Hank

I also drop gear to initiate descent when IFR: either at FAF or when the glideslope is 1-1/2 dots above the center, depending on the approach I'm doing. When VFR, I drop flaps just before pattern entry, and drop gear on downwind abeam my intended point of landing. Straight in VFR is a little more trouble, but a mile and 1000' agl sounds good (I just have to pay more attention to my location).

I've been upgraded to Mk II, also called "four eyes." Must be why I'm so good at monitoring altitude.

There's an MSC near there who probably knows the nearby CFIs. Or try www.themooneyflyer.com which lists nationwide instructors at the end of each issue.

It's OK, Anthony. Emails beep when they come in, but the only notifications I've received from Mooneyspace is when someone sends me a PM, whuch results in an email. Otherwise, it will beep when I open Mooneyspace. Neither tablet nor phone does anything about Mooneyspace when not actively on the site.

Don't we all!

Back in the 60s, there were no heavy pilots . . . . .

All Mooneys made after 1968 have electric gear and electric flaps. Why do you think that people who have manual landing gear are so much harder to distract than people who have electric landing gear???

Bob--didn't @Sabremech's cowling intake revision require hanging to a J spinner if you didn't already have one? That's what turned me off, it's am expensive conversion.

That looks like a J spinner to me. And there should be a U-shaoed insert that covers up the part of the blade notch behind where the blade comes through. That's what 4 of those screw holes are for. This is the spinner on a C.

That's how I fly my C, except I've never even heard of Paul's rigging check . . . I don't even press the thumb button in the pattern, it's not that hard to overpower. P.S.--electric gear, electric flaps; stick shift in my truck makes me shift gears every time I get in, not just on Fridays, @carusoam

Welcome, Adam @N1994Y ! Looking forward to hearing how gour training is going, and seeing some great photos.

Yes, unusual situations are when things bite. Like when Tower flew me 14nm past the runway, still at 7500msl and refusing my requests to descend, before turning inbound and clearing me to land #3. But I recovered without incident or reminder.

Yes indeed! FTFY.

Looks like Mr. T is driving it . . . . therefore A Team.

Nah, I don't like mohawks, and never bothered to pierce either ear . . . .

There's a cool song about shock cooling your engine now??? Probably will be soon with the auto makers putting tiny turbo engines and zillion-gear automatics in their new models . . . .

In my old T Hangar, there was approx. 18" between each wingtip and the wall. I could turn sideways and slip by. If the plane was in the exact center . . . . .

What'd you get??? What'd you buy to get it?

Yep, me too.

Oops! My bad.

Some of us bought / upgraded to WAAS GPS back when the unit provided only GPS, ILS and VOR / VOR-A approaches. Since then, however, the FAA keeps making and releasing additional categories of GPS-only approaches: LNAV, LNAV + VNAV, LPV, etc. So for me, these began as bonus approaches, but now I find they are replacing some of the original, simple GPS T-type approaches with improved capability, lower ceilings and more. Would I recommend someone buy and install a WAAS GPS just to get LPV capability? No. But would I recommend one for the ability to fly into many airports that either never had a pre-GPS approach or whose VOR / NDB has been shut down and only GPS approaches of one flavor or another are available? YES!

@Alan Fox @acpartswhse @LASAR

Dropping gear starts my descent--dot and a half above glideslope or at FAF. Usually. Sometime before then I put out Takeoff flaps. When distracted, anything goes . . . . The joys of being human!

If your carb heat doesn't close tight, warm air leaks in. Warm air is less dense, sonless oxygen is present to burn fuel, therefore each throttle setting creates less power than it should.

The check of the floor indicator on final has saved me twice; hopefully checking the light over the runway will remain just a habit . . . At least there is only one light, unlike other brands with three gear motors, three lights and the opportunity to land with one or two wheels reetracted. Mooneys always land with all three wheels in the same position, up or down, except for the unfortunate few who have actually broken rods in the gear system. There is no possibility of "missing" one green light because we only have one. I will say this: with the gear up on a long, curved, descending GPS approach in the clouds, you can be on speed or on glideslope, but even cranking in more than normal flaps will not let you do both. Even VFR, if Tower sends you 15 miles out before turning you inbound, descending goes much better when you finally remember to drop the gear (at idle, full flaps, ~150 agl over the numbers and Tower blathering about expediting off the runway). Putting the wheels down will salvage the approach, make a normal landing and not block the runway and upset the many planes descending behind you.