KSMooniac

CONGRATS! Nice to get it "wet" on your first day too!

Jim, my baby is getting the accent colors painted right now and will be done early next week. I'm getting very anxious! It is time to start trying to find a ride to the shop since I have a date...

The dorsal + tail mods look familiar...my 201 just got those a couple of weeks ago!

Much better! Looks good. What cowl mod is that?

Aaron, your last two posts have tiny pics...can you re-size please? Cowl pictures are nice and big.

My '77 J also has just the wingtip strobes. They can be seen from all angles around the plane, so it is legal.

I'd agree with Roberto...and an Eagle would make a great candidate for a glass upgrade today since they weren't as "loaded" as the Ovations in the same years. So, less to remove and/or integrate with a new Aspen, Garmin or other PFD/MFD combo.

I would also say the Ovation is smoother, but perhaps the J you flew had something amiss. The prop and engine mounts could need some attention. My J is pretty darn smooth, and I certainly can't see the panel vibrating! You might try to get a ride in another example and see if it will meet your criteria. If the budget (both initial and operating) supports it, an Ovation is hard to beat, though! The IO-550 engine is a real jewel, but you'll have to feed it more fuel of course, and have 2 extra jugs and 4 extra plugs to maintain vs. the IO-360. I consider a quality set of ANR headsets as required equipment too. It sure helps with the fatigue aspect of long XC flying.

Are you wanting complete paperless chart solution, or just plates? I'm using a CTL Classmate netbook/convertible tablet, but mainly for backup. I print the approach plates I plan to use, and carry the CTL for diversions. I still use (and love) the Airchart atlases for nav charts. Very cost effective and easy. I do not mount the CTL either...it just waits in the bag for bullpen duty.

Oh, I forgot to mention...if you and/or your mechanic don't have access to the rigging boards, you can check the installation of the Aspen (or any TC) by jacking up the plane and leveling it per the maintenance manual. Once you get it completely level (front-to-back and wingtip-to-wingtip) then check the slip/skid indicator and the ball should be centered. I'm not sure how the Aspen displays, it though. If the instrument shows a slip, then you have a mounting problem with either the instrument or the entire panel.

I believe the J has zero tilt in the vertical plane, assuming everything is still "square" with the world and the panel hasn't been monkeyed with at some point in the past. Alun, if you have a constant slip shown, I would suggest you get the rigging checked. (I presume you're talking about in flight, correct?) It could be that your plane is flying slightly crooked in cruise and indicates a slip.

I agree with Parker...I cannot think of a single plane currently in production with a Lycoming IO-360 200 hp variant. The SR-20 does indeed use the TCM 6-banger, and not very many of those are sold compared to the SR-22.

That looks painful! Are you keeping the split rear window, or converting to a J-style single window?

I'm not 100% sure, but I think us J-owners would need to add perhaps a backup alternator and/or second battery at a minimum to qualify for FIKI cert, in addition to the regular system that covers all of the surfaces, prop, windshield, etc.

Ronnie, thanks for joining up here and chiming in for the factory! My opinion is that 16.5K is competitive with Tejas, but still quite a bit higher than all of the other paint shops in the region. My 201 just went to a shop on Tuesday with a price substantially less...I'm very confident I will be pleased, but I suspect it won't be identical to a Tejas-quality job if someone went over it with a magnifying glass. We'll see.

Wow...$20k is hard to believe, even for them. I thought their interior renewal prices were unrealistically high, but the paint price is even worse. I fail to see how it costs them anywhere near that much (for either service) in an old facility that should have been paid for long ago. They are also in a low-cost labor area too. There cannot be much of a liability concern either for cosmetic work, so there should be no need to jack up the prices for extra insurance costs IMO.

Sweet! Mine went into the shop today, and I cannot wait to get her back...it is gonna be a long few weeks!

I'd think carefully before putting the ELT under the dorsal fin...I had the same debate since I've got a new dorsal fin from LASAR too that is going to be installed at the paint shop this week. I know Mooney put out a SB or something showing how/where to install an ELT antenna, but if you go read the specs for the antenna, it says it must be oriented within +/-15 degrees of perpendicular from the ground plane (tail skin in our case). If you put it under the dorsal, it will be bent and run essentially parallel to the skin, and that will all but ruin it's transmission capability. That is obviously not what you want if you crash somewhere, so for, it is better to leave the antenna outside. I'd bet a dollar that Mooney did not test the radiation patterns/strength of an ELT with the antenna under the dorsal...

Welcome, Bob! I'm glad somebody finally bought that great F-model! I've seen it listed for a long time and thought it would be a great plane. I learned to fly Mooneys in a '75 M20F as well and recognize the unique yokes and pistol-grip throttle. Enjoy it!

No problem Bill...he has just written that within the last week, and I had saved it to put in my "keeper" folder of useful tidbits. It sure sounds like wiring to me, too. Perhaps your mechanic doesn't relish doing the trouble shooting since you have to root around inside the interior/wings/tanks a bit...

Jim, I sent you a PM. I hope to post some nice pics in a few weeks after the transformation! I'm going with a custom/modern scheme in white & maroon metallic with black and gold metallic accent stripes.

I don't think you'll be disappointed! You might even talk yourself into some more mods before you get to the paint shop too. I got a box full of goodies last week that are going with me to the paint shop on Tuesday...

Good to hear. Too bad their unit had you do all of those earlier gymnastics and head-scratching.

There is some fairly simple trouble-shooting that can be done with the sending unit wiring, and that should be your first step. I suspect your problem is there, and not the gauge. From a recent post by Don Maxwell on the email list: ****************** If I recall you have an F.The full reading says you have an open circuit. You can check quickly by grounding the wire that goes to the center of the inboard sender. If it goes to empty, the gage & wiring to it are OK. The inboard screws are insulated and the inboard gage is grounded at the outboard sender. Wire goes from gage to center of inboard sender. Inboard sender is insulated by gasket and insulators at each screw. Wire leaves one of the mounting screws of the onboard sender to the center of the outboard sender. Outboard sender is not insulated and provides grounding for both senders. The two senders are in series. The outboard sender is accessible thru an access panel under the wing. Ground the center screw on the outboard sender and the gage should read empty.If it read empty when you grounded the inboard sender but does not when you ground the outboard sender then you have an open in the wire between the two senders. Then he sent a quick correction: Sorry, the wire goes from a mounting screw of the INBOARD sender to the center of the outboard sender. ************************* I suspect the wiring is the same or nearly so for the Bravo, but you would have to check the wiring diagrams of course. Before spending $850 you should have a go at the wires IMO. Good luck!

Always fly the plane! I've had a door pop open on takeoff, and while alarming, it is quickly recognizable and most planes are quite controllable in that condition. Don't panic, and just fly the plane normally to traffic pattern altitude, then fly a normal pattern and land.