larryb

I cruise at 11/12k for a short 1 hour trip. 16/17 for 2+ hour trip. Adjust for IFR/VFR and direction of course. Lots of mountains in the west where I live so you have to fly pretty high anyway. But even on our cross country trip in the east this year I flew the same altitudes. On just about every leg on that trip as we climb through 10k the bumps smooth out. And every time descending through 10k it gets bumpy.

I have never been successful in finding an altitude that improved my ground speed. First up, my TAS drops as I descend. A few times I have found that while my headwind dropped my TAS dropped more. Next, the winds are variable. So you are never sure it was the altitude that made the difference. Maybe it is just where you are? Third, lower is bumpier. And I don’t like that. Finally, I find the winds aloft forecast quite inaccurate. I am generally happy as long as they are not 20 kt worse than forecast. So now I pretty much just pick the altitude I want (high) and get the speed I get.

I think that piston looks pretty good.

You want data? I have data. Here is my most recent real time monitoring report. I have done numerous tests at different temps, oil cap open vs closed, etc. I find 90 degrees is a good temp for RH less than 30%. Oil cap open did not make a huge difference in my previous lycoming. I have not tested the oil cap in my current continental. I do leave the cap open because that is where the probe goes. I never saw condensation on the underside of my Lyc oil cap but I have seen it on my Conti cap. Not sure why the difference.

Looks like it is no longer on controller.

Did you find metal in the oil filter? Did you do oil analysis? I am just curious if there were other clues.

Yes. Last year I was driving my boat to the mountains. 10 year old tires on the trailer. Probably less than 5000 miles. Tire blew and debris all over the place. Lesson learned.

That is where the old quilt over the engine compartment comes in to play. Everything under the quilt is within a few degrees.

Sure GA is expensive, but no more so than many other expenses. You can purchase a nice used Mooney for the price of a new luxury car. You can purchase a nice brand new Mooney for the price of a luxury RV. And your operating costs, all-in, are in the ballpark of a year tuition at a private school for 1 kid. It's cheaper than a year of college for 1 kid. So certainly not everybody can afford this, but there is a huge segment of the population that could afford it, if they wished. I think the real issue is Safety. Society has gotten more safety-conscious over the years. But GA still has a lot of accidents and you hear about every one. So right or wrong, the perception is that it is too dangerous. And the second issue is time. Lots more distractions these days, but no extra time. Most people don't wish to invest the time it takes. Larry

I leave mine on year-round, with one additional detail. A thermostat set at 90 degrees. I figure 90 is not too hot to deteriorate anything long-term. I know it's a lot hotter during flight, but not 24/7. The main detail is that warm air holds more water in suspension than cool air. So, for a given quantity of water in the engine, a warmer engine will have a lower RH. I did some experiments with a humidity meter and found significant reduction in RH keeping the engine at 90. Larry

I agree with the OP 100%. On half of my flights I will make a minor course change based on my ADSB display to deconflict a perceived threat. Often I never see them even though I know where to look. Often they are not called out by ATC either. Oh yeah, I have accurate fuel gauges too thanks to Ceis and JPI.

I need all the help I can get. So I happily pay for XM, ADSB install, and of course WeatherSpork, year round. Compared to the total cost of aviation these are the cheapest components.

Don’t forget to lube the cowl flap linkage every time the lower cowl is off. With the manual actuator in my J I knew when it got stiff. With the motorized version it is harder to know when it gets stiff. Just a quick shot of triflow.

I have cellular data on my iPad. For only $10/month to add the iPad to my family share plan I consider it cheap and essential. Sure, wifi is common. But it is not universal. It doesn't always work. Using the hotspot feature on my phone works, but it simply is not worth the effort to save $10/month. I don't have the patience to search out free wifi everywhere I go.

You can also read about it here: https://bruceair.wordpress.com/2018/06/26/new-ifr-currency-rules/ I personally find this very helpful. The sim I have access to is harder to hand-fly than my Mooney. Once second of inattention and you are in an unusual attitude. I get plenty of practice with my equipment even on vfr flights, loading approaches, flying coupled approaches with the autopilot, etc. I also get more IFR departures than I get approaches. And I get actual IFR approaches but that don't qualify because I break out too soon. The simulator can add the approaches I need for currency without having to find that perfect mid-IFR practice weather or a safety pilot.

And of this summer you can do your currency in a simulator with no instructor present.

I would find something at McMaster Carr. Here you can pick exact sizes and materials and know what you are getting. Perhaps you can find a product which will last a bit longer. https://www.mcmaster.com/9776t6 or https://www.mcmaster.com/9776t5

I generally fill after a flight. Before a flight I am anxious to go and don’t want to wait. My full fuel is 75 gallons. I only fill to that level on long trips. Normal trip fill is 60 gallons.

A true Encore just showed up on Controller. https://www.controller.com/listings/aircraft/for-sale/28779601/1998-mooney-m20k-encore I have no knowledge of this plane or seller, I have no involvement. I bought my Encore 18 months ago, and since then I have not seen a single factory built Encore on the market. I think there was one conversion at AA in that time window. Larry

I went with the Reiff because it is always installed. All I need on the road is a long extension cord. For me, using a portable heater with ducting was just too much setup and teardown, especially on a trip. The only downside is the Reiff is more expensive. But in the scheme of aviation things, it was worth it for me.

What I have learned is that forecasts cannot be trusted to be exact. Freeezing temps can be a couple thousand feet lower than the forecast level, especially in precip. Ceilings can be a couple thousand feet lower than forecast. Clouds can be more wide-spread than forecast. So your planning may lead you to think you can stay clear of icing conditions, but can you be sure? I have cancelled a bunch of trips over the years because I could not be sure.

All you need is 3g

Plenty of cheap cell switches on eBay and amazon. I bought one from reiff that was worked well. But you need to know that 2g is on the way out. I think only Tmobile supports it today. The original cell switches are all 2g devices.

I had an autopilot problem this year. It would do an uncommanded right turn. Sine the flight director display on the aspen did not show the turn I was pretty sure it was the servo. And it was the servo. The motor had come loose inside. Mid Continent was able to repair my servo for $600. Testing the AP on the ground I could hear the servo not sounding good.

I have a Reiff XL. 100 watts per cylinder and 100 on the sump for 700 watts total. With this and a blanket over the cowl I get about 80 degree rise. Roughly 1 degree F for every 10 watts. So figure out how cold it gets and how warm you want your engine and go from there. Based on my result I really don’t see how one can get a reasonable rise on the whole engine with just a trouble light or even a 100 watt sump heater.