Alan Fox

It truly amazes me how cheap people can be , for 1000 1200 dollars you can have an alternator that will out perform your old one , weighs ten lbs less , have a solid state regulator , and have fifty years of technology and manufacturing enhancements over the crappy generator that is in there now .. I think if the difference in price is that important , you truly CAN NOT AFFORD to fly , If you take passengers or fly at night , or especially if you fly IFR , the difference can be life or death....

The aftermarket tools are fine , also there is a service bulletin that changes the preload tourque on earlier models..

I always use takeoff flaps , as I am a shorter pilot , the nose down attitude is increased with the flaps..

I have an Interav alternator conversion on my B model that is over 20 years old and runs fine , If you have a problem that cant be fixed with brushes or diodes , I recommend the Plane Power replacements ... They are actually Toyota (nippondenso) alternators that are STC'd conversions for aircraft , They are a lot lighter also....

Check my post from two weeks ago to check the collar ...

No problem with the gyros as the WHOLE panel is tilted instead of just half..

Wont net any speed , but it will look good , I put countersunk screws in my wing (about 500 or more ) with no net gain , but it looks better, I think the smooth belly is mor for easy access.

Russ does it involve the finger screen , There two filters on lycomings , the spin on and the finger screen at the bottom...

I have read the biggest danger to tank sealant is hard landing gear bisquits (donuts)

It is real easy , I always call in at about 60 miles out and this annoys the controllers a little , but the last thing I want to see is an F/16 pulling up next to me.. Take the online course and this explains everything .. Not much more difficult than entering class B airspace..

1) The cheapest thing you will ever put in an airplane is fuel 2) Of course I trust you to work on your airplane , You are the one that has to FLY it !!! 3) Fly the airplane 4) your airspeed is your life

Serevice bulletins are there for a reason , Enough said???

Loran is gone , some guys say it is coming back as a backup , but that is total bullcrap , If you have a northstar loran , you can change the antenna and slide in a M3 GPS , but jeppeson stopped supplying the database updates two years ago , The good news is that the airports dont move , so this is a cheap solution if you have a northstar...

Three hours is more than fair ,(if it is a lycoming) what everybody is forgetting is the fingerscreen , There is a screen at the bottom of the oil pan that nobody ever checks and it is a total bitch to get to because it faces the firewall.. they are always neglected , and usually are full of gunk and crap... You usually get what you pay for , and if 3 hrs is too much you need to find a new hobby !!!

That is a tourque nut and does not have to be replaced if it still has resistance , I do however replace all the hardware when I work on my plane.. (my a&p thinks I am nuts(no pun intended))

I was looking at the 231 mooneys and here is the deal , The overhauls on the turbos are 45k with a good core , there ar NO USED turbo motors out there because it is a mooney only application ( I think it has to do with the alternator placement) Also there is NO difference in performance up to 7 or 8000 feet so unless you spend a considerable amount of time in the teens it is not a benefit, All that said , they came with some kick ass avionics packages, most have the full silver crowm package and the KFC 150/200 autopilot flight director HSI packages ..... They were very tempting , but I decided not to because of the motor.. Also if the core is bad it is another 12000 added on to the overhaul price..

Just some food for thought , the donuts are always compressed , when the plane is sitting on the gear the travel of the gear is on the upper limit , meaning that they do NOT compress at all unless you are landing or taxiing , When I replaced mine I had to jack the plane in a goofy manner so the weight of the whole plane was on one leg at a time to get the top collar on, Also if your plane has not been converted from the Goodyears (5 0n the mains and four on the nose ) you have to replace the stack tubes also , Also very important , if you dont put the nose collar on correctly the plane will have nose wheel shimmy ... ( it looks like the bolt hole is in the middle , it is not it is a few thousandths to one side and the longer side has to face the truss and stack)

There is an AD from Lycoming says the procedure for prop strike inspection , and the procedure is dial the crank , I think the spec is .006 runout on the face , and .003 on the side , (I know that sounds like a lot , but i think that is the spec) , if it is in spec , you remove the accessory case and visually inspect the crank and accessory gears and put in a new lock ing plate and crank gear bolt , about 50 dollars in parts , and 10 to 15 hrs in labor, Contenental makes you do a tear down....

I was lucky to have found a Southwest Texas 201 panel mod from a wreck I bought on Ebay .. I think I paid about 1300 dollars with the strip guage , I invested about 50 hours and about another 15K in used avionics (GNS430,Mx20,SL70,KX165,Sandel 3308,KI204,GEM610,KMA28, But my panel looks like you are in a new Ovation ... The up side is it is awesome , the down side is I have a 40k Panel in a 40k airplane.. IMG00100-20090727-2023,IMG00099-20090727-2022

I think a KLN90 or 90B will fit the 88 tray with a rewire and antenna , You can use an old nav head for a indicator , or get a used switch annunciator to make it legal... The labor to put it in will be more than the used equipment , There are a lot of good avionics shops/dealers on ebay , and you can do quite well if you research your seller , I bought my sandel Efis/compass system used on ebay , as well as many mooney parts , Good luck..

Lycoming says teardown is not necesary , You dial the crank and if it is in spec , you remove the accesory case and inspect the gears and replace the bolt and lock plate for the crank gear...

The first time I was terrified in an aircraft , I had about 100 hours in an airplane , and dropped of a passenger about 30 miles from my home airport , They got out , closed the door and I taxied out... I didnt even shut off the engine ... As soon as I started climbing out the plane started making a horrendous and loud banging noise , which got progressively louder ....THe only thing I knew for sure was that the plane was still climbing , AS I tuned the radio to call out an emergency at the airport in front of me I noticed the seat belt was hanging out of the door ... What a relief!!!! The second Time I was with a CFI checking out in a Musketeer I purchased , The plane lost power on takeoff and was barely holding altitude about 30 feet above the trees , The CFI went to grab the Mag switch , and I grabbed his hand and put it in his lap and said emphatically " Its making power leave it the fuck alone " We made it around and landed without incident , The throttle cable sheath had slid in the single clamp that holds it to the mount... ( this plane now has about 4 clamps holding the sheath to the mount now) Had we touched anything , we would have not made it over the treetops , I think in that moment of terror I had exceptional clarity on what to (or not to) do.. I think the moral of the story is Don't second guess yourself!!!!

I am looking for exhaust stacks for a m20b , m20a , or m20 if anyone has one

How much for the Kx 155 Thanks Alan

Don the prop stop is set up by degrees as stated in the tcds , so adjusting the prop stop is a NO !! The cable is not a suitable solution either , so you have to go with the cable stop at the governer ... I know it is a pain in the ass , but I also know that you are a retired engineer by trade and if the rpms vary by more than 3 or 4 rpms it will bother you , I set mine up for 2700 RPM and as long as my power changes are subtle I will not overspeed ... If I slam it forward , it will overspeed by 75 to 100 rpm , I think this is the time it takes the piston to pull back the pitch , if I do it slowly , it goes to 2700 and stops at 2700 .. Good luck