jlunseth

I flew with Wayne Fisher at a PPP several years ago. He also was having vision problems. He was able to instruct in flight, but as I recall could not act as PIC or had some other limitations. Hope this works out for you Don, I would try a good ophthalmologist to see what can be done. It would be a real loss to our ever-shrinking Mooney community.

It was awhile ago Ross and since then the mags have both been rebuilt and the plugs and harness have been replaced, so I can't tell you exactly why. But remember, mine is a turbocharged engine. On takeoff, full rich is very rich and probably I was getting weak ignition of a very wet mix. It was a sporadic miss as I recall, but enough to make me want to find out what was wrong so that is what I did. Once I figured out it was the pilot the problem was solved.

I did this to myself once. I unwittingly took off with the key switched to just one mag. Had some misses, went back and landed, figured out what I did, dropped the passenger off so I could test fly, and the test flight was perfect, no problem. Which may tell you it could have been (1) pilot error, although the fact that it did the same thing on subsequent flights mitigates against that unless you are making the same mistake, (2) a flaw in the ignition switch, you do know there is an AD that requires periodic testing of the switch (that we all forget to comply with)?, or (3) one mag gone or going bad. On three, I have seen issues where a track develops across the cap that allows the electricity to go to the wrong place, and also corrosion in one or more sockets in the cap or in one or more spark plug harness ends that go in the sockets.

I agree with this. If you do a field OH you need to find out what gets OHd or replaced, such as fuel system, turbo, and exhaust. Also, I went through this analysis for my TSIO360 and it turned out that the price difference between reman and new from Continental is small. It was about 7,000 as I recall. And for the 7,000 you get all new accessories, so that is the way I went. The problem, though, is that Conti’s delivery timeline was 8 months, and it is turning out to be quite a bit longer than that given what they are having to do on the 550 AD, which does not directly affect my engine but does affect their workflow. I agree that generally, if you find a really good OH shop, their engine will be smoother than what you get from Conti. I had my current engine IRANd at Bolduc a few years ago, it came back very smooth and that has been the case for the last 1200 hrs.

Thanks.

I looked at the video and I hope it will be helpful, although there is a G500 involved and I don't have that. But at the end of the video there is a screenshot of a post about how to make Autoswitch work, and that illustrates where my problem lies. The second bulleted line says: "In the GTN's normal System/Setup page under ILS CDI capture select 'Autoswitch.'". That is where my problem is. When I go into that menu there should be an icon for Autoswitch and it is missing, simply not there in the GTN750Xi. So I can't make that selection.

12 and 14V are the same system. The battery is a 12V battery, the alternator is set to put out 14V. There has to be a 14V potential to charge the 12V battery. Sometimes the system is called a 12V and sometimes a 14V.

Well, I worked through the menu to turn Autoswitch on in the 750. The 750 manual is really clear. When I get to the screen where you can elect Autoswitch the icon simply is not there. I told that to the installer (good shop by the way) and he said it would be directed by the 275, which is what lead me to the section of the 275 manual I quoted.

The passage I quoted is from the 275 manual, not necessarily applicable to the g5. I brought this up with the installer and he thought I needed to switch Autoswitch on in the 750. There is a menu in the 750 to do that. The problem was I had already tried, and using the menu does not give me the option to switch Autoswitch on, it is just not there. So he said it should be in a menu in the 275, which is what led me to look through the 275 menu again. When I worked through all that and talked to the installer, I had a hunch that the ability to autoswitch needed to be enabled during the install so it would show up in the 750 menu. What I am really fishing for here is whether I should go back to the installer and ask him to take a look at the installation and see if Autoswitch can be enabled.

I replace my old King 256 and 525 with dual reversionary 275’s. I kept the KFC 200 AP. With the old system I had a GTN750Xi connected to the King system through an Icarus SAM GPSS and that is still the case with the 275s. With the old system, when an approach is activated the ILS frequency was loaded as the standby Nav frequency. If the pilot then switched it to be the primary frequency prior to the FAF, the system would Autoswitch from GPS mode to VLOC mode, so the final approach course would be flown using the Localizer and glideslope. I have been putting the new system through its paces, and one of the things I discovered was that the system would not Autoswitch. I talked to my installer, who thought it should but then went through the 275 manual and found this material: “Guidance Source Auto-Switching and Prompting When interfaced with a compatible and appropriately configured Garmin GPS Navigator with a compatible Garmin NAV receiver, the MFI's displayed deviation source automatically changes based on certain conditions. If the aircraft has passed the MAP on an ILS/LOC approach, the guidance source switches to GPS. If on an ILS/LOC approach and the correct frequency is tuned, GPS is selected as the current guidance source, and the AFCS is roll-coupled to a localizer, the guidance source automatically switches to ILS/LOC before the FAF. Auto-switching only occurs with a GFC 600 autopilot and a GTN series navigator that is interfaced with the MFI. When on an ILS/LOC approach but GPS is selected as the guidance source, the CDI Button flashes to prompt the crew to switch guidance sources.” So, it looks like Autoswitch does not happen with the 275s (unless you also buy a 600). Can anyone confirm or tell me my conclusion is wrong?

Well, before I had my JPI930 installed the RPMs looked just fine to me. Then the 930 went in. The sensor and the 930’s readout ability is vastly better than the old factory analog gauge. So for years I would see just a slight over speed at takeoff. Say 2710 or 20. Then it would settle back. We tried fiddling with the governor screw but there was always about a 30 or 40 rpm variation at the top end. When it went over 2700 (the redline) I would usually try to adjust it back with the prop knob, but adjusting out just 10 or 20 rpms does not work very well. Now I max out at about 2680, with the speed sometimes as low as 60 or even 50. It is in the realm where we really can’t adjust the governor to exactly 2700, in light of the sensitivity of the sensor and JPI there is always a little variation.

I found a few more instructors who claim to have Mooney experience from some older publications. I don’t know anything about them, have never used them: MN Minneapolis Loren D. Jones NA 530 2/2002 E-mail 952-447-0600 MN Minneapolis Ruben Alvarez NA 500 2/2002 Yes E-mail 612-377-9481 Joe Allen, Minneapolis. Email: jp.allen926@gmail.com, (612) 636-5216. I own and fly a M20J and am able to provide BFRs and Mooney Instruction. One other, very worth trying if she will give instruction, is Barbara Mack. Barb is a DPE, she has a hangar and office at the Anoka airport. She flies a J (and also flies corporate jets). I have done two checkrides with her, for my Instrument and my Commercial. Unfortunately I don’t have any contact information for her. Barb might be retired by now though, don’t know for sure. Don’t know anyone in the RST area, but the flight from RST to the MSP area is under an hour in a Mooney. The Chief Pilot at Thunderbird Aviation, KFCM, is Fred Nauer. Fred has flown just about anything and could no doubt teach you in a Mooney without any trouble. Then you could go to one of the Mooney PPPs and fly with a Mooney instructor who is very proficient in your model. TBird is 952-941-1212

There have been a few episodes of system failures. It seems really nifty to have everything connected in a system with reversionary capabilities. The problem is that creates a single system which is a single point of failure if something in the system goes wrong, such as a software or electrical failure. I elected to keep my second GPS, my 430AW, separate from the system created by my GTN750Xi and dual 275s. It is connected to its own CDI. I also have an inexpensive backup AI which is separate from the main Garmin-based nav system that includes the 275’s.

I have personal experience with this. Had to idle the engine and do a long dive from 19k once upon a time. Engine was not happy after that and we eventually did an IRAN. The diagnosis was “piston slap.” The rings, esp. the compression rings require compression from the operating engine to seat properly against the cylinder walls. If the rings do not seat, this allows the rings and pistons to scar the cylinder walls. This is a different thing from the placarding of some models as I understand it. The placarding is because of vibration, not piston slap. My situation was pretty extreme. I have done lots of reduced power descents since then without a problem, but low power is not no power. On the OPs “slam down” issue, I always set the “desired descent” algorithm in my 430 so I know when I am at about 450 fpm to make my desired altitude. I then ask for a “slow descent” to the airport. On occasion that may start 125 miles from the airport if I am in the flight levels with a nifty tailwind. I use 450 because when I tip the nose over the plane is going to speed up and my target descent rate is 500. I fly many Angel Flights and/or have passengers on board who are not used to rapid descents, and 500 is easy on the ears. ATC does not always give me what I want, but most of the time they put me in the queue and eventually I get a reasonable descent. If I don’t get a reasonable descent I use the speed brakes. Very rare in my experience to get an actual slam down where you need to get to the GS from a high altitude. Have had to do it a few times, and at that point it is time to stop worrying about a long stabilized descent and weather ATC did something to you. Fly the airplane. Stabilize your descent and airspeed with all available weapons once you get on the GS. By that time you should have flaps and gear down and that will slow your speed pretty good.

I would contact Eric Rudningen at Oasis Aero and see if he has time. Oasis Aero is at Willmar. Eric has probably flown every Mooney there is. He is one of the owners of Oasis, which is a Mooney MSC. You can look Oasis up by googling it and you will get Eric’s number. The other great Mooney instructor who is sometimes in that area is Bruce Jaeger, who owned the predecessor of Oasis for a very long time. He was my instructor when I did my commercial. I don’t know how to reach him though, and he is semi-retired, I don’t know if he still instructs. If you contact Eric and he cannot do it, he may be able to recommend someone else who is proficient in Mooneys.

Mine is over nine months.

We have a bingo. This was the shops employee and agent. The shop is responsible for his conduct. I would get a good, inexpensive local lawyer from a small firm to write a letter saying that, and that the problem is theirs, not yours. The word fraud comes to mind, you were defrauded by someone whose conduct the shop is responsible for.

That makes sense. I had a second 275 installed as an HSI and the first was moved from the backup AI to the primary ADI just a few months ago. I also have a GTN750. Before the work the 275/AI was seamlessly updated from the GTN. After, I have to look in each unit for the databases. The new database will be listed as a backup and I have to make it the primary. Not a lot of effort, but still a pain compared to the way it was before. Good to know, I will ask my installer if the bug has been fixed.

I don’t have the EIS but I have the ADI and HSI. If you haven’t figured it out yet, there are a series of menus available by putting your finger on the bottom of the screen and swiping up. There are customization menus there. There may also be a series of screens available by turning the big knob at the bottom. Pretty basic, but the 275 manual isn’t the best. If you can’t get the unit to give you the appearance you want with the menus, then you may need to go back to the installer. Some of those things need to be enabled on installation.

Some of the older aircraft (including mine unfortunately) were fitted with a wool or wool-like insulation in the walls (between the interior panels and the fuselage skin). This insulation would hold moisture over time and would cause corrosion in the steel frame tubes. I had to have parts of a couple of tubes replaced and some tubes sanded and repainted because of it, when I first got my aircraft. So beware what you use for insulation in the walls.

When you get to your instrument lessons and the checkride, don’t forget that you can slow your Mooney down. Not as much as if it was a Warrior, Archer, Skyhawk, etc., but there is no need to fly from one approach to the next at 140-150 kts. The things fly nicely at 100-120 and that will give you time to think and to do tasks that are not second nature. When the tasks become second nature you can go as fast with your Mooney as you like. And let us know when you pass your checkride, have your ticket, and have become an official Mooney pilot. that will be great.

The big problem with deer is that they try to jump over oncoming vehicles. They are pretty good jumpers, they can clear a 6 foot fence. They like to jump just when you decide to do the hard pull..........

Same here. They peg out at limits. I tell the line guys at my home base that the tanks are not full if the needle will move on the wing gauges.

Partial panel is a different beast now. If you have a moving map, maybe you get to keep its direction indication and possibly even course deviation. Maybe you still have your iPad except that, for me, the pitch-bank indication you might get from a portable is not reliable, but course is pretty good. Many resources on a modern panel, need to figure out what you have left and what it can tell you.

PS if you do go with the Mooney you are going to have to ask the DPE if it is ok, because it does not have co-pilot side brakes, I.e. not full controls on that side.