Steve65E-NC

Check with your insurance company before moving a Mooney to a grass field base. I considered it last year, but after talking to my agent, decided against it. At 68 I want to minimize the minus score that the insurance company has to look at. I think your agent will be happy to trial shop for a rate with the proposed basing.

Check out www.adlog.com . I have used them for about the last decade. They provide a complete logbook system. At annual time they send you hard copies of any ADs that apply. I find them very helpful with owner assisted annual. If they save you one hour of IA time each year, you more than cover the cost.

Short of something in writing, the mixed responsibility on the project makes their responsibility and liability vague. They are probably just exercising some CYA to support that vague responsibility and keep it from becoming full responsibility. This is about fences and neighbors. I would not assume the worst. Give them a call.

Sounds like a business opportunity to me.

Be careful on this. My paint shop painted the vertical blade with the rest of the white. It came out dead. I found a replacement at a salvage yard and dutifully painted it with some of the same paint. It came out dead. The salvage yard supplied a replacement and I installed it without paint. Still working fine after twenty years. I also suggest a call direct to Comant. If there is a paint that you want to use, I would have the details on it on hand to discuss with them. I bet they know the good and the bad.

Call Lasar. I recommend retractable for pilot and non-retractable for co-pilot. It would be easier if you posted your model type. I know of no rear seat shoulder harness availability for vintage moonies (lack of attach point).

My harnesses are 47 years old. I just had a flaky voltage indication on the JPI. Checked every connection for security. Sure enough the ground terminal on the Alt was loose. Cleaned everything up, tightened every thing up. Test flight today showed back to normal. I have no plans for a new harness.

Nels, Sounds like the Mooney is the airplane you need. Beware the landing porpoise. Hold it off till it quits flying. For my E, I give a final glance to see than I am below 70 mph. You can not force a Mooney onto the ground like you can a P or C. This can be a problem particularly on short fields with steep approach over obstacle. One nose bounce, apply power and get flying again. Second bounce you are in an unstable and building oscillation until something breaks. Ask me how I know. Spend some training time dedicated to this problem, don't just pass over it.

Getting back to the original post. Nels, unless you want to reach out and travel the Mooney is probably not the plane you want. Since you are concerned about burn rate, money must be a problem. So why take on the extra, up-front, maintance and insurance expense of a complex aircraft. Further, in my opinion, a Mooney is a little more to handle than a 150 or Cherokee. If I am stale, I don't notice it in those aircraft, I do notice it in the Mooney. Further, I infer something of an age issue, I am 68 and plan to monitor my performance carefully as I pass the 70 mark. If I don't feel that I measure up, I will go back to something like a Cherokee. Which is too bad as I see the aircraft as primarily an instrument for travel.

Getting back to the original post. Nels, unless you want to reach out and travel the Mooney is probably not the plane you want. Since you are concerned about burn rate, money must be a problem. So why take on the extra, up-front, maintance and insurance expense of a complex aircraft. Further, in my opinion, a Mooney is a little more to handle than a 150 or Cherokee. If I am stale, I don't notice it in those aircraft, I do notice it in the Mooney. Further, I infer something of an age issue, I am 68 and plan to monitor my performance carefully as I pass the 70 mark. If I don't feel that I measure up, I will go back to something like a Cherokee. Which is too bad as I see the aircraft as primarily an instrument for travel.

I have made a number of flights to the Bahamas. I advise going to the northern islands in Spring and Fall and the southern islands in mid winter like now. My last mid-winter trip we rented a house at Great Exuma and had a very nice time. Lots to do. Rent a car. Interesting folks. Large sail boat presence because of fantastic harbor situation. We also had a nice visit to Staniel Kay in the Exumas more than a decade ago. The airport there was more rustic but still very good. A smaller, quieter, simpler place. Just a little further north, we also like Stella Maris for its European atmosphere and good food (no need to rent a car) and the Riding Rock Inn (for scuba and underwater photography) at San Salvadore. We traveled on down to Provenciales in the Turks and Caicos for one trip. We decided that this was just too far to go in a Mooney and that any visits below Great Exuma would be by commercial air. An exception here might be the Caymen Islands which are really not that far from Key West. We never went but I did go through the process of getting the Cuban overflight permission once. There is a great flying travel book published annually for the Bahamas. Call someplace like the Naples Pilot Shop (Fla) to identify it. I gave someone my copy but I am sure you can turn it up with a Google search. It has good info including diagrams and photos on every landing field. It also has all sorts of practical info on customs etc.

I had my E open on the ramp doing an oil change when an FAA Inspector walked up. He was polite but it was clear that he hoped he had a "live one". Luckily I had my Mooney Service Manual close on hand and a lycoming engine manual and I knew my maintainence rights. I think if I had not had instructions, or something that looked like instructions, on hand I would have been in trouble. I did not have the aircraft logs on hand and probably would not have produced them on the spot even if I had. In the end he just asked that I fax him a copy of my log entry when complete. I asked my IA to help me make it in proper form (and learned in the process). I faxed off the entry and heard nothing more. The interaction was professional and polite.

The Plane Plastics door liner takes a little careful fiddling and trimming but sure does a nice job. Measure carefully to be sure that you have the correct liner before doing any trimming. The other Plane Plastics parts go in easily and all look fantastic.

Rob, Yes, I use the black 3M strip stuff. No problem with bending panels on my 65E with SWTA 201 windshield. If I ever felt something was about to bend or kink I would drag out the old hair dryer. No bending problem before windshield install when panels were slightly larger and rectangular either. I also now have a good cockpit cover and I am careful to cover the panels if I am tied down during transit. When I had the instrument problem I was without good cover and the plane set outside in the rain for a day or so before flight. I never see any drips inside when I wash the aircraft.

In my 20 year experience with a 65E, rubber gaskets just do not work. And, I lost a DG and AI trying it (the water poured right onto the intake filter for them). Five minutes after takeoff both instrument faces were full of bubbles (if this happens to you act quickly to get the instruments to a rebuild house and dried out). I now, and for the last 18 years, use the recommended 3M Strip Calk Part No. 08578. The box has 60 feet stored in strips between two pieces of wax paper. It does not dry out and can be reshaped for reinstallation. One box will last for decades. I put it on all four sides on airframe at faying surface of cover before putting cover in place. I surround all screw holes but keep drainage channels clear. A little usually squirts out at spots around outside and I trim it with a sharp piece of plexiglass to avoid damage to paint. It can be applied with top cowel either on or off. I carry a baggie with a few strips in my ready tool kit to add to any areas that are weak if I have to do a field access to the bays.

All my experience with Triad has been good. I have delt with them about five times on things large and small. I have not had them do an overhaul but would consider them seriously if I needed one. There is a lot to say for having a rebuild shop within reasonable distance for flying or driving. I would probably let my local do the remove and install if he has the capability. Sorry, no personal experience with cracked blocks. Looks like your usage is low. You have apparently flown with this situation for a while, how high is the risk of continuing. Achmed at Triad might advise you on this he has always been good with advise for me. I like the Ney nozzle idea, wonder if Triad could provide those.

Look at the wiring diagram for a 66E it is in both your parts manual and your service manual. Mine shows the cigarette lighter coming off a 10 amp circuit breaker at one end of the bus. It also shows a separate fuse next to and in series with the lighter. Someone found a nice place high in the foot well tubing next to the pilots knee. They fabricated a little sheet metal bracket to clamp in place. It is rectangular running fore and aft. It has three receptacles and a 1.5 amp fuse holder next to each. Check for interference with controls or pilot knee, mine has none. As near as I can tell, it is installed per the service manual.

PJ, I would first start at the battery and take the heavy wires down a single screw or bolt node at a time cleaning and polishing all mating electrical surfaces right around the heavy circuit and generator circuit. You may also find any loose terminations etc. I believe this needs to be done wheather you have a generator problem or not. I am starting this on my 65E and plan to reassemble each clean node with a dab of silicone dielectric greece. I have about a .7 voltage drop between the main bus and the battery and hope to improve it in this way. My 65E was converted to alternator long ago and you might want to consider that at this time before spending much on the Generator.

Give Lasar a call. They may have a drawing or something. Seems I recall they installed at least one ski-tube in a Mooney.

Do any of the overhaul shops, other than factory, offer the roller tappets. I like the idea of the Ney nozzles. No way to get both I guess.

I think the marketers are missing the boat on this one. Back in the early 90's I carried a small Halon next to pilot seat and larger one at baggage door. Now, with the outrageous cost of Halon units, I just carry a dry powder at the baggage door. I think if someone sold a professional, rechargable 2 lb Halon for less than $100, that I would buy and carry two. I think the sells volume at the lower price point would give greater profits to that company. We all make decisions on how to spend our safety dollar, I think these guys have priced themselves out of the real market.

I think the manufacturers are missing the economics here for the GA pilot. If they produced at professional quality 2 lb halon for less than $100 new at retail, I think they would sell a bunch and have a much higher profit overall. With the outrageous prices on these things I keep using a single conventional dry chemical at the baggage door. With more attractive pricing on Halons I would have one at the baggage door and one available from the pilot seat.

That is not a 201 cowel closure, it is just a Lasar cowel closure. I would sure question just what that 70 hour old major was. If from a reputable shop one thing, otherwise probably just a field overhaul pencil job in an attempt to increase sells price. Nothing special in the way of avionics. Not mentioning the Experimental status shows probable intent to deceive. Tred carefully.

Robert, Do your logs give a part #, spec or source on the pneumatic switch. Thanks. Steve 65E-NC

Go to the Kennedy Center website and check performances. Purchase tickets in advance. There are three fantastic theatres, not a bad seat in the house, fairly priced for seats about half way back. Makes you proud just being there. You park below the Center for $20.00. In the past year we saw the Washington Philharmonic conducted by Kurt Mazur with Sarah Chang as solo violin. We also saw the Washington Ballet do an adaptation of "The Great Gatsby". Both were at the top of a world scale. We paid about $50 per seat half way back.