gsxrpilot

I've got an M20C based at 84R just east of Austin. Let me know if you're in town, I'll take you for a ride and you can try it out. Cheers, Paul

I'm using a SPOT as well. I've used it when cross country hang gliding as a way to summon my driver on landing. And to summon faster or emergency services if the landing wasn't so good. In the Mooney, when the wife calls my phone and I don't answer but she thinks I should have landed 30 min earlier, she can just look on the web page and see that I'm still in route and where I am. It's comforting for her on the ground even more than me in the air. I can completely recommend the SPOT Tracker.

Some of the best advice I've heard is to never sit there and listen to the gear alarm. If the gear alarm goes off, stop whatever you're doing at that time and turn the gear alarm off. There are two ways to silence that alarm, 1 add power or 2 put the gear down. Don't wait telling yourself you'll get to it. If you hear the horn, turn it back off immediately. Oh and keeping your hand on the gear lever until it's fully down... Pretty essential on my C.

I just bought a well equipped C. I was looking for an E but realized I could get much more for the same money with a C. The more I looked, the more I came to believe that $1 spent up front would buy $4 worth of upgrades. I really think it pays to buy someone else's hard work and investment rather than doing it yourself. Then get a good pre-buy from a reputable Mooney shop.

As a newbie Mooney owner, I'm a bit anxious about all kinds of things. And at the risk of being told to go study the POH, I'm gonna ask the question anyway. My oil pressure gauge indicates in the yellow/high yellow on take off. As soon as I dial the power back to 25/25 it settles back into the green. I'm showing 6 qt's on the stick and it's nice and clean. The engine runs really smooth and seems to make plenty of power. I'm in Texas and so the temps are pretty mild. Should I be concerned? Or is this normal for an O360? Thanks, Paul

A good friend of mine in Australia musters cattle with a Storch. Most cattle mustering is done with R22's, but he reckons he's even more maneuverable in the Storch than other's are in the R22. I've seen some of his flying and it's unreal what can be done with an aircraft like that by someone who flies it every day for work.

Thanks Bob, that's exactly what I needed. Cheers, Paul

I'm thinking that would make a good tug. Use it to pull the Mooney out of the hanger, then fold it up and take it with you for transportation at your destination. Paul

I did my IR in a Cherokee and Comanche and both had ADF's. I got to be pretty good at NDB approaches. The current M20C doesn't have an ADF and I don't think I'm gonna miss it. Paul

The fuel selector in my C is very hard to turn. I can do it, but have struggled in flight to get the tanks switched. I made a handle out of a 1/2 inch PVC T. I just keep it in the pocket on the left side and it works great. But I'm wondering how hard it should be to turn the selector? Thanks, Paul

I had the same question. I'm flying a C with the O360. Would the numbers be the same? I'm wondering how to calculate 65% power or 75% power. Thanks, Paul

Is there a way to filter out any and all posts by PTK on this forum? If not, I'm going to write a script.

The previous owner just lists them as "231 wing tips". Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I wish I owned the hanger because if I did, it would at least have electricity. It would be nice to use the engine pre-heater, or have lights to help with parking after dark. But really I'm happy to have found one available for rent. $225/month and there is another one just like it available here at 84R. I haven't flown it enough to have any performance numbers yet. So I was only quoting what Don said to me. I did make one cross country bringing the bird home. Flightaware shows me at 126kts GS at 6500ft. I was fighting a pretty good head wind the whole way and landed at KAUS into 25kts straight down the runway. But during the flight I was playing with the Autopilot, 530W, HSI, and all the other bits and pieces. So I wasn't really going for speed. I also wandered around a bit dodging various airspace issues. Once I'm a bit more comfortable with it, I'll certainly see what she'll do. Thanks, Paul

Yep. An HSI coupled to the 530W and STec Autopilot.

I'm the proud new owner of N6XM, a '64 M20C. I picked her up at Don Maxwell's where he did the pre-buy, then annual and a few other misc items. Don said it's the fastest M20C he's ever flown. But then he might say that to all the kids :-) This is my first Mooney and first airplane. So I might be just a little excited and overwhelmed. I spent a couple of days flying it around the Dallas area with my CFI getting the required 5 hours dual before flying it home to Smithville and my hanger at 84R. I still need another couple of hours before I can carry passengers, but I've certainly been having fun with it. My brother is a CFI, Southwest Captain and also checked out in the Mooney. We spent a couple of hours Saturday trading circuits in the pattern here at 84R. I hope to see everyone at the home coming in a couple of weeks. Here are some pictures... Cheers, Paul

This makes the most sense of any theory I've heard yet.

Well you can put me in the camp with those who believe the POH, Owners Manual and most other paperwork that comes with the airplane was produced with the primary purpose of fending off the lawyers. Secondarily it provides information of how the companies test pilots like to fly. Beyond that, it's interesting reading. Now I don't profess to be a professional test pilot, but then neither do the many thousands of pilots out there flying aircraft marked Experimental. And they seem to do all right. As Hank said, "its not rocket science, it's just low speed aerodynamics." And it's really pretty simple. Personally, I like to use flaps on takeoff but only because I believe the shorter the take off roll, the longer the tires last. But certainly not because a Mooney test pilot tells me I must. I'm more of a "seat of the pants pilot" and somehow, someway I'm sure that corresponds to the issue of standing or sitting to pee? :-)

Who really cares what someone else does with their airplane, for any reason other than mild curiosity? There is always more than one right way to do something. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Has anyone dealt with, or purchased anything from Don Hague in Vancouver, BC? I'm looking for a used engine monitor with probes, preferably an EDM-700. He has one on the shelf for sale. So I was just wondering if anyone has purchased from him. Thanks, Paul

I certainly don't want to open a can of worms here. But even as a Texan myself, I just don't see anything about my Mooney that could possibly require the use of a gun. I pay for good insurance so that when I inevitably do something stupid, it's covered. And in the very unlikely event that someone else needs the Mooney or the 530W out of the panel worse than me, they'll cover that as well. So I'll be buying 100LL instead of ammo. :-) Paul

Has anyone run an FS-450 on a carbureted engine such as the O-360 mounted on the front of my M20C? I think it would be a good little instrument to have but just wondering about the effectiveness or benefit on a carbureted engine. Thanks, Paul

This topic might have me a little spooked. I've not even thought about parking it overnight on a trip. But at home, is a locked hanger door enough? It's an individual free standing hanger. It's all mine. And I'm the only one with a key. Paul

I just ordered the Don Kaye DVD.