201er

600nm is a piece of cake in a Mooney and you can do it nonstop even with standard tanks. I know some might think I'm biased, but honestly I find the Mooney more comfortable than my friend's Bonanza. The Bonanza looks more comfortable but really isn't. Yes, you sit higher and leg goes vertical ahead of you, however, you can't stretch your legs forward because the rudder pedals are practically under you as well. It's nice that there is no center console so stretching sideways is possible but you can't put your legs forward. It makes me feel like flying economy class with the my bag under the seat so I can't stretch my legs. In my M20J, I can stretch my legs forward or bend my knee, or slide back and put my leg sideways toward the middle. I think the variety of positions that you can sit in is key to long term comfort. I've flown 5 hours, 6 hours, and 8 hours nonstop. It's doable. The panel (M20J and forward or retrofitted earlier models) and systems are simpler. The weight/balance is simple, the fuel tanks are simple. The Mooney is simpler and more logical. The Bonanza (at least the model I've flown in) adds a lot of complexity (such as having 4 separate tanks or a changing CG) but no benefit over the Mooney for it. Worst yet, the useful load on that Bonanza is worse than on my Mooney. So not only does the Bonanza burn more fuel, take less load, not go as far, but the whole "more comfortable and more cabin space argument" really doesn't float. I haven't sat back seat in the Bonanza but visually it looks like less leg room for backseaters than M20J as well. For your specific mission a Bonanza would be a viable substitute but that's my four half pennies about Bonanza vs Mooney.

Byron, could you send me the articles as well.

If nothing else, it's worth a few degrees cooler CHT while LOP

I think it would be a mistake to do primary training in a Mooney. A lot of basics such as stick & rudder are replaced by aides such as auto pilots, interconnected rudder pedals, etc. Granted this is done mostly for convenience, it is also to free the pilot up to handle more complex tasks such as IFR and engine management. These are non factors in a trainer and in fact you shouldn't be thinking about "managing your engine" or avionics, etc during basic training. I started by flying gliders, then piper cub, then 152 and many more planes before getting to a Mooney. All of those experiences added up and made me far more prepared to by flying my plane today. It's not only cheaper but also more fun this way. I really can't think of one good reason to overwhelm yourself and outspend yourself to do the basics in a Mooney.

Ouch. Sorry to hear that. Any abnormal flying go down lately? What kind of power/mixture have you been flying?

Why would you do it by draining from the sump when the real fuel drains down the fuel inlet? The levels would presumably be different and the point at which you'd run out of fuel above your sump point (obviously or else that gunk would always get into the fuel line). I would think a more useful method would be by flying the plane until the engine began to quit (swap tanks obviously) and then do your calibration by filling from that point. The goal is to know how many usable gallons you have rather than actual. Right?

Not only that, they slide extend their alula forward which is like a leading edge slat to preserve air flow at slower speed. You can see it in the photo above the orange on the wing. Those feathers sticking up are acting as a leading edge slat. It is really quite amazing. I've done a lecture comparing airplanes to birds, you can check it out here if you find this sort of stuff interesting.

With my plane down for months, the only kind of flying I've been getting is watching my parrots.

4450TT, 1400 SMOH in 1998. Flew <100 hours per year last 2 years prior to my purchase. Flew 200 hours in first year no problem. Then ferrous metal in oil after annual.

Long story short, same exact thing as Byron (including approximate engine hours, years, and problem) one month behind him. It's raining Lycomings and conversions...

How do you perform a gami spread test? I never did it cause a friend helped me with that when I was getting into LOP ops and haven't done it since. With new engine coming up, I'll want to know how to do this in real time on an EDM830 and in post-analysis. What exactly am I looking for and what do I do about it?

So it sounds like the engine is fine and just needed some time? When are you cranking up the timing to see what it's really got for you?

Yeah but on the SI, maximum power is step 8 which comes after 2 hours 75% (and 65% cycles in 2nd hour), not beforehand. How's it going after 50 hours? Did you get your speed back?

Please chime in if you've ever broken in an engine and haven't broken it (aka had major problems down the line). The lycoming service instruction SI1427C says you should break in at 5000ft and 75% power for the first hour. Meanwhile I've heard guys recommending max power and low during the first hour. Anyone have good sources/experiences on this topic to share and which you used, why, and how it affected things in the long run.

Quote: jetdriven Nope I think the plan is Philips 20w50 X/C and camguard. Also dropping regular oil analysis. We knew from the filter before it alerted us.

So did the rings seat yet? Did you get Lycoming's blessing?

I don't know what to call it but it's the unit on the bottom right of this picture (not mine): http://images04.olx.com.br/ui/2/07/68/20749968_2.jpg

Nothing happens as in regardless of mode or roll selected, it keeps ailerons at same somewhat neautral position. Tension is felt in the controls but nothing causes it to turn. My avionics guy spent a while diagnosing it and is trying to convince me it's cheaper to replace than repair. Anyone have any replacement suggestions for me? It's the acutal auto pilot box that is in the center pedastal that needs replacement. A temporary swap operated fine.

Hey guys, my avionics guy couldn't fix the problem which has disabled my Century IIb but has pinpointed it to the actual autopilot unit. Does anyone have a system lying around or an idea where I could buy a replacement?

Clearly the issue isn't that there are many strips the Mooeny can't land in (even if it ends up using most of the runway) but rather that pilot's proficiency wouldn't be up to the task

Quote: KSMooniac I can't believe that the SI didn't trigger massive POH mods to cover the reduced performance.

Quote: jetdriven I spoke with Lycoming today. Their rep agreed with me, that undoing SI-1325A and using the correct 25 degree lag-angle magneto, resettig timing to 25 degrees and making a log entry is legal, and airworthy. It is a service instruction, not an AD. The Type Certificate allows 25 degrees. 20 degrees is an option, and one I do not want.

Can someone explain just how illegal it would be to slip on the mag timing and set to 25 BTDC by accident? Are we talking voiding warranty, insurance, FARs? How big of a deal is it? Seems so silly to have to invest so much money into changing to electroair for a paper problem. PS Does the electroair maintain 20 BTDC in the climb? Does that mean takeoff/climb performance still suffers?

Byron, how soon are you putting the electroair in? What is holding you back?

The one from sporty's is what I got too. It's not a top notch one but it's certainly good enough. I've taken it to 13,500ft and taken readings every 1000ft for future reference. Also went up with a friend as pilot to 17,500 without O2 to learn how I make out and then see how much and how quickly putting on oxygen helps. Now I use my pulse oximiter any time I'm flying above 8,000ft.