Leaderboard

I went out to the hanger early this morning to swap out some Brittain servos in my wings. After everything I had read I was expecting it to be a painful experience. Turned out to be a pretty easy task once I started on it. Finished up the job and paperwork signed off I decided to head up to a local Fly in and car show at Franklin Co. VT. Taxied out to the run up area and what do you know there was another Mooney on the ramp. Neat we don't get many Mooneys in Rutland. Off into the wild blue clear sky to Franklin. Uneventful trip up enjoying the lake to the west and the spine of the Green Mountains on the east. Everything was going so well, until landing. I got it off the runway and onto the taxiway since there were other incoming aircraft. I asked the woman who was marshaling if she could see my front tire. She said "Yup it's very flat". She said just shutdown right there and someone would be over to see me. A minute later a few guys come up in a golf cart and say no problem you picked a good day for that to happen. One goes off to get a dolly and another heads to his hanger to grab a spare tire he had sitting around just in case. Turns out the mechanic on the field is Dan Marcotte (air show pilot) and he just happens to be there for the fly in. I spent some time talking to Dan while he swapped out the tire and he had one of these sitting in his hanger. 15 minutes later we are back out the door and putting the tire back on. Dan wouldn't take a dime for his time or tire and tube. What a great community pilots are! Everyone couldn't wait to pitch in and just be helpful. I enjoyed some vintage aircraft and decided that I had enough excitement for one day and headed back to Rutland. What started out as so well with the servos but ended up even better because what could have been a real PITA for me was a non event thanks to all of the kind souls. My faith in humanity is restored. (at least for the day or until I turn on the news)

Heresy! How did this guy get to be on MS? He is goring a sacred ox! Next thing he'll be telling us is that the 5 minutes a pilot saves by choosing a quicker runway is the same as 5 minutes saved in the air. And only 450Kts? That's barely .80.

Nice evening flight. Top of the Chesapeake Bay. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

@rdshave

You all are going to hate me for this: 5 knots doesn't matter. Save your money, buy avgas, use your plane, quit worrying about true airspeed. I fly at 450 knots for a living..... when its a long day and you're tired, that's still too slow! Enjoy your Mooney, enjoy the view outside, the freedom of part 91 flight in your own airplane. Screw the groundspeed. Even on a long trip, that 5 knots won't mean much depending on how long it takes you to dilly-dally to get the airplane off the ground or put away.

Simple... Don't turn on the news!

One more sunset.

I still get a nice sense of accomplishment when I break out after a long flight in IMC. vfr flight-> 4x4-in’ through the desert ifr flight-> driving city to city via the interstate. both are enjoyable in different ways. The time where it’s not enjoyable (again just imo) is when I accept more risk on a flight than I’d like, and something goes wrong (electrical failure in hard IMC, for example).

Sunsets seem to be a popular item.

Fantastic video, AP! Thanks for sharing. Best regards, -a-

Heya, huH! I would have gone to that fly in if I had known - where did you hear? Its just as close to me as it is to you about. Wow good show on that flat tire. I had a flat tire this summer on the runway at Bangor Maine, late on a Sunday afternoon...and I was $500 poorer before I got out of there.... And it was just a simple flat on the left main tire. They briefly closed the runway because it was on roll out and it would not move with the tire flat. Then I was charged a fortune for the tow service off the runway to the hangars. Then after hour service up fee for a new tube change. Not even a new tire just a new tube. Nothing else mechanical. $500 bucks. It was one of those, I can't believe how much they charge you at jet center moments.

The newly formed Pacific & Mountain Northwest squadron of the Mooney Caravan invites you to our first NW Advanced Formation Clinic in Yakima, WA (KYKM) September 28 – 30, 2018. The clinic will be open to Mooneys, Bonanzas, RVs and other airplanes of similar performance. http://www.mooneycaravan.com/training

I'm glad that I was recording the intercom audio when the tower was saying their farewell to Ron. The following day that camera stopped working so I wasn't able to document the audio for my return trip to WI because that was the only camera that could be connected to the intercom.

Sticking with the sunset theme. My old 69 C. May she RIP. Cheers, Dan

You might be hard pressed to find an A&P then. If an A&P is going to spend a day in your benevolence to properly prepare to do a task that you ask him to do it would be only fair to pay him for that work in your behalf. Now if he spends a day looking around his shop to find a screwdriver to do the task, that is different. If you want to find someone who doesn't have to prep to do the task, IE a Dynon authorized installation shope, then expect to pay more for this higher skill set, and be prepared for additional repositioning costs. It is not a requirement for the A&P ticket to know how to wire every new wizbang thing that comes along. It is a requirement he has prior experience to complete a task unsupervised. To maintain quality, a level of knowledge, and dealer margins is why Garmin requires installation by authorized dealers. Their dealer authorization requirements and territory protection might be in question, but not their motives for the installation policies.

Heres one of my favorites.

I agree 110%, thanks for putting it together and sharing it.

Yeah but they were all flying Bonanzas. This is a very unlikely situation in a Mooney with the gear switch at the top of the panel and the flaps switch nearly on the floor. Retracting flaps immediately on touchdown is SOP in my airplane.

I've only had a couple of opportunities to file to an airport broadcasting minimums. But as an amateur pilot, I'm always looking for the opportunity when it does present its self. The first time I knew I'd have enough fuel to fly there, attempt the approach a few times and then fly all the way home where it would be CAVU all day. Riding the ILS all the way to 200 ft and only just seeing the lights at that point, was as satisfying as my very first solo flight. It might be because I don't have to do it for a living, but I enjoy flying IFR and IMC.

The idea behind the alternate minimums is that the pilot doesn’t pick 2 “hard ifr” airports. 200’ and 1/2 a mile is a HUGE difference from a snoozer-like 800/2... i think the “logic” behind the minimums was to give the pilot the “mandate” to pick an alternate, but also the “leash” to plan for his/her area of flight... basically good old fashioned flexibility. Heres what I mean... On the east coast, widespread low IFR is certainly “a thing.” But in places like central Oregon, or central California, it typically is not. By having the minimums set at “not severe clear” it gives a pilot that operates in an area like central Oregon the flexibility to plan to a 200-1/2 minimum, and use an alternate that’s still IFR, but predictably to a higher minima. This phenomenon does exist between valleys, mountains, high desert, etc, etc... all of which may be within a divert radius. on the east coast.. or at least on the Virginia coast and Florida panhandle... the weather can get very low, over hundreds of miles. That means it’s up to the PIC to be responsible enough, and accountable enough to take the time to do the proper preflight planning process (not just looking at the iPad and hopping in the plane- but actually calling and speaking to a briefer). so... with that flexibility comes the responsibility of actually analyzing the situation at hand, and making a smart decision. As opposed to blindly accepting the regulations at face value and planning to put ones self in a potential bad situation. JMHO

In that particular crash the pilot did talk to the tower at the AFB, and the tower indicated that the field could be used for emergencies only. The pilot was already pretty stressed at that point (he was running out of fuel in heavy IMC as well as dealing with some possible equipment failures) and apparently just heard, "You can't land here." Given the short period of time until he did run out of fuel and the weather conditions at the time, he was already in a fuel emergency and the logical thing would have been to go to the AFB. IIRC the NTSB dinged the AFB tower controller for that in the final report, that the tone, or whatever, in the discussion may have contributed to the crash by dissuading the pilot from landing there in the middle of an emergency.

Don landed at Mount Pleasant this morning right on time. We flew a little and he had people waiting on him back at the shop so we got my friend the M20 F owner and retired professional helicopter pilot and helicopter instructor. He rode in the backseat to Longview. I got a few things out of the C and we headed back. Longview is a training ground for air controllers so everything is by the book. I am more comfortable going in and out of a pasture in a taildragger and I expect those controllers also would prefer that I did that instead of trying to get it all correct on a controlled field. Many things about this F are different from my C. I got by with flying my C as if it were a taildragger, but it is clear that I will have to seriously step up my game. In addition I am working on my IR, so I need to get comfortable with her so I can continue my instrument training or go back to my Cessna to complete it. Anyway, one picture is Don and myself and the other is her tucked away in her new home( pardon the hangar mess.)

I have always been a huge admirer of lighting (three of these are at or just after suset) and the way it is used in photos, movies, and especially paintings. Pit-stop in St George, (with or without the passengers). Wanted to get a little more of the profile in this one but was trying to get the sunset towards the middle and not have the old truck just out of the picture to the right in it. This is quite possibly my favorite although it might be too dark for what you are painting. We landed just after sunset in Chandler and pulled up to the pump. I got out and thought "Wow, that would make a great picture." If you look close you can see the reflection of the tower and horizon in the window and down the side of the fuselage.

But to be realistic the Ipad is absolutely wonderful in the aspect that it does a 50% of what the garmin g500txi can do for about 1% of the price

Probably still my favorite picture...day I brought it home!

It basically says if the weather at your destination is anything other than “gentleman’s IFR” you need an alternate. This makes you carry enough fuel in addition to the 45 mins to get to your alternate, so it basically just ups your fuel reserves in the case the weather is the least bit low. Then you have to ask pick a suitable alternate so that your extra fuel reserves are somewhat related to how far you likely need to go. The forecast at your alternate has to be pretty good, so it might have to be far away, way increasing your fuel load. It’s all about fuel planning. When you actually divert you go to wherever makes the most sense at the time. And to answer your other question, no, the weather phenomena that make it that low tend to be somewhat localized like heavy rain, coastal fog, valley fog, etc. (My day job is a Captain at Cape Air - we know low IFR) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm rather proud of the way the colors in this one turned out Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

Economically, having a wife doesn't make much sense either. Happily, there's more to life than math. If I had to scrap my plane today for zero residual value, I'd feel I'd gotten enough value from it. I'd do it again. However, $22K + install might up-set the equation!

Keeping a plane at all never makes economic sense or math sense. Take it from me I know lots of Math and nonetheless I have a plane but... no sense.

What a wonderful gesture to create this memory for Ron. Thanks so much for sharing. Looks like you got a great plane to enjoy and care for, for many years to come. Mihael

This?

Lighting is everything with low approaches. When it’s 2400 RVR or so or less, you won’t have threshold lights in sight at minimums and will have to continue down the additional hundred feet based on the lead in lights. If all the lights aren’t bright you won’t see them at all in that kind of visibility. Big runways are good because of 1) bigger clear area, 2) just wider and longer 3) usually lead in lights (eg SSALR at ACK 24) and have 4) high intensity with centerline and touchdown zone lights... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The problem is what happens if there is a problem. A pin gets bent, bad CB, bad ground, etc can be tough to figure out unless you have lots of experience. I don’t blame Dynon for wanting certified installers, getting calls from some yahoo that can’t read schematic will just drive up costs and lower customer satisfaction.

Eh, wiring diagrams and D-sub connectors are not exactly rocket surgery. Any A&P that can't read a wiring diagram is an A&P I won't be trusting my life with.

I would expect that the "standard procedure" is to bore the hole out to the next standard 1/4"-ID bushing size (remaining material permitting) and then weld in a bushing.

thank you very much for this. david

My comment would be much shorter if they just had a "drool" emoji. Very nice!

This is a great reminder that we first need to understand the problem before trying to come up with solutions. As gsxrpilot mentioned, airspeed isn't the problem (alone), so something wired into your airspeed indicator to tell you that you are going too slow won't help. I can make your plane stall at 100 kts and can fly it well below the stall speed indicated on your ASI without stalling. In addition to the factors gsxrpilot already mentioned, bank angle and turn coordination are probably the two biggest factors leading to a stall and whether or not that stall will lead into a spin. The AOA indicator KSMooniac has is a HUGE improvement, but even that has it's limitations. Remember, the AOA is not the same along the entire surface of the wings if the ailerons are being used. The down aileron increases the angle of attack and visa versa for the up aileron. As such, different sections of the wing can stall at different times. That's why in a skidding turn stall, the plane will just spin into the ground toward the inside of the turn as the inside wing stalls first. In a slipping turn, the airplane will flip over the top toward the outside of the turn as the outside wing stalls first, which is probably more alarming to the pilot, but actually makes it easier to recover from. I personally think (private pilot only) that this situation is better addressed through training and understanding the aerodynamics than through technology. For a "fail safe" technology solution, you would need 3 AOA indicators and even that might not be able to catch every possible scenario.

+1 for TriFlow - I keep a can in the plane and squirt some under the slider any time I feel that it is getting too stiff to operate. Level flight, stabilize at gear speed, squirt the handle at the bottom edge of the slider, then unlock the gear and actuate the slider up and down the handle half a dozen times or so, until the movement is smooth and light.

I have such a system. It just wires to the stall horn and says “Check airspeed”. Also monitors gear warning, voltage, edm, and vacuum pressure. Not very expensive although a bit time consuming to install http://www.chiefaircraft.com/ei-av-17.html -Robert

The unheated stall warning vane *will* accumulate ice between the top of the vane and the housing. It will look like a nice little marble.

I have the 280hp version. My io550 is approaching 2100 hours and going strong. Just put a Harzell top prop on it. Made a great difference in takeoff roll and climb. Didn’t opt for the 310 hp work. Why? I fly cruise at a maximum 24/24 lop. Still fast and very efficient. Why? My engine is maybe a little less stressed and this helped me get so deep into TBO with mostly original cylinders. Why? Because if the take off performance was much better it would only help me to launch from airports shorter than I’m willing to land at anyway. So 280hp I remain and I still can climb at 1000fpm at max gross around std conditions. I’m happy. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

One last entry. This series looks good, especially the colors in the last one, but the plane is kind of small. Note the bright LED beacon blinking in the second photo . . . Night flight is so peaceful. The sunset over E. KY that evening was pretty good, too.

I love my wife much more than I love my plane. She's also hot and I will always put her needs first before buying plane stuff. I wanted to make sure that I officially posted that in case she ever finds this site...

So is reading the manual

And if your pic doesn't win, John is also donating a commission of a painting of your plane at the Mooney Summit VI's silent auction! Thanks John for your generosity. Some lucky Mooney owner will have a really nice painting!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Really nothing more to add.

Why are you calling YOUR insurance company? The FBO should pay not you. Mis-fueling happens and if you catch it before startup you are pretty lucky, should be a simple drain, flush and re-fuel. I would have rather my A&P drain the Jet-A out sooner than Monday, but that's just me