Under floor access cockpit

[Jpravi8tor]

I’m beginning to think that the only way that you can access 99% of the flight control linkage and landing gear motors is from under the belly panels. It sure would be nice if I had some pictures of aircraft in annual inspection that showed the respective locations of most of the components. I’m going to be tackling the belly panels soon and hope to get a preview of what it looks like.

[Robert Hicks]

Get a screw driver and remove them. Take a look yourself. 99% of the fun in having these machines is knowing how they work.

Edited May 14, 2022 by Robert Hicks

[N201MKTurbo]

The first time you look under there, it looks crazy complicated, but after you figure it out, it is surprisingly simple.

[PT20J]

If you've never seen it, the pictures probably won't be much help. You cannot get far enough back, even on jacks, to get a wide enough view so you get a bunch of close ups that only make sense if you already know what you're looking at. And, yes, it's all underneath.

Skip

[N201MKTurbo]

Buy a good creeper. You will use it a lot.

[EricJ]

One of the best first purchases I did when I bought my airplane was the Mooney-specific stainless screw kit from aircraft spruce.    If you have any trouble getting screws out when you take the belly off, replace the sucky ones with new screws, and maybe even lube them all a little when you replace them.    This way only the first time you take them off might be a nightmare, and after that it isn't really that bad.

+1 that you just have to get under there, take the panels off, and figure it out as needed.   An owner-assisted annual is an excellent way to get familiar with all the stuff down there.  The IPC has good drawings showing how everything goes together.

Since the Mooney is built around a steel cage, the skin isn't stressed and so taking big panels off the bottom actually makes maintenance easier than it is in some similar airplanes.   It's actually an advantage that you might come to appreciate with time.

 

[LANCECASPER]

18 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said:

Buy a good creeper. You will use it a lot.

Yes!! I bought a cheap one and it's worse than not having a creeper. I spent close to a couple hundred on a really nice one and worth every cent.

[Guest]

I recently bought a large wheeled floor creeper, while it rolls very well it’s too tall for a Mooney, so back to the old small wheel versions.

Clarence

[N201MKTurbo]

Mine looks just like this one:

I’ve had it for about 30 years. It has served me well. A friend came over to help and bought me new wheels, that was 9 years ago, it is still going strong.

It fits in the baggage compartment, so I can take it when I taxi to the wash rack.

Edited May 15, 2022 by N201MKTurbo

[MikeOH]

1 hour ago, N201MKTurbo said:

Mine looks just like this one:

I’ve had it for about 30 years. It has served me well. A friend came over to help and bought me new wheels, that was 9 years ago, it is still going strong.

It fits in the baggage compartment, so I can take it when I taxi to the wash rack.

That's the one I have; lost track of how long I've had it...well before I owned a plane.

[1964-M20E]

I just bought the aero creeper really nice.  It is the manual one not the electric on but is adjusts nicely as you go to the wing tips removing screws.  Also I made some blocks from 3 pieces of 2x8 lumber stacked and screwed together with a wheel chock on each end.  I put the plane on the jacks and then let it sit on the blocks while working under the plane.  This gives me an additional 4.5" of clearance under the plane and it makes a huge difference.

[EricJ]

I post this pic for two reasons:   One, to show off my tail weight made of used brake rotors from various race cars or whatever.   Some have some really cool cracks in them. 

The other reason is to make everybody appreciate their hangars more.   I didn't realize until recently that my hangar is the *only* one here that has this huge expansion joint right down the middle, which makes navigating on my (very nice) Harbor Freight creeper in the background rather...uncomfortable.   I'm constantly getting hung up on the expansion joint.

[Hank]

I have that same creeper! It was a wonderful upgrade from my [flat plywood] Craftsman creeper . . . .

[Ragsf15e]

2 hours ago, EricJ said:

I post this pic for two reasons:   One, to show off my tail weight made of used brake rotors from various race cars or whatever.   Some have some really cool cracks in them. 

The other reason is to make everybody appreciate their hangars more.   I didn't realize until recently that my hangar is the *only* one here that has this huge expansion joint right down the middle, which makes navigating on my (very nice) Harbor Freight creeper in the background rather...uncomfortable.   I'm constantly getting hung up on the expansion joint.

Expansion joint?! That looks more like an earthquake fault!