kortopates

https://www.mooney.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/SBM20-254.pdf

You can get a FlyWire registration in as soon as about 48 hrs to allow international ops. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

There is no such adjusting of rigging to effect timing of door opening and closing - its all in the mechanical lever arms and spring. Something broke or separated on your allowing the bell crank to get bent. Its actually a very ingenious design. Re-attaching everything properly with unbent parts ensures the inner door operates properly.

Yep, a job for an instrument repair station. Never mind the tech at the repair station only has a repairman license that carry's no weight out of the place of business but allows the FAA to monitor their procedures....

So does our local school. I would expect these are required parts of any approved curriculum since the Mechanics exams test these areas.

I went the local community college route. I didn't start the program because I wanted to be an A&P though, I just enrolled in the "General" class, the first semester of the A&P program because I wanted to further my understanding of aircraft as a flight instructor; just on the principal the more you know the better you can handle the unexpected and know if it was an emergency or not. I did my engineering job by day, rushing from work at 4pm every day to start the evening classes at 4:30 daily. I found that first semester hugely educational and the learning very entertaining. The big sacrifice for me was having school Friday nights since most labs ended right at about 10PM. So it really made a dent in our typical weekend get aways such as flying up to Mammoth Mtn Friday after work for a weekend of skiing. Suddenly we couldn't go anywhere till Saturday morning and had to back the next day. But at least on the pro side, the class and labs hours give you everything needed without any study time required outside of school time- at least not for an overly educated mature student. But even with graduate degrees I still had to take everything except for the basic electrical class that covers essentially only Ohm law. I was able to use college calculus based physics to petition skipping that but still had to take both airframe electrical and powerplant electrical because of their practical nature. It wasn't till I completed the General class that I was even thinking of continuing on. I had to get my wife's permission of course and luckily it was just the two of us and it was especially helpful that she was a full time professor at the college, so we actually saw each other for 5-10 min at dinner - we got a 20 min break every evening to get some food so I would go visit her and pick up the sandwich she made for me every day. I was very lucky she was so supportive! So I continued because I found the classes thoroughly entertaining and loved all the knowledge I was sucking up. Still I wish A&P covered more. [mention=15539]EricJ[/mention] is spot on how broad and diverse the education is. I couldn't imagine learning anything about jet engines, magnetic particle testing, wood & fabric and many other topics if I was trying to get it on hours of experience. But i was just very lucky to have the community college program available to me. There was still a lot we didn't get too such as the science of combustion, avionics and in depth composites that I would have included if I had the choice. [mention=20790]A64Pilot[/mention] is right on about the need to be actively engaged and there are definitely some in the FAA that want to clear out at least the IA's renewing based on annuals and major mods, but this has been going on for many years and the law is the law and still allows an IA to renew based on 8 hrs of training each year. Based on the shortage of mechanics and IA's I doubt that will change. Obviously I don't have any experience trying to test out based on the hours experience, but as mentioned before that is really intended for x-military; not the aircraft owner. In fact I would discourage any one admitting to an inspector that that was there true goal. But I enjoyed my school experience. I also did what I needed to do so it didn't drag out beyond the 2.5 years (5 semesters - 1 semester General, 2 semesters Airframe, 2 semesters Powerplant). Something I also promised my wife. It was a long haul but so glad I did it. I waited much more than three years before getting my IA which truly was the hardest FAA exam I ever took, simply because of its breath, which did require some serious study time on my part but also well worth it. Now I teach at the community college as well, but only part time to pilots rather than mechanics (advanced IFR). And as a Lead FAASTeam rep I've gotten to know at least all the lead inspectors on both the airworthiness and operations side of my FSDO. They can be great assets when you know them. BTW, one clarification on a US mechanic privileges. The FARs don't allow us to do anything we haven't already been trained in. Luckily the school covers everything imaginable for maintaining GA piston aircraft but if I went to work on airliners I am sure I would be getting a lot of training on many tasks before I could do them on my own. Surprisingly this isn't required for owners doing preventative maintenance, nor are owners required to have access to the proper documentation (maintenance manual and illustrated parts catalog) before doing maintenance; and the list goes on...

most likely pressurized if -LB or later, but i believe the GB was unpressurized. Make sure they are Bendix though as most installations use Slick Mags. Your engine log book will show. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Depends on location of the sensor. What sensor (factory or engine analyzer) are you referring too and where is it located? The factory installs the OAT out under the right wings outboard of the gear where its located in undisturbed air. Engine monitor installs rarely go to the trouble to put the OAT in undisturbed air, such as placing it in the cockpit NACA scoop because its easiest but least accurate.

A different gascolator sure, but certainly not for operating without one! But thanks, wasn't aware of the Steve's gascolator.

Speaking from experience, much of the fuel flows out the rear when the hole is missing as well as an air hole in the bellypan. Remember the plane sits with positive pitch on the ground. I did see some fuel pool mid way back on the belly pan when the owner kept pulling the drain and did not see any fuel on the ground where it was expected. The gascolator is serviced with the bellypan removed, so I wouldn't conclude its never been serviced but easy enough to verify if the o-rings are listed as replaced. BTW, There is no such thing as an STC or approved mod for removing the gascolator!

No hole suggest the belly pan was replaced after a gear up incident and the folks doing the repair didn’t know enough to drill the hole - they don’t come with the hole in place. Plus the owner then wasn’t particularly thorough with their pre-flights either. Probably only drained once a year at annual when disassembled. I bet you’ll find a new replacement belly pan in your airframe logs. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'd change the title to say your looking for recommendations for a PPI in the LA area to narrow down what your looking for. Its often best to use an established Mooney MSC for a prebuy, but there aren't really any recommended ones in the LA Basin, so a shop with lots of Mooney experience is the next best option; or plan to negotiate a flying it out of town to some one like Top Gun in Stockton.

I doubt it too, but I don't even get the "why bother" with it unless someone wants it for a museum static display. Its not approved for IFR and we have such amazing VFR capabilities with an iPad and your choice of app; not to mention many more options.

The CI-105 is perfect for the GTX-345. All the CI-105 are same except for method of mounting, possible connector and speed restrictions. Some are made to be compatible with a different brand of mount like a King antenna. So I would have your installer check your present antenna mount so he can match it up for an easy install but most likely the basic CI-105 will work for you.

I wouldn't worry about the instruction before purchasing, it's very hard to find rental Mooney's. And lets say you got 10 hrs in the B at Chino, your insurance company is likely going to specify 10+ hrs of dual in your "E" model before you can solo anyway. Plus regardless, even if not, you really don't want to be alone in a plane that new to you with little experience in the Model till you have a chance to get comfortable with the help of a very experienced Mooney instructor. On the other hand its going to quite easy to get a ride from an another nearby owner. That will enable to you to tell if its a good match as well as try out more than model. So I suggest let folks know what airport you closest too since SOCAL is a huge area and I am sure you'll line up a ride soonest. I'd suggest you check out both a E and mid-body F model.

By a far margin, the appropriate version of the Comant CI-105 is the most popular transponder antenna installed.

Regarding the iPad location, I'd be afraid of it becoming a detriment to my health in an off field emergency. On the CGR-30 combo, be aware that you'll end up with two different data files which makes data analysis a chore. If you have the time and are excel proficient enough, it is actually possible to merge the data into one combined file. But its a lot of work, not something one would do for every flight. I've only seen one client pull off the merge after working on it.

It looks too big to fit right behind the emergency gear extension - the only small rectangular section I can think of.

This recent service letter from Mooney appears to be the factories response to address the apparent increased gear incidents and focused on all kinds of causes from pilot error on up. Its also a pretty good comprehensive write-up on how both manual and electric gears systems work. David mentioned the ACO inspector didn't appreciate the worn down block issue but Mooney's SB sure does. The SAIB should have included a reference to this Mooney SB-344 SBM20-344.pdf

Sounds like your issue may be as simple as needing to lubricate the pins that the calipers slides back and forth on - what you referred to as the rods I believe. Suggest using some silicone DC4. They will often bind when your moving the plane by hand without them being properly lubricated. You may be replacing the pads just to be safe, but with the dual puck brakes you should be able to get much more than a even a couple annuals of wear on the pads before replacing them. Unless perhaps you live on a very short field and need to really get on the brakes with every landing. But if your able to land, use aerodynamic braking (hold the nose wheel off as long as possible) and exit with barely touching the brakes they should last you many years without replacing the pads.

Folks I assure you the FAA investigates every incident and they do their best to attribute a root cause to every one. That's not to say they get every one correct and have the resources to delve into each to be absolutely sure but every one gets investigated. In addition to interviewing the pilot they'll review maintenance records, visit the plane when possible and often interview the maintenance provider. The breadth of their review is determined by what they learn about the incident initially. I wish I could give you a copy of the FAA's reporting form to highlight better, but they have to address a broad list of potential factors for every incident/accident to determine if it was caused by the Pilot, Airworthiness issue, weather or even fault with FARs or combination thereof - everything is on the table at the start. For a great many they determine right away from the pilot it was human error and don't need to go further but being pros they certainly take what the pilot says with a grain of salt and don't necessarily stop there; especially if the pilot believes the gear failed. I am not an FAA employee but a volunteer Lead FAASTeam rep that learns many of incidents and accident details within our FSDO from our investigating inspectors. I have to assume the SAIB was written because their data indicates too many gear failures from a lack of maintenance. To me that suggest too many annuals that aren't following the Mooney Service manual to fully inspect and lubricate the gear i.e. pencil whipped annuals. For example, just cycling the gear like you would after changing a tire and calling it good. I am a bit unique since as a CFI I am not only involved with safety issues on the Operations side of the house (pilots, airspace, runway safety etc) but also as an A&P/IA I am also working closely with the airworthiness side of the house and hearing the maintenance issues so I am more exposed to the broader issues than the typical FAASTeam member.

Given the number of Mooney annuals I hear about with no more of a gear inspection than cycling the gear I am not surprised. Given the number of reported "gear failure" incidents we see I wouldn't fault the FAA but conclude the SAIB is deserved if they've tracked many of the gear failures to insufficient maintenance. Unfortunately it will likely only get read/reviewed by the conscientious Mooney owners that don't need this reminder - it really is redundant for those that follow the Mooney SM and Mooney 100 hr checklist. But those seeking the lowest cost quick annual probably won't care or notice this. I wonder if even an AD making it mandatory at annuals would make a difference in reducing gear failures, but I can see the FAA doing so when numbers don't improve. Aging parts is a separate but related issue. Has the FAA done anymore than just investigate the OPP complaint on David's gear bracket?

Although you could use Excel, the best tool is Savvy Aviation and it’s free unless you want to become a subscriber for AnalysisPro for professional analysis of your data. See SavvyAviation.com to create a free account to chart your data. All engine monitors supported. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I recall it being stronger cowling able to better handle the air loads. don't recall details though.

Have a good time up there tomorrow! Weather is actually worse on Saturday here in the southern SOCAL area with an inch of rain predicted with all the accompanying hazards. But WVI is far enough away at 350nm we'd want to do it as a weekend trip anyway. Hopefully we'll see you all at another future one So hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed Camarillo last time.