Slick Nick

Vice grips? Wouldn’t you just have them open the door from the outside?

You are perhaps either overthinking this, or not understanding what each step in the sequence is trying to achieve. The plane won’t climb very well with full flaps. They do create a little bit of lift, but that is outweighed by the amount of drag they induce. The gear does nothing but create drag when trying to climb. In Mooney’s testing, they’ve obviously determined that the primary objective is to get the wing cleaner first, and then bring up the gear, then flaps up once the drag is gone and you’re safely climbing away and accelerating. The application of full power, flaps T/O, positive rate gear up, happens about as fast as you can read that. Probably why in a practical sense, the order doesn’t seem to matter. But there is a reason it’s specified to do it one way, and I’m inclined to follow it, even if that reason is as simple as the nose up pitch moment when retracting flaps. Not all planes have electric trim, and departure stalls are common.

Probably because you don’t take off with full flaps…

The “legal” answer, is do what it says in the POH for your model and year. It’s worth noting that in both cases, flaps are retracted before gear.

My ‘91 has preselect, it’s easy to just move it one click and then up to the gear handle. Like I said above, I’ve tried both ways, and can’t detect any appreciable difference in climb performance. Flaps-gear-flaps, if that’s the method recommended by the manufacturer, should be what’s used. They’ve done the flight testing and assessed the performance under a number of conditions, and that’s good enough for me.

I guess that's the airline guy in me talking. It's been drilled into me for decades that anything outside the "bible" puts your ass into the hot seat.

The POH for my MSE calls for flaps to takeoff, then gear, then flaps up, so that’s the way I do it. If something goes wrong, and you don’t follow the procedure outlined by the manufacturer, your insurance company might have a leg to stand on if they wanted out of a claim. Not likely, but why open that door? I’ve practiced both methods and don’t notice a difference aside from the pitching moment, which is what I believe Mooney is trying to limit with their published procedure.

It will be a fun project I’m sure. Have you sourced a new wing? I think BAS has a bunch that would work for you.

Not sure why you’d cut the wing, but it sounds like it needed to be replaced anyways. What’s the backstory on this airplane? Is it sentimental or special to you in some way? The cost involved must be enormous.

I land my J full flaps about 90% of the time. It lands better, and it’s easier on tires and brakes. I still practice other flap configurations, but “normal ops” is to land full flap. There’s not many good reasons not to, as skip pointed out.

Diesels don't run nearly as hot as gas engines, and they take forever to warm up. An electric heater would be the best option, but I also come from the Janitrol era of aviation, so I'll see how this works in practice.

I’ve noticed that too. Is it aerodynamic in nature or related to the change in C of G?

Same here. Still on a dual mag, and haven't had any issues. I know that doesn't necessarily help the OP, but another pro for the dual mag nonetheless. At overhaul time, I'm not looking forward to the conversion.

Thanks everyone for the input! I’ll be getting it done

I’ve got my prop coming off at annual here for a warranty re-seal (it was just overhauled last year and one of the blades started weeping.) I haven’t noticed much in the way of adverse vibrations thus far, but is the cost of a dynamic balancing worth it when the prop is reinstalled? I typically run at either 2500 or 2400 rpm depending on if I’m doing a best power or Econ cruise. If I get it balanced to a specific RPM, say 2500, will that make a noticeable difference when I choose to run 2400? I fly a lot, and as I mentioned I haven’t really noticed much vibration as it is, but if it’s something I’m missing out on I’d definitely go for it. A smoother running engine is good for longevity. Would love to hear some feedback, good or bad, if it’s worth it. McCauley C214 2 blade on a ‘91 J model.

I’ve wondered that for a long time. Is aircraft paint really that different from automotive paint? I know some is single stage and some is base/clear, but surely the same maintenance techniques apply? After high school I was a “professional” detailer for a few years. Got really good at paint correction, etc. I’ve been able to use those same techniques successfully on my plane with no issues. Obviously rivets are the big concern when wet sanding, but just avoid them and you’re good.

I guess I’m the outlier here. I still use Meguiars Gold Class automotive liquid wax. Works amazing and the water continues to bead after 6mo / 5 washes. It’s so cheap, I’ll continue to use it.

Heard you on Vancouver centre frequency today. I was on my way back to Calgary and recognized the registration. Welcome back!

Almost sounds like an alternator bearing or something, but doesn't seem to change much with RPM?

That’s the reason why most spend months and months on the market without selling. For J model money, buying a modified C E or F just doesn’t make sense.

It’s worth a try.

I just had my J into Carson City a couple weeks ago, it was HOT. Could definitely feel the difference in performance. Tahoe is a beautiful neck of the woods to fly around. I sure wish I had a turbo.

Yes. Especially the underwing access panels and ones on the tail. I use nickel based anti seize.

I used to work in auto body repair. That could be fixed to 95% of new without repainting the cowl. That is not the way they did that here. Definitely raise sh!t over this. I’d be more angry that they tried to cover it up without saying anything to you.

This. I commute about 400nm by airliner for work, and on days when the flights are delayed, or I’ll be fighting for a jumpseat and having to go in several hours early, it’s nice to be able to hop in your own IFR machine and head out. Sure, it costs me a lot more, but aren’t we always looking for reasons to go flying anyway?