BradB

I live close enough to walk to my airport, and I have done it. Being close makes it so much easier to check on things (tires, leaks, battery). It is nice to get there early and preflight before passenger(s) arrive. They can just show up and go. Mooneys are ‘go places’ airplanes. I used mine to travel everywhere and get there fast. Adding an hour to the trip in both directions changes the drive vs. fly equation in a bad way (pretty sure in both radii and grads). Disclaimer: I fly from Erie, PA to Cleveland when I go there (~80 miles). So…..what’s the decision? bradb former Acclaim 2006 Meridian

It has been a while since my last post. So here is today. Flight aware looks ugly. The view from the window at FL270 is much better. To be fair, I did have to climb through some ice and turbulence, but the view from the top is so nice. BradB former acclaim now Meridian N951TB

Still here, too bradb meridian N951TB former acclaim.

@Seth I haven’t forgotten about the commercial. I actually ordered an updated copy of the book recently. But now I’m going to have to do the training and check ride in a Meridian. It has been done. And my friend just did his in his TBM - pressure is on. brad

You had me at Turbine. Bradb

Lots of open water today. Opa Locka (KOPF) to Turks and Caicos (MBPV). 27,000ft just over 2 hours with a turn in the hold on arrival to the island. bradb meridian N951TB former acclaim

no more Mooney. This is my ride these days. bradb former acclaim

Not alone on this one. Bringing a “friend.” ;-)

I am usually a day late on my Pics. Today is the preflight from the hanger. It is windy and snowing outside. I’m doing the database updates and preflight in the warm hanger. Tomorrow morning is a 9am pullout and departure. First is Erie (KERI) to Charleston (KCHS) for fuel and a couple hours in the city with lunch. Then off to Miami (KOPF) for some phototherapy for the weekend. Bradb Meridian 951TB former acclaim

Most rewarding of flights! Congrats. I never tell the patients that i fly on these flights that I am also a physician. I like listening to the stories from their side. It adds the needed perspective adjustment for me. +1 Tom. Bradb Meridian N951TB former acclaim

I’m surprised that MS hasn’t already calculated and published the speed and GPH for the Mooney in that video. Bradb Former Acclaim.

Hanscom (KBED) is very close to my daughter’s home. And the fuel there is a great price with one of the discount cards. Bradb N951TB

A late entry, the picture was from Friday evening and the video from a week ago. Getting ready to head out and do the round trip to Boston and back again today. Bradb Meridian N951TB EBE9B5B7-B1EA-46FD-9854-AC4C7748648E.MOV

Looks cheaper than ICE-X. I’ll have to check and see if it is safe for rubber boots. For the TKS, guys -those of us with boots have the joy of buying really expensive slippery stuff to help the boots shed ice. But it does need to be reapplied after flying in the rain or in any flight that it would actually need to be used. But a plus is that it makes the boots nice and shiny. And I still carry a garden sprayer filled will TKS in the plane with me. That way I can De-Ice myself on the ground for those quick turns that require a quick up and down through icing in the winter. bradb former acclaim Meridian N951TB

Maybe close your eyes during the day landings.

There you go @Deb , confusing us with facts. Although, that is listed under the “conditions” box. To me this indicates that you can expect that performance in those conditions. It doesn’t say that changing “conditions” won’t improve performance. Maybe, higher headwind. Maybe, gear up sooner. Maybe temporary decrease in gravity. And not to be picky, but the chart you show also seems to be for ‘Hard surface - normal takeoff.’ I think the OP is looking for Max performance takeoff/climb data. My POH lists my maximum landing performance data without the use of reversing the prop. That certainly shortens the roll-out, but under ‘conditions’ - No Prop Reverse. I’m always open to being wrong. Bradb

Go Around is a different animal than takeoff. You’ll have more flaps. Go-Around = Flaps. Gear. Flaps. Flaps. (I have 3 flap positions. In the Mooney I did Flaps. Gear. Flaps.) Maybe one of the other Acclaim drivers will pitch in and explain how dramatic the pitch up is with power addition on the go around. It isn’t subtle. I believe it’s was discussed on another thread in the past. Bradb 2006 Meridian N951TB

I was visiting my daughter in Boston this weekend. Sunday was nice day so we took a trip to Bar Harbor, Maine (KBHB) for the afternoon. This was my first time visiting and it was a great time of year to do it. Bradb 2006 Meridian N951TB (former Acclaim)

Retracting the gear depends on the airplane and the mechanism. The Mooney gear transitions so quickly, that you can get it up and back down in a hurry if needed. In the Meridian, it is a 7 second process in each direction. It also requires a 90 degree turn of the nose wheel as it comes up or down. This results in a definite yaw motion during the transition. I’m not sure that it is enough to significantly affect performance during the climb, but I tend to leave the gear down until there is no useable runway left for me to use if I had to land. And for question 2: Gear then flaps. Fly Safe, Bradb 2006 Meridian N951TB Former Acclaim

Looks like you had plenty of range with the plane. But you landed 16% battery on the idevice. That is way below my personal minimums. Great trip! Bradb

Happy day to all the fathers!

Great trip @AlexLev! Congratulations. We are all very fortunate to have the ability to travel and have experiences like this. I love hearing about these adventures. @Skates97 when will you be around KFFA? I will be in that area June 5-8. Bradb

This weekend was a trip to Miami (KOPF) from Erie, PA (KERI). It was a beautiful weekend for flying. There were great sights on the ramps at both places, the old Cherokee lives in Erie, but this is the first time that I have seen it. The C-17 and C-172 are on the ramp in Opa-locka. There was an air show in Miami and I looked as if many of the planes were staged at KOPF. bradb 2006 Meridian N951TB former Acclaim

Anyone run into the ‘crappy’ weather in Pittsburgh today?

I just completed a week long 5174 nm journey with my 13 yo daughter. Her spring break started last Friday after school. I flew from Erie, Pa (KERI) to Boston (KBED) to pick her up. From there we stopped in N.C for dinner (KECG) and on to St. Augustine, FL (KSGJ) for the night. The next morning was KSGJ to Providenciales (MBPV) for fuel. We didn’t need to clear customs for just a fuel stop, but they certainly tack on a number of government fees. From there we continued to St. Thomas (TIST). During my planning, I had been working with the FBOs and customs to make sure that I had everything set. As we were preparing to depart to St. Thomas, I gave one more call. It was lucky that I did. They said, you better hurry, customs goes home at 5:45 today. We landed in St. Thomas at 5:38 and had a really quick trip through customs. The FBO at St. Thomas (Standard Aviation) was great. They met us a customs and got us through everything quickly and easily. Things always work a little differently in the islands. From there, we spent 2 nights in St Thomas, which is still recovering from Hurricane Irma. On Monday, we took a ferry to Tortola where we picked up a sailboat for the next five nights. We had a fun captain and enjoyed sailing around the British Virgin Islands. The BVI were also hit very hard by the hurricane. They can certainly use the tourist dollars to help the recovery and support their economy and workers. Saturday morning was a ferry back to St. Thomas to pick up the plane. Saturday morning, the ferry and US Customs in in St. Thomas were running on island time. Getting a little later start than we wanted, we set off from TIST to MBPV again for fuel. ProvoAir at MBPV was very efficient and helpful. Even though you file your flight plan like normal through ForeFlight or your normal routine, the tower at MBPV requires a paper copy. The FBO helped get one faxed over to them and called to verify that got it and we happy. Another thing that I found interesting is that depending on the time of day, clearance delivery, ground, tower, and approach can all be on the same frequency with one controller. Because of the late start, we were not going to be able to make customs at Ft. Pierce before closing time at 6PM. We elected to choose Ft. Lauderdale Executive (KFXE) where customs are open until Midnight daily. After a dinner in Ft Lauderdale, we decided to call it a night and not push on any further. On Easter Sunday we got up and made the trip from KFXE to Charleston, SC (KCHS) for a nice Easter brunch in downtown Charleston. After brunch was the trip back to KBED. I dropped her off with her mother at around 6pm. Since I didn’t have anything scheduled Monday morning, I stayed in Boston Sunday night. On Monday, I woke up and flew back to KERI in time to make if for my surgeries that were scheduled to start at 10AM. It was a great Father-Daughter week. She is a big help with the plane and the logistics. She and I have done international flight to several places in Canada, but this was out first Caribbean adventure on our own. I think this really helps develop her self confidence and sense of adventure. She isn’t afraid to try new things and figure out new situations that require flexibility. I am very fortunate that she and I can do this sort of trip together. The Meridian was great for the trip. I love the speed and altitude. But is certainly doesn’t have the legs of a Mooney. The thirsty PT6 needs to eat every 800nm or about 3 hours. It is almost impossible to take a bad picture with this scenery. Bradb