M20F-1968

This is sort of Mooney talk given our 35' low wing aircraft. Does anyone know what the FAA mandatory obstruction free area to either side of a GA airport runway is. The airport I am thinking of is both State and Federally funded. I am thinking about snow removal where the airport has 6 foot piles of snow immediately adjacent to the run way. I though that there needed to be a protected zone of some width (? 25 -50 ft) where the only thing in the airspace above the runway allowed were items needed for navigation and operations. I would like to hear your experiences with this one. John Breda

I have the Alpha Systems AOA mounted in a cut out in the edge of the Ovation glare panel. You can see it mounted in the pictures in my gallery. It is in my line of sight when landing and looking out the windshield. No matter whether you have a system like mine, or HUD, you still need to adjust your focus from infinity to inside the cockpit. John Breda

Mooney made a longer tow bar which was hinged in the middle. I think it came with the Ovation or newer planes. It also had a fuel sampler cup attached at the hinge point. I am looking to make a tow bar which is similar, and which has a fuel sampler attached to save climbing under the wing when it is wet and cold (or just wet). Does someone have one who would be willing to send me a picture of how it was designed? John Breda

I meant, not easily adjusted with limited choices of positioning. John Breda

I have a set of Ovation sun visors, but they seem way too small and are not well adjusted. I am looking for the feedback of an Ovation or newer owner who is using the Rosens just as they were manufactured. As I write this, I an realizing that the Rosens, with cutouts to operate the ceiling switches when they are sowed, and with a cut-out on the co-pilot's side to keep it away from the door opening, I still would have much more adjustability in positioning them and still would have a larger visor. Perhaps that is my answer. John Breda

Just submitted my donation for 2016. Thanks Craig. John Breda M20F-1968

Even though I am a lowly vintage Mooney owner, I am crossing the barriers into the Modern Mooney forum since I would like your opinions. I have an F model Mooney that has been completely rebuilt, and has an Ovation style interior. As such, it has the panel of light switches on the ceiling. I have the Ovation sun visors, but also have a set of Rosen visors as well. I am directing this question to those Ovation and newer owners that have Rosen visors. When they are up, they cover the light switches. The right hand side visor when up also extends into the space of the open door and it hit when entering and exiting the plane. I thought of trimming these areas back the switches are directly accessible and the right side visor does not extend into the doorway. For those of you who have used the Rosens in the Ovation type cockpit, would you leave them as they are, or make the modifications? John Breda

Sabermech, Now that you are in FAA testing phase for your STC, you undoubtedly will be doing cooling tests with them. Take advantage of this time to pretest the opening sizes since the FAA will certify your "best choice." Since you have round openings, get some plastic or nylon type material, put it on a metal lathe and made a set of varying size inserts. Who knows what you will find. Hope all is well. John Breda

There I go again - assuming that the obvious is understood. John Breda

Thanks for all your hard work. I have been at the three Mooney Summits. Now that my plane is up and running, hopefully I can come down by Mooney v. commercial tube. I look forward to seeing you all again in 2016. John Breda

The use of the tail weight alone is not recommended. I have a tail weight with an adjustable vertical arm with a hardwood block into which the tail hook fits tightly. I hold the engine with a 2000 lb engine hoist with a hook. For additional stability I use the tail weight and hardwood block and the airplane is very stable with the 4 points controlled. John Breda

Don't both looking for original ones, just make them directly. They were nothing more that a bent U shaped hollow tube (I am sure you could use solid as well) that fit into the 2 holes in the upper part of the seat back and held the headrest by a pocket in the rear of the head rest. John Breda

I have a 1968 F which has been completely rebuilt and which has a RayJay. I also have some parts: new exhaust and wastegate for the original RayJay system (as you are considering) which have been rebuilt from one grade heavier stainless than the original as well as a beefier wastegate. Aditionally, I have a good serviceable set of original RayJay exhaust pipes and other parts from the original RayJay system. You might consider having some of these parts as they are no longer available. You can reach me here, or e-mail me at john.breda@gmail.com, or call me at (617) 877-0025. You will find that the F with the RayJay system to offer a very nice combination of utility, climb, speed without much more in maintenance. John Breda

I dug around my extra parts after my rebuild and I have the part you are looking for. I have a good deal of stuff left over from my 13 year long project. I bought some stuff that I just did not end up using. Please e-mail me at john.breda@yahoo.com or call me at (617) 877-0025. Thanks, John Breda

I do not think making alterations to the mechanism is the answer. I am unfamiliar with the two pin system in your pictures. I have a 1968 F, but it now has 1998 Ovation hardware for the locking mechanisms in the doors. I did need to adjust it. Mine has only one tapered pin on the side of the door and a clothes-pin type grabber for the top of the door. Adjusting the mechanism took the better part of an afternoon, and I started with getting the outside handle to positively close with the door open first. This put me in the ballpark, then made further adjustments with the door closed. There are really only 2 turnbuckle type (actually a threaded rod with stop nuts) to adjust. It just takes time and fiddling. Adjusting it with the door open helps a lot as it will show you how the lock react to the various adjustments. Why do the older planes have 2 side pins in the passenger door? What is different from the newer design? John Breda

The wing on all the metal Mooneys are structurally the same. The difference is wing tips and tank configurations. You can buy the parts for the current production landing lings and put them in the wings. I would do both sides. I did this when I rebuilt my airplane. I then changed out the factory bulbs and put in HID lights on both sides for taxi and landing. If I turn on both taxi and landing lights both sides for a night landing the view is incredible, almost like a landing at dusk. John Breda

I have several covers. I have not tried them on for size but I am sure I will have some covers and sun screens left over. john.breda@gmail.com John Breda

I have a bunch of Klixon circuit breakers and Klixon toggle switch breakers. john.breda@gmail.com John Breda

How much do you want for the Shadin fluel flow? john.breda@gmail.com cell (617) 877-0025 John Breda

I do not need the floats at this time (but might purchase at the right price). I would like to purchase the two dials with the 0 - 25 marking (I have an F with 32 gallons per side). Please contact me at john.breda@gmail.com or my cell at (617) 877-0025. Thanks, John Breda

I am writing this on the European site given that you have many more mountains in Europe when we do. I have a rebuild (that really means new) Original Style RayJay Turbo Normalizer system for an M20 E or F. It was rebuilt with stainless steel exhaust one gauge heavier than the original with a much beefier wastegate. The wastegate is manual and used as a second exhaust. It is essentially a bolt on system. I have the two STC's, FAA POH letter, install manual, parts manual, and all diagrams referenced by the STC's. This would be a logbook entry in the US with a 337 filed stating work done according to the STC. This would make the E or F a 160 kts airplane at 10,000 ft and a 180 kts airplane at 18,000 ft. It extends the utility of the E and F dramatically. I am trying to clear out my hangar after the rebuild of my own 1968 F. I did not use this system on my plane as I ended up using a J model cowling which has a different airbox. This system is designed around the original E or F model airbox. I am simply looking to get my cost out of the system. If interested, please e-mail me at john.breda@gmail.com or call me on my cell at (617) 877-0025 in the US. I can send pictures if you like of both the actual parts and also of the installation of this type of system. Thanks, John Breda

For anyone redoing the ceiling panels and good with composites, I have the left and right ceiling panels from an Ovation which I did not use. I bought them for my airplane (a 1968 F) but then got my hands of a full 1998 Ovation interior so I ended up with 2 sets. One set was modified to fit into my F model. The other set was cut to length to fit into the mid-body length but was not otherwise altered. These may be a good starting point for anyone wanting to redo the ceiling of a vintage Mooney. The fiberglass is easy to work with and the panels can be made to fit what you need. It is best to start with a large panel and alter to fit the windows. Give me a call if there is any interest. Cell (617) 877-0025 or e-mail: john.breda@gmail.com You can see the end result on my Album pictures at M20F-1968 John Breda

When I bought my 1968 F as a project airplane, people assured me that the Mooney factory was committed to supporting the older airframes. Throughout the years of converting my plane into a more modern aircraft, I consulted Bill sometimes weekly. He was always very helpful and took a practical approach with his suggestions and advice. I still smile at his character when I think about his answering "How are you Bill?" with a predictable "Terrible, Just Terrible." He has been an asset to the Mooney Factory and the Mooney community. More importantly, he is an example of the honesty, work ethic and passion of the 1950's is being seen less and less in today's world. I sincerely appreciated having Bill there on the other end of the phone. John Breda

Call Beegles Aircraft in Greeley, CO. They are 1 hour NW of Denver. They have been in business for some 60 years and do nothing but structural work. There work is excellent. They have one guy there with a great deal of patience and a good eye. If I were to have anyone do the work it would be Beegles. I would not under any circumstances allow the shop that did the work to try to fix the damage. Or, this may be you opportunity to get your insurance company to pay for TKS. The cost of replacing the wing skins would be about the same. Beegles has the patience and experience to possibly straighten the skin. I would be concerned about work hardening and cracking given the sharp corners of the dent. If not, they certainly could change the skins. Everything would be jigged beforehand. John Breda