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Sobering account - I find it easy to identify with the rage expressed by the witness from Beechtalk. I don't know the injuries of the deceased- he might not have made a difference had he run to the scene. But someone with basic medical training on the scene 5 minutes earlier can be the difference between life and death in such marginally survivable accidents. If the victim is accessible, it can be the critical time frame to open an airway, provide rescue breaths, or stop hemmorhage from a limb. A take away for me here is to do whatever I can to help a distressed aircraft or crash victim- as long as it can be done without creating a hazard for others (e.g. crossing an active runway). I would certainly hope a fellow pilot would do the same for me. Deal with any consequences later - the folks loitering on the ramp and saying don't try to help can go f*ck themselves.

This was posted over on Beechtalk: just watched helplessly as a plane crashed.I had just landed at Ocala, FL hoping to grab some fuel and some breakfast at the Tailwinds Cafe. The line man had put a chock under the wheel and I was busy getting down off the wing. There were maybe 6 people on the ramp. A Mooney was talking off and the engine sounded wrong, there was a bang and then silence. Time seems to stand still. Several more people came out of the FBO while the plane was maybe 600 feet above the ground. The pilot tried to turn back and I thought he was doing a great job. Everyone on the ramp was just watching in scared anticipation, hoping that he made it. Maybe 75 or 100 feet above the ground the left wing fell and the plane crashed behind the VOR. I don’t even remember it making a sound when it came to rest. There was this surreal moment when time just stood still. The lineman calls on his radio for them to call 911. I start running across the ramp knowing that the crash site is at least 3/4 of mile away. The lineman starts yelling at me to stop that I can’t cross the runway. I yell back to tell the tower to close the field. He yells back saying tower says to stop and that fire and EMS are on the way. Some lady yells you can’t move the victim, they might have spinal injuries. All sorts of unkind words roll through my head but I stop, turn around, and look at these helpless bystanders. A dozen people stand on the ramp. Waiting. Watching. There is no smoke and the wreckage is behind the VOR so it is hard to see anything. I am pissed off! I keep thinking that if I was the pilot in the plane I would hope somebody is running to help me. Do you know how long it takes for 1 car to get to the scene? 10 minutes. It was a freaking eternity. I could have been there in 5. 15 minutes and there are police and fire and EMS on the scene.Everyone wanders back into the FBO. I sit down in the cafe and order breakfast watching out the window as the 1st responders do their job. Helpless. Mad. Angry. Praying that there are survivors. Hoping against hope that everyone magically walks away. Thinking I should have run out there to help and f$ck them and let them throw me in jail. The cafe is quiet as everyone just waits for something to happen. Finally an ambulance rolls away from the scene, comes down the runway and out a perimeter gate. There were no lights, no siren. Is that bad? Is that good? Is everyone OK or is everyone dead? Thousands of questions and no answers.About 45 minutes later the airport is open again. Planes take off and arrive like nothing happened. Life goes on.My flight home is slow with a 35 -40 knot headwind. Lots of turbulence to match my mood. I am sad. Sad for the pilot. Sad for any passengers. Sad for their families.

I have officially arrived on the right coast, flight out went better than I thought it would as I figured ice would keep me down low. I got on top of the precip above the freezing level and broke out around FL190. A nice 200kts for most of the flight, winds were a bit less than forecasted. http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N9709M/history/20160410/1715Z/KDPA/47N/tracklog Trued out at around 160-162 at 70% running about 11.5gph at "maximum" gross weight and over maximum cube, nice to have some clothes to wear though.

Sorry we didn't get to meet up. I tried and tried sending a message back to you and posting here for an all Mooney hook up time and place. I thought it was just the slammed cell towers messing me up. I even called Mikes home phone a dozen or so times, he never answered until he was home on Saturday LOL I ordered a set of the Halos for my wife (to replace her old Lightspeed Mach1's) not sure that the sound was as good as the Clarity Aloft but MUCH more comfortable. Around the ears it's like wearing nothing. I assume you like yours ? I kinda used this post as a reference. It didn't hurt that Phil has a Mooney as well as a son at Mississipi State (where my daughter and son-in-law went) I told him if he was an Ol Miss fan I was going back to the Clarity booth :-) Pictures: New CO detector wood hippy rigged up to try on the way home. Red blanket, that's my feet sticking up...camped in the airplane. Plenty of room. Beach picture is Daytona Beach after departing the Fl. Mooney lunch at New Smyrna Beach.

The good folks from Kerville dropped in to my shop today for a little snafu on the O3 they had at Sun-N-Fun. They brought this with them too....

There will never be two "emergency" situations that are identical. Each requires assessment before engaging. I stated earlier that I would have gone to aid. A more accurate statement, I would have gotten close enough to make a determination to aid....or not.The closer you get to an incident, the better your able to assess the evironment. There have been multiple studies done that indicate most people in an emergency situation will stand by and do nothing and for various reasons. Even the most rudimentary training will allow us to overcome most of the "standby" reaction or reasoning. While I agree we should obey authorities, never give up your own ability to assess and act if necessary. Much like being PIC.

1. nope. My favorite passenger is far too motion sickness-prone for the turbulence that would entail, and that much crosswind would be more of a challenge than I'd enjoy. 2. I'd go. 3. Once upon a time I'd have said sure. That is why they taught us the zero/zero takeoff, right? BTDT. Survived.. That was before my exhaust system sprang a bad leak on takeoff. If it hadn't been VFR, I might not have made it back, with burning fiberglass filling cabin with acrid smoke. So now if I can't shoot an approach to return promptly when things go badly wrong, I don't take off. Older, yes. Wiser, maybe, but surely more timid. 4. I'd go, for sure, wth onboard weather and good alternates. As previously noted, sounds like a typical summer day in LA. (Lower Alabama) 5. No. That sounds like a sure chance to spend the night in some fleabag hotel a long way from home or destination. Meh. So here's one for you: Sunday morning phone call this past February, summoning us from NE NC to Mobile, Al. My mother has breathed her last at 93, after a long illness. Everybody is going to be there, good, good people. ASOS at EDE wind 260/15 Temp 45, dew point 40, ceiling ovc 4300, tops way up. Light rain. Temps aloft 42 at 3000, 34 at 6000. Clearing 120 miles south, nice enough the rest of the way. The funeral is Tuesday afternoon. Monday forecast is horrible, probably unflyable here. Supposed to be OK all the way home on Wednesday, maybe. Do I launch? Of course. Right away, as conditions are expected to deteriorate here. Plan is to stay low, beneath the clouds all the way to warmer and clearer 45 minutes southwest of here. Return early Wednesday for Thursday predawn commercial flight from BWI to HI to begin to settle recently deceased MIL's estate. Sigh. It was a hard month for the great grandmothers. So off we took. Climb out in light chop, ceilings at least 1400 feet above us, But oddly, OAT at 2500 was 38. We were 20 miles from home, headed southwest in reasonable VFR, but best not punch into those leaden clouds. We put off picking up the IFR clearance in order to stay low. Suddenly the rest of the flight plan was made for us, as thick mixed ice coated the windshield and leading edges. Nope. 180 time! Max defrost heat. Pitot heat already on. Descend to slightly warmer over the cotton fields and swamp, head for home. Ice melts, landing uneventful, excuses to family made. Light fire in fireplace, think fun memories of dear old lady. My dear siblings buried Mama quite handily without my supervision, on a very cold and windy gulf coast winter day.

To this day I have a little spot in my craw for my father-in-law. He has cottages in Northern Wisconsin that are on a lake. If winds are out of the north final is right over their cottage. One night he heard a plane go over following by loud noise.... Never called anyone...Never investigated. An IFR pilot was attempting a landing and caught a tree. Since event opening has been extended...Pilot died. Wife seriously injured remained in the plane all night. Two nieces in back seat exited plane and wandered in the dark until early morning when rescue was dispatched. I have to live with myself. I would have run to that aircraft. I respect your decision and understand your emotion post event. Mine would be similar. We are a society based on rules, structure and the law... My thoughts are with the family and hoping the injured passenger has a full recovery.

My three partners in this 231 were big guys. One was an Ohio State fullback, in his salad days. They used to all pile in with their golf clubs every winter and fly from northern Ohio to Daytone Beach. I asked where they found a Mooney-sized shoehorn, and they laughed, saying,"we aren't in it very long!" Those tall-guy legs fit just fine, and they prearranged shoulder positions, I guess. Now, if you are 5'3" and pudgy, as I am, you might find the fit more of a challenge. With the seal all the way forward, it is an effort for me to flare properly, even with rudder pedal extensions.i gather this is unlikely to be a problem for you. My husband slides his seat fairly far back, all the better for en route napping, so all the shoulder space where I sit is mine. That seat position may solve the snugness situation. I flew a beautifully equipped C182 the other day, and nice bird, but it sure was no Mooney! 35 knots slower for an extra gallon per hour, and flew like a truck. A truck with a very high instrument panel. Nope. No sale. I remain a Mooney partisan.

I seem to be in the minority in that I like long legs, I have a 190-200 knot plane with 130 gal available, my wife didn't like going on trips in my two J models(which I loved BTW), now she wants to fly but she wants to get to her destination as fast a practical. I like to fly, but on trips we normally fly 5-6 hours nonstop to our destination, Wilmington to New Orleans a couple times a yr. my point is there are lots of Mooneys that can do the 1000-1200 mile trips in 5-6 hours non-stop, beats the airlines, I always bring a little John but never need it, unless of course I forget it. Charheep look strongly at the Mooneys , fun to fly, great for travel and to me quite comfy.

Oh yeah, I forgot about this one: We were routed directly over Lakeland. Kind of looks like a beehive doesn't it. [emoji15] Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

All no goes for this non IR pilot. When in doubt chicken out.

Aero is April 20 - 23, 2016 at the Exhibition Centre next to the Zeppelin hangar Not aware if what type the sim is behaving as - Timothy is an IFR instructor and probably has a few options available - I'm picking up some new pedals for it that are being developed on my way through. I'll see what I can do for photos, but previous experience has shown that we tend to be quite busy on the stand, and time to get a good look round is limited - personally I want to get to the Avidyne, Lycoming and BK stands but I'm worried I might not get the time even for that!

I do not climb at any less than 120mph. Most of the time, it is higher than 120. FF is def great to have and worth the cost of doing all this with the inherent risks involved in aviation.

+1 Looks like it could be the lowest cost digital air data system available for a Mooney. James you may want to add "Dynon D10a" to the end of your thread title. In a few days somebody looking for this thread won't find it very easily... Best regards, -a-

I think a guy named David Malin over at beech talk was the responder.

Done.

Done

Tony posted this picture on Beechtalk:

Man I'm so jealous I didn't get to go this year. I just have way too much on my plate. But I got to live vicariously through you all and that was nice too. Can't wait til OSH!! I'll BE there! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That's why I stayed home. Saturday was very windy and gusty here, net your landing at home was interesting!

Mike we think there pine barrens, loaded with. well don't look, welcome!

nice even has an AOA

I would avoid any paint system that requires a clear coat. Clear coats seem to be the first thing to fail and you can't fix it. If it is a solid color, you can always rub it out.

Have a great trip, Jim, and stay safe. Glad to see there are other AMA members here.

Welcome Home, Mike! Best regards, -a-

Like many other M20K's it does have a heated prop. The intent was to climb out on top of any weather that you may encounter ice in.

I agree - talk with Craig and let's do a mass order and then ship them out and have MooneySpace get some extra funds in the process. -Seth

My compliments to the race organizers for arranging tail winds on all the course headings..Just kidding Gixer

When I took my instrument checkride (~6 years ago), I had to show that my 430 was legally certified to fly ifr in the logs to both the examiner and the FSDO (I was fortunate to have the FSDO do the annual ride for the DE for my instrument checkride). I do not have an external annunciator in my J. They said it wasn't needed because the radio was within my field of view. Legal or not? Not sure, but the installer, DE, and FSDO (which wasn't where it was installed by the way) was good with it. Good luck on your search Glaifaille!

like how much to spend on which Mooney model! And how you are going to explain this to your wife. [emoji848]

TKS wasn't offered on Mooneys until around 1996. Very few 231s, which were discontinued in 1985, were retrofitted with TKS de-ice. To have TKS FIKI, you need dual alternators - not available on a 231.

#1 No-Go. Too much wind and too much turbulence for my passengers. #2 Go. IF the destination has an approach that is at least 200-1/2 better than the forecast weather. #3 No-Go. Likely icing. #4 No-Go? Take a look at radar on line and look for current location and movement. I will not try to pick my way between storms. If it looks like I can easily go around it then I might give it a try but be spring loaded to a 180 and go home. #5 No-Go? Depends. Is the current weather better or worse than the forecast for right now? If it's worse then I stay home. If it's better and I can put enough gas on board along with all my passengers to make it to a reasonable alternate then I might consider it. However, if the forecast has weather being down so low we can't come home afterward, then I'll probably stay home anyway.

Sell em for 25 with the 5 going to site maintenance and I'm in Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

How well positioned is the prop with the cowling? often, an engine sag is noticeable with the prop hanging down and not being cetered... PP ideas... Best regards, -a-

Hi Marauder, I did paint and stripe it as I know it will be a while before I paint the whole airplane. Here's a few photos if you missed it. Thank you, David

have I already mentioned the horrible things I would do for a skyview system in the mooney?

Pretty sobering to see considering the open fields surrounding the plane. Looks like it is owned by someone in Louisiana.

The thing that bothers me the most is that the airplane was too much to handle for the person flying it without additional training and it appears that he never got it. People will spend a quarter to a half a million dollars on an airplane and then won't spend another 1-2% of that to get some transition training.

Yeah in my younger days I did a lot of boating and time on the beach.

Tires are just like new, only used for taxiing, never landing.

If you do buy this plane I wouldn't ask the previous owner for training....

Got a chance to see Phil at the Halo booth. Got me two sets of free ear buds!

Got a chance to catch up with Mark from PSE Engineering. Seems we worked at HP at the same time. Small world.

No offense intended but who wants to put money on the over/under on how many more months it takes Glafaille to find a Mooney acceptable to his standards? I'll say 12 months. Who wants the over/under on this?

I flew back the the U.P. once in my F model from the Denver area in just under 6 hours (the "speed" thing, right). My wife says when we get out of the plane "if we are going to do this again, let me know. It's no longer fun and I will go airline". To each their own, but I would rather make the trip fun, not a bloody "mission". I've had some really interesting fuel stops, the wife still loves to fly, my body likes getting out of the plane and stretching, and my 60 year old bladder really likes getting to a bathroom after 3-4 hours. If someone wants to brag about "beating my faster plane" over the whole trip, so be it. I'm a big boy and can handle the flack. Tom

An earlier post said that Plant City has a shuttle to Sun N Fun. I just called, and that is NOT correct according to the person I spoke with. The ramp fee is $25 a day, and the cheapest rental car was $75.00 per day.

Why do you want to upgrade current? Modern radios and lighting take less.

I'll be glad to take you to mine and take you up for a couple of approaches. give me a call 704 904 4706 I bought mine with only rides in a friends "C".. Got my IR in a Beech Sundowner I had for 7 Years. Had the Mooney now for 5 years (wow does time fly by). Bill

There is also some concerns when removing all 6 cylinders at once. Mike Bush has wrote about it a couple of times.