Static wicks required?

[Jason 1996 MSE]

I recently purchased a 1996 J.  The static wicks are removed.  There are 15 of them.   It looks like a paint shop in the past removed them and did not reinstall.   Should I replace them?  Are they required equipment?  If replace, where does one buy them and are they easy to install?   Avionics work fine.   Thanks.

[PT20J]

I believe they were an option. Probably most helpful with ADF. The last time I replaced one it was hard to find the one Mooney used. I notice LASAR. has the 4” for $75 ea. Personally, I wouldn’t replace them. 

[Slick Nick]

My MSE has them. 15 as you mentioned. I do have a factory installed DME and ADF. 

A quick peruse of Controller seems to show that older models did not have them installed, but it seems most of the “round window” J’s do. Not sure if there’s a correlation there or not. 

Edited October 13, 2024 by Slick Nick

[EricJ]

I think you're okay without them, but check the POH/AFM for your specific aircraft in the Limitations section in the Kinds of Operation Equipment List.   I have an example M20J POH that appears to be in the 96-ish timefreame, and they're not listed there.    If they're not on there, you're good without them for all kinds of operation.     In the Equipment List in the POH/AFM I have they're listed but with negligible weight and arm, so removing/replacing them doesn't affect WnB, either.

 

[BlueSky247]

The real question is, what effect do they have on cruising speeds. 

[GeeBee]

You won't need them until you fly in the clouds, get a nice big corona around your airplane and go NORDO.

[Lax291]

I remember listening to an Aviation News Talk episode about P-Static and how it can interfere with radio comms. Made me thanksful for my static wicks. https://aviationnewstalk.com/podcast/265-crackling-communications-exploring-the-phenomenon-of-precipitation-static-ga-news/

[kortopates]

I don't know, I am sure its possible but after 25 years of flying is lots of precipitation at all altitudes in our 252/Encore I have not gotten a single crackle. But I am also not flying  up at the artic circle either.

An earlier 231 I had did have them so I wondered if they did anything, but I am not planning to add them to my 252. 

There is no requirement for them either.

Edited October 14, 2024 by kortopates

[PT20J]

My 1978J didn’t have them. My 1994J does. I’ve noticed no difference flying lower altitudes in precip. YMMV.

[donkaye, MCFI]

13 hours ago, kortopates said:

I don't know, I am sure its possible but after 25 years of flying is lots of precipitation at all altitudes in our 252/Encore I have not gotten a single crackle. But I am also not flying  up at the artic circle either.

An earlier 231 I had did have them so I wondered if they did anything, but I am not planning to add them to my 252. 

There is no requirement for them either.

On January 29, 1992 the Mooney Salesman for Northern California asked me if I wanted to accompany him to Kerrville in a TLS.  We would come back in a J Demo. What fun that would be I thought, so I said yes.  I asked him to make sure he topped off the O2.  I flew up to Auburn, where he had his office and we took off late in the afternoon.  The plane did not have a stormscope and ADS-B wouldn't come along for many years.  I didn't do the flight planning and I had very little true cross country time.  I think our navigation consisted of a KLN 88 Loran or maybe a KLN90B.  Based on my logged time I think we went direct over the Sierras.  I cringe as I think about it now.  He also didn't top off the O2, so I think we had maybe 400 lb if even that much.  I think we started off VFR, maybe IFR, but somewhere about an hour into the flight we came upon some weather and I think picked up a popup clearance and got news of thunderstorms along the route.  That got my attention.  Soon we were in the clouds and shortly thereafter I started seeing flashes of electrical charges dancing across the windshield (St. Elmos Fire).  That was the first time I had ever seen that.  A few minutes  later the sky lit up all around us and Mike asked me why I wasn't holding altitude.  We were obviously in a thunderstorm and Mike said to climb.  Since we were low on O2 and I was flying the plane, Mike said I should use it.  We kept climbing and I kept looking up hoping to see stars, letting me know we where on top.  I personally thought we might be done for--and it was a Customer's plane.  I asked myself how could I have gotten myself in such a situation?  To my utter relief we broke out at 21,000 feet.  We must have shared the O2 at that point, I don't remember.  We did an approach into Tucson, at which time I told Mike that because we didn't have any O2 I'd stay there and he could on to Kerrvile.  Between you an me, there was no way I was going on after that.  I found a hotel and called Shirley to tell her what happened.  Later, I found out that Mike had to shoot an approach to minimums into Kerrville at 3:00 in the morning.  There's more to the story, but the memory still sends chills down my spine.

The reason for the story is that the TLS had full static wicks, our comms were not interfered with, and we still got St. Elmos Fire on the windshield.

[kortopates]

Quite a chilling story Don! thanks for sharing.


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[Pinecone]

11 hours ago, kortopates said:

I don't know, I am sure its possible but after 25 years of flying is lots of precipitation at all altitudes in our 252/Encore I have not gotten a single crackle. But I am also not flying  up at the artic circle either.

Hmm, my 252/Encore came with them.  25-1057

[Marc_B]

I gather the general gist is that flying though clear air at Mooney speeds is unlikely to generate a lot of static.  However, flying though snow or dust storm is much more likely to cause issues.  Clouds and rain seems like a middle ground.  Static wicks might also help in the unlikely event of lightning strike.

But they're priced so that if you have them you might go ahead and keep them.  But if you don't have them, then you probably aren't going to add them.  I have a M20K 25-2008 that has 3 on each control surface.  Over time the threaded rod corrodes and when they break it's usually at the rod instead of the wick, so the entire base has to be replaced since it's a problem to try to drill and tap a base to replace the threaded rod...the wicks come with a female end.

Edited October 14, 2024 by Marc_B
added picture for PN

[PT20J]

Like Don, one of my most “interesting” flights was with a salesman. 

I only got St Elmos fire on the windshield once — years ago over the Woodside VOR heading for SJC. I was in the clouds in heavy precip but there were no thunderstorms around thankfully. That was in my 1978 J with no static wicks and the coms were fine. I didn’t try the ADF.

[PT20J]

23 minutes ago, Marc_B said:

Over time the threaded rod corrodes and when they break it's usually at the rod instead of the wick, so the entire base has to be replaced since it's a problem to try to drill and tap a base to replace the threaded rod...the wicks come with a female end.

Does the airplane sit outside a lot?  You could also try putting some aa ACF-50 on the threads.