Hank

Om sure they are very nice, and it's pleasant to see that prices are down to only $1100 per pair. Replacement LED bulbs for the existing fixtures are about $270 per pair. Both are still seriously overpriced. Regular bulbs are about $30 per pair . . .

One big thing I learned from almost three decades' manufacturing medical devices: every body is different. (NOT "everybody," but each and every body reacts slightly differently to the same injury and to the same treatment.) So when it comes to oxygen saturation while flying, get a meter, see where you read and decide if you feel good at that level or if you want higher saturation. There's two ways to quickly raise your O2 sats--descend into thicker air, or get some extra oxygen from somewhere (O2 tank, a disposable bottle, a concentrator, somewhere), and see how much your reading changes and if you feel better; if not enough change, descend. Easy easy, and simple enough for anyone to do. Personally, my C struggles to get high enough for me to start feeling bad. What I used to think was low oxygen headaches after 2-3 hours at 7500-9500 msl went away when I got an in-ear headset . . . .

@wings_level, your A&P should be able to adjust cable position by 1/8" or so to make it shut off properly.

Seem to fit 4 in my C without anyone being an amputee . . . . The guy in the first photo is over 6 feet tall. And yes, the second photo has mother and child in the back. The previous owner of my C took 4 people from WV to FL for a few days, then back again. I haven't tried anything of that scale.

And thanks to a great ride in a nice J, I'm back home and my C has been put to bed.

I understood the point to have been the angle of the controk surface hinge rather than the angle of the wing. The trailing edges of our wings and stabilizers angle forward nicely behind the perpendicular leading edges; most airliners' wings are significantly swept, but flap hinges are not . . . Does a swept hingeline make a control surface flutter proof? No idea, I studied basic aerodynamics and many propulsion systems with emphasis on turbojets many, many moons ago. Flutter is not a basic calculation.

I've heard of a FSDO approving a 337, then the owner relocated and the new FSDO didn't like it and the modification had to be removed and restored to original condition. Stupid!!

It'll be alright. The rest of them should be faster and less expensive. Mine just finished a trip to the airplane ER, I'm about to go pick it up one state away. Overall, though, not too bad. Just one more reason to fly every chance you get!

The mechanic said "wire broken at the alternator." I haven't seen it yet, need to get back up there.

Sure appears to be the case. I thought all Mooneys had about the same prop clearance, i.e., not very much.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Winner, winner, chicken dinner! This was the issue, now fixed.

Huh. My Mooney doesn't seem to have that "larger prop clearance."

And there's no physical space in my Mooney for another battery on my firewall.

Glad you made it alright. Welcome to the Deep South, real heat and humidity, and the too-frequent pop up thunderstorms. Enjoy your visit, and leave early like in the desert, which will avoid these storms but not fronts moving through.

People been running 'shine in fast cars since the 1902s . . . NASCAR just allowed them to go fast within rules and without fear of arrest. (c.f., Junior Johnson)

My passenger didn't freak out, but he did say later that he was afraid the engine would die, too. Then I reminded him of the magnetos, and he was, oh yeah, you told me that. I've done emergency extension in the air once (training) and on jacks once or twice. I remembered how it works (move lever, observe lack of green light; pull breaker; move side wall slider to engage the crank; unfold handle and start turning). But you have to pay attention to which way to turn the crank, i started the wrong way--push forward, not wind up towards your shoulder. My seat cushion interfered some with the cranking, and 50+ turns is a lot. Pattern was 1800, so I climbed a bit above it, holding ~100 mph and just extended the downwind until the floor indicator said "Gear Down" and was all green. Took a break around 40, then finished up and turned back to the airport. My biggest concern was a no radio landing at an unfamiliar field. I circled once to descend to pattern altitude, which left me on upwind, lowered flaps (they seemed to be slow), then the gear didn't go down. When I came back to land again with the gear down, I did see a plane ahead of me make a touch and go (saw him on final while I was on downwind, turned base after he passed me). Normal landing, taxi to parking, and two guys ran out of the FBO telling me that "everyone is looking for you, including the FAA." Hmmm, maybe the transponder set to 7600 didn't transmit? The display was lit up for almost 10 minutes before going dark, I dunno. So I called Flight Service, told them I'd landed safely and to close my flight plan. A few minutes later I had to disappoint a very nice city cop who showed up because Memphis Center had called the local 911 . . . She didn't get to make a heroic rescue of my already-parked airplane. But try finding a rental car in a small town on a holiday weekend! Two and a half hours later, we turned the courtesy car back in, which they loaned us after we made a reservation on the phone . . . . The drive home (~4:46) wasn't nearly as fun as the flight up (~1.5 including the extra gear-lowering and returning to the airport time). I'll call back on Monday morning and talk to the on-field A&P. Right now, I'm just tired. I'd like a cold adult beverage, but it would just put me to sleep. I much prefer the boring flights, here to there and back again, no stress, no excitement. Keeping level altitude and constant airspeed while cranking on the sidewall is all but impossible, so I added a buffer to both and flew as straight and level as possible while cranking.

Crazy pictures!

Here's how mine is done.

Hey, guys. Neither the Hi Volts nor Low Volts lights came on, and the Ammeter was centered. But 10 miles south of KSYI, the GPS reser itself twice, and keying the mic on Com2 also reset it. So I squawked 7600, hand cranked the gear down and eased her to the runway. While I was orbiting nearby and cranking, the transponder readout went dark. I'm guessing alternator failure. Turning the prop a bit to check the belt (tight) seemed to have more resistance than normal, which also makes me think the alternator is shot. Wonder why the lights didn't come on? Anyway, it's a holiday weekend, and Enterprise was nice enough to rent me a car home. When I return the airport courtesy car, I'll ask about a local A&P. Any preferences in this area? All recommendations gladly accepted. Its a 4 hour drive home, not too bad for a 1:12 flight up. Thanks, ya'll!

I'll take pictures in the morning, but I think so.

Yes, the added PTT wires go through the shaft. There are no modern switches--the only things are the PC cutoff button, and the added-in PTT button. The PTT switch is on a separate metal plate screwed to the clock mount, and you can adapt the size and shape of the plate to fit your hand, and use whatever PTT button you prefer. Your local A&P should be able to wire it in to the intercom for you.

I bought my M20-C five weeks after finishing my PPL. As long as you stay in Student Mode and study / learn about the Mooney, it should be alright. Be too casual, go out with a CFI with little to ni Mooney experience and you will have trouble. Point: getting insurance for a Mooney as a student pilot will be difficult. Point: student #2 needs to be landing well every time before he tries to land the Mooney. See above about insurance. I skipped over the Financials, due to the insurance bit and the way hangar rents vary across the country. Long term, I'm pretty close to 9 gph fuel, but prices on that vary a lot, too. Oil change every 50 hours; annual inspection every 12 months; pitot static inspection every 24 months; if it has GPS, add in data updates every 28 days. But it's fun and rewarding if you are serious about learning, otherwise it will.bite like an angry snake. Have fun and fly like your life depends upon it, because it does.

I'm also curious. Looks like the landing gear broke off, but I can't tell which wheel is beside the plane. Glad everyone is alright!

My wife is good help installing and removing the canopy cover. She actually hands the clips to me underneath, especially behind the nose wheel--the others she kind of tosses.

How in God's name did you convince her to do that???!?!?!!??? Yeah, I'm a little jealous. My wife usually waits in the FBO for me to pick up the car, which is sometimes a half-mile walk (for me).