kortopates

I've never asked for a contact approach. Really can't imagine ever doing so either. Sure, I could imagine someone asking for one if they had a marine layer but personally at only 1 sm visibility I am going to stick with a instrument approach even if there is a delay as long as I am not short on fuel. I take my instrument students up to SLI to experience PAR approaches (with and without GS) all the time - i think every instrument student should be exposed to them - but SLI only offers them to us Tues-Thursdays. But Miramar just started doing them on Sunday afternoon's (but I don't teach on Sundays)

i couldn’t agree more about the wide and extended B747 patterns flown today by so many trainers and light aircraft! but don’t get me started. great story on the flares - would have never guessed that! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You're also going to feel the tire taxing in the out of round conditon - like its a square wheel - because it is right now. Sometime even when the cord isn't yet showing, you could have a flat spot making the tire out of round which you'll feel very annoingly as a constant reminder. Although still airworthy, in that condition you may want to replace it as well to get back to a smooth taxing aircraft - if that applies.

I am also a Blue and While Mooney in the pattern at uncontrolled airports. I've always done this believing its far more useful than saying a tail number that no one can read. But these days folks can see my tailnumber with their adbs-b traffic in the pattern, so the Blue & White Mooney may not be as useful as what it was pre-adbs-b days. At least when I am in a towered airport traffic pattern, I am listening for other tail numbers I hear the controller clear for the same runway and verify their location on my Ads-B - this helps when you're #4 or #5 for the runway and their is a parallel runway equally busy.

Hector is the best, but not cheapest. But don’t under estimate the importance of comfort; you’ll regret it on every longer flight if you do! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Common place of this incident has nothing to do the cost of repairs. The vast majority of these are totalled. Did the aircraft really not have any avionics with value? The airframe parts are worth a lot more to a salvage company than you may be giving credit for. As an active instructor I've heard the details from a great many gear up's incidents over the years. The pilot is probably not yet aware of the worst concern facing him presently. He's going to find it very diffificult if not impossible to get insurance in the current market for at least the next 3 years - that includes liability insurance. If the insurance did pay for the repair, at least he'll have till the insurance expires to start looking for a company that will insure him next year. Labor rates are typically pretty consistent/competive within the area for the shop. For example, Texas is much cheaper (maybe 15-20%) than where I am in Southern Calif. But with a gear up, unless a distant shop is very motivated to get the work by coming out to the plane and putting a prop on it to fly it to their shop its going to another non-insignificant cost added to the repair. But at this stage the best thing to do is send very detailed pictures of the damage to shops you have confidence in to do the repair to get estimates for the adjuster, including for them to pickup/ferry the aircraft to their shop. But you'll have the unlikliness of insurance paying for the repair going on in the mind of non-local shops before they put the resources into putting together a detailed repair estimate.

It will be totated for sure. I am not a broker nor an underwriter, but consider the economics. The geared up plane still has significant salvage value - typically 30-40% of their blue book value taking into accout engine time and avioinics etc. If you use Paul's exampke above where the insurance comapny wanted 37K for the salavage plane back, there is no way they'll repair it. The way they see it, the maximum they'll pay for repairs is the insured value minus the salavage value, since when they write the owner a check for the insured value they're doing so knowing their loss to the owner will be reduced by the salavge value. Gear up landings typically cost 40-60K to repair, so if the salvage value is say 25K, you'd need a minimum of 65 to probably more like 85K insured value to get it repaired. Not going to happen unless the salavage value is near nil. Plus they're aware estimated for damage never go down during the repair and often they'll be paying for more hidden damage after they get ito the repair so they proabbly want a 5-10% reserve buffer in their expected loss before authorizing a repair. Plus their is still going to be cost for the owner, the insurance company will only pay for teardown and inspection of the engine and repacement of parts or fixing damage directly attributable to the gear up - the extra cost of overhaul would be on the owners nickel. Similarily, they'll only pay the portion for the prop based on how many hours/years remaining till TBO, the rest is considered betterment paid by the owner. Plus this is going to take months to fix. On the bright side, the insurance company will give him a check for the insured value and the owner can go airplane shopping again.

We would need a 3rd sensor on the extended tank or moving the existing the outboard to the extended outboard position - but the doubt the latter would work well - I would bet there is too little change in the inboard when outer tank is dry. With the 2 CIES I get do get a much better accounting of fuel in the extended tanks just from re-calibrating with the extended tanks - its not perfect but greatly improved and I get more and more accurate indications the lower the fuel in the tanks get.

Of course it remains centered - sorry don't mean to sound flippant but this doesn't describe a GPS error. Whenever you push the direct key, you are re-centering the GPS CDI. Only if you moved since an earlier Direct key entry to the same waypoint will the DTK change - but the CDI will be centered - both on the GNS Default Nav display as well as the CDI. Important - just like on an ILS in LOC mode, when in GPS mode, turning the OBS has NO effect on the CDI (you be trying to change the DTK). But as soon as you enter OBS mode (in GPS mode) now you can change the DTK by turning the OBS knob on your CDI and you'll see it deflect. Ditto here from your first post. Both of these show the GPS is working as expected. The good news is so far this is all normal and expected behaviour. If you have a real problem, its not explained here yet.

Aren't avgas deleiveries more like months apart? Hence a big delay.

Yes, it seemingly takes forever even in our Turbo charged aircraft to get to Vy to climb out from a high density altitude airport. This is why on the third day of my transition training course I take the candidate up to a high density altitude airport such as Bg Bear. Last week training at Havasu City we went up to Flagstaff. (of course we couldn't do that if we weren't in the western US). But in so doing, the new owner can experience the differences before going out on their own. More than once, especially on a less forgiving NA aircraft, I've had to push nose down right after rotate to keep the aircraft from quickly stalling. The soft-field high density altitude takeoff that Don describes above is the only way to get a normally aspirated aircraft out of ground effect when the density altitude gets above the aircraft gear down service ceiling! (A value not published in every aircraft including the Mooney) So for an NA aircraft, when obstacles allow, we'll keep the aircarft in ground effect after retracting the gear at Vx and start climbing after accelerating to Vy. Vy will give some airspeed buffer on the right side of the power curve for the turbulence we are likely to experpeince climbing out of a mountainous HighDA airport. The Turbo is more forgiving but patience in getting up to the required speed and taking advantage of ground effect are still very important.

Thanks for posting those picks Richard (@Skates97) as it cleary shows in both examples we have means reasonably identify the middle of the runway. Warwik has the taxiway departing from 21L, yet departing from 3R I woud choose a tad earlier abeam the parked cars since the taxiway looks a bit closer to 21L theshold. At Fulleron the middle taxiway crossing looks very reasonable. This isn't a measurement we need to be exact, but a position we want to make sure that as we're approaching it if there is doubt we won't be at 70% Vrotate speed that its time to abort. Not continue hoping it will improve only to see that we won't be getting off at the end. Every private student I've worked with gets its pretty easily without an iPad in the cockpit and just a airport diagram (consulted before departure). The other runway markers not yet mentioned are the remaining thousands of feet available on many runways. When the runway is really short, which can also be a dirt runway, I actually make a point of walking the runway, both picking the spot I use to make the turn around atwhen back taxing as well as for how I'll identify the halfway. Some of more challenging runways you can't see the whole length from one end (usually do to slope) so I'll want want to scout such a runway on foot before departure whenever there is any doubt or concern.

No no, not an anomaly, that's totally accurate for a mooney with cracked fuel cap o-rings that allows the tank to fill with water. The result is an aquarium rather than fuel tank!

Fred, its not difficult but many think of this totally backwards as you sort of are. First almost all of us have a safe taxi way diagram to allow us to see the runway environment and ideally pick a crossing runway or taxiway near the midpoint. Lacking any taxiway or cross runway, there is often structures or something off to the side to help pick halfway point. It doesn't have to be exact, the key though is that we decide to abort before the halway point. Think of it this way, using my numbers, I'll rotate at 67 kts, so I'll use 50 kts (rounded up from 47 kts) as my required speed to continue on beyond the halfway. So the focus is really on getting to 50 kts, not as much on the halfway unless its really that close. But as soon as I have 50 kts I am committed. If I am approaching the midpoint, not at it but approaching it, and I am not at 50 kts its time to abort. If I wait to the halfway and then decide to abort its too late. For most cases its an easy decsion and this will prevent us from taking off from a runway we'd expect not to be an issue but not generating full power that day for any reason. For the day we're taking off from a short runway that we need not only our full power but every foot, we need to be primed BEFORE reaching the halfway point to pull power and start breaking if their is any doubt we won't have 50 before the halfway. A lot more words to describe the thought process but many pilots think about it kinda backwards, so this is a good question which deserves detail - I hope the above clarifies how to approach it so the decision is not made too late. BTW - the above is only near half of what a new private pilot is taught in the form of emergency pre-departure brief. Another key part is how much altitude you need MSL before turning back to the airport in an engine out scenario and which runway you are going to turn back too depending on which way you'll make your crosswind.

One thing I love about my Garmin panel - which is everything Garmin, (G500, GTN 750 & 650, and GTX-345) is that I don't ever pull out an SD card to update databases. All database updates are bluetoothed from Garmin pilot to the FS-510 and then the GTN 750 synchronizes the G500 and 650 while I am taxing to the run-up area. Regarding trusting the old stuff more than the new - that's just a matter of training and becoming proficient with the new stuff before you fly IMC with it. I teach an Advanced IFR class at the community college which is exacty intended for older pilots that don't yet have GPS & glass experiences. The class also uses Redbird sims (half of which are legacy Redbirds with GNS530W and the other half are G1000 Redbirds). Perhaps you could find a similar class in your area. Once you get proficient using your new GPS you'll have no use for the KNS80 since the GPS will also have VOR/Localizer capability. Plus you'll really enjoy learning new tricks with new avioincs. It might even be better to just rent a C172 with a modern updated panel before you invest a lot in your panel so you can learn what you like and how to use them before you make expensive decisions on your panel that you won't be able to easily change.

Perhaps the foam on the seat cushions is just shot and is in need of some quality seat work. One of the best shops for doing Mooney seats is Hector at Aero Comfort. They do multiple layers of different density memory foams and know how to build up a comfortable seat without making the seat oversize and preventing access to seeing the Mooney floorboard gear light and accessing the manual trim wheel - a few things I have seen in done in "custom" seats gone wild. You can even ship him the seats and he'll ship them back. His shop does really quality work plus they also know Mooney's really well and can repair almost anything. First time I needed to re-do my tired seats and upholstery I didn't see the value in expensive seats and cheaped out with a local guy out of the auto upholstery business that knew enough to use materials with burn certs. But the quality of the seat cushion foam was terrible and on longer flights I became very uncomofrtable after only a couple hours. After years of flying like that I was determined to get a quality job for real comfort and and glad I did - the quality and comfort was defineitely worth the $.

True, technically its a purely a Manual wastegate which was a big improvement over the fixed bolt wastegate but nothing like an hydraulic automatic wastegate. Merlin just markets it as "automatic" wastegate - far far from it.

I assume your renting 231AL at SMO. There is also a nicer 252 for rent in Carlsbad CRQ. You'll probably spend all your time up in the valley for air work near the Fillmore VOR and probably at CMA or OXR where there is no landing fee - but I really don't know what the school does, that's just what I do with new owners based at SMO. But check out lunch at CMA's Waypoint Cafe when you can - best airport restaurant in all of SOCAL! I think you'll find the main difference between the G and K is that you will really have to trim much more for landing plus the obvious engine differences.

None of the post above mention its not just a firmware upgrade. The shop or you needs to print out the updated AFMS for new version, fold, punch holes and place it in the supplemental section of your POH. The job isn't really done till that's completed and a log book entry is made. Before the shop can put the SD card into your unit to update it, they have to logon to the Garmin dealer section of their website and find and download the needed update. Folks only seem to count the smallest part of the job. The complete process really does take a bit of time to accomplish - not a lot, but its not insignificant.

If you're flying IFR, the GPS has to go in your center stack where you can keep in your scan. Data fields for DIST, DTK, TRK and ETE are all critical to precision flying. Till you really learn how to fly with GPS this may not seem as important as it is. A good glass PFD will also help a lot in bringing some of those data fields to your PFD, such as diatnce to your active waypoint. You'll quickly become dissaisfied if its installed on the left. Just imagine busy workload IMC on approach and you have to reach al the way over to the right to GPS and the plane is quickly heading for unusual attitudes!

I hope any one that has previously picked up their plane after an invasive annual and didn't think much about departing IFR, and often on a weekend day after the shop was closed, takes your post to heart on the importance of both a thorough pre-flight (that wouldn't necessarily find the above issue) as well as a return to service flight above the airport! Stuff happens unfortunately and we're test pilots after significant maintenance.

download and read Lycomings SI on how to properly break-in the engine cylinders. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It will probably fit on either left or right magneto position with a single alternator, but for sure on the right side. It will take some work to get it to fit, since there isn't enough clearance to use the existing style split washer.

Jon, Are you based at SAF or nearby?

Consolidated in NY has the documentation for an approved repair of most Mooney regulators - the 28V VR's are hard to come by for the Mooney https://www.consolac.com