Hank

Norm-- The published Vy for my C is 100 MPH at sea level, with a straight-line decrease to 91 MPH at 10,000 msl; I approximate as 100-[Alt in 1000's], and try to stay within Vy to Vy+5 during climb. My limiting factor is almost always Oil Temp, but only when it's warm outside.

Mine's a little lower, too, and is a perfect fit for a Mini Mag Lite. I also keep a couple of large binder clips there to hold approach plate books open. No, I haven't converted to electronic yet--the durn iPad is too big, and I've not found a good way to mount my 7" Droid tablet that won't cover up my clock [the red hands are great visual reminders to change tanks; I can't forget what the time is supposed to be, or forget to set the alarm, or not hear it beeping]. Besides, I've yet to have a book run out of power or shut itself down because it sat in the sun.

I climb WOT/2700 to altitude, unless I'm staying in the pattern, then I reduce to ~16" on the crosswind leg to not blow through Pattern Altitude. I hold Vx to clear the trees, then accelerate to Vy and stay pretty close to that all the way up. Level off, accelerate then set whatever I'm going to use for cruise. Sure, the book lists a reduced setting for cruise climb, and I use that when I or ATC want higher, but I'm usually high enough that I can't produce the 26" MP book setting, just Full Forward and ~115 mph. So far I've not needed any emergency evasions . . .

My C climbs faster than that on 20 less hp! WOT/2700/Full Rich, at Vy is 1000+ fpm at home. You need to recheck your math . . . 10 minutes is 1/6 of an hour; 1/6 of 3.5 gph is not 1, it is 3.5/6 = .58, a half gallon. There's no need to lean in the climb unless you use the Target EGT method, as your temps will all rise until you get below peak. See above, I rarely climb for 10 minutes and don't flight plan where ½ gallon makes a difference. I respect the "golden hour" and plan to land with at least 9 gallons, so far haven't been below 11. Good for descents. I maintain cruise MP & EGT all the way down, easing throttle back and mixture forward. Makes for nice groundspeed. I learned the first time I flew an F that procedures don't always transfer well between carbureted and injected engines. I'm supposing that the 115 KIAS climb speed (Vz) is Carson's speed, which I always thought was used as an endurance cruising speed rather than a climb speed. I climb as close to Vy as Oil Temp will permit on the green stripe, and can easily be at 9000' msl, power set and trimmed, within 15 minutes of turning the key. Home field = 567' msl. You injected folks with more power should easily beat me. If a simple Mech. Engineer could work his way through your MS thesis on efficient flying, could you post a link or send me an abstract or something? I apparently didn't absorb as much from the previous Carson discussions here and elsewhere as I thought I did.

P.S.--at 7500 msl, standard day, my OM shows the following: WOT = 22.5"; 32ºF; +10ºF --> -1%; -10ºF, --> +1% 2500 RPM, 22.5", 78.8%, 14.0 gph, 167 mph 2500 RPM, 22.0", 76.6%, 13.5 gph, 166 mph 2500 RPM, 21.0", 72.1%, 9.1 gph, 162 mph So I happily trade 5 gph in fuel savings for a loss of 5 mph. One I notice, the other one I will not. Yes, I usually come very close to book speed and fuel burn, even with my 3-blade prop--must be that 201 windshield and wingtips making up for it.

Byron-- That's part of the tradeoff between my 180-hp, carbureted plane with a doghouse, and your 200-hp, fuel injected engine with a fancy set of baffles. Where ICP peaks is of interest, and certainly it's desireable to keep ICP below any pressure values that will cause problems [overstressing connecting rods, engine case bolts, cylinder bolts, etc.]. Running power settings straight from the OM should have been considered by both Mooney and Lycoming, even "back in the day." I've never seen any published values for Internal Cylinder Pressure, nor how much it takes to overstress the bolts; as for valves and camshaft, pressure on them is timing-related, and you know better than most just how adjustable timing is and is not. I don't have an engine monitor, just the factory single-point gages. My operating limit tends to be oil temp getting to the end of the green stripe rather than CHT. Numbers on those stripes are a bit of a joke, there may be two on each one. If I could run LOP, I would certainly like it, but I can't so I run how I am able and I watch three needles: EGT, Oil Temp and sometimes CHT. Temp is usually only an issue during the summer. I'll look the next time I'm out, since I don't remember them from yesterday.

There's a whole thread about this: http://mooneyspace.com/topic/8130-pirep-ipad-mini-in-yoke-mount/

Logbook entry only. Use the correct one per Whelen, not just one that looks good. I reused the trim ring from the old, it-blinks-when-it-wants-to unit. When I showed my old part number to the Whelen rep, his only comment was "Wow, that's an old unit. Here's what you need."

Those of us without Fuel Injection have a hard time running LOP. My engine stumbles and runs rough at or just lean of peak. According to my OM, max economy is 25ROP, and max power/speed is 100ROP, so I generally compromise and run 50ROP [just like the nice folks I bought her from used to do]. I've experimented a little bit trying to run LOP, but the engine just doesn't like it. I generally pull the throttle back just enough to move the MP needle, lean to peak/rough and enrichen 50º; regardless of altitude, I verify that I'm below 75%, and like to cruise around 70% when able. Pulling back the throttle creates turbulent flow in the carb, and should improve fuel atomization and mixing for a more uniform distribution to the cylinders--GAMI doesn't make a "balanced carburetor." Running LOP with a carb is sometimes possible. It generally involves reducing throttle to get out of the auto-enrichment circuit, leaning, adding some degree of carb heat [found by experimenting, there are no markings on the carb heat lever but I do have the optional carb temp gage, interestingly enough marked in ºC], and then leaning again. For instance, in my C, at 10,000 msl, full throttle is 20.2", so I'll generally pull her back to 20" which is significant travel of the throttle lever. At 2500, this gives 70.1% [vs. 71.0% WOT]; at 2600, this is 72.0% [vs. 72.9% WOT] and the throttle reduction costs 1 mph at both RPM [though 2500 RPM saves 0.3 gph vs. 2600 at the cost of 2 mph].

I put on a Whelen LED unit last year. Here's the new one compared to the old one. It's not aerodynamic like the one you're interested in, but it's much, much smaller than the old high-voltage blinker. And it is obscenely bright!

The O-360 in my Mooney gets really rough passing through peak. I run ~70-72% on the rich side. My wife lets me know when I hit peak, often just as I'm seeing it on the EGT to the lower left of my yoke. "Lean to rough" is a pretty good match!

Not so on our Vintage birds up through J's. We sit with elevator level, but the turbo models' elevators all droop to "full down." Besides, I'm addicted to the clock in the center of my yoke to not only count flight time but also to change tanks. Nothing is as easy as watching for the white hands to match up with the red ones to know it's time to flip the selector over. Using a digital on the panel is just not the same [bTDT, don't like it.] It sure would be nice to mount somewhere other than my lap, where I've not found a good spot either, nor a kneeboard that will keep it in a useful location and still leave room to write frequency changes, clearances, etc.

Good luck! Keep us posted . . . . .

Fonzie is cool; Fonzie in a P-51 is too cool; Fonzie jumping a shark is not cool at all. Do you think your oil temp is accurate at <180? You can test the probe easily, just run an extension cord or use a camp stove, remove the probe, boil some water and drop the probe in it, it should read 212º or a little less if you are high up in the hills or under a really low pressure system. Just don't let the probe touch the pot, use the wire to suspend it in the water.

You'll use the plane more with an Instrument Rating. I flew all over the country VFR for almost 3 years before finishing up; now I cancel fewer flights, and have completed some important ones that I could not have done without it. Mooneys are traveling machines, and that means crossing weather systems. Sure, I've still had to sit out both thunderstorms and winter weather in the last two years, but not as many "other" days of weather at departure, destination or simply en route. My usable weather window is now much larger. In the meantime, fly as much as possible, learn the plane, get good and comfortable in it. Learn your power settings for different altitudes and speeds, how to climb and descend and slow down to pattern speed. Visit strange new airports, with runways in weird directions, uphill, downhill, humped and dished; even landed on some sloped more like a ski jump. Mix it up with the big boys at some Class C. Then you'll be ready for Instrument work, and excited to go visit even more new places. In my little ol' C model, I've only been asked to "reduce speed for traffic" once, with my -II; it was funny for both of us. Be prepared to "keep your speed up" too, around the pattern, down the glideslope and sometimes even on short final when you simply cannot. It all goes back to learn the plane, learn the power settings, get comfortable with it. My vote goes for keeping the plane IFR-legal. If you can do that AND mount a D-1, go for it!

Ask Ford and Firestone what happens to chronically-overinflated automobile tires. Don't do the same thing to your Mooney, even if your plane will not roll over. The answer is in your POH. My C model is also 30 psi for all tires.

Relax, Zane. You may be part of the 1% who gets a bad name from the other 99%. I also agree that there are times that lawyers are necessary. Part of our current problems, however, are caused by too many hungry personal injury lawyers trolling for cases on contingency, and insurance companies who settle rather than fight. Beat the rapscallions in court a few times, there'll be a lot less settlements and overall costs would decrease. Don't get me started on class action suits where the settlements are divided up between the lawyers and the actual plaintiffs receive mere pittances in comparison. . . Now I need to go flying tonight, assuming the servo has been reinstalled in my left wing. See, I brought it right back to Mooneys.

That works very well in a normal bounce or balloon, but not in the nosewheel-first situation I got myself into by not paying attention. Each bounce was higher and harder than the one before, while holding the throttle all the way out. On my second, higher leap into the air [or was it the third? It was dark, I was confused, there were trees about 2000' away from my first touchdown, I didn't know what was happening], I just shoved everything forward and prayed I would miss the trees that I couldn't see. When I did get down, there were no branches or leaves in the gear, and no visible scratches on the belly . . . and now I pay close attention all the way until the prop stops turning, the switches are off and the keys are sitting on top of the panel. It was definitely a learning experience! I'll have to ask my wife if she remembers it and what she thought sitting beside me that night. Thanks, Seth, for your detailed writeup. I would much rather have my learning experiences vicariously, as I don't sweat or get the adrenaline shakes like when I do it myself!

Good Lord! My C has a useful of 669 with full fuel. Never been there except once when loaded with 4 guys and 34 gallons . . .

My Performance Tables give %Power for each MP/RPM setting, with a further notation: Note that each 10ºF increase above standard temperature will cause a one percent reduction in horsepower, while each 10ºF decrease below standard temperature will cause a one percent increase in horsepower. ISA temperature for sea level is, of course, 59ºF, and WOT/2700 produces 99.5% power. If I depart sea level at 95ºF, I only have 96% power; making the same trip in winter at 29ºF, I have 102.5% power, a difference of 6.5 percentage points or 6.8% more power. Thus shorter ground rolls and faster climbs in the winter. What do the notes to your Performance Tables say? Mine are on the last page before the charts start, but after all the Takeoff and Landing distances, climb rates, altitude compensation, etc.

Try a set of Halos from Quiet Technologies in Mississippi. Phil is on this board somewhere, he is a fellow Mooniac [b-model?] and a nice guy when I met him at Sun-n-Fun last year after the tornado. There's a whole thread about these elsewhere, too. Some people use the foam inserts, I prefer the silicone ones [similar to what I wear shooting and used to wear at work].

I use vinyl tubing from Home Depot to slip onto the quick drain. Buy a double-ended tubing connector with barbs on both ends; sand one end for a loose fit, shove the other end into the tubing. The heavy brass will hold the tube down in a bucket/bottle while it drains [i use empty laundry detergent bottles]. Then wipe the ends of the tube clean and push the looser-fitting end into the tubing making a leak-free loop and lean it against the hangar wall. Next time, just pull it apart [that's why one end of the fitting is sanded down] and it's ready to go, just make sure the little bit of residual oil inside doesn't drip on the floor when you start.

And then the White Knight, in pursuit of justice, sues anyone and everyone who ever looked at, touched or spoke to the aircraft owner or pilot, the manufacturer of the aircraft, the aircraft systems, the aircraft parts, everyone who works for those companies and everyone who contracted parts for those companies. If the tort happened at an airport, then the airport, the airport owner, airport manager, all contractors and FBO's operating at the airport at the time, are all sued, too, because some of them have insurance and sure enough, some insurance company or another will choose to settle for a dollar amount instead of paying their own lawyer a [usually higher] dollar amount to prove, at their expense, that they were not involved in the tort in question. THAT is why so many Americans hate lawyers . . . No personal experience, but I know people who have suffered from this--completely uninvolved but drug through the courts, using time off from their jobs and paying their lawyer out of their own pocket to prove their innocence because the responsible party had no insurance but they did. Now can we please stop talking about lawyers and talk about flying our Mooneys? Lawyers make my blood pressure go up.

Good call, Jeff! Everything I've ever read says the third bounce is your prop strike. I went two bounces 'cause I wasn't paying attention and at first didn't know what was going on. If anything isn't right, go around and try again; it's never a bad decision.

I've only used the silicone tips for 3 years. Pull the top of your ear up with the other hand, push it in and let go. After a few dozen times, you'll get the hang of it and do it with one hand. Relacements aren't much more than foam, ~$3/pair but they last a long time with no cold temperature problems. I've replaced one because it kept falling off.