Amelia

I wandered out to show this information to John the IA, who has also done some of the stec troubleshooting. He read through Jake’s thoughts item by item, nodding in agreement as he went. Apparently we did all that. So it seems the stec30 either must be tolerated as is or replaced. John would like to send the new, yet to be installed Aspen 2000pro back and replace with two Garmin G5s and, a Garmin 500 autopilot. Claims it’d be solid, capable, simple, work together well with the GTN 650, and last for the rest of my flying life. (I’m OLD!) But, I really like my legacy Aspen, wanted two, and Garmin autopilot won’t play with them. So I ansked about other autopilots. Hate the idea of sTec again, but I already have stec servos, John says the 55X is a nice unit if one is to be found, would allow all the capabilities of the Aspen to be used. Ohhh, yes, that big screen Garmin would do nicely. but I’m still looking for oil in my back yard without success. so, I should have prices and options by Monday. Then the big question will be, will he get the new equipment installed before the September Summit in St Pete? That’s the trouble with having a multitalented mechanic who does it all… everybody else wants stuff done yesterday, too.

Thank you for your always-helpful thoughts! My problem with the sTec30 is that the nav function doesn’t work at all, and the altitude-hold doesn’t hold. It gradually wanders upward. I miss the glide-slope capture of my old KAP150 in a previous life, and like the idea of a level button within reach of my non-pilot right seater to buy him time to sort things out if I become unuseful. I’ve spent a fair amount on repairs that didn’t work. My esteemed mechanic notes that the Mooney panel is riveted in, and he’d like to only remove it once, so make up my mind. Then I looked at price tags. Oof! Maybe that wing-leveling sTec can be tolerated after all. And I do like Aspen.

The old joke about “Exciting women are expensive” has passed its sell-by date. I need to consider what makes the most sense. Other than sell the airplane, of course. And it looks as if the G3x is only for experimental aircraft.

I treated The Beast, a 1999 M20S with shiny overhauled 550 hp engine, , to a pair of new-and-improved Aspens. I like my legacy Aspen very much, and the upgrades have been waiting on a shelf for installation for months. Now I have reached the end of my rope with the crummy sTec 30 autopilot Tired of throwing good money after bad to repair the thing. So, I am told I can return the unopened new Aspens for a pair of G5s and a Garmin GFC 500 autopilot, which will play nice with my GTN 650. But I know nothing about the G5s. ,I know many of y’all are at OSH this week. If you have a minute to browse the offerings in the Avionics building, or offer good advice based on your own experience, I’d be so very grateful!

Asking for a friend. No, really! My esteemed mechanic is needing information about a Brittain vacuum-controlled wing-leveler for a customer’s 1966 M20c. He says there’s no vacuum going to the servos. Vacuum is good. Must be a controller someplace, but it’s not listed in the parts book. He’s looking for a schematic, or some information on where he might look. It isn’t where the manual he found on line that says it should be. Anybody have a clue? He’d like not to tear the airplane apart on a fishing expedition. Thanks!

I think you’ll find most Mooney owners proud of their planes, and happy to show them off. Some are so pleased, they even ask passengers to remove their shoes. I will bet you could stop at almost any small airport and ask around, and find a Mooniac to proselytize at you. If you’re up for a road trip, to EDE, NC, I have a very fine long body to might try on for size. It’s not for sale, though. I’ve been told you don’t “get in,” a Mooney, you “put it on”. Short and fat granny just sort of rolls in. Some disabled Angelflight passengers ooch up the wing on their bottoms and slide backwards onto the seat. They exit by sliding off the wing forward, into the waiting arms of an attendant. My very tall and broad passengers are grateful when I remember to crank the front articulating seat all the way down. Their shoulders are far aft of mine.

Hallelujah! That did the trick. The guy in Wichita had ONE. He put it on the truck and it should be in my corner of the swamp, NE NC, by Thursday! Thank you SO much.

Apparently one battery charged up just fine. The other has a direct short. But if we manage to find a second Concorde, I may yet get to fly before the snow does.

No joy either place. Wonder if there are any second-hand ones for now?

Well, it has been a year. The overhaul is done! The initial break-in flight went beautifully. My first landing in a year went well. The new io550n hummed like a very energetic sewing machine, all the numbers looked great. Round the pattern at 3000’ and 200+ mph. Whee. Checked for leaks, found one, (thanks Continental) and on the next flyable day, found both Concord RG24-15s were totally dead. They had been on battery conditioner most of their year off, for no good reason, it seems. Now my plea. Does anyone want to sell me a couple of batteries? Or know where they might be had? It’s not funny anymore. One dang thing after another.

Well, it has been a year. The overhaul is done! The initial break-in flight went beautifully. My first landing in a year went well. The new io550n hummed like a very energetic sewing machine, all the numbers looked great. Round the pattern at 3000’ and 200+ mph. Whee. Checked for leaks, found one, (thanks Continental) and on the next flyable day, found both Concord RG24-15s were totally dead. They had been on battery conditioner most of their year off, for no good reason, it seems. Now my plea. Does anyone want to sell me a couple of batteries? Or know where they might be had? It’s not funny anymore. One dang thing after another.

Thanks so much. The latest theory is a stuck check valve. New one is ordered, though probably soaking the pump will have done the trick. It is, in theory an easy and cheap fix. We hope!

Um, make that phone number 252/339-0287. and the part number I need is 649364-4

File this under “NOW what???” After 10 months, my bright shiny nsewly field-overhauled engine is ready to fly. Now is when we find that the fuel pump is inop. Not but 230 hours on it, still new looking, so the mechanic didn’t send it out. Said it should be good for a long time. Works fine with boost pump, but nothing, engine-driven. New ones are $5000-ish. And several weeks out. Probably just a dried-out seal, right? $0.25? So what are my options? Salvage? Ohhh help! Anybody got an extra to unload? Mimi 252/330-0287

File this under “NOW what???” After 10 months, my bright shiny nsewly field-overhauled engine is ready to fly. Now is when we find that the fuel pump is inop. Not but 230 hours on it, still new looking, so the mechanic didn’t send it out. Said it should be good for a long time. Works fine with boost pump, but nothing, engine-driven. New ones are $5000-ish. And several weeks out. Probably just a dried-out seal, right? $0.25? So what are my options? Salvage? Ohhh help! Anybody got an extra to unload? Mimi 252/330-0287

The latest snag is a defective (allegedly new) wiring harness direct from TCM. So back to Mobile it goes, and we wait somemore. Sigh. I’m going to die of very old age before I get to fly this thing.

Yep. At least that is done. Thanks!

Good point. Dang. I forgot about that. My BFR is current, but not the 3 takeoffs and landings, at least in the Mooney, obvs. A lovely airport friend arranged for one of his ag pilots who’s a CFI to go up with me a month ago in a vintage 172. We did three in that and she didn’t try to climb out midair, spose that counts? I need to run the new engine hard for at least an hour to seat the rings, no idling around in the pattern. The engine wizard agreed to come along for good luck. Then check for leaks, and go log nine more high power hours over the airport and change the oil, is how I understand it. Then I get to venture farther afield.

I wish I’d been following this saga for the last ten months! I’ve just had a field overhaul for my 20S, Io55o, with N cylinders replacing the Gs. Tomorrow is, I hope, the last of the preliminaries, gathering up spare parts and screws and wondering where they go. My home field mechanic is a quiet, methodical fellow who promises me with a straight face that if I break it in properly, it’ll make TBO. Not his first rodeo, he says. So early Tuesday morning, we will know more. Brave man is promising to climb in with an old lady who hasn’t been in a left seat for nearly a year, monitor monitors, and keep her from messing up his good work. All y’all’s good advice is most welcome!

We hope to attend, with our freshly overhauled Beastie. I wonder about wings credit from last year? My insurance renewal form has arrived, there’s a space for that, and I have no record of having received it. Thanks, Mimi Reiheld

Thank you, thank you each for this valuable guidance. I’ve read every word, will reread it all several times before Fly-day…whenever that turns out to be! The IA threatens to ride along at least the first hour, maybe more, with me to make sure he is happy with what the engine monitor is telling us. Then he advises several more high power hours also within gliding distance of home. This will be a nice time of year to do that. Again, I’m most appreciative that you took the time to explain and find references.

Pieces and parts are arriving for my field-overhaul M20S engine. Might be able to fly it in the next few weeks!! What do I need to know about how best to run it? I know to fly it hard the first ten hours, but then? How will this one differ from the IO550G I wore out? I’d appreciate specifics so much. Will it like LOP?

Yes. With fresh engine work, especially, I am very interested in that 830. And where alternatives might be. And what’s on the other side of that clouds. Not only does ATC somehow know when I uncap the water bottle, they know when I’m distracted by a familiar bit of music, and invariably interrupt my reverie to my annoyance.$. Po ole lady, she ain’t got room in her head but for one thought. She needs to choose wisely.

Ahem. This short-body lady does not wish to disclose her weight. Suffice it to say, I’m, ah, concentrated, and glad to have 3” rudder pedal extensions in a long-body Mooney. But with my 20S, weight isn’t a problem!

Not well-done. Repetitive and rather uninformative, clumsily stitched together.. The short cut is that the man likes his parachute. :roll eyes: How nice for him.