chrixxer Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 Tomorrow I fly to CMA (tried to get PPR to land at NTD, but it was a no-go) and Uber over to the gate at NBVC - Pt. Mugu (née Pt. Mugu NAS), where I'll be escorted over to 3RM to fly her out. Replaced the fuel servo (possibly unnecessarily - the detached bit of ram air intake door seal in the throttle body was probably the only issue there, but it was already bought and paid for, so why not) and the mechanical fuel pump (definitely necessary, whatever else was going on seems to have caused a cascade partial failure, but looking at the cracking at the edges of the diaphragm, it was time to replace the pump in any case). I sent back the "new" pump (which, despite Aircraft Spruce's product page text at the time, was in fact a 62B26931, not a LW15473), and we've installed a rebuilt Tempest LW15473. In the process of all of that, the A&P noted a minor occasional miss, that's either plugs or wires (wires look original to the plane, '69). The mags are also coming up on IRAN, and the p-leads are crusty. I'm flying directly to CMA to have that work done, plus the baffles reinstalled correctly (they were put on wrong when the cylinders were replaced, about 350 hours ago, and were rubbing on the flywheel(!)). So the fuel system and spark system will be basically all new. Everything else looks great; mechanic says: "You have a solid airplane however some basic maintenance things have been neglected." So far, with the emergency landing, I'm in $3,000 in labor (including time waiting for a military escort onto the base, plus the hassles of working on a Navy ramp with only what tools you brought with you), $1700 (plus a $1000 core charge) for the fuel servo, $900 for the two fuel pumps (ultimately about $300 total, once I get the credit for the 62B26931 and the core charge refund on the LW15473). But hey, nothing bent, no one bruised. 5/7, would do again if necessary. Next, another $1,000 or so for all the other stuff (mags, wires, etc). Then I get to fly back out to Marana to have the S-Tec 30 pitch servo reinstalled (flat rate major service to correct "high start voltage" porpoising; $1325), the EDM-700 swapped for the EDM-730 (the -700 was on the fritz, it was going to be hundreds to fix, or $1200 to bump up to the -730 with the same wiring harness, no brainer)... Anyone need legal services? A couple of pints of blood? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLRDMD Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 2 minutes ago, chrixxer said: Then I get to fly back out to Marana to have the S-Tec 30 pitch servo reinstalled Lemme know when you're going to be in town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marauder Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 Tomorrow I fly to CMA (tried to get PPR to land at NTD, but it was a no-go) and Uber over to the gate at NBVC - Pt. Mugu (née Pt. Mugu NAS), where I'll be escorted over to 3RM to fly her out. Replaced the fuel servo (possibly unnecessarily - the detached bit of ram air intake door seal in the throttle body was probably the only issue there, but it was already bought and paid for, so why not) and the mechanical fuel pump (definitely necessary, whatever else was going on seems to have caused a cascade partial failure, but looking at the cracking at the edges of the diaphragm, it was time to replace the pump in any case). I sent back the "new" pump (which, despite Aircraft Spruce's product page text at the time, was in fact a 62B26931, not a LW15473), and we've installed a rebuilt Tempest LW15473. In the process of all of that, the A&P noted a minor occasional miss, that's either plugs or wires (wires look original to the plane, '69). The mags are also coming up on IRAN, and the p-leads are crusty. I'm flying directly to CMA to have that work done, plus the baffles reinstalled correctly (they were put on wrong when the cylinders were replaced, about 350 hours ago, and were rubbing on the flywheel(!)). So the fuel system and spark system will be basically all new. Everything else looks great; mechanic says: "You have a solid airplane however some basic maintenance things have been neglected." So far, with the emergency landing, I'm in $3,000 in labor (including time waiting for a military escort onto the base, plus the hassles of working on a Navy ramp with only what tools you brought with you), $1700 (plus a $1000 core charge) for the fuel servo, $900 for the two fuel pumps (ultimately about $300 total, once I get the credit for the 62B26931 and the core charge refund on the LW15473). But hey, nothing bent, no one bruised. 5/7, would do again if necessary. Next, another $1,000 or so for all the other stuff (mags, wires, etc). Then I get to fly back out to Marana to have the S-Tec 30 pitch servo reinstalled (flat rate major service to correct "high start voltage" porpoising; $1325), the EDM-700 swapped for the EDM-730 (the -700 was on the fritz, it was going to be hundreds to fix, or $1200 to bump up to the -730 with the same wiring harness, no brainer)... Anyone need legal services? A couple of pints of blood? Welcome to ownership. It was a lot easier to throw the keys at the FBO desk and say “it’s running rough” isn’t it? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrixxer Posted July 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 6 minutes ago, KLRDMD said: Lemme know when you're going to be in town. Wilco! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrixxer Posted July 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 7 minutes ago, Marauder said: Welcome to ownership. It was a lot easier to throw the keys at the FBO desk and say “it’s running rough” isn’t it? Heh. Not my first time owning, though the first one was just as expensive but much shorter lived (in the 4 months I had 4BE, I put a $2700 SL30 in, a $500 (IIRC) IND-351 and then had to replace that with a $1300 MD-200-306, $1000 in tires and tubes, about $2300 in autopilot repair and misc. avionics labor, $400 into fixing a leaking o-ring on the flaps valve, $400ish for a pitot-static system check, and $115 to the ambulance crew that handed me gauze when it fell out of the sky (seatbelts only, no shoulder harnesses) and I knocked one of the ceiling spotlights off with my head. On balance, I'll still take 3RM over 4BE, and either one of them over renting... (Well, 4BE as it was pre-9/22, to clarify.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJMac Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 Anyone need legal services? A couple of pints of blood? Lol on blood. Was reading up on donating plasma for one of my broke employees and found they pay you by your body weight. I always tell my dogs to get a job. Am thinking that the 200 lbs between my dogs might allow them to donate... always an opportunity for your dogs too. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartman Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 I have followed you saga since the forced landing in the streets of Burbank I think it was. If anybody deserves some good luck it is definitely you ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrixxer Posted July 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 I thought I rembered you having posted that you insured your previous E model for way more than you paid for it on eBay, so I figured you came out OK on that one financially. Sorry to hear it was otherwise. Has the NTSB issued a final report on that engine failure yet? I am very interested in reading their findings. Jim It was insured for more than the purchase price, but what I guesstimated the hull value would be once it was sorted out. I more or less broke even in the final tally, especially when you factor in the acquisition costs for 3RM (three trips to MPI, etc). But I was speaking more generally to the experience of being an owner, and paying for your own MX, avionics, etc. No final NTSB report yet. I have my theories, and there's some "Swiss cheese" represented in there... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yetti Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 fast taxi down the runways are always a good way to find that last hickup. I do one after more than an oil change. Also when I had the spark plug go south. I also sat for a long time making sure the air space was clear so there was no rushing. I think you are under some B or C airspace, but call the tower and see if you can circle up above the airport several times I usually take it to 5000 or 7000 for the post maintenance flight. It's a happy feeling knowing that if the fan quits you can just coast down and land again. It was at 6000 feet after annual that I saw the fuel pressure burble. Back down and put new mech fuel pump on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 Be Safe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron McBride Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 Chris, be safe. Have a great day. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrixxer Posted July 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 Arrive at Pt. Mugu in an Uber. The airfield manager picks me up at the gate and drives me to the Mooney. Shakes my hand, thanks me for working diligently to get the plane off his facility. I preflight. Left tank, 15+ gallons (I have a dipstick, but it's for a Cessna; if I add 5 gallons to what it indicates, I'll always be conservative). Oil, 7 quarts (I add when it drops below 6). Fuel caps are already wearing some surface corrosion, after just a couple of weeks on the line here. Right tank ... Is bone dry. (I filled to tabs at Riverside and then flew a bit less than an hour to CMA, then about 20 minutes from CMA to engine out to partial engine recovery to NTD. I should have had *at least* 30 gallons on board.) Check with the A&P. It's a mystery to him. There's no fuel pooling below the plane, there's no smell of AvGas, everything looks okay. Maybe someone drained it? IDK. I have enough to make it the ~6 nm to CMA with VFR reserves. She starts on the third blade turn, as she always does, though the turns themselves are just a tad on the sluggish side. It's been sitting for 3 weeks, to be expected? Battery was new in October 2017 I think (relatively recently, in any case; Concorde RG-35AXC). My engine computer is in Marana, so I have no volt meter (plane wasn't equipped with one originally); the landing lights are LED, so I don't have anything I can test with that will give me a visible draw on the ammeter (pitot heat doesn't move the needle, though I've confirmed the heater works), but it looks normal. My fuel pressure is spiked past 30 psi. I text the A&P: The lines need to be purged, the gauge needs to be debunked, but it's okay to fly. Taking your word for it ... COM1 is a GNS430W, COM2 is a KX-155. Audio panel is a GMA450, transponder is a GTX-327. I get ATIS on COM2, it's loud and clear. I contact ground on COM1, loud and clear. They taxi me Alpha to Alpha 2, and I have the option of back-taxi the length of the runway, or an intersection departure. I still have 3500' of runway, and the engine is running strong. Run up is normal. Flaps to take-off. I'm rolling. I rotate. Positive rate, gear up ... What the fuck? Why did the GPS just reboot? (Maybe it's loose and I bumped it; it's right next to the gear switch.) It comes back online in that slow way old Garmins do (you have to wait for AUTOEXEC.BAT to finish running and CONFIG.SYS to load before the radio's hot) and I let Pt. Mugu tower know I'm having radio issues, in case I missed a call. As soon as that brief exchange is over, the Garmin reboots again (I haven't touched it). Crap. I switch over to COM2 and let them know I'm heading to CMA. The Garmin finishes rebooting, and immediately reboots again. I turn it off, it's going to be worthless this trip. Then the audio panel fails. Hrm. Ordinarily, no big deal, it will "fail safe" to connecting the pilot's headset jacks directly to COM1. Except, see above. No COM1. COM2 is still online, but I can't use it for anything, not even receiving. 7600 into the transponder. I haven't touched flaps yet, and at this point I'm not going to. I put the gear back down while I still have power. Check the breakers - all good. Hrm. Ammeter showing a deep discharge. Weak battery sucking all the life out of it? I pull back to 1950/19.5(ish) and enter a left traffic pattern for CMA. I don't see anyone else coming in, but I know I'm going to extend my downwind for a while to let the tower make whatever calls they need to. I activate Bluetooth on the Bose A20s and use my phone to call SoCal TRACON (the only phone number I had at my fingertips for CMA, courtesy ForeFlight), and try to get through the phonemail menu before just jamming '1' which is apparently Burbank. Hey, Burbank, sick of me yet? They couldn't hear me at all and by that point I was getting a green light from the tower so I came in and landed normally. Got off at the taxiway and saw no light from tower, so I held there. Tried SoCal TRACON again, finally managed to shout my way to getting the Camarillo Tower number. Called them. They couldn't hear me either, but I could hear them, they told me to taxi Foxtrot, which I did, over to transient. Shut down and was met by a dark SUV with lights and a guy with a badge (airport operations of some sort), who just wanted to know what had happened. I explained the situation and that was that. He seemed to relax significantly when I mentioned who was going to be working on the plane (I'm using a mechanic local to CMA for all of this), and was just "glad [I'm] okay." Met on the ramp by a line guy, who put 5 gallons into the "mysteriously dry" wing for me, and filled the "good" tank to the tab. Called the tower on my phone waiting for lunch at Waypoint and thanked them for helping me get in, and making sure they didn't need anything from me. The person who answered the phone checked with her supervisor and confirmed I was good. At least this time she's where she can be worked on easily, and without a military escort! (Getting an IRAN done on the mags, having the baffles reinstalled properly, replacing the spark plug wires and p-leads, and now troubleshooting whatever was going on with the electrical system...) 1 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdash Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 Ouch, new drama was not what you needed when getting back to CMA. Glad to hear it ended safely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1964-M20E Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 Dude unfortunately the gremlins have set up house keeping in you r plane and have not intention of leaving soon. Sorry to hear this. Sounds like everything was OK with the engine running though. Just a new electrical gremlin. Check you alternator field wire with all you were doing in there the wire may have gotten broken or loose. Hopefully the electrical is that simple. The Garmin was probably rebooting due to low bus voltage. Good luck at least you are in a place more accessible. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricJ Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 Well, you're getting good at in-flight issues. Nicely done in all cases. I hope you've gotten your quota and fly drama-free from here. FWIW, we call my airplane the Drama Queen because of issues early in my history with her, which even pre-dated purchase. Knock on wood, though, once past the initial adventures she's turned into a very nice, reliable little airplane, so here's hoping the same or better luck to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrixxer Posted July 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 34 minutes ago, 1964-M20E said: The Garmin was probably rebooting due to low bus voltage. That's what I think, too; it got past the self-tests and when the radios came up it went down, repeatedly. Think the extra draw of the radios tipped the scale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yetti Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 It would be easy to knock the alternator wires loose working on the Fuel Servo. Hopefully you get a good mechanic to sort it all out. Glad you got it down in a place you liked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyNameIsNobody Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 Check her for meth. Your girl acting Cra-Cra... Glad you got down O.K. Well done. 1 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaylw314 Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 Geez @chrixxer! You should buy a lottery ticket at this point! Glad you're down successfully and safe! 5 minutes ago, MyNameIsNobody said: Your girl acting Cra-Cra... Oh god, that's one of my pet peeves when people say that. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McMooney Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 man chrixxer glad you got her out of there, hope you get back in the air soon. hey can I have your sl30 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b65cuda Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 I had the exact same electrical failure experience. My interav alternator will burn up the resistor on the back and not charge. I plug a cheap digital volt meter into the 12v accessory socket now. That 78 cent resistor made me land at Sheppard AFB without comms in the middle of the day with fighter trainees alk over the pattern. Tower cleared them out of the way for me, then airfield manager just pulled up and asked if I was ok, then let me go on my way to fix it and get out of there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricJ Posted August 1, 2018 Report Share Posted August 1, 2018 You can get USB/lighter adapters that display the input voltage, which I've found very handy when flying with either janky gauges or an iffy charging system. Like this:https://www.amazon.com/ToBeoneer®-Cigarette-Voltmeter-Protection-Temperature/dp/B015GO3ZOM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1533082102&sr=8-4&keywords=usb+cigarette+lighter+adapter+voltage+temperature That said, this is also the same type of adapter that can cause radio issues if you're not careful. What I've found is that a particular adapter either does or doesn't make noise, so if you use it and things are fine, it's likely to stay fine. If you have trouble with squelch issues, try unplugging this first. When you find a quiet one, they're very handy for monitoring the system voltage. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrixxer Posted August 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2018 man chrixxer glad you got her out of there, hope you get back in the air soon. hey can I have your sl30 8) The SL30 was still attached to 4BE when she was taken away Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrixxer Posted August 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2018 You can get USB/lighter adapters that display the input voltage Yeah I had one of those in 4BE and may start keeping one in the plane as a backup (the EDM-700, soon to be a -730, has a volt meter, but again, it's in Marana). Along with a handheld, PTT switch, headset adapter, external antenna hookup, flare gun, parachute, a .45 automatic, (2) boxes of ammunition, four days' concentrated emergency rations, antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills, a miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible, $100 in rubles, $100 in gold, 9 packs of chewing gum, prophylactics, lipsticks, and nylon stockings...Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrixxer Posted August 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2018 Well, you're getting good at in-flight issues. Nicely done in all cases. I hope you've gotten your quota and fly drama-free from here. FWIW, we call my airplane the Drama Queen because of issues early in my history with her, which even pre-dated purchase. Knock on wood, though, once past the initial adventures she's turned into a very nice, reliable little airplane, so here's hoping the same or better luck to you. LOL, yeah, silver lining, I have the dubious distinction of being perhaps overly confident in my skillz, and overly dubious about any plane I'm flying in... I'm continuing my training and working on settling into a healthy skepticism of both my abilities and the planes (trust but verify). 3RM came to me the same way! First attempt at a test flight, she died at idle check and oil pressure was a sliver below the green arc. A&P adjusted everything and I came back up a few weeks later for another try. After one lap around the pattern the fuel boost pump breaker switch wouldn't turn on (an A&P later lubricated it and it's been fine since)... but then I flew her 75 mostly trouble-free hours, except for the S-Tec pitch servo and the EDM-700, then the engine out, now this ... But I *think* this has a simple explanation... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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