Marauder

Thanks again! I'm sure like the rest, I hate surprises during upgrades. Especially since when they happen to the stuff you are upgrading, it derails the project both for money and time. I will give Hector a call and see what he says. I'm not planning on doing anything until the Spring at the earliest. Both my interior and exterior need to be dealt with. Is there an order preference? I'm positive I need to replace my side windows. Better to have the interior done first with the glass or exterior with glass, then interior?

Turn coordinator.

I'm having a hard time picturing what you are dealing with. Any chance you can post a picture?

Thanks for posting the details! Do you know how they handle problems if they encounter them (for example if they encounter a broken seat frame)?

Thanks for sharing the pictures. The work looks awesome. I found their website. It looks like one option they offer is to have the entire interior sent to them. Has anyone done that and how did that turn out? I also saw one of the commenters on their site said they loved their work but they were expensive (funny that they let that be posted). Any ballpark figures on the cost to have it done at their site and remotely?

All industry testing for oils and oil additives can be tested against specific ASTM standards (stuff like lubricity, viscosity, etc.). These standards are used as the baseline for performance. If this is used as an additive and provides specific claims as to improved wear characteristics or protection, there are tests to prove that it performs better than standard SAE performance specs. This conversation reminds me of the one that always is ongoing for SCAR rating improvements for diesel fuel additives.

Anyone got pictures to share?

To be honest, a helicoil would be overkill for what you are dealing with. They are usually used to address stripped threads in things like cylinder blocks. If the screw that belongs in the hole is stripped out by just a little bit, I would just use a larger screw. You can pick up stainless steel screws at your local Lowe's or Home Depot.

Thanks. I have heard these guys named a bunch of times. Eventually would like to get my interior redone. Do they do the entire insides?

Does anyone know of a shop that can repair one? I'm starting to see cracks and wonder if repair is a viable option.

Speaking of these vents, do any of your's rattle (the metal vent itself)? Mine was driving me nuts.

The device he is talking about is called a helicoil.

This threads looks to be 2 years old. But I do agree with today's comments. If I don't apply some back pressure just before rotation and use too much rudder, I will get this sensation as well. Was there ever any final outcome on this topic?

I have gone back and forth with both the ForeFlight and the Garmin Pilot. With both installed on my iPad and able to use them both interchangeably, I have seen first hand the good and bad for both. Garmin's split screen stuff is pretty good and I really like how you can set up a flight plan and use the widgets for checking the weather along your route. The biggest drawback on the Garmin Pilot is that the routing is all manual. As you know with ForeFlight's last major update, they included a route search feature. Being able to have it calculate it for me or give me previously provided ATC routes as an option is nice. I suspect Garmin will catch up. I am waiting to see what happens with Aspen's Connected Pilot product before I do anything. With a Garmin 650 in the plane, manually loading long routes with ForeFlight and Connected Pilot would be nice.

Mooney has had their ups and downs like Piper and Cessna. Depending on the part you may need, you may find difficulty getting the part for a number of general aviation airplanes. Common parts, like engine components are easier since they go across the fleet. Airframe specific parts are probably the most difficult to find and accessory items like interior components, switches, etc. may or may not have (easily) available solutions.

I went through this phase (kids) and it passed and it shall for you too. I found that the majority of our trips when the kids were younger were typically shorter since they just didn't want to sit for that long. As they got older and bigger, I actually rented a few bigger planes for those trips where I needed the extra payload. Later, i became friends with an 182 owner and we would trade planes for different missions. After the kids reach a certain age, they were starting to do their own thing and often would ask to stay at home while the Mrs. and I travelled. Now that one is through college and the other is soon to be, the Mooney is mainly for my wife and I. I don't know the kind of traveling you do, but if you expect to fly routinely with the need for extra payload, it makes sense to get a bigger plane. If your trips are only several times a year, it might make more sense to rent or find an alternative when the need arises.

When I saw the silicone ones on their site they looked very familiar. Here are the ones I used for hunting. Wonder of they are made by the same people: http://www.cabelas.com/product/Combat-Arms-Ear-Plugs/735177.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3DEar%2Bprotection%26x%3D0%26y%3D0%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=Ear+protection&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products

That is too funny! I have an orange torpedo, otherwise everything else is the same including the ceramic heater!

Post some pictures please. I have been a torpedo kind of guy for years. Would like to know how your installation goes.

I wonder what the original interiors of our planes were rated. It was an issue and still is I believe with the commercial fleet.

LOL! Now that is some funny stuff! They all wore them in the movie Apollo 13. I'm curious on trying these. I actually saw some of 201er's UTube videos with him wearing it. Thought at first it was a Telex (the kind you see in airlines). I hate wearing a headset in the summer and always carry a baseball cap with me to deal with the "headset head" problem. How are the mics on these headsets. I have a set of foam cushion iPod earbuds so I know how well the in the ear stuff works. Just curious if there are issues with mic clarity or if it picks up background noise.

As we get closer to the mandated date, I suspect we will see a lot more players entering the market and hopefully driving the prices down.

I have seen your comments on the other thread for this headset. I have a pair of iPod headsets with the foam inserts. Really like them. I did not see any mention of how well the mic works on it. Any issues there? As we all know, it is the other half of the equation.

Dave, Here is a link to my comments on both the Garmin and ForeFlight. I have been going back and forth between the two of them on the same iPad. The Garmin is starting to edge out the ForeFlight mainly because of the ease of use. The menu is very similar to the GTN 650 in my plane. Garmin has been making improvements lately and one I wish they would make is the route determination feature. ForeFlight has a distinct advantage there. Enough of me babbling on, here is the link to the PoA thread where I commented (page 40). Funny how all the antenna for ADS-B cost $799... http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51526

Sorry to hear about the problem. I have an EI Fuel Totalizer that I installed in 1995. Has been running solid since it was installed. The same for my GEM 602 that was installed in 1992. I wouldn't let this experience deter you from considering electronics in the cockpit. I have had my fair share of AI, DG, TC and even an airspeed indicator failure (ok, it was really due to the stupid weathervane thing the previous owner installed on the pitot tube). Even both of my old King KX-170B radios had mechanical failures of the tuning mechanisms. I do agree with you about putting all your eggs in one basket though. I would rather have a couple of basket of eggs