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Showing content with the highest reputation on 04/15/2018 in all areas

  1. I am the excited, proud new owner of N803RM, the 1969 Mooney M20F lovingly cared for by another MooneySpace'r for the past 11 years. A lot of you probably remember my "E of dubious provenance," and her ignominious end. I'm not going to slam that plane; if I'd been more experienced, she may not have ended the way she did. (I believe the Swiss Cheese model played out in that situation. I do think there were problems with the plane, but looking back - and as fully discussed with the FAA - there were things I could have done differently.) This is different. My "E" was a project. This F is turnkey. She needs nothing. ADS-B, WAAS, freshly sealed tanks, AP... she's equipped. Gorgeous inside and out. Purrs. Picked her up in Yosemite this morning, flew her to PRB for the 53(!) Mooney fly-in, then brought her home. Got a hangar for her at Torrance (KTOA). If anyone's on the field tomorrow, stop by, 1300-1900... (PM me for details)
    8 points
  2. Great event. I left around 1:30 and Mooneys were still arriving. What struck me was not only the friendliness of the Mooniacs, but how well the aircraft are kept up. Great paint, great panels, and pride of ownership. I was also pleased to see younger pilots and their families. As one of the oldest pilots to fly in (83), it is gratifying to see the interest level in the newer generations. General aviation is not dead, at least not in the Mooney world. Can’t wait for the next get together.
    7 points
  3. The problem with airport dogs off leash is the distraction to the other pilot that don’t know how amazing and perfectly well trained these dogs are. When they prop strike a taxi way light or clip a wing taxing because they are watching someone’s off leash dog worrying that it may run out and getting chopped up it cost the dog owner nothing!
    5 points
  4. Thanks to an AMAZING turnout from AMAZING Mooniacs with AMAZING Airplanes! great fun. Thanks also to Richard Simile of Delta Aviation for bringing the Ultra! I want one! And Greg Baker and Damon Trimble of LASAR. lets do another fly-in next weekend! phil
    5 points
  5. First to post, well it did happen and will post some pics here and on today's flight thread soon. My wife counted 50 Mooneys on the ramp in front of the event hangar and there were a few others parked in a different area because they ran out of space. Could not have had better weather for the flying and the event. Met a few Mooney space folks but so many was impossible to meet them all. Thank you Phil and Mike and your better halves and every one who helped put this together. Was a fantastic turn out and we overwhelmed Oakland center as our airplanes began to depart.
    5 points
  6. Those of you who have been following the chronicles of Mooney Six One Zulu already know that she suffered extensive damage to the wing back in September when my partner ran off the runway while re-positioning her away from Hurricane Irma. Nearly eight months and tens of thousands of dollars later she is back home. Work was completed by Air Services at West Georgia Regional (KCTJ) and they took very good care of her.
    4 points
  7. I grew up with all kinds of animals including lots of dogs. As an adult I've come to the reluctant conclusion that most dog owners are not qualified to own dogs.
    4 points
  8. It was 1 of 2 pins that holds the passenger's seat back to the seat. Suprised it didn't completely break apart. Easy to find and repair once I removed the seat. Thanks for the suggestions!
    4 points
  9. Well today for some reason we took Snoopy down to Paso Robles. Weather was as good as it gets cruise was at 7500 and we were getting 170 mph ground with almost no wind. As we were approaching Napa, ATC called out a fast mover at our 12 o'clock low and was about to turn us when I spotted what looked like a Citation he was heading in the opposite direction and passed below and to our right by only a couple hundred feet. Lots of traffic today but that was only close one. As we were getting close to Paso Robles Oakland center was talking to someone that was approaching the airport and commented that there were at least 4 Mooneys in the pattern there and that they must be having some kind of fly in there. I commented that they should expect about 50 arrivals and the controller commented it seemed like a hundred. A nice approach led to a very smooth landing and we were marshaled to a great parking spot next to a whole bunch of Mooneys. After a great gathering of Mooney Spacers it was time to head for home. We requested flight following but at the time there were a few of us and so center had us stand by. As we were cruising along at 6500 center advised of a Mooney on same heading and altitude passing us to our right with a 20 knot closure. He was easy to spot and I think he may have been going to Hayward. Not sure who he was. Then a funny thing happened to us as we were nearing Napa ATC called out a traffic alert when I spotted a small biz jet at our 9 o'clock passed under us left to right from 90 degrees just a couple hundred feet below. It seemed weird that both jets were I'd as unknown by the controllers. Things got a little bumpy as we neared home normal for the afternoons here but a satisfying landing put a finish to a fine day.
    4 points
  10. Here's a couple, my wife has a bunch more on her phone. Can't wait to see the drone footage that @thinwing took. It was great to meet everyone. A huge thank you to @MrRodgers and our host @mooneyflyer and his wife for all they did.
    4 points
  11. I made a whole album here you can see more of the pics! I flew the 150 in the one picture, next to the TBM. PICTURE ALBUM
    3 points
  12. Unleashed and unattended dogs don’t belong anywhere on airport areas reserved for aircraft operations. Period. I don’t care how good and obedient you think your dog is. There should be fines imposed. I have enough to do tending to the well being of my pax, myself and my airplane. I don’t need to also look after somebody’s dog.
    3 points
  13. I agree, except my dog will not fit in a cage, at least not one that fits in a Mooney. He does however wear a harness with a lead that buckles into the seat belt. He as enough freedom to stand up and turn around, but cannot leave his seat either by choice or sudden deceleration.
    3 points
  14. My lunch in the main food cafeteria was $20 with a bottle of water ($3). Food was mediocre. To make it worse, we then discovered that Mooney International had (free) pizza and drinks and plenty of seating. (The Mooney set up was first class and they'll have the same display at AirVenture.)
    3 points
  15. So today I removed the bladders with my AP. Not difficult as much as time consuming and a lot of deep breathing and meditation when following the destructive trail the previous owner AP left behind. This plane is just full of surprises and at least I have a sense of humor. The 6 bladders were installed in 1991 and look as good and are as soft as the day they were installed. The extension tanks were added in 2011 and look to be fine also. The problem was mostly installation error and sloppy careless blatant dis-regard for proper procedures. The leaks were coming from multiple places along with the drains, and the four sending units. Two of the bladders were leaking from the connection tubes. Not because of bladder failure but because ZIP TIES WERE USED to attach them to the tubes. I wasn't there when they were being installed but I sure the hell wish I was. I have a BAT that would have struck that idiot so hard he would have seen the 4 dimension in 3D. I'm sure they were installed properly in 1991 and the logs show no issues until 2011 when the extensions were installed by the previous owner. That is when the evidence is overwhelming. First the factory install from O&N use a green fuel tape that is very well applied and prevents the foam that cushions the bladders from moving. All the holes that the tubes pass thru have a plastic guard installed to prevent rubbing, The factory used these. Also any sharp edges or areas of concern were covered well from O&N. No questions they do/did great work!! Now where the issue comes in is where the 4th bag install caused all the problems. The previous owner used silver duct tape and foam from what looks like a pillow to protect the bladders. Where the tubes pass thru the spars he used rubber "garden" hose. Instead of using stainless steel ideal clamps he used auto clamps and zip ties. So for 20 years the original install was perfect. Let and idiot work his magic and seven years later it falls apart. TO fix this I am removing all bags and removing all silver duct tape and foam pillows. Installing all new correct foam and using the proper tape and grommets. Having already inspected the spar and the interior wings from all inspection holes there is ZERO evidence of corrosion or structural damage from 27 years of bladder usage. Plus one for bladders. Also the drains were supposed to have O-rings instead they had a sealant used. Basically it all was extension tank installation error. PS. How do you stop the pin from falling out of the door handle. You use green body shop tape to hold it in. That is what I am dealing with....
    3 points
  16. How did that black and white thing end up stage center? Couldn’t anyone find a tow bar?
    3 points
  17. So, I just had my IFR inspection (pitot/static) and my avionics guys was like, "Hey dude, your pitot system was leaking like a sieve." My IAS was always a head scratcher. In cruise, at 12K-15K, I would never see 120IAS. Ever. So, he patches the leaks and I'm seeing 130KIAS. Which of course completely changes all the TAS calculations I've been doing. Turns out, all you guys that were questioning my shitty speeds, aka, "You seem to be going really slowly for a TN M20F..." were all spot on. Thanks Mooneyspace.
    2 points
  18. Hummmm....Judges need to re investigate the longest flight Glendale is slightly closer than Chandler (R.Simile) dont you think But I agree, sponsors should be disqualified! (PS glad to see you are well versed now in your still new to you plane!)
    2 points
  19. I saw your plane with that sexy Lo Presti cowl! That cowling is definitely the creme de la creme of Mooney cowls.
    2 points
  20. Good to meet you all- and thanks to tolerating a toddler. She didn’t do half bad- except when we brought her in from the flight line- she cried wanting to stay out with the airplanes even though it was cold and windy. I’m raising her right...
    2 points
  21. I have my trim set just above the "take off" setting...so where it's half in and half out of the "take off" mark. I rotate at 70mph. Push the nose over a bit to accelerate to 90mph, then get positive rate, gear up. Trim for 100mph climb. I'm at 6000' feet and DA is often in the 7 to 10K range. But I do this at sea level too.
    2 points
  22. I meant from the stand point of insurance - I said the phrase act of nature. We agree completely on this topic. And as I was trying to say above, just having people letting their dogs off leash even if they do not run into my prop - or other people's props - is very stressful for me to see since I worry in side for the well being of those poor dogs and I am annoyed at the owners who do it and I resent that I need to worry on behalf of their dog that they think they are so special and their dog is so special that no everyone will know not to worry about THEIR dog. And I will emphasize that I am annoyed that I am stressing about their dog's safety when they are not. As one poster said above, well THEIR dog is well trained so I do not need to worry about THEIR special dog, but how the heck is a community of pilots supposed to know which is the special extra well trained dog and which is not. No not good enough.
    2 points
  23. My F has never leapt off the runway was others have described. If it is just me or one other up front, I add a little more nose up trim.
    2 points
  24. Won a couple awards! Best short body Mooney and longest flight!
    2 points
  25. I had a blast. Came in Wednesday and did 2 days of volunteering (read: free wristband and camping). The rest of the weekend was filled with lots of walking and alcohol.
    2 points
  26. Great event and thanks to Don for hosting and all for allowing a Tiger driver, (who also happens to be a wanna be Mooney owner) to yesterday . Also a special shout out to Don for hosting and Don M/Carl S for sponsoring. As a newcoming, what I was most taking back with was the great camaraderie and sense of family within the entire group. Also, special thanks to Scott and Paul for the great Mooney purchasing insights you shared and Don for the “tug demo” at his hanger! If anyone comes across really clean E, F or J with a relatively modern panel, please keep me in mind. Jeff
    2 points
  27. Grigg’s baby, all things Grigg’s. $390 a set if I recall correctly. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
    2 points
  28. We flew in to Bartow where we were treated very well. Spent all day Thursday at SnF. Enjoyed the displays, meeting old friends and talking to exhibitors and other attendees. Aptly named Sun n Fun; it was both. Nice flight home Friday. Major cost: We spent $1000 round-trip for fuel this year. Two years ago in the Ovation we burned $1000 of 100LL. Will I quibble over a $37 admission fee? Or $10 for a good Cubano sandwich? Nope. Garmin had a large display area in Hangar D. It was packed full of people looking at their many product lines. It was hard to get close enough to play with the goodies. Mooney had a fine outside display, one the nicest of all the airframe vendors. Two-level van, nice seating with flight line views, free food. I did enjoy looking over the Mooney Mite in their display. I took my time as the display area was empty — no customers and no sales people.
    2 points
  29. You can't flood an M20C with just the fuel pump. All you'll do is fill the carburetor bowl until the carb's float valve stops the flow into the carburetor. The problem with the M20C when it gets really cold- say below 25° or so- is fuel atomization. The accelerator pump shoots gasoline up into the induction system but not enough of the gas vaporizes to suck into the cylinders so the spark can light it off. Pumping the throttle while cranking helps this to a certain degree because it increases the chances that some of those airborne droplets will be sucked into at least one cylinder and ignited. If that still doesn't work, you're going to have to preheat. Warm metal will entice the fuel to vaporize.
    2 points
  30. I've seen a close call once, with a dog jumping / snapping at the prop as someone was trying to start their plane . . . . Scared many of us! I love my dog, and take him flying, but he's leashed at the airport outside of our car and the plane. It also keeps him out of the rat poison in the hangar.
    2 points
  31. Our dog, a Labradoodle, is almost always in the plane if my wife is in the plane. And our dog is almost never on a leash. But she has perfect recall and unless allowed to go, will stay at our side at all times. But if you come to our little airport here in Smithville, TX, you might see Darby chasing her ball on the ramp or lounging around like she owns the place. But she's never out of sight and will come on command immediately and every time. So anytime there's a spinning prop or one about to start spinning, she's either sitting or lying down at my feet. She's a great airport dog but won't be on the ramp unless I'm there and won't go anywhere or to anyone without permission.
    2 points
  32. What an amazing turnout! Everyone was awesome! If I didn't say hi, sorry! There were so many people there! A really beautiful day!
    2 points
  33. I get a terrific boost in speed when I remember to raise the gear and flaps!
    2 points
  34. Oh that's terrible. :-( At our sleepy airport there are some few that bring their dogs off leash but I always found that to be creepy. My two dogs are VERY well behaved and I let them off leash when at the mtn bike trails or when xc skiing. But when at the airport, no way. Dogs just aren't mean to understand spinning props.
    2 points
  35. HUDs are cool, but some of the GA implementations are real head-scratchers to me. It's as if in pursuit of the HUD concept, developers forget you actually still need to look out the window to see "real" reality. Look at this thing I saw pop up on AvWeb today: https://epicoptix.com/blog/2017/07/video-head-up-display-for-light-ga-epic-optix-hud/ It's a gargantuan monstrosity. In the video on that page, the guy flying the demo not only has the HUD unit, but also two GoPros, a Garmin portable, some sort of antenna, and some other gizmo, all on the glareshield or windshield. I'm surprised he could taxi to the runway without hitting anything...
    2 points
  36. Went to the Mooney booth and got free grub yesterday..hung out with Ron and Mike a while , then went out to Vintage and gave Alex and Cody a hard time...
    2 points
  37. Absolutely Jet Air. I was a 20+ year customer of Executive Air and was told I would pay a ramp and “service fee” for anything short of a full top off after a management change. Verified this with a phone call prior to a flight to KGRB after a local CFI informed a group of pilots a few years ago and switched to Jet Air. Their service is above anything seen at Executive Air in 20+ years and would never consider going anywhere but Jet Air again at KGRB. Tom Sullivan Frequent KGRB flyer from KIMT (80 KM north)
    2 points
  38. Darn good looking Eagle on that top photo if I say so myself:).....I didn’t notice my old J was there, N36CE, I looked on the sign up list but didn’t see it before I went up. Looks good with the new paint job! Great job on the photos!
    1 point
  39. Since each STC is tagged to a specific aircraft number it isnt possible to reassign the stc without the permission of the stc owner it doesnt seem possible to use the Rayjay stc at this point. I guess a new stc is the only real option.
    1 point
  40. I remember those flights from when I was in Guatemala! No, I don’t think I am going to be a frequent flier on your airline!!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
    1 point
  41. It is way too high....we bought three tickets today, I think 35 dollars each minus some small pilot discount, and the show was just okay....40 dollars for lunch on top of tickets. 10 dollars for parking. Could have had all my same vendor questions answered by telephone/email. Could have skipped the 2 hour drive from DAB, been to OSH and LAL several times now and more than likely will not be back for a while....... Oh and did I say FCUK Garmin yet.......
    1 point
  42. I would say I 285 to camp creek to KATL!
    1 point
  43. It was an awesome event! For some reason I can't stop thinking about Acclaims...
    1 point
  44. My dogs are absolutely equally well trained. No way would I allow my dog off leash st the airport even though I let them off leash in many other environments and I am very annoyed by people who do since it adds an extra responsibility to my operation to keep an eye on the dog off leash since I have no idea if THAT dog is sufficiently under command and self aware. See it’s not just for the dog but for the other pilots that one must keep dogs leashed at the airport.
    1 point
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