Scott Aviation

Im just going to start out by saying that because my M20J was a project and the fuel tank sealant was toast aka rotten I had no other option being up here in good ol Canada but to take on the challenge myself. Secondly after 34 years of resealing over resealing it added up to the entire tanks being coated with almost a solid 1/4" thick layer of PRC, not just the seams but the entire tanks all 6 bays....I have sworn, cursed yelled, been scarred and bruised and am nearly done, $500 of Polygone stripper later, by the way polygone only works well when the sealant is a very thin, it will not dissolve 1/4" sealant being lightly agitated in the tanks. Just to summarize I would NOT take this project on again, I will take the wings back off, trailer the wings down to a good shop and get them to do it before I attempt such a painful job again. My question to my fellow mechanics and pilots is has anyone done a reseal job or know how much PRC sealant products I will need to complete a 64 Gallon tank reseal. I don't want to order too much as it's expensive and has a short shelf life and too little is obvious. I got a list from someone on here on a DIY sealant job for 54 gallon tanks but Im just curious if anyone has a invoice from a tank repair shop on the quantities and part numbers used. Any help or thoughts would be appreciated..

Here are 3 drawings of the applicable landing gear circuit for your aircraft, I've highlighted a few areas to look at. Sorry I left off the squat switch and landing gear horn. But as I said before they will not effect a gear down from happening. Hope these help.

77 201 SN 0185 will have the dukes gear actuator and hand crank in the cabin, so there will be no issue with that causing it to not retract, the only thing it would do is bind against the clutch if the gear down was activated while the emergency crank was engaged. You have a squat switch on the left main gear but that is for gear failing to retract. So thats not the issue. A failure to extend the gear I would say most likely resides with the gear switch itself, or a loose wire in the connections, I would also check the cannon plugs that run from the gear actuator to the relays for corrosion. Im just reviewing the electrical schematic for your sn and its such a basic circuit, really its probably a bad contact in the gear switch or a loose connection from there to the gear relays. Hope this helps clarify good luck

http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110604/EDM_bashaw_crash_110604/20110604/?hub=CalgaryHome Flying from Kelowna, B.C to Alberta across the rockies at 11pm at night, the wreckage was found at 3am, it dug a 10 foot crater into the ground, 2 poor souls passed away. Link above, this just happened last night http://flightaware.com/live/flight/CGEUO/history/20110604/0322Z/CYLW/CEK6

On the 201 the brake resevor is mounted in the avionics bay above the battery and there is a 1/4 plastic tube that runs under the belly to the brake pistons, this is a very convient spot for servicing and would not take much to relocate on yours Dave

Mooney.com is alive and well!!

Quote: Mooney65E Plan on doing some paint work to the underside of the wing where the stripper oozes past the access panels. It'll get pretty messy...just keep it contained, keep your cool and you'll be glad you tackled the job yourself. Nearly 10 years ago I machined two cover plates from .250" aluminum that covered the lower access panels. I drilled and tapped one hole in each and installed a brass sprinkler fitting on the inside of the outboard panel. On the bottom of the inboard panel I installed a return line which drained stripper fluid to a metal tub where it was recirculated through a submersible pump back to the sprinker/spray head inside the wing tank. About 5-6 hours and we were completely rid of the old sealant and ready to apply the new (we also used Flamemaster). Ten years later and the tanks haven't leaked a drop!! We passed the pump, tank and panels around the airport to other Mooney owners wanting to reseal their tanks. Not sure what ever happened to them or who has them now, but it's not too terribly difficult to rig another one up. Take the thousands of dollars you saved and spend it elsewhere on your plane.

Quote: Mooney_Allegro It really is a sad time for the employees of Mooney. They are such great people and very talented, especially Brian Kendrick, Chad Nelson, John Elliott, Stacy Ellis, Paul Kehner, and Monty. My plane is 63Q, one of the last Mooneys at the factory getting an extensive annual. I finally found a shop I was completely comfortable with. I sure hope things turn around and they come back in short order. I should be able to pick my plane up by week's end.

I just want to start out by thanking Chad, Stacey, Frank, Glenda and Bill for their hospitality last Thursday as Chad took me through the factory I got to meet some of the people that made Mooney airplanes what they are today. Just a wonderful group of dedicated, passionate folks who you can tell care very much for the airplanes they produced. I was taken back by the current state of the factory, you could almost hear a pin drop as you walked around, the staff was busy getting the parts and tooling ready for long term storage and preservation, most machinery and aircraft were covered in tarps and blankets. It felt a bit like you had just lost a close family member and were mourning the loss. As I got there I was told that they had just announced another cut back and that the current 30+ staff would be reduced down to a skeleton crew of 6 people just before Christmas. The people that would be staying are handling the warranty and technical support as well as a few other duties. The factory service center was finishing up inspections and new interiors on 3 airplanes due to be completed by mid December, after that all work is forwarded off to Dugosh across the way. All I can say is I sure hope that something good comes out of this situation, from what it sounds like is the production group was just starting to get a real good handle on production issues and timing making for a very effecient operation. Too little too late?? who knows, time will tell. Take Care Mooney Folks! Chris