cliffy

That's cool! I hope you have many great hours in that airplane!

Anechoic chambers, WOW, haven't been in one of those since the Viet Nam days when I worked for an ECM company. We had one about 50X50X60 feet. All "dark" projects then. Going back to VOR or ADF can be as much a struggle as needle-ball-airspeed is when one only uses TV screens. Going from steam gauges and levers in a 727 to the first glass of a 757 was a giant step for many airline guys back when. Did Garmin give any s/n info on what antennas are being replaced? I have one on a Twinkie that I will need to check now.

A 709 ride is just about mandatory these days for any mishap that the Feds come out for. It really helps to know what has to be reported and what does not have to be reported. Sometimes the airport management reports stuff that really shouldn't be reported, much to the chagrin of the pilot

150 lbs of boned out deer meat, complete bathroom rebuilding supplies (but not the sink:-), 4 people in a short body C model ( I know, NO one carries 4 people in flight in a short body!).

BTW, make sure your A&P will sign off any work accomplished. This is not an owner approved job. :-) :-)

Just a quickie here, but, if the nose gear is off the ground and you move the nose wheel left and right (like it was being steered) you will see the "monkey motion" linkage up in the top of the wheel well that transfers the rudder pedal movement to the nose wheel. A "new" linkage allows only slight left-right movement, a worn one can have 15 or more degrees left and right. You can see how loose it is just by looking at it. LASAR and others sell a completely overhauled unit. I have to change mine about every 10 or so years. This is an area where proper lubrication pays big dividends. No shimming just replacing parts (bushings, bolts, rod end) but the complete unit is available to do it right.

Honestly, this is not something an owner should even contemplate doing if that is what your intent is (and it's not legal for an owner to do it unless they are also an A&P or "directly supervised" by an A&P). Even A&Ps sometimes have trouble doing this correctly unless they have training on how to do it. Now, the manuals are available online for free with a little digging but the procedure is very detailed and takes special equipment like jacks and jack pads, tail hook and nose support according to the newest SB for jacking Mooneys. Opening the bottom of the airplane, Having the correct certified torque wrench and special tools to check the MAIN gear settings as when you change one setting (nose gear ) you are required to recheck the mains also. Then you need to check the up limit switch setting, gear door closing and setting, etc. This can go in circles for a while. It is not just a simple set and forget job.

It's .060 of an inch of compression for the nose gear bungees per the MM.

donkaye DON'T GIVE UP IMC BECAUSE OF ME:-) :-) I just wanted to bring forth thoughts that don't get thought of too often in the go-no go decision. BTW, I just did my BFR AND ICC in my Mooney today so I'm still flying IMC under my terms- your mileage may vary :-) :-) Mooneys really are the best from of transportation out there!

Cheap +$2 Going Going :-)

Actually in the last 15 years I've not seen a leaking compass. i bought a diaphragm for one years ago but I don't know what happened to it Hmmm, odorless mineral spirits, I thought I had a can of that somewhere a long time ago also, I'll have to go look around for it in all my junk :-)

I would love to remove my hand crank step and put in a fixed step. Anyone have one for sale --------cheap :-) :-)

In reading arcane minutia again I find that a compass swing is detailed in AC 43.13-1B Section 3 Paragraph 12-37 http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgAdvisoryCircular.nsf/list/AC%2043.13-1B/$FILE/Chapter%2012-13.pdf It details exactly when a swing is required (you might be surprised as it is required after a hard landing or turbulence? !) and how to do it. As it is a "maintenance" function it falls under the auspices of an A&P to sign it off. Although because of Far 65.81 an A&P can no longer replace the rubber diaphragm on a wet compass and refill it as that is "repairing an instrument". Crap, We did for decades before! So if it leaks you technically have to bring it to an instrument shop for repair. FAR 23.1327 and Far 23.1547 should also be consulted for the compass card requirements. Now Mooneys are mostly CAR3 certified and not FAR 23 but I wouldn't want to argue the issue with an FAA Inspector by not following 23.1327 and 1547 as the "best methods and practices". If any electrical item when in operation throws off the swing by more than 10 degrees on any heading, a placard needs to be installed or a second swing needs to be done with a second compass card for the pilot to refer to. Try your landing light or heated pitot and see what happens with these heavy electrical loads. Hope this helps clarify any questions. If not, ask away and I'll try to look up more info.

At some risk, I thought I would forward the FAAs own hand book on Inspections. Always good for some light reading at night :-) http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aircraft/amt_handbook/media/FAA-8083-30_Ch08.pdf Under "Check Lists" it says, "Checklists Always use a checklist when performing an inspection. The checklist may be of your own design, one provided by the manufacturer of the equipment being inspected, or one obtained from some other source. The checklist should include the following:" It goes on to include what should be included in any check list. It then goes on to say under Type Certificate Data Sheets, as the last paragraph "When conducting a required or routine inspection, it is necessary to ensure that the aircraft and all the major items on it are as defined in the type certificate data sheets. This is called a conformity check, and verifies that the aircraft conforms to the specifications of the aircraft as it was originally certified. " Item 13 under "Type Certificate Data Sheets" shows the proper control surface throws are included in a TCDS and they should be checked during a required inspection, just like all required placards listed need to be verified as being installed along with a compass correction card to ensure "conformity" to the TCDS. I've included below a link to the TCDS for Mooneys. You can pull it up and track down to your particular model and read more information than you ever wanted to know about the certification of your airplane.. http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgMakeModel.nsf/0/e74974516b2c5ee886257c3500689e02/$FILE/2A3_Rev_53.pdf Just thought some here might want to know this information. You can spend hours reading this minutia.

Seems a somewhat common problem is tight fitting grease guns and pulling out the zerks. I have heard of a grease gun fitting that is adjustable for tightness. Seems it can be unscrewed in the middle to allow easier removal from the zerk and still tight enough to keep the grease going into the joint.

Bernd, you have one very nice looking airplane there.

It seems that I may have pricked a nerve with what I can only assume (by your number of postings) is the resident Mooney Maintenance GURU on this web site. Sorry!. I find it interesting that you take such great umbrage with a differing opinion. As one who has gone through almost 47 years as an A&P with nary a violation or LOI, I tend to feel the way I do things has seen me and my customers fairly well all these years. I might add that the last time I was at an authorized Mooney Service Center they were using the exact check list I have shown as the one I use. Obviously, Mooney, in 2007, felt it necessary to revise their check list in an effort to do a better, more complete job, i.e,, safer. If you don’t feel it is necessary for you to constantly improve your way of doing maintenance, that’s fine’ It’s your choice. I feel different. MY customers feel different. Either you want to do the best job you can or, your don’t. Service Bulletins are not mandatory unless connected with an AD so YOU don’t have to do them on YOUR airplane and that’s fine. The check list I follow is not “mandatory” but I choose to follow it. The one in your book addresses minimum standards for a Mooney 100 hr. Many A&Ps have worked to only minimum standards for years and have never had a problem. Many don’t even make that threshold. No, Mooneys are not falling out of the sky due to miss-rigged elevators, but that doesn't negate the fact that it should be asked about and checked if the elevators are removed by using the bungees. Many owners are interested in the “finer” points of keeping their airplanes in tip top shape. Why make it seem that they don’t need the information? Why argue about it?. You note that you want this thread to cease and that’s fine also. If you have moderator access, please delete this entire thread and my profile. I didn't realize that this web site was a “gottcha” site where folks were laying in wait to hammer anyone they don’t agree with. Not a very fun place to be or informative to those with a differing opinion. Now, I have posted my credentials for all to see but I don’t see yours. Please do me the favor of posting your creds so we have a basis for comparison. I know from where my opinion comes from. I have no information on where yours come from.

If you read the 100hr/annual inspection check list that Mooney puts out you will find it in there http://www.deltaaviationllc.com/Nav%20Page/maint%20manual/Mooney%20100%20Hour%20Annual%20Guide.pdf Check "Airframe Section, Item 4. on (Rev 2007) With A&Ps being required to follow manufacturers instructions, if they are available, and, needing to use a check list to do a 100 hr insp- ? There is no "recognizing" that the elevators can be removed without removing the bungee nuts ( that has always been blatantly obvious), the question was, when it was painted, who checked or asked how it was done and if it was re-rigged if the bungees were removed. How many owners (or even mechanics not Mooney savvy) even know of this issue (that is the point of my post, not to see how many can find another way to do it) and check into it before the paint job. The point here is education of a possible issue and having that knowledge to be proactive when one goes to paint. I would be surprised if the "majority" of the shops removed them from the horn mount myself. Way too easy to pull them off with the 2 bungee nuts first and not run the risk of dinging new paint by having them flopping around. And, regardless, who can know for sure how they were removed unless one was there? Are they going to pull the horns off after the paint job and thereby run the risk of peeling the new paint around the mounts or are they going to pull them off before paint and try to paint the horns while hanging from the control tubes? And of the ones that don't remove from the horn until off, how many recheck rigging? How many shops have the board? Does anyone know of one shop that does? Wouldn't t be nice if every owner had this information and they could ask the shop about this issue before paint?

A&Ps can remove and install instruments but can not repair them. That means that they can not replace the rubber diaphragm on wet compasses and refill them as we did for decades before the new rulings. They can however "swing" a compass.

I'm not back yet but I will post an article I wrote for those who might be interested. ARE YOU SHAKING YOUR TAIL? How One Question Can Lead to another and another and another- I received a call from a local shop asking me to look at a Mooney that was in the shop. They are not Mooney experts and much to their credit, they know their limitations. I got to the airport and walked around the Mooney to the tail where the other mechanics were standing. One of them asked, “Is this normal?” and proceeded to move the tip of the tail up and down which was accompanied by a loud “click” “clunk” with the tip moving almost a half inch in both up and down and fore and aft directions. Hmmmmmm! Of course, all of us know what causes this, right? They had the tail cover plates off and I went over and held my finger on the tail mount bolts and then had them move the tail again. Sure enough, I could feel movement in the bolt bushing area. On closer examination I could see a gray discoloration around the bolt head area and no evidence of any lubrication in the area. In fact everything I looked at in the tail area showed no evidence of lubrication! I suggested that they not fly it until the wear was repaired and I asked (here’s the first question) “who does your maintenance?” The airplane is not based here year round. I was told that a local shop in another state has done the annual for several years. After a little chit chat I mentioned that I felt that the airplane had not been properly lubricated for some time and I asked (here’s question number 2) “How much do you fly this every year?” The answer, “Somewhere around 200 hours a year.” Hmmmmmmmm! I then asked (here’s question number 3), do you do the lubrication AD every 100 hours” The answer, “We do an annual every year.” Hmmmmmmmm! Next question (here’s number 4), do you know about the lubrication AD? “No, our mechanic does an annual every year.” Hmmmmmmm! I’m going to digress a little here to say that this is not the first time I have run into aircraft owners who, for what ever reason, do not know what THEIR legal requirements are when it comes to maintenance on their airplane. To many owners, the mere fact that they have an annual done every year is all that they are responsible for on the maintenance of the plane. Unfortunately that’s not completely correct. Let me quote from FAR Part 91.405- §91.405 Maintenance required. Each owner or operator of an aircraft— (a) Shall have that aircraft inspected as prescribed in subpart E of this part and shall between required inspections, except as provided in paragraph © of this section, have discrepancies repaired as prescribed in part 43 of this chapter; ( Shall ensure that maintenance personnel make appropriate entries in the aircraft maintenance records indicating the aircraft has been approved for return to service; © Shall have any inoperative instrument or item of equipment, permitted to be inoperative by §91.213(d)(2) of this part, repaired, replaced, removed, or inspected at the next required inspection; and (d) When listed discrepancies include inoperative instruments or equipment, shall ensure that a placard has been installed as required by §43.11 of this chapter. If we go back one paragraph to 91.403 it states- 91.403 General. (a) The owner or operator of an aircraft is primarily responsible for maintaining that aircraft in an airworthy condition, including compliance with part 39 of this chapter. So as we can see, you as the owner, have more responsibility than just bringing your airplane in for an annual every year. YOU have to manage the maintenance all year long. If you have a recurring AD, like our lubrication AD 73-21-01, and you fly over 100 hours in the year, YOU have to make sure that the AD is done. Your maintenance shop will probably NOT know you are over 100 hours in the year until he sees your plane at the next annual. It’s your responsibility to tell him when the AD is due between annuals. This goes for all recurring ADs, so keep your eyes open. Back to our story: After discussing how important lubrication is on a Mooney and how he needed to address the tail bolt issues, he mentioned that they had to jump start the airplane with cables even though they had an external power plug. I asked (here’s question number 5) “Why?” Because the aux plug doesn’t work was the answer. Hmmmmmmm! It was then volunteered that the airplane had had a gear failure and had been repaired but they thought that the gear doors didn’t close all the way! Hmmmmmm! The owner was convinced enough to ground the airplane and start working on the tail hinge. After 8 shop hours of trying to get the bolts out, a screw press was made to carefully push out the bolts. They were completely dry, rusty and worn. New bolts were tried in the holes and the bushings turned out to be good. Only the bolts and the missing washers on those bolts were needed to bring it back to no slop! Hmmmmmm! The owner then took all the panels off the plane and started to lube everything movable, as it should have been done every 100 hours. Having my Maintenance Manual handy I showed them the electrical schematic for the external power plug. In trouble shooting it, I found that the external power relay was missing the ground/diode wire from the coil to ground. Easy fix, just no one knew how to fix it. Hmmmmmm! Now to the gear problems- With the plane on jacks and the belly open I went to the nose gear first. Fore and aft, left and right lots of play in the vertical bushings and bolt. Twist the tire and way too much play in the steering linkage. In checking the mains I find a little play in the retract linkage but not too bad. OK, lets suck’m up and see what that holds for us. Sure enough, the mains don’t go all the way up. Short by 2 inches, gear doors not flush at all. And this is just a few months out of an annual inspection! Well, let’s see what the manual extension holds for us- oopps! It doesn’t go down! Turns out that the release lever works but the crank handle won’t crank! So, let’s recap what I find on the gear: 1) Nose gear is way worn in the steering linkage and pivot bolt/bushings. 2) Main wheels don’t retract properly. 3) Emergency extension doesn’t work. 4) One frozen Heim joint on the retract bars for the nose gear. So, the owner now has a new list of items to fix before he can go fly again. As you can see by this long litany, one question can and will lead to many others when it is noted that there are problems with your airplane. It should be blatantly obvious by now that a maintenance shop has to have specific knowledge of Mooney maintenance practices to be able to do a competent job. The owner “thought” he was getting good maintenance all these years BUT? And, as an owner, you can’t just live with your head buried in the sand when it comes to aircraft maintenance. Remember, YOU are the one in the airplane and as the owner; you have the legal responsibility to maintain your airplane properly. The more you know, the safer you will be.

Flaps and ailerons are attached with Heim joints and can be removed without upsetting rigging. Elevators can also be removed by removing bolts from the control horn through the elevators BUT most of the time that I have seen they are removed by undoing the bungee nuts and springs and then the 4 hinge bolts each. IF it was done by removing the control horns only then you'd be OK BUT which way was it done? Did you know enough to ask? Have they ever been removed before the paint job for any other reason (and where they then re-rigged)? My point is NOT whether someone can come up with way to do it without re-rig but the fact that there are a lot of paint jobs done the incorrect way or no way to tell unless one was there and watched AND knew what they were looking for! I have found them (at least for me) up to 4 degrees out of spec. AND NO, they are not "falling out of the sky" because the rigging wasn't checked BUT they DO NOT meet TC specs and YOU don't know what the ramifications are. It's an attitude of either you're willing to make sure it's done correctly on YOUR airplane or you're not. Your choice! Let's just bring up one more item to see how many want to debunk it. We have an annual requirement AND a 100hr requirement per an AD, to lube the airplane flight controls and landing gear rod ends, included in that AD is a requirement to swing the gear ANDmeasure the over center torque of the landing gear by using the required "special" tools. How many out there know for sure that their last annual or 100 AD was done using the special tools to measure torque? Does your mechanic even have them? Have you ever asked him? I know of shops that do Mooney annuals and don't have the special tools! Let's add to the mix checking proper flight control rigging at each annual per the factory 100 hr inspection guide, does your shop have the rigging boards to measure the control travel? If not, how do they comply with the annual check list AND yes they are required to follow the check list to do the annual. Anyone want to try and debunk that one? There is one thread here that someone talks about doing landings with the trim all the way nose up and having an approach speed of 85 MPH. Either the plane is way out of rig or the flying technique is way wrong. I can speak on either issue but I won't. It is interesting to me to see how many on this forum try to debunk an issue, take exception with the question without carefully reading the question, or try to find some esoteric way around it rather than taking it for what it was offered as, an issue you MIGHT want to look at if you are not familiar with it, so that you are more familiar with the maintenance issues on your airplane. I have found many owners (and not owner/A&Ps) to be interested in learning about their plane and its maintenance but on the other hand I have seen just as many that are ignorant of what is required, arrogant enough to say what is required does not apply to them or they figure they know more than the company that designed it. All one has to do is go through a full investigation by the FAA (no I haven't had the pleasure but friends have)to know what it feels like to have the feds ask, "so what makes you think you know more than the manufacturer". Whether it is how to comply with ADs, maintenance issues, who can LEGALLY work on your plane or what parts are installed on it (hardware store bolts and nuts for one) someone is always willing to skirt the edges. Merry Christmas to all and I'm out of town for a while.

By Cs I was implying "Cessna" type airplanes. Their elevators can be removed and replaced without upsetting the control throw angles by the way they are attached. Control angles relate to control authority. Control authority and response is a design parameter set at the factory to meet certification requirements. In general, too much authority can lead to an unstable flying a/c and too little authority can or may cause an unrecoverable condition upon a/c upset. There's a lot more to it but again the tolerances are 1 degree either way so just by that it can be deduced that it is an important item to keep correct. BTW, control rigging is supposed to be check at every annual/100 hr. Does your shop have the proper tools to do the check? Figure 6-4 in the Mooney Maintenance Manual. :-) Just asking. I have another question I'll pose in another thread.

Let me just add for those who may need to know I hold: MEL ATP 20,000+ hrs Typed in B767, B757, B737, B727, A320, LrJet, CE500, MU2 As stated, 46 yrs A&P trained on B707, 720, 747, 727, DC8, DC9, DC10, CE500, numerous smaller a/c I've lost too many friends in this business to ignorance or carelessness to not want to pass on what I know.

Let's see. where to begin? I pose questions to bring about thought and discussion on this and other forums. I bring to the forum 46 years as an A&P and 13 years as a Mooney owner. I run into aircraft maintenance issues very often and a high percentage of them are brought about by the owner either not knowing or not caring about the maintenance. I have heard many times,"I take it in for an annual". unfortunately, that doesn't cover the owners responsibility as far as the FARs are concerned. One only has to read FAR 91.403. If it doesn't annoy anyone, I'll let them read it. Has anyone ever let an AD over run either time or date? I just had a C model that I discovered flies @200 hrs per year and yet the owner though all he had to do was 1 annual and the lubrication AD once a year. WRONG!. So that is why I pose questions. I don't want to see anyone hurt and I don't want to see anyone get a violation. I bring up the elevator bungees because it is unique to Mooneys and many times a misunderstood item on Mooneys. If your maintenance isn't done by someone informed about the system it will be missed. The elevators on a Mooney can not be removed and replaced "accurately" for correct throw angles unless they are re-rigged per Sec 6 of the Mooney Maintenance Manual.To do that you need some way of measuring throws at certain precise angle settings of the moving stabilizer in relation to the horizontal waterline of the fuselage. Once the stabilizer is set at 3 1/2 degrees airplane nose up the elevators need to be adjusted to a specific up elevator degree setting in relation to the stabilizer (12 degrees on D models, 9 degrees on C models, 5 1/2 on F models, etc). This adjustment is done by the two nuts that hold on/in the springs in the elevator bungees. So you just can't mount the elevators on the hinges and tighten down on the bungees without using an elevator trim board to measure the angles correctly. So, if you had your airplane repainted and the controls were removed and replaced AND they didn't have and use a Mooney trim board to reset the elevator angles they will not be correctly set. Now consider the allowable tolerances is in the order of 1 degree, they can't be set without the proper tools ON A MOONEY. Cs, Bs and Ps don't have this issue.

If you have had your plane repainted of course everyone has the flight controls re-balanced as required (right?) BUT, did you find anywhere in your logs that the elevators were re-rigged per the Mx manual or were they just re-installed? How did the shop adjust the spring bungee position without levels and a trim board?