chuck459

When I got my 1979 "J" it had a Sky-Tec Model LS Flyweight Starter. I never felt that it was entirely up to the job of starting the IO-360 engine. It would start fine when the oil was warm, but would stall on the first compression stroke when the oil was cold. It would always start on the second try, but it was obvious that it needed more torque. The problem persisted even after installing a new battery and checking all the electrical connections. I was considering having the starter overhauled, but after talking with a very helpful lady - sorry I can't remember her name - at Sky-Tec, I was offered a new High-Torque Inline NL Model on exchange for my old starter. The cost was only a few dollars more than having my old starter overhauled. The NL is a great starter and the one I would highly recommend for this engine. It turns a little slower, but has considerable more torque. I was very impressed with the total experience I had with Sky-Tec. http://www.skytecair.com/Lycoming.htm Chuck

This is a followup to my my post below in which I described installing a GPSMAP-396 in my instrument panel. My advise to anyone also considering doing this is DON'T DO IT! First of all, this was not a simple project. Nearly every radio in my panel had to be relocated to make room for the AirGizmos dock, which takes up a lot of room. Before undertaking this project, I conducted several tests and felt that the placement of the GPS in the location shown would work very well. Not so! I found the screen on the 396 to be much more directional in real life than my tests indicated. In the bright conditions of flight, the screen was unusable unless I leaned over and viewed it straight on. White writing on a black background was readable, but map detail was completely invisible; and the intensity of the image was greatly reduced. At night, the situation was even worse. I have explored the possibility of using the AirGizmos angle dock, but found that unsatisfactory. The bottom line is that I am now in the process of putting everything back the way it was, and plan to move the 396 back to the yoke. This project was a real mistake which cost me many hours of work and more dollars than I care to remember. Chuck Raines Santa Paula, CA

I have always had a thing about instrument panels. Being a retired airline pilot, I spent the better part of forty years contemplating instrument panels, nearly all of which I would have liked to have changed in some way. I had always wanted to design an instrument panel with everything exactly where I thought it should be. Ever since I've had my Mooney, I have been making sketches of what I intended to do with it's instrument panel. I was just about ready to proceed when the "great stock market crash of 2008" sent me back to the drawing board. Instead of replacing some of the older avionics with state-of-the-art equipment, I decided keep what was already there, but clean up the panel and place everything where I thought it would be the most functional. Using the good but older equipment reduced the cost of my original plan by 2/3 while providing the same capabilities I would have had with new equipment. Here is a summary of what I ended up with. Century 41 autopilot with altitude hold, auto trim & approach coupler IFR certified GPS/COMM/ILS (Garmin GNS430) Standby battery powered GPS with terrain DB and XM weather (Garmin GPSMAP-396) No. 2 COMM (King KY-197) No. 2 RNAV/VOR/LOC/GS/DME (King KNS-80) Transponder with altitude reporting input to GPS (King KT-76A) Intercom with music input (PS engineering PM-1000 II) A very old, but very good audio panel with marker beacon (King KMA-20) Individual LED lights on every instrument not internal lighted JPI-700 with all standard plus OAT input JPI FS-450 Fuel Computer linked to GPS I'm very pleased with how things turned out, and offer this as an example of what can be done with less than state-of-the-art avionics. Chuck Raines Santa Paula, CA

Has anyone had a Garmin GNS430 upgraded to WAAS lately? Approximately what would one expect to pay for a complete upgrade, including antenna, new coax, labor, etc. - a total out-the-door cost?

I'm a new member and would like to introduce myself. My name is Chuck, and the Mooney shown on the left is my 5th airplane. I began flying in 1962 while attending college in Texas. After collecting a pocket full of ratings and completing a tour with US Army, I was hired by a major airline and moved to Southern California where I have lived ever since. I owned a beautiful Beechcraft 33 for over twenty years; but after retirement it became clear that I needed something more economical to operate and maintain. After a lot of research, I settled on a clean 1979 201. I still miss the Beech, but the more I fly my Mooney, the more I like it. I think this airplane is a keeper. I really like the look and feel of this forum. I hope it does well.