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Hip Hip Horray. I am NOW a Commercial pilot. What can I say; my parents would be so proud, I am proud and my kids are too! It was a lot of work, but so worth it. Big thank you to my flight instructors [Christopher, Mike ] and my awesome DPE David Koebel. A big thank you to King Schools for the awesome prep. My examiner complimented me on my ground/oral which was fun to plan. He also loves how stable and fast the Mooney is. I had to teach him how to close the door six times, but other than that! I went back to my old stomping grounds in the Pacific Northwest, Hood River Oregon. I learned to fly there many moons ago. Paired the check ride with a family vacation. On to my multi-engine commercial. PS: Does my flight track look like a T-Rex dinosaur or what??? #MooneyZoom #ProPilot

No fire sleeve but I seem to remember an AD to replace the original steel line to Stainless Steel

So saddened to hear of Bob's passing. I never got to meet Bob, but we corresponded a lot over the years, both through MooneySpace and as well as a Savvy client where it was a honor to work with Bob. He was a total gentlemen and a very warm soul and will be deeply missed by all of us. Paul

My money is on that panel being aligned but not secured after annual. I often rotate inspection panels on a single loosened screw when performing maintenance of inspections. Thankfully I've never forgotten one...Be grateful that it's still there. It would be a PITA to deal with replacing.

Unfriendly indeed! But just an outstanding sight for sure..............gorgeous! A view earthbound folks never experience. So special. I love this thread...............so many terrific photos and adventure stories..............yippee!!!

July 4th is always a busy flying week for me. Family does a week at the beach around the 4th and now that the kids are older (And getting married and working) few can stay for the whole week. So I HAVE to ferry them back and forth to Destin and home. And this year, I threw in a business trip to Cleveland, making it a true cross country from the Gulf to the Great Lakes. All in, about 13 hours of flying and 5 different airports. First time landing in Class Bravo airport, which ended up not being much of a bid deal. One flight ended with an hour long storm after the taxi in. The wind was so strong, I thought she may take off again before we got her in the hangar.

When the blades are feathered "flat" like that, you can actually walk out on them like a wide sidewalk. But generally you don't need to, because there's a door inside the hub and you can go inside the blade from there. If you are near one that's moving slowly, you can hear fiberglass debris sliding back and forth inside the blade as it rotates. It sounds a bit like rushing water. As the turbine spins faster, the debris stays out in the tips and they don't make that sound.

01s are over 1k#s UL... and come pretty nicely fit with all the needed goods... Updating all the electronics to WAAS color screens is a great modernization project that can increase the UL while you work on it... Go Mooney! Best regards, -a-

Once upon a time I was trying to decide between an Eagle and a 252 (I couldn't afford an Encore) I came to the conclusion that an Encore was a loaded M20K and the Eagle was a stripped down Ovation. And the most cost effective way to get the best useful load, and all the goodies, was to do what @kortopates did. And that was to buy a nice 252 and convert it to an Encore. The Eagles are nice airplanes and are very fast with heaps of useful load. But the panel in a stock Eagle wasn't any better than the panel in my slightly upgraded M20C. So I bought a 252 that will become an Encore this fall.

Over 1140 in my 252 converted Encore, but loaded with everything including O2, except TKS, unlike an Eagle.

I think I'm all caught up … again Everyone is right, but you're talking fruit salad (LOL). Apples, oranges, bananas, grapefruits, prunes, melons, etc. I've been doing electric airplanes for a couple decades now. Is it possible at this time to replace a "J" with an electric airplane. NO! But .. we need to do things to get there in the future … when some form of electrons can be stored in a lighter version. First, let's get physics out of the way. Automobiles use 20-30 HP going down the road at highway speeds. @mike_elliott can tell you exactly. His Tesla tells him. An airplane (the "J") uses 200 HP on takeoff and 150 HP the rest of the time. Not comparable. Electric motor low-end torque is irrelevant; the propeller is the torque absorber … and it needs RPM … sorry @carusoam. Automobiles care about weight, but only for acceleration. Airplanes pay a drag penalty for weight depending on the L/D ratio. At this time (and this is only my personal thought), hybrid is the only way to go at this moment in time, and here is why. Batteries (or any other form of energy storage) is not there yet. But, if we can get 30 minutes of battery power for an airplane, an on-board genset can supply the power for flight. Yes, it would be heavier. The engine can be a Chevy, Ford, etc., because if it craps out, the pilot still has 30 minutes to get the airplane on the ground. This could be a certificated installation … I know, I'm on the ASTM committee writing these "regulations." I DEFINITELY DON'T KNOW IT ALL, though.

If you want to fly low, in the Hudson SVFR corridor "exclusion," you don't have to talk to any controllers at all. You do have to take the FAA's online course about the special rules that apply: https://www.faasafety.gov/gslac/ALC/course_content.aspx?pf=1&preview=true&cID=79 Following the rules is easy. Note that the VFR corridor has entry and exit points and reporting points along the way.

Today I went and got some of that cheapest in the state fuel - over at KRME - $3.22 which taking on 80 gallons makes for free flying 30 min each way, vs filling up at the pump across the tarmac from my hangar. My buddy sent me this video when he saw my fly by. 20200706_120902_1.mp4

No, you pull the prop through just enough so the impulse coupling fires. Then pull the prop back to before 25 BTDC and set the mag to engine timing to your 25 degrees.

On most Bendix mags there's a plug you can remove to see the plastic drive gear, and there's a red tooth on the gear. When that red tooth is visible the rotor is pointing at the #1 lead. Install the mag when it is in this position and the #1 cyl is at the desired timing location (e.g., 25 degrees BTDC on the compression stroke). When the mag is installed it can then be turned slightly so that the points open at the desired crank angle, as shown with a timing light connected to the p-lead. With a dual mag there is a spec of a couple of degrees for the points to open relative to each other. The main consideration with the impulse coupler is that you move the prop to get it to trip before you set the timing. You do that by ear, i.e., listen for it to trip, then move the prop back to where it needs to be and then set timing moving the prop forward slowly. There are a bunch of vids on YT and elsewhere online showing how to set timing on typical GA aircraft engines. A nice thing on an M20J is that you can use the marks on the flywheel gear teeth to set the crank position pretty easily. Just make sure it's on the compression stroke, which can be verified by removing a plug on the #1 cyl and put your thumb on it when moving the prop. This is a simple enough process that if your IA is willing to supervise your work it doesn't take very long for them to show you the basics of how to do it.

FYI...... and just in case anyone is curious...... our fireworks stand sold over $53K of items in our 4 day run! That’s over $25K towards our new Rocketeer Museum roof and siding replacement! Twas a great team effort by all volunteers on behalf of general aviation history!! Proud to have been part of it!

Hi Mike Yes it is on the horizon for sure. Just for now, I am staring the multi commercial in a few weeks [instead of going to Oshkosh]. I will be training out of Orange County KSNA so that will be sporty. I do have a few corporate opportunities presently so I am weighing my options. Thanks for the congrats. Long time coming on the instrument and commercial for me from this little airport kid.

Fantastic!!! Congratulations!

Congratulations Jolie!! Tom

Yaaaaaay! Way to go Jolie! Best regards, -a-

Nat gas is great... If you have ever heated a house using.... Wood Coal electricity oil City supplied steam It has downsides... leaks can blow up the house... Downsides for... Oil always waiting for opec to tighten on the users.... (OPEC has become strangled by its members that include Russia) Spills are gigantic in scale... from sunken ships to leaky transcontinental pipes... to my favorite deep sea drilling company losing a rig... or a loose train blowing up an entire small town in Canada... Part of used home PPIs include inspecting the underground storage tank... metal home use tanks don’t last nearly as long as the house... by the time the owner finds out about the leak... the environmental dogs have come to help you out... Everyone becomes a commodities trader as the tank goes low... Coal has all kinds of environmental issues for burning it... Getting it out of the ground isn’t very easy either. The health issues for those that work in the industry are terrible. The house is full of smoke, and some sulfur odor that comes with it... CO when not burned cleanly.... Nat gas is nearly free. It comes out of the ground while looking for other things like oil. So much in excess, it is often flared... (burnt) Transporting via pipeline is simple... As far as transporting energy goes... The US has so much of it... it is getting liquified and sold to other countries... Using it is pretty simple too... Turn on the heat... it always works... (good to have some back-up electric plans too... the fan needs to blow air through the system) Gas heaters can be very efficient and wear pretty well... lasting decades. Every now and then there have been Nat gas leaks... Nat gas gets an odor added to it So people will detect if it is happening in their house... If an industrial leak occurs prior to the mercaptans being added... this is bad. Solar power has the house installations to deal with... not always very pretty... Government support was everything, until around 2009 or so... Europe put an end in place for how long their financial support would last... First Solar was a great investment in solar panel companies... (FSLR) they couldn’t build enough panels to meet the demand... without govenrment support, the interest tapered... Nat gas engines would be interesting... but, like Hydrogen... handling the fuel is a heavy/weighty challenge... we were starting to see Nat gas turbine train engines a while back... Propane is an also ran kind of Energy when compared to Nat gas... easy to put in a tank though... PP thoughts on energy commodities...not an investment advisor.... Best regards, -a-

wow... The power of MS is Awesome! Nice follow-up UKRs Best regards, -a-

My numbers aren’t old per se... I just misinterpreted the data. What I was reading was counting total energy consumption- not power generation sources. This is the source I was using... the same source as you... just I read it wrong- my bad! https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/us-energy-facts/ Nag Gas is in abundant supply in the US, and it burns clean... so it’s a pretty logical choice to replace coal.

Some day ANTIFA will be throwing Tesla batteries into cop cars....

I don’t think anybody here is trying to make money off of his work. What is he going to sue for? Free advertising?

1055# in my 310hp Eagle, loaded with everything except O2, but with air conditioning, unlike an Encore;)

According to the DoE, In 2019, the Entire US produced 3.99 trillion kWh’s of electricity. according to the DoT, in 2019 passenger vehicles accounted for 3.22 Trillion miles traveled in the US. a Model 3 Tesla uses approx 26 kWh per 100 miles. If every passenger car in the US turned into a Tesla Model 3 tomorrow, the demand on the electrical grid would rise by approximately .837 Trillion kWh’s.... about 20%. the top three power sources for American electricity? Oil- ~37%, Nat Gas, ~35%, Nuclear- ~11%. while oil may no longer be filling gas tanks... it’s still going to be burned in power plants for a while. If we really want clean(er) energy- we need to focus more on Nat Gas and Nuclear. (Or making hydro, solar, wind more efficient). It would be nice if every EV built and produced really did offset carbon emissions 1 for 1... but we aren’t there yet. Hopefully sooner rather than later- but our whole power infrastructure needs to change for that to happen.

The only time I've had water in the tanks was from incorrect fuel cap installation. In my E, it is possible to get the cap on and fastened, and it looks properly installed from a glance, when in face the cap's top is not parallel to the adjacent wing skin. My practice after finding this is to install the cap, and then run my finger around the circumference once. You will quickly feel whether the cap is askew or not. And yes that was a great video. Mr. Bertorelli has done a lot for GA and I appreciate his style and humor. Particularly the video about pattern sizes, and CFI's who wear stripes on their shoulders

The original goal was to reduce the wing area to what would be required in cruise.... and then keep the same stall speed. The big tip rotors are to reduce the tip vortices (and aerodynamically lengthen the wing). The problem became with all those 12 motors running at full bore, the airplanes accelerates (go figure). Then they had to windmill the big tip propellers to add drag There's a lot more to it … most of it being one-track minded and not thinking about the whole aircraft.

It’s quite possible all the screws were not installed at all. Could have been just a couple installed finger tight or less...... then mechanic distraction...... we’re all susceptible.

My advice is to buy one if you are dreaming of ownership. It costs money but it’s worth it and you stop thinking of cost per hour almost immediately and just enjoy the experience. I owned a 65C for a few years and now a Skycatcher. Both are cheap to maintain. I kind of enjoy the 162 more because my main mission is to enjoy the scenery and help friends learn how to fly. I spent a lot the first year on deferred maintenance items but it runs like a top now and just needs oil changes, pads and a basic annual. This 162 has no vacuum pump or gyros to go bad and the prop and gear are fixed. That means less cost but also horrible cruise speed. I think the C is a good sweet spot of performance and simplicity, especially if you modify it with a modern panel and no vacuum pump or gyros.

If anyone else has the same issue this fixed it. Autopilot captured the glide slope and flew the LPV approach as expected.

Today looked like a pity day to take family up but a perfect day to take M20J for a mixed cycle & flying practice ride: London city visit, Essex backcountry visit, instrument & glider flying ! Called Heathrow Radar for VFR transit over London City airport (did few orbits over Greenwich & Canary Wharf, over my flat home and work desk ), then went for short bumpy IMC and VFR on top above Southend, then back to Damyns Hall short grass strip for cup of tea and enjoy the Stearman wing walk display (wind was gusting 35kts that would be a hell of ride , I would not fly the Stearman in that wind, myself I decided to skip my Cub flying and gently retreated back to the Mooney ), then on the way back I had some strong thermals & cloud streets to do some gliding before it went into dodging TS rain Landing at Stapleford, I am sure it was a quiet day with load of birds sitting on the runway, I did a go-around, low pass, then land and back tracked and they still there every time (not sure how birds manage to stick on the ground when it was gusting 35kts earlier in the day? I asked on the radio for the yellow truck to do a runway inspection, he went and remove them one by one) IMG_0225.MOV

Stretched the legs on the Bravo this afternoon flying from Stow, MA (6B6) to FXE with a bit of a headwind most of the way. Unfortunately most of the warning areas were active so I couldn’t cut the corner like I wanted. I was also concerned about the dust cloud but at 16K I was just above it as it started somewhere over South Carolina...

Yesterday’s flight to give @FlyTester a ride home from dropping his aircraft off https://reliantaircraftservicesllc.com for annual. Smooth air made it an enjoyable formation flight.

LOL. I would have just laughed at your comment @mike_elliott but I guess I'm out of emotion for today. I just get so emotional, baby. OMG! I'm turning into Mr. John Baker! Oh wait, that wouldn't be a bad thing … it would be a great upgrade for me.

corrected... thanks Robert Hendrik

Memory is a funny thing... where it is stored, how it is stored, how long it stays, how it gets recalled... Some memories get stored really easily... getting them recalled can be a bear... Some days recalling memories can be easier than others... There are even strategies to use to improve memory recall... You guys are going to enjoy getting older... Cause you already know how this stuff works... For most of us, the changes occur really slowly.... with predictable outcomes... PP thoughts only, not a cognitive therapist... Best regards, -a-

1.) As you surmised, 1500 feet does not put you in the exclusion. If the controller meant this, they are wrong. 2.) People complain about NY approach, but I have always found them pretty accomodating considering their workload. I have had less luck VFR from the south, but when entering from the north, I don't think I have ever been denied entry into the bravo VFR. And IFR, I get sent DIXIE-V1-JFK-... which is a pretty reasonable routing.

Tesla has a "supercharging" network with chargers about every 40-80 miles usually 12 stalls avail. Takes about 40 min to go from 10-90%, and routeplanner software tells you how long to stop where, which is way cool as it sometimes has me stop for 10 min, then go. Usually, I go to about 20%, pee, eat, and am up to 90%. Part of buying the "big boy' tesla was I receive free supercharging as long as I own the car. One of Tesla's main competitive advantages over the big (or I guess its the little now) Car manufactures is they have their charging network infrastructure built out. This was huge in my decision. Any campground with a NEMA 14-50 plug will suffice also, along with a dryer plug or if you have loads of time, a standard wall outlet. Tesla is now the 22 largest market cap company in the world. Larger than the largest car company Toyota. They still dont get any respect. Some of their plans are amazing, including a virtual grid,

You think you will make it to Tampa ok? or should I get ya a AAA membership I Made it just fine from Tampa to PCB hauling all that fun stuff to the Summit, as you know, and a few other longer road trips. Range anxiety doesnt exist. But your point is well taken, it will take me approx 1 hr 15 minutes longer to drive my Tesla to Reston VA where my son lives than my wifes butt ugly embarrassing Prius V. Ill spend the extra 1 hr15 min and not do the "drive of shame' Oh, and I pay 0$ for the electricity on the trip But you bring up an interesting point...How many hours last year did one spend refueling their ICE car. Every morning I wake to having 320 miles in the tank, without spending but 4 sec plugging in at night. Not having to have a stop in day to day driving because the car needs to drink is quite a time saver. Havent spilled that first drop of oil doing an oil change either

I agree. I have heard that max speed drove Mooney marketing and this likely overruled sound engineering judgement with the end result being the worlds fastest single engine piston airplane but overlooking the fact that this airplane limited by the landing gear design and costing close to a million dollars would often have 500 pounds or less pay load with full fuel. Little wonder why Mooney went bankrupt again! Roy Lopresti was the smartest engineer to work for Mooney and he apparently saw a way around this problem but may not have been listened to. This design he was working on was after he left the company.

Pithy and prompt, much appreciated

You can wash the filter element really well in a small bucket with mineral spirits. Then put a strong enough magnet under the bucket and decant the liquid while gently agitating it. Anything left on the bottom of the bucket has to be ferrous material and can be easily quantified.

You are right Blue. It should be a separate thread - thanks for clipping out my stuff to make a new thread of it!

Just to clarify...this has to be a scam or somebody's idea of bored fun. The only things I've posted are screenshots of products I've purchased from Amazon or AS, pics from my hangar, or pages of relevant manuals. I don't, for a second, think I really used anyone's copyrighted material. I expect I'll get a follow-up demand for money next...kind of like those frequent "we caught your wank on video and we'll share it with your contact list unless you pay us in Bitcoin" emails I get through the business email. So, not a serious "threat"...but one I thought I ought to share for the hive humor and as a heads-up, in light of the scammers trying to sell stuff to MS members. And, why did I share this in the bug/suggestion forum? Maybe, in light of these scammers sending DMs to members, it might make sense to not allow DMs until someone's posted 5 or 10 times or something? That would keep people from joining and sending trash right away. A post threshold would at least give us a chance to vet some public comments. Another forum I used to participate in was set up like this. On the other hand...junk like this is easy to ignore. #delete

I’m really grateful that my daughter Olivia and I got to hang out with Bob at a couple of Oshkosh’s just sitting and shooting the breeze, if nothing more than to learn from a true gentleman. Blue skies Bob. Through and through condolences to Nancy P.S. on another Internet forum I’ve participated in, we made a point to memorialize people who had made a positive contribution to the community by pinning a “who was Bob Belville” type thread as appropriate. I think that would be a kind gesture and could start a little tradition / toast for our MS brothers and sisters who have passed along.

While it's coming for all of us, it doesn't make it any easier when one of the All Time Greats gets called home. I got to know Bob right here on MooneySpace. And we got to be good friends. I learned so much from Bob early on. And he was always a voice of wisdom here on MooneySpace. Whether we were on opposite sides of the debate, or writing in full support of each other's position, I counted it an honor just to be in the conversation with Bob. I was privileged to get together with Bob for several years at Oshkosh. It was always good to pull up a chair and chat, often in the lobby of Wisconsin Aviation at KMSN as soon as we'd arrived. As others have said, Bob was the Mooney owner/pilot we all aspire to be. He flew an E, the original Mooney hot rod and the best of the short bodies. And under his care it became undoubtedly the best E in the country. And he used it like a Mooney is meant to be used. It was always flying and flying far. Every time I had the privilege to see N943RW, it was in better shape than the time before. I hope whoever has her now, is treating her properly and understands the legacy they are responsible for. Bob, you'll be missed. It was a privilege and honor to call you Friend.

Expect that if it could be done... You would need... 1) A stack of cash... (size large) 2) An STC... Getting an STC written for a Mooney has been done several times... The same organization has put turbines in brand P models... Call Rocket Engineering and gauge their interest level... -a-

Don't ruin the beauty and function of that laminar flow wing with VG's. It will handle slow flight just fine with good instruction and practice.