Rght out of the gate? Seriously???

[Hank]

2 hours ago, Slick Nick said:

It's bad airmanship to taxi around with it on if you're pointed in someone else's direction. 

So im supposed to taxi around the airport using my wingtip red and green lights and my belly strobe for illumation? Very little of that light is visible in front of me.

Or do you have a (free) STC to mount a taxi light somewhere on Vintage Mooneys???

 

[Hank]

1 hour ago, Jim Peace said:

in the air it should basically stay on 100% of the time below 18,000..

Since I've never taken my C to FL180 (but did once reach 18,800 Pressure Altitude), I keep my landing light switch ON all the time.

[Matthew P]

All this discussion about a light that's ONLY required if you are operating for hire..individuals telling others what they SHOULD be doing and when they SHOULD be using it.... is it a good idea to keep it on unless it interferes with ground personnel/aircraft..I certainly think so..the AIM makes suggestions for its use but the AIM ISN'T REGULATORY...

Edited yesterday at 06:53 PM by Matthew P

[midlifeflyer]

18 minutes ago, Matthew P said:

All this discussion about a light that's ONLY required if you are operating for hire..individuals telling others what they SHOULD be doing and when they SHOULD be using it.... is it a good idea to keep it on unless it interferes with ground personnel/aircraft..I certainly think so..the AIM makes suggestions for its use but the AIM ISN'T REGULATORY...

"I sometimes call it the Utopia book. If everybody did what the AIM says they should do, all of us would be out of jobs. None of us would ever be in any trouble. Because everybody would do everything they were supposed to do….” 

— Comment by the Administrative Law Judge in FAA v. Scheltema (1990)

[Matthew P]

1 minute ago, midlifeflyer said:

"I sometimes call it the Utopia book. If everybody did what the AIM says they should do, all of us would be out of jobs. None of us would ever be in any trouble. Because everybody would do everything they were supposed to do….” 

— Comment by the Administrative Law Judge in FAA v. Scheltema (1990)

Yet the FAA REFUSES to mandate parts of the AIM..

[MikeOH]

15 minutes ago, Matthew P said:

Yet the FAA REFUSES to mandate parts of the AIM..

And thank god for that!

Do you really want MORE rules and laws? Remember, not all of them are going to be ones that YOU agree with! Be careful what you ask for is never a caution to forget when dealing with the Federal government!

[PeteMc]

5 hours ago, skykrawler said:

Also, on the ground landing light on implies aircraft movement. 

I know the heavy metal does that, but I've never heard of turning on the landing light for Taxi in a Mooney/GA. 

I was taught back from my very first lesson that the Beacon goes on before engine start to alert people that the prop was about to spin or it may be spinning and they couldn't see it from their angle. 

[midlifeflyer]

4 hours ago, Matthew P said:

Yet the FAA REFUSES to mandate parts of the AIM..

No need to. We have enough regulations. The AIM and other “guidance” is the FAA’s explanation how to best comply. The problem is pilots who thing “not regulatory” means “can be ignored.” FWIW, my views in the subject: AIM is Non-Regulatory

 

[Pinecone]

On 10/10/2025 at 11:19 AM, midlifeflyer said:

AFAIK, only the big Continental ones take off with boost pump off. The Lycoming- equipped have boot pump on for takeoff.

And small Continentals also.  My M20K is boost pump off for take off.

[Slick Nick]

12 hours ago, Hank said:

So im supposed to taxi around the airport using my wingtip red and green lights and my belly strobe for illumation? Very little of that light is visible in front of me.

Or do you have a (free) STC to mount a taxi light somewhere on Vintage Mooneys???

 

You don’t need it on the ground during the daytime. Your previous post said you never turned it off, ever, so I assumed that meant during the day as well.
 If it’s night and you need it to see, absolutely. But during the day, using some discretion is good airmanship. 

[Hank]

7 hours ago, Slick Nick said:

You don’t need it on the ground during the daytime. Your previous post said you never turned it off, ever, so I assumed that meant during the day as well.
 If it’s night and you need it to see, absolutely. But during the day, using some discretion is good airmanship. 

Yes, it's on during the day, too. Helps with visibility just like daytime running lights on all of our cars. And it's pretty washed out by sunlight, so visible but doesn't cause a bother to anyone.

[Freddb34]

On 10/12/2025 at 5:51 AM, Jim Peace said:

This has nothing to do with your issue but why would you turn off the landing light?  see and be seen.....should stay on 100% of the time you are below 18,000 feet...

It's in the checklist.  Oh, those pesky checklists....

[Freddb34]

On 10/11/2025 at 8:50 AM, Fritz1 said:

Curious how this plays out, take pics of fuel pickup tube when access panel is out, think this is a 1/2" tube with holes drilled into it, takes a lot of debris to clog up, glad everybody walked away and no metal was bent

An inspection of the fuel tanks revealed a considerable amount of build up in the left tank (right tank was clean).  Plan is to remove the top panel and remove all of the debris (it's not metal or sealant...not sure what it is).  But once that's cleaned out, the AP/IA will test fly it and hopefully by Wednesday I can pick it up. 

[Fly Boomer]

28 minutes ago, Freddb34 said:

But once that's cleaned out, the AP/IA will test fly it and hopefully by Wednesday I can pick it up. 

Glad you found a possible cause.  As others have suggested above, I would disassemble and flush not just the tanks, but the tanks and everything downstream from there.  No telling where that crud has migrated to.

[LANCECASPER]

51 minutes ago, Freddb34 said:

An inspection of the fuel tanks revealed a considerable amount of build up in the left tank (right tank was clean).  Plan is to remove the top panel and remove all of the debris (it's not metal or sealant...not sure what it is).  But once that's cleaned out, the AP/IA will test fly it and hopefully by Wednesday I can pick it up. 

If there aren't bladders, which the original ad says it had (maybe incorrectly), and it has sealed wet wing tanks, then it is the original 61 year old sealant and any subsequent patches coming apart. If that's the case, then not only does it need a strip and re-seal, the fuel system needs to be completely gone through. (Since one tank has debris and one doesn't, I would almost bet the farm on whatever they used to patch that side coming apart.)

You have bought a project. If you can get out of it - run, even at a substantial loss. If you can't then buckle up for the ride.

[Freddb34]

1 hour ago, LANCECASPER said:

If there aren't bladders, which the original ad says it had (maybe incorrectly), and it has sealed wet wing tanks, then it is the original 61 year old sealant and any subsequent patches coming apart. If that's the case, then not only does it need a strip and re-seal, the fuel system needs to be completely gone through. (Since one tank has debris and one doesn't, I would almost bet the farm on whatever they used to patch that side coming apart.)

You have bought a project. If you can get out of it - run, even at a substantial loss. If you can't then buckle up for the ride.

Tanks were resealed in 2003.  

[Freddb34]

1 hour ago, Fly Boomer said:

Glad you found a possible cause.  As others have suggested above, I would disassemble and flush not just the tanks, but the tanks and everything downstream from there.  No telling where that crud has migrated to.

Fuel flow was tested using both the mechanical servo and the electric fuel pump.  Both had excellent flow so AP is not concerned.  It appears the blockage was confined to the pick up in the left tank itself.  

[LANCECASPER]

32 minutes ago, Freddb34 said:

Tanks were resealed in 2003.  

Who did the tank re-seal?

[Jackk]

So few things 

 

1

General rule of thumb

You turned the switch to a different position and something you didn’t like happened, turn the switch back to the other position 

 

2 

before the AP who said the plane was GTG that had the engine fail  right after you took off “fixes” more stuff, I’d take a sample of that fuel with the stuff in it and send it off to find out what the “stuff” is.

 

 The FBO is going to say it wasn’t them 100% of the time

The shop that worked on the tanks is going to say it wasn’t them 100% of the time 

 

A lab doesn’t care and will tell you want those particles are and that will more or less tell you who’s speaking the truth

 

3

landing lights, not sure if you can adjust them, but that’s a good call, even in a new car most of them are out of wack. A decades old plane that’s had lots of work and light changes over the years, probably needs a little adjusting one way or another.

If safe turn them off when pointed at other manned planes or line crew, but you are the PIC, if you turn your light off and hit something I promise you the line guy or other pilot ain’t going to offer to take the blame or pay for your prop/engine/legal expenses 

 

4

time

You have more than you think when a engine quits, your CFI had to do friggin S turns, even in singles most bad outcomes from a engine failure are pilots rushing or getting a “helmet fire” vs flat out running out of time.

Edited 6 hours ago by Jackk

[IvanP]

2 hours ago, LANCECASPER said:

If there aren't bladders, which the original ad says it had (maybe incorrectly), and it has sealed wet wing tanks, then it is the original 61 year old sealant and any subsequent patches coming apart. If that's the case, then not only does it need a strip and re-seal, the fuel system needs to be completely gone through. (Since one tank has debris and one doesn't, I would almost bet the farm on whatever they used to patch that side coming apart.)

You have bought a project. If you can get out of it - run, even at a substantial loss. If you can't then buckle up for the ride.

If the aircraft was advertised as having bladders installed and it does not have them installed, the seller knowingly misrepresented material fact and that, in and of itself, would suffice for rescission of the sale unless the parties addressed the issue during the transaction.

Was this discrepancy addressed during pre-buy? It is pretty easy to spot bladdes vs. wet wing tanks by looking inside. Of course, the absence of log entry for installation would reveal the discrepancy.  

[Freddb34]

1 hour ago, Jackk said:

So few things 

 

1

General rule of thumb

You turned the switch to a different position and something you didn’t like happened, turn the switch back to the other position 

 

2 

before the AP who said the plane was GTG that had the engine fail  right after you took off “fixes” more stuff, I’d take a sample of that fuel with the stuff in it and send it off to find out what the “stuff” is.

 

 The FBO is going to say it wasn’t them 100% of the time

The shop that worked on the tanks is going to say it wasn’t them 100% of the time 

 

A lab doesn’t care and will tell you want those particles are and that will more or less tell you who’s speaking the truth

 

3

landing lights, not sure if you can adjust them, but that’s a good call, even in a new car most of them are out of wack. A decades old plane that’s had lots of work and light changes over the years, probably needs a little adjusting one way or another.

If safe turn them off when pointed at other manned planes or line crew, but you are the PIC, if you turn your light off and hit something I promise you the line guy or other pilot ain’t going to offer to take the blame or pay for your prop/engine/legal expenses 

 

4

time

You have more than you think when a engine quits, your CFI had to do friggin S turns, even in singles most bad outcomes from a engine failure are pilots rushing or getting a “helmet fire” vs flat out running out of time.

1)  I did that.  The only switch I changed was the electric fuel pump and I turned that back on.  

2) That AP that had the issue informed me that he did find some clogging in the #3 fuel injector.  He cleaned that injector (and checked the others) and flew it THREE TIMES after that just to be sure. He even flew it that morning to the transfer airport without incident.  

3) I always keep the landing light on when I get ready to start a plane so that anyone walking around it knows the plane is powered up and may start at any second.  

4) As I stated earlier, this was only my second time in this plane and yes, it was a lessons learned moment by not switching tanks.  Incidentally, the emergency checklist clearly states "Switch fuel to fullest tank"; and since I knew both tanks were full, it was on a full tank.  Also, since I hadn't just switched them (and inadvertently switched to an empty tank), there was no reason at that second to suspect it was a fuel starvation issue.  Also, remember that switching tanks in a Mooney is a bit trickier than in a Piper Cherokee.  I didn't want to risk leaning forward and bumping the yoke and costing us altitude and glide time. And I did all that analysis in about 15 seconds while the CFI did his part. 

Sincerely hope you don't run into the same situation but if you do that you have time to react.  

[Shadrach]

Both the gascolator screen and the servo screen need to be removed and inspected for debris. You’re way upstream of where you need to be until you verify if the fuel system has been contaminated.

[Yetti]

27 minutes ago, Shadrach said:

Both the gascolator screen and the servo screen need to be removed and inspected for debris. You’re way upstream of where you need to be until you verify if the fuel system has been contaminated.

Yep along with electric pump filter

[Jackk]

4 hours ago, Freddb34 said:

1)  I did that.  The only switch I changed was the electric fuel pump and I turned that back on.  

2) That AP that had the issue informed me that he did find some clogging in the #3 fuel injector.  He cleaned that injector (and checked the others) and flew it THREE TIMES after that just to be sure. He even flew it that morning to the transfer airport without incident.  

3) I always keep the landing light on when I get ready to start a plane so that anyone walking around it knows the plane is powered up and may start at any second.  

4) As I stated earlier, this was only my second time in this plane and yes, it was a lessons learned moment by not switching tanks.  Incidentally, the emergency checklist clearly states "Switch fuel to fullest tank"; and since I knew both tanks were full, it was on a full tank.  Also, since I hadn't just switched them (and inadvertently switched to an empty tank), there was no reason at that second to suspect it was a fuel starvation issue.  Also, remember that switching tanks in a Mooney is a bit trickier than in a Piper Cherokee.  I didn't want to risk leaning forward and bumping the yoke and costing us altitude and glide time. And I did all that analysis in about 15 seconds while the CFI did his part. 

Sincerely hope you don't run into the same situation but if you do that you have time to react.  

good call 

 

 I’d for sure get a analysis on what that stuff is

 

don’t do that, the beacon is what you turn on when you are about to start and running engines, taxi light is on when you are going to taxi and moving

 

Seems fine for the procedure, I don’t fly PA28s or 172s, but have had fuel issues in vintage aircraft, knowing systems and taking one’s time is always best, it’s like skydiving, it’s amazing how time slows down 

 

 

[EricJ]

4 hours ago, Freddb34 said:

4) As I stated earlier, this was only my second time in this plane and yes, it was a lessons learned moment by not switching tanks.  Incidentally, the emergency checklist clearly states "Switch fuel to fullest tank"; and since I knew both tanks were full, it was on a full tank.  Also, since I hadn't just switched them (and inadvertently switched to an empty tank), there was no reason at that second to suspect it was a fuel starvation issue.  Also, remember that switching tanks in a Mooney is a bit trickier than in a Piper Cherokee.  I didn't want to risk leaning forward and bumping the yoke and costing us altitude and glide time. And I did all that analysis in about 15 seconds while the CFI did his part. 

In any single-engine airplane with a fuel selector with a single tank selected, learn to make it a reflex, without even thinking, that if the engine quits or has a very significant stumble, just switch tanks and turn the boost pump on.   It doesn't matter how much fuel is in the selected tank, just do it.   Fuel level is only one of many conditions that have to be sufficient in a tank to make the engine work, and if it quit, even if there's fuel, it could have become clogged, had a big slug of water dislodge from a rib, had a big chunk of contamination break loose and become an issue, or hit some other contamination in that tank that just made it to that pick up, plus a number of other potential issues.  Switching tanks removes any potential condition associated with that particular tank from being an issue.

Don't even think about it, just switch tanks and turn the boost pump on.   Make it a reflex.   It's not hard to learn to do, but you need to make an effort to do it.   If your fuel selector isn't super easy for you to manipulate, practice doing so quickly so that you get muscle memory for that task.