Nick Pilotte

You all are making me do things that will cause me to sleep on the couch. Showed my wife this plane. She is yet to understand the incredible value and economic benefit of Mooney ownership.

There was one tied down on the east side of KDPA Saturday, looked very similar. It was very beautiful.

I loved the Harlingen area when I was out there for business. That is seriously cool, but do they have to worry about it dripping like every other radial out there?

Maybe from this thread....If so, sorry. Tower (helping a lost pilot): “What was your last known position?” Pilot: “When I was cleared for takeoff”

@carusoam 1) I have been flying a bunch of different 172s at the school but I’ve taken a liking to 8398L(even when comm2 let out the magic smoke on me one day right after takeoff). She’s just a bit older but in good shape, and since she’s orange not nearly as booked! 2) I have flown with 5 different instructors and my first spoiled me. He and I got along great as he was my age and doing this as a second career, we understand and communicated well. My current one, it was an adjustment. She’s 16 years younger than me, and her teaching method is different. But after I explained my way way of learning and my thought processes, we started clicking well. 3) The definition of a perfectly good shirt depends on the person you ask. I felt it was a perfectly fine, not thin, no rips, holes, or loose stitching. But my wife was happy to see it’s remains relegated to the rag bin. As an aside, I am not stopping, I’ll be moving right into my IR once I get my PPL, and will keep going. My friend with the Mustang has hinted he might want a SIC that can handle themselves in the future.

So tempting...... Jimmy, what’s the UL of this bird? 900+???

I know you have all had the same excitement as I do today, but it was finally my day. Multiple instructors after my first one decided flying a Falcon was more fun than flying with me, COVID, and managing to fly while taking care of my family, I soloed today. The setbacks of starting with new instructors was frustrating, but SO worth it. I hope to join the ranks of Mooney owners one day, but I’m happy to just be plane crazy about them until then.

Simply gorgeous. Love it. I need to go listen to some radials starting now. And I’ve got work to do......

Find a Rabbi to bless it?

I grew up in northern Indiana, just 10 miles west from the Tippecanoe River (Boiler Country). I now remember my grandpa talking about them because he loved to fish for panfish and bass on the river.

He can’t. Their tail fins spontaneously reacted with the oxygen in the water and the fish were rendered unable to do what they were made to do.

Big question, how does the Mooneye taste? Cooked over a wood plank? Fried? Smoked? Edit: I see it’s threatened.... never mind I saw a late model VW Beetle the other day in Dallas that had Moon Eyes on it. I thought it was quite interesting and it actually looked good with brushed wheel covers in the two tone paint it was wearing.

I didn’t know that! Thanks!

Taken from an MS thread from years ago.... Tower: "TWA 2341, for noise abatement turn right 45 Degrees." TWA 2341: "Center, we are at 35,000 feet.. How much noise can we make up here?" Tower: "Sir, have you ever heard the noise a 747 makes when it hits a 727?"

Hmm, where is @carusoam’s plane? Maybe he’s taking pictures for the 2020 flights thread? Oh wait. He’s online here at MS. Carusoam, you better dust your bird off and burn some dinosaurs. Otherwise a flock of seagulls will decide that the runway is their domain.

Burn that airport DOWN!

Especially with @carusoam around. I swear, that guy has MS on his smart watch somehow.

When you say depart to the west, would that mean take off on 27 or would you take off on 9 and turn west? Just curious what you mean, as I have no mountain experience at all and would be seeking qualified training before attempting it myself.

I love flying over and seeing the changing leaves in the fall. Those are great pictures.

No pics from my own flight this weekend but I had my oral and practical phase check (pushed back a week due to weather 2 weeks ago). Was timing limited and got back to the airport a bit late so I’d have had to change planes to solo so I just pushed that to next weekend. Sunday, my friend asked if I could ride right seat with him as he took someone back to KADS. We left Chicago from KPWK in the morning and filed 330kts at FL350. This was our route coming through AR into TX. Kind of funny hearing ATC read that route off. We picked up some BBQ and a gluten free pie to bring back to the family for dinner. On the way back, pireps indicated rough rides above FL350, so we were assigned 330. We got dropped to FL190 in MO, and down to 9k’ over southern IL. Fuel burn skyrocketed and we ended up landing with just under 500lbs remaining. here we were 50 miles from home at 4k’ after spending the last 50 miles there. Lessons learned on this trip? I need to work on my system for copying long clearances and the handoffs to different controllers. That happens a lot quicker when cruising at 330kts. Proof I brought food back for the family after a long day of flying. And I think I deserve some kudos from @carusoam for getting my pics oriented correctly.

At least you didn’t get 172.

@bfreelove for the win on the first picture. The second, I have yet to confirm. It looks like a jet instead of the cowl flaps of the DC-6.

That’s a decent view for a hotel quarantine. Though after the first hour you may be bored. The real question is, who can name the aircraft in those pictures? I admittedly can’t.

That is scary, but a good ending to this. I’ve had two experiences with smoke in the cockpit, first I was about 10, with my whole family in Dad’s Cherokee. It took seconds to fill the cockpit with that ozone smell and smoke. Second was this winter, just left the pattern with my CFI in a rented 172. Heard an audible pop, smoke puff, and comm 2 breaker popped. I was calling to turn back and since the breaker popped, it was just a small amount of magic smoke I didn’t declare but tower did ask. A student first solo at my flight school did declare for smoke once last fall because as he was taking off he hit some balloons that got away from someone at a hotel just off the runway. Right in the cowling, somehow damaged a heater tubing, and that was that. They rolled trucks and everything for that and he got his shirt cut when he got back to the school.

Tim, I also forgot to say this before and I’m sorry I didn’t. I hope that your friend gets the best treatment available for a good recovery. Best wishes.