cbarry

Could it be that vibration over time may caused have one of comm jacks to become loose or even possibly grounding out?

Might it be the muffler heater collector/ shroud?

Agreed. Here in North Texas, actually preheat is called Spring time.

Moved my previous post to here: This is a very simple catch, but it may help someone out there. When doing an oil change today (on a cool day, it’s kind of like watching sap flow out of a maple tree..) I try to do a thorough look at the engine and components. I noticed two preheat wiring connectors were not completely seated/snapped together. Preheat is great when the heat is evenly distributed, but it’s best if juice is flowing to all of the heating pads or probes!

This may sound too simplistic, but have the injectors been cleaned? (which could definitely have gummed up after a period of sitting). I’m not a mechanic, but the stiffness in the mixture could be from a change in the clearance between the muffler shroud and the mixture control cable/arm.

I’m fairly convinced any feeling of being wider from a cabin that on paper is the same if not more narrow than our Mooney cabin is actually is in perception only due to the shape of the cabin. Flatter and higher sidewalls will definitely cause a feeling of greater overall width whereas a more aerodynamic transition from sidewalls to the ceiling (more curved) may cause a person to lean in toward the center of the cabin thus reducing shoulder-to-shoulder spacing. I believe Rockwell Commander offered an illustration back in the day that compared cabins/seating positions to show one of their strengths. Maybe that comparison was ahead of its time…due to the smaller girthed folks then as compared to of today. I’ll take speed and efficiency over perceived space every time.

As others have alluded to, very few other aircraft that I know of, have a control wheel deflection, within the aileron range, that matches a Mooney. I’m not a CFI, but sometimes simple items such as a “free and correct” controls check more than once during the pre takeoff are good reminders of the nuances when we may be switching between aircraft—just like the ground pitch attitude difference between the long body Mooneys and the mid and short bodies.

I would check the condition of the source of the heat, the muffler and the shroud/collector as possible causes for lack of heat. Then check the condition of the inlet and exit of the muffler shroud ducts for leaks. Also, if your cowl flaps are open or have been adjusted to be in trail when closed, you may have reduced heat in the cabin (the air flow leaving engine compartment will be greater and draw heated air away from the firewall cabin heat box/control flap the more the cowl flaps are open).

175 v 188; marketing dollars buy pencil sharpeners first!

That makes more sense…

That sure looks the glancing blow and shape of a bird strike. The missing paint could very well be where the beak hit.

That’s great news!

When the statement is made that the wingtip damage was done when the aircraft was “swung” around.., my immediate thought is carelessness begets carelessness and the degree of nose gear turning limitation could have very likely been exceeded—hopefully not but worth checking.

With wingtip damage like that, I would suggest double checking for nose gear damage as well—just a precautionary word to the wise.

Just the thought of a fueler prying the latch up, with who knows what, is enough to make a Mooniac cringe! It makes me think of the fueler pretending to be a bartender practicing popping tops on your Mooney’s fuel caps! With good seals and proper adjustment, the caps’ latches should not be an ordeal to open/close or require any prying tools.

I was considering installing the 230 in place of a KFC150, so I called the company to ask a few questions. I wanted to know the level of integration it would have with the G600 and found out only the heading control would remain functional on the G600 and all other control functions turned into bug function only (altitude, vs…). This would not be dissimilar, I believe, to having the GFC500 installed instead. The control/preselect functions mostly reside with the AP control head. Not really an issue, just how it would function. The second thing I was reminded of was the current servos, if good, could stay. This was somewhat attractive, but it was hard to tell whether this could turn into a partially new AP system still being problematic (not to say that even a fully new system from another manufacturer wouldn’t always be issued free). The last thing I learned was that they had a unit ready to ship and would have a representative contact me to discuss further. He did and I will say the gentlemen that I spoke with were very courteous and knowledgeable. I lost a little interest on the lack of integration with the G600 flight display and the seemingly lack of adoption rate to this point.

Hard IMC to me is departing into IMC at just higher than the minimums to shoot the approach back into the departure field, remaining in IMC for the greater part of the flight and then shooting the approach to near minimums at the arrival field all while listening to ATC giving traffic advisories to aircraft responding “in IMC negative contact.”

Cowl flaps should be renamed “heat dumps” and then maybe pilots would use them as such. With the “heat dumps” closed on a model with the oil cooler mounted forward on the lower cowl, I’m convinced there’s actually back pressure on the engine side of the cooler that restricts airflow through the cooler. (You can actually observe the cowling airflow back pressure by simply watching the oil filler access door slightly bow upward as the cowl flaps are closing.) Opening the heat dumps just a little can make a lot of difference.

The autopilot mode label is from when I had the Stec 30 (then the button would switch modes in place of the control switch on the AP itself). That’s just a hole plug/cover…I need to replace the horn cover with one that just has the ident label.

This is where my panel’s TOGA button was placed—maybe a little less likely to bump inadvertently, but also not as accessible.

Is it possible to upgrade your existing autopilot setup with one of the same brand. If you have the Bendix King AP, possibly their new Aerocruze 230 might be worth considering—retaining your servos, etc. Of course, you might be wanting to do other panel work that involves integration issues that necessitates going with the Garmin autopilot. I haven’t flown with the 230, but I have flown with the GFC500 installed in both mid and long body Mooneys. In my opinion, the GFC500 is a nice setup, but I believe is right at the capabilities limit on the long body Mooney. The GFC600 is more suited to the longer body’s performance envelope and has a more open architecture design for other product lines…(even though none of the Mooney lineup are on the GFC600 supported aircraft list at this time).

It sure sounds like a lack of grounding issue—possibly for both.

You are a part of a small number (relative to the population) of dedicated learners that became pilots and experienced a life perspective that cannot be matched or exceeded (except maybe by an astronaut…). Be proud of your accomplishment and wisdom to know when to settle into your next phase of pursuits.

I just had the GFC500 installed on an Eagle 2 without YD (the Eagle 2 does have electric rudder trim) and I don’t see a need for a YD. Of course, I upgraded from an Stec 30 (which I believe to be a solid basic AP), so I’m still enthralled by simple things such as altitude preselect.

I agree. Even though the avionics shop is on the list as a MSC, I’m more than likely going to reach out to a service center that serves mainly Mooney aircraft to resolve the issue.