carusoam

The quirky top artifact is a visual cue that only six-pack navigators assume they are seeing... It really looks like the old holes of the six-pack are visible... Have no fear, your non-Aviation friends won’t see it that way... Great panel pics gents! Thanks for sharing all the details. The aspen guys should have used a different shape and color for that tab... Best regards, -a-

See what @chrixxer is thinking... There is no benefit to having your first engine out experience... You are just as likely to have another one the following day, if not, plan that way anyway... Best regards, -a-

Stay with me for a moment @Carlton... There are a few interesting fuel pump diagrams.... Most Mooneys have the electric boost pump in line with the mechanical fuel pump... Some ‘lucky’ planes are not inline... This Possibly sounds like something is allowing fuel to backflow through a failed pump... giving zero pressure and no fuel flow to the engine. Or leaking out to the ground... 1) Go immediately to the POH, parts manual, service books for your plane to see how your fuel pumps are plumbed... 2) look for any oneway valves... 3) clean or replace the faulty oneway valve that is allowing backflow... 4) Look Around the plane for puddles on the ground... or blue stains at the pump drains... 5) if the pump sounds normal fuel is going somewhere... 6) if the pump sounds funny, it is possible the vanes have come loose or departed the pump... 7) what do you hear when you turn the boost on? 8) do you have a fuel flow meter? Does it get erratic during this? A sign that air is entering the line... PP hypothesis only, I have only heard of this odd pump arrangement once, recently... not a mechanic. peace and honor to our lost canopyman, who’s thread we are revisiting... Best regards, -a-

52 gallons in the M20C, gets by with one sensor per tank.... 100 gallons in the M20R, uses two sensors per tank... The wing dihedral makes this mandatory.... the outer sensor will sit on the floor of the tank... the inner sensor hits the top surface... The tanks are pretty regular in shape and having a set of five calibrated points should work pretty well... Look into using Cies gauges to be any more accurate than that. Cies reportedly can be calibrated by the gallon, being 100 points... extra accuracy is good for tank volume users like speed brakes and other hardware... That takes a serious effort during the calibration... get it done right, the first time... See if you can get all of the following.... Monroy extended range tanks... four Cies digital fuel senders. Improved tank vents, (anti-ice/bug collision blocker) or better... reverse NACA vent from a modern mooney... jpi 900 fuel flow/totalizer gps integrate all that hardware together to have fuel needed to get to your destination and advice if it looks like you will be unable... Compare fuel used from the totalizer to the Cies system, again advise if they are different.... indication of a tank leak.... PP thoughts only, something I have been thinking about... awhile. Best regards, -a-

Nice informative first post, Randy! Best regards, -a-

The Ye-Olde system of fuel level leaves the pilot with a lot of responsibility to not run out of fuel... 1) book values for FF, combined with a clock, is one rough way of doing it... confirm that the book values apply to your plane. At least... climb FF and cruise FF should be known(s) for your ship.... 2) The back-up is confirming the fuel level with the fuel gauges.... (hard to do when not working properly) 3) The first step in modernization added a FF gauge with totalizer skills... (early 90s technology) 4) Cies is the next step towards digitalization... 5) integrating the engine monitor, FF, and GPS... is the ultimate of fuel situational awareness. 6) The Cies devices add another level of awareness... you have a second method of knowing the fuel used. Compare the two. If they are different... there is probably a fuel leak that is not being accounted for by the FF instrument.... 7) Confirm that your F really has four fuel level sensors... look for wires connected to the level sensor on the outboard side of the tank... the C’s 52gal tank’s only have two floats, one on each side... One thing the MSer can do is to see that the floats in the tank are moving smoothly through the entire arc.... it is possible that they get sticky and need to be cleaned... when that doesn’t work, the lockhaven solution is next on the list... After that, Adding FF in place of book numbers is really a quick step in the right direction... Let me know if you find a way to add Cies and a JPI900 on a tight budget... @Jeev has been helpful at pricing strategies for JPI equipment. PP thoughts only, not a mechanic... Best regards, -a-

Great input Paul! It has been more than half a decade since I crossed a long cold front in IMC... swapping frequencies trying to get personalized weather info was a crowded near useless experience.... my StrikeFinder screen was full up. Getting on the ground became the #1 priority... I bought an ADSB in device the following week... ATC modernization seems to have produced some great tools. Lasting memory. Flying Florida to NJ the week before, and in the area of, Tornado ‘n Fun.... The frontal system was in place for a week and stretched from TX to Fl... Thanks again, -a-

Jazz, I don’t recall why the small Mooney radar went out of style... but it did. It May have just been expensive to fix on top of expensive to buy and install. We have threads on just about every topic. Including some details regarding the Mooney radar. I know having one completely removed would include some wing sheet metal work. the limitation to the radar’s distance is the size of the radar itself. The sferics devices can see 100s of Miles out. There are limitations to some sferics as well where multiple storms are hiding behind each other. You want to know which one you have and what it’s limitations are... Got any pics of your radar in action? when it comes to real-time thunderstorm avoidance... you only need one that keeps you out of the storm cells. Make it a good one. Properly instrumented... The worst that can happen, you have to stop short before flying into bad weather... Improperly instrumented... you fly on Thinking you are avoiding the storms... PP thoughts only, not a weather radar guy at all... Best regards, -a-

Somebody recently reported a similar challenge for their LB. the LO pressure wasn’t operating but the HI was... Whatever supplies power to the LO was broken. Sounds like a similar boost pump regulator.... The hint was the pump wasn’t working steadily on the LO mode. No issue on the HI mode. PP thoughts only, not a mechanic... Best regards, -a-

When looking for a sferics device... There are a few things that are good. What display you are going to use.... and does the display handle changes in the plane’s direction. Get one that displays on your color GPS screen layered with traffic... is pretty ideal.... More PP thoughts only, -a-

See if I have this right.... there is something not properly coming out in this conversation... 1) you fly IFR in IMC.... (if you don’t, you can avoid thunderstorms visually...) 2) there are two sources of weather info... pretty color graphics, that can be 10 -20 minutes old from the time it is delivered to you plane. (ADSB, XM, cell phone maybe) a sferics based device that can help you avoid thunderstorms in real time. 3) you have one device and the other one is broken. 4) Do you want to continue to fly IFR in IMC when thunderstorms may be present? Or are you OK sitting on the ground waiting for large storm systems to pass? (This assumes you are not just rolling the dice) 5) you know lightning and rain doesn’t fold a plane’s wings in flight... 6) you know wing folding forces are caused by the wind shear that accompanies thunderstorms... 7) A sferics based device is the piece of equipment to have to avoid the wind shear caused by thunderstorms. Sferics detects the static electricity that accompanies the thunderstorms. Detect the storm, avoid the shear... 8) tradition is to avoid thunderstorms by 20nm? (Check on this technical detail) 9) to avoid a thunderstorm by 20nm requires having a sferics device or an actual working radar on board. 10) lines of thunderstorms that cross multiple states are hard to avoid. It can require finding a gap between cells. If you have all that.... A good sferics based device is the best technology for avoiding plane bending storms. it has to be in good working order. The operation has to be understood by the pilot The options a pilot has.... Avoid flying in IMC in springtime when there are a lot of storm cells imbedded in clouds. Avoid flying in IMC unless you know what else is in there besides you. Have all the tools on board to keep the wings from folding up. New pilots need to avoid... Flying VFR into IMC (deadly) Running out of gas (possibly deadly, kind of a dice roll depending where you are when it happens) IFR Pilots need to avoid... flying into thunderstorms (where flying slower than maneuvering speed may not be enough to keep the wings on) flying into icing conditions (some anti icing equipment is available for this to improve the odds) Summary... Get your sferics device fixed and train using it so you can safely avoid thunderstorms imbedded in imc. It’s value is based on how you avoid folding up your plane’s wings... Avoid the costs, by sitting on the ground when you can’t see the imbedded storms in real time. Flying in IMC becomes serious business when other things can be in the clouds with you... have the tools to avoid rocks, ice, thunderstorms, other planes, and running out of gas... These are typically worth what your life is... Not trying to be a fear monger. Just trying to help a Mooney aviator understand the available tools used to avoid the risk types he may encounter. Did we figure out what is missing from the conversation? PP thoughts and logic only, Mooneys aren’t strong enough to fly in all conditions.... Best regards, -a-

No prizes awarded for low level aero.... -a-

CB dreams.... flying a rocket engineering powered airplane.... (pre-owned, of course) Missile, Rocket, Screamin’ Eagle, Standing O, P46T... Distant day dream.... M20RT Best regards, -a-

Stuck valve on departure is no fun... you only need one for it to stick in your memory... Does the C140 merit a JPI? If yes, you can review the flight history to see the tell-tales of stuck valves in the EGT lines... Cleaning the valve guides is a procedure often called the rope trick... In the O360, the valve stem gets bent when the valve hits the piston... Like the good Yetti said... better to find out before leaving the ground... Got a dental camera? Inspecting the exhaust valve might be a good idea... PP thoughts only, not a mechanic... Best regards, -a-

Good luck with your search... Know what a PPI is... It May be better to own a well cared for C, than a non-updated F at a similar price... These are typical topics regarding financial risk for first time Mooney buyers... Best regards, -a-