M20F-1968

Would you sell the thumb lock (J Hook, spring, thumb knob) of the Johnson Bar downlock block? John Breda

I have an assortment of new Klixon switch-breakers (looks like a toggle switch with an internal breaker). Let me know what amp rating you need, I may have one. PM me hear, or call my cell phone at (617) 877-0025, or e-mail me at john.breda@gmail.com John Breda

Buy the individual fasteners. Use the 4000 series between the top cowling and the cowl deck. The smaller 2000 series with the larger flange will fit into the Mooney small receptacles. Talk to Skybolt to confirm what I have said. John Breda

27" MP gets me more than 75% power. Set MP and prop for 75% HP or less, then lean as per engine monitor. I do not see why you need to be married to 24" 2400 RPM? John Breda

I would have your A&P put the airplane up on jacks and really find out what is going on. You want that handle to operate easily and lock without restrictions. It sounds like there may be more to the story. John Breda

I would not try to re-engineer the J baffle. The problem is too complex. Each engine is configured a bit differently. Keep it simple, and stay with what we know works. If you are making it yourself, you spend more time, but if you are skillful, have a better fitting product. I spent a good amount of time working on baffling inside clarinet mouthpieces. (I was a symphonic clarinetist before I went to medical school.) In these, a few thousandths of a mm makes a difference. I went to the Starret Co. in Athol, MA and asked if they could make a 3D precise measuring jig for me. In the conversation they stated that they had made tooling to measure the baffling on GE jet engines. They said a few thousandths of an inch made a big difference. Our cowlings are not that elegant, but it remains a complex problem. You do not want to experiment as this work takes a lot of time. Go with what we already know, and make a product that fits well with improvements in material thickness where appropriate, structure and fit and finish. John Breda

If you have the ability to make the engine baffling yourself, you likely will get a better fit and better result. You can also make certain parts thicker as may be warranted. You will need a good, new machinist's scriber (Starrett or similar), toolmaker's dye, a band saw, jig saw or similar, a good file set, riveting tools, and other assorted tools. Likely a good vernier caliper. That way you can hand fit your new baffling to your own engine. Costs are less, but labor and effort is increased. If it is your first time, you will learn a lot. John Breda

Some F's are essentially J's, with the manual gear upgrade. How much nicer is the F panel? What gear does it have? Are there any J upgrades? Then you have to look into the specifics of the airframe, tanks, etc... and what it will cost to make it into what you want. You will be spending something....plan ahead and know how you want the airplane to look when you are done. John Breda

As I was reading this thread my first thought is why are others engaging the autopilot so close to the ground. When take off I want to be in control of the airplane in as simple and reliable a manner as possible. I think that means hand fling the airplane without concerns of buttons and electronic that can fail, or at a minimum cause unwanted diversions. I would not fuss with the autopilot until I am at least 1000 ft above the ground, or likely more. Am I missing something? John Breda

Don't buy a screw "kit", buy the individual screws that you need from Aircraft Spruce. Go to Harbor Freight or your favorite cheep tool supplier and buy some storage bins to keep them separated. You will slowly build a collection of hardware that you will need and use. John Breda

I have speed brakes on my 68 F. The gear extend speed = 104 kts and the flap extend speed = 108. The speed brakes make these more manageable without pulling power back so much. I have also landed in windy conditions with speed brakes that allow you to keep the power up without increasing airspeed. The plane feels heavier and loss likely to be blown around. John Breda

I was reading about Personal GPS Locators. Anyone using the Zoleo Communicator. It is a device that will transmit a location via cell network, WI-Fii, or Iridium Satellite network in an emergency. One can after 3 months, place the service on stand-by so you are not paying when not needed. Thought it would be something good to have, at least for long trips and trips over less populated areas where there may not be cell phone coverage. The cost for Garmin Person GPL is twice the cost. Where appropriate, I try to keep 1 foot in the CBC (Cheap Bastards Club). John Breda

Whatever the case, David Clark we fix any problem with their product. They are an extremely reliable and responsive company. I can not comment on any issues regarding the plane. There are specific requirements as to how the ground is to be wired with headsets and audio panels. It could very well be a loose connection in the plane somewhere. John Breda

Don, As you likely know I am a senior AMEA and have some experience in this matter. I once had a pilot who came to me who is taking Adderall prescribed to him by his primary care physician. He took it occasionally because he was a businessman and attended 12 hour business meetings. The fact that he was on the medication necessitated my indicating that to the FAA. They in turn put him through about $3000 of psychiatric testing, determined he did not have ADHD, he stopped the medication and got his medical. The FAA flight surgeon I discussed this with told me the following story about military pilots applying stealth bombers. There are two pilots, one sleeps, and one flies. The one flies flies takes a stimulant medication. The FAA uses the medication list has a hint to what might be going on medically with the patient. In this guys case, he did not have a diagnosis and really shouldn't of been taking the medication all. He stopped it and the problem was solved. Your granddaughter may do well off the medication but is certainly worth pursuing with an AME who will help her through the process. I do this for many of the airman I see, can also do it as a primary care physician. It's all about taking the person from where they are, to where they need and want to be, and providing them the tools necessary for the journey. If I can help give me a call or PM me here. My cell phone is (617) 877-0025. John Breda

I have the Sidewinder and it works great. I have not had problems in the winter but there is no upward grade into my hangar. I have never heard of the newer version mentioned above for the Mooney. Perhaps someone can post pictures. I have the "older" version. John Breda

I did not install the our frame. It is unnecessary and that is what makes the assembly not flush. Just take it off and use the large counter-sunk washers. John Breda

I have the Ovation landing and taxi lights in my wings. Doubt there has been any speed loss. The lens covers are essentially flush. John Breda

Who is the insurance company quoting and who is your agent? John Breda

I was contacted by an F I will owner who wanted to put LoPresti on his airplane. current owner of many RaJay STC's has a standing offer that if, I believe it's four or five owners come forward, you will build the kits again. The two prior STC's, one for the original RaJay and the second for the M 20 turbo system are orphaned STC's. Theoretically, with the DER you could build a one-off system to put on your own airplane. Most of the major parts are available and the rest can be made. It all depends upon how badly you want and what your skill level is. John Breda

Sorry, I quoted the wrong post. Nickel and Dime patch - Any A&P can do it. Wet rivet with some PRC to keep water out. Only repair to do, unless you want to change the skin (which you do not want to do). John Breda

Nickel and Dime patch - likely wet riveted - This is the only proper repair, unless you want to change the skin of course. John Breda

Various configurations are used for the same seat rail extrusion across all models. On some the "T" of the cross section of the rail is milled so the seat can come off the track sooner. This depends on the console in the airplane in some cases. The amount of milled relief and the number of holes (provided they are the same size and distance apart, does not degrade the structure, as the same variations are seen from the factory across different models. The critical issue is that the two holes must be directly across from each other (perhaps laid-out with a framing square, scribe tool na d machinist's dye). If they are not exactly placed, the two pins will not latch together and the seats will not work well. You can get a DER, but I do not believe that any IA would not accept this modification without a DER sign-off given that the same seat rails are used in all Mooney aircraft. John Breda

It cost me $8,000.00 to completely rebuild a stock J model cowling to new condition, including replacing the internal metal reinforcement parts and configuring it for the Turbo Normalizer. There is no appreciable speed gains with the Loprest Cowling from what I can tell. My F/reborn as a J airplane is 160 kts at 10,000ft at 75% power, 168 kts full power at 10,000 ft, 175-178 kts at 75% power at 17,500 ft, all 100 ROP. I doubt a J with the Lopresti Cowling does any better. You can not put a turbonormalizer into the Lopresti Cowling should you want to. It has been tried and the air inlets are too small. Also, there is no metal internal reinforcements at all in their cowling (near the edges were the fasterner holes are drilled), so I would expect the fastener holes will wear much quicker than the reinforced J cowling. Just my $0.02. John Breda

I have a 68 F with all of the J model airframe modifications except for inner gear doors. Mine is a 160 kt airplane at 75% power and 100 ROP, a 168 kt airplane at full power and ROP, both at 10,000 ft. At 17,500 ft it is a 175-178 kt airplane at 100 ROP and 75% power. LOP at the same altitude, subtract about 5-6 kts. Somewhere here I posted a picture of my panel verifying some of these numbers. I has a twisted wing, but it really is not a "twist." The last wing section is set at a slight downward angle, with the outboard leading edge about 1 1/2" lower than normal. The line from the tip leading edge to the next lap joint is straight. There is no recognized loss of speed. Theoretically the stall is more benign, at least that was the intend (to keep tho outboard section of the wing flying despite an inboard stall). John Breda

I have a set of the clamps you mention, I just need to find them. They were in a mid-60's E model that I took some parts from. Then I came upon a 1998 Ovation and proceeded to install the entire interior from that airplane, including seats and seatbelts. My installation is likely not within your reach since the retraction reel attachment plates are welded to the steel cage near the floor and the retraction reels are bolted to those plates. I doubt you would be able to do that welding without the airplane disassembled. I have the most modern Amsafe buckles which require opening the top to 90° before allowing the buckle to release. I use these because a common problem in the vintage airplanes with a Johnson bar is that the pilot bumps the buckle and accidentally releases the seatbelt when the gear is put down. The extra throw of the modern Amsafe buckles minimizes that problem. I have some extra fixed seatbelts that use the most modern Amsafe buckles which I may be willing to sell. I'll take a look for the shoulder belt tube clamps since I know I have them...somewhere. John Breda