garytex

TJ, yes I have never seen an aircraft engine didn't burn more oil later in the oil change interval

Don't screw around with that, get it fixed, preferably on the field. That one could bite.

Yes, I think that the time to be especially careful is when the controllers are busy. Or perhaps I should say abnormally busy. I was flying over Kerrville about a year ago and on flight following, vfr. Controller was having to carry two frequencies that day, including approaches to both Austin and San Antonio. I heard him calling traffic to a king air and some other airplane and I thought to myself "those are in my area". So I started looking around a little bit extra. I looked out the left window and caught movement out of the top of my eye and see the Kingair which has flown smooth perfectly over me from right to left on a perpendicular intersecting course about 200 feet above me buzzing off to the left. I never saw it coming I just saw him leaving. And by the way, up close a king air looks big and hauls ass. I called the controller told him that I just gotten a haircut from the king air, and he got real bent out of shape and offensive on the radio. It was a strange experience and then interaction for me. In 25 years I had never heard a controller be anything other than courteous and professional. Point to this story is to watch your peas and cues when the guys are overwhelmed, they can have their attention focused on one perceived threat and miss another one.

One of my LASAR jackpoint tiedowns fell out too, 67F. I've been tying down to my gear legs, they're just the tiniest little bit stronger.

A friend of mine put 8888E on his home built, which I thought was fun

Marauder I'm sorry I do not understand, if you're talking about an actual attitude indicator I had one overhauled in Wichita Kansas A couple of years ago and remember having a very enjoyable chat with the technician, was that you? Or are you speaking metaphorically?

Marauder I'm sorry I do not understand, if you're talking about an actual attitude indicator I had one overhauled in Wichita Kansas A couple of years ago and remember having a very enjoyable chat with the technician, was that you? Or are you speaking metaphorically?

Wow, after a little gentle persuasion, the insurance company indicated they would pay the full amount to paint the airplane at the high-quality local shop. I had touched base with a AOPA on Thursday where I purchased he insurance from the carrier which is named QBE, and they said they were going to talk to the claims manager but I do not know if they did or not. I also maintained a very friendly absolutely dead honest, even when I thought that might not be to my advantage, and reasonable dialogue with the adjuster, and I think that helped some. On Friday I asked that they either pay me to paint the airplane both top and bottom or total it, and I guess they figured it was cheaper to pay me. Financially I still don't know if this is good or bad news, but I know that I don't have to go try to find a different airplane, with all the attendant cans of worms that can be contained there in. At least I'm not going to have to take an obvious hicky and I'll have that shiny new paint to help swallow the bitter pill of, as they say in the ads " light damage history" Thanks to all who took the time to hear my tail of woe and respond, greatly appreciated Gary

74795 If I wind up painting the airplane I will certainly give those guys a shout

oops correction" OR take the check for 55 value "

You're right about the benefits of "the devil you know". I've spent many thousands of dollars bringing cylinders, the mags, the hoses, the flap jackscrew, the hydraulic cylinder, and all of those expensive etcetrras into condition. The question for me is do I put another $10,000 into it to complete the paint job that the insurance will not completely pay for, and then also the hail damage history which I do not know what that might cost me, and take a check for 55, with the possibility of purchasing it back at salvage. Anybody ever done that?

Thanks for all the advise guys. Another question, what is the effect of a hail claim damage history? I assume that it is a price hickey going forward. I'm starting to get the feeling that from a strictly financial standpoint I probably should total it.

Oh I see, by pair you mean both the top and bottom skins of an individual aileron as a pair. It's nice to hear good things about Williams. Rest of the plane has modest size hail damage, mostly on the top although the wind blew the hail in from the right side and there are one or two dings on the fuselage side and similar on the vertical stabilizer. There are two places on the wings where hail hit near a rib, the paint actually cracked.

MB65E thanks for sharing your experience

That's a big price jump in two years, I wonder what's going on

Marauder Are these the guys? This is the prices that I got from the cheapest so far ReSkinner Thank you for your RFQ for Hail damage flight controls for a Mooney M-20F. We can reskin the Rudder, Elevators, Ailerons, and Flaps. This would include all the top skins for each component and interior in epoxy prime. Prices for these units are as follows: $1650.00 reskin rudder $1650.00 per elevator reskin $1650.00 per aileron reskin $2150.00 per flap reskin If you require paint add $650.00 per flight control JetGlo one color. Price will NOT include transportation. Current lead-time is two weeks. Please email or call if you require additional information or schedule reskin. Best Regards, Nathan Whetzel ACW, Inc. PH: 260-347-0807 www.airframecomponents.com Maybe they quoted high to my adjuster, and I can do better by calling them

And Matt, you hit the nail on the head about a replacement airplane. If you're already in the Mooney it's damn difficult to generate any improvement. I don't think there are very many modded Fs like mine out there . My mission is about 100 flights of about two hours duration bopping around Texas every year. I'm a strictly VFR pilot so don't necessarily need the glass that would be in one of the more expensive 201s. For a replacement airplane, if I could buy a steam gauge 201 that would do 160 kn for an extra 10 gees that seems like about right to me. Isn't the benchmark for adding speed $1000 a knot pretty much everywhere? :-) A friend of mine offered me his good shape 160 horse twin Comanche for 55 K, but it won't get in and out of my 1600 foot ranch strip unless I want to wish it off below blue line and stagger over our ranch manager's house, so I think I'll stick with one motor :-)

Marauder Flipping the elevator is a totally choice idea. I'm getting quotes of about 1500 each to skin the ailerons, where can I find them scanned for 1500 the pair? 9154 Another great idea. I had thought that maybe it might be smart to try to call junkyards but I hadn't thought about getting a used control surfaces from laser. Mat The fill instead of reskinning of the control surfaces idea came from a pretty smart IA that I know but he's not a Mooney guy. Has anybody played that particular game with Mooney ailerons?

browncbr1 Great idea, I hadn't thought of that. I'm also considering seeing if I can't fill and paint the ailerons and they may possibly still balance and I wouldn't have to reskin them Kmyfm20 The insurance company may do right by me in the end, I don't want to paint them any particular color in till the story comes to a close. If they turned out to be bad actors, I'll let everybody know 74795 Thanks for sharing that formula with me it will help me understand where the limits are. That's almost exactly where my cost numbers are I have not got them up to 24K yet. And I'm not sure what I'll do even if I can get there. and I'm not sure what I'll do re: take the total loss money or keep the plane even if I can get there. It's a toughie.

I have a 67 F with a full boat of SWTX mods. It's 150 knot airplane. The paint is in good shape. 1400 smoh. Over the last three years all of the little things that need to be attended to on an older plane have been done. It's nonglass Ifr, with an autopilot and a JPI . Insured for 55,000, stated value . Couple of months ago it got hailed. I have two estimates. Both include $12,000 to reskin the control surfaces. $34k from Tejas Aero a known excellent local painter, and around 24 from a small timer guy that does usually acceptable work . The adjuster got a quote from someone that he recommended based on the pictures he took which was "uneconomic to repair". That was from a well regarded painter in the Denver area . The ouchie is is that the insurance company is saying well geewhiz, there's no hail damage on the bottoms of the wings, we're only going to give you 66% of the estimates. And you can't take the big estimate money and then go get painted at the cheaper guy. So to keep the airplane, which I would really prefer to do, I have to take a $10,000 hickey, and a damage history. I also believe that I could get a check for 55 gees, but then what do I go buy? An unloved 201 for $65k, and that will swallow another $20 AMU in the first year? An unmodded F that's 10 knots slower than my F, 15 knots slower than the 201, would cost maybe $50k and will also eat the first year $20 k.? I'm feeling kind of boxed in. I guess I need to know how, and how hard to push the insurance adjuster and company. I have been straight and reasonable with them so far, but wonder if it may be time to get prickly. You guys have any experience, strength and hope to share? Thanks, Gary

There's a different formulation for airplanes than the standard issue corrosion x we buy at the boat store?

The only downside is that it is very gorpy, impossible to atomize out of the factory can, and very difficult to get a thin even coat. For the airplane I would pick ACF 50 or Boshield for owner applied. it may be that with the purpose built atomizers that corrosion X could beapplied thin enough.

Since a lot of this is high carbon steel and it's a salty wet environment the spots that we missed are very easy to see, they've got fresh bright rust on them. Corrosion X is absolutely the only way to keep boat trailers from rusting away to nothing. corrosion X is absolutely the only way to keep boat trailers from rusting away to nothing. That stuff really works.

I think corrosion X works exceptionally well. This is based on 20 years experience using it in salty wet boat engine compartments. Works great on busbars, electrical connections, all those spots on the engines where the paint is knocked off. We typically salt away the engines and really get after them with corrosion X once a year, and then touch it up about halfway through.

Power Flo instead?