Skyatty

It seems that if an instructor is giving instruction in a Mooney, i would hope the student has sufficient prior piloting experience that stopping the airplane is not too big a challenge. That said, the fact that our birds love to fly, particularly when they are too fast on final and will float seemingly endlessly, perhaps it is an issue. But it presents a great opportunity to teach the pilot to go around if too fast rather than forcing a landing with too little runway remaining.

Parker, yep, I've made that a habit since I got the plane but I sure hate where they put the indicator - PITA to see. Scott, if it is the motor, I'm not sure what to do about it - would you guys replace or overhaul a gear motor in this instance as a precaution? I think I'll give Don Maxwell a call on Monday and get his thoughts. By the way George, my cousin lives in Palestine - beautiful place and the lake is gorgeous from the air.

Hey Parker, I'm a little late, but congratulations on the new bird!

Update: The mechanics went over the gear and could not replicate the problem (as in the article above). They found that one of the rods was out of spec and adjusted it and thought that might have been the problem, but everything else appears solid. They also cleaned the gear switch just in case. Cycled the gear many times and it seems to work fine. I believe that I will study the manual extension procedure several times and have the checklist close at hand. Sigh.

Still waiting for maintenance report but my cousin sent me the following link: http://www.moapilot.com/pdf/March06/March06web.pdf

Actually, these are probably more what you are looking for: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=1680&bih=935&gbv=2&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=mooney+aircraft+line+drawing&oq=mooney+aircraft+line+drawing&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=128272l134447l0l30l28l1l17l17l0l561l1628l0.3.3.5-1l7

See if there is anything here that works: http://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&source=hp&biw=1680&bih=935&q=mooney+logo&gbv=2&oq=mooney+logo&aq=f&aqi=g1&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=1728l3200l0l11l7l0l0l0l0l252l439l0.1.1l2

Scott, thanks for all the information. I am thinking it is a switch issue. Just prior to putting the switch in the down position, I tried twisting it very lightly hoping it might be a connection issue and a moment later the gear finally triggered and came down. Actually, the landing before was one of my best ever; an FAA inspector who happened to be trailing us in the pattern even remarked "excellent landing" after touchdown, so I don't think I jarred anything loose. We had a particularly tough winter up here and I have not flown the plane since late October due to relatively constant storms every three to four days and freezing levels to the surface; that's why I was with the instructor - shake off some rust and do some basic airwork. Two weeks before that last flight, I had a radio repaired and it makes sense that a connector may not have been seated fully. Will hopefully know on Monday afternoon and will let the board know. Jose, I do not believe that I have the switch that you refer to. Thanks everyone and Happy Father's Day.

I had an interesting morning this morning. I went up with an instructor to do some airwork and landing practice. We finished the first landing and were in the downwind for the second. I put the landing gear lever in the gear down position and . . . nothing. Sat staring at the blank indicators for a second then slowly cycled the switch . . . nothing. No sound, no light, no movement, no change in the floor indicator. Nothing. We left the pattern and flew around trying to troubleshoot. Breakers were seated, electrical power seemed fine, no other indications of trouble but no gear. Cycled through two more times and still no gear. We discussed it for a moment and then, with nothing better to do, I cycled it one more time. Nothing for a second then suddenly the lights came on, the motor worked and the gear was down. Gear down light green and the floor indicator indicated gear down. Flew back to base with the gear down at the speed of a 172 and landed uneventfully. Plane will go to maintenance Monday for examination. Anyone else experience anything similar?

Thanks Jetdriven. If it is a $2K difference between the 30 and the 60 and the 60 allows for glideslope tracking, perhaps I should save up a little longer and go with the PSS. Sigh. I guess with the pool of new pilots shrinking, the economy still stuck and fewer new planes shipping, the only hope for commerce in aviation is coming up with the next shiny technology and sticking a big price on it. We all need to keep our old birds relatively updated so the market is there and $15,000 for a shiny piece of technology is easier to swallow than $500K for a shiny new machine with the technology already installed. I may kind of understand it but I don't like it.

What I liked best about Don is that he is very knowledgable and thorough but I also did not get killed on the bill at the last annual. It is just twice as far as the places in California.

Parker, he is committed to trying to get into the Air Force Academy right now. He says he is conflicted between wanting to be a pilot or a doctor. Flight surgeon is in the middle but maybe not the kind of doctor he wants to be. He also thinks engineering might work. He is a great student and all around human being and should have a ton of choices for schools. I have a huge Texas family with several A&M grads. UT Austin is also a possibility. I am a UC San Diego alum and we will look there and UC Berkeley and Stanford. Still lots of time and I have an airplane that can take him to see some of the possible choices, which should be a blast.

Is it just me or does it seem like every company wants $15,000 for their particular bit of technology in the cockpit? My eyes start to bleed just from looking at the prices.

Mitch, depending on the timing, I may also check out the MSC in Troutdale. We are thinking of flying up to Gig Harbor this summer and that is not too far out of the way.

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I think I will probably try Top Gun and see how it goes. Parker, I really trust Don but it is literally twice as far. With a trip to Cali, I can actually do some business and see some clients. Also, we are entering the "search for college" phase with my son so we can check out Berkeley and Stanford while we are in NoCal. ThinWing, the OK3 guys are okay but after dealing with them you get a clear idea that they want bizjet business and not so much the little guys. The guy that once ran maintenance for OK3 is now down as KSLC and does oil changes and engine work for me (a Lycoming is a Lycoming regardless of the airframe, I assume) and he is a good mechanic but no real Mooney experience. Enjoy Park City; it is truly paradise in the summer. If you get a chance, the Wednesday night concerts at Deer Valley are a treat (and free) and there are always other great concerts up there during the summer. Well worth it.

I currently have an Century IIB installed in my '77 J, which works well (knock wood) but does not have altitude hold. I am thinking about adding an S-TEC 30 single axis to this setup. Anyone have that particular set up and, if so, are you satisfied with it? I am starting my IR training and I assume that altitude hold will be very helpful in the IFR environment. An upgrade to a new AP is difficult to justify (particularly to the spouse who only sees dollar signs not utility enhancements). Thoughts?

My annual is coming up in August and I have to make a decision about where to have it done. When I bought 201FJ last August, Don Maxwell did the pre-buy and annual. I would really like to take it back to Longview for this annual but it is a hike and, with current fuel costs probably adds nearly 1K AMU to the cost. Utah does not have a MSC anywhere and I have not found a mechanic in this general area with Mooney-specific experience. There is a mechanic in Evanston with Mooney experience but he is not a MSC. Obviously, California (where I fly a lot), Arizona, Nevada and Colorado are reasonable choices. California has several MSCs (Crownaire in San Diego, LASAR in Lakeport, Monterey Bay and Top Gun in Monterey and Stockton, respectively); Arizona has Chandler Aviation, Nevada has Lone Mountain Aviation in Las Vegas (where I also fly a lot) and Colorado has Arapahoe Aero in Englewood. Any recommendations from any of these choices? If you would recommend against any of these due to bad experiences or problems with their work, please PM me rather than posting it here. Also, if you are aware of someone in the Salt Lake City area with great Mooney credentials, please let me know - I haven't found him yet. Thanks in advance.

Weird question for the board. I was supposed to start flight training for my IR tomorrow. The instructor sent me an e-mail saying that the FBO wanted to be named as an additional insured on my insurance since we will be training in my plane. I called my insurer who said that it was an unusual request because the FBO should already have proper coverage on its policy and the additional coverage will cost me an additional premium. Is it an unusual request? Is it unusual for the insurer to charge an additional premium to put the FBO or the instructor on the policy?

Living and flying in the Rockies, I have decided to purchase a portable oxygen system. Planning to buy a 4-place 24 c.f. aluminum tank for the flexibility of those relatively few flights with my wife and son, Just wondering where to put the tank in the plane ('77 J-model). Those with portable O2, where do you put the bottle?

Thanks all. Good information. Parker, as always, you got the goods!

I received a good quote today for a new policy from Chartis Aerospace Insurance Managers (formerly AIG, I believe). Anyone have any experience with the company concerning handling of claims? Seems to be a solid company.

I am considering attending the Mooney Pilot Proficiency Program next week in Palm Springs. I assume people who have attended have had good experiences. That said, has anyone here attended and found it to be less than they expected? Also, anyone here planning to attend?

150 hrs. Mostly high wing time.

Got the answer from a well-respected Mooney shop - clear RTV. Job is done, simple and straight forward.

I am going to replace my ELT battery. The Narco manual requires use of a "sealant" around the perimeter of the top part of the ELT, where the circuit board is located and then a small bead in each of the four screw holes. Anyone have any idea what kind of sealant is intended?