Hank

Yep, I've had the door handle break at the roll pin. After landing with a total electrical failure, so I couldn't call for help. Fortunately the only other person at the airport noticed me waving my hat out the storm window and opened the door to let my CFII and I out.

Paint your plane any way you want. If someone realizes that your 64 model has a 63 paint job, tell them it was built in late 63 . . . . To justify the first part above, look up @orangemtl and his paint job, even if he has sold the plane and moved on.

I do a standard runup every time I start the engine.

Next time I see one, I'll let you know. But living in AL now, I no longer fly WV-NC or WV-GA, so get little VA weather. Definitely not TAF, they are far too short; I'm thinking DUATS-style weather drowning.

Many of them . . . Especially when weather is moving into or across southern (Virgina / Volcanic Ash).

That sounds likely. Whenever a location in Virginia is mentioned, it's always presented as (Virginia / Volcanic Ash) . . .

Lots of extra college football in Florida in December . . . . Plus snowbirds and other warmth-seeking vacationers.

I've had that happen on two night VFR approaches into my former home field. The first time I asked my wife to turn off the landing light so I could see, and about the time she did the wheels touched, then halfway down the 3000' field we rolled into the clear. The second time I was solo, and all lights worked during preflight at dusk, but the landing light didn't come on in the pattern. Then I found fog over the runway at about the time the wheels touched . . . I stopped, turned around and back-taxied to the only runway entrance using my flashlight out the storm window, and navigated the ramp mostly by memory. Both times the skies were clear with excellent ground visibility and no hint of fog from above or from final looking towards the runway. Despite the forecast and reported conditions, the actual weather is whatever you find out the windows . . . . I immediately ordered and installed an LED landing light after the second event, and have only turned it off twice in almost four years.

26 January is iffy for me. If the plant is working that weekend, so am I . . . . Any of the three locations are good, I'm pretty much between them all.

When I replaced the windlace on my door, it was difficult to close. I made sure to close and latch the door in the hangar for the next couple of months and it got easier. It still takes a good pull on the leather strap to let the door latch catch, and I only have the one latch in the middle.

Dan's a good guy, and has lots of time in a C. Search here for the story of his final flight in it, due to a muffler crack leaking CO . . . .

Quit repeating the dad blamed picture!!!! . . . . the amazing, disappearing bikini . . . .

I generally fill mine to about an inch below the top, to allow for thermal expansion without losing fuel out the overflow vent.

Me, too . . . .

I bought my C at 62 hours, five weeks after my PPL checkride. Then I spent a year and 100 hours getting comfortable in it, and attending a MAPA PPP. Then I dillydallied another year before jnuckling down and getting my IR. The 100 hours cut insurance 50%; the IR cut it another 30%. So far it's been 11 great years of owner-assisted learning, with only one ugly annual (carb box rebuild, new carb heat cable, doghouse resurrection Part II, new muffler), but lots of owner and A&P TLC. Learn to land in the Cessna. You can transition to a Mooney anytime after you solo. I did it right after my PPL checkride. Finished my dual at Labor Day, then went 270nm over the Appalachians for Thanksgiving. This type of travel is why low-time pilot's insurance is high in Mooneys . . . . Don't let airplane hunting / purchase distract you from finishing your license! Study well, train hard and learn to be accurate. Mooneys fly best when you fly the correct numbers. Aim for the correct speed and the correct altitude, don't go down final 5-10 knots too fast--the Cessna will do just fine, a Mooney will give yiu trouble flown like that. Start practicing accurate speeds and altitudes now.

2018: not enough hours. Drove to Mooney Summit VI due to <200 agl ceilings at home and the first half of the trip. Flew to III, IV & V. 2019: reinvigorate the airport, which the city wants to close . . . . . Prep for Mooney Summit VII. Finish panel restoration.

Good luck with that! There are many, many models and engines, it would be difficult to collect and tedious to compile. Anything from 180 -- 310 hp, with turbo models from 210 -- 310 hp. At least there are only three Flap settings . . . It is a good thought, and you have my best wishes to bring your vision to fruition. Maybe we can help you collect data, one or two people for as many models, A -- V, as possible.

In my C, a simple 500fpm descent puts me at 170 mph. Yellow starts at 175 mph . . . Es are a little bit faster.

My tie down eyes have 5/16" threads, and stay in the wing except when needing to jack up the plane. If the LASAR kit was thicker where the rope went through, even just bent over itself, I'd probably get them, but I'm not a fan of running my ropes over that sharp edge. I thought the one in the tail was in really bad shape, and so did the powder coat guy when I took them all in with my towbar to be redone. But after cleaning and recoating, we both decided the threads are fine, and they screwed in nice and tight like they should.

Depending on year. The switch for panel lights in my C is a rheostat, turn right to turn in and get brighter, turn left to dim then turn off. I have ring lights around most of my instruments, maybe I'll remember their cool name soon. Need to replace the overheat red heaters with LEDs. P.S.--real soon! Nulites.

Jay Hoenik (sp?) over on POA owns a hotel at Port Aransas / Mustang Island on the south Texas gulf coast. Rooms have aeronautical themes, and he makes deals for fellow pilots. Don't recall name of his hotel, rebuilt after the recent hurricane.

Yeah, but the Rocket does that in the air while the pilot is awake. Your C does it in your dreams, mine not even then . . . . But I've been thrilled the few times I've seen 180+ knots groundspeed in cruise.

Sounds like the thing to do is to build a portfolio of airplane pictures that you like, then run off a bunch of copies of the 3-view in your POH and play with colored pencils. Save the photos you used the most, scan the sketches you like the most, and send them to your designer of choice when you are ready. In the meantime, you now have a side project, and the designer will have a good idea where to start.

But it has lots of information on engine management and power settings. Those are great places to start for a new pilot. My first PPP was a whole month after finishing my insurance dual, and I hit 100 hours total time enroute to it.

So what's your procedure to lower the gear when tower sends you 14 nm beyond the field still almost 7000agl before turning you inbound to land? That's what almost got me, but the short final check caught the error and my landing was nice, complete with the expedited exit Tower asked for while still 7-8 nm out. Two things typically catch people: distractions and non-standard approaches.