FlyDave

From the pricing I got on rebuilding my engine before I bought my plane, almost every shop was referencing the Lycoming pricelist for pricing. I'm at 1660 hours with 660 hours since the wet-head upgrage on new cylinders. I'll definitely be looking for a good shop that prices on labor and parts instead of the factory published pricing.

I'm using Executive Autopilots on Sacramento, CA. So far the tech that's working on my plane has been very thorough and a pleasure to work with. But I haven't gotten the bill yet Here is their web site: http://www.executiveautopilot.com/

Scott - I sent you a PM. Thanks!! Dave

FBCK - Thanks! I've contact McFarlane and they can make it up but need a drawing. I'm trying to get my hands on that now. N601RX - I'm not sure what the ends are. Executive Autopilots is trying to get one from Honeywell but they're not in stock and are probably a 3-4 week minimum lead time.

My KFC-150 began pitching up and down (quite uncomfortable!) when in altitude hold mode. Executive Autopilot in Sacramento found that the pitch servo needs to be rebuilt and that the cable that the servo drives was frayed and needs to be replaced. Sooooo.....does anyone have a line on: Manufacturer: Honeywell Part number: 200-04753-0000 Description: KK1245 PITCH CBL A Thanks, Dave

I like the way you're stacking the deck! Have a fun flight and definitely let us know how the flight progresses.

I dunno....Looks like a big tow and hangar for a Mooney. I'll bet a Meridian would fit in the hangar and the tug would pull it just fine.

Have you checked to see if there is a firmware upgrade for it? This may be a known issue that they have or will release an upgrade for. There is a GDL-39 utility for the iPad that will check the firmware version and upgrade it .

I agree with what everyone else has said and will add my experience in December of 2013 when I moved from an M20J to a Bravo. I had ~500 hours in my J model and ~1,600 hours total when I upgraded. I had Don Kaye, Mooney instructor here in the San Francisco area fly to TX to fly home with me. I needed an insurance checkout and sign off for my policy to be in effect and that was the first, and at the time, primary reason for having Don fly the plane back to CA with me. Now, mind you, I had 500 hours in a J model, been flying since 2000 and was instrument rated. It didn't seem like moving to another Mooney would be that big a deal.....WRONG!!! New airplane, new avionics, new engine management issues and different panel layout, all the things that happen automatically when you have experience in an airplane were not there. Very little was automatic. On top of that, the airplane felt completely different than the J. Suddenly the airplane was a lot heavier on the nose and I had a lot more power - both of which change the way you fly the airplane. And now we were up at 14,500' which brings a little more planning in to play. In a non eventful VFR flight you probably won't have any issues taking off or en route - that's the easy part - but you will have to land. It doesn't take much excess speed to turn a landing into a tense (sometimes very tense) 5-6 seconds. And search this site for issues on go-arounds - they're not the easiest thing for a new Mooney pilot to execute. When a flight starts to grow hair you need to do things automatically. If you have 160 hours and just started flying Mooneys, that muscle memory, feel for the aircraft and knowledge of what it's going to do are not there. I was glad I had Don with me. I <<probably>> would have gotten home in one piece by myself. Flying with an instructor on this trip will stack the deck in your favor. We all want to see you get your airplane home safely, hear about your trip and read your posts in the future. So get a Mooney instructor for the trip. In 3-4 months you'll know why it was worth it! Dave

It doesn't look like he buys "off the rack" (it would take 2 racks to hold those up).

Another thing about cannula use is if you're a little congested (not severe congestion as with a cold or bad allergies - this should be a no-fly situation for you) you can use a little bit of Afrin an hour before the flight to decongest your nose/sinuses. That will make breathing through your nose more effective. Be sure to try Afrin on the ground on a day you're not flying to make sure it doesn't give you a headache or other unpleasant side effect.

Rip, Do you have plans to add a heated version of your AOA?. I think icing conditions would be a very handy time/place to have an AOA (in addition to the pattern). Thanks, Dave

I was taught MARTHA: M - MISSED approach procedure A - ATIS R - RADIOS, RADIAL and ID T - TIMER H - final approach course HEADING A - ALTITUDE you're descending to I changed it to MARSHA replacing TIMER with STEPDOWNS for non-precision approaches With a 430/530/650/750 non precision GPS approaches are much much easier. No need for a timer, cross radials or DME. The GPS provides all the required information in one place. And using a 530 (and probably a 650/750) you don't need to ID a VOR/ILS - The morse code is decoded and the navaid ID is displayed on the screen.

Sounds like Cody Stallings is your man!

Robert, It sounds like your DPE friend in the Debonair lost his situational awareness. I'm sure there will be responses to this comment but I just don't see how, in VMC, you could not know where you are in relation to the ground and your bank angle - not to mention airspeed - until you hit the ground. I usually fly a 3/4 - 1 mile pattern and on this short a final a small correction is fine. But I don't want to be "yanking and banking" close to the ground. And I really like the saying "Go-arounds are free"! Dave

Could there be a leak in the MP line to the MP gauge or the gauge itself?

I have a Dukes 1499-00-19 that I can send. I'm not sure if you can use it on your plane.

Good points Zane. I think a lot of "add on's" on upgrades don't fetch more money, they just shorten the sales cycle.

Geeze - your issues with slick mags are giving me the willies! I wish I had an alternative.

I use ADDS (http://aviationweather.gov/adds/) and file on fltplan.com. Adds is an amazing site with a very intuitive interface and all the weather info I need. It even has a briefer written synopsis for areas which the phone briefer don't give: http://aviationweather.gov/fcstdisc And fltplan.com is the best site for filing and receiving a clearance. With texted/email transmitted clearances I can be ready to go as soon as I get the clearance on the ground. Garmin Pilot used to receive my clearances and plug them right into the app. I'm not sure if they're still doing that but it's pretty darn handy if they do!

+1 for AAA! I traded my J for a Bravo in December of 2013 - Excellent experience with Jimmy. No BS..Here is the airplane, ask questions, peruse the logs, have prebuy done...I purchased the airplane before I even heard the engine run. I couldn't be happier with my airplane!

I haven't experienced a high altitude miss - and don't care to. I don't know all the ins and outs of magneto's and the effects of different atmospheric conditions on their operation. My friend mentioned this to me and I was wondering if anyone has any input on it. I do understand the type certificate issue and STC or 337 requirements and was just wondering if anyone knew anything about putting Bendix mags (pressurized or non-pressurized) on a Bravo. I'm at 420/440 hours on my mags and with the issues I experienced getting the Slick mags on my J rebuilt along with what I've read about the quality of Slick mags, I'm exploring any alternatives. So are Slick 6360/6361 are the only options?

A friend with a T210 told me that he can replace his pressurized slick mags with Bendix that are not pressurized. He said that Bendix point gap (not sure that's the correct term) is much smaller so it doesn't require pressurization. Does this seem plausible? Anyone have Bendix mags on a Bravo?

Here's a little info on it: http://www.barnstormers.com/eFLYER/2007/070600eFLYER.html

Well Jerry, maybe not "all" the Bravo's.....