POSITIVE CONTROL IN THE 1968 MOONEY M20C?

Question

i have a 1968 mooney m20c i bought a few months ago. there is a small switch at the bottom of the dg to control the turn using the PC or stopping a heading deviation. my question is the plane seems to want to turn to the left quite a bit unless i use somewhat more fuel out of the right tank and leaving more fuel in the left. could this be a mechanical issue with the rudder? or is it normal with the PC in the older model mooneys? thnx for any help

Tracy L · Accepted Answer

The PC system in the Mooney is basically a wing leveler autopilot. They used a vacuum system in the push rods to keep the wings level based on the DG heading. A mechanic familiar with Mooneys should be able to correct the issue. 

There are several on line sources for help with Mooneys.
Some good owner books are available from Mooney Land http://www.mooneyland.com/Mooney%20Models.htm
A good source of help is available at the Mooney Aircraft Pilots Association website
http://www.mooneypilots.com/ or the Mooney Owners of America
http://www.mooneyowners.com/moa_frames.htm  and others.

Shops like Lake Aero http://www.lasar.com/  which are very familiar with Mooneys can help as well.

The proper maintenance of the system should correct the issue. 
Working correctly it should hold heading without issues at all.
Mooney's are great little aircraft but do require a service center that is very familiar with them. It is worth gold to an owner to find one.

You might also want to consider updating the system to a newer AutoPilot. They have distinct advantages.

ADD -
You may want to have the Rigging checked fully. An out of rig wing could also cause the issue.  Since Mooneys use push rods the rigging sometimes goes without checking and that is a mistake.

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POSITIVE CONTROL IN THE 1968 MOONEY M20C?

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