carusoam

Next Wednesday is Fed reserve day… Interest rates are expected to be going higher until the layoffs have people feel uneasy about buying expensive things… Prices going down on planes boats and houses is a good sign we are reaching that point… CPI (consumer price index) data announced today was also going the right direction… continuing to slowly decrease… But still a long way from the 2% target… Inflation is still burning, just not as much… PP thoughts only, not a finance guy… Best regards, -a-

Nice details shared gents! Old Pilot, Are you knocking the rust off of your latent PPL??? After a 20year hiatus??? Sounds like fun times ahead! Or I just missed some important detail…. Best regards, -a-

You mentioned four fuel tanks… sounds very M20K ish…? Has the engine been flown much? Or time just stopped one day around Covid? Access panel screws are an easy reseal fix… the leaking rivets indicate the sealant is just largely broken down inside the tank… If you look inside the tanks can you see sealant flaking off or creating what looks like worms? Certain years of Mooneys got terrible sealant… big improvements came in the 80s and 90s… Just use caution with the leaks… dry air and static sparks can be really unfriendly… basic fuel safety. The good news… A modern reseal will last decades… if not left out in the Arizona sun with empty tanks… Did you mention a TKS system…? They like to be run often. Sitting idle has its own challenges. Another sugar like situation… The PPI should cover demonstrating all systems working… so you know what to expect if you decide to move on to the purchase step… Best regards, -a-

+1 for sumping the tanks after filling… A few Mooneys have received Jet A by accident… Jet A has a tendency to kill the piston crowns about the time you have reached traffic pattern altitude… pre-ignition… Fortunately the reddish color and strong diesel smell is helpful in identifying the mistake… Turbo owners have removed decals that say ‘turbo’ on it…. It sometimes confuses the line people that there is a turbine / jet under the cowling… Best regards, -a-

Jon, Don brings up a good point… Ground wires often go missing in a plane’s life… You might want to be on the lookout to see where the ground straps are connected… One grounds the instrument panel to the frame… if it is loose or oxidized it will give the same affect as a power line not working properly… PP thoughts only, -a-

I don’t think the fuel die and lead component acts as any kind of impromptu sealer… or else we would never see rivets leaking… It would be similar to leaving sugar on your cracked soda glass hoping to keep your Coke from escaping… sure… the soluble material may slow things down a bit…. But not enough to make a difference. That much fuel leaking outside is a bit disheartening… The more scary leaks occur in the cabin… Lift the carpet in the back seat… expect to see the carpet soaked in blue stains… There are at least two sources per side for common leaks… the fuel level seal and fuel line connector… they last about 40yrs before deteriorating and leaking… These bits are low cost easy fixes… Slightly more challenging than the fuel drain… PP thoughts only, not a mechanic… -a-

Is this plane otherwise special and worth bringing up to speed? a few MSers have taken on the task to reseal their own tanks… It takes a ton of hours, working with solvents, and is messy…. Raptor/Alex did his a few years back and posted many pics during the process…. Best regards, -a-

Discussing what we see here… It looks like fuel is leaking past many rivets in the bottom of the tank… When you see fuel stains coming out the wing drain… that indicates there is an internal fuel leak as well In another pic there was huge globs of fuel leaking around the sump drains… this is an easy fix that takes 10 minutes… Lots of paint missing… looks like it doesn’t want to stick to the aluminum… Plan A: Seal the tanks prior to painting the plane… solvents are bad for both finished paint and finished sealants…. fuel sump drains are similar to a big bolt… pretty easy to unscrew, clean and replace, or just replace… With so much missing paint…keep your eyes open for surface corrosion… plan on cleaning and painting to avoid surface corrosion starting and spreading…. PP thoughts only, not a mechanic… Best regards, -a-

The Service manual has interesting details about fuel leaks.. Acceptable vs. get fixed soon Vs. Fix now…. The M20K has the most complex version of a Mooney fuel tanks… The short and mid bodies are very similar…in design The long bodies have longer fuel tanks… and really simplified things… Max capacity is 130gal. PP thoughts only, -a-

M20M TLS… most have been updated to Bravo. Oil cooled heads are good for improved TBO…. Make sure to ask. M20R… Many have been updated to 310hp from the original 280… If climbing into the teens often Go 310 HP. There have NOT been any after market STCs to add a pair of TNs to the M20R yet…. For best performance… M20TN… AKA Acclaim… If you find M20U and M20V… they are the latest versions of the Ovation and Acclaim Ultras…. Complete with the latest avionics, some composite skins, and a spare door… Best regards, -a-

Got to love this ancient standard… too hard to remember, to complex to get right… How hard would it be to use their actual dimensions in conversation? 4.5” and 5.75” -a-

That would require somebody that knows math and aviation at the college level… Let’s see if @aviatoreb would know anyone with insight on that subject…. (Mathematics of stall speeds during a slip…?) Best regards, -a-

I know I owe at least two apologies for yesterdays posts… @jrod_stat and @Someguy Two new guys came aboard and I lost the balance of sharing knowledge and maintaining control at the same time… I’m still learning this skill called writing… And getting better at it every day. I still have a ways to go… Thanks for pointing out this error… It helps me with getting it more right the next time… Best regards, -a-

Oddities related to bladders… They have detailed instructions about putting foam blocks under the fuel cells… for draining purposes… Ensuring the install occurs properly, and gets maintained properly… down the line is a good idea…. Less data, and fewer people have the fuel cells… Fortunately, the fuel cell people were real, and not non-aviation people converting a good idea from some other form of business… Use caution if you seen any unusual folds develop in the floor of the bladders… Best regards, -a-

@ sign is key… @jetdriven memory of everyone’s screen name also helps… Best regards, -a-

Some People I would invite for that discussion…. @donkaye @midlifeflyer @KSMooniac a collection of great CFIIs and an engineer… Best regards, -a-

That STC was successfully transferred recently… I believe it went to DMax in the end…(?) since the holes are in the rib… the rib’s strength is important… Making the holes larger… probably has a set of mechanical engineering rules to contend with… Making more holes… will have a different set of rules… but copying the holes and their separation may make sense… Getting a good answer to this… probably lies between the engineers at Mooney and the brains at DMax… Probably a five minute discussion amongst those guys could double your air flow rate out of the system… Proper drilling in a fuel tank environment will take more effort… PP thoughts only, we have discussed drilling holes in the fuel tank before… M20S long fuel neck challenge with Cris back in 2011…. Best regards, -a-

If you get the chance to see a Bob Kromer presentation… Do it!!! He gave a great presentation at a Mooney Summit a couple of years ago…. Giving great insight on climbing out after T/O… Best speeds to use in case turning back, engine out, is needed/wanted… Bob really knows Mooneys!!! I bought my M20C right after he wrote a few pages about the M20C in the MapaLog…. It was a great what to look for, and how you know the M20C is right for you… when buying an M20C…, from an engineer’s point of view… Printed late in 1999? Best regards, -a-

M20K tanks with Monroys have a complex arrangement of tank locations, forwards and back…and separation from outer to inner tanks…requiring tubing connections…(?) Probably have a couple of sump drains on each wing to go with that… similar to the pair of fuel caps… PP fuzzy memories at best… 130g Monroys in an LB are a much more simple geometry… Best regards, -a-

Getting air to flow upstream takes a few minutes… The rib vent holes are pretty small, and the full rate of the fuel nozzle is quite high in comparison… To load more fuel than ever… find uneven ground… just remember, you have probably entered test pilot territory with this maneuver… Best regards, -a-

From the other thread today… 5) When sumping fuel out of a C152… the training was to vigorously sway the plane on the ground… the large motion of the fuel in the tanks would better move water out from its hiding places where gravity could then move it towards the drains… Ever try to vigorously move a Mooney on the ground? Try it with an LB full of fuel… Best regards, -a-

Some oddities in water collecting… 1) Somebody today reported possible blockage of the rib holes that drain fluids from the far reaches of the tanks to the wing root end of the tanks… 2) If a bad seal job blocks these holes… a significant amount of water can be held on the uphill side of the ribs… 3) Change of attitude… will surely allow the water to move around… 4) Usually, nose high… will have the water collecting towards the trailing edge… where the fuel pick ups are physically located… 5) When sumping fuel out of a C152… the training was to vigorously sway the plane on the ground… the large motion of the fuel in the tanks would better move water out from its hiding places where gravity could then move it towards the drains… Ever try to vigorously move a Mooney on the ground? Try it with an LB full of fuel… Best regards, -a-

Each rib has several holes at the top and bottom of the ribs… Air has to move… as well as fuel has to move through these holes… If your resealer is unfamiliar with Mooneys…. You probably got the holes filled… They are easy to look at and clean out… Otherwise…the fuel is going somewhere else…. don’t trust the useable fuel numbers until you know all of the fuel is actually useable… PP thoughts only, not a mechanic… Best regards, -a-

1) One was cognitively overloaded… 2) The other one got caught being self centered… 3) Nobody likes getting caught being either… 4) How they react gives insight into their soul… 5) How we react gives insight into our own souls… 6) It’s not always easy to be able to say the right thing after all of that… 7) Sometimes being quiet is the best some can do… 8) I lose control at the keyboard, under less stressful situations that…. 9) Its fun when you have the experience bucket more full than empty… 10) Thanks for sharing your experience… My home drome has plenty of training going on especially on weekends… Best regards, -a-

Hence the well taught… Trust your instruments!!! It must suck when you can’t trust your instruments in IMC… It is a bit discomforting when your eyes and inner ears are in disagreement… Suddenly, two AIs isn’t enough… a third would be required for the tie breaker… Best regards, -a-