ELT

Amelia, Don't tell everybody about eastern NC or it will become like my home town of CARY (Congested Area of Relocated Yankees). Just kidding!!!

Hi, I live in Beaufort NC. KMRH has 3 runways. You can walk to Historic Beaufort. Eat at the Beaufort Grocery! From Beaufort take boats to Carrot Island, the outter banks and Cape Look Out. We have a maritime museum in Beaufort. Nice beaches can also be found across the "bridge" at Atlantic Beach. Fort Macon State Park and an aquarium are at Atlantic Beach. From the air the water colors of the Crystal Coast rival some of the Bahamas. The Sea Food festival is the first weekend in October. Irene storm damage was mostly flooding and not directly on the Crystal Coast. Beaufort and Morehead had almost no structural damage, just tree limbs down.

I cancelled a planned trip MRH to Cape Cod on Thursday. Flew out of my home airport at Beaufort/Morehead mid-day Friday to a hanger in Burlington NC. Planned to return to MRH Sunday but a TFR was established over eastern NC. Fortunately, very little damage was done to MRH and my hanger there is undamaged. As I work in Raleigh and live in Beaufort being stuck in Raleigh area is not too bad. Hope to get home tomorrow. Yes, my insurance pays $500.00 for the move. Is it worth it? NOT, except to protect the airplane. Rental car, hanger and fuel were near $500.00. Will not relocate again for a Cat 1 storm.

During the annual I noted that the pilot and co-pilot seat for/aft adjustment lever tubes had deep grooves in them. The tubes are spring loaded to rest on the seat frame with no apparent "bumpers" to prevent metal to metal wear. This wear had slipped by on many annuals I am sure. The airframe time is 2900 so this may be seen on many in th fleet. Kevin and I used teflon tape to cushion the metal to metal wear. Have you seen this and if so how did you correct it?

Hi Scott, Just got one installed during annual. Test flew but don't have the bill yet and paper work. I am working in Raleigh till Friday. When I get home I will get elaboration and pictures. I ordered a Mooney vent from a salvage yard ($20.00). The mechanic cut a hole in the co-pilot side NACA vent, fabricated a mount and attached the vent with screws. You can call him for details. His name is Kevin Snyder at 252.515.4081

The problem could be that he owned an E and had muscle memory for it. The E has no partial up flap detent and the gear is manuel. The E model go aroound is gear up on positive rate of climb and by 80 mph, then flaps full up. The rapid retraction of the manuel gear allows the E to climb and accelerate. Perhaps, the instuctor needs training in the different systems in the J.

Hi Sven, I have used the RAM mount attached to the co-pilot yoke for about 1 year. Center post and pilot yoke mount cover too much other stuff. Not ideal but it works. Especially, as my wife is a pilot (soloed at 16 but has let me pilot for the last 40 years). She operates the iPad, copies clearances, crosschecks my navigation and pulls up approach plates as needed.

Just called Garmin to get a RMA number to ship my 496 back due to internal battery failure (does not keep time/date and slow to find new location). I was informed that with the 4.50 software there is a procedure which renders the internal battery unnecessary. The 496 is in the plane so I could not try it. It involves turning the WAAS off. Has anyone done this? I will report the result when I get to try later this week.

I have been soul and wallet searching on this same subject. I have a KNS 80, 2 digital coms, PC, transcoder, audio panel, 496 and iPad. I now fly only light IFR and only with my co-pilot wife to keep me in line. I do 6 month checks. Do I need an expensive GPS? I reasoned not. I am adding a KR86 adf in the place of the defuct loran to make more legal approaches open to me. It is a choice of money and type of flying you do. If you are on a schedule and fly hard IFR you need aleast a 430W.

Unfortunately, you probably will want both. I use a 496 for a moving map that works 99% of the time. The iPad with Bad Elf ( you really need a waas gps in the iPad) has neat moving map presentation on both low altitude and sectional charts. However, on a flight yesterday the 496 lost gps for 5 seconds and the iPad gps was down much longer. The iPad is a very good paper chart replacement and with the Bad ELF a good VFR situational awareness tool. On the same flight over eastern NC the 3G was less than 50% working at 6,000 msl. The iPad is good but not a replacement for even a portable aviation GPS. It is another tool for your tool box.

Hi Ross, I checked on the right side panel cover and now know why I have one. The prior owner had purchased the cover because the cover in my plane has been patched and really needs replacing. Sorry, I will need to keep the cover. I really did not want something else to do. Sorry Eddie

If my failing memory is correct, I have a right side spare for my 1966e. I am working in Raleigh a few days, when I return to the coast I will check my hanger. It is a lovely simulated wood grain plastic and I will check on the post lites.

Just got the Bad Elf in last week. Tried it on a flight today up the NC Outter Banks. The 496 and ipad with Bad Elf were in agreement within 10 feet. Prior to the Bad Elf the difference was greater. More testing to follow.

Hi Thinwing, In the real world, I oversee the operation of EPA mandated ambient air monitoring. Don't shoot me I fight the new lead rules. CO is a pollutant we monitor. Your numbers are many times the backgound and the concentrations on congested highways. True aircraft do not have emission controlls but your numbers are still high. CO monitors CAN be inaccurate. First, check the accuracy of your monitor. If your monitor is accurate then the problem needs to be found. Sleeping squirrel's data is correct. We calibrate our equipment with 40ppm tanks and require separate safety monitors. We do not want our techs exposed to even 40ppm concentrations for long periods of time.

Peter, You might check my post on how to "mount" a Mooney. Eddie

Hi Scott, I called and talked to SWTA several months ago and they were very helpful but no longer offer a kit due to the FAA keeping us safe. Mooney SB M20-208B item #23 mentions welding the wemac air valve against the aluminum pan using PR1422-B2. Give South West Texas Aviation a call they will probatly expain better. Let us know what you find, as you are blazing the way. Likewise my wife tells me she flies left seat in the Summer unless I get her a vent.

I also use an iPad mounted on the co-pilot yoke. As a back up to device failureI carry outdated enroute charts and outdated or self printed approach plates. I usually note significant changes on the outdated charts when doing preflight planning. I also only fly "light IFR" Eddie

After my wife's first flight in the Mooney she called it "Johnathan" because it does not want to quit flying (Johnathan Livinston Seagull).

I am planning the same thing. A kit was offered by SWTA but the FAA caused problems. I am told that a vent can be field approved as a minor modification with IA sign off and no 337. You need to reference service bulletin SB M20-208B. Aircraft Struce has part # 10680 sperical air vent. I looks like complying with the SB and installing the vent should take about 4 hours and best to do at annual. You may find as you do the SB that the pilot side vent will need some attention. Read the SB. Let me know how it goes. I plan to do mine in Jume at the annual.

Unfortunately, the RAM mount secures the ipad at the top center and bottom 2 corners. If the ipad is secured upside down (data port up) the on/off and data port are covered.

Hi Jeff, I have my ipad in a RAM mount such that the data port connection is at the bottom. I am thinking about getting a B. E. to improve accuracy. Will the B.E. work with an cable connecting it to the ipad? That would allow the B. E. GPS to be on the glare shield. Eddie

Yes, crash problems, flight controll movements and instrument view obstructions must all be checked. In my arrangement we checked yoke/seat occupant clearance with the seats at the full forward positon (not our usual position). The fixed shoulder harnesses prevented impact. The transciever on the pilot yoke is usually not there. Perhaps, when my ship (plane) comes in I will replace the RNav with a 430w, restack the panel and mount the ipad right of the tach.