johnggreen

And, if you are looking for a short cross country "with a purpose" next week the IAC will be hosting an aerobatic contest here at the Grenada airport. You might even make it an overnighter as we have lots of inexpensive motel rooms and somebody will be happy to give you a lift to and from the motel to the airport. The contestants will start arriving Monday for practice, but I'm not sure of the actual days of competition. If you have an RV or just a camper, Grenada Lake is only two miles away with lots of camp/RV sites, really nice facilities and Dogwoods Golf Course over on the south side of the Lake. Jgreen

Robert, You didn't give us much to go on, but if you live in Memphis, you have a terrific resource at your finger tips. Dr. Morris Ray, a retired neurologist, heads up training at Dewitt Spain Airport. There is simply none better or more open to help. Go to Dr. Ray and let him get you up to speed. I'm sure he would be happy to look over your shoulder during flight planning and weather evaluation. You might ante up for a full scale oral review of private pilot topics. The cost will be reasonable and the rewards priceless. Jgreen

I am sending you a PM of my email. Yes, I would appreciate the referral. Jgreen

Fantom, You won't believe this, but of the existing schemes I've seen, that may be my favorite. It looks like my Bravo. If you want to see what I think is the prettiest current scheme on an airplane, go to New Piper's site and look at the Meridian and Mirage. I just don't know if it can be adapted to the mid wing Aerostar. There are design services that will draw schemes out for you. That will probably be my next step. Jgreen

OK, I'll post some pics in about a week; about the time I schedule the delivery to the paint shop. It needs paint, but all the other vitals are good, TT, SMOH, SPOH, Avionics, etc. I've been trying to come up with a paint job that looks as good as a newer Ovation or Acclaim; not easy. The Aerostar is just a long cylinder with a tall tail and mid fuselage mounted wings; hard to design a really good scheme around. An Aerostar is kind of like having your cake (Bravo) and eating it too!!! Just not as economical. Most of you fellows would find the POH and operating manuals fascinating reading. The systems are not really complicated, just unique. In that respect, the airplane is very much like a Mooney. I always tell people that there is nothing wrong with the way a Mooney flies, it just doesn't fly like a Cessna. Give me a couple of weeks for pics but they won't really show how bad the paint is. Maybe I'm being a little too critical, it's not really THAT bad. I am looking forward to posting the "after" pics when it comes out of the paint shop though. This way I get to choose my own N number which will be my wife's birthday and initials if that is available. Hey, I better go to the FAA site and reserve that number now !! Jgreen

Info for my Ole Buds, Pre-purchase and squawk list being performed now on my 1979 Aerostar 601P. On the demo flight last week, we were climbing out at 160 knots indicated at 1,500 fpm. Then, at 9,500', 75% power, we were truing 224 KTAS. That's faster than book by some, but we were light and the airplane has Machen intercoolers. I'll check back in after the required ground school and flight training. This baby is not for the faint of heart !! Jgreen

Good morning, Just checking in, hope all Mooneys are flying well. Just spent a week in Outer Banks at a wedding and feel somewhat refreshed. As for the Bravo replacement, shopping for an airplane in a market where your only choices average 35-40 years old is one heck of a challenge and more than a little exasperating. I can assure you though, it is no time to get in a hurry. I will make the observation that the twin market is in shambles but that, in a way, only makes it more difficult to find an good airplane at a fair price. My opinion, we are seeing one of the greatest erosions of value in a market segment that I have ever witnessed. A very high percentage of twins are sitting, unused, maintained with pencil annuals, and offered at prices the market would not have supported four years ago. Good news is that i will be picking the Skylane up from the paint shop today. They did a beautiful, meticulous, job. If you want to see it, from striip & prep to finished product, got to www.sunshineaviation.com. Click on "our work" under "paint" and tab down. You will find about 30 pics of N1292M to peruse. I highly recommend them!!! Jgreen

jetdriven, Shhhhhhhhh!!! Let's see what develops. Thanks for the input. i will say that I am inspecting a Navajo next week. Also, my Skylane is coming out of the paint shop tomorrow. I think I found a sleeper with the paint shop in Russellville KY. Apparently, they did a super job at a reasonable price. Want to take a look? Go to www.sunshineaviation.com, click "paint", click "our work" and the "most recent" photos are of N1292M.. Notice the incredible job they did on prep. It is a relatively simple scheme which is what I wanted. It will show more color with the tips and wheel fairings. Jgreen

Hey jetdriven, As you know, "I'm looking" hard. When you are looking at twins, you are looking at 30+ year old airplanes and that is one heck of a challenge as I'm finding out. A friend of mine who is a professional pilot and manages airplanes for other owners called me to put me on a "high performance twin". In fact, a little more high performance than I really want, i.e. pressurized. Anyway, the story is the airframe is low time, but the owner got sick and let the mid-time engines sit a little too long. A friend/broker started flying it, put it up for sale and during a prebuy they discovered rust; lots of it. It is, by the way, a Continental. The big problem is that the cam and lifters are rusted and will have to be replaced at a minimum. My friend tells me, and yes, he is very knowledgeable, that I should buy the airplane, ferry it home, pull the engines and basically IRAN, "inspect and repair as necessary", just honing the cylinders etc. He pointed me to a very reputable shop that will do the same for a lot less than an overhaul as everything "outside" the engine is in really good shape including new exhausts. I'm a little leery. What about that rust in the oil and the bottom end? I know you have had this problem. What is your take and what questions should I be asking? I am actively pursuing other airplanes so this may become a moot question. Still, I'm curious. It's just something I have never experienced. Jgreen

Carusoam, Yes, in fact I did that "back when" I bought the Bravo. It is a common mis-conception that you can fly a turbine with "not much more maintenance. Tain't so my friend. They all now have stage inspections that can break the back of a rich man. I wouldn't have a chance. For instance, I personally know a guy nearby who runs a small shop and specializes in keeping up turbine equipment. He is much cheaper than the big city boys. According to him, five + years ago, the stage inspections that he was doing on 90 King Airs, if nothing was wrong, ran about $75,000/annum. Even with the single turbines, the engine reserve for a Meridian is about $55/hr plus hot section reserve which comes at mid TBO. If something does break, as rare as that is, the resulting cost can be staggering. I'm afraid the turbines are, and will remain, out of my reach unless I want to forego a lot of other pleasant things in life. At this point, I'm actively pursuing a Navajo and a T310. I will probably sign a contract, subject to a pre-buy, this week. I'll keep you all informed. And yes, I miss the Bravo. Jgreen

Thanks to all for the kind words and encouragement. I have compiled a three ring notebook of possible purchases. It is a good time to be a twin buyer. It is amazing and disappointing at how long many/most of the airplanes have been on the market; two years is not at all unusual and some much longer. The problem is actually finding one that has been at least semi-actively flown and maintained. If you find a twin with nothing in the log books but annuals, you are wise to move to the next. It is also amazing how many are listed at absolutely "pie in the sky prices". I'm not saying that airplane owners are dumb, but their intelligence is sometimes overshadowed by their optimism. I just looked up a Cessna 340 that has been listed for over 700 days at the same price, which is almost double VREF or Bluebook. What is the point? The good thing about the aviation market in 2012, is that there is no reason for anyone to be an uninformed buyer. The internet is ripe with information on models of airplanes, accident statistics, market history, etc. By the way, I'm not looking at 340's or any pressurized aircraft for that matter. I just don't want the maintenance headaches that come with that type of aircraft. I guess I'm a little spoiled by the Bravo. Did I mention that the buyers, two fellows who partnered, were from Moscow? Yes, as in Russia. They are going to keep the Bravo somewhere near New York where they both keep apartments and use it to fly around the country. The world, she sure is a=changing! For the curious, my purchase, with an 80% probability, will be a Baron; runner up 310. For those of you who like me, don't worry, I will check Mooneyspace everyday. For those of you who don't like me. Tough ****. Jgreen

Excuse me, that was supposed to be Mooniac. It has been a long day. Jgreen

Gentlemen, Today, I watched my beloved Bravo fly off into the wild blue yonder. Actually today it was kind of the cloudy, gray yonder. I announced my coming need for a larger, probably twin aircraft, that was looming. That was over a year ago and the time came. I advertised the Bravo and sold in two days to the first caller. The gentlemen, actually there were two, had been in the Bravo market and were well versed. They actually sent a fellow to inspect, take a test flight, and about 200 pictures. The maintenance and care on my airplane was unparalleled and it showed. They didn't even do a prebuy and didn't dicker on price, so as a good will gesture, I had my mechanic, who had taken care of the airplane for 8 years, do a fresh annual. Actually, I knew of two minor items that the buyer didn't even catch and I wanted to deliver them a squawk free airplane. Now, i'm in the hunt for a twin. It is truly a buyers market, but I will always miss the Bravo. I can honestly say that I had become more attached to it than any of the other 32 aircraft I have ever owned. It was fun. Ya'll fly safe now. Jgreen

S/Q, Pulling the one cylinder to find out the problem is quick and relatively cheap. I simply can't think of any reason to wait. If it was through the valve then it could easily be a carbon issue, but you seem to have ruled that out. Pull the cylinder without further delay. Jgreen

Sometimes, someone will take the time and trouble to post a truly knowledgeable and well thought out response. Carusoam made a very good post, Allsmiles just made the final closing comments. This thread for all intents and purposes is complete. Jgreen

Apollo, I see no reason that a M20 won't be fine for the commercial maneuvers with one codicil; finding the correct speeds for each maneuver. I found jlunseth's comments interesting as to lazy 8's. Many years ago, when I was getting ready for my commercial, I rented a Piper Arrow for the purpose. I flew with an instructor (obviously) prepping for the maneuvers and followed her recommendations for speed. Everything worked fine except the Lazy 8's; I/we simply couldn't do them within PTS standards of control. She even tried and couldn't even do as well as me. The next day, I took the Arrow up by myself and for an hour worked on nothing but Lazy 8's. Finally, I figured that perhaps the instructor and the manual were wrong about entry speeds. I don't remember the details, but I started making small changes and after about the fifth try hit it on the head. From that point on, the Arrow did lazy 8's like it was riding on rails. Do the same with the Mooney, especially with the Mooney since its clean airframe will demand even more precise speed control. Vary your speeds on all maneuvers until you fine the perfect speeds AT THE WEIGHT YOU WILL BE TAKING THE CHECK RIDE. As I read in a quote from Bob Hoover once, "the secret of good pilotage is speed control". Good luck. Jgreen

If it were my airplane, I would be very concerned. Stray voltage of any kind could present problems. Is there some type of electric meter you could hook up to some of the metal that would identify the voltage/amperage? I'm certainly not an electrician, but I would think that a meter that would record the current could point you in the right direction. Surely there are electrical engineers here that could shed some light. Jgreen

Oscar, The aircraft manufacturers, apparently, had a big meeting early on and decided that no one would ever make fuel gauges that work reliably. If you want any idea of on board fuel, install a fuel flow/usage computer. Shadin makes some that are quite reasonable. I consider one as basic as having an altimeter. Jgreen

The shop that services my vehicles has a listening device of some sort just for that purpose. It doesn't pick up sounds except those really close or something and muffs background noise. If a vehicle has an unknown noise the just put it in different parts of the vehicle, even while moving, and are able to track it down. Since your squeak occurs with something like just stepping up on the wing, it would be pretty easy to isolate. Jgreen

I always heard that: "The Lord protects fools and drunks.", to which I will add, "Especially those flying Mooneys." Jgreen

Jose' And with this I will close. I did not nor do not mean to demean or insult you, your opinions, or the way that you approach a particular "maintenance" issue. I simply choose to do otherwise. Happy and safe flying. Jgreen

Jose', I am absolutely sure of one thing. You don't know one damn thing about my experience, my airplane, my shop, my maintenance cost, or the condition and dispatch reliability of my aircraft. Jgreen

Jos'e, Yes, I'm a very bad person. High AC parts prices are my fault as is the outrageous budget of the federal government. In fact, if it weren't for people like me, we could probably achieve world peace. Jgreen

Jose', No thanks. I will gladly pay the $1200 to keep my airplane fully certified and legal. Jgreen

Skeptic, I bought my Bravo with TKS and am no authority. Still, I think the questions are basic enough that I will address them. The TKS panels are placed over the existing skins. Don't know of a "documented" corrosion issue. There was a post on another blog showing corrosion on a Bonanza right behind the panels, but I think they finally determined it was from a bad re-paint job, not the TKS panels. Never heard of an issue with the panels "wearing out" thought they can be damaged from improper maintenance and cleaning. Proper cleaning is simply mild soap and water or using TKS as a solvent itself and a reasonably soft towel. The operating limitations and performance numbers are unchanged. Some installations, probably most, result in a slight decrease in speeds, but it is minor. My airplane seems unaffected as my cruise numbers, verified with 4 point GPS runs, are still about 4 knots over book at all power settings and airspeeds. My system has been almost maintenance free. I did have to replace a couple of fittings that started leaking, but that was no big issue, and one stall strip became loose and had to be re-glued. Filter has to be changed every few years also and they aren't cheap. I spoke with CAV aero the other day on another matter and they said that installation on a Mooney is now $56,000. Jgreen