mooneygirl

Hello there! We received the final approval from the Indianapolis Airshow. We have been approved for four airplanes. Who is in?? Comp passes and a whole lot of fun. Let me know right away. Jolie Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun

While flying the non-precision approach to Fullerton on Sunday, when I reached the missed approach point and pulled off the hood, to me I seemed really high Mooney-wise. I mean, when I flew a Cessna you could put in all those flaps and cut the throttle and drop. At first when I saw white over white on the VASI I didn't think I could land it, but then the CFII said "give it a try", and I did fine. I had to chop the power, trim for 80 mph and put in all the flaps. The Mooney is so slippery that if I were to just point her nose down to lose the altitude, she would speed up so much I would end up floating down the runway. Has anyone else had this situation, where you are a decision height, but it still seems high? Maybe it is just me being a newbie.

As Mitch indicated, we each had approx two hours in my E model over the weekend. It was intense. You think you know something from the book learning, then you have to do it in the airplane. I give myself a B- I did somethings better, like not overcorrecting so much in pitch. But some things were worse... the dreaded "where are you?" question and I set up the VOR in the "to" mode versus from to find the radial I was on. Can I blame it all on the cone of stupidity? Plus was using our CFII's foggles instead of the hood we have, which I really love. More practice soon.

Here is an opportunity from David Medlin who is a Mooney Ambassador. Any body want to help out in August? Waterloo, Iowa, is getting the Thunderbirds on August 27 and 28th for the "Thunder in the Valley" airshow (a misnomer as Waterloo is not in a valley, but I digress...). Our CAP wing training officer is involved with the planning. I'm willing to bring my M20 for a ramp showing, but I have to work CAP duties both days, so I can't actively promote Mooney Ambassadors. Do you have any other Iowans (more north and central part of the state) who might want to participate? http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/article_04f346d3-6df2-5512-9235-f0683f1612da.html Email me off the list if you like Thanks for your support

We only got one lesson in the Cessna, then we were back in Maggie, my E model.

As Mitch posted we are working on our IR. We have the Sporty's DVDs and they have been the basis of our 12 week ground school we are finishing up next week. I do have to say that we also have the King DVDs. I feel they are superior in terms of explanation and details that will be on the test. Of course we have a bunch of books, Gleim, ASA, Machado and King. The King DVDs for me are much better than Sportys. They give detailed examples, and helpful aids for the questions. That is my two cents. Mitch and I have about 1.5-2.0 of time with our CFII, and 3-5 hours of time with each other as a safety pilot. It does help to be married to your safety pilot, well most times! HA

Hey Eldon, wow. That is something else! We will see you at AirVenture. Plan on being there the whole week.

Jeff, a size comparision between the C and E models is fair. There is a power differential between the IO360 in the E versus the O360 in the C. I am not sure about the difference in useful load. I love my E model. It simply performs like a champ. Sometimes we are packed pretty heavy, but not outside the envelope for safety. My father had a C model for 27 years. We flew cross country every year with two kids and two adults. For me, I like having the extra 20 horsepower. Just my thoughts...

Hi Seth, Congrats on being an Angel Flight volunteer. I think that it would be best to have a complete pre-flight briefing with the passengers. I always talk about what happens if the door pops open ["Nothing, as many aircraft don't even have doors"] that it might sound like the engine is at idle before landing ["It is part of the normal approach to have changes in power, which result in sound changes"] and "if you feel ill in the slightest let me know, we can stop. Your comfort is of the utmost importance to me." Personally I think that Angel Flights are a lovely way to promote general aviation to the non-pilot public. You might ask if they ever thought about learning to fly. Anyway, those are my two cents. Have fun, I hope it is a smooth trip!

Please help us advertise this fun event at Oceano Airport. As many of you know, Jeff Edwards is making the rounds again at public meetings, calling for the closure of Oceano Airport. He believes the airport is a detriment to the community and is the cause of the recent flooding. Our movie night will be a fun time to get together and enjoy a movie or two and our beautiful airport. We expect it could be chilly, so the fire pits will be going, but dress accordingly! http://www.FriendsofOceanoAirport.com

Lord knows I know what he is going through. I sent Tracy an email and hope that many will do the same. With my 2003 crash now in the AOPA training circuit, I know that there are lots of armchair quarterbacks. I did hear something that made me chuckle. Came out of the AOPA seminar in Santa Rosa, CA I believe. A fellow said I should have throttled back, aborted take off, and hit the spectators slowly. Yeah, getting hit by an airplane slowly, that's the ticket. HA. All in all, we do the best we can. The media usually doesn't help us much, and again I speak from firsthand experience. Kudos to you Tracy. You didn't hit anything of real value, and you walked out. I do believe in the strength of our airframe and it certainly led to a good outcome here and in my situation. As my father said, "There are no funerals being planned today. And it was a piece of metal, and metal can be replaced."

I have down April 30th through May 1st for Vidalia. If you would like to register, just shoot us a PM or head to the Ambassador website.

We have a lot of "Georgia on my mind" for the Ambassadors this year. For those interested in receiving our newsletter please drop me a PM, and I will make sure you are added to our email list.

Thanks for taking point on this one Jim. We have one other Mooney interested, but if it is a "go" we will need more. What a wonderful weekend it would be!

I thought I would let you know of a possible event in Indianapolis in May. The Indianapolis Air Show is one of the largest in the United States and will be held over three days: May 13,14, 15. Doug and Janet Cross are the air show static coordinators. I spoke with Doug and he is forwarding a recommendation to the executive committee that the Ambassadors be able to display 3-4 aircraft. There are some limitations to the show that all attendees must be okay with. Arrivals are Thursday afternoon or Friday morning. Due to the size of the show, the aircraft must remain in place until show end on Sunday afternoon. According to Doug, attendance will be between 140,000-150,000. This is ten times larger than the largest show we have ever attended. [Lake in the Sky, South Lake Tahoe, CA 15,000] If approved we would be looking for two things: first off some folks who can display their aircraft for the three day event; and secondly perhaps some folks who can come and support the display without flying their aircraft in. Although we have the recommendation from Doug, it is not a done deal. We should know within the next two weeks. Please let me know if you might be interested. We would receive free admission to the event and there are special rates at the hotels in the area for airshow participants. The identifier is KMQJ-Mt. Comfort, but the name of the airport is changing to Indianapolis Regional in the next few weeks. More information about the show: http://www.indyairshow.com Point Person: Jim Elswick

Way to go Dan. Jack Tunstill helped us tremendously when our fight for Oceano Airport began last year here in California. I hope that you will own a Mooney very soon. All the best

Don-once you registered with the Ambassador site, the information is forwarded to the Point Person, Eric. So all you have to do is bring that beautiful Mooney!

So all you Houston/TX Mooneys should check out the thread on the Wings and Wheels on March 19th, come join the fun!

The event in March is shaping up nicely. We have a point person, Eric Lipper who has, I believe two or three Mooneys in his hangar. Wow that beats us For those of you who would like to watch our "How To" video, it explains what our mission is and how the Ambassador program works. Here is the link: If you are able to come to the Houston Hobby event on March 19th, please sign up via the Ambassador website. We do have several planes coming already. Sounds like a wonderful event. MAPA will be there, so it is a chance to support our professional association as well.

If you are interested in displaying send us an email and we will put you on the list. I will work with Trey and see how many Mooneys they would like. I should be able to get a clearer sense of the schedule for the day and get that information out to those who come. For more information on the Mooney Ambassadors, please go to our website : http://www.MooneyAmbassadors.com

MAPA has been asked whether Mooney pilots would like to attend the monthly meeting at the 1940 Air Terminal Museum located on Houston Hobby Airport in March. They set up a special day each third Saturday of the month. They will dedicate the overall theme to Mooneys (Mooney Day at Wings and Wheels) if we can get some aircraft and owners to respond and attend. See their website http://www.1940airterminal.org/wingsandwheels/ The Ambassadors are all invited to the event, and I am hoping to find one or two point persons, Lela and Trey from MAPA would attend for the association and set-up a booth. Sound interesting? March 19th at KHOU

Hello All, I just wanted to bump this up on the list. Our event is a Salute to Veterans this year. We are knee-deep in planning for this home town fly in. No admission charge, all welcome, children's activities, big band music, static displays, preferential treatment to all Mooneys!

Now Russ, you have to remember it was Thanksgiving! And I bring ALL the fixins! HA

We adopted Lucy Lucas from Woods Humane Society shortly before Thanksgiving. We knew we were going to fly from KSMX to O70 [about 1.5 hours Mooney time] to be with my folks. We purchased a great carrier for $25 on Craiglist and into the carrier Lucy went. She was VERY vocal about the carrier, the entire 20 minutes to the airport. And then she kept it up in the airplane. Mitch flew because I thought I better sit right seat in case. She yowled and yowled. Mitch was annoyed and then she just settled down. I gave him my best "I told you so" look meaning I knew she would eventually settle down. NOT. Upon glancing back, she was out of the carrier sitting on the back seat happy as a clam. The only problem with our beautiful Lucy Lucas Aviation Cat, is she doesn't like the carrier. She does seem to get the most vocal while climbing and descending, would guess it is ear pressure.

That will teach me not to see how I was logged in....Sorry to Mooney Ambassador Alan Higgins who hosted a great event in Colorado last year.... We have three Mooneys coming to Quad-City. If response is greater than the five I projected, I will contact Ken Hooper the president/air boss. He has hours in a 201 and 231!