kortopates

If you add MP & RPM, you'll actually be upgrading to the 830 configuration. I am in the same boat and looking at going from the 730 to the 830 (same cost as going from 700 to 730 since no change in sensors/functionality). I recall till the end of the year, JPI is giving a $200 rebate on the display upgrade which is $1065 from Spruce. In your case you'd also have to acquire the new MP & RPM sensors for probably around $500-600 if you can get them both from Spruce (they'remore expensive directly from JPI).

I think Cris has the right idea, the Maintenance Manual suggest the issue is an inoperative pressure switch which can be overidden with the red overide button. If your mechanic didn't yet get the gear to come up normally by blowing into the pitot tube to raise airspeed within limits, 65 Kts +7/-4, then I'd suggest diagnosis to eliminate the pressure switch is incomplete.

We had a similar issue about 5 years ago at one of our San Diego GA airports, Montgomery Field, when a developer insisted on building a 180' tall building, directly under the circling approach pattern for our ILS/LPV procedure that would have penetrated Part 77 Obstruction Standards. The city had already issued a building permit citing it was the builders responsibility to follow all applicable laws including the FAA. The builder, Sunroad, did file a request to the FAA for the 180' building and the FAA deemed it was a hazard to air navigation. The builder then filed a subsequent request for 160' which the FAA did approve and the builder said it would abide by the 160’ limit. The problem was the builder decided rather arrogantly to ignore the 160' height limit and continue with their 180’ plans. They hired an aviation consultant whom filed on their behalf a new request for 180' the very day the building reached a height of 180' (20' above approved height). IMO it was really the unrestrained arrogance and dismissive attitude of the builder that got the pilot community vocal enough to get both the Mayor and City Attorney involved. At a well attended Airport Advisory meeting that the builder was invited to explain their position, Sunroad explained the air hazard would simply be eliminated when the FAA raises the circling minimums by another 20' to accommodate the building; after all the FAA had already immediately notamed higher minimums because the building’s penetration of the required obstacle clearance and the FAA would simply merely need to make the higher minimums permanent! To make a long story short, the Mayor and City Attorney eventually prevailed and Sunroads literally removed a floor of their new building to bring it back to 160’ without the city paying for the builders expenses to lower the building nor loss the loss of future revenue they were seeking. Score One for the GA community of San Diego! It was actually a pretty fascinating story over a few years and is chronicled here at: http://www.sdairfiel...96/Default.aspx

Correct, you'll have to press the overide switch to raise the gear if below the minium airspeed. This of course is to protect you from raising the gear while on the ground. This is in your maintenance manual gear checks section 32-30-01. Assuming a K model iike your name implies, with the plane on jacks, master on, raise the gear switch to up and have your able assistant gently blow into the pitot tube. The gear should raise at 65 +7/-4 KIAS.

Scott, Yes until recently my shop on the field, CrownAir, borescoped every annual. Although I took over most of the maintenance a few years ago, this was the first year I did my own annual (with an IA) and I procured an Autel 8.5 borescope to keep it up. My engine was majored with J&J overhauled Cerminil cylinders (from Texas) that have 1225 hrs on now. Although the pistons and everything else in the cylinders were replaced with new (except for the rocker arms which were rebushed), the cylinders themselves were not new and I have no idea how many hrs the cores may have had. That's always given me some concern for their longevity but I've been pleased so far - knock on wood. So far though I am pretty impressed with J&J cylinders and they are very competively priced. WRT to burn pattern, I didn't have any center orange/red going near the edges and the orange/red centers were pretty symmetrical as best as I recall. Given these new borescopes have video and picture capability it really makes sense to capture pics for historical purposes; especially as I learn more about what to look for. I just need to put a memory card in the scope to do so.

I just couldn't put my finger on the disconnect here till now about whether it matters hooking up the landing light wires. It matters on mine, and Don's, but not all of your birds. I miss assumed it may have been because of upgrading to HIDs - but it mattered before when I had incandescent bulbs too. I was thinking all of us mid and long bodies had the same cowling light configuration. I have 2 lights -landing and taxi lights - in the cowl. In later year models they got moved to the wings, includings J's & K's. But it finally dawned on me the earlier J's must have only one landing light bulb in the cowling. I have enough hours in J's to know better. Sorry for the disconnect.

Mine is no exception either, including the landing gear actuator yet all are ty-wrapped to keep them locked in place.

I really don't believe ROP per se is burning up cylinders any more than LOP does. Its all about how much ROP or LOP in the context of power setting. I can't tell from MP and fuel flow alone what power setting is being targeted for cruise. But it appears near the POH's recommended MAX cruise. If so, FWIW, I found the POH recommendations for fuel flow at max cruise to close to peak for my comfort. To get all the cylinders > 100F ROP, (mostly near 150 ROP at max cruise), I found I needed to add ~1 GPH - thus my ROP max cruise @78.6% power is with 13.6-8 GPH vice POH of 12.5GPH. (On the other side, my max LOP cruise is 70% at 11 GPH, 80 LOP - limited conservatively by JPI TIT of 1575F.) If you haven't already, you may want to check just how far ROP your cruise settings really are. Overall though, our TSIO cylinders really take a beating operating at max cruise power levels, but I didn’t get a Turbo to fly it like a J. So I too planned for a cyl replacements but so far I have only had an issue with my coolest front cylinder that probably hasn’t ever gotten above 350F. Go figure. All the others, including my middle hottest running cylinders are all doing extremely well at 1200+ hrs. Incidentally, there is much more to the TCM SB mentioned, including real minimum pressure based on the calibrated orifice reading, not to rely on the first low reading as you pointed out and the need to borescope etc.

Yes, my 2 bulb HID landing lights care - and I forget not everyone has upgraded to newer HID or LED lights. Sorry if I come across a bit nit-picky. Having gone through the gauntlet of A&P school so that I can legally maintain my own aircraft I’ve been brainwashed into the mentality of following the rules which are entirely nit-picky. The guidance on electrical connectors is simple. Per AC 43.13-1B we are advised firstly to follow the manufacturer’s recommendation and secondly to use only mil spec derived connectors. In this case the factory specified MS connector does a great job, is cheap and readily available – so I personally prefer to comply and won’t suggest anything that isn’t approved. You just won’t find an approved knife disconnect despite their popularity. None of this is meant to be judgmental – only meant to be helpful to my fellow Mooney owners/pilots by pointing out the factory specified connector I found in my IPC – yours may vary. But what you use is entirely up to you. After all, the context of this discussion has only been about a landing light which isn’t even required unless for hire. So what is an improved connector? One way to determine this is to go to the manufacturers web site and look up if it’s spec comes with Gov/Industry qualification – here is a link to the popular PDIG connectors, formerly made by AMP now Tyco: http://www.tycoelectronics.com/catalog/feat/en/s/10333?BML=10576,16358,17560,17698

What Mooney refers to as the Hour Meter is what we've been discussing as the Mooney Hobbs meter installed by the factory - as you site from your J service manual - it runs off the tachometer. The "Hobbs" meter they mention would be the option a flight school would want to install to get total elapsed time of engine operation - not likely anyone would have this, nor want it, unless their Mooney was in a flight school at some time.

As easy as the knife type are, the AMP connector is much easier since a single connector includes both wires and guarantees the wires can't be connected incorrectly - while the knife type requires you to chose the correct pairings.

Why not use the Amp connector specified in your IPC. Its a AMP CPC Circular free standing Series 1, size 11 screw on with 4 pins (only two wired of course). Its a circular connector that screws together. The Mooney IPC list the AMP part no for the plug and the parts are commonly available from electronic suppliers like Mouser.com and are very affordable. A few years back I replaced merely the screw on portion that locks the male and female end together since it had broken earlier and previous technicans where tywrapping it together to hold it in place - all the parts are individually available. Here is a link to the female end part no, the one listed in my IPC, although the generic image shows 20 pins, the actual one is 4 pins: http://www.mouser.co...WrnnvcxTKud1ic=

Goncalo, The 4th Sonalert could be for the CO detector. I have a CO Guardian but I can tell you the CO Guardian does not use a Sonalert - it provides an aural tone directly into the Audio panel (if connected) as well as an internal buzzer plus an optional external panel light. Since its a possibility though, I would review the manufacturer's installation manual for your unit - its probably available on the web. If you can't find one, you could also press the test button sequence to see if that energizes one of the ciruits to the sonalerts - but its doubtful it relies on an external buzzer. Your previous stereo unit would not have used a Sonalert. But if there is an accessory still installed that was hooked up to your 4th Sonalert, activating its test mode should trigger the sonalert. Please report back if you do find a legitimate use of the 4th Sonalert.h

I think the Mooney equivalent is to ensure the trim system, especially cockpit wheel chain, are well lubricated such that the manual trim moves very easily for you to ensure the servo is not meeting resistance/strain to pop its breaker/fuse. There also could still be an issue in a weak connection or ground leading to excessive current drain.

Goncalo, I don't believe the SC628D belongs there and suspect that was added by someone. There should be a logbook entry since this would have been a modification – if it was even a valid install. If its connected in parallel, that could kind of explain why you have 4 instead of 3 – someone added it to one of the 3 circuits without simply just replacing one. The SC628D has a tone of 1900 Hz rather than 2.9KHz. The big question is do you actually know of any valid audible alerts in your plane than the standard M20K: i) your Gear, ii)Stall and iii)Auto-pilot? If not, and you cannot find an explanation in your log book then I would simply discard the SC628D and make sure you Gear is wired to the Pulsing one, (SC628P) and the Stall horn and AP are wired to the one of the other continuous tone units. That is the standard Mooney configuration. There should be no concern for ensuring, for example the stall horn is reconnected to the exact same SC628 unit – it just doesn’t matter as long as the stall horn is connected to a working SC628. But if you actually know of a 4th audible alert in your plane, that would explain the SC628D. Furthermore, I talked to a Mooney MSC IA here with over 20+ years experience and he has never seen a Mooney with 4 Sonalerts, further suggesting its highly unlikely that you actually need 4, but again a review of the log books should be helpful. Since you probably would like to test the re-wiring for these, it would be very simple and convenient to just put the plane up on jacks (assuming they are readily available) to confirm you have the gear horn wired to the pulsing unit and eliminate any guessing from wire codes and schematic. It should be easier to find the hot wire for the gear when put on the master and raise the gear lever (w/ plane on jacks) than it may be to look up the wire numbers in the schematic. Same for determining the hot wire for the stall and AP test/disconnect function. But you should find the wire numbers for the Stall and Gear horn in the schematic if you want to look it up first; but probably not the AP since that was an option. Good luck

The good news is that there are only two kinds of Sona alerts used, the SC628 continuous sounding unit and the SC628P pulse sounding unit. If memory serves me right, there is only one Pulse sounding unit which if for the gear - activated when the gear is still up at near idle MP settings. I recall all the other are continuous, including the one for your Autopilot that sounds the 5 beeps or so after you push the test button. The wires don't need to be hooked up to the same exact ones as long as the they are hooked up to the right type - continuous or pulse. A picture is not going to help, since I think they are all white wires. If you can verify you only have one Pulsing unit, then you need only isolate the gear horn wire to connect that one and all the others can be connected to continuous sonalerts. Its also easy to isolate the stall and A/P by activating them each individually, but you may find it challenging to isolate the gear horn without putting the plane on jacks and raising it. I only remember 3 right now in use, maybe your 4th sonalert is the second gear horn that activates when you move the gear from the down to up position without airspeed - but I was thinking there is only one for the gear so I am not sure about your 4th. The maintenance manual discusses how to test each of these - except the Autopilot one. You should verify all sonalert actually still works by applying 28v to them, if there is any uncertainty about them all working before your interior work began.

+1 - I ordered a perscription pair with progressive lens at last years Summit in Long Beach and love them. They provide excellent contrast and are very comfortable with headsets. Prior to the Vedalo I used the Serengetti with vermilion lenses. Some years ago, Aviation Consumer used to quote NASA's research in recommending a rose colored tint for the most effective contrast in the cockpit and found the Serengetti vermilion the closest to NASA's recommendation - at least that's what I recall. Orange also provides excellent constrast but is optimized for shaded/flat light and doesn't provide enough protection in the bright sun IMO. Iam surprised so many are in favor of Polarized sunglasses in the cockpit - they are a definite hindrance in mine viewing panel displays. For those of us flying at altitude, its very critical that our sunglasses provide 100% UV A & B protection - luckily most do these days.

Nate, I use one of the popular Power Tows (40EZ) and I have yet to hear of someone getting less than a decade out of one. So choose wisely, any of the quality brands should last you a long time. One comment on the Lindbergh, I noted you need to bend down and screw the nose wheel attachment into position compared to the Power Tow unit I use that clamps into position held by spring force. I would be a bit concerned about denting the nose gear truss if the Lindbergh attachment holds on so well that it allows you apply force past the stops without popping off like my Power Tow unit. In contrast, the latter is held in place by adjustable spring tension that will detach before enough force can be applied to hurt/dent the truss. Secondly with all the units that you hold onto, you can feel the nose wheel hit the stops; but with any remote control unit one has to be extra careful not to allow it to overturn the nose wheel.

None here, but if you're looking at their remote control option you should also consider this new one out I saw at AOPA Summit last week: http://www.acairtechnology.com/ No idea how expensive the lindbergh model is but you'll see the price the AC Air Technology's tug. Pretty high tech - Its got to be the new cat's meow for a high end tug!

Another weather products that actually forecast clouds by layers (e.g., 6-12K, 12-18K, above 18K etc) is at http://weather.rap.ucar.edu/model/ That and Adds flight path looking at relative humidty are the better pre-flight planning tools. Of course, Satellite pictures with temps are only good for current tops

Exactly, the governor is an oil pump that boost oil pressure substantially above engine oil pressure to change the prop from fine pitch to a courser pitch as you pull back on the prop control. However after start up and assuming low power settings as you idle/taxi around, the prop governor hasn't yet been called into action bring the prop back off the fine pitch stops and has not yet built up the oil pressure to do so. The first time you do so takes a few seconds, but 10 seconds is excessive. A couple second delay is more normal. But since there is no hunting or surging, it appears to be operating fine except for the delay in building up oil pressure on first use. Minor terminology issue but you're c-model prop doesn't feather, not even close, but as you pull it back its certainly changing its pitch to a course angle, but no where near the 90 deg that a multi-engine prop will.

I see Preferred Airparts http://www.preferredairparts.com/ has 32 serviceable units in stock. You have to check with them for a price. But I'd suggest googling the TCM part number and you might get lucky finding a discounted source on a new one.

I'd be surprised if you'd need to send back the monitor, but obviously the TIT sensor would need to be added. JPI documents in the users manual that their gauge reads ~100F above the factory massive TIT gauge. That said, the factory gauge is the one with the legal redline limit of 1650. But I personally avoid operating above 1550F TIT based on my higher reading JPI, which is accurate. I just don't trust the factory TIT. Using 1550-1575F as a TIT target limit on my JPI (which would 1450-1475 on the factory TIT), I can run all day at 70% power 80F LOP (11 GPH, 32.5MP, 2400 rpm). That's my personal LOP limit as I can't get to max 78.6% cruise power without exceeding my personal TIT's comfort level, but max cruise LOP is still within the factory TIT red line.

Checked TCM web site, their List price is $683.49, which is what you should expect to pay from any TCM distributor. Unless you can find someone selling surplus units cheeper you probbly won't beat that price - or if your willing, you should also be able to find a serviceable used one.

Awesome Parker!!