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Picked up my 201 from maintenance, got a CO alarm on my sensorcon right on start up. I figured it might be blowing exhaust back in because I did start down wind of the exhaust. Opened some ventilation. Kept an eye on it during taxi and run up but the alarm was still blaring. I figured the only way to find out if it’s ground CO or a leak is in the air. So, I took off around the pattern. Normally these ground CO alarms would reduce in climb and clear up once leveled off. It was 50-70 on the ground. Still 20+ on downwind so I turned back in and landed. Reported it to the mechanic and he tightened the exhaust bolts. Said one of them was a little loose. I think if it weren’t for Dan Bass, I probably still would not have gotten around to getting a detector and this would have gone unchecked! Thank you Dan and thank you Mooney Summit for the life saving discussion. Dan even recalibrated my sensorcon last Oshkosh. It’s all been false alarms up till now with ground exhaust blowing back in or being really close in formation. But this is the first time there was an actual problem and the detector was the only way to find it. They had replaced the muffler so I had a heightened awareness but without the detector there was no way of knowing it was actually leaking.

Wife and I took our 11 week old first child on his first flight today. Filed for 5000, ended up cloud surfing the tops at 7000. Saw someone before me suggest taking out the right seat so my wife sitting back seat with our son would have plenty of leg room. Worked like a charm. Kid loved the flight. Can't wait to do lots more flying as the 3 of us. Wife wants another child sooner than later. Need Jimmy to find me a FIKI long body once or before the next one is here. But for now she was thrilled with how much leg room she had. Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

I'm gonna quote myself and explain why I thought putting the gear down was not a given in this situation: In September 1996 I bought a new Mooney TLS Bravo, and in early summer 1997 a friend needed me to drive him up to catch a commercial flight in Austin TX. No problem, I'll fly you to Austin Mueller (now closed). He had flown with me many times and knew that hot starts in Texas summers can be tricky. We went over it before we ever left the ground. He was going to exit the airplane, get his bag, shut the baggage door and walk behind the airplane to the FBO for his ride to the terminal while I kept it at idle and didn't have to shut down. We landed, taxied, we went over it again, he exited, got his bag. I got my clearance, taxied, took off and shortly after take-off I heard a loud bang from the back of the airplane - the baggage door has popped open on my new airplane. I was sure it had probably exited the airframe and had taken the tail section with it. @RedSkyFlyer's pictures are exactly what I was imagining. I let the tower know what happened and that I was coming around to land on the perpendicular runway - all the way picturing what my airplane must look like. I turned final and wanted to get this thing on the ground to assess the damage. On final, a Delta pilot waiting for take-off, who had heard everything, says "Mooney, check your gear down". I got that horrible feeling. I would like to think that I would have made a short-final gumps check, but I'm not sure. After all was said and done after landing and then taxiing to the FBO and looking over the airplane, I closed the baggage door, locked it and there wasn't a scratch or a bend anywhere on the airplane. I had turned a minor distraction into what could have been a major problem. Although I already knew this, after that it really confirmed that gear up landings can happen to anyone - all it takes is something out of the ordinary thrown in the mix. Don't ever say it couldn't happen to you. Again, great job keeping your calm and getting it down on the ground safely to be able to share this with us. Ever since that flight I always lock the door with the key and give it one last tug just to be sure after loading bags.

First flight since getting the bird back from annual and nearly being gassed cause of a loose exhaust. A bit rusty, wanted to do some patternwork but topped out with gas and two on board, it was real sluggish with the rising temps. Decided to fly up toward Westchester and circle over my wife who's visiting her mother. Could barely see the Verrazano Bridge because it was embedded in fog but clear everywhere else. East River up, Hudson back down. They came out to wave as we circled overhead. They're by the line near the red car. Heading back, Newark tower asked me how I wanted to get back to Linden so instinctively I asked for the usual (which you're not guaranteed to get) to cross the Newark arrivals south of the Bayonne in the Linden exclusion. He cleared me for that without hesitation and even offered direct. Last time they gave me direct, they gave me so many vectors that it took longer than to take the exclusion. But, things were different this time. He actually gave me direct which would have me descend right through the Newark runways. He said they've got 5-8 guys in the tower cab and only 5 airplanes an hour. I offered to make a sixth and spontaneously entered a pattern for a touch and go at Newark Liberty International Airport's Runway 22R. After a very casual unrushed roll out, I took off again, made a right turn and I was on downwind for runway 9 at Linden. What a flight.

22nm after take off, mid point between Charlton Park(Private) & Fairoaks (London) the baggage hatch blow off which then could caught & wrapped it’s self firmly around the right hand tail elevator. We immediately lost lift and declared an emergency with ATC who had us on a basic service, lucky we were within distance of a 770ft grass / gravel strip between some solar panel farms. Other than the damage to the elevator and hatch looks like we were extremely lucky to walk away unharmed. (3:52) in the video

Hey guys-I'm the one that makes the Mooney shirts and I thank you very much for your orders! The t-shirt business is really just a hobby for me that buys me a few gallons of 100LL for my beautiful '62 M20C! I have a couple videos of me in the Mooney dogfighting a Glasiar on my YouTube channel called "Kitplane Enthusiast". I also have a few other Mooney videos there too if you are interested. I bought my Mooney exactly one year ago and so far I've added a GTX-335 with ADS-B, a JPI engine monitor, new pucks, and I'm working on installing a new AirTex interior. Thanks again fellow aviators!

Going to visited the AC today with my mechanic. I’ll keep you all in the loop once I have more info/photos. If anyone has a spare hatch door for a model K I maybe in the market....... think mine is a little unsalvageable. Couple of questions arisen from the chain; it would be nice to have a definitive answer: “To lock or not to lock” the baggage hatch, passengers or no passengers it should surely be the same procedure, a flight is a flight right? In how much detail would the emergency latch been checked by the CAMO in the ARC? I see it on point 16 on the Mooney 100hr checklist, if there was an issue with the inside latch I expect it would have been pick up, only complete Friday PM less than 24 hours before the incident on Saturday. Ps thank you for all the kind comments, my wife and I really appreciate it, lots to take in. The first question she asked when we got in the cab home was ‘how long do you think it will take until we’re flying her again?’

I just sold it. Seriously. A friend of mine from CHD just called hearing I was thinking about selling. He sold his C a year ago when he got laid off. He just got a new job, but he's going to be based in San Diego. His wife is going to be staying here for about a year, so he needs a commuter. He offered me a little more than I wanted. And I can keep it till mid-end of June while he gets stuff in order.

After at least a year of looking around, and at least a couple years of browsing around these forums, I am excited and proud to put a N# in my MS profile Closed the deal today but won't be flying it for a few weeks while it gets cleaned and fixed up at Chandler Aviation. Began my search with 231s and ended up with 252. The serial # is in the 1000's so perhaps an encore conversion down the road?

Well we are currently in the process of selling our first aircraft and my wife is sad because of it. That, my friends, is just one of the reasons why I know I got it right!

My wife's and my first kiss was after her first flight in my F model Mooney. Later, after an accident in a Mooney while I was recovering in a level 1 trauma center in ICU, she arranged to marry me so she could stay with me instead of leaving her job after her vacation and sick time ran out. She has tirelessly volunteered to administer the Bill Gilliland foundation for downed Mooney pilots, consul and comfort widows and to help in all kinds of ways with the Mooney Summit. Alice, I love you sweetie!

In my biased opinion, it's a pretty nice looking airplane.

There is a lesson in this remark, that I have also thought about in the past. It reminds me of two other scenarios. 1 - about 12 years ago when I still owned my Diamond DA40 and I was on the diamond forum a lot, one fellow posted that his son's wife had died in a car crash. And they were 3 hours flight away and something like 10 hours drive. He started to prep for a flight but then realized he was just way to rattled to do a safe flight so he made a wise decision to drive. ...which even though driving is a bit easier ... it can also be dangerous when in mental distress. 2 - about 17 years ago when my father past away suddenly and tragically, wow was I rattled. I went down to DC with my uncle to clean out his apartment and take care of his affairs. I did several space-cadet dumb things. Worst was I ran a red light at a four way intersection at full speed - I mean at 50mph I drove through a moderately heavy traffic four way light in the wrong direction, and for the grace of god and good luck nothing happened. I just went sailing through, with my uncle on board and only in the middle of the intersection did I realize what happened and what I was doing and there were other cars who only began to tap their brakes going at 90 degrees to us also at full speed but luck - there was no collision - only luck. actually - a 3rd - about a week later at home - I went out on a bike ride, and I simply forgot to tighten the quick release squwer on the rear wheel - I mean I have been a bike racer since I was 17 so this is second nature to me - but I simply put the wheel on and not even a little bit tightened. Well after about 20 minutes of warm up and stood up to stomp on the pedals - and boom the wheel came half off and froze and I flipped over, crashed and broke my wrist. But I didn't break my neck or crack my skull - or get hit by a car, etc...knock on wood. Anyway - theme of these stories, and what I take from the ER doctor who did this stall spin in his cirrus, is we are only fallible humans and go easy on ourselves and sometimes if your head is not in the game, maybe find a way to get the head in the game or forgive yourself and just don't go.

When I first got my 201, I insured with Avemco for the first year just cause they would take me. Insurance started at close to $3000 with zero Mooney time. But after loads of flying, instrument training, and instrument rating in the first year, it came down below $2000. Still, with over 100 hours in make and model and around 500TT, it was time to get some proper insurance. Cliff over at Falcon was a gem. He got me below $1500 and for the last 8 years a slight decrease in premium each yeah as my hours would rise. Cliff was great and would help me with odd requests such as getting coverage for St. Pierre and Miquelon or for Cuba at no extra charge. I was sad to learn that Cliff left Falcon and with rapidly growing rather than shrinking rates, this renewal was time to spread my wings and say goodbye to Falcon which had been insuring my hull for 8 years. For this renewal, I went with my buddy @Parker_Woodruff. Before ever talking insurance with Parker, we'd chat about Mooneys, training, and instructing. He has answered loads of questions for me about those topics and insurance before I ever even considered being a customer. He even took us out to lunch when we last flew into Dallas. With Cliff gone from Falcon, I had little reason to stay as it was his excellent service and rates that kept me there. So, for the last few weeks I was working on a renewal plan with Parker. Let me tell you, he went above and beyond for me. He pushed whatever buttons and pulled whatever levers got me a rate that even Falcon couldn't offer me while chasing after me when I decided to leave. Parker spent the time making sure not only that I'd pay less but making sure I wouldn't jeopardize my coverage by being too frugal either. And being Mooney guys, you know how easy that can be. My experience was Falcon has been very good. But going with Parker for my insurance has been downright outstanding. Credit is given where credit is due. He is an asset to the Insurance, Aviation, and Mooney community. Parker has not paid me anything (yet), twisted my elbow, or asked me to speak about my insurance experience. Just my four half pennies.

“Making an offer” means presenting information about yourself and making a case as to why Bob should sell it to you.

I’m really sorry to hear that. I hope your family is doing ok. This has really taken a toll on healthcare workers with pretty scary rates of depression, substance abuse and suicide. Unfortunately, watching people die right in front of you tends to have that effect on people. If you send me a PM I would be happy to share some resources that are available for healthcare workers if they are struggling. I really don’t get the “COVID deniers.” Seems like denial is rarely a useful strategy for dealing with a life threatening situation. I had a patient in the ER recently who refused to wear a mask and told me “I don’t believe in that whole COVID thing.” This was literally minutes after a COVID patient just went to the ICU and they called me to give me a “heads up” that he might need an emergent intubation . I have no idea where this behavior comes from and unfortunately it has caused me to lose respect for some that I previously held in higher regard. Thank you for sharing your story. We are all affected by this.

Ok, I’ll let you in on the secret: They’re hiding in the hospital.I’ve seen them! You remind me of a patient I had that was bitten by a wild animal and came to see me in the ER. We have to discuss rabies prophylaxis in cases when the rabies status of the animal is unknown. He didn’t want it (which is reasonable) but his argument was a little ridiculous “I don’t really buy this ‘rabies stuff.’ You don’t see hospitals full of people suffering from rabies, do you?” I said “No. Because everyone who develops rabies dies.” He still declined the prophylaxis but at least he was educated a little bit on why you don’t see people running around with rabies (there was a girl who survived, but she had some permanent neurologic damage). I wish we didn’t have sides either, but this “I don’t see it so it doesn’t exist” argument is pretty juvenile and beneath us. Toddlers think this was but adults really shouldn’t. https://www.simplypsychology.org/Object-Permanence.html

Some of you may remember that I toyed with the idea of converting my M20F back to Johnson bar about a year ago. It was produced as a J-bar in December of ‘66, converted to electric for the first owner in ‘67, and stayed that way until the Coronavirus lockdown. The conversion back to j-bar went well, very straightforward operation and was a great opportunity to strip and repaint the control and gear pushrods, clean and lube all the rod ends so they are like new, and also super clean any oil and dirt from the underside floor. It was a really satisfying annual with gear conversion that stirred up lots of comments and questions from the airport drive by experts. I’m really enjoying the manual gear, it’s a big enough change that the airplane feels ‘new’ and exciting to me. Such a simple and wonderful design and the old girl dropped a few pounds as well. You all know what a Johnson bar looks like but I’ll post some pictures later because I’m really proud of the work. If anyone is interested in a complete conversion kit to electric gear, everything you need will be posting in the classified area soon!

Scott @Denver98, and I flew a load of PPE's, and Respirator parts to a remote hospital in Eastern Colorado today. Although there's nothing to see out on the prairie, we didn't mind the smooth as we flew east of the mountains. This stuff was heading to the Regional hospital in Wray, CO. Note the flat floor in the back of the Mooney with the back seats removed. It makes for plenty of room for the 10 boxes of supplies.

With "some" things loosening up my wife left Tuesday for UT to visit some of the grand kids. I took my first day off work this year on Friday and flew up to spend the weekend there. The flight there was a nice smooth one with favorable winds. The flight back today, a very different story, very bumpy and working around some buildups. There was a nice little one over Henderson that kicked up some dust. I almost never make long flights solo so took advantage of the flight back stopping in Delta for cheap fuel and then Riverside for cheap fuel and to check off the Solo Cross Country flight requirement for the Commercial Ticket. All the flights to Utah, Arizona, the coast to coast, and this was only the second time I've done one of them solo. Flight there Friday Storms on the way back Vegas Planes parked at San Bernardino

We did a PilotsNPaws flight yesterday. 1 dog, 2 adult mom cats and 10 kittens.

Mrs Brown 1.0 was not the right one. Mrs Brown 2.0 is the best thing that ever happened to me and my kids. About six years into the marriage she made it even better. She suggested that since I've always dreamed of flying I should get my license and buy a plane so I could fly her to see the grandkids. I started lessons immediately. That was almost four years ago. I still think she's the best thing to happen to me and my kids.

From Bob Kromer: Here are some thoughts. I was the one who did factory flight testing investigating what happens when a baggage door is left unlatched prior to flight. The test airplane was an M20K. I had a mechanical system installed where I could unlatch (from the shut position) the baggage door from the pilot’s seat during any phase of flight. We discovered absolutely no adverse handling qualities or aerodynamic issues when the door is left unlatched and should open in flight. Interestingly, several times when the door was unlatched from the inside it just stayed in position. But if a baggage door is left shut but unlatched and does come open during flight, it most likely will open at rotation during takeoff. The change in angle of attack during rotation allows the airflow in the vicinity of the baggage door to lift it upward. It’s a noisy distraction when it opens, but if ignored it is easy to return for a normal landing. There were no adverse handling qualities encountered in any of the phases of flight we tested where we opened to door, including takeoff, climb and cruise. The key thing we took away from our testing was if someone doesn’t latch the baggage door on preflight, it almost always opened very early in the flight. Usually during rotation or initial climb. And it was a non-event. Now, having the baggage door depart the airplane is another matter. How could this happen, especially at lower takeoff and initial climb speeds? I am aware of only one other situation where the baggage door actually departed the airplane when it opened. I believe it was for an M20K that we repaired at the factory. But this door came open during a high speed descent. When it opened, the heavy air loads at 160KIAS ripped the door from the fuselage and it struck the vertical tail. As it flew past, the baggage door struck the vertical fin and cut the skin, but with no further structural damage. The airplane came to us at the factory and we repaired both the tail and the baggage door/fuselage. We did a thorough inspection of the baggage door and cabin structure before and after the repair and found absolutely no issues that would cause a properly latched door on this airplane to come open. Incidentally, the owner later admitted that someone was retrieving luggage from inside the airplane during descent when the door came open. We think somehow that inadvertently unlatched the door from the inside, causing it to open during the high speed descent. So how could a baggage door on the airplane shown below actually come off at such a low speed and hit the tail? I don’t know, the air loads at takeoff and initial climb speeds are not that great. Was the baggage door hinge broken or worn out? Did the pilot fly really fast in a hurry to return to the airport? A normal baggage door, even if it opens, just doesn’t depart the airplane this easy. I’m happy it turned out okay. Bob

It still makes me talk like an excited kid after I use more and more of the airplane’s ability. Yesterday I flew IFR from Tuscaloosa Alabama to Cincinnati planned via NW Alabama to Bloomington Indiana and a hard right to Cincinnnati. 9,000 above the clouds for most of the way with a descent short of my thunderstorm covered destination. A 90 or so minute wait and I was able to hop over and back into Cincinnati Lunken. 155 TAS at 7 gph LOP gives an easy 6 hours of duration. I still had about 2.7 hours of fuel upon landing. The Mooney is really coming into its own right now.

A few days ago my friend had to drop off his Bonanza in New Smyrna Beach for a new engine and turbo (he will be able to out run me under 20K when it’s done!) so I offered to give him a ride. I followed him and there in formation and and he also got some good shots of my plane. Rather than bore people with 30 different angles of my plane I just included one!

From the overkill department, I bring you a homebrew powered towbar run by a cordless drill. I couldn't stomach the $1,600 for a commercial version, so built this one. It's s bit on the heavy side, but gets the job done. Wish there was somewhere to fly to these days..... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So this isn't my flight... but it is my Mooney. And for some reason, I think it's cool to see MY airplane out there flying. This is @Denver98 taking off in N252AD on an early Colorado morning. And here is the return flight... look at those numbers in the climb! It's not a Rocket, but it's not bad.

Up in the air again, I met up with a good friend who took some air-to-air shots. Had to slow the Mooner down and ad some flaps to be able to stay in formation, the other ship was a tad slower. Things of beauty, the airplanes we fly!

Ok, so the bill of sale for my B is in the works and the settlement should be done this month. Once that is done, N74562 will be parts unless/until someone salvages it. So, the good news... I have been having a discussion with David (Sabremech) and the plans are for me to buy his plane (N2652W) and give it a new home! We’re working out the timing and the details but, knowing how David is, she’ll be in great flying shape. Yes it WILL have the new Sabremech cowling (drool ;o) I’ll be patiently waiting for David to get his FAA STC paperwork done for his new cowling. Once the stars align, we’ll get the deal done. David and I spent about an hour on the phone tonight going over the details and, needless to say, I’m excited. With all the speed mods, new interior, and all the great work David is doing to her to get it ready for me, I’m expecting an exciting flight back to Texas when the time comes. David and I spoke about him doing the annuals for the next couple of years with me doing an owner assisted so I can get to know the plane. I’ve always believed things happened for a reason and maybe this was the ‘plan’ all along. It’s going to be fun and I can’t wait to fly her... -Don

Good morning MooneySpace! Airspeed Insurance Agency is happy to announce that we are bringing on a new agent this morning. Paul Havelka @Paul_Havelka joins us from Grove, Oklahoma, just east of Tulsa. Paul has a background in offshore oil service and recently sold his Piper Cherokee. It's yet to be seen what airplane will replace it, but I think a Mooney is high on the list. Paul and I will be working closely over the next few weeks to bring him up to speed on Airspeed's business flow & operations. He has a few accounts lined up, so we'll have plenty of his own prospects to use in making sure he starts out on the right foot. Airspeed has experienced a successful startup and that is much in thanks to the great support we have had from MooneySpace. In fact, we insure about 1% of the registered fleet of Mooneys right now and that number grows weekly. Have a great week, everyone! Parker Woodruff Parker@airspeedinsurance.com 214-295-5055 (office) Paul Havelka Paul@airspeedinsurance.com 918-314-6139 (direct)

IMHO the most important thing is to have a close relationship built on mutual trust with an A&P/IA. An A&P who doesn't have that trust in the owner will be worried about everything they do, often resulting in super expensive annuals, and invoices way out of proportion to work requested. And I can't imagine getting into an airplane recently serviced by an A&P I didn't trust. And along with that trust comes a trust that the costs/rates/charges are all appropriate. I have only rejected invoices a couple of times, but each time was to ask them to ADD time and charges that were left off and I knew should have been on the bill. It helps if the A&P is also a Mooney specialist and so isn't learning on your Mooney. Without a close, working, trusted relationship with a Shop/A&P, I couldn't own an airplane. The right shop and the relationship is much more important than the cost. And one other note, I don't think it's a good idea for your first interaction with a new shop to be an annual. They don't know you and you don't know them. That's a recipe for an expensive annual as you both try to understand the other's concerns and motivations. If I was going to start with a new shop, I'd start with the first oil change after the annual. And then slowly work into the relationship so that when it's time for the annual, we've been working together for a full year. Now you know them and they know you, and you'll know much better what to expect coming out of the annual.

My local A&P is my wife so I make her dinner or something. Lol

The virus defies party lines... It is an equal opportunity destroyer... Doesn’t care how old you are... It is better to be young if you get it... Doesn’t care about your ethnicity... Doesn’t care about your Sex, M/F.... Or your chosen pronouns... Haven’t heard if you are free from getting the virus a second time yet... Most doctors aren’t looking forward to shutting things down... they have an office full of employees sitting idle... Companies don’t want to be shut down... they are working diligently at installing proper ways of working... many are going on line and allowing people to work from home... The politicians are really working for their Money out this way... real leaders are honed this way... weaker players get exposed for what they are... From the governors, the NYC mayor, the local people.... it’s all about getting opened up properly... Lots of protocols put in place for things that work, so people can be at work... The weather channel updates the illness report by county... my county loses a couple more people each day... My friend’s church lost seven members... (prayers for the lost souls) it is a tiny church... The fancy college I’m paying for... has a plan in place with all the details coming together.... Expect to be open in the fall... Fortunately, the speed, accuracy, and availability of testing is accelerating.... Even more simple... the amount of knowledge is spreading... The number of people with non-contact thermometers is increasing... Every bit counts... There will be a time to sit out... Don’t start too soon... Stay protected... Protect people around you... The virus is the enemy, not each other... Spread the word... PP thoughts only, not a virus or community expert... I am confident we will get through this together.... Knowledge is power! Go MS! Best regards, -a-

Seems every thread that has anything remotely to do with the virus devolves into the same thing... Unfortunately there are many other consequences than just deaths from the virus itself. This is not to get into a pissing match over whether the virus is serious. I've said it before, it is a complex situation that demands more than a one size fits all approach. California doctors say they've seen more deaths from suicide than coronavirus since lockdowns 600 Physicians Say Lockdowns Are A ‘Mass Casualty Incident’

As I mentioned in another post, after AirVenture was canceled for 2020, I decided to trade its cost for the cost of the GTN 750 and GTN 650 upgrade. While Sarasota Avionics in Florida has an upgrade program, they weren't a possibility here on the West Coast. I called around quite a bit and finally found an organization that was more than willing to do the exchange upgrade, Pacific Coast Avionics in Aurora, Oregon. It turns out that they had provided one of the best bids for my GFC 500 autopilot upgrade, but they had so much business that I was going to have to wait 6 months for them to do it, so I went with Accurate Aero in Minden, Nevada. I got what I thought was a fair bid from Pacific Coast. They said they could do the job in about 3 hours including all the paperwork and could start the job in about 2 weeks. That meant that I could leave early in the morning, fly up, get the work done, and fly back, all in the same day. I didn't want to stay overnight at any motel. So, armed with face mask, Clorox wipes, gloves, and hand sanitizer I flew up on May 15th, the one good day between storm systems in Oregon and California at the time. Due to headwinds the trip took 3 hours. but with gas at $2.99 the cost wasn't that much. It was good to get back in the air and exercise the plane, which had been sitting idle for awhile. Once there, the plane was quickly pulled into a new hangar. Chad was the only one working in the hangar, and he took me to a private room where I set up to spend a few hours working on the Gleim FIRC. Even though I renew my CFI through giving Wings Programs, I like to stay up with what is going on in the industry by taking their course yearly. It takes a lot longer than the required 16 hours, but I have found the course to be useful. I told Chad that it bothered me that my G5 altitude always varied from the G500 TXi altitude by more the 60 feet, and he said that he could fix it, but that it would take an additional hour. I told him to go ahead and do it. Being a PIA, periodically I"d go to the hangar to see how things were going. During one of those times I asked him when my units had arrived from Garmin. He said that wasn't necessary since they "keep the units in stock". That took me by surprise. How many organizations can keep high priced avionics like that in stock? Although the installation is "plug and play" and the units have their own configuration modules to make for easy exchange, there were still some settings that needed to be changed. Chad made the changes, calibrated the air data computer to correct the altitude deviations I had discussed, and finished up by mid afternoon. Fuel was expensive at Aurora so I flew the 10 miles over to Mulino State to get fuel at almost $1.50 a gallon cheaper. From there I filed through Garmin Pilot, picked up the clearance in the air, and headed home. Everything worked perfectly, as expected on the way home. Pacific Coast was excellent to deal with and I highly recommend them. The units are faster, have better resolution (although I can't really tell), have better software upgrade capability, and I have a new 2 year warranty. The software is a little different from the basic GTNs with a database icon showing up on turn on that could make database updates a little easier for some. All in all a very good day. Finally, I think I am done upgrading (how often have I said that). Well, maybe if Garmin comes up with a good autoland system for the Mooney....

Like so many things in aviation its not unsafe as long as its done responsibly, not slipping at to low an airspeed nor slipping in a way to unport a low tank. Its definitely something to be aware of the limitations but not to say one should never slip. You'll still find slipping more effective and precise to make a short approach than your speed brakes and a very powerful too to aid your precision when making an emergency (or simulated emergency) power off landing. i.e. a skill which should be learned and practiced responsibility - not feared IMO.

Last one I flew. Covered the rear seat in my C with a blanket and secured him in a harness so he could not jump to the front. He spent the entire flight just enjoying the scenery. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Guys, my wife tells me that I should tell you that she is right one. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I know I married the right wife. In the middle of the Corona crisis, she wants to make our garden more beautiful and works really hard, is digging a big hole and prepares to plant a new tree.. She just hasn't told me yet what kind of tree....

I just wanted to provide a little update here. I went out to the field today to look over things. First, I inspected the ga35 antenna very closely with a magnifying glass. It looks perfect and sealant is perfect. Then, I looked at the bnc connectors to ensure everything was good and not touching anything else. So I pulled the gtn breaker and verified I had gps on the iPad, then turned avionics master on.. neither the gdl, nor the aera could get gps signal. iPad gps sitting on my wingwalk was ok. I stuck my finger under the glare shield to undock the aera and then the satellite signal page lit up. I then thought, ok, something is going on under the glare shield... I pull it up a little to reveal the remote external gps antenna that is hooked up to the GDL39. Its been there for years sitting on top of the panel subframe. The remote antenna has a plastic film coating on the metal on the bottom side of it. Some of the film was worn away from the edge and it seems it was grounding to my panel, which was jamming signals. I moved the antenna to sit on the fiberglass glareshield and I could not replicate the signal jamming issue. Duuuuuuuuuhhhh

You don't wear a mask to protect yourself. You wear a mask to protect the people around you, just in case you have the virus but aren't showing any symptoms. The mask breaks up your exhalation so any droplets don't travel as far. I won't laugh because that's just a good citizen who cares about his community.

You sound like your speaking from experience! Reminds me of a similar stunt I pulled years ago. Had a ski accident where I cracked my upper femur - no break but crack. So I was on crutches but according to my doc I went back to work too early rather than staying home to keep it elevated. I didn't keep it elevated enough at work like I should have and it wouldn't of been that hard since I had a nice office but I was too busy (stupid) meeting with the troops. I got too much swelling in the lower leg, a blood clot developed and before long the clot was breaking apart and going into my lungs making it harder to breathe, first noticeable when I was moving around on the crutches. Second stupid thing I did was chalk this up to a couple of cracked ribs. But then it progressed to the point I was having difficulty breathing in my chair sitting down. Should have went back home that morning, or really the emergency room, but waited till lunch to ask a colleague to take to the ER which was only a mile away. I could not believe I was having a heart attack but soon I became educated that I had a DVT which cause a PE with over 70% blockage to the lungs. Luckily I was super fit at the time yet I spent the next week in the ICU with all the narcotics I wanted. It was a full 6 more months till I could get my medical back. Had no clue how close I was to dying. But boy did that event alter my outlook on life as well as my attitude that a little pain just makes you stronger. Makes me think of Bernard Shaw , who sums it up well: "Wisdom is wasted on the old, and youth is wasted on the young."

Two months ago I finally had my fuel tanks sealed. It’s such a pleasure to open the hangar door and see a clean wing, clean floor and no more stains. Edison, at Wet Wingologists, had an opening I was able to slip into. He was extremely helpful and patient while we tried to align our schedules and deal with this Covid craziness. Two thumbs up from me. The food joint next to Banyan Aviation was still open for takeout. The breakfast alone was worth dropping all that cash! No more leaks! No more smell! No more stains!! Woohoo!!

Owing a Baron for 3 years I would agree with almost relaxing. Like many I wanted to climb the GA ladder and go from a complex single to a twin. After owing one I don't think they are all that they are cracked up to be. In my opinion to truly have that engine be an asset not a liability you need to be on your A game. Not that you shouldn't be in a single but if you have an engine failure in a single and you have helmet fire/denial and don't do anything you likely are in control and simply lost altitude. In a twin if you have an engine failure and don't do anything for more than 4 seconds you are in approximately a 60 degrees bank and rolling rapidly. That is based on my experience in a Baron. When I had the Baron I trained twice a year and every time doing an approach on one engine I was reminded how hard it can be. That said I miss the aggressive acceleration, about a1500 FPM climb while indicating 130 IAS and 1640 useful load. The route I do everyday is socially unacceptable to do in a single. Always over water for about 30 miles, sometimes IFR and sometimes at night. So why did I go from a twin to a single? History shows pilots screw up alot more than the machine. After experiencing it what it is like to fly head down on one engine in a twin I decided that I have as much faith in one engine as I do in myself doing everything just right in the heat of the moment. Another references point is insurance. I had the Baron insured for $60K and now have the Mooney insured for $140K. Hull value usually dominates premiums yet the Mooney costs me $400 less a year than the Baron. That was with almost 400 hours in the Baron and 200 in the Mooney. I asked why and she said claims on Barons are on average more expensive than Mooneys. At the end of the day it came down to money. In my experience a Baron is not twice as much to operate as a Mooney. Most people look at only hourly costs not trip costs. Based on MHT-ACK day after day a Baron is 45% more to operate. That is all in including engine reserves . For that it could carry another 600 pounds even after factoring in the additional fuel needed. The trip is so short (120-130 miles) that the difference in trip time averages only 12 minutes or about 20% faster in the Baron. That works out to 350 hours in the Baron is 420 in a J model. If I needed the useful load and could not afford a single engine turboprop I would buy a twin again.

From what seems like a couple lifetimes ago in the Air Force, at least in trainers and fighters (don't know about big airplanes), we always had to make a radio call that included 'gear down'. Something like "Auburn traffic, Mooney 1CB, left base 34, gear down, full stop, Auburn traffic." Maybe verbalizing it to the world might help just a little. And on the rare occasion when we are holding short of the runway, we can help each other by confirming an aircraft on final has wheels down and say something if they don't.

3 of us hereabouts own serial #1 of the Aerostar Mooneys, shown here flying last weekend with of my co-owners. Data plate reads Aerostar Aircraft Corporation of Texas, Kerrville, TX; Serial number M20E 21-0001; Type Certificate 2A3. From the factory it flew to Honolulu in April of 1971 and, with 527 TT, the engine was replaced due to a broken piston (wrong pistons were factory installed). In December 1973 it returned to the mainland with 653 TT. This one benefits from several subsequent updates, namely 201 cowl, windshield, inner gear doors, one piece bottom fuselage cover, and considerable TLC. Having owned a 1976 F model with a good friend in the late 70's/early 80's, it was fun to return to Mooney flying almost 3 years ago. As mentioned elsewhere, the unusual tail is for looks only!

Go read my thread HERE. I bought a "clapped out" M20C for $16k and probably have an additional $30k poured into her over 5 years. Biggest friggin headache ever. Unless you're an A&P I would not suggest it.

I knew I had a keeper when on her single day off per week she came out to clean my plane

Most A&P’s don’t make enough money to own an airplane because the work for Mooney owners who are reputed to be very frugal with their money. Clarence