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The AFM supplement for the GFC500 for a M20M (shown below) says TOGA establishes a 7 degree nose up pitch. I thought I had a scan of mine but can't find it right now. Calling it Vx was inaccurate on my part, although I believe it produces performance close to that at full power, but I do know it is referencing pitch, not airspeed. In my plane it's enough nose up pitch to startle passengers who are not expecting it and is more nose up pitch than I like to use on a standard climb-out for sure.

Nice post. I don't like to use the TO/GO for a normal takeoff though. The attitude it provides to give Vx, while what you want on a go-around in IMC, is too nose-high for a normal departure. It also then requires that you re-configure the autopilot entirely for your first turn - You must press HDG or NAV, then VS or IAS, then dial in your preferred VS or IAS on the wheel, then press "AP", all while possibly bumping around, entering IMC, talking to ATC, etc. Instead I prefer to configure the autopilot to fly my planned departure, which means flight director on, heading mode engaged, heading set to runway heading, vertical speed set to 500+ FPM, altitude bug set. This allows me to follow the flight director and heading bug on takeoff manually until 500 feet AGL, then engage the autopilot and be fully configured just by pressing the "AP" button. Also passing 500 feet AGL I will roll the heading bug over to my assigned heading, or enter NAV mode to go on-course, whichever is appropriate. An alternative to this is instead of HDG, to leave it in ROL mode, and pre-set your heading bug to your assigned heading if you have one. So when you begin your first turn and press the AP button, you just also press HDG and you're configured and don't have to remember what your assigned heading was during takeoff. This maybe works better and removes one item you have to remember (your assigned heading), but I like having the heading bug available to follow to fly runway heading, in addition to the flight director, which in this scenario is not actually tracking runway heading. So for me, the TO/GO is more of a GO button. But I'm curious to hear if anyone sees issues with what I've developed above as my practice or does it differently. A note - I had to add each of the autopilot configuration steps to my pre-taxi checklist to start getting it all right, after the GFC500 was installed. Highly recommend that to anyone learning this new autopilot - there are a lot of configurations you can make on the ground to make your life easier right after takeoff.

Had it once due to an air intake restriction caused by a poor air intake box repair. Restricted air intake prevented the turbo from spooling up to full power. Also caused the alternate air door to open and that light to come on. Could be a lot of things, unfortunately, but there's one.

I had a fuel pressure gauge that would occasionally drop to 0. Sure got your attention, but the engine never faltered. New sensor, new fittings, checked the connections, no more problems.

I've had leaks patched by small local shops a few times, at a cost of a few hundred dollars here and there. My tanks have not been fully resealed since 1982, as far as I can tell from the logs. It's a maintenance item, but nothing to be too concerned about. Every model of plane has its maintenance issues. Cheaper than a parachute repack. You could also buy a plane that was resealed 5 years ago and have it start leaking after your first bounced landing, so just be prepared. Many (most?) leaks can be left alone until the next annual or the next time it's in the shop. They result in stains on the wings but often the fuel evaporates before it even drips on the ground. I've never had one that was a flight safety issue or would ground the plane.

I'll be glad to not splash liquid lead on my hands sumping tanks, and I'll be glad to get it out of my engine and oil too, when that becomes possible. I'll be even more glad if it keeps an overreaching government wanting to ban lead from grounding the fleet. If a side effect is that some of the sealant in my fuel tanks, which is up to 42 years old at this point where it hasn't been patched, has to be replaced to run a new modern lead-free fuel, I will call it a cost of keeping a 42-year-old airplane in the air. I just hope I can find a shop to do the work. If it seeps and causes my 12-year-old paint, applied by a reputable shop and still in excellent shape, to bubble off, then I'd say there's a problem. From everything I've read about GAMI's testing, I don't think it will. I expect by the time this fuel is available to me in the Midwest, if that's what it does, everyone will know about it.

I don't like going to any runway less than 3,000 feet in a K model. I have done it on a few occasions, down to 2,700 feet, but you really have to be on your game and nail your speeds for your weight. The plane will do it when piloted properly but not a lot of forgiveness and it likes to float a long ways if you're just a few knots fast. Throw in high, hot, heavy, or a crosswind and I'll pass. Taking off is less of an issue than landing, but you have to land there before you can take off... I have not done any grass in the K except for taxiing at Oshkosh which was fine. I did some grass runways in a C model Mooney and it was a non-event, but that plane was a much better short field performer. I would do it in the K if I had a reason, and 3,000+ feet of runway, but have not had those two criteria line up yet. Maybe the triple tree fly in sometime but it got rained out this year. I would say if your mission is grass runways under 3,000 feet there are much better choices than a K model Mooney, and I love mine.

Anybody yet had a G100UL leak that did not cause any paint damage? It would be good if they would post here if so, along with when the plane was last painted, and whether the leak was present before introducing the new fuel. Given the rate my plane develops leaks from the sumps (even new ones, until cleared), and other fuel tank leaks, it'll only be a short matter of time. I suspect planes with any kind of modern chemistry paint will be fine. Though it will be a real shame if vintage paint jobs suffer damage. I also think letting 100LL seep for extended periods damages paint. I had a pesky leak around a fuel sump rivet that took a while to get fixed, and even after cleaning it up, the paint is visibly stained/damaged in that area, although not stripped off. I wonder if paint damaged by a long-term 100LL leak, being exposed to a new chemistry fuel (G100UL), could finish the job and cause the paint to bubble off. That would be the real test and may be hard to duplicate in a lab setting. A note - Highly recommend Oyltite fuel tank sealant for seeping rivets. Seems to work about as well when applied externally to the rivet head as trying to get a shop to seal the leak from the inside of the tank.

+1 for the cheap Amazon kits to replace the spout and add a vent. Did them on all my cans about a year ago and they still hold pressure and are more air-tight than the ones I replaced. Was a fun 20-minute project to install them all. Requires drilling a 1/2 inch hole for the air vent bung and then cleaning out the plastic shavings from inside the can. Especially useful for filling diesel equipment where I may be putting 3-4 cans of fuel in. No way you can stand there and slowly dribble 20 gallons of diesel fuel listening to the jug glug and suck air. I don't fill the plane from cans but can imagine it would be much the same. Pro tip - you can put the spout into the tank before you open the air vent. Keeps the fuel from splashing out quite as fast as you tip the can over.

I found some internet research that said Turtle Wax's ceramic coating is pretty much the same as all the stuff they want hundreds of dollars to buy and thousands of dollars to wipe on the plane. Put it on about 3 months ago. It shined the plane up just like all the photos I've seen (paint is 10+ years old but in pretty good condition). Bugs do wipe off easier. We'll see how long it holds up. I'm $36 in. Bought two bottles but it only took one, so I have a spare to do it again. https://www.amazon.com/Turtle-Wax-53409-Solutions-Coating-16/dp/B07XYPS3PS?crid=2753FKS6ZD6W4&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Ah3Z4GmyR7Hm2cI8DzZSvtEbPZ-9vlcac2b_laMXPFUlW76Z831BiItp4BdBfu0BeUmsOIBNVxF3rg5T8v2_vqQ10BHtmMz0eXRFiJIvG_zWTCZAL1prkOVDK9c-GRJsaEPJS5zVL4Gh5W9oUfKkKLNomKxaYvFQ9Qg40oD4wxk5MOKdH1JDR6BcjKMNlwSCptLWLZp4OO7Ce2el_tYlZSPNPkvIWPtXPjvd6MD6b8o.y6ItRgyGePNCDgwTOpahtmptjXjpk-sFvnVBMwjylvM&dib_tag=se&keywords=turtle%2Bwax%2Bceramic%2Bspray%2Bcoating&qid=1733398971&sprefix=turtle%2Bwax%2Bceram%2Caps%2C123&sr=8-3&th=1

I have a vacuum powered step, but when it stops moving, it's usually just gotten sticky and needs a cleaning with some WD40 and then another shot of Triflow and some manual retractions (push it up into the fuselage from the outside). Good thing to check once per year or so, and definitely before engaging a mechanic. Hope it's something easy for you.

I bought one of these cable lubrication tools for an auto project. Designed to force lubricant through a cable. Didn't end up using it, but have wondered about its aviation applications with some tri flow: https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Motorcycle-Motorcycles-Bicycle-Scooter/dp/B08P5CJL5P?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&smid=A3LHXGCCBRRIJN&th=1

Our M20C had one of the Brittain systems, can't remember which any more, but it would fly the heading bug perfectly. No altitude hold, but once you had it trimmed out in cruise, you could usually hold altitude +/- 10 feet by leaning forward in your seat to go nose-down, and back to go nose-up, or bending your knees and pulling up your feet a little closer. Made for a fun game on a long cross-country.

I sold a 430W last year for $4,000.00, removed for an upgrade. I posted it here and on Beechtalk, never got to Ebay. Someone posted here that was way too much, but someone on Beechtalk bought it the day after I listed it, no questions asked. They were being listed for that or a little more at the time everywhere I looked. It was in really nice shape. Prices may have gone down, but there's one data point. Best of luck to you.

I would start by pulling the carpet and any padding under it, and then applying high-quality duct tape over all the holes and gaps in the floor, if someone hasn't already done that. There are a lot of holes and gaps. This has a bonus benefit of keeping loose/dropped hardware, dirt, and gunk from falling down inside your floorboards too. If that doesn't fix it, you can move on to checking the cabin penetrations one by one.

I have the YD. I can tell there's a big difference when it's on in stability. It's a very nice feature to have and I use it on every flight. I'll admit to failing to turn it off at least once and landed with it engaged. Not recommended, but it's a non-event from a safety perspective. Didn't even notice it until I'd cleared the runway. Lesson learned and now I use the AP Disconnect button on the yoke to turn the autopilot and YD off for landing, and not the "AP" button on the GFC500 control panel, which leaves the YD engaged.

I left Durango this month with an adult passenger, a cargo area full of bags, and 6 hours of fuel on board. Headed east, pointed straight at the Rocky mountains. Climbed 500-700 FPM up to 17,500 feet, straight over those mountains with 4,000 feet of terrain clearance, no circling required, no mountain wave concerns. Caught a tailwind of up to 70 knots, and made it to the Kansas City area in a little over 3 hours. Smooth air, no clouds, no traffic, within glide distance of multiple airports almost the whole time. Didn't even make a radio call between leaving the pattern in Colorado and entering it in Missouri. 175 KTAS at 13 GPH (TIT limited, I like to keep it under 1600). Landed with 2 hours of reserve fuel. Some days the turbo really shines.

I put mine back together incorrectly a couple of times which made me think it could be clocked wrong. I'm not 100% sure either though, it was some time ago. I just remember having to take it back apart again to get everything lined up as it should be.

Those look like the same caps on my K. If so, they are a two-piece design held together by a bolt, nut, and cotter pin. If you remove the cotter pin and nut, you may be able to "clock" the top piece differently to orient your tab to match the other side. Note - the tightness of your cap tab is determined by the torque of the nut. If it's too tight, loosen the nut a quarter or half turn, replace the cotter pin, and try again. Fought too-tight caps for years before I learned this trick. There is an internal O-ring on the bolt that keeps water from running down the inside of your cap into your fuel tank. Good time to replace it with a fluorosilicone version while you have it apart.

Those look good, and stout. Only feature you may be missing is a way to lock the jacks up so that you could leave the plane on them for an extended time without relying on the hydraulics. Some use a locking collar, something like this:

I had the same experience with fuel seeping out of one of the rivets near the fuel valve. When tightening/loosening the fuel valve you could actually see this rivet move slightly. I applied Oyltite to the rivet while turning on the fuel sump drain to move the rivet and tried to really work the stuff in there. It stopped the leak. That was in January of 2024, so it's held up for almost a year now. Link to buy the stuff: https://www.amazon.com/Co-11475-Oyltite-Stik-Temporary-Low-Pressure/dp/B002C3L5NO The other fix is apparently to drain the tank, open the top access cover, drill out the rivets, and replace them "wet" with fuel tank sealant. A much more involved job. I have had fuel valves go bad internally - there's another O-ring inside them that can fail. So I now keep a spare in the plane. More often though, it's just a small piece of debris inside the valve that's keeping it from sealing, and vigorously working it up and down with the sumper will dislodge the item and let it seal back up. Be careful installing new valves - the torque required is shown on the packaging in inch pounds, not foot pounds, and they are delicate brass that can snap off. They're barely snugged in there, just enough to seal the external O-ring against the wing.

You can go to www.g100ul.com, input your airframe and engine information, input your credit card information, click a button, and download your STC to use unleaded fuel. It takes just a few minutes and costs $450.00 for a Mooney. @bonal all of your concerns have been discussed at great length in threads on Beechtalk.com, with active participation by the owners of GAMI. There are videos on Youtube of them addressing them at forums at Oshkosh as well. I have followed along for years now and do not have any concerns about the new fuel. Your opinion may vary.

Mine is the same - put 8 quarts in at oil change, it will read 7 on the dipstick after first run. If I add another quart then to go back up to 8 quarts on the dipstick (which is in reality 9+ quarts in the engine), it blows out pretty quick. It holds between 6 and 7 on the dipstick pretty good so I let it get a little below 6, then add a quart. I believe this maintains 7-8 quarts actually in the engine. It used to hold less and would blow out anything over 6, so I would only put in 7 quarts at oil change, which would then read 6 quarts on the dipstick, and wait until 5 quarts to add, which did work fine. Cleaning the oil and sludge out of the air/oil separator and replacing the oil cap gasket seemed to help and now it'll hold another quart. I believe that reduced the crankcase pressure, or helped it properly escape the engine.

Do future you, future avionics shops, and future caretakers of your plane a favor - pull everything unused and inop out of the plane, or fix it. Our Pulselight was inop. A while back, asked the avionics shop to either fix it or remove it during some work, whichever was cheaper. It came back without the Pulselight. Haven't missed it. Extra system, extra maintenance, extra weight, and in my opinion, of little value with LED lights all around. Your opinion may vary of course.

Well now we have another Mooneyspace controversy. Mine has always been loop towards the nose. I didn't know you could reverse it. I'll have to try and see what that does.