Amelia

I want. I deserve.... (sigh.) Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

Another huge thumbs up for Hector at AeroComfort. You have your shop take out whatever you need redone, crate it up and send it to San Antonio, It comes back well within the promised time frame, is put back together, and voila, a whole new airplane. I got seats covered in super nice leather, with extra cushioning for a vertically challenged pilot, the cracked and yellowed Royalite recovered with fake leather, new carpet, and leather-covered glare shield. Years later, I am still so very pleased! The shop's professionalism, meticulous craftsmanship, and courtesy were amazing. And, as I recall, not out of line compared to other quotes. But so happy, I don't remember what I paid, only that it was well worth it.

I could see the value in a separate forum for rants and raves, or an off-topic section.. Maybe a more social one, a virtual airport coffee corner without pointless political diatribes? I would enjoy a place to learn more about MS pilots as people with more dimensions than just technical airplane stuff. NTTAWWT. Rants can be fun reading, but I have to confess, Facebook's political rancor has gotten old, and I've sent partisans on both ends of the Recent Unpleasantness to Coventry. Ain't nobody got time fo dat. The Purple Board has a political forum that you have to request admission to, otherwise you don't see it. It isn't very active. The off-topic one is fun, though.

While you're in there mucking around, you might want to see if Mooney Service Instruction M20-88A applies, or has been accomplished.

I sure wish that airplane were gracing my hangar now, but a bit rich for my bank account. I'm still waiting for the final answer on mine, and wondering what to do next. Keep your eyes open for me, my friends. I want all the bells and whistles, perfect interior, exterior, engine, etc, for 37-year old-231 money. I still can't imagine replacing a Mooney with anything other than an even nicer Mooney.

Sure is good to have a foot in the door, there in Kerrville. Thanks to somebody who knew somebody, an apparently secret, or at least very subtle old Service Instruction advising a fix for the very stuck trim problem that cost me my beloved Mooney has now been upgraded to a Service Bulletin. Not that I have received this thing, but my non-MSS mechanics might, now. Here's a hearty cheer for bypassing the chain of command. In exchange for not siccing my squadron of plaintiffs attorneys on the company, I'd get over my heartbreak and graciously accept one of those purty two-door Mooneys. ()

I am probably in the market for a nice shiny new airplane, and now looking for that pot of gold buried somewhere in my back yard. Oh, wow, that is one gorgeous bird.

$155/month for a nice box hangar, wl electricity included.Will sublet until I have a Mooney to put back in it! ;D Airport and airport bums are both great. 6000', ILS, LPV, etc, Gorgeous town included, no extra cost. 100LL $4.26

For a most excellently lucid overview, check out the recent post, with photos, labeled "stabilizer trim alert" Fly-By, Lee Fox, volunteered hours of his expertise to figure out what went wrong. Read and learn!

Kudos and my deepest gratitude to Fly By /Lee for his persistence in figuring out what went wrong, and even more, what to do about it. Y'all pay attention, now. You now know what I truly wish I had known a few weeks ago. Somebody else suggested that "unloading the wing," i.e. a steep turn, would have taken the strong nose-up pressure off, such that I might have been able to keep the nose on the horizon by myself. I don't know... But as it was, I am glad I wasn't solo!!

Now looking to see about overhauling the TSIO 360 LB1. who's good, cheap, and fast? (I know, pick two.)

I'm pourin'. Who's thirsty? clink. Cheers. Here's to blue skies and tailwinds

My name is Amelia, and.... Well ...you know how it is. Looking at repair estimates. Trying to convince myself that I'm too old for this foolishness. People smarter than I am are telling me my poor broken airplane will never be worth more than it is right now, in pieces, that repair is sending good money after bad. Fingers in ears. Singing lalalala.

Oddly, Mike, it appears that it was never done, because the two surfaces that jammed together were flat rather than convex, and quite dry, despite having been greased only 7 months earlier, after s similar complaint that didn't result in undue drama. Nobody mentioned the s/i to me in all these years. (Fume. A good case for MSCs?) it would be nice if nobody else gets to have this much fun.

Deliberations on just what to do with my poor airplane continue. Apparently it will be close, whether to total it or fix it. Sigh... Of more general interest, maybe, is that Mooney brass have become significantly interested in this jammed trim issue, (I gather mine wasn't the first, by a ways, but they'd like it to be the last!) and will be, within the next few days, issuing a Service Bulletin discussing causes and preventative measures, updating and expanding the S/I M20-88.

Tell me more? Links? I, sadly, might be in the market.

So very sad. I am currently waiting for the insurance company to decide what to do with my old aluminum friend of >30 years. It is heartbreakingly close to the line, it seems, and just couldn't watch the video.

I believe the circuit breaker IS in that trim switch in my 231. There surely was no separate circuit breaker in the right panel labeled 'trim'. And turning the trim switch off and on made no difference in this situation, nor did any other electronic wizardry I could think of. It seemed purely, mechanically, jammed. One more thing. You Mooniacs are the absolute BEST. Not only have you made a really psychologically bruising situation much more tolerable, but the practical wisdom has been remarkable. I received a call from one Mooney owner in mid-Virginia who has been most generous with his time and expertise in helping me sort through repair options, when that time comes. Amazing and gratifying, to say the least. My most humble and hearty thanks for all the good-ness. ;

Lessons perhaps learned include not letting force of habit trump thinking it through. With the trim so out of whack, it took a lot of power to hold altitude. That need for substantially increased power and full flaps for landing didn't evaporate just because the runway threshold was beneath me. Shoulda, woulda, coulda held the power in and the speed up until I was well down the runway. It's not as if I didn't have plenty of runway ahead of me. Sighhhhh. Yes, it was a mechanical failure, yes,between the two of us we did manage to keep it right side up, yes, we were very lucky, but, just damn. Two more minutes of competence would have been nice. So now the real work begins. The paperwork.

Yes, Don, and there for a brief shining moment, I thought we were going to pull it off. So close, we were to doing it right. Boohooo.

Well, I didn't shut the power off...figured I had enough trouble on my hands, but maybe it would have helped. Was still quite entirely jammed this morning when I turned the master back on after a day of power being off, though. The FAA mechanical experts theorized about a broken wire in the electric trim for want of a better idea, after opening inspection plates all the way along.

It is with a heavy heart that I confess to wrecking a wonderful airplane. The fun started very shortly after takeoff Saturday afternoon from College Park Airport, when after a normal takeoff, normal gear and flaps retraction, the electric trim rolled all the way up, unbidden, and jammed. Solid. It took both of us leaning on the yokes with all our might to keep the altitude within a thousand feet of the assigned altitude. Such a good thing I wasn't solo. I could not hold it by myself. Nothing I could think of made any difference, not emergency trim disconnect, not manual trim. Not autopilot on or off. Not flaps. Very narrow range of power to stay well above stall speed, but not even more strong pitch up. At Potomac Approach's request, declared an emergency, struggled over to Stafford, flew a passable pattern, lined up on final, noted quite a reception committee, 20 degree crosswind 7g17 seemed do-able, then, mere feet from the threshold, maybe 15 feet up, my favorite right-seater cracked open the door, and the bottom suddenly dropped out. Short rollout onto the runway as nosegear collapsed. . Gas off, master and radios off, and dejectedly walked away from ithe mess. Unsuccessfully attempted to wave off eager emts and fire trucks. FAA guys showed up Monday am, three of them, and carefully looked over my beloved, grievously injured Marvin K Mooney, and preliminary conclusion seems to be mechanical failure, no pilot error, and we are lucky to be alive. Now to see if there's anything worth fixing, I guess. So sad.

I flew my 231 there last December. The flight should have been easy from KEYW, but got vectored around Hell's half acre into horrendous thunderstorms, landed at José Martí Indernational Airportwith 500 feet to spare, in hard rain. Was informed I was the first woman PIC, and the first Mooney231 to land at Havana..They keep score, Was escorted into Paperwork Central by our own private minder, and eventually joined our "Cultural Exchange" group for a whirlwind long weekend, mostly in old Havana. Friendly folk, everybody but the security types, bless em. Private enterprise were mostly artists, restaurateurs, and taxi drivers. And of course, the ladies selling companionship. Most Cubans speak passable English, and catch them in an unguarded moment, they want to talk. The economics there border on the incomprehensible. Two currencies, no ATMs, Not a shopper's mecca., Once past the bureaucracy, it isn't expensive, but landing and departure fees were high. Loved my experience, would definitely go again, but on my own next time, with time on my own to explore the countryside. My departure was funny. Pilots, but not pax, were told to go preflight for departure, and I picked up my flight bag. A guard blocked my way and wagged his index finger at this abuela who smiled sweetly, and said in Spanglish, "yo soy piloto," brandishing my name tag and my keys. The poor dear couldn't wrap his head around that weirdness, and had to have it officially confirmed. That same scenario happened twice more on the way to the airplane, and the young minder assigned to me was the most incredulous of all. Eventually I think I won her over, because she turned around as we taxied out, and gave me a broad wink and thumbs up. I wonder how things might have changed in the intervening year. Looking forward to reading the report!

Thanks, Lance! Sounds like a plan, but I am timid, being one who recites, out loud, "lefty-loosey, righty- tighty," before attempting to operate a flat head screwdriver. I'll do some reading.

I had decided that G5 would be my Christmas present to The airplane, but my avionics guy says it isn't compatible with the king autopilot and slaved compass. Well, shoot. So, I asked, how about that gorgeous slide-in Avidyne 540 replacement for the Garmin 530W? Hmph, he snorted. Just spent four hours chasing down a software issue, he said. Sure is hard to spend money around here. Next on the wish list is the in/out adsb. Wonder what's the best bang for those bucks.