Mooneymite

No need to defend Bruce! I am certainly not attacking him. In the presentation, Bruce came across as a master of his craft. Were I to re-seal, it would be with Bruce's process. We've had countless discussions on the subject of what to do about leaks. Happily, there are two viable options: re-seal, or bladders. Choosing one does not condemn the other. Each owner facing leaking tanks decides what the best solution for him is, but we are not choosing between a good and a bad solution. We get to choose between two proven good solutions. Aint that great? If anyone thought I was criticizing Bruce, or his process I apologize. I hold him in high regard.

I enjoyed Bruce's presentation. I learned a lot about Mooney fuel tanks. He is obviously completely immersed in the process and a master at his craft! However, I got a sense that the process he now uses has definitely evolved over the years. The process/procedures he uses today are not the ones he used when he got started. So, the question that came to mind is: Is the present process really all that well proven? Is the process still evolving? Is he "experimenting" on customers' planes? I do not question Bruce's integrity at all and I know that he and his partner will stand behind their work, but when I compare their "evolving" process against my 24 years (so far) of leak-free bladders, I wonder which is really going to provide the best overall service. I would have felt better had he said, "We've used this exact same process for 24 years and never had a leak." He didn't.

I may not have enough to get a PPL! ;(

I have a C, not a 201. Mine were installed early in 1990. I had to comply with the AD, but other than that, there have been no issues. I am completely satisfied with them and were I to buy another Mooney, I would look for one that already had the bladders. I would consider paying $5000 more for a Mooney with than without. Obviously, at some point bladders have to be replaced, but after 24 years, mine show no signs of aging. After listening to Weep No More at the recent Mooney Summit, I am really happy I have never had to deal with leaking tanks with deteriorating insides.

Yep, Neilpilot, I see you on flight aware. Weather looks good between ATL and ECP. We're planning on a noon (E) departure. N7788M

That I want to see! Was it the droppings of a war eagle, per chance? :-)

You just haven't moved up to your level of incompetence yet. When you do, you'll like the meetings a lot more. :-)

With fltplan.com out there, I can't understand how anyone competes. The company I work for has full-time dispatchers planning our flights, but I think fltplan.com is just as good as what they put out....plus it doesn't complain when changes are made! Takes a little effort to know all the features, but it's pretty simple. I also use the Android app on my tablet...also good. Charts, approach plates, wt & balance. All free, free, free!

Can we close this creepy thread now?

Wow! That's probably 50% of my plane's value... For 18 grand maybe I can find an aspiring young blonde female to fly me around. However, I'm sure there would be "installation problems" that might run the cost up considerably. :-)

AIN Alerts, Feb 6, 2014: FAA Likely To Miss Deadlines on NextGen, UAS and PBN Even though the FAA is providing funding for several airlines to purchase ADS-B equipment, the agency likely will not be able to mandate ADS-B intechnology by 2020, as it is required to do by the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, Transportation Department inspector general Calvin Scovel III told Congress yesterday. That legislation provided the FAA with a stable four-year authorization that included policy direction and guidance for the agency to operate the National Airspace System safely and better manage its Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) and other modernization efforts, including integrating new technologies such as unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). It also focuses on the FAA’s progress and challenges in effectively using two safety workforces–controllers and inspectors. The DOT IG said the FAA does not have an effective model for determining the number of inspectors it needs and where to place them. Further, the agency has not developed metrics to determine whether its new duty scheduling policies will reduce controller fatigue. Meanwhile, the Government Accountability Office’s Gerald Dillingham testified that the FAA must continue to deliver performance-based navigation (PBN) procedures and begin to demonstrate a return on operators’ investments.

What sort of "installed" prices are you gettting? The experimental world has broken the code on low cost/high performance autopilots. I'm waiting until either the FAA smiles on such installations, or there's price pressure on the certified world. The legacy autopilots are crazy expensive by comparison! In the meantime, my Brittain works pretty well. Has Cobham made any changes over at S-tec, or is it business as usual?

I have an Auburn educated son, and a Georgia educated daughter and when they speak to one another, I think all either of them studied was football! Woe is me. Yes, this is "Thread Creep".

But his spelling and grammar? And not every sentence ends with "War Eagle". I'd never guessed.

OMG! I sent a son to school there! I didn't know it was a cult. He now wears strange colors and speaks of War Eagles and Tigers. I think there is something in the water. Be careful.

Just happened I was in ECP on Tuesday, talking to Mike Lerma, the FBO manager (Sheltair). He's a Mooney lover, but not an owner. He says he'd love a nice C model. He's going to give us .75 off on avgas...$5.92/gallon. Free first night tie-down and $12 thereafter. Let's find Mike a nice C model, so he can join in! For those who haven't been there before, Sheltair is at the _very_ end of RWY 16.

In your dreams! More like this:

Doesn't matter what you have tuned in....if you are concentrating outside the cockpit on a visual. There's a lesson there. These pilots were not 3000 hour newbies. They were among the best pilots SWA could hire. If they can make that mistake, any of us can.

Weather seems to be cooperating: http://www.usairnet.com/cgi-bin/launch/code.cgi?Submit=Go&sta=KPFN&state=FL

The switch kicks off when resistance reaches a certain point. While the chances are good that the switch is going bad, you might try cleaning all the electrical connection points including the bulb bases and sockets. Cumulative corrosion may be the culprit. Low tech, low cost solution.

No!! I told you to get bladders..... (Just stirring the pot, sorry.) :-)

With ADS-B looming, you may want a WAAS capable GPS. Spend a little more now, save a little later. And you'd enjoy the stand-alone utility. Even the 430/530 are getting long-in-the-tooth. Older GPS's may be tough to support. Just a thought.

My 430W is up and running with a new antenna. Everything is back to normal. Because my local Garmin dealer told me that Garmin would not replace it under warranty, I ordered one from the manufacturer shipped to me. After Trek posted, I re-contacted my local Garmin dealer and he changed his story. However, since I'd already ordered from Aero Antenna, I ended up taking the replacement cost on the chin. Lesson....don't necessarily trust what your local Garmin dealer tells you. I hope my new antenna (List price of $352 + installation) is an improvement over the original.

Yeah....I religiously check that thing every time I pull the engine. I can pull it out of the engine far enough to check for metal chunks, but there's not enough room to completely pull it on my plane....unless the engine is drooped forward.

I thought the ammeter on my 74 C was inop....and it was, but just becase the connections at the shunt were loose/corroded. An ammeter is a pretty simple/reliable device.