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I sent a message to the MAPA list; some people had some questions about the plane and some of the accessories.
My Mooney has "Johnson bar" manual gear. That is, the landing gear retraction and extension is actuated by the pilot. There's an aluminum block in the bottom of the instrument panel that the lever locks into to provide the gear down lock. It's important that the socket in that block is round and holds the handle securely. The socket wears over time and the fit gets sloppy. I decided to go ahead and have the block replaced when I had it inspected/annualed over the winter.
Here was the old block (probably the original from 1967):
And here's the brand new socket that's now in the panel:
Here's the hand tow bar from the side; it doesn't even stick out as
far as the end of the spinner:
(I have the cowling off and a heat lamp inside pointing at the oil
sump to heat the engine in the cold. That discussion will be in
another post.)
Also, the tow bar is low enough that the prop won't hit it if it got
left on for engine start.
