Bob_Belville

I found CAS/IAS conversion charts for M20J on line but I don't think I've ever seen similar for our old M20Es. Can someone point me to same? Is it the case that the factors that make the difference are the same for all planes of the same model? Specifically, would "instrument and position errors" change if a new ASI is installed? How about a new panel? I have both. I think "position error" is limited to the static port. Is that true?

We're pretty close to the "beating-a-dead horse" stage of this thread but I want to make one further point based upon my report yesterday that when I step on the entry step while the plane is on jacks and the cowling is removed the tail goes down. There is very little play in the tail hold down clevis pin so it can only move 1/4" or so. The tail attachment stabilizes the plane whether the tail want to go up or down with CG changes. When a tail stabilizer is replaced with a chain fall on the engine lift "ring" what happens when the CG moves behind the jack points? Removing weight from the nose end, e.g. nose wheel comes off for maintenance, cowl removed, maybe starter or alternator, etc. and weight is added behind jack points - someone steps up on the step, someone is in the plane working in rear seat area, etc, I hope a jack stand of some kind is used to keep the tail from going to the floor which well might cause the wing jacks to do nasty stuff. As I observed a couple of years ago, the evidence is pretty clear, if only circumstantial, that Mooney's SI was precipitated by Lycoming's warning re prop jacks. It was not issued out of any particular concern about the use of tail hold down weight.

That sounds fine though 1.2 x Vso (adjusted for weight) on short final is SOP for short field landing, I think. Gusting winds require a safety margin. I have 65 (kts) set as my Aspen ref speed and target that for normal landing. Vso @ MGW is 50. (CAS is a kt or 2 different from IAS but I ain't that precise). I never heard the stall warning horn go off in flare!

David! So Kerrvile got back with you and, off the record, told you the weighted tail was not a bad thing! Thanks for the followup. Confession is good for the soul.

Dev, over the more than 2 years since I fabricated the weight pictured in post #1 I have used it quite a few times including most of the month of November when I extended the annual inspection to install new windows, new engine control cables, paint the nose wheel, and more. We climbed onto the wing and in and out of the cabin dozens of times. When I step on the step (I'm 220#) the tail moves down slightly due to a little slack in the hold down in the swivel screw pin clevis. The plane is very stable on jacks with this system.

No need to draw it: http://www.mcfarlaneaviation.com/pdfDocuments/Vernier-Assist%20Throttle%20Single%20Form.pdf

Great idea. I'd like to be "Bob 158K66E".

I replaced the mixture, prop, and throttle cables recently with McFarlane which I ordered direct. The old ones were 18 year old ACS - worn and inferior. There was too much play and the mixture cable was extremely stiff when cold. McFarlane makes FAA-PMA cables FOR Cessna, Piper and a couple of other OEMs but the ones they make for Mooney are not so labeled. For a Mooney, the buyer either sends them the old cable as a pattern for a "owner manufactured part" or provides the critical dimensions using McFarlane's drawing. The A&P logs the installation as owner provided part. My mixture and prop cables are vernier, of course, and the throttle could have been, McFarlane offers it at a higher price. For my NA IO360 there is little reason for fine tuning throttle. If operating your turbo requires precise partial throttle @ cruise it might be worthwhile. I could not be more satisfied with my experience with the folks at McFarlane. I removed and measured the old cables and emailed the drawings. The cables were assembled the next day and I received them in less than a week. Then, when they forgot to machine the throttle cable for the limit switch they immediately fessed up, profusely apologized, rushed through a replacement the same day and shipped it next-day-air all on their nickle. (The plane was in my hangar, up on jacks, for annual inspection and getting new windows. The rush was not needed or requested.) http://www.mcfarlaneaviation.com/Reference/default.aspx?ID=6554170&page=Content&Article=87

My hanger neighbor, a dentist with a nice Cherokee 6, has a STEC 60 PSS add on for alt preselect and vs rate select. I think it is cost prohibitive for me from the STEC50. $10,000 for the box plus $3,000(?) for installation. http://sarasotaavionics.com/avionics/pss

Base rate @ my field: for a manual gear (M20C-G) is $1430. Electric gear $1560. An annual inspection not only includes labor, but some added value services as well. http://www.aglaviation.com/pricing-rates Items include: 1) AD research 2) Clean, gap, test, and rotate spark plugs 3) Pre and post run up for systems check 4) Compression test 5) Servicing battery 6) Oil and filter change ** 7) Air filter change ** 8) Lubrication wend servicing of pulleys, hinges, and bell cranks 9) Cleaning, inspection and repacking of wheel bearings 10) Landing gear extension/retraction test if required 11) Mag to engine timing 12) Removal and installation of inspection panels and interior as necessary for inspection 13) ELT test and inspection per FAR 91.207 ** 14) Inspection of aircraft **LABOR ONLY As noted several times, an "annual" is an inspection. Repairs are not part of the inspection. Folks here often talk about annuals that cost several AMU but they're including new brakes, tires, trouble shooting avionics, lighting, hydraulic issues, patching fuel tanks, touching up paint, checking rigging, dealing with corrosion, maybe installing an AOA or a EDM!

Absolutely. (Assuming it is just a lube problem and no parts are needed which I would think is the most likely situation.) In fairness, I point out that you are about as close to Dalton GA where Joey Cole is a highly regarded MSC. I really like Lynn though.

We removed, cleaned and put new grease in the "gearbox" below the trim wheel on my '66E a month ago @ annual. The old grease was very old. I suggest you call Lynn Mace @ AGL Aviation Services - KMRN. 828.216.6482 828.391.8645 lynn@aglaviation.com. Belly access panel(s) have to be removed, front seats and floor covering have to come out. The actually work on the trim is not that big a deal but that gear box needs to come off and be opened up which is why, I suppose this system get neglected.

STEC55 didn't seem right. Your 60-2 is a big time step up. Sorry for the insult. But if the A/P is able to autotrim for a 500 f/min descent istm that there was some down trim left @ cruise. I.e., the indicator might say you're full down but there is still room for more before the screw hits the stop. I only got in 48 hours last year but intentions are to do much better this year, D.V. Assuming senility holds off a little longer... Oh, and the stock market stops its free fall.

CaringBridge is a nice facility that provides a place for well wishers to post. http://www.caringbridge.org/

Chris, I have STEC electric trim but it's not automatic. The STEC50 A/P has only up/down lights that prompt that trim is needed to take pressure off the elevator servo in ALTHLD mode but the trimming has to be done manually. (I think it is important for best cruise speed to trim precisely. I release ALTHLD now and then to observe if the nose comes up or goes down and tweak the trim.) No, stable cruise is not all the way nose-down for my E. When I release ALTHLD for descent from cruise I have to crank in some nose down pitch for descent. How do you descend? Hold constant elevator down pressure? Reduce power? Surely not... Your STEC55 has rate of descent select doesn't it? Does it have to hold elevator pressure to maintain? If you release A/P does the nose come up? I picked up a church consultant we're working with in Nashville Monday for a meeting here Monday night and took him on to Augusta Tuesday where he needed to be rather than taking him back to Nashville. (We're adding several elders and Mike is doing some training. I will be making several trips to Nashville. You may have noticed I asked about the going rate for renting a plane like ours.)

My short body E may be a little different from your F but I always land full nose up trim, full flaps. At least when the CG is forward with 1 or 2 souls on board. But I am short and I have the seat in the second position from the front for landing and take off. I slide it back 2 or 3 notches in cruise. I also never hear the stall horn in the flare.

I'm thinking cardiac surgery takes "complex" to a whole new level.

And more than a few plugs have been installed with a new washer and the old one still in the hole.

I believe in (Tempest) fine wire plugs in my M20E (IO360). They do get cleaned at the annual. I've never had a fouled fine wire, unlike my experience with massives. I have had this plane 4 years. Early on I experienced fouled (Champion massives) plugs. The previous owner had replaced several plugs over a few years. The resistance was inconsistent plug to plug. I bought a set of Tempest fine wires a few months into my ownership and spark plugs have not been an issue since. (I had another M20E years ago and had identical experience. I may have gotten 1000 hours on a set of fine wires.) I know prices have inflated in the last couple of years, I paid $50 per plug in June 2012. I suspect that represents their quality and the problems Champion has apparently had with design, QC, or both. YMMV

Sure am glad we settled that!

I lost a piece of the tailpipe between PDK and MRN a few months after buying my Mooney! We had not noticed any cracks. Upon further examination we found that the guts of the muffler were coming apart. I priced overhaul and decided to go with Powerflow. The Powerflow system calls for disassembly and anti-seize at every annual. System is now almost 4 and looks like new.

Thanks folks, sounds like Peter's nice round $200 per hour would be easily justifiable.

I'd be interested in some input on what the going rate is to rent an IFR Mooney. I'm particularly interested in E, F, J models but there may be broader interest by others for the M20K and long bodies as well. Mooneys for rent are rare compared to Pipers and Cessnas so I'm casting a wide net on MS. (I'm not looking to rent but would like to know what an arms length, e.g. FBO rate, is for valuing the use of my plane for charitable flights.) In this query am not very interested in advice on IRS or FAA rules that someone here might be tempted to give. There are plenty of existing threads already dealing with these questions. Please stick to the question and tell me that ABC FBO @ KXYZ rents a 201 for $250/hour wet, or similar. Thanks! Bob

I'd be interested to know why MS permits aliases and why so many great contributors use them. I also wish folks would include their home aerodrome.