jwilkins

I know the OP has made a decision, but I wanted to weigh in for others who might read this. I'm a bit of a gadget guy, and have bought and tried several headsets; Bose X (x 2 sets), Lightspeed Zulu and Sierra, (and the original Lightspeed ANR years ago), Telex Stratus 50D, and the Halos. When I'm doing a short hop I might use the Bose X only because the Lemo connector is only on the pilot's side, and I don't need to check batteries. I like the Lightspeed headsets better than the Bose; more comfortable for me and sound is better. I sold the Stratus 50D's after dealing with the non-customer service group twice. Lightspeed has absolutely wonderful customer service. The Halos are, without reservation, my absolute favorite headset. In the several years I've had the Halos I have not needed any customer service; probably the best kind of service; make them to last. Without the very complex electronic ANR circuits there are fewer opportunities for failure, but the mechanical construction is excellent and robust. I can wear the Halos for two four hour legs in one day and not get a pressure clamping headache. I have never had any over-the-ear headset that was really comfortable after 4+ hours in a day. The Halos are louder - I have to adjust the volume down after using one of the other sets, the radio sounds clearer, and I have less trouble adjusting my glasses, OX cannula, and the headset than with an over-the-ear set. The're less sweaty in warm weather, too. My son won't wear an in-the-ear set so he gets to use one of the Lightspeed sets. My wife won't wear an over-the-ear set so she uses the Halos with the small size silicone plugs. I use the foam plugs and have never had any trouble with expanding or ear irritation. I periodically replace the plugs, although probably not as often as recommended. This really comes down to an individual choice, but I know very few pilots who go back to an over-the-ear after they use the Halos. If you don't like an in-the-ear set either the Lightspeed Sierra or Zulus are excellent, with fantastic customer service if you need it. Bose performance is OK but, for me, the Lightspeed are more comfortable. Telex Stratus 50D are also OK, but the headsets I had crapped out twice and the customer service is almost non-existent, elusive to reach, slow to answer, and incredibly expensive for 'flat rate' repairs. In my opinion the Lightspeed are a superior product to the Telex, but I'd support them even if they weren't because of the customer service. Jim

I absolutely enjoy and take a great deal of pride in being a pilot and owning an airplane. I have an equity position in an off shore factory. Our business here is handling sales, engineering, warehousing, etc for US customers. Although I can afford the expense, and could just decide to keep the plane as a personal toy, I bought it by justifying a significant portion as a business expense. I don't enjoy boring holes in the sky like I did when I was doing my primary training. Although I'm an engineer by training, business expenses are pretty cut and dry for me. I just can't help it. When we want to buy a capital piece of equipment it has to pass pass an ROI analysis, bring in a new capability which we forecast to expand business, or meet a customer requirement to keep or get a new job. I really like the Mooney and do cut it a lot of slack by rationalizing the easy travel, less overnights, huge decrease in hassle factor, access to local airports closer to customers, etc. etc. as an offset to the costs. However, if the numbers get too far out of whack when I look at the financials every month it eats at me. I may own the business but I still look at the numbers the same way I did when I was working for a public corporation; do the costs and expenses for each line item look reasonable for the benefits derived? At some point I'll either feel OK with the expense to utilization ratio, or I'll decide it's too far out of whack. I'm giving it a few months to see what contracts we've bid that might come through, and how existing customer orders fill out fro 2013. Jim

Well, we've finished our taxes except for a few 1099s that are coming in late. The big heartache was the cost per hour of running 1MS. Business is a little slower than years past so there has not been as much business travel required. I only put around 100 business hours on the plane last year. With the somewhat routine maintenance issues you might expect on a 1980 aircraft and higher fuel costs, I'm having a really hard time justifying the expense. My wife told me this morning that I should just fly more for pleasure, but that just adds expense with no deductible offset and no potential for resultant business growth. Good supportive wife. Not great logic for our company accountant. Revenue was down slightly last year, but income held. I could afford to keep the plane but when the cost of the plane is 3X to 5X commercial air travel it is hard for me to justify. I used to fly for 2X commercial travel; it was about a wash, commercial ticket cost to fuel expense, and other costs made it about 2X the SWA ticket costs. I'm going to give this a few more months to see where the year heads business-wise. I'm planning an AZ to New England trip early summer and if the numbers look the same as they do now, I'll put 1MS up for sale after that trip. I want to get in another XC trip before I make a final decision. It could be my last one for a while. Sigh. Not happy, but the numbers are what they are. Variable costs up, fixed costs up and fewer hours to amortize those fixed costs into. Now if South West tripled all their ticket prices this spring the analysis would be different. I sold my first Mooney in a recession, and when I could justify another a few years later made a big upgrade to 477T. Maybe I'll be able to justify an Acclaim in a few years.... Jim

My 62 C had lower CHT temps on climb out after I installed the Lasar cowl mod to close up the cowl opening under the prop. I thought it was odd, but the AP said it was not uncommon as the original cowl had terrible air flow characteristics. I only had a single probe CHT so never knew what the rest of the cylinders were doing.

I like this, especially having the insurance covered. West Texas Airport used to (maybe still does) have a couple airport cars. Keep as long as you like (even multiple days) pay $1/ mile on return. I may sound high but worked out to a really good deal for local transportation. I miss going there. The Vickers Varsity on display was amazing, and the FBO crew was always friendly. Most times we borrow a crew car I put gas in it or donate $10 or $20 to the airport coffee fund, but it's getting harder to find a crew car. Enterprise will come out to most airports but it's expensive. Not having transportation at a reasonable price prevents us from making a lot of trips we would like to do.

A lot of the aircraft VALUE is based on average condition of accessories and systems. Any aircraft has a lot of systems that may eventually need repair or replacement. The book value reflects that reality. The engine and airframe book values are adjusted for above or below AVERAGE times. Asking for a discount because something currently in serviceable condition may eventually need repair or replacement is not recognizing what the book value is based upon. Personally, as a seller, I would not even consider a request for a discount on the basis of possible future maintenance. As a wise and experienced Mooney dealer once told me; you check carefully to see what you have today but, it's an airplane, and anything might happen tomorrow. For this particular airframe, the corrosion concerns me. When you say" corrosion was found and tubing was replaced, then again in 1988 with no corrosion and then in 1993 the tubes were "cleaned and treated and kit 208b was installed". Would you have the SB preformed again during pre purchase? Would you discount your offer for corrosion history?" Tubing replacement may indicate pretty major corrosion found. Since the SB 208 insulation kit was not installed at THAT time is also a concern to me. I'm surprised the insulation was not replaced at that time. I've bought Mooneys with multiple gear up landings, and other moderate damage history, partial missing logbooks, and neglected maintenance at an adjusted price with no hesitation. I'd really hesitate to buy a Mooney with recurring major tube corrosion. Bruce from Wilmar has photos of really nice looking Mooneys which were scrapped out due to the cost of corrosion tube repairs. If everything else is great on this plane I'd have the SB inspection done again by a Mooney shop that KNOWS how to do it correctly. Part of doing the inspection correctly involves removing the attach bolts and dragging a magnet inside the tube to check for interior rusting. I'd deal with this if it were already my plane, but I honestly would not buy one with this history unless it was one heck of a deal, and not a huge investment. Even if it were the deal of a lifetime, I'd get it carefully and thoroughly checked out by an expert. Even a great deal is not good if you end up scrapping the aircraft. It may be possible that the tubes were repaired but the window leaks causing the rust were not fixed, and the old insulation was still holding moisture against the tubes. Of course, if the repairs were done at a shop like Wilmar that has a LOT of experience with this, I'd call them and ask them why they think it recurred. Corrosion just scares me. You can inspect the outside of the tubes, but not the inside. I suppose part of my paranoia is from growing up back East where the 'cancer' on our cars could be treated but never eliminated. Other experiences and opinions may vary.

Lasar visors for 67 F: Yes, it was a couple years ago I got mine. How time slips by. I'll send Dan a note and ask him what the story is now. Will advise. Jim

1980 M20K: less than 500 SMOH. My oil analysis started showing an increase in iron. We didn't know why. The lab suggested perhaps a lack of flying from the previous owner, but that didn't make sense with the previous analysis and my flying times since purchase. Resampled in 25 instead of 50 showed another slight increase. Meanwhile the alternator (direct drive) began to take several minutes to come on line after sitting over night. The shop said 'probably not related, most likely the coupling is slipping, but let's pull the alternator to check it out'. The direct drive coupling had been improperly installed by a previous mechanic and was slowly grinding up the alternator shaft. The coupling and alternator were replaced; the oil analysis came down to normal. Bottom line: the oil analysis MAY show when something is not normal. The problem is figuring out exactly WHAT is not normal. There are a lot of 'this typically indicates ...' but the oil analysis does not produce a diagnostic, just a symptom. I do it every oil change. It's an additional data point to consider when you are putting together all the facts. When an overhaul costs more than the first house my wife and I bought, $25 is a pretty inexpensive charge to get one more data point. I'm happy when I see 'all normal' and think it's worth the cost to get one more data point, whether that data point is good, bad, or just plain confusing. Jim

Regarding Lasar visors on a '67 F: I got the Lasar visors with the clamp-on adapter from, strangely enough, Lasar. Call Dan at Lasar Parts dept (800) 954-5619; he can tell you availability / lead time. Jim

Hopefully this will work out OK for you, but the isolation mounts are supposed to dampen vibrations to give the gyros a little softer life. Maybe the new gyros are more resistant to vibration than the old ones.... I replaced the mounts on my 62 C when the panel started dropping enough to turn the switches directly below the panel off. Aircraft Spruce had replacements, I think they were sold as a Cessna part but the Mooney never knew. When I took the old ones off several were actually broken, and others had a severe droop It was nice to get the panel back up where it was supposed to be, and not as wobbly.

Some time ago Dan at Lasar had a set made up for my 67 F with the special additional clamp-on brackets for the F. As remember it took less than a week for him to get these for me. Maybe I just caught the timing right and he was ready to order anyway, but if I wanted a set of visors I'd call and talk to Dan. The Rosen visors are supposed to be really nice but the Lasar ones fit Mooneys very well and are fully articulated. My Bonanza driving friend had Rosens and liked them until he rode in the Mooney and used the Lasar visors. Of course, he bitched about everything Mooney compared to his Bonanza, except the visors and fuel flow vs speed in the Mooney. On our two hour trip we took about 15 minutes longer than he would have, used about 12 gallons less fuel, and he could adjust the sun visors any way he wanted. Regarding the availability: maybe the difference is in placing an actual order with Dan as compared to asking if the visors are in stock.

My 80K started doing this. The shop found a loose connection on the tach wiring that was causing readings to be higher (sorry but I don't remember where the loose connection was) We got that fixed so the readings were steady but the calibration was off by about 100 RPM, which I noticed as a difference between the ship's tach and the JPI, I had the shop check with their optical tach on the prop to see which was right. The JPI and the optical agreed spot-on. The ship tach read about 100 RPM high. So I had a Horizon electronic tach installed. Since my 80K did not have an hour recording tach (only a Hobbs type meter buried in the co-pilot foot well) I also picked up an easily read-able hours meter on the Horizon. My original gauges are over thirty years old now, so the decision to replace instead of re calibrate or repair is different than it might be on a '96.

I have a simple XLS spreadsheet set up for my K. You can plug in weights of PX, baggage, gallons of fuel (main and aux), and it will show available payload (plus or negative), and CG Anyone who would like a copy please PM an email address to me. I'll be traveling next week but will respond as possible, otherwise, I'll catch up when get back from CA. Acceptable CG limits vary with weight so you still need to check the graph. I didn't get that into the spreadsheet. Jim

The weather is really nice here, especially compared to Upstate NY in the winter. The high DA in the summer, a home field elevation of 5000 (KPRC) and the summer frequent desert turbulence helped me rationalize trading my 67F in for the 80K. My F was an absolutely gorgeous aircraft and perfectly capable for the area with proper planning. I love the way the K climbs. Spring and Fall in Upstate NY were really nice, but the lack of sun in the winter was depressing and I grew to dislike the cold and snow more every year. We get snow a few times a year in Prescott, but it's usually gone in a day or two.

The OP said they are using both preheater and the warm oil. I think it can't hurt. Years ago my '62 C was parked on the ramp in MA for a couple days when the temperatures were hitting highs of -10 F. There was no heated hanger space available. The morning I wanted to leave I had the FBO try to preheat the engine, but their preheater ran on propane which would not vaporize to keep the burner running for more than a couple minutes at a time. We plugged the sump heater in and I did exactly what the OP does; heated a couple quarts of oil in boiling water. The '62 C had a very specific cold weather starting procedure in the owners manual which included pumping the throttle and flipping the prop. Between the heated oil, sump heater, and many attempts to keep the FBO's preheater running we got the engine warm enough to feel warmth on the cowl and register on the oil temp gauge. Despite the predictions from the small crowd watching out the window, it started right up and got immediate normal oil pressure. It was a nice smooth flight home. Yes, the bush pilots will drain the oil and take it inside to warm up (or used to anyway) but they warm ALL the oil. If you leave frozen oil in the sump it can clog the pump. With multi viscosity oils and 'normal' cold temperatures (not -40 like in Alaska) that should not happen. Personally, I think adding some warm oil can't hurt and may help, but I would still flip the prop to help get it mixed up a bit. I solved most of my cold weather starting issues by moving to Arizona. I highly recommend it. Jim

"I think I found the last used spline two years ago. I had to pay $500.00 for a $20.00 part. Be very careful with it." Anyone who needs parts should call Dan at Lasar (800-954-5619 ). I understand he has these splines in stock. I always start with Dan; it saves me a lot of anxiety. Jim

There can be a thousand different opinions, and no 'right' answer, but my recommendation is to get the license first and then spend some time renting so you know what type of flying you enjoy, how much you use a plane, and what type of plane you need for the flying you do after the initial infatuation is over. You may decide after a year you want an M20C for for fun local flying, or you need a de-iced Bravo. I held off buying my first plane until I got my Instrument rating, just as a self incentive to get it done. I went from a 62C to a 67F to the present 80K, but I always knew it would be a Mooney.

10 to 12 for shorter trips; 15 to 17 for longer trips, provided my son who hates using Ox is not with me, if he is we generally stay below Ox required levels unless Wx or turbulence dictates higher. Since our home airport is 5K MSL, 10K msl is really not very high.

Or Dan at Lasar 800 954 5619 Last time I needed some he had the original ones in stock. Jim

You really should replace both as a set; the inner post O ring is not under compression as the large outer ring and is.

1MS came with an 800 which I upgraded to the 830 display. The description I read differentiating the 830 from the 930 is that the 930 has a factory annunciator and factory programmed limits for the primary functions. If I were doing a new-install and the cost to do the 930 over the non primary 830 was not too high, I'd go with the 930 even if I were not at that time removing the original ships gauges. The older gauges are getting expensive to repair / rebuild. Having the primary approved gauge keeps your options open for the future. When my original TIT failed the plane was grounded until we fixed it, as the 800 is not a primary TIT indicator. If I had a 930 I could have chosen to placard the original TIT and use the 930 TIT. In my opinion the 800 with fuel flow had too many functions for the limited display. I did not like cycling through the display. I am much happier with the 830 display. I find the scan much better.

When I decided that I wanted / needed a turbo charged engine I thought about adding the M20 Turbo to my VERY nice 67 F. I do believe the M20 Turbo kit is a better design than the early M20K. Everything I have read about the engineering is sound and an improvement from the original M20K. However, the cost to buy and install the kit exceeded the value of the F, and would not have added much to retail value down the road. I called Jimmy Garrison at All American and asked him to find a decent M20K, which he did in a couple months. 231MS also had the engine upgrade, intercooler, and Merlin wastegate that, in my mind, corrected some of the early K shortcomings. For me, it was absolutely the right decision. The cost was only about 10K more than my F was worth (it was a very nice F), it's newer, and there is support for the components. Hopefully, when the time comes to try something else, it will be a little easier to sell a factory turbo than one with the conversion. As good as the M20 Turbo conversion is, I always wonder who did the installation and how well the details were followed. It is a major job. Out here in AZ where it is hot and high, the K is the right plane for me. I've talked to people who really like the Ray Jays, and one fellow who is absolutely fanatically sold on the M20 Turbo conversion. Personally, I would not do a conversion myself, but if that was what I wanted, I would try to find an existing converted plane for sale.

I agree that required gauges must be working. I do not know of any specification on calibration, and, since the JPI specifically states that their probe may vary in displayed temp from the original massive probe, the probability of having the two agree is not high. Arizona Aircraftsman has a calibration tester so they can get an indication of the accuracy of the probes after installation. Just as with your compass, you could placard the instrument with a correction factor. If I did not have the JPI I probably would send the ship gauge out for calibration. Since I have both, I can watch the offset between the ship gauge and the JPI. If the offset remains consistent it is an indication that the precision is under control. One thought that just occurred to me: JPI states that their indicated TIT temperature may vary by as much as 100 degrees from the ship gauge due to probe construction differences. When they supply a 711 kit, certified to replace the ship gauge TIT, do they use the same probes? If I remember correctly, the difference between the 711 and 700 is hard coded limits and an annunciator for the 711. I agree you need a functional TIT and CDT when the type certificate and operating limitations reference them. You want the readings to be accurate and precise. However, I believe you can placard the instrument for an offset if you have a method of testing it, as AAC does. Again, if I had ONLY the ship gauge and it were reading more than 25 or 30 degrees off, I probably would send it out for calibration. If it starts drifting more, without an additional indicator, you won't know that the offset is changing.

Everything else being equal, I would favor for the E with the S-Tec. However, your intended use may influence the decision. If you intend to do mostly local VMC flights the autopilot may not be as important. Some owners will tell you that the C model with the manual gear and 180HP may require less maintenance; the cylinders tend to last longer and the manual gear has fewer parts. I loved my 62 C with manual gear. It was fast enough for 300 - 400 mi trips and an absolute joy for local trips. After a couple years I put a G430 and an S-Tec 30 in for the IFR trips. I think the autopilot is a huge benefit for single pilot IFR so you can relax a bit once in a while. When I bought the 67 F I was flying 90% on business, and the additional fuel and backseat room was a plus. The F was a little faster but the range and radios were a stepup. The F also had an S-Tec. When I moved to AZ and began to deal with 8000 ft density altitudes I bought a K. If I were back at low altitudes and buying a plane for mostly personal use I would look for a C, E, or F. Manual gear is, to me, a plus. I really like the S-Tec autopilots. The MAIN decision is condition, not price. You need a good pre-purchase inspection by a Mooney experienced and recommended shop.

re: "Did you have Lasar rebuild your gauge or have you learned to live with the discrepancy?" I replaced the ship TIT probe, but did NOT have the gauge rebuilt. The JPI manual states that the ship gauge TIT will vary by up to 100 degree from the JPI gauge. They explain it as a difference in construction of the two probes. That does not make sense to me if you allow the two probes time to stabilize, but they specifically state you can expect a difference. I use the JPI as the gauge to monitor; since it's the higher I feel it's safer to use the higher reading gauge. BTW I just had the JPI / EDM 830 display installed to replace the 800 display. You can trade in the old 700 or 800 display. I'm really pleased with the new 830 display and being able to see almost everything I want without pushing buttons. I think it's one of the most cost effective 'upgrades' I've done on an airplane. If there is room around the old 700/800 display the installation is minimal; the hole size gets increased from the 2+ inch hole to the 3+in std hole size. Cabling is the same so you just need to plug it in if the old cable has an extra 2 inches of slack. It's a really nice upgrade to have all those parameters displayed on one screen without cycling through the display. Jim