Hank

From the other stuck mike thread: By the way hank did you happen to get the registration of the airplane with the stuck mike? That CFI needs to get FIRED No, I was too busy/frustrated trying to talk to Approach! I just remember he was a Tiger. I was eventually cleared, coming in from the north, to land #2 on 33 behind a Cirrus on an 11-mile final. As I was passing the approach end of the runway, they asked HIM to keep his speed up. :-) Must not have seen the Vintage logo on my tail. Poor guy has a hundred more horsepower and twice my fuel burn . . . He had to have been really happy when he saw me land.

I use them all on every landing, and usually differently. Typically [think, think, think! Pay attention on the next few, report back!] I raise my flaps once I have directional control established on the roll out, to increase weight on the wheels. This slows me down whether I use brakes or not. Steer with rudder, brake only as necessary. Pads are cheap on the car, expensive on the plane. I give enough back-yoke for a good flare, and have no idea where it goes when the nose comes down, but I do use my right hand to raise the flaps. No presets, no detents, I have to hold the switch up or they don't move. So I probably relax a lot of back pressure. A very few landings on a short grass strip have given me the choice of raising flaps in the float a 2' agl or going around; I have done both. Whoever it was that first said "No two landings are ever the same" was exactly correct!

On Father's Day weekend, I flew down to visit my father, since it was also his birthday. My destination was AVL, in the western NC mountains. While talking to AVL Approach and descending towards the airport, a CFI and student were out in a Tiger. Every time he tried talking on the Approach frequency, his mike would stick for 60 seconds or more, and we all heard him talking to his student. He even knew his mike was sticking. I tried making a call in the blind to the Tiger to change his frequency because his mike was stuck. No luck--he tried again to reach Approach, who couldn't answer him. If you ever become aware that your microphone is stuck, please change off of the Approach or Center frequency! Poor ATC had several IFR and VFR aircraft inbound wanting to land, and couldn't talk to us while we all listened to Mr. Instructor tell his student that he wasn't going into controlled airspace without a radio. He never did change frequency, but I apparently got close enough to AVL that they could "burn through" his transmissions. Just a heads-up to alert pilots: when your microphone sticks, get off the controller's frequency if you aren't going to land! Thank you. I'll get off my soapbox now.

Meanwhile, Becca, I am at work right now, and YOUR incessant tirade is offending me. So should you be fired, too?

Some people already have Dzus fastener on cowlings and ELT panels. Some one-piece belly panels have them, too. I have no idea about STCs, 337s, etc., just what I have personally observed. On the other hand, I'm not sure I've ever seen a Mooney cowling held on by actual screws . . . But I sure remove and replace an awful lot of them every annual.

1) If what you say is the case and you can move the throttle a bit without a change in MP, then why pull until MP drops. Just moving the butterfly should create turblence. 3) If your engine stumbles at peak, then I'd look into moving the probe, because it seems one of the other cylinders is running leaner than your reference cylinder... Ross-- 1) the throttle butterfly has to move farther at altitude to create turbulence in the air flowing into the carb venturi because as altitude the air is less dense, meaning there are fewer particles and they will compress down smoothly for a while. Once turbulence is achieved, the MP begins to drop; no decrease in MP means no turbulence, so no improved atomization or mixing. 2) with marks every 25º, that are the width of the needle and a needle's width apart, I can't tell exactly when the engine starts to stumble. On your analyzer, if you print out a slow leaning cycle to peak instead of the "one big pull" to reach LOP, how flat is the temperature peak versus red knob movement? My C has the throttle quadrant with levers, so there are no vernier to turn. With my limited instrumentation, this is all I can do. Can you please improve my knowledge with applicable data? "Happy wife, happy life" in general; "Happy engine, happy flight" is more appropriate but not as catchy.

"If running ROP to peak, what is the point of cocking the throttle? It seem unlikely that there will be any appreciable fuel savings at those settings. A touch of carburetor heat will increase atomization as well, but it will also rob power slightly. It probably doesn't slow you down but a tiny bit, but it probably does not benefit you much either. Seems like a lot of extra fiddling for a "zero sum game"... Have you seen numbers that suggest a benefit?" Ross-- I figure improved atomization and more uniform fuel-air mixture will burn more uniformly in all four cylinders. There may not be a measurable fuel savings, but I would expect more complete combustion, and therefore more power output [maybe even as high as shown in The Book], instead of the carb-heat power loss. My Hartzell 3-blade seems to return pretty close to book speeds. As far as Peak to ROP, even at 10,000 msl she starts stumbling right around peak, maybe just as the needle starts to move back. With the spacing of those 25º hash marks on the small gage down at the bottom of the panel, I'll never notice if I'm actually running 5º or even 10º LOP, so I take what I can get. No fuel flow yet, but I'm still hoping. Even then, 9gph isn't too bad. Stumbling at 10,000' is much more noticeable than at 3000' and not something I like to feel. There's really no extra work, just pull the throttle until the MP needle moves [can be a long pull at 10,000 msl], set RPM to 2500, wait a minute and start leaning. Not exactly "a lot of extra fiddling" in my book. If I'm at 7500 or below, I typically pull the throttle back some anyway; for my plane, MP + RPM ≤ 47, so that's pretty much 23"/2400 or 22"/2500. IO-360s are different, at least in the nice notebook I have from the MAPA PPP I took as a new pilot. As for the factory gage, there is no way to tell what my CHTs are with any precision. I can only assume that Squirrel has something additional if he has an actual number. I fly in the green part of the gage, then there's a bit with no stripe, then a red line marked with an improbably high number [something foolish like 500ºF], so I just try to stay a needle's width or more below the top of the green. Not difficult except in summertime climbs to altitude, and then the oil temp rises faster than CHT.

Yep, I also have the factory single-probe oil temp and CHT, plus an "optional" EGT gage with actual numbers on it. I typically cruise at 1450-1500º on the EGT, but the absolute numbers are meaningless. It does make it easier to tell if anything is changing, though, and makes it simple to ease the mixture forward and maintain cruise EGT during descent.

And yes, your A-model most likely has a different model engine, so it may run a little bit different. Does your Owner's Manual have Performance Tables?

Hey, Squirrel. At 7500 msl, I typically run my C-model at 22"/2400 for 74½% power. As I go higher, I leave the throttle wide open and stay at 2500 RPM. These give me the most speed while still letting me lean nicely; at low altitudes I keep it ~50 ROP, higher up is less, and around 8-9000 I lean to rough then enrichen to smooth, which is generally pretty close to peak. It helps to back off the throttle just enough to make the MP needle move. The thinking is that cocking the throttle body in the carb creates additional turbulence, which increases atomization of the fuel and makes for a more uniform air-fuel mixture. My POH [O-360-A1D] shows a maximum of 22.5" MP at 7500 msl. Don't forget the effect of OAT on engine power--your OAT of 64ºF is 32º above standard, so you should subtract an additional 3% from the power. That would enable running per my POH at WOT/2500, especially if the throttle was backed off enough to move the needle. [22.5/2500 = 78.8%; 22/2500 = 76.6%]

"Just make sure to climb 300' above final cruise altitude then descend to accelerate quickly so as to get her on the step." I get on the step every time I change my oil. It's the only way to reach the oil filter.

This is what I use. I'll try to add a shot of it stuck under the filter. There's so little room that the mounted oil filter is barely visible in photos from the top, and cannot be seen due to "stuff" in the way from either side. Hope this helps. You just need a big drip bucker, but Wally World sells them cheap.

If you aren't using leather, why limit yourself to black?

So, 201er, do we have you confused yet? Sorry for introducing the whole LOP/ROP thing into this . . . Set your desired power with the throttle/manifold pressure gage. For climb and cruise, you will obviously also use the prop lever/tach. In low-power situations the prop will indeed be against the flat-pitch stops, and it will indeed "function" like a fixed-pitch prop. You, however, will NOT "operate" it like a fixed-pitch prop! Continue to use the throttle/manifold pressure gage to set your power. If you are in a long descent and want, for some reason, to do it at greatly-reduced power, then keep out of the restricted zone on your tach. If you are out flight-seeing and want to cruise slowly over terrain while you admire the scenery, keep out of the restricted zone on your tach. This is easily done by either observing the recommended MP/RPM chart in your POH, or adjusting the throttle/MP enough to move the tach out of that zone. When reducing power on downwind, use the throttle. I push the prop fully forward, often just before reaching the pattern, and it stays there until my next departure/climb/leveloff. Use your favorite combination of pitch and power to maintain the proper glide, and let the tach do whatever it does. Personally, I don't watch any gage around the pattern except for occasional glances at airspeed--I figure there's a reason it's in front of me and MP/RPM is on the right side of the panel. Power-off descents have a definite place in your flight toolbox, but they are not a typical part of my flying except for the landing phase, and even then I maintain a little power until I clear the trees, gliding to the runway over the road cut. My typical descent is power-on, IFR and VFR, I just push forward to achieve ~500 fpm and trim the pressure off; not being fuel-injected, I walk the throttle backwards and the mixture forward to maintain approximate cruise readings on MP and EGT. Airspeed will rise, groundspeed will rise, fuel flow will decrease [i don't have a gage for that] and she will often start to whistle if I've been high [descending from 8-10,000 msl to patterns of less than 2000 msl]. 130 mph indicated at 10,000' = 166 TAS in cruise; it will sometimes pass 170 mph indicated coming through 7000 msl = 192 mph TAS. Not too bad for a C-model. But again, practice with your plane, and have someone else write the numbers down for you. Having the gages right in front of your passenger will make it easy for them to do, too. Welcome to the wonderful world of Mooneys!

Apparently there are three camps of Mooney flyers: 1) ROP; 2) LOP; 3) O-360s with carbureutors who don't worry about it. Management of your fuel-injected engine is different than my carbed one. Just look at how many hot-start procedures there are, while I have "normal" start and "cold" start [applies when the air is cold, not the engine, i.e., near or below freezing]. There are more C's than anything else . . .

There are some attractively-priced planes for sale on LASAR's website right now, too. CA isn't too far away for you. Almost makes me want to upgrade . . .

201er-- Don't get too lost in the numbers. Once the prop lever is full forward, your power control is the throttle. Yes, RPM will vary as it moves back and forth, but don't look at the tach to tell your power--look at the Manifold Pressure gage [mine MP is above the tach]. While all three levers are used in conjunction to set power, it is common to refer to MP/RPM for various flight regimes and to MP only when at low power such as power-off descents and landing. Fly with it for a while, spend some time with a good CFI, and it will start making sense. I had to have 15 hours when I transitioned from Brand C as a new pilot, and I learned for another year or more afterwards.

George-- Make that "if you are landing at an airport with high density altitude, you may not want full rich mixture." My one visit to KRAP [what an identifier!], seems like field elevation is about 3300, but that afternoon ATIS said density altitude was ~6500' and to adjust your engine mixture for high altitude operation per your POH. Worried me, coming in to land--my POH [er, "Owner's Manual"] doesn't high DA landings. . . . . Glad your numbers match mine so well, since we have the same model! :-)

It's really pretty simple: WOT/Prop Fwd for Takeoff & Climb. Lean as desired in the climb [target EGT] or stay full rich. Low cruise = 23/23; mid-alt cruise = 23 or 24"/2400; high cruise = WOT/2500 [your IO-360 will be different] Descent = trim down, no changes; enrichen mixture to maintain cruise EGT as you descend. This helps make up for high fuel flow/low groundspeed during the climb. If it's too bouncy, pull some power out. IFR Approach = your power settings for 90 knots [16"/2400, clean; add ~2" with T/O flaps for me]; Descent = drop gear 1½ dots above glideslope], no power changes. VFR Approach = reduce power to 14-16", hold level altitude to decelerate; by downwind, T/O flaps, Full Rich and Full Prop; adjust throttle to hold 90 mph. Drop gear to begin descent, then simply use pitch to hold speed and wiggle the throttle if needed to adjust altitude and hold the proper glide, add more flaps if high or fast. My placard warns about holding the red RPM range below 15", but sometimes I'm there to land because there are trees on the approach and the wind is always different. The key is to practice with your plane and learn YOUR power settings. Take someone to do the writing for you while you work the levers around the pattern, there's no time to write yourself. The power settings we are posting work for our individual planes, and should be viewed as guidelines. Then practice with your own numbers, and keep them for reference until you learn them well. If you are worried about running your prop in the restricted band from VFR downwind to touchdown, talk to your A&P--there is no risk to your engine at low power settings for 1 or 2 minutes, just don't cruise there. Your POH should have a slow cruise setting [mine is 20"/1950 for 138 mph at altitude, with almost 8 hours endurance; handling is a little different there].

When I'm in the pattern at an untowered field [like home], I put the prop & mixture full forward, slow to 90 mph, add T/O flaps, drop gear, and put the throttle wherever it needs to be to maintain the proper glide. I control speed and glide with the yoke and throttle, but don't really look at the gages way over on the right panel. Airspeed is in front of me, and I look mostly out the windshield or at A/S. Seems like 15" or so will hold 90 mph, TO flaps and a descent. Time is usually pretty short--90 seconds? Operation there is hardly "continuous" and unlikely to do anything; my field is short [3000'], so I'm can't power up to keep RPMs high if I want to actually land the plane.

I sent you a PM, and here is the thread I mentioned but didn't look for: http://www.mooneyspace.com/index.cfm?mainaction=posts&forumid=2&threadid=9 Lots of good information buried here!

I've never had a problem posting from Firefox. But I just got an iPad, and can't post using it--the keyboard just won't come up.

The easy way would be to scan the image from your POH, up in front that has the length, wingspan, wheel track, etc. You can then trim & edit to suit.

That's what I would call incentive to be as quick on the ground as you are in the air. Shut down, unload, walk into FBO, arrange passenger a ride across the field, and taxi back out ASAP. $7 avgas is just not friendly . . . Plenty of time for farewells on the flight down.

If it's too far to walk, the FBO may have a courtesy car. I have done both--walked at a small field with part-time tower [during tower operation], it was only a hundred yards or so. At a larger field, take either a shuttle van or courtesy car from the FBO. Use of their vehicle should be rewarded if there is no charge. Fuel purchase may negate any fee at all, but be prepared to pay an extra $1.50 per gallon minimum over what you are used to.