Bartman

I had to make this decision on landing just yesterday. AWOS was reporting variable winds and the wind socks showed winds nearly directly across the runway, but that was not the case. When I set up and turned final for 24 it was obvious that we had a very significant tailwind at about 800 ft and a glance at the GPS confirmed we were zipping along at 120 kts. We aborted and turned around, but still had a challenging approach. 0A9 is at the base of the Appalachian Mountains and Rwy 6 has rising terrain so I prefer 24, but the winds often have different directions at different altitudes and proximity to the mountains, so sometimes you take what you get and make a game time decision.

I did some reading and watched a couple of YouTube videos. I don’t have a vacuum pump but I think I could rig up the bags you use for clothing and use a shop vac, and then rely on the integrated valve to maintain the vacuum. It may require some cutting and modifications, but it’s a possibility. I’m in no rush as this project as we will be flying a lot thru November for college football games. I’ll start this in December when she goes in for annual inspection. In the meantime I may locate a loaner from an aircraft buddy or partner with a local car body shop. I will acquire the supplies and do some testing and create a learning project.

NecroTread resurrection alert. I followed this thread in 2013 and saved in my Mooney Repairs folder. Since then we have upgraded servers and the pictures are no longer available, but the information remains and is of high value. I have one question. Thank you Byron for posting this. I’m pretty sure I can clean the cowl up and apply the carbon fiber in layers, but I don’t have the equipment for the vacuum bagging. Is it critical to do vacuum bagging or can I achieve the desired results without bagging?

Excellent point ! My home-ish airport has bumps about 800 ft or so down the runway and since it’s over 5,000 ft long I usually accelerate slowly, and slowly then add full power. Otherwise you get launched into the air and find yourself on the back side of the power curve on takeoff. Not fun. If you land on the numbers you are good, otherwise might as well add a little power and let her float on past that area. They worked on it and it’s better than it was, but don’t expect to take off and transition smoothly with very low ceilings. I did that once….

Just take some plastic and have a good time. You won’t regret making memories, and soon you won’t even remember how much you spent on tie downs or fuel. Too many great places with good food and beverages to mention. You won’t be disappointed an almost any restaurant you goto.

If the weather holds, we are going to Kennedy Space Center this weekend for the Boeing Starliner launch scheduled for 6/1 at 12:25pm.

You can also email the photo to yourself from your phone, and since you are logged in, use that device to upload the picture.

I had it done a couple of months ago, but I flew into his home airport rather than having him come to me or a group on my home field. It was $350 with no repairs.

If it is not the plug, then check the intake gasket. Shake the intake tubes and see if one is loose, especially on the offending cylinder. If that is good and you have the G2 on the way, I would wait until the installation is complete and then check and base repairs on the new readings.

Earlier this month on 4/11/24 we landed rwy 32 at KDTS with winds directly out of the West at 23kts and gusting to 33 and horrible wind shear at about 100 feet. It was so bad the lady running the tower called the winds 3 times from the time we crossed the shoreline to the time we crossed the threshold. It was by far the most crab I have ever seen on final, and I aimed for the far left side of the runway. I am sure others have done and seen much more, but I now have a much greater appreciation for the crosswind capabilities of the M20J.

We disassembled mine in January of 2020 and had it in the air by July. My case was fretted and no longer airworthy so I jumped on the refurbished case from Divco. I was fortunate to get all of the parts before the major supply chain disruption, including the new camshaft and DLC lifters. Cylinders, gears, rods, pistons, and everything else were serviceable. I removed the engine and but nothing in the field overhaul and engine assembly itself, but I did the entire installation by myself with oversight and sign-off. I learned a ton about my airplane, and I cannot place a value on what I learned. All in, it was around 25K.... with a lot of sweat equity. Since then we have made multiple long haul trips including my eclipse trip with a stop in Destin FL. This is my longest adventure, over 2,500 NM round trip.

Jake at Bevan fixed my Century IIb several years ago, it works like new.

In my 15 years of ownership of my J the field wire connection to the alternator required attention 2 or 3 times. The field wire broke at the crimp in the connector, but that was due to vibration and cured with proper routing and securing of the wire bundle. The one time it was not the field wire the shop found it had some engine oil on the inside from a chronic engine oil leak prior to engine rebuild. After cleaning they replaced the brushes in 2020 there have been no problems.

Your baffle seals look great, just mine that I ordered from Guy, but that wingtip looks precariously close to the wall.

I had this problem a couple of years after a complete reseal. Remove the screw and install a new one. I applied Permatex #3 to the last couple of threads closest to the beveled area of the screw and some on the bevel itself. No runs, no drips, no errors.

Tap and Retract

That is the sniffle valve and fuel drips from that tube after shutdown are normal. Search for sniffle valve on MooneySpace and you will get lots of info.

I had the same thing happen a few years ago and it bought me the opporunity to drive a rental from KDTS to Lexington KY. That Skytec started was installed in 2005 just before I bought the aircraft, and this one is going on nearly 10 years. I am considering sending it in for rebuild if that is an option.

In the hangar, I leave it laying flat on the floor in front of the tire, kinda as a chock to keep it rolling forward toward the hangar door. Otherwise, it is in the baggage compartment.

Check the field wire where it connects to the alternator. It is notorious for problems there due to vibration and the wire breaks where it crimps to the connector.

I have stated it many times in response to these threads since my rebuild in 2020. I got lucky and got a case for my A3B6D and since then these horror stories keep popping up. One of the recurring themes is the need for a replacement case. If I were walking into a need for rebuild today I would look to Lycoming as my first, second, and third option.

Am I the only one who will acknowledge this incredible sense of humor

Vans bought off more than they could chew. They have too many models and tried to continue to grow, even through The Pandemic. They outsourced manufacturing to decrease cost, but the materials are undeliverable due to quality control issues. They have cash tied up in undeliverable products, and a manufacturing business must have free cash to operate. I considered ordering an RV-14 kit a few years ago, but the delivery lag time was a red flag, and now I'm glad I did not place the order.

If the seller does not send you logs, either he is hiding and does not want a copy in circulation, or as Spoon Boy from The Matrix would say....there are no logs.

Just yesterday, I replaced the AGM battery in my 328i It was the original battery....... from 2014. I was impressed. I am certain it would not pass a test for quite some time, but you could not tell it until this past month. It was obvious it was not going to last thru winter. The car requires battery registration and that was my first experience with that. A bit of a PITA.