Shadrach

There’s a lot of that going on here, but it takes decades to build those kind relationships (I know firsthand). It would be cool to create a regulatory pathway to making it more accessible.

I’ve always thought this aspect of airworthiness a bit ironic. It’s akin to saying: You’re responsible for the performance of this system and ensuring its continued performance, just don’t touch it… Of course, responsibility for airworthiness has to be assigned to someone and it’s hardly realistic to ask a mechanic her last saw the plane seven months ago during an annual inspection to take responsibility for its current day condition. I think enabling owners to be more involved in the maintenance of their aircraft would likely increase safety by reducing the prevalence of unauthorized maintenance.

That would work great but I think few mechanics in this day and age would want that liability without a strong financial incentive. I would pay generously to have the ability to sign off specific maintenance items as related to my airplane. Not so much for saving money, but also time and avoiding an AOG away from home. They’re a great number of airworthiness items that I can remedy in a day or two that might take five or more when trying to schedule shop time. I’ve often wondered how things are done in the bush flying community. Is every bush pilot that flies a certified aircraft an A&P/IA?…I am sure that that is not the case. I am also sure that in the backcountry, there many repairs made by non-credentialed pilots when the alternative is spending several days in the bush under brutally cold conditions.

Brilliant!…Here I was over complicating it.

I’ve never smelled the CLP brand of CLP, but Ballistol smells like putrid dog $hit until it off gases leaving a still putrid but more pleasant anise scent. There is nothing else that smells like Ballistol, it’s unforgettable…

It smells lovely….a little dab behind the ears will make you irresistible to the girls…

About thee years ago, I reinstalled the original factory curtains that I removed decades ago for looking “dated”. That has proved to be a huge improvement for passenger comfort. The kids can completely block out the sun in the back and it adds a layer of dead air between the window and curtain. Heat complaints on the ground remain but are usually mitigated by prop wash and an open door.. I have an uninstalled Kool scoop but am trying to figure out how to mount it in a way that makes it easily removable.

This^^^^^^ At least around the windows. It matters not what year; I think all Mooneys look good with the windows framed in black and brought to a point aft of the rear windows. It’s like a super hero mask for the plane and it compliments the lines of every iteration of the M20 airframe.

Another benefit to the prime, idle cu-off, and crank method is that it tells you that the system is holding pressure. I once scrubbed a trip because the fuel pressure would not hold. What I discovered was a very slight leak in the line between the servo and the firewall/fuel pressure gauge. It was under the fire sleeve, so not immediately obvious. We found it by smell. Caught it by noting that pressure was not holding consistently after prime

In the cold dense air of winter, an IO360 can be started almost like a car. Mixture rich, throttle cracked and turn the key. However, that procedure can flood the engine before it fires if conditions are not ideal. It matters not what technique you use as long as a combustible mix of air and fuel is delivered to the cylinders. For cold starts, the prime, idle cut-off and crank with the throttle cracked method has always achieved consistent results for me. The engine often starts on the first blade.

I am not the ultimate authority on anything...which my wife will confirm. Just tenacious and sometimes lucky. First thing I notice in your image is that whatever is leaking from the cylinder does not look like hydraulic fluid. To answer your question, yes it is indeed possible to have FOD cause an issue with either the pump or actuator. My actuator once developed a leak about two years after overhaul. We removed and inspected the seals and could find nothing amiss. I cleaned, reassembled and took it to a hangar neighbor with a large hydraulic hand pump. It held at something like 500psi so we reinstalled. It hasn't leaked since and that was >10 years ago. I have an actuator on hand but I have not verified that the seals are good. First step for you is to remove and clean up the actuator. Ow would be a good time to flush and fill with MIL-PRF-83282. The system takes less than a quart. I bought two quarts in order to flush out the old 5606 but did not need to use the second can. DM me if you have any questions. I'm not around here much with my current schedule, but I get email notification of DMs. https://pilotjohn.com/new/royco/782-1qt

It might require a prop inspection, but I’d like to see the data behind that requirement. If you think about it, there are many asymmetric loads within a reciprocating engine. Think about the asymmetric loads on a piston pin given the piston is reversing direction every 180°. It’s pretty amazing to consider how much pressure it takes to disrupt the hydrodynamic plane. I think the motor mounts are toast. I’d be curious to see how the firewall fared. this is a long video, but it’s very well done and conveys a lot of information that most of us don’t think about in terms of the physics of multi cylinder, reciprocating engines.

That’s weird. I’m pretty sure mine is all metal. Same components but not plastic. The of flapper in my passenger butterfly valve is half missing but other than that the system has been very durable, especially given the high temps it endures. At the max heat setting, my system puts out near 200° at the center vent.. cannot imagine plastic withstanding those kind of output temps for any period of time but apparently it does.

Very sorry to learn of Andrew’s passing. I enjoyed his wit and sensor humor as well as the images he shared of many beautiful flying destinations. He will be missed. RIP.

You’re kind of making my point. It’s likely not the power, it’s the heat.