M20F-1968

I pulled the plane out a week ago to go flying and stopped at the pump and refueled. Checked the weather again and decided to stay on the ground. Taxied the plane back to the hangar and put it away. 0.1 hrs tach time from taxing. When I came back to the hangar a week later, there as a 1" wide X 1.5 feet long oil stain coming from the exhaust. This plane has a RaJay turbo-normalizer with check valves in the oil lines going to and from the turbo. What are the odd that is is due to a check valve not closing completely and oil seeping from the turbo bearing (which really only seal when the turbo is running) as opposed to some other problem. I plan on doing a good run-up to close to full temp. Then stopping plane, looking outside for any more oil. Should I be safe to fly? John Breda

I would love to see the rebuild video. John Breda

I looked at the Amazon mats, and also did some digging around regarding different rubber materials. Silicone was stated not to have good resistance to fuels based on what I saw. I am a novice as to rubber chemistry. Seems you would want good fuel resistance, antistatic, inflammable or flame resistant, perhaps about 1/8" thick or less, adherence to metals (will not slip off wing), and light but not too light to be blown around. Any rubber chemists around here? John Breda

For those of us with speed brakes, is there any real need to slip the Mooney when speed brakes can be used to slow up and drop altitude? Landing can also be done with speed brakes with more power. The airplane then feels heavier and still stable. I have done this with full flaps as well. This seems to be a better option than slipping as feels like a better option. I think it can safely be said that the only time cross controlling is essential is in a crosswind landing to align with the runway. Even then, speed brakes and slightly increased power setting can be used. Trying to keep things simple and unexciting. Am I missing anything? My plane also climbs with full flaps, gear and speed brakes with just myself onboard. John Breda

For what it is worth, I have a used but in excellent shape, Bendix ignition (push key to start) for sale. John Breda

By vintage I assume you also mean "no welded on attach points" at the top of each front window pillar to accommodate the one point attachment. It welded on the factory part for the installation but the aircraft was apart. It would be tricky to do so with the windshield installed and the plane painted. John Breda

When I saw this post I thought, why not simply purchase a flat mat (about 1/8" thick) and cut a hole in it. Roll it up when finished. I thought a little further however and recognized tht you are creating some friction laying down and taking up the mat, which, depending upon the material, can generate static electricity. yes the plane is grounded, but there are also fuel vapors nearby. Some commercial fuel mats are made of silicone, some polyurethane. What properties are needed when one buys the raw material to use for this purpose? John Breda

Jack, 2 year old Chow: Dignified, happy, and completely undignified!

Yes I did. I am looking to learn more about the derivation of the math. Knowing the physics, and the derivation of the math logic, helps understand and remember. John Breda

The originals are extruded aluminum. It would cost you much more in time and labor to make them from solid aluminum. These parts are not expensive compared to what it would take to make them. John Breda

A 2 axis mill and a drill press vise that can be angled and has the tangs to bolt it down is sufficient. You can do it with about a 1/4" straight end mill. John Breda

I am addressing the formulas used in the spreadsheet for calculating variables. The military, I believe, see that pilots understand flight parameters to that level. I believe there are references that are used. I am looking for references highlighting the math invovled in these types of problems. Is there a reference you can point me to? John Breda

What source are you using to reply on your formulas. John Breda

These Cessna seat stops can be made to work on the Mooney seat rails. https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/saftstop.php The problem with them out of the box is that the opening (narrow most part of internal extrusion) is not wide enough. This can be fixed by milling the opening wider. You can use a straight endmill if you mount the part in a angled drill press vise and bolt it to the milling machine table. I can slide the part onto the Mooney seat rail and tighten it down. That is at the stage I am at now. Given there is not much room back there between the cotter pin stop and the rear of the seat, I am looking into how long I want them to be. If they are longer than needed, they will limit seat travel and make it hared to get in and out. I may be able to gain an inch or so if I drill a new hole for the cotter pin. Having a back-up to the seat pins makes sense. Still experimenting. John Breda They will fit with modification. See my post. John Breda

These Cessna seat stops can be made to work on the Mooney seat rails. https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/saftstop.php The problem with them out of the box is that the opening (narrow most part of internal extrusion) is not wide enough. This can be fixed by milling the opening wider. You can use a straight endmill if you mount the part in a angled drill press vise and bolt it to the milling machine table. I can slide the part onto the Mooney seat rail and tighten it down. That is at the stage I am at now. Given there is not much room back there between the cotter pin stop and the rear of the seat, I am looking into how long I want them to be. If they are longer than needed, they will limit seat travel and make it hared to get in and out. I may be able to gain an inch or so if I drill a new hole for the cotter pin. Having a back-up to the seat pins makes sense. Still experimenting. John Breda

For interior leather, try using saddlesoap. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00993QPJY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The side panel in my plane are covered with light tan leather. They need to be cleaned now and again. The saddlesoap is the best I have found. Will work for seats as well. This is the brush applicator I used. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001ECZOKY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Put a bit of water in the saddlesoap container. Put onto brush, apply. It will suds up. Remove with cloth. Easy and works well. It is made for leather and does not dry it out. Use enough water only to apply and not get the seats too wet. I wipe it of pretty quickly to keep the leather from getting too wet. John Breda

Link not working nor is website (does not respond to registration attempts). John Breda

Bruce Jaeger has some of the U shaped material. Give him a call. He is very helpful. There are also plastic extrusions used for trim in glass shower stalls. I used a piece to hold my carpet in the aft wall of the baggage compartment. Take a look on e-bay as well. John Breda

I still have not gotten over my concerns over carrying a flashlight using lithium batteries. (Yeah, I know the ipad has a lithium battery - just wanting to limit exposure and risks). John Breda

Back in the 1980's when I was learning to fly in Hillsboro, OR (HIO) we used to go to Portland International (PDX) on a regular basis for IFR training and to get a feel of operating in a larger airport. ATC never gave us a problem and there were no landing fees charged. John Breda

The largest airport I have flown into in recent times in Chicago Midway. Is it not possible to fly into SFO on an instrument flight plan pre-pandemic (2019)? John Breda

I pulled my old logbook. I landed there on June 28, 1988. It certainly was doable. It was a stop on a trip Monterey -- SFO -- Red Bluff. John Breda

I landed at SFO back in June, 1988 in a 235 Cherokee. I about 150 hours total time. I stopped at SFO on a trip from Monterey, CA to Portland, OR. Still remember the day. That was a year before I got my Instrument rating so it was a VFR approach. It was not that hard to do. John Breda

It is not on my short list of things to do right now, but the part to be made can be made from aluminum. It would be milled to a flat tang that will fit into one end of the part that rotates (the other end will accept a normal GpPro Camera mount). The other end will be threaded with either 3/8" or 1/4" threads which can be threaded into the threaded hole in the small vise clamp. John Breda