kortopates

Sadly you're right of course. I did listen to the pilots AOPA podcast. Although he first refers to the liquid as moisture, he quickly admits that his first thought was it had to be fuel since it couldn't really be anything else.

Make it fun for your wife or you'll be flying solo in short order. My wife and I are both pilots and we generally stick to the 2.5 to 3.0 hrs. Occasionally there is a need to fly longer legs but that's only when we're flying internationally such as in CENAM and want to avoid landing in some countries where a stop would be super expensive; then she is just as committed to it - but never with diaper! But here in the US, in my opinion, there is no reason to suggest saving a 1/2 hour at the discomfort of your passenger. Stops are part of the adventure and we welcome them.

Pardon me, but I think this thread has become overly sidetracked by the maintenance induced failure not torquing the fuel line. yes that was very unfortunate which ultimately brought down the plane. But this shouldn't have gone this far. The pilot had lots of warning with time to get back down safely in time. Climbing out at 3000' he noticed, about 4 min after takeoff, that his TIT was above redline. This is an emergency right here indicating the mixture is much too lean. He also remarked he saw the clear fluid on the windshield but apparently didn't equate is as the fuel that was causing his engine to run so lean. He does the right thing by reducing power which could have saved the engine if it wasn't already detonating. But once TIT is below redline he tries to carry on, yet the fuel on the windshield isn't going away. In fact, in the report he indicates the fuel was increasing on the windshield. This apparently finally convinces him to divert 8 min after noticing the TIT over redline at 3000', based on flightaware data. I would hope pilots can connect the dots between the high TIT and clear liquid on the windshield and conclude it was fuel. Failing that, at least the need to get the aircraft down asap. But the simple lesson for us all is to declare and take action to get the airplane down at a near by airport to get the issue sorted out. Lots of opportunities where missed to prevent this from turning into an accident. We never know how much time we have when we're experiencing an engine anomaly and this one shouldn't me mistaken for something minor that can be limped back to home base or the mechanic that did some recent work which also suggest the pilot realized it was fuel on his windshield.

I think you need to talk to another representative or to another supplier. It doesn’t make sense and not how the big suppliers do business. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I’ve been swapping big industrial ABO tanks for over 20 years and never have paid for a hydro! That’s with dealing with multiple gas supply company’s as well - at least 3. Further, i purchased my tanks through one of the local gas suppliers and over the years i’ve upgraded the size to the biggest one i could handle and the pressure to +P by just paying the difference in price - not buying a new tank and trying to sell my own. In actuality i purchased used tanks, but the gas suppliers maintain the tanks for life as long i keep coming in to swap out for a new full tank with never a fee for other than a fill. It was a long time ago, but the original tanks where around $120 each - no where near the many hundreds some have referred too. Owning tanks paid for themselves in less than 2 years - almost 20 years ago now. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes, lint is very common and can clog the screen on a continental flow divider - over several years. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Seriously, you need to fly more! Taxes don’t even make a dent in my annual cost. Even more importantly, remember you can’t take it with you, so enjoy it while you can! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Big difference in my opinion. The Vspeeds are far better and i like the electric gear. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Exactly right. Not a week goes by that I don't see a partially clogged injector - diagnosed as such by becoming a lean outlier. Everybody expects though that they'll be able to see the partial blockage with the naked eye. Its actually very seldom you can see the issue with the injector. When you can though, its usually a little piece of black o-ring on TCM injector - something you'll never see on a Lycoming. But most of the time you can't see a thing. And occasionally this has prevented someone from properly cleaning it in MEK and or Hoppes. My favorite is a Hoppes sonic bath followed by rinsing with MEK. Even though the clog can't be seen, a good cleaning always restores the full FF when there was a partial blockage. But the simple act of R&R'ing the injectors is more likely to contaminate and injector than years in service so we never recommend servicing them just for the fun of it. A good fraction of the clogs we see are right after someone servicing them. Shop environments and mechanic's hands are pretty dirty and these require the utmost in cleanliness when handling them.

you didn’t mention if the training is for in your mooney or a school plane and if you are instrument rated. Because of insurance, it’s unlikely any school would train in your aircraft - since they’ll be uninsured doing so. And as a very active CFII i wouldn’t launch into IMC conditions till i had flown with you and new your level of proficiency. Especially if unrated, expect to be limited to VMC practice approaches. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You swap out privately owned tanks just like leased tanks. This way you never pay for a hydro just like leased tanks. The difference is the privately owned tanks aren’t branded with a company name and you can take them to any industrial gas supplier- not just the company you leased them from. Next time you go in, just tell them you want to purchase the tanks and i am sure they’ll be happy to exchange them for you. My advice is to buy +P tanks which allows overcharging the tank by %10 so that you can fill your onboard tank to full pressure more than once but you have to be careful not to over fill your onboard tank. The standard tanks have a max pressure same as your onboard tank. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I would never ever advocate this, but as CFI i hear a lot of confessions from my clients and i hear many on the advantages of synthetic vision by those that have learned how to use it. More than one pilot had told me they’re comfortable using it to descend below minimums on a precision approach if they really felt the need, and have done so at their home field or another airport they where very familiar with. I’ll add that knowing how to position the ground pointer on the runway threshold and keep it there is like cheating flying an approach. There is a lot more too it, but it’s very powerful tool in the hands of a proficient pilot. These comments are based on the G500 and G1000 synthetic vision - i don’t have enough experience to comment on Aspen’s synthetic vision with a much smaller screen Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A lot of good information is in the TCM Maintenance and Operations manual that’s not in the POH - from power settings to starting methods. Recommended for every owner. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

i am sure it’s too lean. 9.8 gph is indeed 64% power but probably with too much air. When you set up next time, keeping FF constant reduce MAP till your richest cyl peaks, then add the MAP slowly to determine just how LOP that richest cyl is. If it’s more than 15-25F LOP, cut back on the FF a bit to about 60% power, and lean to about 15F LOP and see how your temps are. If TIT is greater than 1600F you can lean a little more but might need to reduce FF a bit more. A lower RPM will also help the engine to run deeper LOP. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Couldn't agree more. I had that happen to me noticed it immediately doing the retract test and I tracked it down to small change in length in the new shock disk link tower from Lasar. I couldn't get Dan at Lasar to exchange with another so I ended up purchasing a second one and gave him his old one back. The second shock disk tower link solved the issue but it cost me. LASAR sells a PMA's version of the shock disc link tower which is what I used - I've used them before from them but that was the only one that gave me a problem. As these are hand made airplanes I couldn't see asking a mechanic for a discount because new parts didn't fit as well as the prior ones. Bigger tires can cause this issue too, but this of course wasn't from a change in tires. But I am using the thickest tire treads with minimal clearance here - Goodyear Custom III's.

Really sorry to read about your tale. But nothing you mentioned; neither the cam nor fretting case and especially not corrosion in the cylinders would have led to catastrophic failure. Maybe the oil pump gear was the bigger concern - hard to say. You mentioned mid time engine but didn't mention years since last major OH, but calendar time is just as important since corrosion is the number one killer of our GA engines. So if the engine was say 20 years old, I wouldn't expect to see it last another 20 years or make TBO for that matter, but a worn down cam would just start to make the engine anemic. The fretting case would lead to oil leak that would grow in time but not dangerous. Eventually an owner would get tired of feeding it lots of oil and cleaning it off. I had a mechanic friend with a Mooney that let his go till it was loosing a qt an hour - it was the cleaning the mess that finally inspired him to repair. Perhaps the silver lining is that insurance is paying for the tear down inspection and re-assembly and part of the prop so that your cost is hopefully limited to the new replacement engine parts and prop betterment. i.e. a fresh overhaul at a greatly reduced cost. (Unless you elected to not use your insurance - which these days there are good reasons to do that.) But yeah, sorry about the horrible delays, we haven't at all recovered from the delays from the pandemic. I hope though you're really looking forward to much brighter days of aircraft ownership with knowledge that you'll resume flying with a fresh major overhauled engine (I assume you elected to make it a full overhaul). I can say in my case I've been an owner of my current Mooney for over 20 years. I bought the most expensive one out there at the time because it had nice avionics and a fresh engine and I am past TBO now and still going strong.

For what its worth, you can easily add the step back on, whether it was removed or never installed. The fuselage is made to bolt it on. With the step and its fairing it not a significant point of drag, If you ever deplane onto a patch of ice and fall on your butt you'll really miss it.

The only thing that could explain this is missing or disconnected hose perhaps somewhere in the system. Follow the entire circuit starting with the hose coming off what I beleive will be the rear baffling leading to the first heat exchanger on pilot side, then the cross hose to the front of the right heat exchanger and then lastly out the right exchanger to the air mixing box and ensure the heat control cable is working properly,

there are those that blame camguard for starter adapter slippage, including Niagara. They blame aeroshell multi-weight even more. But at Savvy we find those claims unwarranted. The one thing that may have some truth to it is changing oil types on a high time engine since then it may be just enough to cause a worn starter adapter to start slipping. Protecting the engine from corrosion is a much bigger priority in our opinion. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Probably since i am a flight instructor i hear a lot more confession’s. Such as the pilot in the flight levels whose 02D2 batteries died and found himself rushed to change the batteries at 24000’, but being nervous and starting to get hypoxic he ended up putting batteries in backwards. But it’s not working and his anxiety is growing so he’s asking for an immediate descent before it’s too late. Eventually he gets down to breathable air in the teens and realizes his mistake. My memory is a bit hazy on what happened next, but i am pretty sure it worked fine for him once he got the batteries in correctly and he continued on his way. I know those that have it wired to ships power will feel immune to this issue. If i only flew in the upper teens I wouldn’t worry about it but i really don’t want the added complications flying in the flight levels. Like you, I have the small MH backup cylinders with face mask - wish they still sold them. It was a great idea for a simple emergency backup. I really like how i can hear and feel the unit giving me air since it’s reassuring that i know it’s working as intended. It is pretty amazing how much O2 these devices save. My wife and I flew down to Panama central america over our winter break this past January all on one 115 cuft tank of O2 for the round trip. I can’t recall the last time i had to fill up away from home. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If you’re flying 100 hrs a year, that’s double the average private owner at 50 hrs a year. But what can be conflicting or controversial about an additive package to reduce corrosion. It’s the number one cause of not making TBO; especially on an engine with the cam on top more susceptible to corrosion. It’s just added insurance but does cost money. Yet for me, oil and oil changes don’t even make a dent in my annual flying cost. FWIW, Continental actually did a warranty experiment where they provided an extended warranty if you agreed to use Camguard throughout. Unfortunately they never shared what ever data they gathered or what they learned. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Keep using the break-in oil till your confident oil consumption has stabilized. Good chance you’re there at 10 hrs if you’ve been running it hard. But it’s not determined by hours but rather oil consumption. Also as advised, be sure to follow all instruction from whom ever is providing warranty. But few do on a cylinder. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My Two large tanks are very adequate for my transfilling needs. I don’t believe in adding a microprocessor and electrical dependency to O2 supply at altitude. At least not in a Turbo aircraft that flys in the flight levels - too much can go wrong. Instead we use the Precise Flight Demand conserver system which is purely mechanical and fail safe mode goes to full on which gives me peace of mind. Expensive though but my cargo is worth it Works just like the electrical one but each person needs their own station which also adds redundancy as we’re two pilots. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not only that, but all the additional force to hold it comes from the gear actuator compressing springs on the gear to create that pre-load force. Let the gear actuator slip back a tad and that pre-load force goes, relieving the compression on the springs. From the description above of the issue, we know it’s slipping back enough to at least open the gear down limit switch. Probably not by much. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Having seen literally thousands of these you’d be amazed just how much they all have in common. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk