carusoam

You are not really using the compass in IMC are you? That is why.... - Garmin has sold so many of those portable GPS devices. - Modern Mooneys don't mount the compass on the steel tube. - Really modern Mooneys have a stainless tube for that vertical piece. How many GPS(s) does your ship have on board? - panel mount, one or two? - iPads, one or two? - iPhones, one or two? - Garmin Wristwatch? The modern HSI is connected to a compass electronically. Sure, it gets compared to the compass on the flight on a schedule... We have come a long way in a decade. This was a problem for my M20C that I had training for IFR. Part of the training is navigating with minimal tools, compass and wind up clock. The compass would get hung up during 360° turns. Not just be off by a few degrees. The degaussing and balancing balls are the best technology available to improve the unpowered equipment. the IFR system isn't that flexible anymore. Real life back-up systems include portable radios with an ILS, GPS, and personal locator beacons. Thoughts that come to mind... Good luck getting over this hurdle. Best regards, -a-

For reference, there is a horizontal seam running the length of the tail cone... Best regards, -a-

Need photo of new turbine! TBM? Best regards, -a-

Nice report TT, Thanks for the follow-up. Best regards, -a-

Happy Veteran's day! Best regards, -a-

AirMods is who you call when you can't fly your Mooney out of the predicament that you flew it into... Disassembly and reassembly by an MSC. Only the fasteners get destroyed in the process. Best regards, -a-

David, your avatar needs an update... - a T-Bone steak comes to mind. - beef ribs could be good too. Best regards, -a-

Welcome aboard Alex2, The partner thing sounds pretty good. Especially if he flies during the week and you fly weekends only. He supplies the plane, you supply the OH. Pre-purchase inspection, and legal agreements are probably still required for your protection. Not being mechanically inclined, usually makes a 2500hr SMOH engine an uncomfortable situation. Things like starters, generators and voltage controllers are not that complex but they die. I started with an ancient M20C and replaced many of these parts over a ten year period. Hank's C looks brand new compared to my old C. Read as much as you can here, ask some more questions. Buy a plane and train in it. Best regards, -a-

When going, OH what is the latest lubrication improvements for the Lyc cam? - additional oil holes..? - additional Ney nozzles? - is there a way to verify (X-ray microscope) the new cam's composition? (Early 90’s problem) The nice thing about having a few years of Mooney experience... You know exactly what you want your plane to be. It is easier to spread the costs out over time when you look forward to flying the plane for the next five years. If it's your first year with the plane it is harder to judge what your cost of flying really is. Keep up the good work FRC! Best regards, -a-

Climbing the rungs of the Mooney ladder... Once you have reached the M20J level, the path branches into the more specialized missions. 1) Are you and your passengers comfortable using an O2 system? If yes, go turbo. 2) Are you wanting to fly in the crummiest weather possible? If yes, go FIKI. 3) Are you wanting to put full sized adults in the most comfortable back seat? If yes, go Long Body. 4) Are you desiring the most precision navigation, weather, and traffic capability? If yes, look for GTNs with a few other boxes supporting them. My favorite examples around MS... 1) Erik's Rocket. TC'd, anti ice, composite prop, and anti stall devices on the wing. 2) Cris' Eagle. 310hp! I was hooked on HP/Weight ratios after my first flight. 3) Joe's Acclaim. TN'd 310hp all the way up. I'm a big fan of LOP cruising. Economy, clean running and easier on cylinder health. Look for curvy air intakes that are balanced for good LOP ops. Hope that helps, -a-

Welcome aboard, Sleea. Go ahead and introduce yourself. Are you an engineer, mechanic or Mooniacal private pilot? Best regards, -a-

Are you ready for an OH? Sounds like it is time to become really familiar with what you have. To see if it is worth saving anything. Or get on to the next steps of OH. in other words, what are your priorities? Fixing things as they come up, because there is no cash available. Minimum cost is to replace the bad cylinder with a serviceable used one. (Been there, done that, family still thinks I could have done better...) Ask your mechanic to show you your parts. What broke and why. Get familiar. If you get familiar, you can decide better. In my case, an exhaust valve stuck open on T/O. The piston came up and hit it. The valve's shaft bent making an emergency situation. The minimum amount of work was replacing the whole cylinder assembly. There are procedures for cleaning the valve guides and checking their movement and how well they have been operating. 1) cleaning the guides is called the 'rope trick'. Lots of coked carbon is typical of a sticking situation. 2) checking for looseness is called the 'wobble test'. Lots of wobble is indicating wear. 3) CNOE has done a nice job of showing the 'pizza image' of a good valve. Get your old broken valve and see if it has a pizza image or something really different. If the broken shaft is coated in a block of carbon it was probably sticking. Now check the other three cylinders for the same situations. Cleaning and measuring all your valves is going to cost a few AMUs. You may want to save the dough to apply it to your OH. This is my experience from being a young aviator with an M20C. Daycare costs used all my airplane money... I Am only a PP, not a mechanic. You don't need to be a mechanic or engineer to get these done. Talking to your mechanic will often help. Bring bagels and coffee, it may take some time... Best regards, -a-

Thanks Clarence, I get it, now... The air headspace is a requirement for damping the pressure waves. I missed the forest because of all the trees. -a-

Great update Pierce, I believe being full of fuel is normal for the mechanical Pgauges... Possibility of leaking is a good driving factor for upgrades to electric sensors on the other side of the firewall. My old C had the MP line break in half. Vacuum leaked all over the cabin. The OilP and fuelP are actual lines that are capable of delivering a small flow to the cabin while registering pressure to the panel mounted gauge. Best regards, -a-

1) I didn't believe the ice box could work until Phillip posted all the data and pictures. 2) I still feel the same way about the ArcticAir refrigeration system. I am looking forward to somebody posting pictures of how well it works in our airplanes with our electrical systems. All the heat generated by the machine has to go out, without mixing with the cool air being delivered to the passengers. Ryan, Tampa would be a good place to demonstrate how good their product really is. A side by side comparison with your current icebox device would be great! Best regards, -a-

Phil, Its official. You ARE Mooniacal! 1) complete set of 'before' data. 2) data collected using an app, not just looking out the window. What GPS device did you use with CloudAhoy? 3) detailed video of the whole event. Inside and out. 4) Are you an engineer, mechanic or just a Mooniacal pilot? Best regards, -a-

The exchange is close to $300 for one 28 day cycle. The download method is reported to still work, and is closer to $100 for the same data. I am about to embark on the trail of updating the DB using one of my kid's old Windows computer. I have been in contact with BK recently. My DB stopped communicating with my KLN90B one day. No DB, no GPS. Just an error message. Good luck, -a-

Great input, people. Steve, I'm looking forward to your progress. Best regards, -a-

FRC, Today, we celebrate! Congratulations on being able to quickly write about the initial situation. If your guests go flying again. It will be with you, a proven Mooney pilot! Good luck with the next steps, -a-

Three way Partnership gone awry? Jim, were you OK to fly after seeing that? Such carnage of a similar airframe as yours... CB question: Any good AW parts available from that..? Hope you get good weather for the long XC. Best regards, -a-

Mooney, it's a lifestyle more than a plane... Fly fast, efficiently! Technical details, photo was taken using an iPhone, shared with my iPad, and uploaded directly into MS. It only took one teenager and one spouse to help with the transitions. Best regards, -a-

Polymer engineer says...go with the hammer, for a dozen dollars... Our acrylic windows are susceptible to brittle fractures, regardless of their size or orientation. The tiny point of the emergency hammer concentrates a lot of force over a very small area. The easiest way to accidently break our windows is to drill a hole in them with an ordinary drill. The very sharp edge concentrates the force. E-descents from the long body experience... Slow to gear operating speed Vlo, lower gear, increase to max gear operating speed Vl. The gear works really well at dissipating energy. Speed brakes can be deployed up to Vne, but why wait? Mooney pilots are often blessed with clarity of thought during stressful situations. I hope you all have the ability to write about your success on the day that follows... I'm glad you guys share your thoughts about these tough decisions that may need to be made, someday. Best regards, -a-

Additional data... we had a cirrus go down with the chute near NYC a few years ago. Pilot was incapacitated, but was able to steer with power while descending. 1) tough way to find you have a brain cancer. 2) landing in the middle of a highway doesn't sound like a safe outcome either. Best regards, -a-

Great tech info, JC! Best regards, -a-

Wow, Panoramic, spectacular! -a-