TTaylor

Back to the original question. I flew my 63C dry on one side several times and never noticed any difference in handling.

Pitch is for speed control, power for descent rate. There is seldom a perfect pattern and there are updrafts and downdrafts. I use the throttle to adjust for the ups and downs as well as changes such as needing to extend or expedite for other traffic. I also agree, that until I am about half a mile from the threshold I keep extra altitude so I can glide in if I lose the engine. Someone so rigid that they have to fly the pattern without touching the throttle is likely to get into trouble when something unexpected happens. I actually practice non-standard approaches to be ready to handle when something comes up. Can you eye-ball that expedited straight in when the tower asks you to from 10 miles out, etc.?

Congratulations on the new Mooney. I did a similar flight two years ago from Springfield, TN to Logan, UT in December of 2012. It is a nice flight if you have the time and patience. I planned for only daylight flying with the new airplane. It can be done in two days, I flew it in two half days. I flew mostly along the The AR-MO OK-KS boarders. I left about noon and and flew to Liberal KS the first day (landing at sunset) and then on to Logan the next day. I had a headwind and took about 11 hours total flying time. I flew over the pass near La Veta, Co and then to Durango getting fuel at Animas Air Park before turning Northwest and flying up towards Salt Lake City over Cortez and Moab. This route will keep you south most of the time and once you turn north you can fly mostly valleys all the way home. Good luck on the trip.

Sorry was not trying to offend anyone, just wanted to make sure pilots that are not familiar with mountain flying and specifically South Lake Tahoe knew there were much better and safer options for flying in from the west. I was trained in the school that you never flew anywhere that your life depends on the motor unless you absolutely had to. And yes, a few thousand feet and a few miles north or south would make this flight much more survivable with an engine out. I fly this route several times per year and treat it with the utmost respect. I won't put the detailed analysis here because I don't want to hijack the thread of a very nice video. Tim

+1. Love the FS 450. Have mine slaved with the GPS so also get fuel required to next waypoint. Even with bladders and only 54 gallons I can comfortably fly five hours with an hour reserve.

Go with the SC Gray, you will be glad you did. Clear just makes it too bright and hot. SC Gray is good in daylight and not too dark for night. The SC Gray will also reduce sun damage to your interior. You will want to change the side windows out someday so you might as well start the process by doing the windshield in the correct tint now.

Beautiful video. In the future please consider climbing a few more thousand feet as you are crossing the high ground between Placerville and TVL. At 4:00 on the video an engine failure would leave you no options.

You have had plenty of advice to walk away and I can't disagree with that. You are not almost done, you are just beginning the process with this control freak. If you decide to continue you need to make a few changes: 1. Change your mindset about the money. You are dealing with an airplane. A few AMU one way or the other is nothing and if you can't handle it you aren't ready to own a Mooney. 2. This is going to take time. Get a meditation mat and learn to breathe and relax. 3. Take the time element out of the deal. Allow him to drop the p!and off when he is ready and go home. The plane will be inspected when your mechanic has time at the mechanic's pace. Then you will have the fun of the final negotiations at a slower pace. If it is a good plane it will be worth the time as long as you take control and destress the process.

Great Lakes Aero does a nice job at a reasonable price. Just do a search for Mooney Window. I was very happy with the quality and service for side windows last year. We went with SC gray and like the color. You can see examples in my photo albums where we did the rear window mod last year. Side note, it will cost more but if you are doing it you might consider going to a 201 window in the process. Only game in town now is LASAR so a little expensive but that is the route I plan to go when we replace the front window on our 75F.

The loads on the gear retract are higher in flight than on the ground. Several possible problems: 1. The gear system is either dirty or worn to the point the motor is drawing too many amps and causing the breaker to pop. 2. The motor is getting bad and causing the breaker to pop. 3. The breaker has gotten weaker and is popping at a lower than rated amps. I would start by pulling the gear motor and cleaning, inspecting, and lubing it. If the gears are good, lube the entire landing gear system. Is this the 20:1 or the 40:1 gear drive? The 20:1 system is likely to have more problems. There is a technical note on inspecting the gear drive.

So Matt, when do we get the rest of the story? New or rebuilt pump, how long to install, etc.

George's Electrical in Sacramento Calif has been recommended several times. Ours was rebuilt locally a year ago by a shop our mechanic has worked with and trusted. My F had similar issues, likely a bad spot on the brushes causing intermittent operation.

Went from a C to an F two years ago. My insurance company required a checkout with an instructor. You do not need a high performance endorsement, that is for greater than 200 HP. Flying was similar, the longer body is more stable in pitch. The ability to lean the IO engine takes some getting used to, but is not hard and is something you can learn over time. Overall a very simple transition.

Good luck. Don't be afraid to reach out to the users here for local weather updates and flight planning if you are unfamiliar with the route. VFR winter flying can be both challenging and rewarding. You will also find that "VFR flight not recommended" is the common statement from flight briefings in the Intermountain West most of the winter. It should mean you proceed with caution, but don't be afraid to fly with good planning and alternate routes and airports set. I would never get anywhere in midwinter if I only flew on days when I didn't get the "VFR flight not recommended" caution.

Ours was not found until the sealant was removed. I still think it is a good idea to check the backside of the spar and in the tanks if possible for any signs of corrosion.

The one place that kills an airframe is corrosion on the wing spar. The panels in the wing should be opened and the spar checked closely. If possible it is helpful to drain the tanks and check for corrosion of the spar in the tanks. Unfortunately I know this from experience, we found spar corrosion during a tank reseal and had to write-off a 63 20C.

One positive of an LLC for partnerships is you can change partners without triggering sales of an aircraft and all the paperwork and taxes that come with that.

Thanks, finally found the correct key words to search, missed the other threads before.

I fly a 1975 M20F and the rear seats are cold during winter flying. I can feel nearly a 10 to 15 degree temperature difference from the front of the plane to the rear. I was wondering what others have done to help even out the cockpit temperatures? Should the side vents by the rear seats be covered or what else have you tried? I am thinking of building tubing to run from the front heater vent on the dog house to the rear seat area. Trying to keep the rear seat passengers happy without roasting the front seaters.

Here are the values I used for my 20F with bladders. I use gray PVC pipe and score it at 2" increments. Easy to see the fuel level on the gray and only costs a few dollars at most hardware stores. A second order polynomial will fit this well if you want to add finer details. As always test your own plane after making one. Bladders Inches Gallons 0 6 2 13 4 19 6 24 8 27

I had a similar problem about two years ago. Finally found a loose connection on the regulator wiring. As always start with the alternator belt, alternator mount, alternator, and regulator. Intermittent fluctuations can be the hardest to find.

Welcome to the 75F club! I used 3/4" diameter gray PVC tubing. Notched it to make markings. I have a spreadsheet I can send when I get back to my computer. Tim

Not to hijack the subject. As an owner of an F and hoping to make it as close to a J someday as possible either ships would be a great plane in the long run. I just wanted to add that from a financial standpoint it is always helpful to ask if partnership might be helpful way to afford the plane and help with upgrades over time. A partnership is not for everyone but you can have up to five partners in a plane without being considered a club and therefore the insurance stays reasonable. I think a plane should fly at least 100 hours per year to keep all the systems functioning well. Having a partner or two can more fully utilize a plane and reduce the capital investment and operating costs.

If you decide to share you might consider buying a nice motorized tug that is shared in the hanger. That will make any aircraft movements easier and safer. Also good floor lines and placement markers can help minimize potential for hanger rash.

Means on most weekends I will fly my glider so no need to fly the Mooney just to get a flying fix. Yes, most of us are addicted to flying, whether we admit it or not. From a mission standpoint it means my Mooney flying is mostly longer flights with family.