EDNR-Cruiser

Shame on you! This thread is about normal Mooneys, not about turbo-normalized people...

Not sure it your test is a good example... - why would I enrichen the mixture to keep the fuel flow at the same level as before? I might end up losing power because the mixture is then already too rich and fuel leaves the exhaust unused? The difference between 2500 RPM and 2700 RPM is around 15 HP, leaning from 25 LOP to 50 LOP will cost you some horse powers but not as much as the higher RPM bring. What I wonder is why the fuel flow is the same, maybe because at your density altitude the air was already so thin... I did a flight at 4000 ft AMSL (pretty much at ISA conditions) at my usual 2400 RPM with 20" MP, leaned to peak temperature. I then reduced RPM to 2000 and increased manifold pressure until the indicated airspeed was the same again as before which was at around 24" MP - basically at full throttle. I then fine tuned to peak again (not much adjustment required) and fuel flow was about 3 litres less than with 2400 RPM. Same IAS, same altitude but slightly less fuel burn and lots of less noise....

Immelmann, I couldn't agree more! Same here, same motivation, same curiosity... - and whatever it is, less friction in the engine for sure but some also claim a higher efficiency of the original 2-blade-prop at lower RPMs, I do not care very much as long as I can save some bucks on fuel, travel at a much lower noise level and lower overall temperatures compared to high RPM operation - at the same speed! My Mooney POH says nothing about oversquare settings or fuel efficiency... - back in 1966 they only cared about speed and range - and more importantly, the POH doesn't warn about running at low RPM. Mine actually shows 1950 RPM as "best endurance setting"... Another point to make here is that the overall environment for people flying in Europe looks much different compared to flying in the US. A two hour flight is already considered as "long distance", especially in a Mooney. Flying above FL100 in Germany requires higher qualifications than some VFR pilots have, fuel is much more expensive than in the US and so on...

The only thing you should keep in mind is the maximum manifold pressure - which applies at low altitudes only - at higher (density) altitudes this won't be a problem any more... I use this simple overview for my M20F with the same engine and prop as your "E": 2400 RPM at 19" = 100 HP = 50% 2400 RPM at 18" = 92 HP = 46% 2350 RPM at 19" = 97 HP = 48% 2350 RPM at 18" = 90 HP = 45% 2100 RPM at 19,8" = 90 HP = 45% 2000 RPM at 20,8" = 90 HP = 45% 2400 RPM at 19,0" = 100 HP = 50% 2350 RPM at 19,6" = 100 HP = 50% 2100 RPM at 22,5" = 100 HP = 50% 2000 RPM at 21,2" = 100 HP = 50% 2400 RPM at 21,5" = 120 HP = 60% 2350 RPM at 21,9" = 120 HP = 60% 2100 RPM at 24,2" = 120 HP = 60% 2000 RPM at 25,8" = 120 HP = 60% Max Manifold pressures: 2000 RPM: 26" 2100 RPM: 26,7" (HP and % for operation at sea-level). That is all I need to know and in cruise (without time pressure) I can save some pounds per hour at a slighty higher TAS when I reduce RPMs and increase manifold pressure to compensate... - and at 2000 RPM it is much quieter, too... :-) This works only up to about FL90, above this it is difficult even at high QHN to maintain sufficient HP levels below 2100 RPM... - but it is great to run below at full open throttle, slightly lean of peak at 2000 RPM with a fuel burn of a Cessna 172 and 150% the speed...

I got my Mooney with manually inflatable door-seals and it makes a major difference in wind noise when inflated, even with my Lightspeed Zulu2 ANR headset (not to speak of a classic headset)! Unfortunately I have no idea what make mine is but as it seems to be punctured (need to add pressure every 20 minutes or so), I will have it replaced sooner or later for sure...

A Mooney is a bird for pilots, not for accountants! If you guys had to pay what we have to pay here in Europe, only real enthusiasts would read this (and still fly)...

I use a yoke-mounted Samsung GalaxyTab2 7" and never had any problems with it... - neither with overheating nor with bad GPS signal with the built in antennae.

Wonderful report! Impressive! Thanks very much! Would you mind if I shared that on my FB wall? It's not about the part that these guys were indeed aviation gods this day, it's about the spirit of this event, sharing your passion and enthusiasm and giving...

I use a spreadsheet and "programmed" my own logbook, database, analysis-tool and scheduler... - and it keeps growing and growing. In the meantime it includes a weight & balance calculation incl. stall speeds, analysis of fuel and oil consumption, keeps track of all costs, notes on airports visited, etc.... - this is quite helpful in the meantime and also fun to develop further and further... :-)

The Concorde battery I bought (RG-35AGX) fit into the old box without any problems... - and I still consider it as one of my best purchases... No problems with the battery or starting since I replaced my old Gill with the Concorde last year.

Maybe you just need a new battery and some confidence in proven tactics? When I bought my M20F early last year I was also humbled by several unsuccessful hot starts and twice almost killed my old battery. When I had my Mooney in the shop for the annual I also asked for a new high speed starter but the shop manager advised against it. He told me that he had a lot of warranty problems with the high speed starters and that my battery was already 10 years old. In the end I went for a new Concorde sealed battery and guess what... - never again a problem with hot starts when using the proven old tactics... Engine off: Throttle to 1100 to 1200 rpm, mixture to idle cut off to stop the engine - DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING AFTER THAT Engine hot start: DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING except Master Switch On and then turn ignition on until engine fires (usually 5-10 blades). Then push MIXTURE forward (not too fast, about 1-2 seconds to full) and use throttle to keep engine alive. That's it for me. Never needed a second attempt to hot start my IO-360-A1A.

Well... - they have to improve for many reasons...

I will go there on Thursday... - by car! I want to enjoy the show and flying in there would definitely not add to the enjoyment...

I second the hobbit on this... - no chance to understand and comment on this subject as long as you haven't flown your solo on a RW. I flew small helicopters in the 80es for the German Armed Forces, the old Alouette II, if someone remembers... It is a different type of flying and your attention is focused on completely different things than in a fixed wing... Even though I would love to fly a RW again after 30 years I would not be able to afford one... - plus I am absolutely happy with my Mooney, which just suits me and my mission profile perfectly well....

Congratulations and many happy landings!

Just let her (the Mooney) fly and enjoy the ride...

That's a great idea! Thanks very much... - could really be helpful for the European MooneySpace fans as many aspects of flying are actually quite different in Europe... I am from Germany, my name is Bernd Almstedt and my Green Lady D-ECED is a heavily pimped 1966 M20F Executive and based in Regensburg, Bavaria. My M20F is my first self-owned airplane. I am a complete newbie (got my license in July 2011) but a life-long addict of aviation. Actually started a career as helicopter pilot in the Army in the early 80's but decided to leave the forces after finishing my basic flight training. Due to family life, jobs, etc. there was no chance to start flying again for a long time but after I quit my last job I finally had the time to go flying again... - which I did and I wanted to fly more often than the fleet of our flight club allowed, thus I began to look for my own airplane and was lucky enough to end up with a Mooney... - never even dared to dream of a Mooney before and was rather looking for Piper Arrows or Socata TB-10 class aircraft but finally my Mooney rather found me than I found her...

Excellent read! Thanks very much!

That's exactly what my FI asked me to do when I did the transitional training in my Mooney! The power on and power off stalls in straight flight actually were non events and not much different than what I was used to from various Cessnas and Pipers but the stalls in turns really are a different story!!! The funny thing is that the Mooneys always seem to stall with the right wing first because my Mooney did it exactly as I was warned upfront, even in a 60° left turn... - the rudder went soft, some shuddering and then it banked VERY hard to the right side... Make sure that you have plenty of altitude before you try this... - in the beginning I easily lost 800 ft and even after some practice it still cost me about 400 ft to recover safely without a secondary stall.

I converted from Sennheiser to Zulu 2 some months ago and really love the headset... - very quiet and very comfortable plus superb bluetooth connection. Tried the Bose A20 earlier but that didn't convince me to spend so much money on that headset... - the Zulu 2 headset was a no-brainer, I bought it straight away and I'm still very happy with it.

Great idea, this thread... - especially as I am so much in love with my Irish Lady... It's my pleasure to share some new pictures of my little grace, "born" in 1966 as a regular M20F Executive. The former owner invested a lot of time, thought and money into this beauty and sold it to me as shown in these photos... - and I can tell you, she took my breath away! The only question after the first flight was "when" and no longer "how much"... I don't like modern glass cockpits too much and was really happy to find a Mooney with such a semi-modern cockpit. Ergonomic, great style and nothing to distract you from watching the scenery outside...

Maybe he should get in touch with EMPOA, the European Mooney Pilots and Owners Association... http://www.empoa.eu/ I assume that the market value of European/Germany based airplanes is calculated slightly different here than in the US.

Mine is called "Irish Lady" or "Green Lady". "Irish" because of the paint job and also because I like Ireland and the Irish. "Lady" because of her grace, dignity and energy.

Only 200:04h total and 63:05h in my M20F... - and guess what! I feel like one with my Green Lady by now! I flew only 7 different aircraft (and a couple of helicopters in a prior life) before but the first time I entered my airplane (not mine back then) it was like - believe it or not... - it was like coming home. Whenever I'm up there now, soaring with the bussards, it's like a wellness trip, like an extra big bonus. I never felt like this before and it is definitely not because it's my aircraft, actually it's more the reason why I bought this Mooney as an absolute newbie in any respect. Scared? Nerves? Gosh... - whenever I need to relax and the weather is okay I'm in my Mooney and the sky...