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Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/24/2017 in all areas

  1. i'm 67 but lost medical 3 years ago and FAA just told my AME TO "wish me luck" if I were to apply again. My Doctor says cancer is no longer active, but the FAA thinks otherwise. So my Mooney is in annual and may soon be sold. Ihave taken up High Performance Driving Education and am a certified Instructor. Sort of like flying low When plane sells I'll get something faster.. Bill
    9 points
  2. Thanks guys! I'm getting used to being the oldest guy in the room. Sad how few of my friends from the past are still alive. Message: Eat well, drink moderately, do unexpected things, and never stop learning Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    8 points
  3. Dogs are wonderful companions. In addition to Mutt Muffs be sure to protect them from cosmic rays. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
    5 points
  4. Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional.
    5 points
  5. If you keep fixing the things that are wrong, eventually it will become reliable. The things you mention are normal for a neglected plane. Both Mooneys I have owned took about 4 years to become reliable. After that it will take you anywhere you want to go. It sounds like you are a mechanical guy, find a mechanic that will work with you and let you fix things up. When you are not working by the hour, you can strip and repaint any part you take off. You can spend hours degreasing the underbelly that only you see. You can pull the whole interior, clean and repaint the floor and wing spar. Clean and repaint your wheel wells. When you do all this you will find those little things that need attention and learn a lot about your plane.
    5 points
  6. I guess I'm primarily a cat person but on PnP flights I've found dogs treat the airplane like a car, although they can't stick their noses out the window The one accessory I've found useful is a tether that locks into the seatbelt. Let's them move freely about the rear while still being under some restraint.
    5 points
  7. What fun! Any of you ever used a Univac (or even ever heard of one)? The Department of Defense "gave" me one (of 12 in the world) to use in the mid 1950s. It was the Cray supercomputer of its day, and all programming was done in analogs. Punched paper, punched cards, and punched steel (Gillette computer interface) were sometimes used as input devices. The Univac used a roomful of vacuum tubes- 6L6s or 5881 (mil spec) by the hundreds filling an air conditioned and humidity regulated room. Yeah - "sophisticated" 8 K programs! But it was the best tool we had at the time. And amazingly we built some great equipment with it. Now I sit here typing this on my iPhone 7+, with far more power than I could ever have envisioned then. An observation from a very old guy: You are never truly old if you keep yourself on the leading edge of technology, and learn to use the power to expand your skills. In a week I will fly down to San Louis Obispo for a UFO. (United Flying Octogenarians) meeting. As always there will be some very technical sessions dealing with the use of the newest avionics, and how to best understand their use. Fun group. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    4 points
  8. Conventional wisdom suggests that "oldbold" is no longer with us and "Olddog" is still performing the same tricks. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
    4 points
  9. 82 this month, but still a kid at heart. Started flying (Army De Havilland Beavers on wheels) in 1956 - Long story, I was not an Army pilot. Civilian flying started around 40 years ago, and I bought my first Mooney shortly thereafter. Pretty much continuous flying since then in a variety of owned aircraft for business and pleasure. I know there are older Mooney pilots, but I don't know if they are MS members. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    4 points
  10. I'll admit to being older than I look. And older than I act.
    4 points
  11. I've had my first customers airplane now for a couple weeks for the cowling modification. I'm waiting on FAA field approval before I physically start the mod on the aircraft. I have all the parts in house and just have a little more to finish on the baffling then I'm ready to go. My backup plan is using DER's if for some reason the FAA turns down the field approval. Once I get started, I'll post the before, in progress and finished photos in this thread. Thanks, David
    3 points
  12. After I retired the first time in 2015, I did some consulting as a chemical facility auditor. As an example, for the last audit the Mooney allowed me to shave 1-2 days off of what would otherwise been a 5 day 3-facility assignment. There were no practical commercial air options. My client saved money. I billed out-of-pocket for Mooney expenses, 2 rental cars for a total of 3 days. If I had driven, the auto mileage and additional 2 days hotel and meals would have exceeded those expenses. They also saved, and I lost, since I billed them for 12 hours less time. But I did get to fly. Until you gain experience and an IR, it's still only marginally practical. i may resume auditing after I re-retire in a week.
    3 points
  13. Do you have flexibility in your travel/meeting schedule? Having a rigid schedule with no alternative travel method is not compatible with general aviation. Many pilots have lost their lives because they were in a hurry to get somewhere and launched into poor conditions. An instrument rating will help a lot but there are still times when the right decision is not to go.
    3 points
  14. Well, made it to asheboro alive, though not without some difficulty. Lots of smoke underneath a low cloud level. I had to stop and reassess before finishing the trip. Will head back out soon....
    3 points
  15. 68 and counting..... This thread is of interest to me because I'm still employed as a pilot flying biz jets under part 91, 91K and 135. Under those FAR's one can fly for pay as long as one passes a physical (first class, in my case) and passes the proficiency check. We currently have a pilot in his late 70's, several in their mid-70's. I like my job, but I have to face the fact that there is a point where I need to quit because I'm not sharp enough anymore. That "point" is hotly debated in various forums. According to the younger guys, there should be a firm line in the sand at 60, 65, 67....or something else depending on their age and seniority so they can move up the list. On the other hand, I will never carry a passenger for hire more precious to me than my wife regardless of what the FAR's say. Does it make sense to say, "I'm too old to fly commercially, but I can safely carry my wife flying?" So.....where is that "point" and how does one know?
    3 points
  16. DTF, I am sorry you had such a bad experience. Your statement above is both true and false. Florida planes are not necessarily bad for corrosion at all. In fact, some of the best examples of Mooneys are in Florida. I have had my butt in well over 200 Mooneys from all over and can say this with some authority, While the high tumidity environment is conducive to corrosion, like it is in Al, LA, Houston, SC, etc, it is all about how the plane is cared for. The second part of your statement reveals the true identifier of a good plane or a bad one. Going forward for other Mooney wannabe owners, I recommend "prebuying" the existing and previous owner(s) as much as you do the plane. That will reveal much about the quality of care, attention to detail and maintenance philosophy the plane was exposed to. I owned an F Model for 16 years and kept it in FL for 3 of them. I found a hanger PRIOR to buying a house here, it is that important. To answer your question, yes, a M20F can be disassembled and rebuilt. The sky is the limit. John Breda has done just that with his using a Mooney professional (Brian Kendrick). He now has arguably the finest F in the fleet, surplanting my old one, Glenns, Marauders, and a few other fine examples.
    3 points
  17. July 22, 1991. I'll be 26 soon. NOOOOOOOO
    3 points
  18. I'll be 37 on the 29th, far from the youngest. But I bet my ownership is the youngest on here only a week and two days:) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    3 points
  19. Welcome aboard, Joe. Grab a cup of coffee, sit down, take it one step at a time... MS has a lot of experience to share. 1) Every part of a Mooney can be rebuilt, overhauled or replaced. 2) The hard part is the economics. Sometimes getting to the truth is the harder part. 3) We have several owners of M20Fs. Some are the nicest in the fleet... 4) Learn to ask short detailed questions. The answers are going to be kind of long... 5) Learn the search function. Some questions are detailed already. No waiting... 6) expect to read... a lot. 7) find the M20Fs that have been completely rebuilt. 8) find the owners that have owned their F for decades. 9) find the owners that also run auto shops, if that helps we have a couple around here. 10) We have a truck shop guy that just built a home built plane while owning his M20K. 11) Find a Mooney Fly-in and meet some Mooney people. 12) very few Mooney's go to the scrap yard. 13) keep in mind we have some really good A&P/Owner/pilots around here. 14) we also have some MSC DOMs and people that have seen hangar fairies around... 15) there are a few thousand Mooney people around here, as we are coming up on our first decade or so together... 16) tell us about yourself... do you like working on your plane? 17) where are you located? Stay positive. It's not where you have been that is important. It is where you are going that is important... Best regards, -a-
    3 points
  20. Major victory today. I decided to wait until I could get in to see Scotty Collins, Precision Avionics, Griffin, GA. They got right into the aircraft, and spent about four hours trouble-shooting every aspect of the autopilot. After extensive digging around, one of the techs rebuilt the yoke trim switch ON SITE! Re-installed it and it worked like a charm. After hearing estimates in the "several thousands" of dollars, my bill came to $397. Total. Boom. These guys are awesome. It was worth the wait, and worth the trip down there.
    3 points
  21. 3 points
  22. Okay, let me do my best Carusoam impersonation here... What I've learned from this thread is: 1. Some planes don't get flown often enough. 2. Some pilots don't have access to planes often enough. 3. These issues may provide some mutual benefit. 4. The FAA isn't overly concerned about private plane rentals. 5. Your insurer or finance company may not be too happy about it though. 6. Check on renters insurance for such situations. 7. Look around and you might find some sweet deals on plane access. 8. Arrows are decent airplanes but they're still not Mooneys. Not a CFI, A&P, AI, CPA, CFP, FBI, CIA, NSA, PhD, nor an insurance agent, but I DID stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
    3 points
  23. Hi James, Unfortunately the "popping" noise coming from the NGT-9000 is a fairly common problem, and there are a few different things that need to be checked with the installation. The most likely culprit of the noise has to do with how well the transponder coax RF connector at the back of the NGT-9000 rack are grounded. Poor grounding, or bonding, of the connector will cause the noise to be more prevalent. I would suggest that the installer starts with inspecting the coax connections behind the rack, and I'm guessing they will find that the RF connectors are not making good contact with the RF grounding spring-clip piece. The other issue could be poor bonding of the transponder antenna to the fuselage and/or an insufficient antenna ground plane. Lastly, relocating the transponder antenna further aft may be required to completely get rid of the noise. Please have your installer call me at (616)285-4436 and I can help them resolve the issue, if they haven't already called and talked to myself or one of my coworkers. Hope this helps! Jim Keeth L-3 Aviation Products jim.keeth@l3t.com
    2 points
  24. Yep, WATFOR, 360 ASM, and all of those forgotten languages we used to write enormous 4K programs. Back when a "forklift upgrade" actually required a forklift!
    2 points
  25. I've been working with computers since fortran days. Input was via paper punch tape, pre punch cards. 1961. Old Guy... yeah I guess so.
    2 points
  26. Try Janet Denton. I think she works at Elite: http://iflyelite.com/ Yves
    2 points
  27. Yep, I know that view. It's followed by this one, with much fist waving and frantic radio calls . . . "Wait for meeeee . . . . . " :-) ;-) [emojis aren't working today)
    2 points
  28. What's the old country song lyric? I'm not as good as I once was but I'm as good once as I ever was"? Will be 66 in a month.
    2 points
  29. That's a variation on what Groucho Marx once said: "It takes me all night to do what I used to do all night".
    2 points
  30. I'm going to claim the title of being the "youngest when I joined MS" as I was 23 when I bot my Mooney and 20 when I bot my 172 prior to that.
    2 points
  31. The course you're looking for is available. To sign up for it, you go out to your local airport and say, "I'd like 10 hours of Instrument instruction to keep me from killing myself if I accidentally find myself in IMC." (As a bonus, you'll probably get a free Flight Review, too!)
    2 points
  32. I'm not really sure I guess on one hand you could have some yahoos who will go out and think they can fly IFR all the time. I suggest to VFR pilots to get the approach procedures learn to read them and go play with the approaches at non towered airport in VMC. Then get a safety pilot or instructor and fly them under the hood. Having these skills and knowledge just might save your bacon one day. The other thing is the procedures have a lot of good information about the airport in a convenient format.
    2 points
  33. 27, Bought my C model when I was 22. @Raptor05121 has me beat! I have the grey hairs of someone who is twice my age unfortunately. Could be worse though, I could be bald like @Alan Fox!
    2 points
  34. Two words: Dog hair! Everywhere...We took the two Beagles several years ago... no more! Yves Five canine flying tips: 1. Only fly with poodles, very high IQ and they don't shed. 2. When flying with pets always have spouse accompany you to talk the soothing baby sweetie doggie talk. 3. Never fly with Bassets, IQ very low, and always run the risk of having to squawk 7700 If they should try to take over controls. 4. Please ignore all canine wailing altitude call outs at MDA. Always rely on your radar altimeter or AMS2000 Shadin connected to a Falcon altitude encoder. Reliably reports in 10' increments. 5. 10-25 mg. acepromazine tabs, depending upon weight. A little sedation never hurt anything. (Just my experience as a DVM) Best
    2 points
  35. 62 but I'm still think I'm 30 or so. That is until I try to keep up with my 35 yer old son when we work on projects together! Lee
    2 points
  36. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
    2 points
  37. OK, Next week I'll turn the BIG 60! How the hell did that happen? I have owned a Mooney continuously sense I was 26.
    2 points
  38. Another suggestion from my genius wife - try flying with her favorite dog bed for her to sleep in - its like her baby blanket. Plus we received the headset a few days ago and spent a bit of time adapting to it by wearing it and getting treats, at home. So today we went flying together! It went VERY well! She didn't seem bothered and curled up and went to sleep. No big deal! Now I'm shopping for one of those cute doggy co-pilot jackets.
    2 points
  39. I had my first spondy diagnosis when in 1971 and was in a back brace for almost a year. Nothing to wow the girls in high school like a back brace! Fast forward to now and I have a 3rd degree spondy diagnosis, but the problem is managed through stretching, exercise and taking it easy when I should. I saw my father go through a spinal fusion in the 1960's and decided I would try to avoid surgery if at all possible when I was diagnosed. I agree with @BradB: when I am ready to do it I will, but until then my decision is to work with what I have. Besides, I use it as my incentive to work out and try to keep weight off.
    2 points
  40. Dropped plane off at Maxwells for an annual. Always fun things to look at.
    2 points
  41. So today, I was thinking of flying again with Strava, but my wife had an idea, that since she was nervous last time, to just sit in the plane with her for a while so she could just be used to the environment. So despite a beautiful day, we DIDN't fly - we just sat in the airplane together for about 20 minutes until she got drowsy and went to sleep. I know in this picture she might not look it, but that's her content and cozy look. Plus she's wearing her harness and after awhile I clipped her in. I ordered her a puppy sized headset so after she gets used to that at home, then next up probably later in the week we go fly. Maybe she can be my safety pilot while I shoot some approaches?
    2 points
  42. Good luck with the pups we need to get Magneto up in the plane again his first trip he did fine until we left the runway after landing then he got sick but he has that same problem in the car if the road is curvy. As for the pics being sideways my wife takes pics with her phone then sends them to my iPad if I don't edit them first and then save they will be sideways. If I do a quick edit then they post right side up.
    2 points
  43. I'm with you on this. A manual gear 252TSE would be just the ticket. I'm assuming you are referring to the incapacitation of the guy in the left seat? Is your right seater a pilot? My wife and copilot is not a pilot and therefore according to @mooneygirl it would be better to gear-up the plane. It won't bounce, and it isn't as likely to run off the end of the runway as there aren't any brakes on the right side. My copilot is under orders to leave the gear up, regardless of instructions from ATC, in the event of my untimely demise.
    1 point
  44. Mutt muffs make a difference in comfort for our furry friends, and helps protect their hearing which is more sensitive than ours particularly if you fly with them a lot. Dogs do tend to knock them off though, so what I find helpful is to put them on just before startup, start your engine, and then by taxi they have usually got them off, and when you put them back on again, they usually keep them on as they realize how much quieter it is with them on.
    1 point
  45. No discount at my home airport. But the fuel is also priced well at $3.40, so I'm not looking for a discount.
    1 point
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