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Showing content with the highest reputation on 02/14/2019 in all areas

  1. We were young, semi-comfortably settled in a small northern Ohio town, with two children under two, a tiny old house, a thriving and 24/7 country-doctor practice, and papa was quite satisfied with his lot in life. Mama not so much, maybe. Wee town, cold, cold, cold, snow, gray, lonely Southern girl, very demanding babies, not cut out, it seemed, for housewifery. The women I knew were much into canning, quilting, daily vacuuming, and comparing pregnancies. Arggghhh! Our Hero suggested (in the course of a lengthy one-way gripe-fest) I consider signing up for flying lessons. Um, sayWHAT? “Cheaper than psychiatry,” he shrugged. Not true, I suspect, but who, me? Argue with male logic? He still happily occupies the right seat, now in a lovely Screaming Eagle, snoozing contentedly, on his way to see the world’s finest grandchildren.
    8 points
  2. Funny. I could write this in almost any thread here about Mooney flight characteristics takeoffs, landings, stalls, whatever, but this one is about the gear, so I'm limiting it to that, I first flew a J-bar Mooney in a rental M20C in 1994. The checkout, not much longer than a standard lesson, was uneventful. J-bar was interesting but no big deal. Handled it like other retracts. Take off, target a gear retraction speed, hold it to a certain point, retract the gear, and continue on. Since joining MooneySpace, I've learned how complicated and difficult it was supposed to have been
    6 points
  3. In March of 2015, we finalized the purchase agreement of N4352H, a 1979 Mooney M20J “201”. Early in 2017, we decided it was time to do a full modernization project and ensure the safest and most capable aircraft we possibly could. We figured that this project would take just shy of one year, so I dropped the airplane off one day before new hire class for my airline started. Upon purchase, the aircraft was equipped with the Aspen PFD2000 system, a single Garmin GNS-430W, the S-TEC55X autopilot, as well as the Lycoming IO-360-B3A6. With the exception of those upgrades, the airplane remained relatively original in its equipment. Her most recent coat of paint was put on in 2001 and scored as a 7/10, her interior was from 1997 and also was 7/10. Avionics: We first started the project at Airborne Electronics in Sacramento, California (KSAC), with an entire overhaul of the panel. After much debate, the decision was made for the following equipment: Aspen PFD2000, with Synthetic Vision (previously installed) JPI EDM 900 Garmin GTN 750 Garmin GTN 650 Garmin G5 standby attitude indicator PS Engineering 8000G audio panel Garmin GTX 345 transponder S-TEC55X with altitude preselect P2 audio advisory system Below is the old wiring being dealt with as we progressed through the tear out process. New wiring being installed, not a single one of the original wires were retained: The panel layout was drafted several times throughout the process and mocked up with cardboard cutouts: After harnesses were created the panel was cut and powder coated. All harnesses were assembled in a manner that lets the avionics tech remove a few screws and pull the individual components down and underneath the panel for ease of maintenance: Finally, operational testing of the equipment began, this was an exciting day for all of us: As an aside, I hated the rocker switches in the original panel, so we went with a more typical switch setup, for any CRJ drivers, you may recognize that battery master switch: The panel and glare shield once installation was complete and she was ready for her ferry flight to Auburn, California (KAUN) for annual: After annual she began her last flight as N4352H down to Santa Maria, California (KSMX) for paint art Art-Craft Paint (http://artcraftpaint.com/). Paint: I dropped the airplane off at Art-Craft and discussed our project. They were certain they could pull off the design within the 30 day window as quoted, and they delivered perfectly on time and on budget. The masking and foil process began the day I dropped her off: The paint was stripped and they kept me updated every Friday (minimum) as to her progress of becoming N187CT. The base layer was applied: And finally the picture that got me the most excited about this project, seeing the paint start to come together, taken two days before delivery day: Finally delivery day! I showed up via Uber as they were just putting the finishing touches on the aircraft: The final product. It was a mix between the Mooney Acclaim paint job, and another scheme that I preferred for the tail design: Below is the original design that we presented to them: Interior: We contacted Bruce Jaeger of Spatial Interiors (jaegeraviation.com) to come out to Sacramento to help us bring the interior into a modern age and style. Bruce spent three days in the middle of summer heat reconditioning and repairing our original 1979 plastics. The results were incredible. The attention to detail that Bruce demonstrated was second to none. He spent the time to repaint the center control stack as well to bring it inline with the rest of the aircraft stylization as well. Finally, the seats were updated to include "Mooney 201" badging. All in, the project took about 9 months, a long time to be without our beloved Mooney, however it was the best decision we felt we could have made to create our dream airplane. Kyle http://www.comstockaviation.com/
    5 points
  4. Hello all! I'm excited to announce that we've become a sponsor of MooneySpace! After working in aviation insurance both as an agent and an underwriter for the greater part of the last decade, I started an agency that services all aviation insurance segments- personal, business, and commercial. While aviation is experiencing a general hardening of the insurance market (capacity going down, rates going up for some policyholders and new customers), we will professionally represent all clients in such a way that ensures they receive the best prices and most broad coverage available from each respective carrier. Clients can rest easy knowing that they are being represented by true aviation professionals. Feel free to reach out here, thru the web form at AirspeedInsurance.com, or by phone at 214-295-5055. My email is Parker@airspeedinsurance.com. As always, if you have any insurance questions or would like a quote, feel free to contact me. I look forward to working with you all! I'll also be making a few more posts over the next month addressing common insurance questions and concerns. Parker Woodruff
    5 points
  5. Check this out. http://www.donkaye.com/donkaye.com/Use_of_Speed_Brakes.html
    5 points
  6. My God, now there are two of them doing it
    4 points
  7. I have speed brakes and use them whenever I feel they might be useful to the current situation. As Don says, there are times when it's not efficient to use speed brakes. But I don't see any situation where it's dangerous to use speed brakes. Like @Bryan said, it's useful to know how your Mooney will react in all different configurations and circumstances. Taking off with speed brakes deployed is no more of an issue than forgetting to raise the gear and wondering why your climb rate is shit. As with just about everything with our airplanes, I'm always learning and trying to be smoother, more efficient, and further in front of the airplane. And that includes the use of speed brakes. But they are not going to kill you and if you have them, don't be afraid to use them.
    3 points
  8. Amen, brother! Maybe multi-Mooney Summit attendees can do the same, too. Time sure does fly, doesn't it? Not just our airplanes . . . Next week will make 10 years 4 months, and you are closing in on your decade mark yourself. With more posts than Parker and I combined!
    3 points
  9. I bought a 1963? Cessna 150 in 1976 and learned to fly it at 4B9 Simsbury CT. Zero aviation history in the family - in fact neither of my parents had ever flown! After a few years of VFRing around New England and Long Island Sound, I got Mooney Fever and sold N60619 for $200 more than I paid for it after putting a few hundred hours on it. Wow, this is easy! I'm willing to bet a $100 cheeseburger that I would win the worst Mooney purcha$e ever in this forum. I was young and there was no internet. Besides, it had curtains! I'll leave the gruesome story for another day though and rest assured after fixing everything, our Mooney Days were some of the best memories in our lives. Taking off from 4B9 with snorkels and fins in baggage and snow drifts beside the runway was priceless. The next day we were snorkeling off the front porch in the Bahamas. We now live in Pagosa Springs, CO under the downwind to base turn for 19 at PSO. It's a beautiful airport, elevation is 7600. My wife always wanted to live in Colorado and it is beautiful here, but I'm cold and we're still renovating the house after two years of intense labor. But we're almost done and I don't know why (smart enough to not ask), but a while ago my wife just, I mean she just said it, like out of nowhere "why dont you get an airplane, we can afford it?" I'd totally dismissed the idea when we had kid$. They're grown now and part of all this is one is a 5 hour drive away, the other 4. I dont have my logbook. I'm old. I still have a bathroom to remodel. But I did see the AME yesterday and came away encouraged though more paperwork is required. Wish me luck. Thanks for being here, it's a wonderful forum.
    3 points
  10. I was off Mooneyspace for a while and missed this post. Seems like some day people are going to value an old outdated plane in exceptional condition like they do classic cars. Only so many gems out there left, this plane looks amazing! Unfortunately the seller has proved himself as a person most of us would not want to share a beer with in our wife beaters and talk airplane with.
    3 points
  11. Interesting summary... Depending on how strong your memory is.... and how strong your left arm is... 1) We have flows and checklists.... 2) If your check list is so short, like a C152... Lights, Camera, Action.... you have it completely memorized, it is a challenge to make a mistake.... 3) If your check list is a page long for the pre-take off part... The flow captures most, if not all of it... the checklist is the back-up to make sure you did every step in the flow.... If you use the page long checklist as a to do list.... you can easily skip a step without noticing... Once the engine is running... there is a lot going on, inside and outside of the cabin... Expect distraction to be challenging your multi-tasking skills... 4) Some really interesting things we get out of this discussion... full power with a large amount of nose up trim... is going to generate a strong nose up attitude. Stronger than some arms.... apply down trim quickly... manual trim is probably faster than electric trim.... full power is not really needed, unless the trees are growing large in the windshield.... Modulate the power (bring it back enough) to keep the required control.... This is important knowledge to have, if your trim runs away, or gets stuck... a great Lesson we learned from MS’s Amelia and Marvin K. Mooney... 5) full up trim for taxiing..? is an interesting idea, that may be left over from another plane..? Our Cg is so far forward of our MLG... if it makes a difference, it will be measured in a few pounds taken off the nose wheel... unless you taxi at 58mias.... taxiing on a soft field... we need more than trim to lighten the nose... that is the time to hold the yoke back... (checks your arm strength here too) It took me a while to learn how much excess power a Mooney has... even when it has 180hp... when you carry 310hp, modulating power is a really good idea... modulating pressure on the trim switches is also another good idea... you never knew how strong your left thumb can be.... possibly stronger than that aging, hard to find, BK trim switch set up... Try to picture holding about 30lbs of force with your left arm (a strong, arm force), while gently pressing the trim switch with your left thumb to engage both halves... then verify the trim wheel is moving... (by feel, not visually!) Trimming the plane quickly near the ground takes maximum multi-tasking skill... Eyes out, Fly the plane! PP thoughts only, not a CFI.... Best regards, -a-
    3 points
  12. Before shutting down I put the trim back in T/O position so I don't miss it next time, I just verify it on the pre-takeoff checklist.
    3 points
  13. He's still sitting outside of the Bendix King warehouse.
    2 points
  14. you can view the setting and then not choose it and it will no longer "alert". The two factor authentication is not for the iPad, but for your iCloud account. the 2nd factor is a code sent to your idevices when you open a login on a new device. I have it enabled for all accounts that support 2FA.
    2 points
  15. @Delta Whiskey, AGL Aviation comes highly recommended by several people here. I have visited but not had work done. Ask @Bob_Belville. They are near Asheville, NC, a short Mooney hop away.
    2 points
  16. Current plan is to put the SkyBeacon in, most likely next month. Update from a few weeks back: Pulled the right side of the panel out to get a better look at all the wiring. With the windshield mod even though I have the little access panels from the outside it is much easier to see with the panel out a few inches. Found a very loose ground and fixed that. Taxied out to run-up and called up Ground who said he won't be able to see anything on my Mode C until I am a few hundred feet up. I finished run-up and checklists, then received clearance to taxi and take off for right closed traffic. Climbing out tower called up and said my Mode C was reporting 700', I glanced at the altimeter that was also at 700'. On downwind I received landing clearance and told that my Mode C was showing 1,100', perfect, that is exactly what my altimeter was showing. After landing and getting taxi clearance back to my hangar I thanked the tower for their help. Side note, you never know what you are going to find when you start looking around. When I pulled the panel out I saw what looked like a hairline crack in one of the breakers, the one for the stall warning horn. Sure enough, when it was loosened a little it fell apart. Horn has always worked in preflight check and though I don't always get it on landing I do most of the time. However, I wonder at what point it might have just fallen apart on it's own. Fortunately Aircraft Spruce is not very far away from even my new hangar at Fullerton so a replacement was obtained the same day it was discovered.
    2 points
  17. When I teach people to ski they seem to miss that too. If you ski uphill you will slow down and even go backwards.
    2 points
  18. If you pull back on the yoke the plane will slow down. If you pull the throttle out the plane will slow down. If you put the gear out the plane will slow down. It is all about energy management.
    2 points
  19. Would anyone be concerned about how long it had been sitting out of annual in order to be such a low time airftame after 50 years?
    2 points
  20. It was a 252 with an awful useful load that Don Maxwell did the Encore conversion. Hopefully a third Mooney in my future...
    2 points
  21. Speed brakes are located in the area of boundary layer separation at climb AOA. The reason they work for Don right after touchdown (I’ll take his word for it) is that the wing is at low AOA on roll out. Go out and give it a try, your bird will climb just fine with them deployed.
    2 points
  22. Maybe your airplane is out of rigging? Are you stalling with the airplane coordinated/centered ball? My m20k stalls straight ahead and balanced as long I keep the ball centered. E
    2 points
  23. I use them for all of the same above stated reasons. However I also use them in one more situation that is really nice. On a hot bumpy day coming into your destination trying to stay as high as you can for as long as you can for ride quality. They sure help when it comes time to nose down through the rough an puffys to minimize time to come down, while keeping power(an temps) up.
    2 points
  24. Says the guy who names his plane "Miss Piggy". Hmmm...
    2 points
  25. Thanks! I will sleep much better tonight also knowing that the tops of your two Aspens and the top of your G5 line up perfectly . . lol It's a lot of fun spending other people's money. Here are some winglet/leds that would look great on your 201. http://www.aveoengineering.com/crystal-conforma-for-mooney/ Here's what they look like on a K model (still picture, not a video):
    2 points
  26. HI all, @orionflt asked me if I had dimensions for the little wing rib bracket that I fabricated. I didn't - just a rough outline even though I've now made a couple of these. So, I came up with an 'improved design' in solidworks. I don't have access to a sheet metal shop anymore, but I am happy to pass on the plans / sheet metal cuts / bends / solidworks file if anyone needs. -Brad
    2 points
  27. I completely agree. Just because someone is speculating doesn’t mean the points aren’t valid. No one here or at the NTSB or FAA will ever know what that pilot was thinking when he took off on that flight. The value from discussing this comes from what we can learn about ourselves that will help us make better decisions going forward. It’s well established in the medical literature that when people review cases with bad outcomes (and with the knowledge that there was a bad outcome) they claim they would have made different choices that what they actually do prospectively. This is called a “hindsight bias.” Knowing what happened to this pilot, it is easy to say why none of us would have ever done something like this (and maybe you wouldn’t have, but that’s not the point...). The value here is in thinking “with the knowledge and information he had at the time, what made a reasonable person decide to take off on this flight and how can I learn from this to keep from making the same mistake in the future.” I’m not going to get into a discussion on people who “live life to the fullest” because I’ve met too many of those people and it kills me everytime I have to tell someone that the most important person in their life has died. Let’s jusy say that we all have a different tolerance for risk but that alone does not make one “unreasonable.” Let’s use this as a reminder of the dangers that we face and use it to help us make better choices when it seems like the flight we’re about to take might have more risk than it’s worth.
    2 points
  28. Sadly, I agree. We've had a couple other CFITs at night in just the past week, much like this one. One was another VFR only pretty new pilot who took off at night, but departed VMC into IMC into a low clouds without following the ODP turning into a hill - pilot dead, instrument rated pilot on the right seat survives. Then another C172 left LA area headed to vegas at night and also hit just below the ridgeline of canyon wall at about 3000'. This wasn't an isolated mountain like Mt Diablo but flying from the low desert of Palm Springs to the high desert of Joshua Tree area that encompasses a large area at ~3200 right ahead of him. Very possibly following the 62 highway to navigate just below him. No survivors. Those that want to wait 18 months to see the NTSB report rather than speculate are fine to do so, but seeing these happen over and over again I don't need to wait to learn that lack of flight planning coupled with low level flying, especially on dark nights, kills, as does IMC into VMC.
    2 points
  29. I could say I'm a very experienced pilot with an ATP and a zillion hours in Mooneys and I'm too good a pilot to ever take off with the trim set wrong. But I can't. Just remember if the stick forces are too much for you, just throttle back to 15 inches and the plane will fly straight and level with little forward stick required.
    2 points
  30. Your level response and continued willingness to help has increased the already considerable respect I have for you, sir.
    2 points
  31. 1 point
  32. Bet you won't make that mistake again Lot's of good suggestions and observations in this thread. But, after 44 years, I've learned how fallible human working memory is -- a little distraction, or change of routine, and stuff slips through the cracks. So, don't be too hard on yourself -- you're human and we all do stuff like this on occasion. The checklists and mnemonics and SOPs help, but you will never be perfect. One aspect of airmanship is recognizing and effectively dealing with this fact of life.
    1 point
  33. The only addition to the comments above is my use of speed brakes when asked to expedite a descent for a portion of it and when I was not IR and had flight following tell me to immediately descend as someone popped up on their screen on a converging path with me.
    1 point
  34. For me, when shopping for an airworthy Mooney, the most important items are Regular use Autopilot WAAS GPS *disclaimer for the usual deal killer items such as corrosion I wouldn't spend money on a plane that didn't meet those. But that's just me... not a reflection of the market as a whole. I don't include engine monitor or ADS-B because those are relatively inexpensive to add. And I'd like to have the specific capabilities and would likely add them myself anyway. E.g. with my 252 I pulled out the EDM700 and installed an EDM900. This particular E failed on all three of those items. So for me, it wasn't worth much. But evidently he found a buyer who had different priorities. If I ever sell my Mooney, I hope to find someone with the same priorities I have.
    1 point
  35. Agree. In testing with plenty of runway, I have taken off with my speedbrakes to know that I could if the situation arises. Test and know your airplane, with an Mooney instructor.
    1 point
  36. 1 point
  37. I wish there was a rolling on the floor laughing icon here.:) Yeah, my Cessna has gained so much weight since she was born that she earned the nick name and if she were a girl in a bikini, she would belong in that picture.:)
    1 point
  38. Thanks for the update Barry. Any sense how long it will take to go through the certification process? I suspect that with shops buried in ADS-B installations, there will be additional delays while many of us wait for shop openings. My shop is booking into November already. Do you know if the owner from NJ is on MooneySpace and the plane's ID is guarded secret? We are tracking the GFC 500 certification tests as the owner is here on MooneySpace.
    1 point
  39. None of the C models I've flown in seemed "over cooled" in the climb. Injected models absolutely. I'm struggling to keep some CHTs over 300 in full rich climb on some cylinders this time of year.
    1 point
  40. Welcome aboard youngster. You don’t sound that old to us. We know where you can get some prune juice cheap. A picture of a few of us at the last get together. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
    1 point
  41. I should add that how the autopilot plays into this also comes into consideration. With my Aspen in reversion mode, I am able to switch the autopilot over to the MFD for control. Again, knowing what to do in the failed scenario is the key. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
    1 point
  42. Ditto!! What’s up with these Mooney peeps?
    1 point
  43. From my experience at KPLR, the maturity and professionalism of the drop plane pilot and jump master can make or break the relationship with pilots. We had jumpers who should not have been allowed to jump and the result ranged from them being dragged across an active runway with planes on short final to one lady having both of her legs broken when she landed on top of a hangar. When we had the January fly-in for lunch at Cullman, the jumpers were essentially fine with minimal impact. One item I would insist on would be the jump plane at least using their transponder (appeared to be an option at the KPLR group) and communicate with other planes in the air around the airport. During the PPP in Lakeland a couple of weeks ago, we spent about an hour at an airport where they had several drops while we were flying around there. No problems with them as he kept communicating and the jumpers seemed competent enough to land in their landing zone. Another item is the airworthiness of the plane should not be a question. The jump plane in KPLR dropped a wheel and bellied in on the active runway. Seems they had had to crank the gear down on the King Air for a couple of weeks and had not taken the time to get it fixed. The only other item would depend on the activity at the airport. It seems jump plane pilots like to take off and land on opposite ends of the runway. Might not be a problem with limited activity, but with a significant number of planes in the pattern it raises the opportunity for the "big sky" to shrink dramatically. To sum up my thoughts: Adhere to active runway usage Use the radio and transponder every flight (even better if they are ADS-B Out compliant) Having a mature pilot and jump master are exceptionally valuable Have a plane that is safe and airworthy and keep it that way
    1 point
  44. one of the sky diving organizations around houston was kicked off the field because they decided to run loads of "merchandise" in addition to their fleshy packages.
    1 point
  45. I hope it’s true. That way the value of all our planes goes up.
    1 point
  46. After 3 months of deciding what, where and how much...I picked up my J from Ron Collins Aviation in Henderson, KY and brought her home to KSUS. The transformation was truly amazing and I can't say enough about the avionics shop, their workmanship and dealing with my ongoing questions and changes. The flight home with my friend flying right wing was VFR and I am glad it was...I have a lot to learn about this EFIS stuff Flight home.mov
    1 point
  47. I wore a pair of Johnson & Murphy shoes to church this morning older than that.
    1 point
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