treebobboy

I admit. I'm a low time pilot, but doing a ground idle check prior to shutdown, saved my bacon this last winter. I always turn the prop thru three revs during preflight. I actually had a P Lead break during a flight, and if I had not caught it on shutdown, who knows what might happened, two days later when I went flying again. The ground idle check is one of those things that should be on every checklist. All you Mooney pilots USE your checklist-----RIGHT?

Okay, I've watched all the bashing, listened to all the BS speeds, heard pros for this and cons for this and that. What the original poster wanted to know was, "which is better, a C or a G"? Yes, I am biased, I own a G model. I bought it for many reasons: It's carburated (first crank of the day, starts after one blade, second start after refueling takes 3/4 blades), yes I only get 140 knots at 24 squared (but I'm burning 8 gph or less depending on my altitude), and that extra leg room in the back is fantastic (even if you don't think you will haul passengers, believe me, YOU WILL, since you will be so proud of your new flying machine). Everyone has been talking about fuel capacity---52 gallons divided by 8 is a hell of a lot more than my blatter can stand. Yes, I'm old, but even young folks have a hard time going 6 hours without a pit stop and you would still have 30 minutes reserve. Comfort of the pax and crew should be your first priority, not how fast you can go, how fast you can climb, or how cool do I look. Lastly, and I will get off my soapbox, I can enter the pattern and drop the flaps at 125k, then the gear at 120k. From what I have read and seen, there are a lot of Mooneys that can't do that, according to the POH. The Mooney is a very fast and agile aircraft, but you always need to stay ahead of it, and if you do, you will get the most bang for you buck. Only you can make the decision on what you want, so, please take my recommendations only as that, a recommendation.

Pictures and price?

Bluehighwayflyer, N6832N, certificate issued 4/17/68, SN 680111, dorsal fin--yes, fixed cowl flaps, single piece front windshield, flush screws on the windshield, protruding screws on all other windows.

Bluehighwayflyer, not to be picky, but I have an original '68 M20G and it has a retractable step.

How did the prop balancing go? Did it run a little bit smoother on the flight home?

Cody is "The Man" when it comes to props. For those who don't know, Cody bought out his old company (Mid American Propeller) and is now the sole owner of the new company, Stallings Propeller. He always takes time to explain what he is doing and why he is doing it. One nice thing about him is that he will never try to "rip off" any customer. If you're broke away from your home base, he can come to you and work on the problem on the spot or take the prop back to his shop for repair.

My 68G is manual flaps and manual gear. Speed for lowering flaps is 125 according to my book.

OKAY, I thought I might not chime in, but the prices you gentlemen are quoting are way on the high side. Here in Arkansas, we pay $37.50 a month for "runway access fee" and we own the hangar! I've got two hangars beside me that are for sale for less than $5000. Yes, I know, that's all the way in redneck country, but, if you can spend one tenth of the cost, you might want to look into a possible relocation. We have our own A&P/IA on the field and we have one of the best prop shops in the country also on the field. The runway is 5000 plus feet and we even have a Cessna Citation stationed here. If you are looking to something to do, we have the Ozark Folk Center, the White River and the Little Red River for trophy fishing, and the Buffalo National River for folks that just want to see nature in its pristine best. Before every starts flaming me, yes, I know this reads more like an advertisement, but seriously, you folks in other parts of the country are paying way to much to hangar your prized possessions. It's kind of like gas prices------what is the most they can charge, before people cut down on their driving. Lastly, the airport is 7M2, for those of you that have read this far.

Here's my two weeks in "hell" with three very similar problems. Took off from Arkansas headed for Eastern Ohio. About fifty minutes into the flight. Engine ran rough for about 3 seconds, then smoothed out. I was looking at the EGT and it spiked to max. I pushed in the mixture and it came back down. About three minutes later it started running rough again and I put it down in Popular Bluff, Mo. Off the runway, I did a run up and it was the left mag stumbling. Three hours later the mechanics discover a blown intake gasket on #3. Repaired and on my way. Flew great rest of the trip--10 hours +. A week later, wife and I are heading for Georgia. Leave Arkansas and land two hours later at Monroe County in Mississippi. Top off with gas and take off. About 800 feet, engine starts running rough. Turn for immediate downwind and do some trouble shooting. Switch to left mag and engine dies, quick back to both. Switch to right mag and engine continues to run. Back to left and silence again, back to right and land. Mechanic here finds left mag has lost three teeth off the plastic gear. Overnight repair. Next day, off to Valdosta, Georgia. No problems with the two and a half hour flight. Next day, take son-in-law up for a flight. Now I'm a little gun shy and think the engine is missing but not real sure. After landing, do a run up just to check things out. No problems. Next day, take my daughter up for her flight. Run up is well within limits. About 500 feet off the deck, engine has started to have a definite miss. Downwind again, check mags again, and both are missing like crazy. Land again and do another run up, out of limits mag drop on both. Mechanic this time finds my fuel was contaminated at the last stop and the fuel strainer is plugged up. Fixed and do two test flights. All is well as was the 5 hour flight back home. Point is---------three identical initial indications with three separate completely different fixes. You never know what you might find when you start trouble shooting.

I would like to point out that these switches are really circuit breakers and you DO NOT reset a CB by holding it in. If you hold in a bad CB, you are going to cause it to overheat and this could lead to a fire. Fire not good in airplanes!

E.A. WALLACE in Mountain View is also excellent, used to ferry planes for Mooney.

Having read this post brings up an interesting question-------I have a '68 M20G and I have two pitot/static drains. One is same as mentioned above but the second one is aft of the wing on the pilot side of the fuselage. Any one else two drains?? Mike

Yves, Your VSI looks just like mine, but yours is mounted differently. Mine is mounted in a square hole, vice a round one, so the instrument sits about a quarter inch further out. Because of that, the little hole is obvious. It appears to me you will have to loosen the VSI and move it a bit forward and then to the left or right to access the adjustment screw. I will take a picture of mine tomorrow and send it to you. Mike

Yves, If it is a standar VSI, the little hole is located on the front metal rim, lower left on mine. You do not need to remove the instrument. The adjustment is a straight slot jewelers screwdriver that just slides in the hole. Mike