Thanks for your caring reply. Good idea for me to introduce myself -- I probably should have done that before jumping smack into the middle of a close-knit forum. I was just trying to be brief and ask a couple of straightforward questions about an airplane that I am not familiar with.
My name is Mel, got my Private SEL certificate in 1971, added a Private sailplane rating a few years later. Have flown Cessnas, Indians (Cherokees, Arrows and such), and Schweizers. By the way, I once flew a Schweizer, a 2-22 I think, at a glider club in New Jersey, but can't remember exactly where it was. I don't fly anymore – da gubment has made it too expensive. The legendary "$100 cup of coffee" is probably up around $300 now!
The M20K I mentioned, N96398, belonged to Ross Grand, who I have known since he was a child, some 35+ years ago. He died in a crash at KOCF on 09 Apr 16. I know Ross' mother and other family members, his fiancée, and many of his friends. There is a preliminary accident report on the NTSB web site for anyone interested in reading it. However, since it is preliminary, it does not contain all the known details.
Ross' fiancée, a non-pilot, was his passenger that day; incredibly, she sustained only relatively minor injuries. I spoke with her about the crash, and a couple of things she mentioned made me wonder what the true cause was. Sorry, I cannot at this time discuss things she told me until I have permission to do so. Ross was a very experienced Commercial pilot and former Instructor, with a full complement of ratings, and about 1700 - 2000 hours of flying time under his belt. It is unlikely that he made some rookie mistake.
My reason for asking questions on this forum was to learn how normal operation of the landing gear works, along with whatever mechanical backup system may be in place. My first idea was to find an online copy of the POH. I ditched that plan because I don't want to know how to operate the gear; I want to know how it works. I don't know any A&Es, so I came here.
Mr. Caruso (your name, right?), I appreciate the thoughtful tone of your reply, and I hope my wordy response here gives you a feel for the nature of my questions. Neither Ross' mother nor his fiancée are pilots, and since I understand “pilot-speak”, my goal is to translate our lingo and buzzwords into standard English to give them better insight into the tragedy that took the life of their loved one.
So, could someone please tell me how Mooney landing gear works, both in normal conditions and with the engine stopped? Not how to do it, but how it works.
Thanks to all for your consideration.
