately we only had about 10 minutes or so before we were landing so we just lived with the noise but there was no way the door was going to close. I believe it is because of the curvature of the top of the door and wind gets under it and lifts it so the latch no longer lines up. Others may say it is no big deal and the door closes with no issues but not in this Mooney that I was in. (An A model)

They don't mention anything except on the first page of the website where it says "No STC required" but they do not mention if that is for both options or just the one not wired into the ships systems.

Thank you for this information.

I am just being an ass here, but I have seen it written many times on Mooneyspace and it is incorrect. The name of the device is Gats Jar. Not Gnats Jar, unless you are having a serious bug problem...

I read that as well and will try it. However, should one expect the battery percentage to change after charging for one hour? I had it on, on ships power, for one hour and the battery stayed at 71% power. The world of electricity has always been a voodoo area for me. Just never studied it in college or on my own at all. I am thankful that my electrical devices take and hold a charge and work when I need them to, pissed off when they don't, but never clear on why it does or does not happen. Electricity is a mysterious world to me.

There is no black dot in the center of the lightning bolt. I will try swapping the batteries. I also researched that there was an SB about this from Garmin in 2022. I am not sure if my serial number falls in the ones listed but it stated that they had problems with the batteries not charging if left without power to them for multiple weeks. Garmin apparently will pay for the removal, installation and repair of the unit (I guess a new battery). SB22013. But it had to have been done by February, 2023 and this happened well after that. Just noticed it within the last 2 weeks. My airplane was down for quite while getting a new cylinder and a fuel pump. I have about 10 hours on the airplane since this work and have now noticed this problem so I am wondering if mine falls under this SB. But it had to have been fixed by February of last year to fall under the SB and mine was not so if I am having this issue I guess I will have to pay to have it fixed.

My wife and I used to fly with our dogs all over the country. We would notice though, as has been said previously, that the dogs would slow down and become a little lethargic at or around 8000 feet so we would stay at or below that altitude. I always would joke that if we wanted them to settle down for some reason, just climb a little higher. But they are good dogs and were quite calm in the airplane. It has been said that the noise in the cabin may bother them. I had a discussion with my vet about the need for hearing protection for the dogs. He stated that dogs hearing is very sensitive to high pitch noises, think about the dog whistle that humans cannot hear. The low pitch engine noises should not be a problem for them, according to our vet. We never used Mutt muffs or any other hearing protection for them and they never acted like they were in pain or discomfort or having any issues with hearing. But, then again, I wish they could talk to me and let me know...

Paid $450 in February for my IFR Certification.

If you want Plexus, order it now. It has been on back order for almost a year for me. You will be on to your next airplane before you get it so order it now.

So, I went and checked things out yesterday. When the master switches are on, the Attitude Indicator shows a yellow lightning bolt supposedly charging. When I power it up without the ships power, it does not show a lightning bolt. I left the masters on for about an hour and the Attitude Indicator battery power did not move. It stayed at 71% and did not charge at all. The very weird thing is that if you sit there for a few moments with the master switches on and the backup battery charging, the battery indicator starts off at 71% then flips to 100% instantly and shows the lightning bolt still and then when you turn the master switches off, the battery indicator goes back to 71%. Seems odd. All this time, the battery backup indicator on the HSI stayed at 100%.

@PT20J I do not recall seeing the lightning bolt. But I will check. I will also try as you suggest to power it up without the masters on. I do have a battery minder and will try as you suggest. Thank you for the advice

I have a panel with 2 G5’s. One functions as the Attitude indicator and the other as an HSI. I noticed after my flight yesterday that the Attitude indicator battery backup showed 73% while the HSI showed 100% charge. I verified it again today. When I turn on the master switch and the avionics master, the Attitude indicator indicates only 73% charge on the battery back up while the HSI indicates 100% charge. I flew the day before but did not pay attention to whether it was draining after that flight or not. I am just trying to troubleshoot before I call my avionics shop tomorrow. Could it be the backup battery itself gone bad and not recharging when flying or is there some other issue? No work has been done on the panel recently so I am not sure why all of a sudden this would happen. Any thoughts? and just for completeness, 1963 C model. Thanks for any advice.