larryb

Does anybody have any info on the pitot heat monitor circuit/module? In the wiring diagrams it is shown as "CM101A" and a part number of 800221-505. Mine may be bad and I am wondering if anybody else has had an issue with this module and has any schematics. The same part is used for prop deice current monitor. Thanks, Larry

There is no difference between the 4 and 6 cylinder versions. If there are 6 probes they will be shown. I got this from jpi tech support and actually did it.

I wrapped the section that goes into the truss with duct tape. That solved the slipping problem. It lasted almost 2 years before needing a rewrap.

Lot of really bright led lighting. Lots of power outlets and compressor plumbing. I only have a t hanger leased from the county. But i got them to allow me to change out the dim bulbs for 700 watts worth of leds.

As a seller I would not agree to such an invasive inspection as taking off a cylinder. Way too much risk of a maintenance induced problem that I would own if the buyer did not purchase in the end. As a buyer, I would realize that taking a cylinder off would cost 10 hours labor and probably $1200. Put that towards the engine fund. You can get a good idea of risk based on oil changes, oil filter, and hours flown. All of these engines are a risk no matter how good the inspection. One thing I think would be valuable in a pre-buy is downloading the engine monitor data and reviewing that. When I bought the Encore I asked the mechanic to do this, and it was like they had never done it before. They did not have the cables and/or software for the JPI 700. I would have done it myself except I was buying it long-distance. In the end they did, but it didn't matter because the monitor was old and was not set to record data. So nothing there to review.

The flap position relay system is not that reliable. Lots of people (including me) have had trouble with it. Save your money.

Tri flow on the cowl flap linkage. I do this every oil change.

Yup. I owned a J for 5 years and my Encore for 2 years. There is not a large difference in total cost between the two. My fixed costs alone are $20K. But I admit, some of that is higher than others might experience. First, I live in California. Second, I lease two hangers, one at my home airport and another at my vacation house airport. So I am paying a total of about $1000 per month just for hanger storage. Take that plus insurance, annual, and subscriptions and I am at $20K without flying an hour. I do fly a fair bit, so that accounts for the rest of it.

Remember this, the purchase pales to the cost of ownership over time. $30k per year for 10 years and who cares if you spent 50k or 100k to buy it? And that nice new GTN costs the same to install in K or a C model.

MFD 100 or 500? A 1000 is really a second full install complete with RSM and all wiring to other radios.

Both of my Mooney’s (current Encore and previous J) raised sections sit flat. But I have seen so many pictures of others that don’t sit flat that I have wondered why they don’t.

I would like the upgrade but am not going to get it right now. Here are my reasons: Aspen runs tons of special deals. I am confident they will have a good deal on the upgrade in the future. I am happy with my current Aspen displays. They are plenty bright enough and fast enough. I am nervous about the down-time. They claim 2 weeks but who knows? If they get backed up when you send your old unit in it could easily stretch to 4 or 6 weeks, plus shipping and shop time. I would only do exchange, but don't really like the fact that they chose to monitize the exchange option. In my opinion all of the upgrades should be exchange, which would eliminate the risk.

The GPS/cellular option is 26 gallons of AvGas. Or the cost for 1 nice dinner out for 2. Insignificant in the cost of aviation.

My pet peeve with GA these days is down time. We just accept weeks of down time as normal. I personally suffered several weeks of down-time due to an airspeed safety switch problem. It was replaced at annual. But the calibration was off. Back to the manufacturer. Came back inop. Back to the manufacturer. 3rd time the charm. Now, if this is your car the mechanic goes to the parts department and you have your car back in a day. The Aspen Max upgrade is another example. They want you to take your your current Aspens, making the plane un-airworthy. Ship them back, 2 weeks at Aspen being rebuilt into Max, return shipping, install. So at least 3 weeks down-time. Probably more with the inevitable delays. Want to avoid that? They will do an exchange for $500 extra. Per unit. $1500 extra in my case. No thanks. I'd like the upgrade but not with those conditions.

I flew with it today for the first time. Basically just faster and snappier and just "feels" better. The map screen re-draws much faster, almost instantly. The mini 4 takes a few seconds to draw the entire screen, you see it drawing sections at a time. The navigation wheel appears much faster now as well. That was one of my main complaints with performance in the mini 4, how long it took for the navigation wheel to appear when I touched on an airport in the map. The screen was clear and easy to read. I did not compare the two units side-by-side so I can't really say it was much better than the 4. For non-aviation uses I find it is a fair bit snappier as well. Complex web pages are usable much faster. I always thought that was slow due to the internet loading speeds, but now I see the processing has a lot to do with it. The performance speed-up is very noticable. I don't think anybody will be disappointed. My mini4 is now the backup in the flight bag.