Hank

I have some that looks like chrome, but it wrinkles pretty bad in the corners, especially the bottom front corners where the bend is >> 90°. Seems like it came from Spruce? Long time ago, when a new owner back in 2007 and pulled, repaired and repainted all interior panels.

Shocking! I made a round-trip to Houston, VFR both ways! I've usually been above a pretty solid layer with no ground visibility. This is crossing the Mississippi, looking towards Natchez on Tuesday. Coming home today was smooth sailing at 9500, just had to duck out of an MOA that two F-35s entered about 4 minutes after me, and about 15 minutes after Center confirmed that it was cold . . . .

How you are handling yourself at this time, and for the last year and a half or so, is remarkable, and quite an inspiration for the rest of us. I enjoyed meeting you at the Mooney Summits, and our online interactions here. We will all miss you, Andrew.

You just described my C!! Except my useful load is 130 lb higher. For that price, you could buy a second C so you're never down for annual; lease some land; build a hangar; pay for all required inspections, typical maintenance and fuel for several years! Maybe ten or twelve, longer if you only buy one C.

Is a call out for this really necessary? We should all do it at every airport, every time e we crank up the engine or land!

That varies by model and year. The hydraulic flap planes had a spar stub that was prone to cracking, but the whole flap mount changed in the late 60s. No idea what's in the "modern" birds, or the long bodies.

@Alan Fox, I just flew my 1970 C today, 4+ hours into the wind at 6500 msl. This is what I had: 22"/2400, leaned 50° ROP 42°F OAT 30.47" barometer 6500 msl Full tanks (52 gal), me and an overnight bag Empty weight = 1606; useful load =969 lb. Call takeoff weight under 2200 lb. These were the results: 150-152 mph indicated or ~170 mph true Groundspeed = 126 knots into the wind I'll know total fuel burn later, no self serve in this here part of Tejas, gotta let the FBO do it. Once upon a time, call it 7-8 years ago, I took off one beautiful fall morning in Sweet Home and climbed to 1500 msl, around 1200 agl. WOT/2700, Full Rich, she hit 165 mph indicated. But in a 500 fpm descent, indicated airspeed has always been right on 165 mph; higher descent rate gives higher indicated speed. With a fresh allover wax, it may hit 170 mph at 500 fpm; super dirty, it won't go above 160 mph.

Stupid spelling changer! Avare!

Charts, approach plates and airport diagrams are part of (free) Avare, which runs on Android. I haven't drunk enough Kool Aid to pay triple the price for an iPad with GPS chip so that I can then pay FF's high annual fee. Besides, I don't care for ios anyway.

Kind of like the ski planes in Alaska carry pine boughs to drop on the snow and figure out where the white sky turns into white ground . . . .

Yeah, so I diverted one county over where it was 900 overcast, visibility unlimited. Much easier landing after 4 hours' flying.

I don't like to take off if I can't come back in to land if need be. I also don't plan to shoot approaches to minimums, but the weather is what you get, not what is forecast. Like my trip last fall, where the forecast at home was scattered Cirrus, but on arrival was 400 overcast with 2 miles in mist . . . . It makes me uncomfortable when ATC asks, "what are your intentions?"

Yes. Clean it well, let it dry and mask off the edges. I did mine with a 4" roller. Don't forget the step!

That makes sense, that's how we van depart with 0-0 visibility like we all practiced and demonstrated on our IFR checkrides. Having landed without lights before, I'd make a no-runway-light departure, but will save my next 0-0 departure for my next IFR checkride or approaching severe natural disaster.

My Owners Manual shows at 5000 msl, 24/2400 is 80.6% power, and 165 mph True at 2200 lbs. At that altitude, I generally run my C at22/2400 for 72% and 158 mph. Generally indicate in the low 150s mph. No idea how you're indicating 170 mph, or 195 mph True . . . .

That's not in my Owners Manual . . . which is also in mph rather than knots. Yes, I searched the pdf in addition to scrolling around.

Yep, my thoughts exactly!

My C did this. Chased it for months, even overhauled the carb and dug into the SOS. It was the left magneto . . . .

Runway lights probably won't matter to Departure. I've landed without a landing light at night, and landed once at a runway whose lights were burned out on one side (I had called that afternoon, they verified the lights worked; when I approached, there was one line of lights, so I guessed it was on the left side and came in to land--so of course the lights were on the right. Landed on my second try.)

When departing from an uncontrolled fields here, even in IMC, all that ATC can do is give a heading to enter controlled airspace (Class G usually starts at 700-1000 agl; below that is uncontrolled airspace if not designated as something else).

Mooney, @redbaron1982, @Oscar Avalle and I all agree that GEAR comes first.

Great video, Oscar! You could produce videos as a side gig! One quick question, since we both fly similar C models (minus your glorious panel ). I believe we can learn from each other, and I noticed your procedures have one significant difference from mine--when we lower the gear. I lower my gear on downwind, abeam my intended point of landing, and with a throttle reduction it initiates my descent to the runway. On your first attempt, you lowered your gear early on the upwind leg, and the second time I could not spot the field. This post inspired me to review my Owners Manual, and it gives no guidance on lowering the gear other than below 120 mph. I must have picked up my habit from my Mooney Transition Instructor lo these many years ago, but my memory is not very clear on that (although my C was also my introduction to complex airplanes, so I had no previous habits). So I'm just curious, what is your "signal" to lower the gear, and where did you learn that?

My Mooney can land like a seaplane, gear up and everything. Once. Won't need a landing height callout that time, just someone nearby in a boat . . . .

I thought AOPA Safety had a video with several planes (including a Champ, i think, and a non-Mooney retract) that was illuminating. Didn't @donkaye once post something about this in Mooneys? I agree, it's amazing the difference that pulling the prop back makes! Going to idle at midfield downwind in my C, I just fly a normal pattern and land as usual, but maybe turn base a little sooner than usual but still at 700 agl. Trying it from a random point approaching the field, it's a different story, better pull the prop back!

No idea about long bodies, but this is what my Owners Manual says: Note that it doesn't mention how far the flaps go, just don't lower the flaps above Vfe = 125mph, and don't go faster than that with them down.