AH-1 Cobra Pilot

The power output is proportional to the gauge reading.

All the temperatures seem to be normal, although the #3 & #4 cylinder temps are higher than the rest by a few 10s of degrees.

Definitely nothing noticeable.

Although this is not on a Mooney, please indulge me. I fly a T-210 with a TIO-520. It worked well until a flight a few days ago. On takeoff, I was not getting the usual 35-40-ish" manifold pressure I had come to expect, so I landed. I scoped the turbo and could not find anything obviously wrong. I could spin it as well. I also checked to see if the waste gate was stuck, but it moved freely. The overpressure relief also seemed fine, and a mechanic said he had never had an issue with those anyway. So, I took it up again yesterday. On takeoff, the manifold pressure was about 28", the same as it was prior to starting. In the air, I tried a few different settings. At WOT and 2500 rpm, the manifold pressure was 30"; at WOT and 2200 rpm it was 32". So the turbo is giving some pressure, but no where near all it should. Anyone else have this experience?

If you can design a replacement STL file for the part that has parallel ends, I would recommend using a MarkForged printer with polypropylene filament and glass fiber, (or carbon fiber), reinforcement.

Yes. You can PM me for more information.

The audio I remember was the crew in a gear-up landing sliding down the runway with the horn blaring and the copilot says, "God Damn! That thing is loud!"

I can tell you where it was being taught: USN Carrier OPS. As far as putting flaps down before gear, I think that is a huge mistake, especially in a Mooney. Whether abeam or at the FAF, you should do three things in order: Prop, Gear, Flaps (first notch), in fairly rapid succession. Building that habit will always keep you safest and results in slowing the airplane down enough for each of the next steps. After my dad had a gear-up landing, his insurance insisted I fly with him on a permanent basis. I noticed that since the C-210 had a higher flap speed (first notch) than gear speed, he would operate the flaps first, then not be consistent about what he did next; either Prop, Gear, or second notch of Flaps. Even with his 5000 hours, the problem is that any distraction might throw off your habit pattern when you do not have a rock-solid pattern drilled into your brain. That is why I insist my student always use that order, especially in Mooneys.

I just cannot believe we do not hear #@Q$%!!$#!!! as they slide down the runway.

Be careful in your presumptions about the pilot having much experience. How much of his time was in turbine helicopters, and how much was in recip airplanes? A quick transition course will give you a SEL or MEL COMM + INST rating from a HELO COMM + INST. Flying C-12s in the Army, most of my colleagues were trained in helicopters first, then received a fixed-wing transition. I was regularly annoyed by other pilots yanking back the throttles when told by ATC to descend from 21,000 to 19,000. They seemed to have no appreciation of the stresses put on engines from their operating habits, let alone what it would do to a recip. I have also seen a few poorly trained pilots ram a throttle to the stop on takeoff. (Who the hell teaches this?) They also get a lecture on taking care of engines.

0.35% of those 17 and older. Definitely a low, (elite?), number.

The time I landed in a corn field was in a T-210. I tried to land into the wind, but the center pivot was across that direction. As it ended up, I landed with the furrows, which were nothing to worry about, anyway. The ground was probably fairly frozen and definitely quite dry, so it was close to concrete/asphalt. The gear were already down; no damage to the airplane, at all. I was most happy to find out the farmer decided to put his cattle into the field the next day, or it might have had different results. I also practically crapped my pants after I saw the power lines I flew over getting there.

Aren't wrecks always? He is lucky he did not make the one more that turned him into a wreck.

Apparently, he did not do his 30-day VOR check, either.

No discussion of ATC funding is complete without mentioning military flights, who do not pay taxes. What percentage of ATC is used by military flights? It seems to me taxing fuel covers GA's contribution, especially since I burn a lot of fuel on flights I never contact ATC.