AmigOne

Skybum, I had 3 made in leather (different shades of beige), kept one, gave one to a Mooney owner in Canada and I'll try to find the third one this week when I go to check on my airplane. No charge, I just have to find it. That is if beige suits you, if you need another color let me know and I will not look for it.

I just bought a new comforter, King size, for about $40 (reduced from $90) from overstock.com. Most likely not of premium quality but given its size I can double it up over the cowl to provide adequate insulation given that my airplane is hangared. Next I'll buy one of this infrared thermometers to check oil and cylinders temp. I guess that if I point the beam down the oil filler tube I should get some reading. Has anybody tried that? My 0 time engine has not been started yet after the o/h so I am going to try every trick on the book (short of tannis or reiff), including the lamp bulb to keep the engine warm. Up to last year I was using the ceramic heater with the hose pointed to the bottom of the engine and I will do that too. The oil always looked fluid enough after an hour using the heater so with all the additional stuff (comforter, lamp) it should be OK. In northern Virginia it gets cold but seldom below 20F.

If the budget is tight there are other ways than glass to achieve IFR+VFR. I have a Garmin GNC 300XL IFR GPS/Com (one now in Barnstormers for $3200, a portable Garmin 696 (I bought mine for $1000)where I display the XM weather info. In addition I have a portable 395, a Proxalert collision avoidance system and Foreflight Pro (georeferenced) in my iPad. No a/p, just a wing leveler. This summer I completed 6000 miles around the US without a hitch. Everybody wants glass, and glass is fantastic but if you can not afford it remember that you can train and still safely shoot an ILS to minimums without glass. That is the way I learned 40 years ago and still works. The 300 XL is too complicated (for me maybe not for you) to shoot a GPS approach and you will not have WAAS. But you can practice with it.

Something strange about these "abandoned" airplanes. Their owners are often hard to find but if you they often do not react well to offers. In fact they get angry that you call them. They seem to have a kind of a death wish for their airplane. At my airport I saw a nice Cessna 140, a twin Comanche, a Mooney, a Cessna 150 and a Bonanza be slowly destroyed by the weather and the birds.

I like the crab and kick method, one pump of flaps trying to hit the exact speed. Also never use brakes to keep the airplane straight down the runway and if the speed is right very little brakes are needed to exit in 2K feet or less.

I have been using them for a while now, they are a straight replacement for the existing bulb. I have the clear one that shines thru the colored lens. I have seen a video of my airplane on a low pass at dusk and visibility was excellent. Indeed too good to be true but it is, and probably they will get better.

Some people answered outright that it was too high w/o indicating if they were talking about the same model. When I did such conversion in a Cessna 140 I used to own it took 8 hrs or less. Obviously not the same airplane. Two days of work including paperwork (w&b, etc) if it is on the high side it is not by much.

Years ago when my partner and I went for a test flight in a 62 C we were ready to buy he could not raise the gear, when it was my turn to fly I could raise it but with some difficulty. Never having flown a C with manual gear before I thought that this stiffness was normal but my partner was adamant about walking out of the deal. The airplane was being sold through a dealer at a Michigan airport whose office was next to the maintenance shop. The salesman asked the shop to adjust the gear, they jacked up the plane, adjusted the linkages in the nose gear and voila, from then on smooth as silk. Don't know what was done, I do know that the work was done in the nose gear.

I have read in some older postings in this and other forums that some owners were reporting up to 6 MPH increase and less vibration with climb performance unchanged in their M20C after changing to the Hartzell scimitar. Does anybody have a more recent experience with this propeller?

Lycoming's Mandatory Service Bulletin 533A (amended by SB 533B) Lycoming defines a prop strike as "Any incident, whether or not the engine is operating, that requires repair to the propeller other than minor dressing of the blades ... [or] in which the propeller impacts a solid object which causes a drop in RPM and also requires structural repair of the propeller (incidents requiring only paint touch up are not included) ... [or] A sudden RPM drop while impacting water, tall grass, or similar non-solid medium, where propeller structural damage is not normally incurred ..." It goes on to say that in any of these cases "the safest procedure is to remove and disassemble the engine and completely inspect the reciprocating and rotating parts, including crankshaft gear and dowel parts. Any decision to operate an engine which was involved in a [prop strike] without such inspection must be the responsibility of the agency returning the aircraft to service." If I had a prop strike I don't think I would want the insurance company to be calling you for an estimate...in addition I think that you are misreading what I wrote. Jose (HoseA is one of the sons of the fireman, the other is HoseB)

You may be right but I always thought that the policy was to repair if possible, replace with a serviceable one if available or a new one if the two first options are not feasible. It is not a question of making it better but one of making it equal to before the accident and put you back in the air. If equal is not available they have to bite the bullet. Hopefully others will comment on their experiences.

There is an AD regarding prop strike and in all cases a teardown is required. The insurance companies have decided to bite the bullet on the cost and not face a potential liability. There is also a lot of stuff on the internet about prop strike/engine teardown, precisely about the difficult decision whether or not to go for an overhaul. My impression is the on an engine with only 375 SMOH it would not be advisable to go for the full overhaul. I also think that that the difference in cost would be greater than $12K. There is also no agreement to what a teardown does to the value of the airplane, some think that on a mid-time or more engine it is a plus if the airplanes is not used in commercial operations and can go past the factory recommended TBO. If the propeller is deemed to be repairable by the prop shop the insurance will pay for the full repair, including o/h of the governor. I believe that magnetos must also be overhauled, some recommend the same for the alternator. And while on the subject of the propeller does anybody know what is latest on the Hartzell "scimitar" in terms of performance? Is the conversion worthwhile assuming that your old propeller has some resale value?

Did you time how long it lasts while using FF?, I had several flights over 4hrs in duration this summer and starting fully charged it lasted the whole flight (using IOS6). But I agree that if it is your only source of navigation and if you use the screen at full bright there could be a concern. I let the screen go dark since it is not my primary nav. I also have a cigarette light charger which works very well with the mini.

Jim Thanks for the heads up, do you (or anybody reading this thread) happen to have a parts catalog view of the J cowl flap assembly inside the engine compartment? Isn't the knob assembly for both just a pull-push action? I trust that your comment is based on knowledge of both systems, but I am also curious as to their difference and if there is anyway that the J can be modified in any way to actuate the C mechanism. There is a Mooney C in the field that had the mechanism of a Navion installed but I did not want to go that way. Thanks, Jose

Thanks Scott, I think the J will work fine

Scott, I have the mechanism inside the engine compartment so what I need is the "Control, Cowl Flap" and its components shown in page 274, figure #48 and listed on Page 276 "Cowl Flap Control System (Part #34) in the Mooney parts catalog. In short is what you pull and push to open or close the flaps. My 68C came w/o operating cowl flaps and I really would like to be able to open them to solve an overheating issue, albeit not a very serious one, during take off. Thanks, Jose PS Just remembered that you are parting a J model and that you probably don't have a C catalog but the J model knob will also do

In case you missed it, do you have the cowl flaps control handle mechanism, the one inside the cabin? Thanks, Jose

You can't just change the bulb to LED using the existing housing, I tried it and not enough light comes out because of the geometry. Check the ad Ned Gravel posted and you'll see what I mean. The housing does get hot, the best solution is to go to bezel lights or some of the newer systems. Aircraft Spruce has quite a variety http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/el/instrumentlighting.html

Many times, I live in No. Virginia and have friends in NJ, Mass and Maine. Besides I live next to the Washington DC SFRA (Dulles, National, Baltimore and Andrews) plus Patuxtent and Philly not too far.

"Holding for half an hour" after you are cleared for the approach? Are you instrument rated? Talk about making the circumstances fit your argument...

Just when I was going to ask my friend Sigourney Weaver (she is an expert in aliens) to give you a call.

Can't understand what is the rush in canceling. From a practical and safety point of view after breaking out of the clouds I would concentrate on landing, particularly at night. These days we all have cell phones to cancel after we have landed.

I'm interested in the cowl flaps control handle, the one inside the cockpit. Thanks Jose