Piloto

Yes there is a limitation, for your M-18 you will need to install a pilot relief tube to drain all the water in your bladder. Make sure your draining device is pointing down to drain the lowest point of your bladder. José

It is an FAA requirement for any fuel tank. José

The NACA vent in the tail fin is for cabin ventilation. After 1980 it replaces the old vent on top of the cabin. Very efficient in providing top face ventilation. José

What are the limitations since there is none in the FAA approved FMS. José

Any water or fuel in the long range tanks will flow into the main tanks. So draining the main tanks is most important since this were the engine feed from. The main tanks drain valve F391-53S drainage is through the adapter plate small channels that eventually get clogged by tank debris (sealant deterioration) and jam the drain valve causing it to drain from stem top. Best way to drain any water on the main tanks is to remove the drain valve and let it drain for a few seconds. After a full tank refueling I always check that the filler caps are properly set. An improperly fuel cap set will show fuel stains in flight until the fuel level comes down. José

I had the long range tanks in my 1982 M20J for over 30 years and never had an issue with water with them. Just check the filler caps O-ring at every annual. On the main tanks I always remove the drain valves to drain any possible water at every annual. José

150 SMOH and new cylinders. Wonder what caused the engine failure. At least the engine was not damage by the crash. The NTSB should quickly determine the cause of engine failure. José

The annunciator panel would have alerted of low fuel on either tank before takeoff. José

It appears had an engine failure on the climb just after takeoff. The pilot manage it very well considering the low altitude and speed. José

From where the plane take off?

One issue specially in winter is ice on the LOC and the GS antennas on the ground stations. It can change the ratio of the 150/90hz antennas and cause the signal ground monitor to shutdown the transmitters momentarily. Unlike CAT II ILS (CAT III have DME), all the LPV approaches have distance to threshold and accurate altitude even if you forgot or if not available to set the baro altimeter. I found this helpful to achieve the proper speed at touchdown. José

I fly both simultaneously with my KX165 tuned to the ILS and the GN S530 on the LPV. It gives me assurance that I am approaching the right runway and redundancy. Most of my approaches are autopilot coupled. When approaching a runway with no published approach I set the OBS on the GNS 530 to the runway heading for guidance. Besides lateral and distance guidance the VNAV function on the GNS 530 is very helpful on the descent profile. José

One week or longer after the last shutdown I drain the oil and replace the filter to insure no old oil in the upper parts of the engine. After I drain the oil I add one gallon of AVGAS into the sump to mix with the old oil residue in the sump. After 15 minutes I drain the AVGAS which shows a mix of oil and gas initially but clear AVGAS at the end of draining. After this I add 8qts of oil. With this procedure I get clear oil on the dipstick for about 40 hrs. José

You can install accessory nozzles that narrow the hot air stream. Very useful for finding thermal component failures. José

is easier to remove multipin devices by applying hot air with a heat gun to avoid breaking the pads/tracks. This is what I use.

It gets more complicated when you need to relief yourself. Make sure you have a CO detector before using the heat. José

A novel idea but I would rather have a panel mounted unit not subject to humidity or sun rays. As time goes by outside exposure causes premature aging as indicated by the paint on your plane.

How do you keep it from getting it stolen on the ramp?

Oil amount in the sump depends on the time elapsed after shutdown and ambient temperature. The longer the time after shutdown the more oil will drip down from the engine top to the sump. At warm ambient temperatures the quicker the oil will drip down. I always measure the oil level at least one week after shutdown. José

Like I explained before drain valves holes at the very bottom cause debris to jam the drain valve and cause to drain from the valve stem top. But the main tanks original F391-35S still can be used. It really does not matter because any water contents always end up in the main tanks. José

Don't worry. José

You can check all the STCs data at: http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgSTC.nsf/MainFrame?OpenFrameSet STC# SA1913SO José

Because nobody before me came up with an achievable, elegant solution for Mooneys extra range Novel: Unlike other aux tank mods. The Mooney aux tanks are not tip tanks, thus reducing the possibility of flutter and maintaining same wingspan for hangar entry clearance. There is no aux. tanks transfer pumps required since transfer is by gravity eliminating a pump/power failure risk. By not having these items cost is substantially reduced. José

Byron, you are doing right, stay with what you know and understand, leave novel ideas and new concepts to the visionaries because new concepts or ideas are never in the books but maybe in the SBIR programs. Members of the Man Will Never Fly Society are not opposed to flight. Birds do it, Bees do it, even educated fleas do it, as Cole Porter once said. But when you stop to think about it, do you actually believe that a machine made of tons of metal will fly? Small wonder that the editor of a Dayton newspaper said, when informed of the mythical first flight in 1903. "Man will never fly. And if he does, he will never come from Dayton." José

You are overlooking that in addition to the drain valves at the aux. tanks there are drain valves at the main tanks that are the ones that get jammed and leak. The aux. tanks water and fuel flows into the main tanks and drain valves. The aux. tanks interconnect tubing and pickup outlet blocks any water or debris from going into the main tanks. Back in the late 1980s a brand new 252 with long range tanks bound for Germany ditched 200 nm NE of LPAZ in the Azores. Before ditching the pilot contacted a Navy ship for rescue. The Navy ship spotted the plane ditching but the pilot drowned. The pilot reported his KR87 ADF was not working so he could not find LPAZ for refueling. The pilot has done this trip before multiple times without GPS. José