carusoam

Note: The "analog" indicator and the digital readout are from the same source. If the digital readout is weird, the needle will point to the same weird number. The needle is attached to a digital driver. Essentially they are two presentations of the same number. The Ovation has a digital RPM gauge with "analog" display. The needle moves in clicks of about 20 rpm. -a-

Advantage for alcohol at Indy: Water douses the flames of an accidental spill / fire. Disadvantage for alcohol at Indy: Alcohol fires are nearly invisible in daylight. The advantage, probably does not translate well to GA. As Dave pointed out..."Having and energy dense fuel isn't much good if you can't actually utilize all of the potential." This is where electronic ignition, O2 sensors, and OBDII computers usually comes into the conversation. Unfortunately, this probably won't be a low cost improvement by STC to our existing engines either. -a-

PK, My thoughts. Portable Garmin is designed to be as reliable as possible for the aviation environment. Apple or windows based portable is great for graphical situational awareness. I am leaning towards keeping both alive in the cockpit. One has much greater reliability than the other. The other provides greater data updates and graphics. They both provide situational awareness / back-up to my installed equipment. I have two yokes, I envision two portable devices. The one mounted furthest away, will probably be used less and less.... Best regards, -a-

Quote: Lood Our local Mooney agent has a '67 M20F that they sort of converted into what they call either a a "Poor man's Ovation". Oh, and they kept the original manual landing gear and flaps.

Narcos are not the same quality as Garmin, nor are they Honeywell/Bendix-King. The panel list indicates separate coms and navs. Interesting choice, but not common. -a-

32.8% less energy/gallon (according to data from 1964-M20E) According to the chart below, Ethanol is even a lower source of chemical energy. Fuel oils are indicated as slightly higher source of chemical energy. Hooray for diesel guys..... Go towards diesel, and away from alcohol for most compact source of energy. Propane anyone? Fuel & Energy Conversion & Equivalence Chart Electricity: 1 KW = 3,413 Btu/hr Natural gas: 1 Cubic Foot of Natural Gas = 1030 Btu's 1 CCF = 100 Cu Ft = 1 Therm = 103,000 Btu's 1 MCF = 1,000 Cu Ft = 10 Therms = 1,034,000 Btu's = 1.034 MMBtu's Propane: 1 Gal Propane = 91,600 Btu's 1 Cu Ft Propane = 2,500 Btu's Gasoline: 1 Gal Gasoline (mid grade) = 125,000 Btu's Ethanol: 1 Gal Ethanol = 76,000 Btu's Fuel Oil: 1 Gal of #2 Fuel Oil = 139,000 Btu's 1 Gal of #4 Fuel Oil = 145,000 Btu's 1 Gal of #6 Fuel Oil = 150,000 Btu's 1 Barrel of Oil = 42 Gallons

Quote: drpep JPI pointed out that the placement on the front of the engine of the JPI will read higher. He suggested up to 10 degrees but not as many as 30 degrees

Brandon, Things to consider... It is easy enough to add fluid to the system. If the reservoir is near empty, expect a leak. Reservoir is behind your aspen, it can be easily reached from the outside. Square blue nut on top is the fill hole. Be neat, excess drops right on the rug inside... To check for a leak, remove the belly pan, The juice "dries" up with dust and is difficult to clean. Plus it is red and hard to miss. Be careful, the same fluid that supplies the flaps also supplies the brakes. Flaps run out of juice first, then brakes if the level is allowed to drop. My leak came from the supply hose between the pump and the reservoir. 40 year old hoses tend to age and crack after several decades. If the pump (when full) is holding pressure, it is probably not an o-ring problem. O-rings are easy to replace, so purchase the proper sizes (check parts manual) and be ready. While you are in there it is a good idea to replace. I did this type of work concurrently with my annual. Otherwise expect a few hours of taking off panels and pump parts with your A&P. Best regards, -a-

Headsets for kids? a nice set of sound reducing muffs from Craftsman (for lawn mowing) protects their ears and mine at the same time..... The light weight of passive sound reduction helps them stay in place. (adding ear plugs to the mix would probably help). Like George pointed out, they say nothing for the entire trip, until descent to the traffic pattern..... Pencils and paper in the back can keep budding artists occupied for hours. -a-

Ken, I am interested in your comparison of M20M vs M20F annuals... Why such a great difference in annual price between the two? Best regards, -a-

Great project for an A&P. Things to consider.... By the backward curl of the prop, the engine was not making power when it hit. This lowers the risk of major damage. But tear down is still required. The engine/prop had less than 100hrs SMOH. For a person who is not an A&P, This project has great risk and no matching great reward. Instrument panel does not have much to get excited about. So if vintage mooneys are valued by: 1/3 engine, 1/3 instruments and 1/3 airframe. The engine is suspect, the airframe clearly needs work and the instruments are relegated to the ancient and some not working category...... Even as a gift, paying retail /by the hour, having someone fix this one could cost as much as purchasing one in airworthy condition. Is there a good way to determine the condition of the engine without purchasing it? Since an OH can cost $25K+, if it is not required, this gamble could pay off. Just my thoughts, -a-

Ned, In the meantime you may consider changing out the circuit breaker for a new one. Apparently, as they age, they fail at lower loads than their rated for? It would be great to know the actual load of each item as they are turned on. -a-

See Bryan Painter for all things grass and non pave surfaces. Taxiing on grass makes me nervous. Bouncing down an uneven surfaces is probably not good for fuel tank integrity. -a-

Search on this board for "rocket" Look for RJBrown and JasonWojo. Both have significant rocket experience. One might even have one for sale......

Search on this board for "rocket" Look for RJBrown and Wojo. Both have significant rocket experience.

Wistarmo, Things to consider for fouled spark plugs... [1] The reason for the slightly higher EGT on the cylinder with the fouled plug is because there is a small amount of unburned fuel escaping the cylinder and continuing the burn in the exhaust pipe (where the EGT probe is) [2] When the plug is cleared everything returns to normal. Because it is normal. No further worries. If the same plug fouls again, that is worth investigating. [3] Lower plugs fowl more often than upper plugs. Little beads of lead form and collect in the lower plugs. any oil that is dripping in a cylinder will most likely collect in the lower plugs. Running rich can also foul a plug. [4] Reasons for plug fouling: lead deposits form from running rich and cool, especially while taxiing. Oily plugs are another issue. [5] Things that appear as fouled plugs can be related to spark plug gap, ignition wire age, or time to overhaul the magnetos. If it is just a simple fouled plug, lean the mixture, watch it clear on the JPI.... I believe with the JPI, you can determine exactly what plug is fouled. The left mag powers the top left bank and right lower bank. The right magneto powers the right top bank and lower left bank. As an owner, you are allowed to pull plugs and inspect them. Be aware of the torque values and the requirement for new crush washers. If you are not up to the task, ask your A&P to help you. To avoid most fouling issues lean agressively on the ground. For leaning in the air, search for ROP and LOP discussions on this board..... Best regards, - anthony -

David, Just for clarification.... [1] What did you use for measuring KTAS. Can I assume GPS derived data? [2] Why did you select 5,000 ft for your comparisons? The rocket is a turbo monster, but monster performance probably does not become apparent until much higher in the atmoshpere. 5k is somewhat low for most mooneys I think? [3] Where did you get the "should be" numbers? At economy: 180kts at 14gph seems optimistic to me. I fly an M20R and to get to 180kts, but it costs me significantly more gph to go there. OK the M20R is slightly heavier and a little larger, but it makes me ask the question anyway. I am looking forward to the discussion, real help will arrive soon... Best regards, -a- Sorry: I don't know what happened to the margins. When I write / edit the paragraphs they are full width......

Quote: Piloto Just don't buy anything older than you, is not worth it. José

Scott, Be careful when taking the flap pump apart. there are small check valve balls that are hard find after they bounce on the floor. Changing the O rings is pretty easy and gives good results. Check the quality of the aging hoses as well. They get hard and crack. Putting the check valve balls back in place, while the pump body is still in the plane, requires a little dab of grease (soluble in cherry juice). Its like temporary glue. (if all goes well this paragraph will meaningless.) This is also an opportunity to set the flap retract rate. When I got my M20C, the retract rate was instantaneous. On a go around the flaps would pop back up, dumping all lift. It is technically supposed to take 8 - 15 seconds (est.). Check the maint manual for actual setting time.... The advantage of the hydraulic system over the mechanical. Smooth, steady retract during a go around. When you are busy, you don't want to be thinking about retract rate. You would rather set it and forget it...... One hand on the yoke, one hand on the throttle, and one hand not on a flap handle... Best regards, -a-

JL, Very nice updates. I think the winds aloft computer comes with the Aspen upgrade.... -a-

I think Bryan has the first concrete reason for using bladders. His mooney has a serious addiction to unpaved fields. -a-

HopeP, Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed the flight, and it didn't cost me a thing... -a-

Docket, Does the 355 cam belt get serviced every 15,000 miles, and do they pull the engine out for it? Glad to see the AC is back in your A/C. -a-

Congrats Jolie and Mitch! -a-

Scottfromiowa, We were labeled as "cheap", and it indicates that as generator owners we choose "death". I don't feel that either an alternator or generator failure is going to require immediate death, and I think we all agree that owning a Mooney isn't cheap. Now I own a plane with an alternator, I don't feel any less cheap or any more safe..... Other than that, I hear jet engines are really reliable..... Best regards, -a-