mikefox

I'd like to hear everyone's experiences with Mooney Authorized Service Centers in Southern California. We are looking for a shop for when our bird needs the attention of a Mooney expert. Thanks, Mike

We use both oil analysis and filter inspection. Can never have too much information. Goes along with listening to the airplane, too. Friend of mine had a very subtle periodic vibration go though his airframe, along with increasing oil consumption, though not tremendous. He tore into it and found a broken ring on one piston! No pieces in oil filter (too big - probably sitting in bottom of sump) and nothing on oil analysis.

Well maintained grass strips are fine if your soft-field technique is good! I have flown into many in the US and Canada, as well as a few good dirt strips in Mexico (airplane just needs a wash when you get home!) I always drag the strip first to check general condition - well worth the time and gas, though I doubt you could see a gopher hole!

Yes, if you set 14" you will get about 100 kts clean. You can then drop the gear at GS intercept for the descent. I just prefer the responsiveness and ability to fight a downdraft that 16", 120 kts gives me, and I still have comfortable margin for gear extension. Cylinder head temps have always been comfortably in the bottom of the green using this procedure, cowl flaps closed for descent of course!

My aircraft partners and I are looking for an independent (not currently working for a corporate shop) Mooney mechanic in southern CA (we are in San Diego) with an IA for our next annual. We are fed up with corporate shops that do mediocre work and are not responsive to the customer (unless you fly turbine equipment)! Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks, Mike

I'll throw my 2 cents in: Get the turbo ONLY if your mission profile REQUIRES it. More to go wrong, more to maintain, more things to watch out for when operating.... if you fly out of the mountain West, by all means, get one.

Couple of comments: 1. If you are reading off a written checklist on final, then you are spending too much time with your head down in the cockpit! 2. Written checklists, when time allows (not in the traffic pattern), are fine, but in single pilot operations, should be used to back up a cockpit flow. In this way, the checklist is truly being used as a checklist, not a do-list. Also, the checklist becomes your "copilot", and can catch something that has been missed. 3. I lower the gear after I establish myself on downwind (hand doesn't leave the handle until I get gear down indication). I repeat GUMPS on final. 4. If you are afraid of forgetting to put the gear down, review your procedures. With good, solid procedures, there should be no fear - just healthy respect.

Rain will definitely have an effect. It can even be calculated. The aircraft, when flying through rain, accelerates the rain up to the speed of the aircraft (or less, depending) for the rain which strikes the aircraft surfaces or is affected by them through viscous effects. The details get complicated, as the angle the rain strikes the surface, and whether it "wets" to the surface or "bounces" off is important. But the principle is one of momentum flux. The momentum added to the water per unit time is equal to the force on the aircraft (drag) by Newton's laws. So it matters how hard it is raining. It also matters what the droplet size distribution is, since this affects how the water impacts the aircraft and the subsequent change in momentum of the water droplets.

For what it is worth, we went with the G500 because the screens are easier to read and the MFD is front and center. Also, the Garmin AHARS and FDC are bulletproof, with millions of hours of operation. If I were looking to do a minor upgrade (not a completely new panel) I might opt for the Aspen - great equipment. I teach on both, and prefer the Garmin presentation, but that is just me.

Well, problem solved! (For now...) We had an instrument shop tighten the brushes that carry the pitch signal. The shop didn't think it would solve the problem, but we just completed a flawless test flight. So I am doubly convinced that the sharp, short duration pitch movements (jerky, and in both altitude and attitude hold modes) were due to the pitch signal coming off the AI!! Beware - the AI bench-checked perfectly when it was not working in the aircraft, so I think the vibration may have something to do with the quality of the pitch signal and the need for the brushes to maintain good contact.

We have had our AI bench-checked ok, but still had pitch-oscillation problems. Then changed out AI and everything worked perfectly. I've heard from some shops that the pitch output is the weak point on that AI. But I haven't heard any good solutions yet. Still waiting for Garmin to come out with the magic box for the G500 that will replace the AI for autopilot pitch and roll signals!

Well, today we had the AI removed and bench tested - no trouble found. They cleaned the brushes and re-installed. Test flight showed no problems at all! I'm not sure whether to be happy or not - would rather have found a smoking gun, but now I know it is associated somehow with the AI....

We also sent the computer to Century - they upgraded it for a lot of money but didn't find any specific problem. The pitch oscillation continued. So we changed the attitude indicator. It went away for a while but came back. We then re-wired everything, with new harnesses. Still a problem. Finally changed the AI again, and the problem disappeared - and the techs found broken slip rings inside the AI. Now the gremlin is back with us. So it is off to the instrument shop again!

We have a 1989 M20J with a Century 2000 autopilot and attitude indicator. We have been having problems with a pitch oscillation (sharp changes in pitch attitude both up and down) for years now, and have traced the issue to the attitude indictor pitch electrical signal - last time we found broken slip rings inside the attitude indicator. This issue has recurred 3 times now, with attitude indicators from 2 different shops. Has anyone else ever encountered this problem? One shop suggested that we might have some vibration issue causing the problems, but there is little noticeable vibration from the panel as far as I can tell. I would really appreciate any thoughts on this issue. Regards, Mike

We have a 1989 M20J with a Century 2000 autopilot and attitude indicator. We have been having problems with a pitch oscillation (sharp changes in pitch attitude both up and down) for years now, and have traced the issue to the attitude indictor pitch electrical signal - last time we found broken slip rings inside the attitude indicator. This issue has recurred 3 times now, with attitude indicators from 2 different shops. Has anyone else ever encountered this problem? One shop suggested that we might have some vibration issue causing the problems, but there is little noticeable vibration from the panel as far as I can tell. I would really appreciate any thoughts on this issue. Regards, Mike

In my M20J I slow to holding /pre-approach speed prior to beginning any approach maneuvers , using 16" MP/2600 RPM. This gives me 120 kts clean. For a precision approach, gear goes down 1/2 dot prior to glideslope intercept and power to 14" MP. This gives about 100 kts on the precision approach, which is fast enough for most airports and provides good responsiveness. Non-precision, just follow the same recipe, but power goes to 12" for descents.

My partners and I put in $55 / hour for all variable costs not including fuel. These include oil, mechanical maintenance, engine reserve, avionics maintenance, and prop. Seems to be holding near that number over more than 6 years! Fixed costs handled separately include hangar, annual, databases, insurance, etc.

I'm not sure what you mean by "mix", but we have a Century 2000 with a G-500. But we have retained the old AI Gyro as backup and to drive the pitch and roll input to the autopilot computer. G500 provides heading and nav info to the computer. GPSS works great!

A few thoughts on stalls: Practicing stalls in any aircraft is critical to pilot skill (not just for airshow performers, as one member suggests!). Training for all pilots should focus on: recognition and avoidance, aircraft control through the inadvertent stall, and proper recovery techniques. We do indeed fly an aircraft close to critical AOA (but not beyond!) on every flight, if we are landing properly. Stalls in a Mooney are no different than any other aircraft, except that the airraft is a bit more sensitive to improper use of controls through the stall and recovery - remember - trying to pick up a "dropped" wing with aileron just increases the AOA of that wing, putting it deeper in the stall, and increases drag on that wing, promoting faster spin entry (pro-spin aileron) - so the members that have stated rudder use to keep the wings level through the stall and recovery are perfectly correct! For those who think pilots don't need training in all aspects of stalls, just remember Colgan Air.

Anyone have a favorite shop for repair work on Century autopilots? I have a Century 2000 computer in need of a transistor replacement (probably). One recommendation I got was Autopilots Central in Tulsa, OK Thanks!

If it is coming from the governor mounting pad, make certain that the governor was installed with a spacer plate and gaskets on both sides of the plate. If it is not installed properly, it will not seat, and the loss of oil can be catastrophic. Many mechanics do not know this, as only two engine installations use this spacer plate - the IO360 in the M20J and in the Cessna 177. Take this seriously - we experienced just this on our governor, and there was a special service bulletin issued after a fatal crash following loss of engine oil on takeoff!

Having taught several students in glass-equipped aircraft and many more in traditional panel aircraft, and now flying glass myself, a few comments: 1. With glass, as with steam gages, there is no substitute for proficiency and currency! 2. With the glass, there is much greater situational awareness but the pilot must not spend too much time getting distracted by all the goodies. Likewise, some tasks take a bit more time than turning an OBS knob, and this must be considered, since most of us are single pilot operations. I have found that students starting in glass learn faster in the beginning but need more time at the end for complex procedures - no surprise, as the cockpit capabilities increase, there is simply more to learn!

Your cowl flap problem is likely the incorrect cable installed. I have seen exactly that problem before. Take it to a knowledgeable Mooney mechanic to be certain.

I second Parker's comments. We just installed a G500 and GNS430W in our bird and I absolutely love it. I was a skeptic of glass in the past (have been teaching instrument students for 10 years) but am a convert now. As for precision, I can now easily maintain a desired pitch attitude within 2 degrees with the G500. The bar on our AI was twice that wide. And there is no substitute for having the track and waypoint info right in front of you at all times. Yes, I grew up on ADF and VORs, and I can still shoot a pretty decent NDB approach, but, except for practice and bragging rights, why?

I second the vote: more than 90 days. I have an ugly-looking fuel pump rocker, and would have gladly paid for one when I did some recent panel work, but couldn't get one anywhere....