M20F

Depends on your budget but I would definitely go with S-Tec whatever that maybe. Long term support is going to be a lot better and cheaper and it will help if you ever resell. Nothing against Brittain but it is a dead product with limits to support and upgrades.

Second this a lot of speed variances are caused by the engine just not making the right power versus drag. We always tend to focus solely on drag items. Have to look at both.

What is the difference versus stock in terms of performance numbers?

The main reason I am aware of for three bladed and larger props (like those turned by some of the older geared engine set ups like a GO-480) is high altitude performance. The bigger prop or the additional blades take more of a bite so you can get higher than you would with a smaller prop or two blades. For most modern set ups I really don't think there is a lot of advantage or you would see people flying around with 10 bladed props as opposed to majority flying with two bladed.

Hi you need to use calibrated gauges if using a test stand which they reccomend but don't require. Thus if you stick it on the airframe and fire it up far as I can see engine gauges and that methodology works. I don't have access to the complete document though nor am I an A&P, just commenting on the page you listed.

The best feature of a decent GPS is you don't have to fly VOR approaches ;-)

I don't do retreads but buy the cheapest tires I can. They dry rot before they wear and if they aren't odds are you need to not land with your feet on the brakes or land so fast you need to even really use the brakes. I have lost pretty much everything from cylinders to engines to whatever while flying over the years, have yet to ever blow a tire out. They are easy to visually inspect prior to flight to where you shouldn't ever have the issue. My opinion only though which doesn't make it right :-) I just don't see the point in the big dollar tires.

I used glue and clamped it over night, still good after two years. One day a new interior :-)

The old clock is c I just find my Wakmann to be just oh so cool. While I love technology just something so great about that clock.

Also to add could be an indication to change your filter if the rain wasn't particularly heavy.

It sounds like you are saying in both instances you were flying through rain. If that is the case the air filter can easily get saturated in heavy rain and block airflow causing the alternate air to engage.

Good clean and wax to start with. After that just a micro fiber towel and generic Pledge to wipe cowl and leading edges. For the window I use Meguiers and a very expensive/good (relative here) micro fiber which I only use on the plexiglass and clean after every use (I keep multiples in the plane), always in an up/down motion. It is pretty hard to screw up the leading edges and cheap pledge works as good as anything. You can pretty easily over a year or two wreck your windows with swirls and scratches.

Each spring I do Dawn to strip followed by wash then clay bar and then Collonite 485 which is pretty much hands down the best wax you can buy. I pick up 2-4 knots (some of that is probably just measurement error or temps) for a flight or two and then it goes back to normal. I generally make it to about July till I get too lazy to pledge the bugs off and then I lose a couple knots :-)

What if the plane is on a treadmill.....

I would add Hector did mine and no issues with the clock and he built me new PTT/Autopilot tab thing on the yoke that is super sweet. Mine is in the process of getting some other work done so no pictures but got to say best $700 I ever spent, couldn't be happier and they feel as great as they look.

We use a http://www.amazon.com/Red-Dragon-VT-2-23-000-BTU/dp/B00004Z2FP/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1424869766&sr=1-1&keywords=weed+torch

Main Turbo is a great resource for any and all turbo related stuff, they have done good work on my friends 320 and my Rayjay. For at least the Rayjay the keeping it working expense has been low for me and well worth the benefit. The turbo bullet being a charger instead of a normalizer adds a differing set of problems but if you manage power as if a normalizer you should see the same mileage I would think.

Pulling the mags is a process and it takes a fair amount of hours so I would suggest when you do them to do both. Moomey didn't make them super easy to get on and off (at least on my F model).

Get an extension cord that has the little light in the plug so you can see you have power coming.

Reiff System + Cowel blanket for me, never had an issue finding a place to plug in while traveling. A lot easier to put on a cover and plug in than mess around with forced air heaters.

I really don't reccomend somebody doing this without knowing how. A lot of possibilities to break a plug, set the gap wrong, getting anti-seize all over, etc. It is definitely easy enough to do but if it is your first time you really want somebody who knows what they are doing to walk you through it.

Hi, I have a http://www.amazon.com/Hangar-Micro-Digital-Tachometer-HAN156/dp/B0006N72U2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422450407&sr=8-1&keywords=rc+tachometerwhich works well.

In terms of bang for your buck an F/E is going to be your best option. You can made immaculate versions of either in the 60-75k range whereas a J with same engine time and radios is going to be 30-50K more. Fundamentally there isn't much difference between the three models. I agree we don't fly for financial reasons but finances sure play a big role in it. I could have easily afforded a 252 including operating it. At the end of the day I take 3-4 long trips a year. The extra speed isn't going to save me that much but I would rather take all that money I saved and do something else with it. I got a RayJay in mine so when I need to go high for weather, mountains, etc. I can and when I come west to east I can do 220+knots at times smoking any J. I beat my friends 320 on trips all the time because while he has more speed, I have more range as another example. I have nothing against newer Mooney's but owning an Acclaim S as example would just be a waste for me, I don't fly that type of mission profile and it would be a big waste of money that I could be doing something else with. I see all kinds of people at the airport with planes that are just more than what they need. These are always the ones who eventually stop flying because the cost or complexity just becomes to much. Often times I think if they would have bought with their head instead of their heart they would still be flying. Mission and finances should be the only two choices in an aircraft purchase IMHO.

METARS are derived from French is my understanding (which is why BR is mist) so would think the P/M tie to some French word other than plus/minus. Just a guess though.

Hi no but they do write them up and ground them. We have a Tiger that has sat for as long as I can remember at 06C with flat tires and a broken rear window. The back seat is filled with papers from FAA grounding the plane (along with bird nests, rat nests, and a lot of droppings and other interesting things).