Hank

So how big are these models? Parker's both look pretty large sitting on the bed.

Quote: Shadrach How many Angels can sit on the head of a pin???

Quote: aviatoreb But then why do our airplanes come with ashtrays?

I've always heard that it's bad to let the smoke out of electronics. They never work the same after you do that. I learned that this also applies to Mooney electronics by experience. May I suggest not repeating my follow-up experience and fly the plane with the not-smoking-anymore part removed, regardless of what your A&P says you can do? Thankfully nothing failed until after I was below the clouds . . . . .

Quote: flyboy0681 As taken from Mooneyland (from "Why I fly a Mooney"), here are the interior dimensions: Aircraft Cabin Width Cabin Heigh Mooney 201 43.5" 44.5" Beechcraft V35 Bonanza 42.0" 50.0" Cessna 182 42.0" 48.0" Piper Arrow 41.0" 45.0" As far as hard to land, I think everyone here knows that the correct numbers are critical on the Mooney.

Quote: Parker_Woodruff Download the new iOS5 (plug into your computer and update thru iTunes). It works with the new operating system.

Definitely >$400. What's a new high-voltage blinker run for nowadays, in comparison? Or can you even get a non-LED flashing beacon any more? When I gave the Whelen man the model number of my dying unit, he whistled softly and said, "Man, that's old" then showed me "what you need"--the LED in the picture. I like it; it's small, bright and should last forever.

Alt Hold would be nice, but I've never heard of anyone successfully finding all the parts since I bought my Accu-Trak and Accu-Flight-equipped plane in 2007. Instead, I've become close friends with the trim wheel, which admittedly is sometimes just not good enough. It flies a decent approach, it just won't land very well that way.

Quote: kortopates Their most classic example of anti-authority from 2009 that they discussed was documented in this report: http://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief.aspx?ev_id=20090131X25145&key=1 The differences being the Seneca pilot took off in VMC heading for an area of widespread IMC while being 300+ lbs over weight and 3.4" beyond the aft CG limit and without a wx breifing - after witnesses advised him to re-do his weight and balance calculations and get a wx briefing. Result: 6 fatalities. Just seems criminal when it involves innocent passengers.

Quote: N4352H Nevermind the Mooney thing....how did he last 10 minutes in it?

PTTs are pretty easy to install, without having to redo the PC button. Here's my yoke--the big red button is the PTT. You can fabricate a similar piece for the right yoke, except it won't attach to the clock housing. Just fish the wires out the bottom of the yoke shaft, along with the wires that light up the clock. The screw in the middle of the extension piece has a wire clamp on the back, then the wires route inside the clock housing and exit the distal end of the yoke together, along with the PC button tubing. Powder coat the mount to match your yoke.

I'll have to search for the model number that I installed last summer, but it's what the Whelen rep at Sun-n-Fun told me was the correct one for the plane. Here's a photo of the new LED and the old high-voltage flasher, and yes, it's plenty bright. The old one was quite intermittent, but I didn't realize it until someone told me. Now, I notice the flash from under the belly when I fly at night. Just be sure to reuse the mounting ring from your old one.

A 3-blade prop is not a reason to avoid a particular aircraft. Review the logs, check the plane; if it looks good, test fly it. Many vintage pilots are happy with the 3-blade prop; many others insist that they cannot operate smoothly. The only way to tell if an airplane is smooth or vibrates is to ride in it. Mine is great, and apparently the speed loss is balanced out by the 201 windshield because I still make book speed.

Quote: N4352H

Quote: Shadrach When did ground speed even come into the discussion??? The Acclaim is capable of TAS in excess of 240KTAS in level flight. much more coming down hill...

201er-- Once upon a time, while training for Instruments, I had a complete electrical failure on a VOR approach to an airport on the bank of the Ohio River. Flying inbound at 2500 toward the VOR with Takeoff flaps at 105 mph [=90 kts] I started my descent 1½ dots high by dropping the gear and turning on the landing light. Boom! Dead. Cycling the master did nothing. Pulling/resetting breakers did nothing. Leveled off around hilltop altitude [we were on the WV/OH line], cranked gear to verify fully down, ditched plates and foggles into the back, climbed back to 2500 and followed the river home. Vle is 120 mph, so I set the throttle for about 110 mph indicated, just a little more throttle than my training approach settings to maintain altitude [~19"/2300 dirty & level]. That left me a comfortable margin for variance as I headed home [~30 nm]. Lessons learned that would apply to your situation: 1) know your power settings; 2) carry a handheld radio [mine was safely in the hangar since I wasn't "on a trip"]; 3) review the Emergency section of your POH [mine is just 2 pages, it's a quick review!]; 4) get a headset adapter for your handheld, and plug it in. Now my handheld lives in my flight bag in the plane with a spare set of batteries in a holder [swap the battery box, deal with a bunch of AAs on the ground], and the adapter cord stays plugged in except for the rare occasions I use it outside of the aircraft. You'll be good flying gear down--just stay below Vle and have a handheld with good batteries ready to go.

I keep a small pancake compressor in the hangar, with the long inflation valve, an air pressure gage and a blow gun. Shop Sears, Wally World and Harbor Freight sales, I think mine was ~$50 on sale. It's not real big, but if I run it til it stops, it will push all three tires from 15-20 psi up to the book number of 30 psi each, although the last one is a little slow because it's running out. For a car tire, it's not nearly enough power or volume. The whole thing is about a foot square, except its round ["pancake" is a good description of the tank shape, the motor sits on top of it].

When I first bought my plane, I wanted the Warren Gregoire leather wrap [because I a CB!] to put over the recently-powder-coated yokes. Because I was gripping rather tightly, and it wasn't comfortable. Once I finally relaxed, I have not missed the leather, and my hands are no longer tired after flying, even a 6-hour day. The leather grips do look nice, and I like the logo in the center, except that would cover up my clock . . . .

Sure, he's insurable, but a Complex Endorsement and some time will make the insurance cheaper. Mine with neither was horrible the first year . . . but that was before Mooneyspace existed [2007].

You're a brave soul! Good luck!! My Georgia soul is cold and I'm only in WV, but the plane has one of those glue-on preheaters on the oil pan, with a 3-prong plug by the dipstick. I just run an extension cord to it. It really only takes an hour, but with the weather we're having now [22º now, single-digit windchills] I like to plug it in the night before. I would not recommend, and do not, leave it plugged in all the time. Best of luck to you and your plane!

Byron-- The book numbers I posted are from the theoretical 50-foot obstacle to stop, they are not roll-out distances. Your POH should be written the same way. Mike-- It should not take you 100' of runway length to pull out to the center and line up! At my home field, 3000 x 75, I can do a full 180 and line up on-center in 50-60' or less. If you are worried about losing runway distance, swerve left before turning right onto the centerline [or vice-versa]. There are times when a tight turnaround is required, like 2770 x 40, no taxiway, just an exit to the ramp in the middle, so slow down, edge one wheel into the grass just past a light, give it some power and full rudder, add a touch of inside brake after pulling up onto the pavement. Full UP throughout. Often the narrow runways have a slightly wider bump at the end to turn around on if there's no taxiway. One thing to do is check which way you can turn tightest. For whatever reason, my plane is easier to turn around to the right than to the left. I know this because we have no taxiway and the only exit is 1000' from the typical approach end; when the wind is wrong, I can easily make the turnoff with light braking, but normally coast past it before touching the brakes, then turn around and back-taxi. Left is a much wider turn than right.

Get thee to an MSC and fix that gear!! Soon, before it won't go down at all . . . . Electric-gear Mooneys do not have "manual" gear extension, we have "Emergency Gear Extension"! Manual gear extension involves a long steel bar coming out of the floor between the seats.

Per my Owner's Manual, using gross weight and standard temps: sea level, 59º: Takeoff = 1395'; Land = 1550' 2500 msl, 50º: Takeoff = 1760'; Land = 1620' 5000 msl, 41º: Takeoff = 2300'; Land = 1705' The Takeoff distance becomes longer than the landing distance rapidly as altitude and temperatures [i.e., Density Altitude] increases. Another factor to consider is weight. These are for landing at Gross Weight, but I have done that very, very infrequently; I do, however, make gross weight takeoffs from time to time. That will effective shorten the landing distance. Oh, yeah, this is for dragging the wheels through the 50-foot-tall treetops on landing, and skimming the belly on the same branches on departure. since I don't do that, all of my required distances are longer than these book values! I'm in the "hold brakes, full power, release" camp for short fields, and I try not to land somewhere that I cannot depart from.

Gee, this is the only place that I stutter when I type!

Duh! Now that I'm not standing in front of the plane with a tape measure and tunnel vision, it's obvious and simple. Measure from the pointy end of the spinner to the ground. Turn prop to put one blade straight down, measure ground clearance. Subracting these two numbers gives propellor radius, and two radii equal one diameter. Still the same diameter and ground clearance as a 2-blade, unless someone has the smaller MT prop I just learned about today. Durn it! Bit again by the multi-repeating post. Fingers weren't near "Enter" either--I was trying to type "MT"!