1980Mooney

Agreed I think this is a critical point. It is just like (and should be like) any other takeoff. If you are forced into a "Go Around" situation, your mind is likely preoccupied on other distractions - weather, visibility, down to minimums (or you busted) on a difficult instrument approach, unexpected traffic conflict (or animals, cars or other planes on the runway) in untowered airports, etc. You should not need to think about how to "go around" - it should be muscle memory. Gear then Flaps...Gear then Flaps. If you are in the clag then your eyes will be on the instruments to insure you are climbing on the right heading/attitude. KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid.

Here is a 1986 M20J POH. Mysteriously the VS1 is lower at 61 KIAS

Good point. Here is a 1978 M20J POH. 63 KIAS also. So early M20J's are not allowed to be flown by Sport Pilots.

It will be interesting to see how the insurance industry deals with this. I think it naive to believe that they will limit themselves to filling no more than the co-pilot seat (in a 4 seat plane) or staying below 10,000 ft. You said "Long story short: I'm all for obtaining more pilots into our community." Let's think about who this will attract: It will attract individuals whose health or vision previously precluded them from passing a Flight Physical. You can be half dead and still get a driver's license in most states. In Texas a driver's license is valid for 8 years (under age 84) - so even if your health declines, the license is still valid for a long time. And you can be pretty blind (with correction) and still pass the vision test for a drivers license. In Texas you can get a drivers license (with limitations) even if your CORRECTED VISION IS ONLY 20/70. The new Sport Pilot regs makes no distinction for a drivers license with limitations - all you need is a "drivers license". It will allow existing older pilots, with declining health such that they are no longer fit enough to pass a Flight Physical or BasicMed, to keep flying. I suspect they will keep flying just as they always did - filling the seats if they wish and flying above 10,000 ft if they wish. It will attract those that just want a quick and easy path to fly. They don't strike me as particularly committed to grow skills. Regarding older pilots of declining health, it shifts the burden to family members to "take the airplane keys way from grandpa" or "don't let the kids/grandkids fly with your Dad"

This is how the most recent post on Beechtalk describes Firecrown/Flying Mag: ”Firecrown is complete garbage. it's just affiliate marketing spam half assedly disguised as journalism.”

The only "fly in the ointment" is that if it is so great, so beneficial, then it would be documented in tests. SAE, AIChE, Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, AIAA, SFTE, Internal Combustion Engine Division of ASME, Big Oil, DOD or its predecessors over 100 years, Lycoming, Continental, Franklin, Rotax....somebody, anybody would have tested and documented the benefits. And if there were any it would be licensed and incorporated/blended into either AVGAS or aviation lubricants. And if there were documented benefits there would be all sorts of knock-off competitors. BUT - you can't find anything anywhere. NADA. Only hangar talk.

Hmmm - sounds like how a lot of things work nowadays. I wonder what you get when you "donate" a Boeing 747-8........

I also didn’t vote because my use didn’t fit the poll. But I did notice a negative result. There was a period about 10-15 years ago that I used it consistently on a Continental IO-550A every tankful, mixing per the instructions on the can. I noticed a couple things: - It changed the color of the exhaust deposits in the tail pipe. * In variable throttle position shorter flights the deposits were less charcoal black and more a soft dark grey color. These are flights where you are generally running rich producing more carbon deposits. * On long flights where I leaned out, the typical light grey lead color deposits were slightly darker soft grey color. •• So it seems to change how the carbon forms and deposits. - My electric fuel pump would run quieter. - On my wing walk, which is older weathered black, I could start to see discolored spots that were getting darker. There were screw head “halos” appearing. I immediately stopped using it for fear of damage to the fuel tank sealant. BTW - I never was able to direct, measure or notice any change in engine performance or reliability before using, while using or after discontinuing use.

You missed my point. Those single articles, in this case only 3 columns of print, comprise the sum total contribution of what used to be IFR. And now you tell us that they are just reprints. Historically, reputable publications would attribute it as a reprint with the original date. Just another case of dumbing down.

More flashy pictures of "Destinations". Both former Aviation Safety and IFR (discontinued and "consolidated into" the Flying edition) have been dumbed down to 2 pages each comprised of 3 print columns each when you exclude the pictures. I would say that the articles are becoming more like "a mile wide and an inch deep". Look at the latest August issue: Aviation Safety article - "Diverting From The Plan" - 1/2 page is devoted to "Automation makes this a lot easier" IFR - "Single Engine Risks" - 3 print columns "touches on" night, mountain, IMC, weather, ATC... Key takeaway - "altitude is your best friend (except if you are on fire...)" And the last paragraph "Wrapping Up" is "Consider loading up the right seat with a pilot pal who can constantly scan for suitable areas for putting the aircraft down while you fly."... Duh. But then isn't all of aviation becoming this? More and more data integration and automation like the latest Dynamic Procedures from Garmin and Foreflight. It is all designed to create more "situational awareness". True it does - but it can also make pilots more lazy and dependent upon automation. Why wrack your brain visualizing how everything is laid out or should line up. Why spend much time briefing for a flight any more? These automated/integrated avionics and tablets will deliver everything you need. Just follow the magenta line....

Just curious - how many times was the prop overhauled over how many years and hours? I have never heard of the hub being "condemned" due to maximum number of overhauls - just blades below min. and therefore replaced.

The point is that if you have Aithre, and you lose power you will be facing both loss of oxygen and loss of power. With Inogen you will only face loss of power. Loss of oxygen will only make a helmet fire worse. And BTW, I said loss of the power to the charging circuit. That could be a breaker issue on that circuit rather than a total loss of power to the plane. And BTW if someone wants a light Inogen just leave the battery off and run it on plane power like @Pinecone says he does in the Inogen topic.

There may be a simpler more elegant solution..... Hooks historically waived the ramp/landing fee if you purchased fuel. "Roll the fuel truck and top her off". Then he can have it dragged to the ramp with no Vector/PlanePass fee!

If you are looking for an M20J project plane that looks like it is in much better condition, there appears to be one in Houston at Hooks airport (KDWH). It is advertised locally in Houston on Facebook Marketplace. I have not been up to Hooks to see it personally - just looking at the current ad and the old Aircraft.com ad N204MM. 1978 M20J. Current owner claims it was hangared continuously until Dec. 2024. And that he bought it as a father/kid project but medical issues got in the way. Paint looks fairly decent in the pics - some weathering but nothing like the one you are looking at. Marketplace - 1978 Mooney M20J | Facebook From 2007 N204MM | 1978 MOONEY M20J 201 on Aircraft.com Aircraft.com ad from 2007 says Painted in 1998 with Imron JPI EDM-700 Graphic Engine Monitor (Including Fuel Flow, Voltage and Oil Temperature), 231-Style Wingtips with Enclosed Strobes, Mod Works Low Profile Gear Doors, Quarter Inch Glass Installed in 1998 Rosen Sun-Visors STEC 30 Autopilot with Altitude Hold and GPSS Roll Steering. GNS430 - may or may not be WAAS He is asking $40,000 He pulled the engine to have it overhauled but has not shipped it off yet. Possibly you could have the engine reinstalled, ferry it back up North to your home drome. Just an idea - but appears to be better condition and better equipped than the one you are looking at.

Their “no battery advantage” is just the opposite. If you lose power to the 14v plug in outlet circuit, then you also lose Oxygen. You have to carry a portable oxygen tank as backup. With an Inogen you can just toss in an extra battery.

Thanks for the foam info. All early J’s through serial number 24-0377 had Dukes landing gear actuators with the emergency gear down crank on the pilot’s sidewalk near the footwell. This was serial no. 24-0040. You can see it in the old aircraft.com ad. If the Dukes gear actuator and manual emergency extension system failed then this could result in an investigation and action (SB or AD) on the Dukes system. Perhaps the owners with Dukes gear actuators could comment on how/why the Dukes manual gear extension might fail. Is it possible for the pilot to jam it if he does not properly follow the procedure (like you can do with the Eaton)?

No one has asked why the pilot didn't manually lower the landing gear. This is serial number 24-0040 so it had the Dukes landing gear actuator. I have no idea how the Dukes is operated during emergency procedures. At least the good news is that this was not a failure of the "no-back" spring or the Eaton actuators since it did not have it. The owner of this plane was on MS back in Dec. 2023 where he started a topic on "Gear Unsafe Light". At the time he showed his N-number and serial number. However he subsequently deleted his account and his posts appear as "Guest". He said "Fixed my last problem and after my last landing (was not hard), gear unsafe light and horn came on and the gr act breaker popped. Taxiied clear and shut down after verifying that the floor indicator showed gear down (it does). Reset breaker, it pops again and horn comes on. Any ideas?"

Looks like he had full flaps which drug the runway and got bent/ground off. The cowl flaps were open so they got ground down. As noted above it looks like the prop is bent.

Here is pic of them in action spraying the foam. They must have sprayed 1,000 gallons easy - maybe 2,000. Maybe more....

Per Channel 11 "Firefighters from multiple agencies responded, including Klein Fire, Spring Fire, Champions Fire and Northwest Volunteer Fire." and "Crews used Klein Fire’s Foam 30 unit to lay down a foam blanket on the runway" It appears that Klein Foam 30 carries Class A and Class B foam. The Class B foam (AFFF) is what they say that they use for flammable liquid fires. The news reported that the pilot flew longer "to burn off excess fuel" so someone was overly concerned that a gear-up Mooney landing might start a fire. (never heard of it happening to a Mooney unless the plane departed runway and struck an immovable object/antenna/etc) Class B foam (the bad stuff with "forever fluorocarbons" costs about $30/gallon. The non-fluorocarbon Class B costs about $200-300/gallon. It appears that they put down a crapload of foam. I bet there is a similar amount behind the plane. 300 gallons?..500?...1,000? 300 gallons is less than 6 drums. I bet it is more. Who is paying for that? Since insurance is involved, I wonder if the Klein fire department tries to bill it to the Mooney owner. There is no way that the airport will pay for it. Hooks is privately owned by the Gill family. Hooks is one of the airports that charges ramp fees which are so despised on MS.

Was the Inogen G5 set to flow rate #6 (highest) during all test altitudes?

There doesn't appear to be a stiffener. It just appears to be a bracket welded to the tubular. Only a bracket is shown in the parts diagram - no separate stiffener is shown. Here is a J pilot seat shoulder attachment point. Here is a Long Body which would show any later model change. The Pilot and back seat shoulder harness attachment points are shown. You can see the simple bracket. And here is the parts diagram for the S and R. Only a bracket is shown - #63 Copilot and #71 Pilot shoulder harness attachment point. The Acclaim parts manual shows the same. Interestingly they don't even show the back seat shoulder harness welded on brackets; however, they clearly exist in the picture of the Long Body frame.

It appears based on the time stamps at (KMJX) Ocean County Airport, NJ, that Mooney N211CT , a 1966 M20F, did one " full stop, quick taxi back and go" (it took about 5:25 min:sec to clear the fence on short final and then clear the other fence on take off), then one "touch and go",(it took only about 1:31 min:sec to clear the fence on short final and then clear the other fence on take off) and then another " full stop, quick taxi back and go". The runway 06 is 5,950 ft long. Then on the 4th landing he landed gear-up. https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a1bd7d&lat=39.927&lon=-74.314&zoom=14.2&showTrace=2025-08-05&trackLabels&timestamp=1754407409 Although this M20F was stripped and heavily modified by Mooney Mart back in 1998 with all the "201" speed mods and 201 style panel, it has a Johnson bar. N211CT | 1966 MOONEY M20F on Aircraft.com "Johnson Bar Gear Control, 201 Instrument Panel, 201 Glare Shield, 201 ¼ inch Windshield, ¼ inch Side Glass Mod with, 201 Picture Windows, 211 Speed Kit (gap seals all around & gear door overlap), Wing Wheel Well Liner Fairings, Electric Speed Brakes, “Whisper” Super Sound Proofing New Paint 1998, New Leather Interior 1998"

https://consolidatedfuelsystems.com/continental-fuel-pumps/ Great Planes Fuel Metering has been the go to shop in the past for Continental pump overhauls. Last year Private Equity Victor Sierra acquired them. ( Vance Street Capital is behind it -They own McFarlane and Tempest, etc and balled it all into “Victor Sierra Aviation Holdings”). Probably still good but with higher prices… Consolidated Fuel Systems™ Acquires Great Planes Fuel Metering https://consolidatedfuelsystems.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Great-Planes.pdf

That makes the most sense. Use the old plastic one as a template. It will never crack again….