Piloto

The picture was taken at same elevation as the glareshield cover so in level flight the horizon will just appear at same level. But when you dim the computer monitor the horizon appears to be 5 deg above the glareshield. Which matches with the ADI. If you were in level cruise flight with A/P on why would your left thumb be pressing on the yoke. The VSI reflection is from the pilot's sunglasses visible on the altimeter glass. You need a photo enhacing software to see this. José

The picture clearly shows the plane to be pitch down, just look at the horizon out the windshield. Also the fact that the left thumb is pressing against the yoke, not to mention the VSI reflection indicating -1200fpm. José

Quote: Parker_Woodruff I have a 1990 M20J-AT. The dual brakes are great, especially because I'll do some teaching in mine. The 14V electrical system is fine, in fact many M20Js have that. 14V might not crank as well when it's 20 degrees outside, but I never had any problem. Hey, you can jump the thing from your car if you have to.

Market size and competition are the dominant factors in the price equation. If you look at other specialized products like medical equipment and electronic test equipment you will see that their prices are high when compared to consumer products equivalent. The complexity of many of the new cell phones exceeds by far that of many avionics products. However the large market size and competition makes it possible to sell them at very low prices. One good example is the Garmin Aera GPS vs the Garmin Nuvi GPS. Both cost the same to produce but the Aera market is no more than 100,000 possible buyers vs 100 millions for the Nuvi (1/1,000 ratio). Not to mention that it cost less to test a Nuvi on the road than an Aera in the air. José

Market size and competition are the dominant factors in the price equation. If you look at other specialized products like medical equipment and electronic test equipment you will see that their prices are high when compared to consumer products equivalent. The complexity of many of the new cell phones exceeds by far that of many avionics products. However the large market size and competition makes it possible to sell them at very low prices. One good example is the Garmin Aera GPS vs the Garmin Nuvi GPS. Both cost the same to produce but the Aera market is no more than 100,000 possible buyers vs 100 millions for the Nuvi (1/1,000 ratio). Not to mention that it cost less to test a Nuvi on the road than an Aera in the air. José

I saw the movie and love it. But there were some unrealistic technology that did not make sense for future. I was surprised to see rocket propulsion on a vehicle that was able to travel to another solar system. But then my Ipod has more capabilities than Spock's tricorder or Kirk's communicator. José

You can easily replace the dial housing. The dial and the needle in the plastic housing is very much like a magnetic compass glued onto a cavity in the wing. Underneath the cavity there is a magnet that aligns the needle according to the fuel level. Just pray the plastic housing with a screwdriver and install the new one bonding it with silicon glue. Make sure the new one is of the same scale as the original. The scales are different for each model. The dials used to sell for $30 each. José

To avoid weather vane and bouncing during a croswind landing retract completely the flaps just before touch down. This will assure a solid grip of the runway specially on those ice or snow covered. Low wing airplanes are better at crosswind landings than high wing. Cross wind component reduces susbstantially when closer to the ground. José

A simple solution to keep the towbar in place is to bend the pulling tube to a less than 90deg angle from the inserting pin tube. Set the inserting tube into a vice and heat the pulling tube while hammering on it to get an 85deg angle. After many pulls of use this angle widen causing it to slip out of the gear. I currently use the Robotow (www.robotow.com) and i am very pleased with it. If you are over 60 I strongly recommend it, no need to carry aspirins like when using the old towbar. José

Looks like you have a jam condition, most likely with the actuator. Once you pull the belly panel is easy to diagnose the problem. The actuator worm gear should be greased at every anual to prevent any binding. José

Of course you can slip your Mooney or any FAA approved airplane. It is a required capability for crosswind landing particularly on high wing planes. Sliping into wind reduces the possibility of weather vane into the cross wind at touch down or flip over. To avoid an inadvert stall your approach speed should be slightly higher during the slip. José

Like Trade-A-Plane publication what other magazine you use for finding products and parts for GA. José

It is not uncommon for ANR headsets to be RFI (Radio Frequency Interference) sensitive. The problem is common on HF equipped small planes and helicopters. (100 to 400 watts). It is also annoying for helicopter power line inspection crew when they get close to HV lines. Looking at some ANR designs I can see that there is no provision to reduce RFI susceptibility. On some ANRs the cords are not even shielded and none have shielded electronics. I think RFI susceptibility should be part of the TSO requirements. José

Quote: FlyDave You know, birds don't fly in the clouds...so does that make IFR flights safer than VFR flights? (c'mon, a little levity can't hurt)

Hansel your ram air mod looks beautiful and professional. You probably get more speed now (less drag) than when it was used before. Thanks for the pictures José

Conventional chemical batteries may not be the solution but something more practical like fuel cells. I grew-up in an era were vacuum tubes were king, good pictures are only taken on film, big TVs always had big rear ends, cars manual transmission was standard, you text someone with a Wester Union telegram and toy planes always had propellers. Just hope to see when people used to die before 100!! José

Hope I live long enough to see an electric motor in my Mooney. 100% power all the way to space, no exhaust noise, no vibration, no messy oil stains, no compression checks, no EGTs, no pricey AVGAS. Boy I am going to miss all these stuff. I believe this is the last century for combustion motors. Wait for the 200Kw brushless 1000volts motor with an overhaul cost of $1000 (bearings replacement) and TBOs of over 5000 hours or more. Who needs an IO-390? José

Go with the aluminum. It is lighter and less prone to corrosion. The only time steel tanks make sense is for Scuba diving. Steel tanks do not need weights like the aluminum tanks when on water. José

Assuming the IO-390 outputs 210 HP the most velocity increase you will get over the IO-360 is 1.6%. That's about 2.5 kts, tops. José

The PC overrride push button is actually a pneumatic switch. You can replace the button with a panel mounted toggle pneumatic switch like the one at http://www.recycledgoods.com/26420_Clippard_TV-3S_Minimatic%20Pneumatic%20Toggle%20Switch%208.0%20SCFM_.html Just pull the hose out of the yoke and connect it to the panel switch. I found the toggle switch to be more convenient than the push button. José

From what you indicate most likely the engine is burning the oil. Check the color of the exhaust stain on the belly. It should be yellowish/white for normal combustion. If it is brown/black then it is burning oil. You can also check the bottom spark plugs for oil residue and identify the faulty cylinder. If it is burning oil verify that the case breather line end is facing aft just behind the cowl flaps. Also check for any holes or openings on the breather line, there should be none. Having a case with positive pressure will force oil thru the piston rings. Oil into the combustion chamber could also be coming thru the intake valve. This would require removing the cylinder and overhauling the valve guides. May as well overhaul the whole cylinder. José

Nothing to worry about, it is very common on that vintage. Recommend to check bottom wing spar cap at cenetr section. If plane is park outside this is where all the moisture collect. Also check cabin side structural tube members. Wheel wells spar section are prone to corrosion, check vertical stiffners. Spray these areas with a corrosion inhibitor at annual time. José

For the 201 there is only two power settings either full throttle for flight or idle power for taxing. José

If you are 6'4" you probably don't need it until later on in life. Keep in mind that children and women will definetly need it. Not having it can cause an accident on your vacation trip. Or a lawsuit by a passenger falling off. Most accidents happens when stepping down. If an accident occurs you will will definetly be at fault for having removed a safety device. It is not worth it removing it. José

Alternators do not have commutators but slip rings for the rotor. So there is no need for cooling on the back. However the stator winding can get hot during load. This is why at the front pulley there is a fan attached to it. Just make sure the forward section of the alternator is getting some airflow. José