Hank

Quote: Shadrach If I was in a J (or just about anything else), I'd reassess the risk...

Going entirely by memory, doesn't Jimmy put a gear-up disclaimer in his periodic valuation reports in the MAPA LOG? Something with a percentage discount for a recent event, but gear-ups ten or more years in the past carry no price reduction if properly repaired and logged?

Getting back on topic, my darling wife gave me this flightbag [from Spruce, but I don't remember the name--Sky Bag?]. I really like the fold-down desk area when flying solo. Lots of little pockets, I can put the MP3 player and cord, cell phone charger, etc., in there and keep them all separate. [They are behind the piece of paper, but you can see my finger lite in a mesh pouch.]The main pouch will hold six or more sets of approach plates if you put them in binding-up so you can tell which one to grab. The padded shoulder strap didn't make the photos. My only complaint is that the handles are aluminum, and it's easier to lay it down than stand it up, but I have to be careful when laying down on the wing or tail because I don't want the [very lightweight] metal handle to bang into my [thin] painted sheet metal! Guess I'll have to find a roll of that fun tape that only sticks to itself and wrap the grips, if only I could remember what it is called . . .

Quote: Shadrach I keep looking at the title of this thread as it pops up on the home page. It occurs to me that the title is somewhat misleading... I'm not busting Aaron's chops at all (as I said, there but by the grace of God), but the reality is that the flaps were not touched during this incident.

And now you know why "everyone" says that the actual peak temperatures are irrelevant. The important thing is where you operate in relation to your peak, and with a E, which way you move the red knob/lever to get there. For me, 1450 if often a good spot, for you, maybe not so much. To each his own. Another wrench to throw in is that I only have the single factory probe, while others here have multi-cylinder probes. Even then, they often use the factory probe on one cylinder, so that one reads different from the others. "Degrees Rich/Lean of Peak" is important, your actual displayed peak temperature not very much at all. Ain't life great?

I thought felons were not allowed to possess firearms after release? Or is attempted murder not a felony??

**Major Hijack--apologies in advance, but I do return to the subject! ** I own gun(s) not because I am afraid of bad people who want to do bad things to me. Yes, it's loaded. Yes, I always handle all guns as if they are loaded until I personally open and empty the chamber. ["Unloaded" guns are dangerous. In an emergency, they are useless; in a moment of carelessness, a gun thought to be unloaded can be fired--people die like this every year, but it is not the fault of the gun any more than a stall/spin in the pattern is the fault of the airplane.] I have insurance on my house, cars, plane and life, too. No, the life insurance payout will not do me any good at all, but I still bought it. Have yet to file a fraudulent claim to get "extra money" from the insurance companies, and I don't worry excessively about wrecking the cars, crashing the plane or anything happening to the house. Sleep soundly at night, too. I have fire extinguishers (2) in my house. They are loaded. The 3 or 4 smoke detectors all have new batteries in them. But I am not afraid my house is going to catch fire and burn down while I am eating supper or sleeping. My kitchen is full of knives. So is my workshop. I own several pocket knives and hunting-style knives. All are very sharp. [Dull knives will cut you worse, because you must push/pull harder to cut, making a slip more likely. Then it goes much deeper. Cuts from a dull knife hurt much worse than a cut from a sharp knife, which you often won't feel until after you find the source of the blood you start seeing.] I own an airplane, and I use it to travel, sometimes even at night . I am not a terrorist, I do not transport terrorists, and I am not trying to avoid airport security checks so that I can carry contraband. But I do travel in my very own private plane, kept inside a hangar where no one can watch what I load into it, and it is based at an airport without a control tower or even a security fence and no annoying background checks, security clearances, badges . . . [boy, I never realized just how shady of a character I am . . . . . Should I be afraid to meet myself in the dark?] Lots of fun stuff lives in my plane, but not a whole lot stays in the flight bag. The wonderful joys of ownership, I don't have to lug everything back and forth to the airport when I want to fly. I do have to remember the keys, though, and finally made a spare set [including the hangar] for my wife to keep. You never know when a good opportunity to fly will arise, and running home for the keys is not always an option. I have heard that people used to leave keys in their airplanes while tied down. Some people left the keys in the ignition of their cars at home or while shopping. Some people actually used to sleep inside their homes with the windows open and the doors unlocked! Others won't go anywhere alone at night unless the area is lit up like daylight. I enjoy walking in the dark. Some people fear everything new, or everything outside their personal experience, or all people that they don't know, or the dark, or the unknown, or the future, or tight places, or open places, or heights, or spiders, or flying. Those who do not fear the same things are not strange, or unusual or to be feared. Differences are what makes life interesting. If we were all alike, and all places were the same, travel would not be very enjoyable. Why would I want to fly to where you live, if it is just like where I live, and if you are just like me and my neighbor? I'll just walk down and visit him instead. Thanks, but I don't want to live in your world of fear and dread. I can own a firearm without being paranoid. I can purchase insurance without being afraid of losing my valuables. I can have a fire extinguisher without dreading a sudden fire. I can own and fly an airplane without being in cahoots with people circumventing the law. I can own a fast car without driving it at excessive speeds [very often--the Mooney is still faster, and no threat of blue lights behind me]. I can live in the country without fear of strangers. I can drive through the city without fear of carjacking. I can land at rural airports without fear of being shot at. I can walk through National Parks without fear of being eaten by wild animals. I can walk downtown without fear of serial killers. It's all in your head. It's all in your head, and please don't project it onto me. It does pay to be alert, even in your own yard. My 72-year-old dad rescued his two-pound puppy from a hawk because he was alert and saw it before it struck. I've dodged furniture falling from the vehicle in front of me on the interstate, in heavy traffic, because we were alert and many cars dodged the falling, bouncing, rolling furniture and each other. When I drive through rough neighborhoods, I notice and roll up the windows and lock the doors, but I do actually stop at red lights. Just be alert, and listen to your gut instinct; if you are uncomfortable, raise your level of alertness. If this makes you panic, then take someone with you who can remain calm, and pray you never have an in-flight emergency alone.

Never heard of Brown Tool, but my A&P uses reversible pliers [~$150] and he really likes them. I'll have to ask what brand they are.

Headset--stays plugged in, both front seats; my cord has a carabiner light clipped on at the split where I can always find it quickly. Spare set on the hat rack. GPS--the 430W is in the panel. Kneeboard--checklists including performance charts; paper with weather briefing and flight plan; blank paper to write on; my nav log; destination diagram if unfamiliar; two-per-sheet approaches if desired. Front seat pocket--swiss army knife; spare glasses [i've been caught by sunset, flying with my sunglasses on--it makes for difficult night landings, especially when the landing light burns out]; pens & plotter in the side knee pocket. Back seat pockets--sick sacks; Garmin books; Owner's Manual; W&B forms; bungees for control locks. Floor between seats--Flight Guide; sectionals/enroutes for the trip; approach plates in front; water bottle(s). So there's not a lot for the flight bag: another plotter and 'whiz wheel'; markers; pens; handheld radio with headset adapter plugged in & spare battery pack; blue/white flashlight with spare batteries; small first aid kit; mini mag lite in belt sheath; assorted junk. Tool bag lives in the back with "traveling tools": leatherman, Craftsman Robo Wrench w/padded jaws; Kings & Phillips reversible driver; mechanic gloves; oil; safety pliers & some wire; a few zip ties; a rag or two. All in a flat rubbermaid container almost as long as the short-body cargo bay. Oh, and the all-important tow bar!

Rob is right. Even speedometer tolerances are [i think] 6-7% of the maximum reading. So my Honda is good for ± 8 mph [6% of 140 mph], and sure enough, according to the radar traps set around construction sites to show your speed, when indicating 60 it's actually 56 . . . I don't know of a convenient way to test my AI, but it passed the pitot-static check last fall. May have to do a GPS test run, record power settings, Altitude & Altimeter and OAT then crunch some numbers.

Quote: GaryP1007 Hello, as a new member to the site I was hoping to start a discussion on the best combination of speed and performance among Mooney models. I am interested in acquiring a plane that will allow me and my wife to travel from the Northeast (Boston) to some of our favorite places that are 700 - 1000 miles away. Currently fly a Piper Dakota that cruises at 135 and burns about 13gph. I have set a budget maximum of $150K.

My pliers are from Sporty's. They are functional, but often difficult to grip both wires simultaneously--one often pops out to the side. As for the wire itself, I put it around the base of the Oil Temp sensor. Keep it BELOW the insulator, and wrap it tight or it will ride up and peg the Oil Temp needle whenever the Master is turned on.

I agree with Ross. Mine was geared up almost 5 years before I bought it, and it's coming up on Anniversary #10 now. It was all repaired correctly, with some "free" mods [one piece belly, new bottom antennas, new strobe, etc.], and she sure does fly nice!

Nope, my C is 30 psi all the way around. See the page from the book below. Just another benefit of the shorter, lighter airframe supporting a lighter engine. My oil drain thingy is sheet metal stock, about a yard long, 2-3" wide [it wasn't cut straight on either edge], bent into a shallow trough shape. Roofing drip edge from the local hardware store works well, too, when cut to length.

FWIW, my carbed C model usually peaks [on my EGT] between 1500 and 1525, depending on conditions. Unlike you guys in E, F and J models, our carbs often do not perform well LOP. Thus the bit about back off on throttle enough to move the MP needle. Depending on how I feel and how high I'm flying, sometimes I will lean to peak then richen up, sometimes I will lean to rough and richen up. When my wife is with me, I don't even need to watch the needle, SHE is my rough alert! Sometime soon I plan to make the normal weekend run one way at 23/2300 and back at 22/2400 [almost always at 3000 msl] and see if there is any difference. I'll record IAS, GS and actual fuel burn at the pump [one tank each way, usually 8 gals roundtrip]. Leaning will be the same-old same-old. If the rain holds off, maybe this weekend?

Quote: Seth My F model was geared up by the previous owner on a go around due to an airplane taxing out in front of him to depart when he was on final. He put the gear up, flew the upwind, crosswind, downwind, base, and landed. He forgot to put the gear back down. In the new plane . . . I still check three times, downwind, base, final for gumps, gumps, green light over the fence. I've missed some of the callouts, but not all three. I was told by my instructor, to let the gear run a full depolyment or retraction and not stop the process halfway as it is not good for the gears. My C has a similar history to your F, except the go-around involved a tower and switching runways as additional distractions. Patched belly, swapped prop and flew on a permit to repair. Many older retracts have kissed asphalt once. Fix it right and it will fly well again. My "system" verifies green light on gear down, checks green light on base, feels switch position and checks floor indicator on final. Often I double-check the green light near where I imagine an airport boundary would be, which is after I clear the durn trees [watching them go under me is quite important! too far under me is bad.]. Shorter fields are fun; shorter, obstructed fields make you proficient! I usually get at least two of the checks made, the feel & floor check on final is the most important. As for stopping the gear during swing, that would be quite difficult. I'll check when the snow clears up, but I don't think I could stop the movement after taking my hand off the switch. Move the round thing, drop hand to throttle, raise hand to switch--I think the light will already be green. On the go, move the round thing, hand to throttle and feel the thump under the seat.

Yeah, mine is a pancake from the same place, about half the price. I never buy anything there that isn't on sale.

But my CBC hangar compressor won't hold that much air . . . It will inflate all three Mooney tires from ~15 to 30 psi, but won't do the same for a single automobile tire.

Dave-- We have the same idea, but your execution is certainly more elegant. All I can say in my own defense is that my system came with the plane from the previous owner. But it works! I use an automotive drip pan to catch the runoff, just a cup or two. Then screw the filter off and remove carefully, as its usually about half full., and stand the filter in the pan upside to drain while I finish everything else.

Jerry Johnson is great! He has a 69C on a grass strip somewhere near Dallas. The MAPA office should have his contact info--visit www.mooneypilots.com to reach them.

Mooneyjet-- I lean my C to find peak [often 1500-1525ºF] then enrichen. Play with the Performance Tables and find some "standard" settings; I copied them and carry them on my kneeboard to preserve the fragile, brown 40+year-old pamphlet titled "Owner's Manual." Two twists or three on the mixture is something I cannot help with, as I have levers on a quadrant. I just watch the EGT needle move. Low level I often run 23/23; around 5000 msl I run 22/2400; starting about 7500 I begin running 2500. Once WOT gives suitable power settings, I back the throttle off until the MP needle starts to move [around 10,000 msl this can be almost 1/3 travel] to give better atomization and mixing coming through the carb. Overall, I average 135-140 kts [125-135 MPH indicated] and very close to 9 gph. Highest sustained level cruise 183 kts; lowest sustained level cruise 105 kts. East is often faster than west, and I fly more N-S than anything with prevailing crosswinds. Enjoy your new ride! Fly lots, have fun, take notes on how she does for future reference as you learn her quirks.

Quote: sleepingsquirrel I will admit that I'm adding my name to the very distinguished list of Mooney pilots that have somehow managed to land short of the threshold by 70 feet! The only excuse I have to offer is that another pilot was with me to witness this! Too bad it didn't happen today then I could blame it on "Dang. haven't flown since last year". I walked out to the end of the runway to teach myself a lesson , measured everything , no threat to life or limb , but lesson hammered home about doing everything as right as possible. One mistake , could have been expensive, mitigated by being lined up on the center line! Missed the threshold lights. Congratulations on coming through with an intact aircraft! That is one of the benefits of flying out of a large® airport. You should take a picture of the ground, with a marker where your tires hit, showing the lights, threshhold, etc., for posterity if nothing else. Landing that short at my home base is not something you would walk away from--it would probably be on the steep kudzu-covered road cut . . . The end-of-runway lights would be the least of your concerns. The best teachable moments are those that scare the bejeebers out of you without any damage other than a temporary spike in blood pressure and a long-term blush. We've all had one. As for the rest, I still haven't flown since last year, either. Maybe the 18th? Have a good rest of the New Year!!

Quote: scottfromiowa What am I missing?

Quote: Shadrach I've had mine to 15.5 as well, though DA was probably closer to 18K. I was pretty impressed by the performance, though I was light.

Again, this may be different for your E, but for low-level flight [up to 3000 msl or so], I often run my C at 23"/2300 and then lean away. It works well for short flights, and even with my 3-blade prop, it is smooth. Your injected E may be different. Before you ask, yes, this is pulled from the 2500 msl Performance Chart in what passed for a POH "back in the day." P.S.--no fuel flow data to share, but data from the gas pump is right on or just below 9 gph at this setting.