kortopates

This great! Not to pick on anyone; especially Skip! But I wish it was a universal truth. So far the images I am seeing are lacking. They may only cover a small portion of the intended subject, missing the majority of what we're trying to see. Take a piston crown for example. We're looking first for damage along the edge of the pistons circumference - detonation damage - as well as valve strike dents. An image that doesn't show the entire piston circumference or just a small part of it is likely to miss damage. The piston crown image issue may also be a do to the borescope being used if it doesn't allow getting the entire piston in view at the bottom of its stroke. Valve seats and stems are another example; such as not getting the stem and the valve guide interface. For the most part though, folks are doing a lot better on valve face photo's. We used to just see a portion of the valve face and I have yet to see a really poor valve seat image since the videos came out. Bear with us though, we have a very strict envelope repository structure, that works great as long as it is populated as expected. Missing images aren't an issue but extra images or any untagged images breaks it. We can't issue a report with extra untagged photo's which has caused delays for more than one client. We're still internally discussing potential options for more than one tagged photo such as say for a valve seat. But presently we can only accept one and ask you give what might be the most concerning view but hopefully of good image quality. Hoping to see enhancements soon that will improve the quality of the report. Meanwhile if you have recent compression test results I suggest you include that information on the ticket.

I've always tapped the brakes on takeoff. It always made good sense to me to be gentler on the gear. When I was first taught this, my CFI knew why and I could recall the angular momentum physics demonstration from first semester of physics. It was surprisingly damn hard to twist the spinning bicycle wheel against it plane of rotation - and that light wheel wasn't going anywhere near 60 mph. Some of you may argue, why bother, your don't even have a brake for the nose wheel. But there is no angular momentum force introduced by raising the nose wheel, since its not rotated against its plane of rotation, only the main landing gears. Here is two minute video on it. But what you really need to feel for yourself is how hard it is to twist the wheel when your feet are firmly planted on the ground so that your body can rotate - its hard to twist. So why wouldn't anyone paying the bills for their gear maintenance not want to be gentler on their main gear with a tap of the brakes? Is it going to be make a difference long term on your gear maintenance? Probably not as much as the pilot that never perfects his/her landings and touches down a couple times with every landing. But why put an extra unnecessary load on it?

You’re thinking of TIS-A where some limited TRACON radar systems give traffic information. Could that be used to see your position? Doubtful, and i don’t recall it giving registration #, just a target W/ altitude. With TIS-B = ADS/B + ADS/R, everyone that has lost GPS will no longer be able to broadcast ADS/B out position. If it’s just you having lost GPS, your moving map goes into “coast mode” no longer having own position. Even if you did see other Ads/b targets i assume you wouldn’t know where you were; certainly not to within the RNP 2 requirements even for enroute. I expect you would be forced to change to VOR navigation. I can’t be certain if the last time i had GPS outage, which was likely from jamming, if i had any ads/b traffic as it was a year ago, but i recall a couple years ago others around us reported loss of GPS too. (this wasn’t in the US). Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Assuming you have the digital version from the service manual for your serial number, just go to Fedex office and they’ll print out the full size version. Probably 2 pages or diagrams. They’ll probably give you or sell you a tube to store them in. This won’t be the last time you’ll need it! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Needing to come down at 1100 fpm is why you’re needing your speed brakes. Hopefully that should be very rare and only when the controller insists on keeping you high. My standard IFR descent is 500 FPM and when i can get a descent at pilot discretion it’s only 2-300 fpm - then i am truly taking advantage of the energy from altitude without adding inefficient drag while descending at cruise power. (At 500 fpm power does come back.) Frequently though i need to be assertive with requesting a descent to avoid getting held high. But very rarely i will use the brakes when traffic has the controller keeping me high - but it’s certainly not the norm. My typical descents will frequently start 100+ miles from the destination. Even in busy SOCAL airspace i more than not get what i ask for. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I am not a fan of landing with speed brakes as a normal landing. Its merely a crutch for lack of precise speed control and not recognizing you can reduce your final approach speed on landing below max landing weight. So for example with long body 75 kts is the final approach speed at 3200 lbs, but at 2900 lbs it becomes 71 kts (based on 1.3 x Vso). That will help eliminate a lot of float. For a truly short field we can use 1.2 Vso, when winds aren't gusty or a strong cross wind, which reduces normal landing speed to 70 kts and the 2900 lb weight to 66 kts. Or consider installing a Angle of Attack instrument to give you the updated landing speed for lighter weights. Landing as a habit with approach flaps landing is another crutch. It merely reduces the need for the pilot to fully trim to approach speed on final so that stick forces in the round out are easily manageable. Without properly trimmed up for landing speed hands off, the pilot is fighting the stick forces in the roud-out and unable to be precise. It'll result in inconsistent landings cause it too much work, Its far preferable for the pilot to tame the aircraft trim in all phases of flight; especially landings. The pilot also needs to master doing go around so that they never feel forced to continue a landing that isn't working out as hoped. It is worthwhile to get some practice and experience in landing without flaps just in case for the day the flaps don't work so it isn't an emergency.

hopefully it’s still an electrical connection issue. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You’ll like that the Electroaire Dual mag EIS eliminates the dependency on the distributor shaft to drive both Mags, now you’ll have true independent redundancy in your EIS’s with IMO a well engineered battery backup. Although still very new, so far reports from clients is very positive and the engine data i see also show very good performance. So far they seem to have hit a home run. Compared to the legacy units, it’s a major improvement! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

In fairness i think those opinions are based on the legacy Electroaire EIS - an opinion that is shared widely. But the new dual mag replacement Electoaire is really an improved system and is doing much better - so far. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Fiberglass is easily repairable. Why not repair it again. Especially when you price what a new one will cost

You’re maiden flight in your Mooney? Wowza! I always wondered how often the gear switch broke? i assume from not pulling out a little before moving up. Yeah much more excitement than needed. Glad it ended well for you. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Would love to take you down. I know you’re a long ways away but Mooney’s travel so by all means if you ever make it out let’s do it. Fall, winter and Spring are best for this. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

FWIW, my wife and I led a Vintage Mooney Group fly-in to Baja for Whale Watching back in 2005 or 2006. Had about a dozen Mooney's fly in to Mulege and Laguna San Ignacio over a 4 day weekend. I still go whale watching down there almost every year in the spring.

Lets see, we have: Cabo San Lucas International and San Jose del Cabo/Los Cabos International See the confusion in referring to just "Cabo"?

Perfect then!

You also don't need a handler at San Jose (MMSD) either if you know what your doing. But your probably thinking of Cabo San Lucas (MMSL) which because its a private airport you can't use it without a handler. Since that became the rule a couple decades ago, I have never returned to MMSL, and use San Jose for essentially free. None of these destinations are for a newbee though. A smart newbee would land at La Paz and visit the cape in a rental car!

Where do you live, fly out of? Been into Punta Pescadero many times and stayed Los Barriles multiple times too - used to have friends down there with a house. Lots of fun. The small white general aviation building is next door to the yellow FBO which is the old terminal. Anyway, real prices are not expensive nor getting concerned about. Gas is cheaper in Mexico than the US, except for some private airports like San Felipe. The only expensive fee is the AIU - entrance fee which is good for 6 months which you can make multiple trips into Mexico on one permit after buying it and it cost 2182 pesos as of Jan 1 2024. Join Bajabush and get educated about the process. As an instructor, I take lots of pilots down to San Felipe for the day to get your permit and learn the process crossing the border south and back north, so that you'll feel comfortable doing it on your own. If interested in that, feel free to PM me.

There is no airport tax when you do your own handling. But a lot of those fees are for you to clear in Mexico and I seriously doubt that you'll do that arriving in a C model. More likely you'll clear in San Felipe or Puerta Penasco. Where ever you do clear, you will pays fees in the lower half, the AIU Permit for 2182 and the Immigration fee for a passenger (its free for crew upto 7 days) - for those they are quoting last years prices and they have gone up little. And you'll likely exit further north too and just pay domestic parking rates when there. Bottom line is you don't need any services from the FBO to fly down to Loreto but you do have a fair bit to learn before going down.

Most of those fees are purely for using the FBO. Their fees are ridiculous. Learn to handle yourself or fly commercial. There are only a couple airports where handlers/FBO are not optional and I simply don't use them.

Hope you didn't talk to the FBO versus Operations in the GA terminal. I paid just under a thousand Pesos yesterday when I departed for Loreo, 400 pesos for landing fee and bit more than 500 pesos for parking for about 3 days. But if you use the FBO and they add handling fees expect to pay several hundred more dollars for the handling fees. I avoid FBO's like the plaque since they're super expensive in Mexico, they cater to Jet's with pilots that rely on dispatchers and the Cirrus crowd exactly!

I take pilots all the time to Mexico, usually as a day trip to San Felipe to get their entry permit and go through all the procedures in both directions. Then after having gone thorough the process, the pilot is ready to take their family down without the stress.

Not really, I am sure it's on every page of the STC to make it clear the STC is only valid for that aircraft and is not transferable to anyone else. Nor is it unusual that the STC is good for a lot a different TSIO-360's - as it is for many of the early TSIO-360's without wastegates.

My wife and I love traveling with our Mooney and we're both pilots which really helps. We just got back from spending New Years down in Baja, visiting La Paz and Loreto. Cleared in La Paz and exited out of Loreto. We've flown all over Mexico and Central America - went to Panama last January, and I've been able to go down to San Salvador to give Mooney instruction. And of course flown in the Bahama's which is barely leaving the US since your still talking to US controllers most of the time anyway. And love to fly to Alaska via Canada. Even flown to Cuba back when it was easier. Every country has their own requirements that we must learn and meet, but Ken is right on. Of the all the minor hassles I've been exposed too, which have been very few, the biggest by far have been with our very own CBP. I've seen American's get into some trouble with Mexican authorities for doing stupid stuff they should have know better and for complaining they were some how being ripped off when they weren't. But I've seen first hand the Mexican authorities are far more forgiving with newbie Americans than our CBP folks. The talk about Mexico right now is the changes in the entry permit process. Its a bit more hassle and lots of folks complaining about the changes but a little paper works isn't going to slow us down! BTW, towered airports have just as good security in Mexico as the US, after all they're going by the same ICAO rules everyone is. But its a pretty novel experience to fly into a uncontrolled strip in Baja and park a few meters from your hotel room. Even then, there are few National Guard troops looking after the airport as there is in almost every licensed strip. Order the decal so you have it when you need it. You need the decal number to file your eAPIS. But no need to put it on your plane till you need it. I didn't put my 2024 decal on my till after I landed and was waiting in the customs box for the CBP folks to walk out.

Rosie's restaurant has long since closed or in actuality moved off the airport to the down area but too far of a walk. This may have been even before the pandemic.

I am pretty sure everyone flying a -KB follows this, but you're flying a -GB or -LB.