Hank

Thanks. I treat mine like a Mooney: roll wings level at 85 mph on final, slowing to 75 mph minus 5 mph for every 300 lb below gross for that landing. And no, these numbers won't work for a long body. But they're fantastic for my little C.

Hey, Jesse. I can't make the event, but I'm very interested in a full SkyView with Auto Pilot. Do you know when / if the AP will be approved for Vintage Mooneys? Or if I can install it under NORSEE without the STC making it through the FAA maze??? I hope to be there next year! I'll certainly have time, retiring next month when the plant closes. It's getting lonely there now . . .

My previous IAs all gave me a printout every year of every possible AD, with either reasons why it didn't apply, or when it was complied with and how. This was invaluable when I relocated, and again a few years later when my new IA retired and I had to find a new shop.

When my IA retired a few years ago, I had to find a new shop. The new guy was moaning about having to build my AD list, and was pleased when I gave him the printout from the previous guy. I like having that 4 or 5 page list of ADs printed out, with date and method of compliance or if it doesn't apply and why.

Me, too. Think we hit most fields within 100 miles over a couple of weeks, after finishing basic aircraft control, use of prop and mixture levers, and I showed I could lower the wheels and land. Most were straight; some had a hump at one end or the other, or both ends; one had a hump in the middle, so the other end was not visible. Some were open, some obstructed, some busy, some empty. Some were in open fields, some surrounded by trees, on a river bank or a hilltop. Variety adds to learning! I had 62 hours in my logbook when Mooney ownership began . . . Those 15 hours were exciting and fun! But I didn't enjoy the required 5 hours actual/simulated IMC, that was work.

But they're both turbocharged! Doesn't the Acclaim have TWO turbos???

I fly my C in the middle of three holes. But there's significant "free slide" that the seat has to move forward to the first hole. My 5'3" wife cannot touch the pedals with the seat pulled forward to the first hole. She move further when someone sits in back.

While a turbo would certainly increase your options, don't rule out the vintage Mooneys. Even my little C meets your requirements--useful load is 970 lbs, full fuel of 300 lbs is good for 5-1/2 hours or more (full fuel is me plus 470 lbs). But back seat leg room is limited, and the F has larger baggage space. My C will outclimb and outfly 172s and Archers, and use less fuel doing it. I've kept an F in sight, landing about 10 minutes behind him (the F took off first, too), on a flight just over an hour. E models should be similar, but with slightly higher fuel burn when not LOP. Few carbureted planes will go LOP well. Caution about the G: while it has the same engine as my C, and is in the larger F fuselage, the max gross is strangely limited to 2525 (I think, it may be lower) compared to the 2575 in my C.

Hmmm . . . Premiums went down for Shadrach and up, but went up for Meshach. What happened to Abednego? Sorry if those jokes are getting old . . .

I bought my Mooney with 62 hours in my logbook, five weeks after my PPL checkride. Insurance changes frequently. My broker said that several no-quoted me; a couple wanted 10 hours dual and 10 hours solstice before passengers. But he also offered to use their preferred instructor for 15 hours dual including 5 hours actual/simulated IMC. I took the latter option, getting the Complex Endorsement along the way. Flying straight into a cloud seemed wrong, and I commented on it; the CFII beside me said, "it is, but do it right now anyway." If nothing else, it taught me to stay away from VFR-into-IMC "opportunities." I flew 100 hours the first year, all over the Appalachians (based in WV), and my sky-high insurance premium was reduced by half for the next two years until I finished Instrument training when it fell by another third. Then I discovered Falcon Insurance and it went down again. Now I'm with Airspeed (thanks, @Parker_Woodruff!), and it fluctuates rather like the price of gas--up and down periodically but trending slightly upward. Good luck with your quest! And remember, Fly as if your life depended on it, because it does!

That's exactly why I haven't "upgraded" to digital, I can read my steam gages faster.than I can focus on the airspeed number, to say nothing of the things that disappear! I reference my IVSI frequently, especially inside a bumpy cloud.

Yep, just 18-1/2 years to go!

What do fine wire plugs cost? The last massive I bought just a few years ago were $30 each, versus a set of 6 for my Ford Ranger at $17 and some change. I recall discussions that fine wire plugs last ~2000 hours, while massives are ballparked at ~500 hours, but fine wire plugs cost much more than four times massive plugs, so there needs to be some justification for the (significant) extra expense; a half gallon per hour for 2000 hours is 1000 gallons of avgas, which should be several times the cost of 8 fine wire plugs.

I'm just an engineer, keeping everything running, doing lots of testing, and starting up the new models. I've read about adjustable eyeglasses but not adjustable lens implants (IOL = IntraOcular Lens implant). Relax and think about flying instead of this. If you have a good eye doctor and see well with hpthe lenses he prescribes, the surgeon can match it and have good results. Sounds like you have that important piece taken care of. Now relax and think about flying without having to crane your head in strange directions to see your new panel!

My aunt said she was very worried for several days, and right after surgery she said there was nothing to worry about. Don't remember mom & dad saying anything at all (they had three eyes done between them). All new employees watched a video on our first morning at work, taken through the surgeon's microscope, with the eyeball about four feet across on the wall. Took about ten minutes. "This is what we make. Quality is important. Be sure to follow all procedures, no shortcuts!" You can't be put to sleep, but they give you something to help relax. There are no stitches, only eyedrops for a few days afterwards. No one does both eyes at the same time, you'll know what to expect for the second eye if you do it, too.

I made the lens implants for ten years, 2004-2013. Surgery takes about 10 minutes for one eye. Never heard anyone say they didn't like it. Things to watch out for: Many lens models are available, with a multitude of corrections. Get what you need--presbyopia, toxicity, myopia, etc. Multifocal lenses are available. J&J advertises a contact lens (1/2" across) with three focal zones; in 2013, we made lens implants (1/4" across) with up to 13 focal zones. Many surgeons recommend single vision lenses to engineers and pilots, because those groups are "too picky." Lucky me, I'm both! Some people mix their contact lenses, one eye near and one eye far. The FAA doesn't like this. It can be done with your implants, but unlike contact lenses, they require surgery to change. Potential gotchas as of ten years ago: Some people experience halos around bright lights at night. Some lenses with multiple correction factors (myopia, non-sphericity, and toxicity combined) can create "apparitions" / "optical phenomena" at the edges of your vision, where light reflects off of the edge of the lens. If you see these after surgery, ignore them and they will go away (your brain learns to ignore them); fixate on them and stay all bothered, they will become permanent (your brain learns to pay attention to them). That's about all I remember. I recommend getting lenses with UV protection (they are generally some shade of yellow), and what Alcon calls "wavefront technology" and ask if you need aspherical, too. Look at your current prescription, if you need toricity there will be an axis shown (i.e., left eye 118°), which the lens will be rotated to match during implant surgery. Good luck and enjoy your improved vision! Many patients no longer need glasses, but some may still need readers depending upon prescription and lens features.

Looks like Pencil CAD to me! Definitely a straight edge (I uses to carryna small 30-60-90 triangle in my shirt pocket) and either a compass or circle template. But it looks much better than a completely freehand sketch.

My one-piece belly is fiberglass, but it was already installed post-gear-up synthetic previous owner.

@skydvrboy, no idea what his tester uses as Pass / Fail criteria, but I've always heard 5000 ohms. A simple multimeter with two probes will show you the actual resistance, then you decide if it's too high. No need for a fancy tester with lights and what not, especially if you don't know how it works.

I'm fine needing a complex endorsement to fly my Mooney--got it years and years ago. But qualifying the airframe as LSA would make a big difference as we all age in place . . . . My goal is to join the UFO Club, and doing it in my Mooney would be nice.

This works well in colder parts of the country. Here in Sweet Home, such things aren’t necessary--if it's too cold, just wait a couple days. We had frost Monday and Tuesday mornings, and Wednesday and Thursday were near / over 80°.

Nice catch! Now I feel the sudden need to check mine . . .

I've done that a couple of times. A case of oil on each stab, some old bound approach plates, my roll of wrenches, etc.

You aren't supposed to use anything but wing jacks. Mooney says to not pull down on the tail; Lycoming says not to lift the nose by the engine hoist points; Hartzell and McCauley say don't lift the nose with a prop jack. So use the jack points under the wing, and the plane is supposed to magically balance while someone climbs in to operate the gear and get back out, and be steady enough to remove the wheels . . . We all just need large pouches of fairy dust! P.S.--I wouldn't lift by the engine mount! That outs force.90° to the bolts, and they aren't designed for that. Having a couple of overstretched engine mount bolts break in flight could be unrecoverable!

A good headset kills lots of noise, takes little effort and no W&B issues. My wife didn't want an in-ear headset, so I bought a set of yellow Halos (mine are black) and told her if she didn't like them that I could sell them for what I paid. She used them in a 30-minute "test flight" and told me not to sell them. Halos work as well as active noise canceling headsets for a third the price, and a wifi adapter is available too.