carusoam

Flyboy, The IFR training for the written exam is dated to match the age of the test questions. Martha's jumpsuit is modern compared to the number of ADF questions you can encounter on the test. Fortunately IFR flying is much better than the written exam portrays it to be. The old school still works too... Best regards, -a-

Does the Glassair III come with a TIO-540? A two seat rocket that cruises at 300mph....? -a-

"How does Mooney handle the stall? The several Mooneys I have stalled have done quite nicely! " N6791N George, Nicely stated from a person with experience and offering technical detail to support your arguments. Very commendable. Best regards, -a-

"I'm curious about your comment Lew. I've never owned a boat nor do I particularly care for them (I'm just not a boat person), but why are they so expensive to keep up?" - FlyBoy0681 Way off topic.......the question got me thinking and I needed to type something....... Shared Boat Experience, in no particular order: Speed on water 15 nm/hr with similar fuel burn to an M20J. Price of fuel similar to 100ll (at the marina). Overnight tie up (tie down) fees by the foot (limited availability). Hauling, cleaning, bottom painting, covering and storage fees (similar to an annual in expense). Saltwater is incredibly corrosive. Engines don't wear out they corrode. There is no rebuilding, just replacing. in an aircraft engine, oil leaks out on occasion, on a boat, the saltwater leaks in.... If the boat goes on a trailer, than you will also need a vehicle capable of towing...... Insurance, training, Coast guard or police boarding = ramp check All that expense and the usable period of time is May - October Anything sold at a boat store has higher prices, similar to aviation: cleaners, waxes, radios etc. Going to a specialist (MSC) mechanic at the next state over costs too much in fuel to get there and back. Sea sickness takes longer than airsickness to get over.....because at 15 knots it takes a long time to get to shore. Overall the expense of the boat itself will be in the range of what you would afford for a plane. For your typical mooniac...you would be looking at a boat that goes much faster, but unfortunately drinks much more gas.....something with twin 454 CI chevys with marine conversions.... Don't get me wrong, I would love to have a boat, but the workload goes up with expeses also.... My dad is the yachtsman, I'm the pilot.... Best regards, -a-

I have been to Sun 'n Fun three times. Camped in GAC each time. Short taxi in rough grass field. (shorter than KOSH to the North 40...) Bring your own tie downs. Also remember to bring a hammer. It is hard sand that neither wants to accept the tied down "nails" nor does it want to give them back when it is over. Also remember to print out your signs in advance: "GAC" for camping "GAP" for parking etc... This helps the volunteer ground handlers point you in the right direction. Print the notam and keep it with you..... remember to go slow when transitioning from paved to grass surface. Bring warm clothes, the title of the show is sometimes mis-leading These are thoughts that come to mind..... Best regards, -a-

I have had very good reception and accuracy at 12,000 ft. I have had less accuracy inside the cabin of a commercial jet liner. Accuracy from inside a hotel room (15 ft from window) is within a 1/2 mile. accuracy of the internal antenna can be significantly affected by the shadows created by the structure of the aircraft. I have not used a mount. I am using my Ipad for situational awareness, KLN90B for IFR nav. Best regards, -a-

The fuel sender is the expensive part. The connection between the sender and the indicator is a magnetic coupling. The indicators get old, they are not really water tight and are susceptible to UV degradation. My MSC replaced one this year after my annual for well under $100 including labor.... Best regards, -a-

Welcome to the Long Body Camp.... Best regards, -a-

Jim, Congratulations, you have done mighty fine work. It looks brand new on the inside. Best regards, -a-

I went with trade-up.... It did not make financial sense to continue to put money into the plane that no longer fit my mission. co-pilot likes the headrests.....even though they could have been added at a much lower price.... -a-

From my limited experience... If possible, call for your clearance in advance to avoid the writing while flying. fltplan.com will text you the most updated clearance and is a good place to start prior to calling. Depart VFR, contact ATC (local frequency is on approach chart of your departing airport). If you are fortunate, they work you right in, if not continue on VFR until they can work you in... When you make contact, let them know that you have picked up your clearnace already, they may want to give it to you again.... Otherwise, trying to get clearance on the ground at an uncontrolled field can be quick, a cell phone is required. Know how long it takes to get through run-up and be ready to go.... Usually you can get a void time of 10 - 15 minutes. It is hard for ATC to reserve more time than that. Best regards, -a-

Luc, Things to check to make sure the self test works on the AP... I have a BK KAP 150 There are a few buttons that can interfere with the initialization test. (1) CWS - Control Wheel Stearing. It is hard to tell, but if the button is activated, the initialization period never ends. (2) AP emergency Off button. This is more obvious than the others. (3) Electric Trim. must be on for the test. The engine is always on when this part of the Pre-flight comes up, but I don't know that it is required for the initialization test. Good luck, -a-

Cruiser, I agree. It is necessary to keep the IFR GPS database up to date to stay on the up and up...If the database is old, using the ADF keeps it legal. For anyone not reading the approach plate: The hold after the missed, is an NDB, on the ILS at KMMU. -a-

Speaking of use it or lose it.... I too have the back up, electric powered vacuum pump. The only exercise it gets is during the pre-flight. There really isn't a way to exercise it more often. It would be unusual to run two pumps at one time.... Is anyone familiar with a failure of the back-up pump system. Mine is near 15 years old....(added early in the plane's life). Best regards, -a-

Mark, You may want to consider holding on to the ADF for one reason.... KMMU ILS requires ADF (FYI) - that was alphabet fun.... Approach plate... http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/1102/00931IL23.PDF -a-

Mike, To hopefully help with your search..... are you refering to the outer bezel that holds the switch in place. (I think if this threaded piece, knurled on the outside, is missing, the whole switch is loose in the hole in the panel?) This may be a Bendix switch part, not so much a mooney decoration....? Good luck in your search. Best regards, - a -

I had Sven's version screened on my instruments on the 1965 M20C...without the outer circle though....

Jolie, Are you comfortable with slipping the E? (in VMC...not while still in the soup) I could get my C to slow down, Throttle back, full flaps, slip (keeping nose down at all times). I am still learning the ways with the R. Speed brakes are nice, but not as effective as turning the airplane sideways. I am using Craig's style of personal minimums, currently 800 ft above the deck on the east coast. This is also typical of MDA for the VOR and GPS approach to the home drome. -a-

As an added learning tool.... Keep in mind, when you are in the system you can revisit your flights on flightaware.com. If you really want to see how well you did in the hold....(everyone in the flight school will be following you online) Flying Aggie, I agree with your challenging situation. It takes a high level of confidence that you are on course prior to descending on a non-precision approach using a VOR. Making sure you are on course, after the cone of confusion, takes precious time away from your descent. Try and be slow (hard to do in a Mooney) at the FAF to give you more time to descend. It took me a while to get this. conservatively arriving over the airport 2000' agl is pretty dissapointing......safe, but nowhere near MDA... Major advantage of the approach rated GPS: no cone of confusion. Stay on course and descend. It is still a quick descent, but no loss of time proving to yourself that you are still on course. Best regards, -a-

"Just wondering if it's a good idea or even commonplace for newly minted IR pilots to inform ATC that this is their first solo IFR outing." - flyboy0681 I thought about this. I learned the trade in the NYC area last year. This statement tells ATC that you don't feel ready.... In real life, I found you will figure out that the controller you are working with is a student before he figures out you are a student. No need to tell each other...Strive for excellence. On the other hand, when you are a little slow to change waypoints (obscure ones, that are not in your clearance) in the rapid fire environment, they again will let you know your shortcomings. No need to tell them...Strive for excellence. Thoughts on proper equipment for IFR flight: I did find that it is possible to fly IFR with a single VOR head. But you would not be able to keep up in tough environments. ATC gives headings, VOR and intersection names and expects you to begin your new direction as soon as practical. Most important thing I learned after getting the rating. To improve your mobility into the enroute environment.... Make a list of all VORs in your state, frequencies (and morse code of course) if you are using Nav radios, three letter identifiers if you are using GPS. GPS is about the only way to go. Punch in the name (verify proper data) get heading. My KLN90B takes alot of knob twisting and button pushing before it chokes out direction and distance. Notes on simulators: The biggest difference between simulator and actual airplane. All the knobs and radios are different. When told to go direct to "X-VOR" be ready on how to do that in the real plane. Good skill to develop: small neat writing in a chart format. ATC name, center or approach, frequency, altimeter setting, altitude and heading. Each contact with a controller will probably lead to filling in a line in the chart. Have your chart prepared prior to flight. When you fly the return, most of the ATC contact will be with the same controllers on the same frequencies - magic. Best regards, -a-

In My M20C, I found replacing the oriiginal hardware with SS screws made them easy to remove on the following year (or as required). Hand turning the first 1/4 on each fastener is a must for non SS. Not so critical once replaced with SS. On the M20R, they are all SS already...whatever happened to the windy dissimilar metals debate? Replacing many tinnerman nuts with matching (non-pointy) sheet metal screws will make life easier the next time around also. It seams the springy nature of the tinnermans gets lost over thirty plus years. Rule #1 on replacement. If the screw driver slips the least bit on removal, toss the screw and replace with new. Reminder: Get new driver tips. Slipping out of the screw head may lead to a dissapointing paint scratch. Belly screws are not all the same size. Check the manual and you may find that a few are smaller diameter than others. When putting all this stuff back: Hold the panels in place with a few screws at first. Don't tighten any until all screws are in place. This will help position the sheet metal properly. If you were to start tightening screws in one place and move your way around, each hole gets more in more out of alignment. When this happens, loosen them all back up and devise a new "cross the sheet" tightening pattern. 1/4 turn fastener cores (camlocs and dzus) are easy to exchange with SS pieces. camlocs require a special pliers to make a simple replacement. (pliers are available with the cores) Core sizes also can vary in length on the cowling (check your manual) When re-using screws: clean by leaving in bag with oil or WD-40, set on paper towel to dry. The're not really that dirty, if they are....toss as required. Overall, old rusty fasteners can leave you heavy hearted on the ramp....One stripped screw or camloc can keep you from gaining the access that you would really like to have. Best regards, -a- PS. Stripped out truss head screws can actually be grabbed with a very small grippy pair of plyers available from the tool truck that stops by the airport. One of the best things I learned from working with my A&P. See Snapon.com. This tool can also grab whatever is left after you are done left hand drilling, easy outing or just plain ripping the head off of a fastener....

Scott, Good thinking. Consider sending squirrel a PM..... -a-

keep an eye out for sticky valves or any unexpected vibrations. my first mooney sat for about 2 years..... Stuck valve caused a scary moment.... Anyone know if there is a special treatment or oil that you can use to ward off effects of years of sitting. Glad to hear things are going the right direction. Best regards, -a-

Planning on departing from NJ.... Not committed yet, but always want to go.....work dependent. Best regards, -a-

Something I found while training... http://feeds.feedburner.com/UniversityOfNorthDakotaAerocast You might it under podasts in Itunes.... The UND Aerocast you don't even need an Ipad for this.... itunes works for on old windows machines too..... It has a mix of PPL, IFR and Comm all mixed in. You can easily identify what it is by its title. Somebody at the school must have been working on a degree in videography and communication. Let me know what you think.... Best regards, -a-