larryb

I am based at KTRK and KRHV and regularly fly between the two. I had an '84 J for 5 years and currently have had my '97 FIKI Encore for 5 years. Here are a few things I've learned over those 10 years. For the first couple years I did not have a hangar at Truckee. I learned that if I wanted to fly in the winter I needed to rent a hangar. The hangar keeps the plane snow and ice free and provides easy access to electricity for the pre-heater. Note that Truckee does not have a traditional FBO. The county runs the airport and provides FBO services, but there is no big heated community hangar that a transient can put their plane in. Truckee also does not have any de-icing services. My J did just fine at 11.5K or 12.5K to get in and out of Truckee. There is a flat area to the NE with a couple of reservoirs where one can gain altitude before departing over the mountain to the West. The IFR departures have a minimum climb gradient unless the ceilings are > 3000' where you can do the VOCA. I can meet the climb gradient with my turbo, but I cannot do that at the same time as meeting the minimum IAS while using TKS of 120 kt. So effectively I can't do an IFR departure into freezing clouds even with a turbo. While running TKS you must maintain at least 120 kt IAS to prevent ice from building on the bottom of the wings. What the FIKI does for me is reduce the days around a storm that I cannot fly. During a storm the winds over the mountains are typically 80 - 100 kt, so you aren't going to go no matter what. But FIKI can make a difference the day before a storm or the day after a storm where clouds are present and you can't guarantee you can stay out of the clouds. There are several flights I have made there where I would not have attempted the flight without TKS but ultimately didn't need it. In 5 years I have only done one IFR approach into TRK while using the TKS. Larry

The on/off switch mimics the master switch and circuit breaker in the plane. There is a clutch in the speed brake that is always activated when the master is on. If you turn off the master with the speed brakes deployed the clutch will release and the brakes will slam down due to the spring. The deploy/retract switch mimics the control relay in the aircraft. The relay is activated by the push-button switch. For simplicity I just implemented what I needed to get the speed brake to activate. There was no need to replicate exactly what is in the airplane.

Push button switch on yoke.

IMG_1590.mp4 This video doesn’t seem to play on Tapatalk but it does play on the PC.

So far speed brakes have worked fine. I created this bench tester for the day when I have trouble.

How do you plan to prime and start the engine?

It is pretty easy to have an expensive annual without engine work. Add up a prop overhaul, new donuts, new tires, new fuel pump and all the regular nit picking squawks.

The mixture or power setting does not matter. You are comparing total gallons used between the JPI and the fuel pump. The more gallons used the better. I kept records for a few fill ups but found the default K value was within 1%. The hard part is fueling to the exact same level.

I removed my marker beacon antenna because I wanted that location for an ADSB receiver antenna.

I don’t think ATC cares much between piston sub types. You are either a piston or turbine.

I had a missing cam lock on the belly pan just aft of the exhaust pipe that caused the CO to be noticeably higher.

Ben: Are you confident that a K model is the right plane for you once you finish your training? And how much do you know about the pitfalls and risks of buying an airplane? I was happy to do my instrument training in the J I had a the time and not the K I have now. Every training flight was like 7 approaches followed by full power climb outs. Training is a lot more stress on the plane than simply climbing to altitude and flying there at 65% power for a couple hours.

hangar $8400 annual $5000 Fuel $5000 insurance $2000 maintenance $3000 database $1000 total $24,400 Not all maintenance happens at annual. In my 9 years of Mooney ownership I have had to replace two cylinders. One in the J, one in the K, and about $5000 each. Plenty of other non-scheduled maintenance just comes up. And the upgrades have to be included somewhere.

Nope. The actuator is held in place with the switch mounting screws.

For those who admit it I think most Mooney owners pay between $20k and $30k yearly all- in. A lot depends on hangar price where you live. In the long run it is not the purchase price that gets you.

Just for fun I built myself a speed brake bench test circuit. Two switches in small enclosure and a connector that matches the aircraft. I figured I should build it before the break so I can do some preliminary testing. I used the Mooney schematic and verified with a voltmeter to come up with the design. Unfortunately I have yet to test the device since the plane is in the shop for annual.

Fortunately for you this is a standard part and available from non-aviation sources. Mouser has both in stock today. That said, the flap relays are problematic and could also be the source of your problem. limit switch Honeywell V3-1 https://www.alliedelec.com/honeywell-v3-1/70119063/ https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Honeywell/V3-1?qs=0x4sLrpp94JcOlsy%2BnfV2g%3D%3D roller lever: Honeywell JV-5 https://www.alliedelec.com/honeywell-jv-5/70120150/ https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Honeywell/JV-5?qs=%2Fha2pyFaduhUkHaxgJoyblOS5GVPIsARlMPyyFAJ6M4%3D

Just one datapoint, but... My Brother-in-law runs a cabinet shop serving commercial customers in California. When a government contract comes in it is always for top $$$. They include a "living wage" that is twice what his guys normally make. They get the best and most expensive materials. He can propose a material half the cost that looks just as good and lasts just as long and they don't want it. They want to pay for the "best." It's all gold-plated construction. They are not spending their own money so money is no object. I'm not kidding, we have had numerous conversations about this. The governments don't have a revenue problem, they have a spending problem. He is very happy to take their (our) money though.

Why have 02? Because virtually every flight is over 11.5K. So many advantages to flying high. Very few disadvantages. Why built-in? Because it came with the plane. With the Mountain High O2D2 one full 115 cu-ft built-in tank lasts virtually a full year of flying. I calculate 11 psi per hour for two people. If it didn't have built-in I would be OK with it, since a 24 cu-ft tank would last about 24 hours for 2. So 2 tanks would take me cross-the-usa and back. I have a transfill system in the hangar. I never have to worry about O2. It is always there and always ready.

I had a Bose X with broken Y-arm. They would not sell me the part, only option was flat rate overhaul for something like $200. It did come back looking new, but no free Bose repairs for me... I was annoyed they would not sell me the part and let me do it myself. Excuse was "It is a certified aviation headset" whatever that means.

Here is my solution. This is with rear seats removed.

Using Garmin Pilot logbook reporting feature, I had an average cross country speed of 133 kt in the J and 146 kt in the K. Average block-block times. I flew the J at generally 8.5 gph and 11 k. I fly the K at 9.5 gph at 11k for short trips and 17k for long trips. If I want to speed up the K I can fly ROP at 14.5GPH and add 20kt. But MPG drops pretty significantly when I do that, so I don't do it often.

Have you unmounted the old antenna, cleaned the base and aircraft, and remounted? I would not condemn the antenna until this has been done.

I owned my J for 5 years and 500 hours, and my K for 4 years and 400 hours. In my ownership I replaced a cylinder on each engine. So a wash there. I had to have the turbo scavenger pump rebuilt on the K. The J does not have such a pump. The K also has built-in O2 and I have spent some money maintaining that system. A turbo airplane often has more systems and therefore will cost a bit more to maintain them. But, overall it's pretty close. Larry

While I don’t have a clear vision of what the seat looks like, it sounds like one could easily design and 3D print one.