M20F-1968

I have a highly modified 68 F model. I put on a one-piece belly using the STC and parts from LASAR. I assume they are still available. It is quite a bit of work. Explain to the insurance company that you will be repairing the gear-up with a one-piece belly. They should have no issue with that since the original parts are unavailable. You will need a great sheet metal person who knows what he is doing. John Breda

If you want to build it into the edge of the glare-shield, I have a compass from a 1998 Ovation for sale. John Breda

I have a 1968 F model, with a full retrofitted Ovation interior, and the Ovation Oxygen system installed. I downgraded the O2 tank to 50 gallons to save weight, rewrote the POH chapter using Cessna data of the 50 cubic foot bottle, and submitted it to the FAA for approval. All can be done, just takes time and money. John Breda

I have a 68 F that was a project plane, now highly modified and a great plane. The Johnson bar, if rigged properly can be locked up using two fingers. It should not be an issue. I consider it an upgrade. Low maintenance, fast and simple. John Breda

There is a way the fix that problem as well.... See the attached picture. John Breda

For landing gear on Vintage Mooney's I have two Dial type torque wrenches. One is 0-150 inch lbs and the other is 0-300 inch lbs. One for nose gear and one for mains. Both are 3/8" drive. You can get an adapter to fit the Mooney tool 3/8 --> 1/4". That way you stay in the middle of the range for both. Both have a needle pointer to indicate max reading. I have Snap-On and Precision Instruments. The Precision Instruments has made all of the Snap-On dial torque wrenches. They are in Illinois, close by to Snap=On which I believe is in Wisconsin or Illinois. They can be gotten in very nice shape on e-bay if you watch the listings. New the Precision Instruments wrench has been about $150 on Amazon. John Breda

Go to your local Thrift Store, buy a solid leather belt, wrap it in a piece of goof leather, hand stitch one edge and you are done. That way it looks original. You can find leather punches and leather tools on e-bay. You will want to get a leather punch that will punch about 4-6 holes in a row. The needles will be blunt and you will use 2 of them, one from each side with heavy thread. Look at YouTube videos. John Breda

I substituted an Ovation baggage door for my original F-model door. The installation required pulling the hinge-pin, mounting a new 1/2 of the piano hinge to the airframe so that it aligns with the hinge on the door. The door seal that is on my airplane now is the one from the Ovation. The lock works perfectly. Easiest modification possible, but needs a DER sign-off which I have. John Breda

RAM? Contact info please. John Breda

The speedbrakes are also useful in Vintage Mooneys, such as the F, since the gear speed and flap speed is so low. They help slow down on the approach if needed. Some people have raised the question, should they use speed brakes late in the approach. I would not do this at all given that the loss in lift is quite rapid in cruise. Yes I realize that at slower speed this is lees dramatic, but my experience suggests that if you use speed brakes on the approach, you do so early and set up the airplane as you need to for the approad with the speed brakes deployed and carry that configuration into the landing. It seems to be OK to stow them late in the approach, but there is no real reason to do so. If you are low, add power. But I would not add them late into the approach. That said, I did so once with a 25 knt crosswind without any problems, but I may have had abut more power given the circumstances. John Breda

I was introduced to landing with speed brakes deployed by my mechanic, a high-time Mooney pilot who is very Mooney-connected with a great deal of modern Mooney time. Some of my best landings have been with speed brakes deployed. I try not to use them for landings for some of the reasons already mentioned. I have however done one or two go-arounds with the plane fully dirty (gear down, full flaps, and speed brakes) and it will climb but not as fast as without the speed brakes. The one situation when they seem to reliably help is in a strong crosswind. They allow me to carry more power for the same airspeed. Stall speeds do not seem to appreciably change. If someone has more information about this or a means to calculate the stall speed considering the speed brakes, and/or speed brakes, gear, flaps, and weight please respond. The plane feels heavier and more stable when landing with more power with speed brakes deployed, and is not so affected by the cross wind due to increased power. John Breda

As you are probably aware, my airplane follows none of the Mooney drawings. It has a retrofitted Ovation interior and I had my mechanic put in a 3-position switch replacing the baggage compartment light on/off switch. Its 3-positions are wired as On - Off - On but will shut off if the baggage door is closed and locked (there is a switch that is triggered by locking the door). The intent is to protect against leaving it on by having the third position. You likely would not walk away from the plane with the baggage door open. The only position that leaves me at risk is the first position, an always-on position. Perhaps a timer would make some sense in that position. What I have is maintenance-free, but is not foolproof. What drives the timer in your circuit? Can you send me some details? What is the physical size and cost? John Breda

I have one for an Ovation if it can be used. John Breda

I have a 3 position rocker switch: On; OFF; On but turns off when the baggage door is closed I do not use that light much. Does it make sense to put a timer on the circuit that is always on? John Breda

It would seem that you should start with using the elevator travel boards to set a neutral position, then where you want the elevators to be for rotation. When you are sure of that, then adjust the trim indicator for what take-off position should look like on the trim indicator. I focused on a single line of the indicator since it is pretty sensitive and setting it in the middle of a wide range seemed too inaccurate and not repeatable. John Breda

The other opportunity for this to happen is with landing in a crosswind. Some of my best landings have been done with speed brakes and when completed, I sometimes forget they have been deployed. John Breda

I purchased a 150,000 BTU propane heater to replace my 25-year-old one. The HVAC installers hit the unit heater with a hydraulic aerial lift, claimed they only damaged the exterior side panel, and after a month of arguing the Modine company advised them the the heater is now junk. Have been arguing for a month now to get them to replace the heater with new. Airplane ownership offers a wealth of challenges. Incompetent, and less than honorable companies abound in today's society. John Breda

Try this: The speed brakes were deployed when the master was turned off. The klunk was the speed brakes retracting when the power was turned off. John Breda

I keep a second handle in the side pocket next to the pilot's seat. The handle is secured with a roll pin which fits into a slot in the handle, and a set screw. The set screw keeps it on the shaft. Both the set screw and the roll pin allow the handle to turn the shaft. But, if the handle falls off, the second spare handle can be put in place to turn the shaft. Better than a pair or pliers. John Breda

I would be interested in seeing the video. John Breda

Keep in mind if you divide up the air and send it to too many places, you may end up with several inefficient vents. John Breda

I recently downloaded data for my G600, GTN 750 and GTN 650. The downloads were not recognized my the units when I installed them in the plane. I want to try to reformat the cards and do a clean download of all the files for each unit. I am using a MACBook Pro. What is the type of format I should use to reformat the cards? John Breda

I do not like the fact that trays are riveted onto these sheet metal supports. I designed my panel with vertical aluminum rails about 1/4" thick. These run from the upper instrument panel bow to the lower horizontal bar. The trays are screwed into them. That way, the radios and trays can be removed from the front of the panel. John Breda

I bought two cabin heaters made for boats which are sold by West Marine. Bought one for $70 and one for $28. The links to West Marine are here: https://www.westmarine.com/west-marine-portable-cabin-heater-7867500.html https://www.westmarine.com/caframo-hot-shot-portable-ceramic-cabin-heater-110v-19633403.html The first one (Grey) is made very well, steel case, has legs which raise in from the floor. The case does not get warm. The legs raise in sufficiently so it can sit in the hat rack with the air outlet aimed over the rolled raised edge of the hat rack. It does not have a ground wire on the cord. The other (black) has a plastic case, can sit on the floor in front of the co-pilot's seat, has a ground wire, the case does not get warm, and has a safety switch in the bottom. For the prices I paid, I will keep them but am still contemplating the safety of using them, even if it is just for 30 minutes during preflight. It is overkill because I have a heated hanger as well (but my propane heater currently needs replacing). I purchased a new Modine 150,000 heater which will be installed next week. What do you all think about these cabin heaters? John Breda