Amelia

Or September. Or whenever! Thanks so much for the brilliant idea, and thanks for being willing to aim for another time. I'm really looking forward to it.

Aww, shoot. Well, keep my name in the pot for November, please!

Anybody have rudder pedal extensions? I got to thinking about us vertically-challenged folk, with pillows, cushions, and so forth, just to be able to reach the pedals and see over the glarescreen....then looked up rudder extensions, and found they come in 1.5 and 3 inches. Got a couple of 2x4 scraps and cut blocks, went out to the airport with them to try 'em on for size. Turns out, 1.5 would be good, but 3.0 would be even better, I think. (Airport Expert saw me with the blocks, the rubber bands, and proceeded to scold me, sternly admonishing me as to their utter unsuitability for the obvious task intended. I told him solemnly that I would surely wait until I had my STC paperwork in hand....) Are they ever available used? Thanks.

I'll be surprised if the fact that you're shorter than average will make a big difference in how much you like flying this airplane. For me, the Mooney's much-vaunted responsiveness took some getting used to after hundreds of Ye Basic Skyhawk hours, but it's addictive. Flying with fingertips and electric trim is wonderful, and all those pretty avionics are most excellent. In fact, if I climbed back in my 1975 C-172 today, I'd probably feel overwhelmed by the workload I once took for granted, having been grateful when I transitioned to it, to suddenly have two nav-coms. Yes, Mooneys seem to have been designed, like most sports cars, with tall, thin guys in mind, but I'm living proof that you can work around that. When you go Mooney shopping, be sure and bring along supplementary seat cushions. You may find them unnecessary, but at 5'4 with proportionately short legs, I can't reach the pedals or see over the panel without a 2" cushion under me, the seat all the way forward, and another 1"-2" pillow behind me. I've often wondered if there might be rudder-pedal extensions, so my aging eyes didn't have to be quite so close to the gauges. I've found backseat leg room is surprisingly useful, even for just two people, but that's just me, being prepared for contingencies, like the joy of being able to have others along for a comfortable ride- Angel Flight passengers, children, friends, and now grandchildren with bulky car-seats. But all that's moot if what you can comfortably afford is an older short-body. 'Comfortably afford' is important, maybe the most important consideration. Buying too fancy an airplane, and then realizing you can't fly this week because the fuel's too high, or realizing the unexpected repair job is beyond your means, is distressing. Best of luck to you in your search. Maybe the next time I'm in Mobile, you'll have a new toy to show off!

The non-negotiables, imo, should be the things that can't be easily changed or added. A good autopilot. Insignificant damage history, and careful maintenance. No corrosion. Reasonably low-time engine and prop-- all in just about that order. The avionics are wonderful, but there's so much stuff out there now, that if you had to make do with a dated panel for a while as you chose the perfect things to put in the new-and-improved panel, it would be OK. I love my 2-year-old G-530- but seriously-, it's a frill, and the updates are surprisingly pricey. I flew this bird for at least 18 years without one, and you can make do for a year or two, as well. Consider the possible merits of learning the airplane's own systems and quirks before you add another learning curve. You can easily add the fancy panel-mount GPS, if you find a truly beautiful airplane without it. I really, truly think you NEED a good autopilot in a cross-country type airplane as slippery as a Mooney. It vastly reduces pilot fatigue and tendency to disorientation. Seems to me that it offers a huge safety factor, whether one is trying to reach a hat that's in the backseat, or to repeatedly look down at approach plates, and up hoping to see a runway on a bumpy approach.

Now, that is some of the finest hospitality I've ever been offered, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. It's sure tempting- but a mighty long way from coastal NC. We had a splendid trip to TX hill country a few springs ago- and it was unbelievably gorgeous- every Blue Bonnet, Indian Paintbrush, and White Prickly Poppy for miles around in riotously patriotic full bloom. My favorite photo from that trip was a lovely Longhorn, up to its belly in Blue Bonnets, not far up the road from Kerrville. That was Texas in one swell foop! Then, to add fabulous to fantastic, we spent a few days down at Big Bend admiring canyon walls from a canoe. Whoooeee. Amazing! Maybe that'll happen again, who knows? I'll be sure to let you know.

Yeah, owning a Mooney ain't for financial sissies. But NOT owning a Mooney is awful beyond contemplation. There's no Mooney service center anywhere close to me, (we're so gloriously isolated that even WalMart's 40 minutes away) but I notice there's one a hundred miles from my son's new home. Anybody have any experience with Midwest Mooney M-20 in Flora, IL? I could at least enjoy some grandsons while the shop rips through those boys' inheritance.

This morning our local mechanic went over the system one more time, complimented the nice neat job the last mechanic did on installing the presumably new fuel flow transducer, and hooked a jumper cable up to make sure all was properly grounded. Then we cranked 'er up, and.... nothing. Still. Not even a flicker. The mechanic who installed the new transducer says it's exceedingly unlikely to be returnable-- just more good money after bad, caveat emptor, and all that. He agrees that the oddball electric malfunctions that don't seem to make sense might by some stretch be somehow be related, but what on earth do you do about that short of replacing every inch of every wire? Sigh. No idea where to go from here.

And, now, in addition to the fuel flow problem that refuses to be fixed, I note that the flight time counter on the ADF has quit-- though the elapsed-time counter works fine, as does most of the rest of that box. And the altitude-hold on the autopilot works great. But the heading-hold doesn't. She fumes in stupid frustration. All this stuff involving electrons happening at once - purely unrelated coincidences, part of the joy of owning an airplane, or is there a single 50-cent fuse somewhere that involves all this disparate stuff, that has led me down this ridiculous garden path?

Oh, dear. That's not what I really think, but close enough. Now I have watched a mechanic with a multimeter trace every centimeter of the wire from the fuel flow transducer to the fuel flow gauge, checked to make sure the cannon plug works, and yesterday replaced the tranducer itself. On top of having the gauge itself sent away and cleaned and verified a few months ago when this idiocy began. Still no fuel flow, nothing's changed except that my wallet is $2500 lighter than it was before I tried to have it 'fixed.' One mechanic shrugs and says learn to get along without it, the next assures me solemnly that it's required equipment and I mustn't fly it until it works. I silently scream WELL, FIX THE FREAKIN THING!!!!. And politely ask if he has any better ideas how to accomplish this thing. He admits he doesn't. Help !! Anybody?

Many thumbs up for the mountain-checkout advice! I did that a few decades ago, landed our old C-172 in Colorado Springs to visit relatives, and escaped one gorgeous Sunday morning to fly with an outstanding instructor. Four hours of steep turns out of blind canyons, several one-way airports, Leadville, Aspen, leaning on takeoff, picking out Colorado Rockies landmarks, a 360 around Pike's Peak, weather advice, and other good things to know about that neck of the woods. The tricks and survival hints the guy taught were just as good to know when we transitioned to the Mooney. Really, really excellent thing to have done.

Oh, wow!!! I want one like that!

I just spent about a half hour bragging on my old iPAQ 4700-based AnywhereMap XM, and the reply seems to have disappeared. Short version: I like it very much, much more out-of-the-box intuitive than Garmin, very well-supported, and far cheaper both in short haul and long run. Long version: In the five or six years I've owned this gizmo with its weather, and used it for a host of non-aviation functions as well, my brother has been through several brand-G units that are STILL less capable than my AnywhereMap. After upgrading his Garmin handheld GPS three times, at considerable expense, he finally now has weather and a color display, same as I've had since forever. But mine still has more pixels. And I can check my email when it's within wireless internet range, look up a phone number, or even play solitaire on the thing. The XM-WX display has saved my bacon on a number of occasions, including both going and coming on my most recent trip, threading me through several holes in otherwise completely unflyable continent-spanning systems. Did I say I like my Anywhere Map? But wait: there's more. Recent upgrades to the associated PocketPlates software now show not only your position on the approach plates, but display nexrad weather right onto the plate as well. What I like about the AWM is that my annual subscription includes all the software upgrades. It's like waiting for Christmas, I'll admit- promised new-and-improved versions are sometimes slower than promised, but well worth the wait. The newest version- which did not require running out and dropping another couple grand on a whole new system like Brand G is wont to do, is gorgeous -very fine detail, wonderful graphics, excellent readability and fast refreshes. The associated Pocket Plates- available at the touch of a button, now show weather overlays on the approach plate. The tech support staff at ControlVision is outstanding and very reachable both online and by phone. I've had troubles with memory allocation in this antique handheld, and they've always been there (except on weekends) and both courteous and helpful. Drawbacks? Readability in direct sunlight can be challenging. Not usually a problem in the Mooney, but if I had a glass canopy, it might be. Not sure how that compares with Garmin's screen. Wiring used to be in the way, but now that it's threaded behind the panel and zipstripped out of the way, it's not a factor. I'd love to upgrade to the big-screen tablet version, but reality intrudes: there's just no room between my tummy and the yoke for a bigger unit. Short legs barely reach the pedals as it is.

Scott, I already have an EI engine monitor... too bad. But I'll keep my eyes open for another thought. Thanks so much!

Bill Wheat and his colleague were just great, and the wiring diagram PDF- once printed on about 20 sheets of paper and taped into readable mural-sized format, were very helpful in curing a couple of vexatious problems. Unfortunately, we did not cure the fuel flow transducer problem, and so I'm probably stuck with buying another one. The FlowScan 201 I see on marine websites is a completely different thing, right, and that's why it costs 20% of the price of this two-ounce chunk of aluminum labeled for a Mooney?

Thanks so much! I appreciate the offer and the good advice. The great guys at Mooney sent me a wiring diagram, which was helpful in determining there's nothing wrong with the wiring as far as we can tell. Now I fear we're down to the Flo Scan fuel flow tranducer itself, which seems clean and free of obvious problems... we'll fire 'er up tomorrow, and see for sure. *sigh*

And about Willmar- they re-sealed my tanks, and made the procedure as painless and trouble-free as possible. Really nice folk to deal with. Just a very long way from Columbus is all.

You might check to see if Clyde Wittenbrook is still the Mooney expert at Barnesville, Ohio. He was the go-to guy 20-some years ago when I bought my fourth of this Mooney, and my excellent partners thought well of him.

Oh, my! That is so very kind of you- Don wrestled with his computer unsuccessfully trying to copy the important parts, and the dear people at Willmar promised to email me a copy tomorrow, so if that doesn't work, I'll be begging for your help. Would you be willing to sell your spare manuals? I'm at least a day's drive from the nearest Mooney Service Center, and trying to get the mechanic who's just begun working here at EDE up to speed. I'm supposed to fly on Sunday, and thinking to tell the man to just button it all back up, and we'll get to it later. Thanks again!!!!!

The mechanic who's trying to chase down an electrical malfunction in my 1980 231 needs a maintenance manual and specifically a schematic diagram of the wiring to the fuel flow transducer. I see that several shops sell Mooney maintenance manuals, but the one they sell for M20K is dated 1993. Mine is a 1980. Will that $100 book be what I need? Thanks!

Glad to see others warning against one Venice, FL self-aggrandizing Mooney guru. .. I thought it might've been just me. My experience with Jacobs's half-hearted tank-sealing efforts was, shall we say, disappointing, not to mention expensive.

I'm fighting the same battle with my K-model. We've had the MP/FF gauge overhauled- found no problems, cleaned the electrical contacts and cleaned the transducer, which seems fine. Now trying to figure out if it's an electrical problem, seems that there's no power from the transducer to the gauge... finally got hungry and too dark to see, before we gave up for the night. Tomorrow's another day. Annoying- and expensive. If anybody has some clever ideas, we'll be happy to hear 'em.

Well, it was a nice try. The mechanics installed the rebuilt display at substantial expense, blew compressed air through the transducer with the desired result, reinstalled all, and it read just fine.... for one whole hour. Now we're back to where we started, with nothing. And for the fourth time in six months, the #4 egt lead for the EI UBG engine monitor is broken. I'm thinkin' I oughta sell this bird and take up knitting, but probably nobody's buying used airplanes. On the plus side, even though several indicators were busted, the ground speed readout on yesterday's flight home to coastal NC from St. Louis MO worked just fine: 190 to 205kt at 11,000 ft. Whee!

Arrgggh. If it's not one darn thing it's another. I feel as if I'm playing aeronautical whack-a-mole. The problem du jour is that the fuel flow indicator stopped working. It was first diagnosed as a faulty connection. Then it was the instrument display that needed overhauled. NOW the thought is that I need a new transducer or some such thing, and Mooney wants $1000 for the thing. Dang! Does anybody know of a used fuel flow tranducer that could be had for cheap?

Some expert or other, maybe Barry Schiff, suggested some years ago, that when the wind's that strong, taking off from the lee corner of the runway, headed for the windward side a thousand feet or so forward, to cut 20 degrees or more off the crosswind component when you most need it. Then, he suggested, you can steer gently back toward the center of the runway, easing naturally up on that lowered upwind wing as you gain flying speed- or run out of pavement. Seems to work especially well when the windsock's pointing straight across a reasonably wide runway.