kortopates

Quote: flyboy0681 I'm soliciting those of you that have a 4/530 setup. I was practicing a DME hold today and tuned the GTN to the VOR. I don't know why but I expected the distance to the station to instantly display in the "Distance" field in the default navigation area of the screen, but it just kept reading zero. I fumbled around a bit but nothing. I eventually figured out that the only way to get the distance was to enter the VOR as the destination, either as a waypoint or by hitting the Destination button. It makes sense to me now because the GTN isn't equipped with an integral DME. Can I assume it's the same way on the 4/530 series as well?

I owned a 231 before my current 252 and I would highly recommend the 252 or Encore. I could take an hour to describe all the improvments, but quite simply besides getting a real turbo installation with tuned induction system (rather than just a compressor with after market options for the intercooler and adjustable wastegate) you get a whole lot more including a 28V electrical system with 4 times the electical capacity with the dual alternator (70 amp) options, and many other airframe differences including higher gear speed, rear bucket seats that fold down and lift out, the electric cowl flaps that enable micro adjustment of temps without a speed loss you get with the 231's cowl flaps, and many options that became standard, and on and on. Download the type cert and you can go over some performance differences such as gear speed and the critical alt of 23k with max altitude of 28K (not that you'll want to go much higher than the lower 20's) - but ideally you'd like to compare the performance tables too. The 252 was the turbo installation done right and the last of a long line of ever improving fuel efficient Mooney's till speed & HP seemingly became the biggest market priority to retain the title of fastest single. Among all the K's, opertaing and maintenance cost will be on a par, yet with the 252 & Encore being a bit more efficient/faster and cooler running than the 231. There aren't very many 252's though in comparison to the much larger 231 fleet and even fewer Encores that provide the increased max gross load with the SB engine - but what a great time to be a buyer! Either way, you can't go wrong with any of them.

Although probably easiest to do the upgrade duirng an engine change, its also straightforward to reconfigure one current TSIO-360-MB to the SB. Its also possible to do it in two stages, which is what I am intending to eventually do. The main airframe change is to put on double puck brakes, which can be done as the first step. A Mooney Drawing provides the details and they have a kit for the brake parts. The double puck brakes will bring back the shorter stopping distances with the increased max gross weight. Another Mooney drawing will provides the details of the engine changes which basically involves i) having the fuel pump and pop-off valve overhauled to be set up for the SB configuration with its greater max MP, ii) and adjusting the governor back down to 2600 RPM max and iii) with the engines changes come some additional airframe and instrumentation changes: the airspeed indicator, MP gauge and RPM gauge will have to be re-marked, Encore control balance weights must be installed to replace the 252 balance weights (aileron, elevator and lower rudder) and lastly update (mostly Section 5) of the POH with the Encore POH pertinent parts. In lieu of remarking the old MP and RPM instruments its probably a good time to upgrade to an approved digital unit(s). Alternately of course, one could use their MB core as a trade-in towards a TCM new or rebuilt SB engine or just have their MB field overhauled to the SB configuration. One can get both the Engine and Brake upgrade drawings from the factory to get all the details of the upgrade process. A owner that's also an A&P like myself can pull this off pretty easily in stages. I was about to start when the factory was furloughing people and at that time they needed 6 weeks to put together the brake kit. I haven't inquired how long it would take since then and put the project on the back burner for awhile.

In addition to the install, (which is trivial), the A&P will swing the compass and create the compass correction card - which you must always have to remain airworthy. I'd suggest copying the card in case yours is ever misplaced so that you can avoid having (your A&P) re-swing the compass. The popular Precision Vertical card compass is a dry compass and not subject to fluid loss or air bubbles that the traditional whiskey compasses are. I love my Precision vertical card compass (and think its the only TSO'd option, but not sure). Precision provides great support and will service their compasses at very reasonable prices and with a quick turn around. There is no maintenance per se for a compass other than periodically swinging it after changes to your airframe that could effect accuracy, such as electrical equipment changes in your panel (e.g., avionics) or even a hard landing. You should be aware they have some drawbacks; especially when installed in the Mooney. The vertical card compasses have compensating magnets in them just like whiskey compasses, but they are not capable of compensating to the same degree whiskey compasses are. Swinging them can be a greater challenge than the old whiskey compass. Secondly, the steel tubluar structure in our Mooneys tend to pick up some magnetism over time, that may not have be noticeable on the whiskey compass yet could be enough to make it very difficult or impossible to get the Vertical card compass to compensate enough to be within the required 10 degrees for each of the 30 degree bearings. If you find that to be the case, Precision offers an external compensating magnets called "Balanced Balls". These are pretty hard to work with IMO and not a sure fix. The other option for our Mooneys is to comply with Mooney Service Instruction M20-95 to demagnetize the cabin. With the vertical card compass, one is much more likely to need it.

Although I am with Geoff and Randy, this is a very small example why most of have us have learned to take our Mooney's to MSCs or to Mooney savy mechanics that know our planes peculiarities. But except for not knowing to check the obvious when you first returned, he's standing behind his work which is great to hear.

The issue is much too common sadly. Luckily for me I was already a pilot when I met my wife and when I encouraged her to learn how to land our bird she concluded - "Hey! I am don't just need to take a pinch hitter course - i am good enough to become a pilot." And there began a long journey for my wife that ultimately lead to her getting her private pilot license and instrument rating - and to me loosing access to the left seat permanently and now only flying 50% of the flying. So be careful what you ask for But of course its wonderful that we can share our love of GA together and fly all over together in our Mooney. But getting back to your situation, like PK said, you must respect your wifes choice - afterall the GA safety track record is on a par with motorcyles and the two of you have young children - not making a judgement but just saying her concern is not unjustified. Her in socal, all of us Mooney pilots know a guy that shares your dillema and loves to write up trip reports and post them on the web. Ed is one of those guys that has not been able to get his wife to join him on a flight in 21 years - till just recently. You can read about it here: http://www.mooneyevents.com/Find%20London%20Bridge.pdf I hope you don't have to wait 21 years like Ed did for your wife to fly with you, but you can always encourage her by taking up countless other female friends like Ed has done (read some of his past stories for chuckles). But in the mean time, seriously, be as respectful and patient with your wife as you can, because AIDs (Aviation Induced Divorce) is very real and you really don't want the love of aviation to be a stress factor for your marriage but something you can hopefully eventually share. Good luck!

Quote: Mazerbase ....Not a true replacement for the recognition lights, maybe, but it is something. Worth the cost and effort to replace. Probably not but I'm not done investigating ....

Per Whelen's catalog 71110 is direct replacement for your current nav light: "71110 series is a wing tip mounted strobe anti-collision/position light assembly utilizing LED's for the forward position lights....Direct replacement (exact footprint) for the Whelen Model A650PG/PR series without replacing the current strobe power supply." But I am not trying to sell you on a Whelen - just listing (legal approved ) options. The Aveo lights are not a replacement for the "recognition" light that has the issue with melting the plexiglass wing tip covers. Alhtough they provide 3 functions of Nav, strobe and position lights - they do not provide the recognition light and thus you'll still need the existing recognition light. Plus the position light portion of the Aveo is non-functional when installed in the Mooney wing tip since it will not be visible from the behind and thus you'll you'll still need the white position light on the rear of the wing tip. So what does this buy you? an LED strobe and LED position light that doesn't really fit, and neither of which are melting your wing tip lenses like the recognition light that you still need. I am very skeptical about any STC and in fact skeptical about if they're even TSO'd yet. They say they they exceed TSO requirements, but no where do they say they are FAA/TSO'd i.e. approved by the FAA yet. Alhtough I would expect they are working on it - and could be for a long time. That said, sure I'd love to hear differently that they are TSO'd and they do have an STC and that your installer can get them in looking like they really belong there. Incidentally, the '86 252 surely does not have a strained electrical system. It has double the electrical output of the prior 231 because of going to a 28v system. And if you have dual alternators, like most 252's, then you have four times the electrical capacity of the 231. Good luck with the lights but the real problem still remains - a suitable cooler running Recognition light. A pulser is still the best option to keep it running cooler.

Nice looking light but they don't exactly look like they fit in the same footprint of your existing Whelen light, nor attach to the current retainer. Do they? Nor do they provide a recognition light, this just seems a lot of work when you could replace your current Whelen strobe/Nav lights with their drop in replacement model 71110 light at under $600 for the pair - if you really want the LED Nav lights. (It still uses the their non-led strobes, but what's the problem with their $75 flash tubes?) But none of this is a solution for the hot recognition light which I thought was your intent? What has your IA said about the approval process for installing these? Have you considered putting the recognition lights on a pulser, available from Lasar? That's easy and it'll really help the heat issue.

Regarding what happens to your remote transponder capability if you lose the GTN750 Quote: allsmiles The airplane is grounded because there is no squaking capability until the 750 gets repaired or replaced. Within the 2 year warranty it will be replaced. Outside the 2 years it gets exchanged with another unit. Maybe it's not a bad idea to leave the transponder dedicated external to the 750. In other words not the remote transponder.

An update to my prior post. I found a KLN94 Users Guide and found Turn Anticipation is an available feature that must be Enabled. So check Set up page 10 to verify Turn Anticipation is Enabled (or see page 4-10 of you manual) . With it enabled it behaves a bit differently from what carusoam described above. When the WPT annunciator in the upper right section of the screen begins to flash, this is Waypoint Alterting (Not turn aniticpation), more precisely its a 20 second alert to Turn Anticipation. Turn Anticipation begins when the Waypoint flashing goes to a solid from blinking and the unit tells you the new course to dial in - now turn the OBS on the CDI to initiate the turn. If you don't have turn anticipation turned on, then you'll get a 36 sec (not 35 sec as I recalled earlier) altering/blinking message all the way to station passage. So ensure its enabled. Hope that helps.

Yes - this was my questions to you in my first post - you have to be updating the OBS on the CDI as you sequence through waypoints in your GPS while in NAV mode. Do it when your GPS provides the turn anticipation but if it just provides a fixed 35 sec warning, then you have to estimate (i.e. 10 sec for 30 degree intercept). Turning the Heading bug while in Nav mode doesn't do anything. But note if you are peforming VOR navigation, then you KFC manual tells you switch to use HDG mode just as you approach the VOR and to turn to the new heading and course and then set the new course into your OBS of the CDI and switch back to NAV mode once your past the zone of confusion right over the VOR. Your installation must have GPSS capability before you no longer need to keep updating the OBS on the CDI to follow a series of waypiint in NAV mode.

Quote: allsmiles

Concur that it shouldn't be going past the current Heading bug value - if when you've come to the desired heading you're GPS and CDI is not indicating a major deflection - more than a couple dots. In other words, if the plane is not on the desired GPS Track when it completes the turn to the desired course it wouldn't be abnormal for the AP to have to continue the turn to correct for being offset from the desired Track. Quote: txbyker Last night I set up a GPS approach, got ATC cleared to the first point. I had the GPS approach loaded, pressed NAV, moved the CDI to the desired track and set the heading bug on the CDI course. The plane turned toward the new heading and blew past the first GPS approach point.

Quote: txbyker My KAP seems to fly through the intersections and not aggressively grab the new track. I say aggressively because if for example I start out in HDG mode and change to NAV, turn the heading bug to the new CDI course it will roll towards the new course and eventually come close to tracking the new course after shooting past the desired track. Then in about 1 degree every 4-5 seconds it will creep back to the desired track. I have to fly a GPS approach with autopilot for my checkride. When in APR mode it flies right past the turn. HDG bug works fine by the way. From the description its a bit difficult to tell if you are indeed turning the Course knob/OBS on the CDI, when in NAV mode, to the desired new course as the GPS sequences to the next waypoint. Changing the Heading, of course does nothing when in NAV mode. Could this be why "in APR mode it flies right past the turn". Perhaps its worthwhile to review how to properly enter Approach mode so you can verify its not an operator issue and a AP issue. (This all assumes you don't have an additional GPSS capability between the GPS and AP, which I could be wrong but don't think is supported by your KLN94 and you make no mention of GPSS.) The standard KAP 150 uses the KG107 and second CDI but may have the optional KI 525A HSI combing the two. I'll assume the KG107. First, the approach mode is not armed till you are intercepting the final approach course. While in heading mode, and on a heading to intercept the final approach course, place the OBS of the CDI set on the final approach course. Then press APR and it will blink indicating it is armed. Within 5 seconds, move the heading "bug" of the KG107 to the same heading as the selected course of on the CDI. The autopilot will fly an automatic 45 degree intercept heading until within the capture zone, then intercept and fly the desired course with the HDG light going off and the APR mode goes from arm to engage. If APR mode is selected within +/- 4 degrees and withn 2-3 dots on the CDI the ARM mode is bypassed and APR mode will engage directly. There are many more complicated scenarios in your King AP manual to review, such as approaches with course reversals and Back Course, but I wouldn't assume an AP issue till you verified its not working following the above simple intercept procedure, taken from your AP manual. Enjoy and good luck with your IFR training.

Quote: thinwing I have had goodluck by applying a single layer of black non slip tred tape availble at any hardware store.This stuff is availble in 6in/3in wide widths and you remove backing and apply,also works with the step.Now when you place towbar you kinda screw it in but nomatter how hard you pull or what angle it will not suddenly slip out and dump you on your butt..kpc

Good point about the squelch - easiest way to check that is to turn off the automatic squelch on the 430 by pressing the comm knob in too see the difference - especially to see if your picking up noise on the frequency (like interference). COMM sqelch is adjustable in the COM Setup page (a 64 value range) yet the manual indicates these values are set by the factory and seldom require calibration.

I would asap. I get excellent clear service in both my 430's - only exception is taxiing adjacent to and below the airport tower and their antenna's - you should too! You may be pleasantly surprised to learn the issue is from nothing more than a loose coax connection as is often the case. Since your description suggest you may always have had poor COM performance on the unit you may want to try checking for interference by turing off all other electrics and seeing if improves your COM signal and if so, re-routing cables will often correct it (assuming you can do this on the ground with radio checks to ground or?) . But perhaps best bet, is to have your shop investigate your Antenna VSWR as it should be < 2:1 and is not to exceed 3:1 per the installation manual (a value of 2:1 causes a 12% drop of output power, a 3:1 more than double). Either way, I would first suspect an issue between the radio and antenna, such as a loose or poor connection. Good Luck!

I'd suggest pulling off the left subpanel enough to connect a multi-meter to the ammeter connections and see if you are getting voltage there or not. If you aren't trace the wiring back till you find the problem and if you are gettting voltage, besides the meter it self, there are fuses right on the meter. Electrical part numbers for fueses and shunts (and your meter) are listed in the back of the Mooney Maint. manual just in front of the electrcal schematics in the rear. However, I wouldn't be concerned with the lack of voltage given you have the another way to get voltage off your (uncertified) davtron, but I would be very concerned about the 100% load on the alternator and wouldn't fly it till the problem is resolved.

Quote: DaV8or

Jim, The run-up practice of turning off a alternator is only necessary with two alternators so that you can see each alternator is actually functioning at the proper 28.1+ voltage. With two alternators the #2 takes almost the whole load and you can't really see that the #1 is putting out till you fail #2 by turning it off. That said, keep folllowing your POH which still has you following the same procedure. But recognize you'll see the Annunciator voltage light blinking when you turn on the master, as well as 24volts on the meter (when working) and then see it the light go off and voltage go up to 28V after start up to verify the system - thus you can make the checks without failing/turning off the alternator after startup. If you by chance have a JPI or the like engine monitor that also reads system volatge you can verify proper volatge there. I beleive your annunciator is already verifying this but would expect the light to come off well before 1400 RPM and more in the 1100-1200 RPM range (unless you have everything turned on in your electrical system like landing lights and pitot heat!). This is further evidence that your battery is too week. Its also possible you have a regulator issue but right now the symptoms suggest an issue with the meter or wiring to it - which hopefully is very simple (meters themselves are very expensive) and likely a weak bettery. Incidentally if you don't yet have a engine monitor - seriously consider getting one installed soon. Your engine is much to big of an investment to operate it without one. Good luck!

Jim, What your neighbor suggested is the first thing you should have tried the first - but see your POH emergency procedure page 3-19 Alternator Low Voltage. I re-looked at page of 7-48 of the POH is describes both meters for single and dual alternators - so I am not concerned about your POH being the wrong version - just your understanding of what you have. Notice the warning of not starting the engine with an external power source with a depleted battry. Have your A&P check our the lack of voltage reading and potential low battery issues before next flight. Good luck!

Jim, Looks like Jack explained why you don't have the button. Notice your meter is already showing volts at the bottom. On our dual alternator meters, the lower scale reads provides two outputs, load without pushing the button and Volts with the button pushed. I haven't seen a POH for the single alternator verison, but if it doesn't also discuss your meters layout, I would be suspicous that your POH may have been replaced with the wong version and would suggest containing Stacey Ellis at Mooney (you could use technicalsupport@mooney.com). A very high alternator output is indicative of a low battery, but you should not be seeing 0 volts. Something is wrong - You would not have been able to start up with 0 volts. There are some fuses on the back of the meter itself (at least for the dual alternator version) and maybe one is popped, or a bad econnection etc. But besides the meter not registering battery voltage, if the high load reading is accurate I'd check the battery too. It may be very weak.

Quote: flyboy0681 Looking at the GTN750 manual, you can set the map page to display any four fields with the following values:...

Quote: mooniac58 Honestly though, with an Aspen PFD and two MFDs I really don't use the GPS for anything other than keying in my route and selecting COM/NAV freqs. For all moving map, traffic, Nexrad, HSI and everything else I am looking at the Aspens 99% of the time - the GPS basically becomes nothing more than an input device like a keyboard on a PC. The GPS provides a lot more useful information than your HSI; especially flying approaches and working to keeping the needles centered. Don't have any time on the Aspen and so I wonder if can display this. So specifically does the Aspen display Desired Track, actual track, and cross-track error i.e. what do you have to tell you're deviating before the needles show you're actually off? I'd guess the HSI automatically updates to show desired track but assume the rest aren't shown? I too have a separate MFD for situational awareness (GMX200) and my GPS's are never on a map page, but set up to display the above 3 fields along with GS, ETE, Dist and VSR. Which is getting used vigorously during any approach. Which makes me worry a bit about the newer 750 is If I eventually want to swap a 430 and a MFD for a new 750, as they are intended to do both functions, I don't want to loose the ability to simultaenously display 6 data fields and my geo-referenced plates together. Yet after my initial review of the user's manual the split screen functionality didn't look possible - but it was only a cursory review and I may have missed it or an ability to have fields on top of a map display. Would agree though that if Aspen displays those values as well I wouldn't have to scan to the GPS for them.