M20F-1968

I put 3" pedal extensions in the pilot side of my F and they work well. I have 1 1/2" in the co-pilot side. If you take out the 3", I may buy them from you to put in the co-pilot side of my F. My cell is (617) 877-0025. e-mail: john.breda@gmail.com Thanks, John Breda

I did not see a PM on Mooneyspace. Did you send me an email to john.breda@gmail.com? John Breda

Send me a PM so we can discuss what project you have in mind. I have a lot of paperwork. John Breda

With HID landing and taxi lights in both wings, you do not need a light in the cowling. John Breda

I have heard comments over the years that reweighing an airplane causes loss of useful load, suggesting that the factory may have been under reporting.... I have not data or knowledge to make me a believer or non-believer of these reports. John Breda

I never hit it at all. It is close enough to the seat that there is plenty of room. The advantage is that should there be a need to switch tanks urgently, I do not need to look for anything else. John Breda

I never hit it at all. It is close enough to the seat that there is plenty of room. The advantage is that should there be a need to switch tanks urgently, I do not need to look for anything else. John Breda

My answer to this problem was to fabricate this fuel selector extension. It is signed off by a DER. The cream-colored one is what is now in the plane. I have the original which I could sell if anyone is interested. Works very well. The selector is held down by 4 machine screws, and the step (larger diameter) in the shaft which matches a step in the shell. The rotation is assured by a slot and roll pin and set screw. John Breda

If you are detail-oriented, good with hand tools, and have access to an A&P that has a brake, sheer, sheet metal roller and will let you use it, or he will do it for you, you are likely better off to make them yourself. The bulk of the work is measuring, carefully fitting with Dremel tool/files. Use the old baffles as a template and lay the parts out with machinist's dye and a scriber. Riveting can be tricky if you have never done it. A pneumatic rivet squeezer makes life much easier. John Breda

I bought some (3M I think) Velco and a 3M product to apply to the carpet and floor as a prep to make the velcro stick better. It stays put and you have to work a bit to get it off. I think I bought both on Amazon. I can get the velcro info as it came on a large spool. It think I have the spar can as well in you need a name. John Breda

Or you can modify the structural cage as I did and make it look like to new models. Just need a DER, a DAR, and some time and Money. John Breda

Calculating the stall speed in a cross-controlled condition is a more complex equation than simply adjusting the stall speed for landing weight. Can someone share the math? In uncoordinated flight, it would seem that the stall speed at each wing tip might be different. The angled linear cross-section of the wing seen by the wind at any point is much the same, but the functional area across the wing length is different (one side using more of the tip and one side using more of the root) This math is above my pay grade. Do these hypothetical (or real) concerns minimize when you apply the rudder opposite to the aileron to line up with the runway (assuming the wind is lined up with the runway)? Again, the math is above my pay grade. Any insights? John Breda

There is no substitute for taking the plane to Paul Beck at Oasis/Weep No More in Willmar, Minnesota. Paul has done some work on location as well. He may be able to salvage what has been already done, and will give you an honest assessment of the status of your reseal and how to make it right. John Breda

I was reading the final report on the Minnesota crash and read the reports on the belief that the pilot was steering the airplane by rudder only. This led me to think of the times that we intentionally cross-control the airplane, such as landing in a crosswind. The only time I intentionally cross-control is when I'm landing in a crosswind. Speed brakes take care of any need to slip the airplane to lose altitude. does anyone have any information about how far away from a problem we are by cross-controlling the airplane to land in 20 knot or better 90° crosswind? John Breda

Thought I would chime in on this one. My 68 highly modified F will do as much and a lot more than any J. That is because I built into it modifications that were incorporated in the J and that were also incorporated into the later models. So mine is truly a one-of-a-kind airplane. My message here is to not only decide what your mission is, and obtain what you will need to obtain your mission, but also look at yourself and decide what kind, complexity, and type of airplane you want and feel comfortable being married to! If you simply buy and live with what you find on the market, you can always sell it. If you invest yourself in to the airplane, you are likely married to it. Like the J, mine is a 160-knot airplane at 75% power at 10,000 feet. Full forward at the same altitude, it is a 168-knot airplane. Both 100° rich of peak. Since it is turbo normalized, at 17,000-18,000 ft altitude, it is a 175-knot airplane, which is something the J will not do. I do like the Johnson bar upgrade. The hydraulic flaps are a PITA to rig, but once fig them, there is not much maintenance but to keep the reservoir topped off. No limit switches to fail and troubleshoot. The remainder of the plane is a Modern Mooney. Ovation style panel, Glass Garmin equipment, 90 gallons of fuel, ROP v. LOP with Gami Injectors, speed brakes which I do use, Ovation interior and seats, Ovation O2 System (downsized to 50 cubic feet), STEC 60-2 with electric trim and altitude preselector..... These are the advantages of a project airplane. I must say that it is likely the best imaginable retirement Mooney. BUT..........It is a lot of work to get there. I bought the airplane when it was advertised on e-bay. It had sat in a hanger for many years. The Mooney factory folks looked at it, Russell Stallings looked at it and took it more apart....and I jumped in with both feet. The final design was the result of many delays and many redesigns. One never knows what you will get in the end until you are very close to the end....same is true about cost. A project like this is not for the faint of heart. So yes, my best advice is simple and basic. Decide how much airplane you need and want...Of the Vintage birds, the F is a sweet spot, but an F that is upgraded to become J, while keeping the aspects of the F that a J cannot give you is quite interesting. When I bought mine, I thought ahead and wanted a stable IFR airplane, that was not a maintenance hog, and is an excellent compromise between speed, complexity, cost to maintain, and efficiency. My airplane strikes that compromise-point well. I also thought that a plane with manual systems is easier to keep flying after the factory quits making them than a more modern version with motors that drive actuators.....yes, I did think of this 20 years ago. Plan out what you will do, and have the personnel identified that will help you do it. I wasted many years finding the one sheet metal mechanic that helped me get the airplane airborne. He was a 40-year-old, 20-year experienced sheet-metal mechanic/manager who worked for Gulfstream. He did excellent work. If you do buy a plane as a project, make sure you have the resources to finish it. I never set out to win Outstanding Mooney and a Lindy award at Oshkosh. Entering those competitions was an afterthought. I just set out to make a unique airplane that fit what I could not find, was rebuilt completely so I knew what I had (buying a used plane and not recognizing hidden damage did not feel comfortable). In the end, I know what I have from the inside out. John Breda

I made a new engine baffling for the pilot side. I started out thinking that I would make the baffle Springs/ wire assembly so as to hold the cylinder baffles against the cylinder. last version that was installed were not Springs but rather just safety wire twisted so as to pull the baffling against the cylinders. I bought the piano wire that I needed Springs on eBay and made a bunch of baffles spring similar to what you see pictured. The piano wire is relatively easy to band. You need a good size solid rod so as to make the loop and stable vice hold the material while you're bending. My cylinder baffles are made out of 0.090" aluminum, and in speaking to my mechanic we decided the baffle springs may not be needed given the thickness of the material that I made the cylinder baffles from. The baffle Springs and wires tend to corrode the aluminum over time making it necessary to build new baffles. We thought it would be less of a problem to leave the baffles springs and wires off completely and install the baffling as it is, but coat the surface which lies next to the cylinder with high temperature RTV. That is the configuration I now have on the airplane. Cylinder temperatures seem fine and I may have eliminated the headache of the baffle springs and wires. John Breda

How do you upload pictures to a post. I no longer so an upload button. John Breda

I have a lightly used Whelen Tail light without strobe. SN: 00101. Looks and functions like new. I have a couple of pictures but the website has apparently changed, I do not see how it upload them. John Breda

Sorry, thinking about valve cover gaskets. John Breda

Be sure to re-torque them after putting the Real Gasket seals on, per their specs. John Breda

Yes it is. John Breda

A lot to the right buyer given there are not many restored vintage birds on the market. My F was appraised for $250,000.00 about 4 years ago. John Breda

Make sure the mixture is fully forward. The pump is likely is dry. Bearings do not go bad in 1 week. John Breda

If you have a G model you have the very old senders. I would not rebuild them. I have some Rochester senders which are the newer senders used (But before the Digital Cies senders which I now have). I would upgrade to the Rochester senders assuming that you do not have the ability to go all digital, including a digital engine monitor). I have rebuild senders which were rebuilt by Air Parts of Lockhaven. The price of new senders is crazy now and I can sell the ones I have, which I bought and rebuilt as back-up units, for a reasonable price. John Breda Cell (617) 877-0025

It will work. See my PM. John Breda