skydvrboy

The only thing I could think of adding to Bob’s plane is fuel... Lots and lots of FUEL! OK, maybe a bit of oil too.

Your mission sounds like mine when I bought my plane. I wanted something that would fly, carry me, my wife, and two kids, and fit my limited budget. I also wanted to get the best value I could. I looked at a TriPacer, a Piper Warrior, and my Mooney. I settled on the Mooney based on fuel economy. I didn’t know a C from a J from an O... I just knew there was enough legroom that someone my size could fit in the backseat. In hindsight, I realize I basically won the lottery by stumbling into this plane!

There is a really accurate way to calibrate your fuel stick and getting the numbers off the internet isn't it. The best method I have found is to stick the tank before you add any fuel and mark that line on your stick. Then top it off and subtract that from your total usable gallons. Now label the line you already marked. Over the course of a few months you will get a REALLY accurate fuel gauge (to within one or two tenth's of a gallon accurate). If you don't know your (actual) usable fuel, intentionally run a tank dry. When you land, fill it up and now you'll know exactly how much usable fuel that tank holds. Now repeat for the other side as they may be different.

I use the Tangos and have been quite pleased with the sound quality and noise reduction. As others have said, the base unit that plugs into the plane is too big, but the wireless is awesome. One nice benefit is the range. A passenger can get out and walk back to the hangar and still communicate with those inside the plane. My biggest issue with them though is the crappy design for charging the headset. You have to peel back a small rubber flap that never closes properly. The constant pressure on the cord when charging has damaged the ports, so the headsets don’t always charge. Fortunately, the battery is interchangeable with the base unit and those charge just fine due to a much better design, so I can use the bases like a battery charger for the headsets.

You could try Paul’s personal cell phone. 320-295-1671 I thought I had Eric’s cell number too, but I can’t seem to find it.

Call Paul or Eric up at OasisAero in Willmar, MN. That is pretty close to Omaha for a Mooney and one of the best Mooney service shops in the country. They can ferry it up there and back if needed and can even provide your transition training.

@Junkman lives in St. Louis and is a CFI. I have no idea if this is in his wheeelhouse, but if not, he may have contacts who would be interested.

Must be nice to have a choice! There is only one flying club within 80 miles of me and they fly a ‘69 172. Eh, no thanks. Maybe I am alone here, but owning changed my whole financial perspective of flying. You see, I have the means but I am frugal. So when renting, I always looked at the cost and decided if that flight was worth it. Now that I own, I don’t even think about the cost of a given flight, I just do it. After paying all the fixed expenses, it only makes sense to pay that tiny little extra to take a given flight. That bodes well for currency and proficiency.

Most of the portable GPS receivers use both GPS and GLONASS, only the very bottom entry level ones don't. Even the home built Stratux units pick up GLONASS.

Just an FYI. I have the Pro model and if I could do it over again I would get the basic model. The preset alarm setting is 50 ppm, which seems perfect. High enough that it will alarm if something is wrong, but only if something is wrong. The only time that I’ve ever seen it alarm is when I forget to lean for taxi and the wind is just right. Don’t get me wrong, I love my industrial pro model, but I’ve never changed the alarm setting and since it’s mounted on the panel the vibrating alarm is unnecessary. The basic model has everything I’ve ever used, whereas the Pro model is meant to be worn all day to monitor CO levels in an industrial setting.

I used to use the seatbelt method until my IA pointed out that keeps the elevator in the full up position. If the plane were to come untied, that’s exactly where you don’t want it in high winds. A strong wind from either the front or the rear could flip the plane. His recommendation was to simply run the trim full nose down and let the bungees do the rest.

There is a shop in Topeka, KS with a good reputation. R&B Aircraft Painting at Phillip Billard (KTOP). I haven't used them, but I know people come from a lot further than Texas to have their planes painted there.

I'm kind of partial to a small table and a couple chairs. It gives you a place for CFI discussions, logbook entries, maintenance manuals, etc.

Not sure how Mike did his, but mine is attached to the panel with industrial hook and loop (Velcro). I prefer that so I can remove it and take it with me if I'm flying in someone else's plane.

This is exactly why the Sensorcon is so valuable. It tells you something is wrong... long before you have a problem!

@Robert Hicks If you end up needing to go new, the belts from Hooker Harness are much cheaper. They have a price list buried on their website, but it's best to just call them and tell them what you are looking for. Mine cost around $400 for both front seats, but if I had it to do over again, I would have added the inertia reel to the pilot side (+$175) and a pull tab on the passenger side (+$3).

What about a great paint shop that was honest enough to tell me my plane didn't need painted? I went to R&B Aircraft Painting in Topeka, KS thinking that the worn paint and bare spots would/could cause corrosion that may damage the plane. The owner told me that touching up the paint would be a total waste of money and only to repaint it if I wanted to change the looks. They could have easily sold me on touch up painting the bad spots and cost me a few AMU's, but didn't.

On my last flight, I only talked to tower, so he wasn't working multiple sectors or anything like that. However, returning an hour and a half later, he welcomed me back saying it was nice to finally have someone to talk to again. I tinkered around the hangar for another hour and no one else came or left the airport while I was there. I'm sure some are overworked, but some are just plain bored right now.

Yes, that is one blessing. Everyone is OK. This is where I get my annual and maintenance done and the whole crew was there when it hit. Their hangar was the only one that didn't get any damage to it. A few other hangars sustained damage but completely protected the aircraft inside.

Definitely a wood wing, and I think it is the A model. Sadly, it wasn't insured and the guy just spent 5 years getting all back in shape. The wings were just reinstalled last month.

Dammit Bob, you weren't supposed to sell this until my kids moved out! Seriously though, that is one fine plane, a true reflection of its owner.

A small rope tornado hit the Abilene Kansas airport this morning. Totally destroyed the row of T hangars. Unfortunately, there is now one less Mooney, the only Mooney on the field. It doesn't show up well in the picture, but this is the remnants of the hangars spread in a line for over a mile.

Let's try this again. MAC1700Radio.pdf

I have 1067 lbs UL in my F model and I have used every bit of it several times. I often fly with my wife and 2 kids (17 YO boy and 15 YO girl)... add in luggage, flight bag, etc. and I already have to leave a few gallons of Avgas behind. Until the kids move out, there is NO WAY we could get by with less. My wife already complains when I tell her she can't bring home a suitcase full of rocks for the garden!

Ok, that’s pretty funny. I didn’t even read the link, just copied and pasted from my browser window. I first used the iPad, but it only showed the first page, so I tried again from the PC. Oh well, the google search will take them right to.pdf file.