carusoam

If flying in IMC… Have two independent systems of reaching the ground…. 1) WAAS GPS 2) VOR/ILS Check to see if the fancy modern GPS boxes also have VOR/ILS capabilities built in… that actually use the ground based antenna system. We have seen simple antenna issues keep an instrument from working… GPS antennas are extra sensitive… Those are the best available for a Mooney… After that… have enough fuel to fly to VMC… Or know where and how to use a radar approach…. PP thoughts only, not a CFII… Best regards, -a-

Getting saddled with a somewhat unique corrosion problem is enough to become irate… That all happens before getting the quotes to fix the problem Nice pics Alan! Any hint to what caused this? Best regards, -a-

Way to go Dan! Many people have saved a Mooney from a horrible fate…. Usually, they are several decades older than a 2016 model…. She is a beauty! Let the comparisons fly… Continental Vs Lycoming… Did you get the 310hp with that? Best regards, -a-

Welcome aboard Carl! Let us know if we answered your question, or if you have more… like what does it look like, and where can I find it… Large gold disk, hiding behind the instrument panel… not seen very often. They go decades with out being touched… It also has two sets of contacts, in case one breaks… PP thoughts only, not a mechanic… Best regards, -a-

Something got lost… 2.8 +/- 0.4 inches of water… Rubber hose on the pitot, roll the hose to squeeze the volume… Air pressure rises in the pitot system, pressure is read using KIAS… Air speed switch should operate as the KIAS exceed flying speed… This is typical method of testing the airspeed related issues… without damaging the sensitive equipment… PP thoughts only, not an avionics guru… Best regards, -a-

I love the threads from 2011… 1) My posts didn’t get as many bullet points… 2) They were kinda written in whole sentences… 3) @201er is still addicted to his Mooney, more today than yesterday… but not as much as tomorrow… Best regards, -a-

Mooneys with VGs… 1) Short field landings… my favorite airport is about 2.2k’ long… Approaching slowly to carry the minimum excess energy to stop comfortably…. VGs add a comfort buffer… 2) Cost of additional drag… Less of an issue at Mooney cruise altitudes…? More comfortable in the FLs.. Kinda sounds like the added drag of a Fiki system…. Best regards, -a-

Every new 2U aircraft gets to go through the same challenge…. Check the Calibration of the fuel instruments…. Check the actual useful volume of the tanks… Know their limitations… Some tanks can get filled beyond what their instruments can measure…. Some Monroy installations add extra volume, but may not have a method of measuring that extra volume… and the tanks don’t empty in series… (this could be why the EVP is only measuring the original fuel volume, and not including the extended tanks…) Some digital displays are really good… Some digital fuel floats are really good… Some fuel flow meters and fuel totalizers are really nice… If you have fuel gauges on the wing… know they are calibrated while the plane is on the ground… The fuel gauges on the instrument panel are calibrated while the plane is level in flight… (on the ground requires using a level on the sheet metal seam on tail cone….) If you have to rely on 1 gal accuracy… it can be done. Start with an empty tank… with the last drops emptied by the engine or through the fuel separator… fill it one or two gallons at a time… (park next to the fuel pump) If you have Ceis fuel gauges… there is a procedure for that… If you are building your own fuel stick… this works as well… Know how many fuel floats you actually have… some big tanks get two each… It is important to have the most accuracy as the tanks reach zero… but it is also really important to have them be accurate at half full too… How you fill the tanks can also affect the details… start on a nice level pad… PP thoughts only, not a mechanic… Best regards, -a-

And the Mooney Museum…. Best regards, -a-

Wow McM! No hesitation at all. Undress a nice M20E and people come to see her! next pic… instruments ON! Best regards, -a-

IIRC…. Paul had mentioned the wing swap… I’m sure the Predator is still awesome… But, I would prefer the Bravo version for some reason… Nice to see the plane out and about! and it’s story somewhat intact. Flying formation with a canopy must be cool! Bets regards, -a-

Looks like it might not be a Mite… Very similar, But different… Got any more details or pics… There should be a tail pic, and an airframe data plaque pic that would be very interesting…. Best regards, -a-

The Mite has a nice tube steel frame that is quite familiar… looks like a nice Italian motorcycle… or any other Mooney. The unknown frame above has a few wooden parts in the fuselage structure… Let’s invite @M20Doc he has a mite he can use for comparison… Best regards, -a-

Great pirep Benton! Flying around Brazil must be spectacular… I have done some driving all around the world… a few places, I have only rode along…. São Paulo is one place I couldn’t master the driving… Best regards, -a-

Early on…. There were two issues… 1) Fine Wires were new technology, with not much track record… 2) Cost. the benefits… 3) FWs are much better at surviving and punching through the crud that collects in the bottom plug hole… oil drips and lead balls tend to collect there. 4) fuel/air mixture has an easier time circulating through the gap where the spark emits. Over time… 5) The old technology were Champion massives that suffered from the variable resistance… and horrible customer support. 6) a Tempest welding issue allowed the center electrode to escape on the FWs… 7) Everyone is now familiar with checking the resistance of the Champions… 8) Manufacturing process updates quickly solved the escaping center electrode issue… Sooo… 9) it was normal to put the FWs in the bottom… 10) Does anyone go completely FW? Next challenge or opportunity…. Old Mags spark on every engine rotation… generating a wasted spark for each useful spark for the power stroke… Other quirks… half of the sparks run from the center to the outside, where the other half is running from the outside to the center… hence the reason for swapping plugs in a particular order…. 11) Do the new Electronic mags avoid the wasted spark? 12) Do the new electronic mags have the same spark direction quirk? 13) unfortunately It isn’t physically possible to allow a Champion plug to wear out until it is a fine wire…. The automatic increase in resistance occurs faster than the wear issue… PP thoughts only, I may have confused things a bit… Best regards, -a-

Summary… 1) if it isn’t a good experience… good people don’t come back. 2) nobody has the right to be annoying. 3) The objective of MS is to keep everybody involved… 4) When you run into a Mooney pilot at an airport…. Do you ask if they are an MSer? what do they say? I get some interesting responses… 5) Everybody brings value. Some more than others. Some, we don’t know how much value they can bring… Be considerate… Best regards, -a-

Invite @Alan Fox to stop by… Antenna request. Best regards, -a-

A few things to add to this fine conversation… Early Mooneys have a few points to consider… 1) Obtain a second POH for your plane… 2) have one for the year your plane was built… for legal reasons. 3) have one for the last year your plane was built… the data collection increases with accuracy and volume from the 60s to mid 70s… 4) rudder throw changed from the M20B to M20C… 5) Somewhere after 1965 the M20C rudder increased in length to include the tail cone with the rudder… (visibly evident) 6) demonstrated crosswind capability is sooo pilot skill related… putting it in the POH is probably very misleading early in the experience curve. Start with the cross wind capability of a C152, and explore your skill at an airport with a crossing runway… 7) It is easy to run out of rudder with the earliest Mooneys using standard cross controlled flight maneuvers… 8) Best to explore the flight envelope with a Mooney CFI on board… or at least a safe altitude… 9) Cross controlling while low and slow has a raft of issues when things go awry… 10) generally, Use slow and smooth control inputs entering and exiting cross controlled flight… stomping on, or slipping off, the rudder pedals can induce some unwanted plane behaviors… PP thoughts only, not a CFI… Best regards, -a-

Mike, Tell us more… Remind us where we are on this project, as if we have the average memory of an ordinary 109year old Mooniac… Best regards, -a-

Pics are a must! Best regards, -a-

Very appropriate for the east edge of Lake Erie as well… Icing can be a hassle East of any large body of water… Adding oragraphic lift to the equation makes the Rocket a nice tool to have… Best regards, -a-

Is it tradition to mount the Sidewinder from the tie down under the wing? More ready to deploy than in the baggage area… -a-

Don, will you be updating the glare shield with that? Best regards, -a-

How did you like the climb rate? Best regards, -a-

Let’s invite @donkaye… (Garmin transmit question) Don knows Garmin equipment pretty well… and is in the Nor Cal area… Has a pretty good relationship with a shop out there somewhere… Best regards, -a-