Hank

What else would you expect him to do with his spare time since he retired???

What scares me, Gus, is the number of people who fly along not looking outside, trusting their radio, "fish finder" and/or ADS-B to point out traffic. I generally get flight following, but it's "workload permitting" on ATC's part and they don't always point out nearby traffic. See and Avoid is the rule, but too many people think it's Radio and Avoid. The radio is a good tool, but it's only as good as everyone's position calls, and we have all heard radio calls off by 5-10 miles and sometimes even the wrong direction from the airport. Those don't do much good . . . I've given myself eye strain and taken evasive maneuvers because someone else called in very near my position north of the field; they apologized later for the confusion, they were south of the field, heading north. So listening to the radio did nothing to increase safety as I was avoiding a plane that was almost ten miles away. No wonder I couldn't see it nearby! See and avoid, people. See and avoid. Use all of your tools, but look outside the windows,that's the only way to see, and you can't avoid what you don't SEE with your two eyeballs.

Radio schmadio. VFR flight is see and avoid. Neither pilot saw, then one did, and he avoided. Good thing or there'd be two fewer pilots today. But I still think the Baron pilot should know what (almost) happened, it may increase his vigilance for a little while. Always fly as if your life depended on it. Because it does.

Tank sealant takes a couple of days to dry, before adding gas. Let them cure, inspect, touch up, cure again. Then add inspection panels and cure again again. Touch up paint, redo wing walk (there's an Inspection panel under it. Reinstall tank drains. What did I forget? Fill her up and sit for a day or two, check for leaks to verify everything is right. Put inspection panels back on behind the tank where he was looking for leaks. Did he do your fuel senders or seals? Gotta put them back, reinstall interior side panels and seats. Finish up any other work . . . It'll be nice when it's done!

I need to fix my WWII panel before carrying people I don't know . . . But dogs won't care, right?

I can't help with flap speed in your O, but in my C flap speed is actually 5 mph faster than gear speed. I also never lower them at the same time. I fly Approaches with Flaps to Takeoff, and drop the gear 1-1/2 dots above the glideslope, and she slows and rides right on down. When VFR, I drop Approach flaps entering the pattern or in downwind,and drop the gear abeam my intended point of landing, then reduce power to descend. The Cessna that I trained in did have two Flap speeds, a high one for 10° and a much slower one for > 10°. My Mooney, however, doesn't indicate degrees of motion on the flaps, but my Owners Manual says that Takeoff Flaps = 15° and Landing Flaps = 33°, and the little button lets me put them wherever I want to. My suggestion would be to find an experienced Mooney instructor, preferably with Long Body experience. The Long Bodies have significantly different characteristics than A-K models. Just look at the stance on the ground to get a feel for the proper landing position. Be careful to not hit the tail! MAPA has a very good training program, the Pilot Proficiency Program (PPP) that travels around the country several times a year. This is a great way to learn a lot about your new Mooney. But please start off with an instructor who is knowledgable about the plane . . . I would not "assume" that the flaps can withstand any aero loading at speeds higher than what is shown in your POH. On the other hand, the gear doors are just non-structural sheet metal, while your flaps are built-up structures required for flight.

Let's not go there . . . I'm really enjoying being out of that industry while still in injection molding! So few things require multiple signatures, instead of everything. Even my Mooney logbooks only require one or two signatures, depending on what was done. eman is where we all used to be, except he hasn't written the big check yet.

That's alright, just grab a selfie on the ground at the end of your next flight. You know, for that big Mooniac grin! Please, you're still learning the plane. No in flight selfies yet. Those'll come later . . .

Progress! Ain't life grand? Can't help but smile whenever I think of my Mooney.

The Honda is a clean sheet design with engines made specifically for it by GE. The cabin looks to be easily expandable to make follow-on larger models. It's designed for single pilot operation, planned for owner operators as a personal plane rather than the business use of the Premier. You can make the same argument against almost any new plane, car, boat, etc. why buy a new one for $X when a used one with similar performance can be had for only $Y? Because at some point, all the used ones will be used up. Somebody has to buy the new ones or pretty soon there will be no used ones . . .

Picking up a 70 lb electric bike and manhandling it in (and out!) of the baggage door, or onto the wing then backwards through the door into the back seat, is something that I don't want to even think about, much less try . . .

Anthony, if you look closely, you'll see that the windshield is one piece . . . on each side! The wingspan is 39.8 feet, it just looks shirt because the fuselage is larger than ours,and it has those awkward winglets. I followed the development closely, and tried hard to get hired in even as a paper pusher; between two decades dealing with the FDA as a medical manufacturer and my PPL dealing with the FAA as a pilot and aircraft owner, I thought my skills would transfer well. But I couldn't get an interview. So I left WV and came to AL instead. Hope sales take off!! (pun intended)

I thought the Fs all had 64 gal standard, unless someone extended the tanks. My C, and Es too, have 52 gal tanks; my full fuel payload is 670 pounds, so 750 lb plus 12 gals (750 + 64*6 = 1134 lb, quite respectable). Just realize that flown LOP, this will take you almost 7 hours at 150-155 knots. Quite respectable.

I second Ron. There's never any doubt when the wheels come up, between the motor torque and the tires thumping into the wheel wells right under the seats . . . It's also pretty noticeable when they lock into the Down position.

It's a fraction the price of other jets. I thinking only five (5) new Ovations. And 2-3 times the fuel burn of one O. And the Honda Jet was designed, is being built and was tested in the United States, down in Greensboro, NC.

Those of us with quadrants can replace the cable and keep our original-colored black / black / red knobs with the heavily-patina'ed brass screws holding them to the levers . . . I tried to remove one once, it's gonna take a drill when the time comes.

It's best to visit earlier, while the peaches are in season. But better late than never.

Holy cow! That looks good!

I tried it this weekend, it's pretty easy to get out. The hard part is sliding the right seat forward after the passenger gets out of it, leaving it all the way back. Haven't tried sliding the fully-forward seat all the way back yet . . .

Good job! Thanks for the follow up. I replaced all of my static tubing a few years ago, the old stuff (especially the crimp connections) was hard and brittle.

Gotta have safety wire & pliers, and sandpaper to scuff dirty connections. Lotsa hand tools, rags, and don't forget the Leatherman!

Whereabouts you headed to with Dos Equis? (Love the name! The beer's good, too.)

Every 10°F above Standard Temp is -1% power.

I've got what's available there, too--the guppy mouth closure. This is why we're excitedly watching David's new cowl front!

It's a 3% power loss against the Performance Table [calculated at standard temp].