Hank

OMG!! I'm in my 12th year of ownership and have put hundreds of landings on my C at my home fields of 3000' over the trees and now 3200'. Neither brakes nor tires were new when I bought her, but I replaced the mains about 4-5 years ago and the nose most recently at annual last year. Call it 700+ hours on the tach, more in my logbook, and I haven't replaced the brakes yet . . . What are ya'll doing? My final approach speed is 85 mph, slowing to 75 mph near the runway (there's no fence to come over), minus another 5 mph for every 300 lb below gross for that landing. When I land, I raise flaps after the nose comes down, and brake gently after IAS falls below 50 mph on rollout. So far, so good, but beginning to plan and look for brake pads.

Thank God my C only costs a fraction of that! Here in the Sunny South, my hangar costs are double that in WV, nkw paying $200/month. But fuel is $1.50-2.00/gallon cheaper, so it balances out. I'm about to start Annual #13, and have only paid over $1000 twice: one annual included new gear pucks all around, the other included a new muffler. It's all on what breaks or wears out . . . . Once I finished IR, my insurance fell below $1000 and despite almost 10% increase this gear, it's still below it.

Ah, yes, Emergency Procedures . . . . The missing information in vintage Mooney Owners Manuals . . . The Cessna i trained in had page after pagemof Emergency Checklists, seemingly a complete listmfor every possible emergency. My Mooney book has an Emergency Section, two whole pages--half of which is Emergency Gear Extension and Alternator Failure, all in paragraph form. It does kindly mention near the top "In the event of engine fire, close cabin vents" as the total advice, rather than step-by-step instructions. Many of the V speeds are scattered through the Manual, rather than being listed all together. You just need to look for them in the relevant section. And I can't just give you mine because I don't have J bar gear or hydraulic flaps, so they are different. Just scroll through the Downloads section looking for the correct year and model, there's likely one there, then read the sections for Normal Procedures, Emergency Procedures and Limitations. Just don't look for checklists, it's all in paragraph form. Happy searching!

Already? That was fast . . . Gonna keep the Baron too?

Doesn't Nathan live somewhere in / near ADSB-required airspace? That means upgrade the 330 to 330ES and add a WAAS source. Or grab a Uavionics light, a much cheaper option when they are approved for certified planes.

You need to do some research: Local hangar cost and wait time, with tie down fees and a cover until then GPS updates for whatever is in the panel (~$300-700 annually depending on what's there) Your local Annual Inspection cost Data subscriptions (paper or electronic) for sectionals, plates, etc. Do you have a tabket for an EFB? there are many threads on insurance costs, which vary with your own ratings, experience and hull value Happy hunting! Just please, when you add up all of those numbers, don't write it down and DO NOT post it here!!!!

Some of us aren't worried about resale value. The executor of my estate can deal with the tire kickers and naysayers. I'm concentrating on the qualifications to become a UFO, and to keep on flying my Mooney until then. Thanks to Bennett for setting such a great example!

According to my Owners Manual, the climb at 10,000msl is 570 fpm with the following conditions: ISA atmosphere (i.e., 23°F) Airspeed = Vy = 90 mph indicated Flaps 15° (Takeoff setting) WOT / 2700 / Full Rich Loaded to 2200 lb, or approximately: Empty weight = 1670 (my plane, use your empty weight) Full fuel = 312 Me on the left = 200 dressed (hah! Less than this now! ) "Stuff" that lives in the plane = 20 That's 2202, pretty close to The Book's 2200 lb. Anything else will reduce climb rate on a straight-line basis to 370 fpm at gross (2575 lb). Don't know ISA pressure at 10K, but in the summer when temps are pushing 60° instead of 23°, my climb rate is significantly reduced even with my 3-blade prop (reduced by ~50%). Next time, record your loading (including fuel at departure), temps on the ground and aloft, MP aloft and whether you are using flaps. I almost never have flaps down for very long. Search for a thread from a couple of years back where we were timing our climbs, and think about having someone ride right seat and collect data every 1000 feet: MP, OAT, elapsed time, Vertical Speed, Airspeed. I tried doing it myself and it's quite difficult.

I don't think it would work any better here than the old "Spin Zone" did for POA. Note that it disappeared well prior to the 2016 election, which the losers have still not gotten over . . . That's all I have to say about a non-aviation section, and the end of my politics.

I've had 4 adults in my C with room for 34 gals of fuel, or 3 hours plus IFR reserves. Nobody was small, so we didn't fly that long at a stretch. Oh, my C is a short body . . . . . We left from a [dry] grass strip, then fueled to 34 gals, went to KFFA, hopped into the sound for fuel to 34 gal at MQI, then followed clearing weather back to the grass strip at the beach [no fuel, no services, only a runway and 6 tie downs with ropes]. This summer, in late July, I left that same grass strip at the beach after walking it to find the driest location [wet spots had >1" standing water] and went to KOAJ overnight for fuel, and to load up and depart from a hard runway the next morning. Landing at the beach, I almost stopped dead while turning around, but full throttle kept me moving at less than walking speed. Not somewhere I would want to try departing when heavy. Note for newbies: A-E are short bodies; the fuselage was extended 10" to make the mid-bodies [F-K] by adding 5" back seat legroom and 5" baggage space--up front, they are the same. Long bodies began with L, then there are the fantastic new models, U & V.

You will fit in a Mooney just fine, and will not give up any headroom. One member here is 6'9" and has no headroom issue. An F is certainly grass field capable; I take my C into good grass fields without worry. If you find a Mooney with J bar gear, it will have hydraulic flaps; some have been converted in the past to electric gear. All Mooneys built since 1969 have electric gear and flaps. Just lube it regularly and there is little other maintenance required. For fuel, all Mooneys are built with wet wings. Some owners install bladders instead of fixing tank leaks. This is a controversial topic here . . . Bladders cost more, weigh more and introduce the chance of trapping water in wrinkles. Extended range tanks can be added without converting to bladders if desired. Good luck and happy hunting!

That happened to me while shooting a VOR-A approach and dropping the gear inbound just after coming out of the clouds. Took down the entire electrical system . . . Was eventually able to find a replacement, but it wasn't easy. Get the schematic above and see if you can repair yours.

Hey @George! The MAPA PPP is a great program, I highly recommend it for new Mooney pilots. Lots of good classroom information, reference material to keep and review, and flight time with a highly-experienced Mooney CFII in your plane. Let's try not to confuse ourselves, as my legal name is George . . . . Seriously.

But it's below the compass rather than in the middle of it. Be thankful for small favors.

That may be, I didn't sit in this one at The Mooney Summit. But the panel is definitely lower.

Check out Don Kaye's new panel, worth more than your plane and mine combined. It's beautiful, glassy, clean and still has empty space instead of being crammed full like mine is. But it's no lower, it still half-swallows the compass. Not sure how "visibility" can be improved without cutting out the top of the panel. But the seats go up and down, maybe that helps?

It's certainly not as combustible as all that blue liquid in the wings. And to think that some people put planes filled with 10s of gallons of that stuff inside enclosed hangars!

From my picture above, please remember Book performance at 10,000 msl: 20"/2500 => 160 mph at gross, 163 mph at 2200 lb (about where I was loaded). Note that ISA = 23°F, while my non-recorded OAT was probably above freezing (maybe mid-40s F, although I've seen 59°F this high over central WV), and there's a note that "each 10°F difference above standard temperature will cause a 1% reduction in horsepower." And I still made almost 10 mph above book. Many people insist that my 3-blade Hartzell prop carries a 3-5 knot speed penalty . . . . It can be done. If you're below book speed, find out why. Things being rigged properly are easiest to check (flight controls, main gear doors and especially nose gear doors); then induction leaks, wear / slop in the carb beat box, condition of doghouse and baffles.

There's a 1977 J POH in the Downloads section of Mooneyspace. Go to the homepage, look up top, click on Downloads then Pilot Operating Handbooks. I'd love for the .pdf to my 1970 C become searchable!

Yes. His story of talking to ABQ, filed for SAV and diverting for somewhere in Nor Cal was pretty funny. Winds weren't as forecast and he realized he wouldn't make it.

"The guy in the E model" is John Paul. See Anthony's post . . . . San Diego to Savannah non-stop! Much longer time than I would care to spend in any plane without two aisles to walk around in.

This is in my C over the central Appalachians in the summer. So if I did the math right, at 9500 msl: 144 + 19% = 171 mph Power was WOT minus a bit and 2500, with 201 windshield and 3-blade Hartzell air brake. The OAT is out of view but well above ISA. Start by checking two things: are your gear doors flush when closed, and how good is the rigging? I've flown 4:45 like this twice, landing with 12-13 gallons both times, so still had 1:15-1:20 left in fuel but not in me . . . .

We use emojis But only the ones above, not the hundreds available on your phone.

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Seth, since so many people have not answered your question: When Logbook #1 was getting full, I went to Aircraft Spruce for other stuff and looked at their logbooks. Ended up with anither small one like my first one that came in the Gleim "You Can Be A Pilot" kit. A similar, much thicker book is also available, as are fancier models for corporate / airline use. You really can't go wrong, just pick one with a layout that you like, and be sure there are a couple of unlabeled columns that you can use for things like M20, turboprop, turbine, etc.