Bennett

I had a pitch servo failure about a year ago (BK KAP 150), and the very capable local avionics shop I use was not able to repair it. It was sent back to BK (Honeywell) for overhaul, and they sent it back because they couldn't read the serial number! We finally found the original Mooney factory installation documents that showed the serial number and again sent it back to BK. Weeks passed, and after many calls, the returned pitch servo arrived, bench tested, and installed. I don't recall the price, but I do recall being shocked at the cost. Anyway my test flight scared the xxxx out of me. The feedback loops were wild, and in the wrong direction, and after pulling the AP breaker, and all switches, I got the airplane under control and landed safely. The pitch servo was sent back to Honeywell again, and they finally admitted (after many phone calls from my avionics shop) that they had incorrectly wired the rebuilt unit. They ultimately sent me a brand new pitch servo at the overhauled price, but by now several months of non-use of my Mooney had passed. Works fine now, but I shutter to think what would happen if any of the BK components fail in the near future. I have had excellent experience with the TruTrak autopilot I had installed in my former DOVA LSA. Did everything the KAP 150 does, and I didn't need the SAM Icarus converter for GPSS steering as it was all digital. The servos were inexpensive and very responsive to the autopilot. I also had the full Dynon SkyView glass screens which also worked perfectly. My current Mooney is mostly Garmin, except for the vacuum AI and the KAP 150 autopilot. If Garmin had a replacement AI that would drive a Garmin autopilot I would switch in an instant Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well let's all be safe out there. Harris Ranch is always fun, with good food. . A suggestion: Ella's at Watsonville has good food, reasonably priced, with an outdoor seating area to watch aircraft landing and departing. Long well paved runways, and a decent transient parking area. The restaurant is open both Saturday and Sunday. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

After about a thousand hours in Cessna's, Pipers, and Beechcraft aircraft (including retracts), I bought my first Mooney. Sat down with the POH the night I wrote the check, and the next day climbed into the airplane and flew her. No instructors; just me, but with fresh knowledge from the POH. Would have it have been smarter to fly with a CFI, or a CFI familiar with Mooneys? Sure, but I found that Mooney (231) easy to fly, as I do any of the Mooneys I have owned. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I received a mail notice from Cirrus. I intend to visit the aircraft on display. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not so unusual at San Carlos where we have many Cessna 150s and 172s doing their circuits and bumps over and over in the pattern, and when I report at a standard reporting point about 6 and a half miles southwest of the airport, and tower tells me I am 70 knots faster than the airplane in front of me, and if I can slow down, I can have a straight in to 30. Had this happen several times in the last few months, and always managed to do so with thanks from the tower folks. I am always in a long descent to that reporting point and so my ground speed, even with the throttle backed off, is quite high. This is one time when speed brakes are really helpful. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Geeat. Please keep it (even larger) as it is perfect for your hot rod airplane. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I printed my own "reference" listing which is not a true checklist. I then laminated it and keep it in the airplane. Startup is the flow pattern I have used for many years in Mooneys. Also for runup and pretakeoff. If I fly with another pilot I hand him the reference sheet and he can review it, and what I do as a matter of routine. If my brain can't recall the flow sequences, I won't fly. If it is a recurrent thing, I'll take it as a sign that I shouldn't be flying any longer. After thousands of hours in my Mooneys I have developed my own sequences, and checks of what I have done. With passengers, I insist on a "sterile cockpit" from doors closed, seat belts on, to 1000'. Sure, there can be distractions, but if so, I repeat my flow process. For landing, GUMPS (at least twice, with visually checking the floor and panel indicators) works for me. I always drop the gear early, and the rumble and slowing of the aircraft is a clue that the gear sequence has been initiated. Civilian flying is a very personal experience, and how you personally use check lists, flows, or reference sheets is a personal decision, in my opinion. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The gentleman who has a hangar across from mine flies a piston twin. I think it is a Baron. He has one of these remote controlled "tugs" and it is fun to watch him use it to get his airplane in and out of his Hagar. I've never have seen him have to pull it back out to correctly position the airplane to run it back into his hangar. Wish I could say that. Anyway a neat toy that is outside of my "reasonable" price range. It is neat though. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

And, Robert Brown is back out of retirement, and will be staying on as Service Manager, which is wonderful news for all of us who know him. Robert had been there for many years before he retired to Mexico. He was missed, but now he is back. I understand we can expect new products from LASAR. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I top both tanks after every flight unless I know I will be having a heavy passenger/s for the next flight. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think so. I would have to check my airframe log books, and they are at LASAR while I am having my annual done. I looked at the Aircraft Spruce link and I think those are the same or similar. The ability to dim them is an excellent idea, and I have a panel mounted dimmer. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Uber and Zip Car, where available. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So much for true reform. I'll just stick with my regular third class medical. The Basic med form is full of "gotchas". LSA sellers should be overjoyed. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

As promised: I found a couple of photos of the luminescent strips under my glareshield. Older avionics configuration. 430 replaced by GTN 650, AERA 696 replaced by 796.

I do have a green luminescent strip under the edge of the glare shield and a panel mounted dimmer. Works wonderfully. I don't know if it is the same unit as the link above. I also have nu lites for the round instruments. All and all excellent panel. lighting. I have a photo somewhere in my my office and I will post it Monday. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For many years I had a 120v winch, with wire cable on the drum, at the back of my hangars. I had a long electrical cord with an on/off switch. One of these hangars had a considerable upslope to the hangar entry. To pull the airplane out of the hangar I released the winch clutch so the drum would turn freely, and I would detach the cable end from the Mooney tail skid. Two problems: One, I had to position the airplane with a tow bar so that it was in the correct position to be be drawn into the hangar. I left the tow bar attached to steer the airplane while the winch pulled it in. Sometimes the alignment went astray, and I would have to reposition the airplane. But it did save my back. The second problem is that there has been a lot of talk about NOT pulling a Mooney by the tail skid. After reflection I agree. So I bought a Robotow unit. Works perfectly for non-snow, non-ice California. Like others I added wheels to the Robotow to avoid lifting it. I do carry a folding tow bar. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The selector was rebuilt four times in five years. At that time period Piper had no new ones in their supply chain, and there was only one or two shops rebuilding them. Other then the two situations described, all the other incidents occurred on the ground in the run-up areas. Each time that happened the airplane was returned to its hangar, and a mechanic checked the system, and removed the selector unit and sent it out for rebuild. When the selector was returned it was sent to another facility for testing, and in one instance, the unit was sent back to the rebuilder for still another rebuild after the checking facility found a problem with it. This was a serious situation taken seriously, and after my "dead stick" landing, I chose not to fly this airplane again, and was actively seeking to remove myself from the partnership. The Young Eagle accident came during the period I was negotiating to leave. Unfortunately the accident occurred to a very competent pilot who did not share my concerns about the latest rebuild. The aircraft was destroyed, and I have to credit the pilot for managing to fly the airplane to the best place he could - partially in water, near a mud flat so that this fixed gear airplane would not flip over in landing - one door, and inexperienced passengers. He no longer flys, and fortunately the passengers all recovered, and the settlement was within insurance limits. For what it is worth when Piper built the next version of the aircraft they eliminated the four tank system for a two tank system, with an entirely different fuel selector. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Very nicely done. And this makes the case why Mooney should not attempt to resurrect the J. I had several conversations with Jerry Chen before and after he became the head of Mooney, and also with Ron Blum, chief engineer of the M-10 project. There are many excellent J airframes out there, and re-doing the panel, re-doing the interior, good paint, and bringing an engine up to date can be done within a $200,000 envelope. The result is a functionally "new" Mooney, new leather smell and all. And, the owner can choose all the options he wants without considering standardization. There is no way Mooney can build a new J for $200,000. Several of us on MS have followed the total refurbishment pathway, and we haven't had the benefit of being in the aviation business. Yet the results I have seen have been outstanding, and the costs fall into the 200K envelope. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I doubt if she is harming the prop by pulling on the tip. I know; sexist and all that, but I couldn't resist . Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm old school. I turn on the pump just before changing tanks, and turn it off about 10 seconds after I physically move the selector into to new detent. I check that the selector is actually in the detent before letting go of the handle. As much as possible I only switch tanks over airports. My Mooney selectors have been trouble free, but a Piper Dakota that I was a partner in had a horrible fuel selector system to distribute fuel from four tanks (early Dakota). The system was rebuilt four times, as it was prone to failure upon switching tanks. It happened to me when I was changing to the fullest tank prior to landing, and the selector spider leg jammed and killed fuel flow to the engine. Couldn't switch back, and I dead sticked that airplane to a long runway. Later my partner was severely injured, along with three passengers on a Young Eagles flight when the same problem happened to him. I am wary about switching tanks on a clock schedule, and frankly I would rather fly with a slight wing weight imbalance than to just switch tanks based on time. Personally I would not run a tank dry for concern that for a myriad of reasons I couldn't access the other tank. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I totally agree with Don, but I want to mention that that the Icarus SAM GPSS works the same way as the other GPSS converters mentioned. I really like the SAM unit which verbally announces entering and leaving GPSS mode. Flys intercepts better than I can hand fly them. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Gordon Baxter was a speaker at many of the old Mooney Homecomings. Great story teller, and he almost always talked about his Mooney. He kindly sent me a few unpublished stories after I sent him a letter praising him for his warmth and "real ness" about the joy of flight in Stearmans and Mooneys in his columns in Flying magazine. His story of his final flight after he lost his medical was highly controversial, but I, and I expect many of us, would have done the same. The commentary on MS about that final solo flight would probably have run 20 pages, with much rancor between posters. He was a print and radio personality long before the internet and social media. If you have never read one of his columns I suggest you look up a few on the web - especially the one about his last flight. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good luck with your surgery. July 2018 might be a bit early for me as I am planning to fly for a few more years, but if plans change I will let you know. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Some years ago we had a similar situation with tied down aircraft at San Carlos. Only King radios were taken - several aircraft. And at Palo Alto airport six Beechcraft throw over yokes were stolen in one night. Now that was expensive for the owners. We had something like that at a marina where I berthed my sailboat. Six adjacent boats were broken into, and electronics, binoculars, and foul weather gear was stolen. No arrests no recoveries. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I believe LASAR has (sells?) a pre- purchase "check list". Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk