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FAA letter: Confirming that changing a gear floor light by owner is legal


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Hi willerjim273,

Hope you can get this all sorted with the FAA with minimal time and pain. AOPA legal PPS is a great resource and well worth the added cost for the peace of mind in my opinion. Also, while too late in this current situation, I have found, if in doubt, for almost any flight anomaly when interacting with ATC, file a NASA report early and often. Usually not need but nice to have as a safety net in cases when questions do arise.  Good luck, I’m remined of the Dragnet line when you reply to your friendly FSDO ASI, “All we want are the facts.  

By the way, does anyone know if a 74 C is supposed to have a light in the floor gear position indicator window?  If mine is supposed to have one,  it’s been unairworthy for 4 yrs non :)

k

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2 hours ago, A64Pilot said:

But if the limit switch drives both lights, what’s the logic of requiring both lights? What drives the Caution light?

I wish I could answer that since it makes no sense to me, but in the SL or SB, their is language to the effect that the factory has seen a failure where the panel light came on but gear wasn't down. As best as I can tell, electrically they're either both on or both off. So I've wondered if they might be referring to a failure where you have some bent tubes and perhaps you can't see the football but its still lights? But I can't imagine how you could have bent tubes and get a tube far enough to close the down limit switch either. Its remains a mystery. 

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1 hour ago, FlySafe said:

By the way, does anyone know if a 74 C is supposed to have a light in the floor gear position indicator window?  If mine is supposed to have one,  it’s been unairworthy for 4 yrs non :)

As far as I know every electric gear Mooney has the light. I have done transition training a number of times when I had to tell the pilot his floor board bulb is burned out or broken wire. Its on the annual checklist too for mechanics to check - not that everyone follows the Mooney Checklist though. 

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oh my, 4 MSC annuals later, either I’m burning bulbs out at an alarming rate or someone's lost the checklist, thank you @kortopates ! and yes i have a flashlight on board to check the window on each flight.... if the FAA is listening.  

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3 hours ago, A64Pilot said:

But if the limit switch drives both lights, what’s the logic of requiring both lights? What drives the Caution light?

There are up and down gear limit switches that stop the motor in the up or down position and also control the lights. If the gear down limit switch is out of adjustment, the motor may stop before the gear locks over center yet the gear down light will be illuminated. In this case, the floor indicator, which is part of the mechanical linkage, will indicate that the gear isn’t fully down by misalignment of the indicator marks. 

My personal SOP is to do two or three GUMP checks before landing (depends on the pattern being flown). On the first one immediately after lowering the gear, I check the annunciator and the floor indicator. Thereafter, I just check the annunciator as I’m getting closer to the ground and don’t want to be moving my head that much.

Skip

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2 hours ago, FlySafe said:

Hi willerjim273,

Hope you can get this all sorted with the FAA with minimal time and pain. AOPA legal PPS is a great resource and well worth the added cost for the peace of mind in my opinion. Also, while too late in this current situation, I have found, if in doubt, for almost any flight anomaly when interacting with ATC, file a NASA report early and often. Usually not need but nice to have as a safety net in cases when questions do arise.  Good luck, I’m remined of the Dragnet line when you reply to your friendly FSDO ASI, “All we want are the facts.  

By the way, does anyone know if a 74 C is supposed to have a light in the floor gear position indicator window?  If mine is supposed to have one,  it’s been unairworthy for 4 yrs non :)

k

All Mooneys I have flown have a gear indicator on the floor between the seats. It should have a light that shows the gear is down. 

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All good info so far…

Just remember when responding to official letters…

1) Answer only the questions being asked…

2) Nothing more…

3) Nothing less…

4) Respond in a timely manner…. Don’t rush, and don’t be late…

 

5) If for some reason this is a fishing expedition… the extras and the missings are the additional rope they will be hoping to see…

6) Having a professional response is another deterrence for the fishing expedition…

7) Review whatever you need to… to really know what caused the letter to be initiated…


+1 For AOPA legal helping with your response…

PP thoughts only, not a legal Eagle…

Best regards,

-a-

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9 hours ago, PT20J said:

There are up and down gear limit switches that stop the motor in the up or down position and also control the lights. If the gear down limit switch is out of adjustment, the motor may stop before the gear locks over center yet the gear down light will be illuminated. In this case, the floor indicator, which is part of the mechanical linkage, will indicate that the gear isn’t fully down by misalignment of the indicator marks. 

My personal SOP is to do two or three GUMP checks before landing (depends on the pattern being flown). On the first one immediately after lowering the gear, I check the annunciator and the floor indicator. Thereafter, I just check the annunciator as I’m getting closer to the ground and don’t want to be moving my head that much.

Skip

I’m so paranoid about gear to the point that the floor gear indicator is my Wife’s job, that and to remind me to put them down. She takes it seriously to the point she starts reminding me when we are 5 miles out :) but I don’t mind.

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I’m waiting tho hear what AOPA legal has to say. I’ve only called them once and was talking to a Lawyer pretty much right away, They brought up something important that I hadn’t thought about and in short their advice probably kept my issue from going anywhere. 

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On a 75 F the Panel gear indicators are driven by the gear relay (Gear unsafe).    the Gear position light (floor light) is driven by the Down limit switch.    Other things are also driven off the Down limit switch such as the Ram Air (you don't have)   The power for the Gear unsafe light is from the Aux Bus bar (which is your pitot heat and such)      The two could be considered separate circuits given they are driven by different sources.    I would make note that you had a gear safe light indicated and you were confirming with the floor indicator.   The tower would be a visual redundancy to the 2 in cockpit indicators.

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