midlifeflyer

I like that you said “rudder for alignment" before "aileron for drift". I hear it described the opposite way, "aileron for drift", “rudder for alignment". It may be a small difference but my tail wheel excursions have taught me that giving alignment priority helps enormously, and I use it when teaching crosswind landings in any airplane. Great satisfaction a few weeks ago when a pilot I worked on landings with last year nailed a 15-16 KT gusting crosswind at the end of a mock instrument checkride I gave him, And I absolutely agree they are the most fun.

For a start, have you tossed out obsolete paperwork yet? Especially POH supplement for equipment that was removed or replaced.

What you eventually discover with leaning is that the EGT for a properly leaned engine for a certain percent power is fairly constant regardless of altitude. So the idea is, if your sea level standard day, full rich, full power Vy climb shows an EGT of 1350, leaning to that value during the climb will maintain best power. It's gets you into a small ballpark with a multi-probe engine monitor. A much bigger ballpark without one. And yes, ultimately you want to be watching those cylinder head temps. In cruise, it's the technique to bypass the "Red Box" with the "big pull" when operating LOP, but even ROP, it gives you an EGT target to shoot for.

I think a session with a CFI doing landings with the airspeed indicator covered will do wonders.

Maybe simple miscommunication. That comment was only about buying an LLC. But I don’t automatically equate a new purchase with lack of type experience anyway.

Obviously. Not sure what that has to so with selling an LLC though.

This is not at all unusual. Your homeowners’ and umbrella have exclusions. In most states, workers comp insurance can’t simply exclude that risk so they insist on not allowing it. There are very likely insurers which permit it, but I’d expect the premium differential to be significant, too big for anything other than a flight department.

It will be interesting to see how many of our assumptions and speculations pan out. For example, yes, there is a new owner but we don't know (a) how much prior Mooney experience they have or (b) whether the new owner was accompanied by an experienced Mooney CFI since, if new to Mooneys there would be a substantial insurance checkout and solo period.

It just doesn’t make sense as a simple passenger door opening. The pilot did not sound in the least bit distracted by it.

That I don't know. I know the Hofers but when I saw the registration information, my inquiries were limited to finding out whether either of them were in the airplane. Beyond that I won't speculate.

Selling the LLC is not too likely. My information is that the airplane was sold just last week, so I wouldn't expect the FAA database to show the new ownership.

Actually owned by Hofer Aero, LLC. I don't know the airplane or the people in the crash. But I have learned that the airplane was very recently sold and neither Ronald Hofer nor his wife (both pilots) were on board.

Doable (see video). But not really necessary. Typical is ATC giving a heading to intercept so all you need is to define the leg.

It was to me too…until I flew with a GFC500.

That’s true for a number of Garmin PFDs.