Skates97

My '65 C Manual says avoid 2,100-2,300 rpm in cruise. Performance charts have data for 1,800, 2,300, 2,400, 2,500, and 2,600. The '77 C Manual says avoid 2,000-2,250 rpm in cruise. Performance charts have data for 1,950, 2,350, 2,400, 2,500, 2,600, and 2,700. I'm not sure why the change in the red arc range or the data that they have in the performance charts. I would be interested in hearing people's thoughts on that. For cruising around it really depends on how much of a hurry I'm in. Usually it's either 2,400 or 2,500. I may try out 2,300 to see what the sound difference is and if I like it better.

Nice to have you drop by. That was quite the busy summer. I got in a little over 60 hours of flying from June through Labor Day Weekend. We still need to meet up sometime. I've been flying to Phoenix quite a bit to visit family there so maybe when the weather cools down we can work that out. If not maybe meet up to catch Spring Training next year since it didn't line up this year. Looking at your stuff due I'm glad I went the Mooney route. It's not as new or fast as your plane, but I spent less on it that just what you had coming due.

My short list consisted of a Comanche or Mooney. I found a Mooney that I liked before I found a Comanche that I liked. I think he must mean true airspeed. I see 139 knots true airspeed at somewhere right around 9.0 GPH.

My understanding is that at night you have to have the red/green solid. Not flashing. Is that correct?

What are the options to adding wingtip strobes on an old 1965 M20D? Every time I see someone with strobes on their wingtips and top of the vertical stabilizer I'm a little jealous because I know they can't see me as easily as I can see them.

I have seen a few on the ramps at various airports. The saddest one I saw was back in March in Mesquite, NV. I think it had been there for quite awhile.

Labor Day Weekend trip to UT. CA to UT Race – Mooney in the Morning Just another day with the Mooney time machine, giving you back what Winston Churchill once said is “one thing that can never be retrieved,” time. (I guess he didn’t have a Mooney…)

Can you explain the soft side velcro around the glareshield a little more? Maybe a picture?

Take cotton balls and rub Vaseline in them. They will squish down very small, when you need one fluff it out really well and one spark will get it burning and it will burn long enough to get a fire going. In Boy Scouts I had one of those silver waterproof match cases stuffed with about 10 of them. That along with the standard magnesium fire starter made started many a campfire for me.

Thanks guys. The first time it happened months ago it took me a while to get it started. Once I figured out that I needed to leave the throttle out and mixture at idle cut initially to get it started it hasn't been an issue. I figured it was the heat causing the fuel to expand but I wanted to make sure it wasn't indicative of a problem.

I have seen this a few times but happened twice today. I have a O-360-A1D in my plane. My shut down procedure is out of the POH. Increase RPM to 1,100, pull mixture to idle/cutoff, as engine dies pull throttle out. On today's flight I stopped at a fuel stop, shut down, fueled, (took a restroom break), and got back in to start up to see that the fuel pressure gauge was showing about 7 PSI. I finished the flight to my destination and refueled before parking so I wouldn't have to when I got ready to fly home. Upon getting in after refueling (about 10 minutes) the fuel pressure gauge was showing a little over 9 PSI. When it does this if I leave the mixture at idle cut off and crank the engine while advancing the throttle it will start up, the fuel pressure drops into the green, and I can enrichen the mixture to keep it running as the fuel pressure drops down to normal levels. (Similar to the flooded engine start procedure) This only seems to happen when it is hot outside and it is not consistent. Any ideas?

I had put tint on the front windows this time but decided to take it off. While I could see out, even at night, it made things a little hazy, which I didn't like. I went back to having just a strip across the top of the window to help with the sun coming in which doesn't affect my view. I also have a strip along the top of the windshield because I don't have any sunscreens. The windshield one is an elliptical shape. I put a piece of blue painter's tape on each side and one in the middle so I had a straight line across, then laid the tint on and used a piece of string to get the shape. The pictures make it look like it the tint on the windshield goes lower than it really does.

Made a quick weekend trip to Chandler, AZ (KCHD) with my son to visit my folks. Had a great time, got out of town ahead of a big thunderstorm. Its Hot in Phoenix

This is the same thing I do. Pitot cover for the bugs, and keep it closed up because the fuzzy stuff from nearby cottonwood trees finds its way inside the hangar and I don't want it finding its way inside the plane. One other thing to consider is using some colored duct tape and putting lines for all three wheels as well as a box at the end of each one where the wheels will end up when the plane is parked. Makes it easy to get the plane in the right position each time and not accidentally hit something in the hangar with it when pushing it in.

I have taken off without the electric fuel pump on, forgot to reset to takeoff trim, forgot to set altimeter, forgot to set directional gyro before take off, lined up on the left runway instead of right once but tower questioned me on about a 2 mile final, and I'm sure a number of other things. I'm still a low time guy, around 175 hours total with about 115 of that in my Mooney over the last 9 months. I think what you need to do is slow down when you are on the ground and use your checklists religiously. In the air it is hard to "slow down" but that is when you have to plan ahead and get through your checklists a little early. In cruise review your descent checklist, once established in a descent review your landing checklist, etc... I have found that when I am complacent thinking "I'm good" and don't pay close attention to the checklists is when mistakes start happening. Verbalizing the checklists when I go through them is also a big help.

Are you on a phone? I don't see signatures on my phone but I do when browsing on my computer.

I've used the same alias for a long, long time. It's actually my gmail address as well. I used to just use "Skates" which goes back to playing hockey, but that was often already taken in games and forums (no doubt by some young punk kid that rides a skateboard everywhere...) The 97 came from the number Jeremy Roenick wore when he played for the Coyotes, it was the number I wore on my jerseys when I was playing, and so I put that on the end of the "alias." I have my name in my signature and there's more than enough on my blog to figure out just about whatever you want. Not hiding from anything, just goes way back to days of playing computer games online and forums from many years past...

That and the fact that you can be as obnoxious and rude as you want online without much fear of retribution. Years ago you would have had to do that to someone's face, and there's a good chance that sooner or later you do it to the wrong person and suffer the consequences. Common decency has taken a huge hit with the advent of social media. I disagree with a lot of friends and even some family members on politics, but we still get along, and dare I say still love each other.

I've been very happy with my 65 M20D (really a C but that seems to bother some when I call it that... ) I think about how well it flies and travels and for my typical trips of 300-500nm I can see myself flying this plane for a long time.

I took a friend up for a short flight to French Valley Wednesday to let him do some flying and have some dinner. It was a great time. I need to find more people to take up flying... On a side note I just passed 170 hours, over 111 in my Mooney. French Valley Friend Dinner Fun Run

Me too. I have a Galaxy Tab A 10.1 and if I have the screen always on I lose a little less than 10% per hour. Flew 7 1/2 hours one day and still landed with I think somewhere north of 35% remaining.

My guess is they have Errors and Omissions Insurance to cover stuff like that for them.

I always fly into Chandler KCHD just because it is about 10 minutes from my parents house. If you buy fuel (not terribly expensive) they wave their overnight parking fee.

Brilliant, I don't know why I didn't think of that. The bubble wrap type stuff is fairly stiff and is a pain getting it to slide between the post and the windshield. I'm going to split mine in two like yours.

Maybe there was no specific USAA discount, but they came in cheaper than the others I was getting quotes from so that worked for me.