Hank

Me, too. This year was a possibility, until I changed jobs . . . .

This thread has piqued all of our curiosity! Airplanes "touching" in flight is a disconcerting idea, but I am thankful that there were no injuries. And we were just having a discussion about the relative safety of the Caravan versus Fisk arrival. My own Lake Parker route into SnF was educational, so many planes doing so many things, often only tangentially related to the published procedures / NOTAMs and arrival at an airport . . . . . As far as being able to fly both aircraft home after the show, this is Oshkosh, everything is available! The Previous Owner of my plane landed gear up at Sun n Fun, and was able to get it home on a ferry permit; Osh has many more resources available, as it's the end-all / be-all aviation site. [He was cut off on the runway, went around and was directed by Tower to not return to the Lake and hold but make right traffic and land on the "wide runway" but to keep his speed up for the following P-51. The only way to keep the speed up in a C model is to keep the gear up . . . So the Mustang had to go around anyway. ]

With no information about what happened, we can't speculate about potential causes or learn anything . . . I agree that there does seem to be a double standard here . . . . "Those we know" vs. "strangers who we read about on the interwebz"?

Speed brakes are not available in any emergency scenarios in my Mooney . . . . Slips are reported to be problematic in long-body Mooney with full flaps. Note that your J is a mid-body, so it should not have problems. The long body flaps at full deflection can blank out airflow to the horizontal stab when slipping [not a good thing].

You do realize that the tubular frame only goes from the firewall to the back of the cabin? Fabric planeshavw really small metal frames all the way to the tail, often solid square tubing made from mild low-carbon steel. Mooney's structure is made from chrome-molybdenum steel (please google it for information, because you are obviously posting from emotion and feelings and not knowledge), and most fabric planes stringers would slip inside our tubing and rattle around.

Yep, the engine compartment is all smashed up. But you know as well as we that the safety cage starts at the firewall and goes back. That part isn't smooshed up. Part of the roof appears to have been cut away by first responders, whose training for car accidents is to immediately pop the hood and cut the battery cables, and if people inside are having problems they cut the front windshield pillars. The "worthless" safety cage has saved many Mooney pilots, including Mike Elliott. It was a large factor in my purchase decision, after reading many NTSB reports for Mooney and other brands. Personally, I don't want a chute, but that little blue "wings level" button on the new autopilots sure sounds interesting . . , ,

Car oil has been in 6-qt cases for several years. This is why I fly ~45 minutes to Spruce at KFFC and they bring me and oil to my wingtip. Then I take the crew car and eat lunch! Win win, especially when my wife comes along.

The first part is correct, a windmilling engine is doing work, it's just not burning fuel--the driving energy is airflow through the propellor. There is drag associated with this, just like when you stick your hand out your car window. Frictional losses from the crankshaft rotating, pistons going up and down and valves opening and closing should be minor, and is often ignored in calculations. The drag varies A LOT with propellor angle (flat angle [hjgh RPM] is high drag), easily verified and felt during simulated engine out work, but I've never shut down my engine in flight (on purpose!) to test the effect of throttle position. But I would expect it to be much, much less than what can be done using fhe prop lever, if it can be felt at all. Also, Anthony, I'm impressed that you had a conversation wuth Chuck Norris the other day!

Yes, for my PPL and Instrument rating. One in a Cessna, one in my Mooney. Great guy, sharp pilot. Small world, isn't it?

Lots of us have 3-blade props ecause new 2-blade supply dropped and 3-blade.prices were lower for a while. My C has had a 3-blade Hartzell for my 12 years of ownership, and a few years before that. It runs smoothly (checked dynamic balance at annual last year, it was still 0.01 from the original installation). There are many naysayers, but dynamic balance data is proof. Oh, I get ~147 knots True Air Speed on my supposed-to-be 140 knot airplane, so it doesn't slow me down . . . . Although it's heavier, and pushed CG forward. Still have not had any problems with that, either.

The best course is what I do at work when buying / repairing / modifying equipment for the production floor: underpromise and overdeliver. Then people are happy when I finish up several days early instead of being angry because I took the time to fix something that broke and now what they want wasn't ready yesterday . . .

Do fat-fingered typos earn extra credit? I just corrected my post, after you quoted it . . . .

Look at the picture again. Tom has an EXCELLENT prop!

Now there's an idea!

I like my NuLites!

Just another benefit of using Wash n Wax in a handy spray bottle. I don't tape over anything . . . . .

Just don't land---3000' would be a little short for you! CRW is fine, though, my DPE was former WV ANG Wing Commander there. Lots of -130 traffic.

That wasn't my experience going into the smaller Sun n Fun. They turned me straight in from the lake, following a disorganized gaggle if RVs whi couldn't hold altitude or speed, and seemed unable to spot the turns without looking over their shoulders. Thankfully I had experienced eyes in the right seat and had an uneventful landing, but I was in my best "defensive flying" mode right up to short final when Tower had me sidestep to the runway then fly a mile at 20'agl before finally landing to taxi back to camp at the approach end. Keep a sharp lookout!

I use Aero Cosmetics Wash n Wax, a waterless spray that washes away dirt, grease and grime and leaves a very slick finish behind that makes bug removal easy. Regular (blue) for all painted surfaces, and Degreaser (red) for the belly. Quick, easy, slick finish.

Try for an airborne wash. Just make sure it's not convective and not towering . . . . . The dryoff afterwards is free. It's a lot less work than a hose, and very, very thorough.

Oops, family event on Saturday. Gotta back out here . . . For the unwary, be advised there are three (3) FBOs at JKA. Be sure to meet at the right one!

No pictures on my phone. At least he's close to GGG!

I sense a fly in!! Where is it? Where are you, @Nippernaper?

Noon-ish or before? Hope weather is much better than today!

Hey, next time you're there, go over to HTW and take some pictures where they've been clearing the approaches at both ends!! I think they were repaving the runway, too, so the original 50' width won't have darker edges from where it was widened to 75'. Thank in advance! I got my license and my Mooney there in 2007, and moved to Alabama in 2014. Good times! While I enjoy the weather down here, I miss having multiple fly-out lunch options that are available there . . . . .