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Shadrach

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Everything posted by Shadrach

  1. Interesting tidbit about the OP’s set up - The first thing I did when I started troubleshooting the issue was to determine type of starting system. It was clearly an SOS setup. I engaged the key in the start position but no buzz from the vibrator. I bumped the starter by pushing the key but left it at that. Given the OP reported that engine only starts when the key is returned to both, I assumed there was a problem with the switch or the vibrator and therefore no spark through the retard points. OP is clearly mechanically inclined so I left him with some additional trouble shooting tasks for another day. He was able to get the vibrator to buzz with a jumper wire. He determined that the vibrator is wired to the starter (a la Cessna twin). So the vibrator engages with the starter. However, he has no spark at the plugs. I am left thinking that the retard breaker points are the issue. What is odd to me is that someone installed a very expensive “push to start” Bendix switch (currently >$700) and didn’t bother to use the start position for the vibrator, The switch does not have the “push” label plate, but clearly requires a push to engage starter. The system is equipped with a starter defeat switch under the cowl for hand propping. Switch setup aside, this looks to me like the the retard breaker is either not being energized or is not discharging. What the OP is trying to determine is if something aft of the mag could be causing this. He did verify that the vibrator lead is seated in the left mag. @N201MKTurbo your input would be welcomed!
  2. Interesting side note. Statistically this pilot was super lucky. The fatal accident rate for the Lancair is 10X the GA average and ~ 40X that of the ubiquitous C172. That data came from the Lancair Owners and Builders Organization.
  3. Probably happens more often that you think. They just don't get reported. I personally know of several successful dead stick landings, though some were just relayed as stories from the past. I know of two that happened recently enough for me to hear about it from the source on the same or next day. One was a Cessna (Carb Ice) and other a Cirrus SR22T. Cirrus was in cruise at 12.5, almost directly above a large airport. No concerns about adequate altitude, only proper energy management. Landing was quiet but otherwise uneventful. The pilot was chastised by the factory for not pulling the chute (AC was still under warranty).
  4. It is an ethical question but a hard one to grapple with in real time. If one were in a car with no brakes at 45mph and had the option of continuing through an active, red lighted intersection or running head on into a concrete overpass pillar, I think many if not most would roll the dice with the intersection. This guy did a good job. Technically speaking, at any altitude of 2900msl he had a shot at KTTA (~250msl), but everything would’ve had to go very well and the margins would still be pretty thin. 14:1 glide ratio so he had just under 7 miles before arriving at 250msl if perfectly set up and no wind. The outcome could’ve been a little better or much, much, worse. This gamble paid off.
  5. Plenty of folks have screwed up weighing procedures and miscalculated both empty weight and CG.
  6. I like everything about this plane including the paint scheme and colors. If it had manual gear it would be nearly perfect.
  7. There is a really cool stinger tailed F model out there somewhere that has a full 201 cowl and windshield, plus a rayjay turbo normalizer. Used to be based at Truckee IIRC. In some ways it’s literally a Mooney unicorn. Edit- The plane I mention is actually N6717V which was posted earlier. It was based in South Lake Tahoe at KTVL or KMEV.
  8. That is a sad accident report. Potential gear up into a poorly executed go around into a low level stall… glad the pilot walked away. Did he continue to fly after the incident?
  9. That’s an interesting observation, but doesn’t really make sense to me logically. I would not assume there to be much of a difference in force required to crank any of these engines. Whether four or six cylinder, the displacements are similar. The four cylinder has 2 compression strokes per rpm and the six has 3. However the Bravo has a modest 7.5 CR compared to the Lycoming’s 8.7. Seems like the differences to the starter would be negligible.
  10. We were discussing the 2740 birds but sure, the heavier birds need more speed to maintain the same margins. Plenty of evidence that the heavier Mooneys are being frequently flown too fast on approach as well. Indeed under some conditions, I would likely add more speed margin to a 3200 lb Encore or a 2900lb J model as for all of their fine attributes, at max gross, they have the lowest power to weight ratios of the breed.
  11. Exactly. Garrison has some insight into transaction prices. Asking prices are all over the place. I have a friend that routinely sent me listings for 80 and 90k Cherokee 140s last summer. He finally purchased a reasonably equipped Cherokee 140 locally for under 40K. There are still plenty of those 80-90k 140s for sale, but I am not sure who if anyone is buying.
  12. You may find a Mechanic that will weld it but those kinds of folks are getting scarce. I would take it to a local machine shop/metal fabricator. Most could repair that easily.
  13. I think if you polled vintage owners with Brittain equipped aircraft, you would be surprised how many well preserved, air tight, vacuum servos are still in service after 5 decades. It’s not that I am avoiding maintenance. On the contrary, I have a stack of replacement servos bagged on the shelf that I procured in anticipation of a failure. It’s yet to happen. I’m not saying they don’t dry out eventually. I am saying that high quality rubber that is unexposed to UV and high heat can last a very, very long time.
  14. Figure out the stall speed envelope and then you can interpolate based on estimated weight. For me landing weight can vary between 1950lbs (pilot, 1 hr of reserves, oil) and 2740lbs (MGW). At MGW stall is 55KIAS. That means 1.3Vso (72KIAS) on final slowing to 1.2Vso (66KIAS) crossing the fence. At 1950lbs stall is calculated as follows: (1950/2740)Sqrt * 55 = 46KIAS 46KIAS * 1.3 = 60KIAS on final slowing to 55KIAS across the fence. This gives a VFR approach speed spectrum of 60 to 72KIAS and a threshold speed spectrum of 55-66KIAS. Fairly easy to interpolate the numbers in between. The truth is many just fly too fast for any legal weight. There is rarely a need to cross the threshold above 70KIAS, yet many do as a matter of practice.
  15. $125 https://baspartsales.com/69452-lycoming-generator-support-bracket-sa-/
  16. Do you have the stock windshield? If so, just get a lighted SIRS Compass and be done with it.
  17. Feds only require fences at airports with scheduled air service or military operations. Beyond that, security is decided at the local level. At a lot of small airports it’s a fine line. You want the community to feel comfortable and welcome, but you don’t want them impeding intended use. I’m of the opinion that at small fields without the resources to keep an attendant on duty, it’s best to put up signage and let sleeping dogs lie.
  18. I miss Dennis Farina…Not because he was a great character actor, but more because he was such a great personality that he was able to make an acting career out of just playing himself.
  19. Imagine the narcissism required to believe that a plane that is repeatedly flying down the runway in which you’re walking is a pilot flirting with you.
  20. I haven’t fogged mine as the alclad in the wings shows almost no signs of corrosion and everything else is covered with zinc chromate (if not at the factory then by me ). Back in ‘08 I painted the cage with two part, zinc chromate epoxy. I finished with a top coat of semi gloss, light gray and then cut to fit sections of closed cell foam to cover all sheet metal. We inspected the cage annually for the first few years…then semi annually. Now it’s more like every 5 years. No changes in condition noted after 16 years.
  21. Both IO360 and O360 IPCs list the part number as 70419.
  22. Having an IPC will help you a great deal when seeking parts. It is available for download on the Lycoming website. there are several brackets available on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1313&_nkw=lycoming+70419&_sacat=6000&_odkw=lycoming+generator+mount&_osacat=6000
  23. I installed a Skytec 149NL in 2009. I sent it back to Hartzell in 2018 because it was cranking slow. They called to let me know that it was fine but that I had somehow been operating with a broken shear pin. I could not understand how this was possible, but traced the shear pin issue to a bad start several years prior due to a malfunctioning ignition switch. They replace the pin and sent it back to me with the spare pin intact. Still going strong after 15 years and >800hrs in service. Maybe some of them are junk, but mine certainly hasn’t been.
  24. Unless things have changed drastically, you should be able to get the endorsement in your own plane. Insurance company will require some amount of dual and then prohibit passenger carrying until minimum requirements are met. Don’t make this harder than it is. Call your insurance company and ask them the best way of moving up. I had 200hrs TT and no complex when I started flying the Mooney. I did a few hrs of dual and 10hrs solo before insured to carry passengers.
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