garytex

It's hot in Texas, I almost always have to climb at 130 mph to keep cyl temps low. I also cheat like mad when I'm light and it is hot, and lean to 8.5 GPH. CHTs drop like mad, and I have to slow to 120 to keep climbing. That works on injected engines, but you might also try it on carbonated ones and see.

Flying Texan. All the guys above have done a good job advising you. The only addition I would have, if you have toyed with the idea of getting an E or F is to point up a couple of decision criteria for the C or E-F question. And I think it boils down to how much you fly. C's are cheaper to purchase and fix, but use slightly (1 to 1.5 gph) more fuel going slightly slower. After flying carbureted engines for years, and trying to squeeze the last iota of efficiency out of them, the injected angle valve 200 horse IO-360s are really wonderful. I regularly burn 8.2 to 8.5 gph in my SWTA modded F (the mods give me maybe 5 MPH) doing 165 to 175 mph true, dependent on density altitude for 19 to 20 mpg. If I want to stretch it, I can usually slow down 15 mph or so and get in the 24 mpg range, which will save me a fuel stop ( 1 hr) on an 800 mile leg and get me there faster. If you don't plan to fly much a C is fine, and the parallel valve cylinders are cheaper to replace than the angle valve cyls. But if you fly every week, the angle valve cylinders turn more gas into propulsion and less into noise. And I love being able to use the LOP side of the mixture curve, more options. But I think you have to fly a lot to make up the purchase price delta. Holding the nose off: On my landings where I am not over speed, and have enough trim rolled in to be at an indicated 80 mph on final, and if I hold it off till I have actually bled down to the slowest possible touchdown speed, and just kiss it on with very little downward momentum, I can hold the nose off for 1/2 the touchdown roll. Happens about half the time. But if I touch down with much downward momentum, bang, down comes the nose.

Come on Gee Bee, don't leave us hanging!

I had a Cheetah that was a few knots faster with an aft loading. The tail would align with the horizontal stab. My M20F not so much.

Common for my A1A in an F in the summer on hot starts. Scared e at first. I think it is fuel vaporizing, clears up at richer mixture or sometimes you can stay lean and run the boost pump.

My limited understanding is wing leveler is off the turn coordinator (still sort of working) and I have no idea what the brains for the autopilot is. I just set a magnetic track on the dial on the face of the unit, and it used to head on a pretty steady course that bore a little resemblance to the number dialed up. Then i would just reference the ground track on the GPS and adjust the autopilot…The unit currently pays absolutely no attention to the dial, but it still sort of holds altitude about as well as it ever did, within 100-200 feet over a reasonable amount of bumps and time. I am realizing that I am sort of in the dark about autopilots. I am fairly knowledgable about structures and engines, it is uncomfortable to know so little about something broken on my plane. Thanks to all for your help. Gary

Steve: that was my first inclination, they have no ramp appointments for months. I'm too lazy to hand fly it that long :-) Scott: Yeah, going to the Brittain shop in Tulsa is a no question best bet, but not possible. How long ago did you set your appointment? Gary 601RX: Yeah, after talking to Tulsa I visited with my usual mechanic about doing that exact thing, he is exceptionally scrupulous about not charging me for his learning time, and recused himself. So I'm looking, hopefully for someone that already know the system. Thanks, Guys Gary

My Brittain autopilot, OEM and branded "MOONEY on the faceplate in a 67 F, which I love, has ceased limping along, and rolled up in a ball. Who knows the drill for efficiently fixing this autopilot? Close to Austin would be nice. Dugosh?, Maxwell? Anybody know anybody else? Maybe an avionics shop that is familiar. I talked to the Mfg, in Tulsa, Great guys, know the equip. up one side and down the other but no ramp appointment for 6 Mos. Thanks, Gary

Kmyfm20j: I shoot with both muffs and plugs, never thought of doing that in the plane, good Idea. I think I'll start carrying plugs for those times when the batteries all run out in the ANRs.

If you do a factory reman, or even the factory overhaul do you get to retain your 25° BTDC timing? I understand in many cases you do not. It makes such a huge efficiency difference that I absolutely would not ever do anything that would cause me to lose it.

I got mine in Mexico, had it for seven years. Killed it with Flagyl.

My planes louder than your plane. It's a loud son of a bitch. I flew it for a while with passive David Clark's that I have had for 30 years,and worn in multiple airplanes with never ever ringing ears. My ears, which ring a little bit all the time, would ring like mad and even chirp a little bit after a flight with the David Clark passives. I installed the Headsets Inc. ANR ear cup set in the David Clark's they worked really well. Then found some use Zulus which are more comfy. But when the battery goes dead on either, they have very little passive dampening, and you're hosed. But now I'm not. I go to 2000 RPM Lena peak maybe 23-24 inches manifold pressure and cruise along with a little bit more vibration but very quietly. Then it's easier on the dogs ears.

Nationalization can't be too far behind. I understand Obama promises that if you like your current Dealer you can keep your current Dealer

Scott I'm down to the last little bit of my hearing (80-100,000 lifetime rounds thru various firearms) and I think that that is maybe why my ears are so sensitive and maybe I have a particularly loud airplane. It's loud in cruise, louder than any other airplane I've flown in except the 450 hp Stearman, and really loud at take off. The stinker is loud.

EDNR Thats exactly what I was looking for. High MP and low RPM is a nice addition to the bag of tricks. My dogs' headsets are not so good, and that yields a much quieter cruise. The other day my ANR headset ran out of battery about 15 min from home, and I leaned further, and reduced RPM to 2300, and it became somewhat quieter, but my ears still rang for a couple of days. I should have gone to 2000 rpm. Thanks, Gary Maybe Kevin will chime in on any prop blade issues.

There is no logic to non aviator's fears. Those of us that answer are aviators, don't pay too much attention to our opinions. According to the fearful we are about half touched, but I think Dav8or may be pretty close. I'm trying to remember what the rest of the passengers were opining on a Caravan ride I took in Belize. They were plenty spooked, however.

I sat in the back and watched a student trying to learn the turn to final, judging the approach to landing and the landing flare in a 182. It is a heavier more powerful a/c than a trainer with a twist-em-up prop, but without the folding feet. He was so far behind the airplane, it reminded me of the time some fool let me fly a 421 to landing during a joyride. The plane landed, but I was mentally several miles behind it at touchdown. My mind caught up, something like a rubber band snapping back, about a minute after we landed. I didn't learn a damn thing about landing a 421, except that I was overwhelmed with task overload landing a 421. The guy in the 182 took much longer to master that phase of the learning experience. I would suggest that it may be beneficial to keep it simple, till you have well under control the turn to base, & final, down the glideslope and the landing flare. It might be more efficient for you to stay in a trainer. Also the gear is more robust, and cheaper too Have fun, Gary

3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner Part No 08984. Steve is right. That's the good stuff

Hank & KS are right. Fix the fuel flow or it will bite.

I Have had good luck with 3M marine cleaner wax on old enamel paint.

The place to learn Lop ops is at 8500 and up. Unless it's really cold you can't get enough oxygen in your engine to hurt it with fuel above 8500 feet. So when you get up high start fiddling with the red knob until you find a speed and vibration level and fuel flow that makes you happy. Gary

With a Jpi or similar, and familiarity with the red box, and your willingness to slow down 5 or 10 mph you should see near 20 mpg statute running lop at altitude. Try around 8.5 gph. Gary

Julian Seth is got a real point. The motors quit for a myriad of reasons and the airplanes fall out of the sky with depressing regularity