Hank

My pliers are from Sporty's. They are functional, but often difficult to grip both wires simultaneously--one often pops out to the side. As for the wire itself, I put it around the base of the Oil Temp sensor. Keep it BELOW the insulator, and wrap it tight or it will ride up and peg the Oil Temp needle whenever the Master is turned on.

I agree with Ross. Mine was geared up almost 5 years before I bought it, and it's coming up on Anniversary #10 now. It was all repaired correctly, with some "free" mods [one piece belly, new bottom antennas, new strobe, etc.], and she sure does fly nice!

Nope, my C is 30 psi all the way around. See the page from the book below. Just another benefit of the shorter, lighter airframe supporting a lighter engine. My oil drain thingy is sheet metal stock, about a yard long, 2-3" wide [it wasn't cut straight on either edge], bent into a shallow trough shape. Roofing drip edge from the local hardware store works well, too, when cut to length.

FWIW, my carbed C model usually peaks [on my EGT] between 1500 and 1525, depending on conditions. Unlike you guys in E, F and J models, our carbs often do not perform well LOP. Thus the bit about back off on throttle enough to move the MP needle. Depending on how I feel and how high I'm flying, sometimes I will lean to peak then richen up, sometimes I will lean to rough and richen up. When my wife is with me, I don't even need to watch the needle, SHE is my rough alert! Sometime soon I plan to make the normal weekend run one way at 23/2300 and back at 22/2400 [almost always at 3000 msl] and see if there is any difference. I'll record IAS, GS and actual fuel burn at the pump [one tank each way, usually 8 gals roundtrip]. Leaning will be the same-old same-old. If the rain holds off, maybe this weekend?

Quote: Seth My F model was geared up by the previous owner on a go around due to an airplane taxing out in front of him to depart when he was on final. He put the gear up, flew the upwind, crosswind, downwind, base, and landed. He forgot to put the gear back down. In the new plane . . . I still check three times, downwind, base, final for gumps, gumps, green light over the fence. I've missed some of the callouts, but not all three. I was told by my instructor, to let the gear run a full depolyment or retraction and not stop the process halfway as it is not good for the gears. My C has a similar history to your F, except the go-around involved a tower and switching runways as additional distractions. Patched belly, swapped prop and flew on a permit to repair. Many older retracts have kissed asphalt once. Fix it right and it will fly well again. My "system" verifies green light on gear down, checks green light on base, feels switch position and checks floor indicator on final. Often I double-check the green light near where I imagine an airport boundary would be, which is after I clear the durn trees [watching them go under me is quite important! too far under me is bad.]. Shorter fields are fun; shorter, obstructed fields make you proficient! I usually get at least two of the checks made, the feel & floor check on final is the most important. As for stopping the gear during swing, that would be quite difficult. I'll check when the snow clears up, but I don't think I could stop the movement after taking my hand off the switch. Move the round thing, drop hand to throttle, raise hand to switch--I think the light will already be green. On the go, move the round thing, hand to throttle and feel the thump under the seat.

Yeah, mine is a pancake from the same place, about half the price. I never buy anything there that isn't on sale.

But my CBC hangar compressor won't hold that much air . . . It will inflate all three Mooney tires from ~15 to 30 psi, but won't do the same for a single automobile tire.

Dave-- We have the same idea, but your execution is certainly more elegant. All I can say in my own defense is that my system came with the plane from the previous owner. But it works! I use an automotive drip pan to catch the runoff, just a cup or two. Then screw the filter off and remove carefully, as its usually about half full., and stand the filter in the pan upside to drain while I finish everything else.

Jerry Johnson is great! He has a 69C on a grass strip somewhere near Dallas. The MAPA office should have his contact info--visit www.mooneypilots.com to reach them.

Mooneyjet-- I lean my C to find peak [often 1500-1525ºF] then enrichen. Play with the Performance Tables and find some "standard" settings; I copied them and carry them on my kneeboard to preserve the fragile, brown 40+year-old pamphlet titled "Owner's Manual." Two twists or three on the mixture is something I cannot help with, as I have levers on a quadrant. I just watch the EGT needle move. Low level I often run 23/23; around 5000 msl I run 22/2400; starting about 7500 I begin running 2500. Once WOT gives suitable power settings, I back the throttle off until the MP needle starts to move [around 10,000 msl this can be almost 1/3 travel] to give better atomization and mixing coming through the carb. Overall, I average 135-140 kts [125-135 MPH indicated] and very close to 9 gph. Highest sustained level cruise 183 kts; lowest sustained level cruise 105 kts. East is often faster than west, and I fly more N-S than anything with prevailing crosswinds. Enjoy your new ride! Fly lots, have fun, take notes on how she does for future reference as you learn her quirks.

Quote: sleepingsquirrel I will admit that I'm adding my name to the very distinguished list of Mooney pilots that have somehow managed to land short of the threshold by 70 feet! The only excuse I have to offer is that another pilot was with me to witness this! Too bad it didn't happen today then I could blame it on "Dang. haven't flown since last year". I walked out to the end of the runway to teach myself a lesson , measured everything , no threat to life or limb , but lesson hammered home about doing everything as right as possible. One mistake , could have been expensive, mitigated by being lined up on the center line! Missed the threshold lights. Congratulations on coming through with an intact aircraft! That is one of the benefits of flying out of a large® airport. You should take a picture of the ground, with a marker where your tires hit, showing the lights, threshhold, etc., for posterity if nothing else. Landing that short at my home base is not something you would walk away from--it would probably be on the steep kudzu-covered road cut . . . The end-of-runway lights would be the least of your concerns. The best teachable moments are those that scare the bejeebers out of you without any damage other than a temporary spike in blood pressure and a long-term blush. We've all had one. As for the rest, I still haven't flown since last year, either. Maybe the 18th? Have a good rest of the New Year!!

Quote: scottfromiowa What am I missing?

Quote: Shadrach I've had mine to 15.5 as well, though DA was probably closer to 18K. I was pretty impressed by the performance, though I was light.

Again, this may be different for your E, but for low-level flight [up to 3000 msl or so], I often run my C at 23"/2300 and then lean away. It works well for short flights, and even with my 3-blade prop, it is smooth. Your injected E may be different. Before you ask, yes, this is pulled from the 2500 msl Performance Chart in what passed for a POH "back in the day." P.S.--no fuel flow data to share, but data from the gas pump is right on or just below 9 gph at this setting.

Wow. Suddenly I don't feel so bad about coming in between 80-90 hours this year, even with 4+ weeks for a tank reseal. December has been warmer with rain instead of snow, but I don't mind--I haven't had to shovel any rain yet! I even made my first Young Eagles flight, and next year will be able to give rides at our Airport Day event in June. My goal was to hit 500 hrs. this year, but am ending at 496.3 . . . Depending on what the weather brings, I could make it next week [i have a U-Haul appointment this weekend] or it could be March. Some years I have logged "0" in Jan & Feb!

Doc-- That looks GREAT! Even though my AutoCAD 2007 can't open the dwg file . . . I need to check my own now. The one like this for the door needs to be redone, but it has a bearing in it. One too many passengers has leaned on the door while passing through, and I have bent it back into shape and Tri-Flow it regularly.

Here's an article with direct links to Center audio, with a little from the accident plane. There is extensive audio from the tower vectoring a Cessna followed by a swarm of news choppers to the site. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/IcingCitedInTBM700FreewayCrash_205909-1.html There was not enough left to determine fixed vs. rotor wing! Bad, bad times . . . Go/no-go can be complicated, and more capable aircraft just make foro a more complicated decision. I've only had to fight it twice. Once I landed short and drove the rest of the way; once I loaded the plane, called for another update then unloaded and set off on an 8 hour drive--no fun. The freezing rain in hilly terrain turned it into an overnight hotel stop with a total one-way travel time of 18+ hours. Did not have to explain to the wife why we were not flying, thanks to the ice on the road.

My C has two access doors on the cowl, one for the oil and another in the same place on the left side. I peek around through both of them, look up the front for garbage, wiggle the alternator [ever since I found a mounting bolt laying in the bottom of the cowl!] and check the belt tension and oil level. That's about all that can be done.

Thank you, Dale. I measured my cargo area with a sectional [unfolded height + ~½" long]. Looks like one will fit for sure, if it goes in first.

Quote: fantom

That's great news! It's all I had to do to swap out blinkers on the belly, too, except they are wired in and I had to cut and re-crimp. Logged it in with an A&P oversight autograph; the LED landing light being owner-approved maintenance is excellent news.

There's nothing like data. My baggage area is 21" long from the seat to the rear wall. Will a folded-up Citizen bike in a bag fit even standing up? It sure would be nice! Merry Christmas, ya'll!

Quote: fantom

It could also be a defective/cracked heater box under the cowling, or a broken/disconnected/torn hose from the heat box to the firewall. You should have LOTS of heat!

I've flown my regular O-360-powered Ranger without any heat problems at all, other than making myself too hot. My lowest departure so far was 8ºF, but I didn't think to check the OAT after climbout. I've also gone into Arnold Palmer in winter, arriving after dark for supper, only to find the ramp freshly plowed and the snow 8' or more deep. Even my wife was warm, and I think we took our coats off enroute due to temperature. Often we use about halfway on Cabin Heat, with the fresh air vent cracked to cool it off some. So I hate to say it, but methinks you have a problem. Did you make sure all outside vents were closed? the scoop, the footwell vents, the cabin air knob, and the big lever under the throttle quadrant? Are your heat vents inboard open? There are valves there that if closed will direct heat to the windshield for defrost, one on each side of the center. Mine are black, nice and easy to see under the panel. :-)