Hank

I love my C! The 430WAAS and both Brittain units are great. I've got the Accu-Trak and Accu-Flight, which is hooked to the 430. All I have to do is manage the altitude. It's hard to argue against the speed, efficiency and simplicity of our planes. If you have the need or burning desire to go faster, then upgrade wisely. More back seat room would be nice, but I don't need it very often, so I'm content with what I have. With almost 1000 lbs. useful load, it's much more common to fill up the space before maxing out the weight.

I don't have a horse in the turbo cooling race, but isn't TIT [Turbine Inlet Temperature] the engine exhaust? What Scott was alluding to is the actual temperature INSIDE the turbo, not at its inlet. Either way, I'm enjoying the simple life, just me and my carberuetor.

Quote: fantom I still don't believe they do "non-show" caravans at SnF. A step down, hanging with Beech boys, I'd say.

My MAPA Log just came. I think there's one this summer in Atlantic City.

Thanks again to the event organizers! GKT is a very nice airport, the museum is very new with great displays and a very friendly staff and airport dog. The fuel truck came by as I was arriving and promptly serviced fueled those requesting a discounted top-off. Well thought out and organized. From my point of view, it was a smashing success!

Leesh-- The best 'how to fly your Mooney" training that I have seen was at a MAPA PPP event [Pilot Proficiency Program]. You will do everything, in your plane, with an experienced instructor. If I recall, it was 20 hrs. Ground and 4 hrs. flight, in a 3-day weekend. Very beneficial as a newbie, and I'm about ready to go again for a refresher now that I am comfortable in the airplane.

Quote: Mitch There are some great photos on Facebook too under Mooniacs! What a perfect day you all had. Question please..........did SleepingSquirrel bring his wife along on the trip?

Boat = a hole in the water you fill with money. Airplane = really fast transportation, or really expensive sight-seeing. Can be combined into a single flight. Neither are cheap . . .

Hey, Squirrel. I just got my free copy of Trade-A-Plane, and someone has a BIG ad near the front advertising floats and skis, and even mentions retractables. Check it out! Your Mooney could be next.

Let's not go there again!! I've learned more than I ever wanted to know about the capacity and opening size of many different brand-name drinks, how to refill the once-empty beverage container in flight, and what to do with the bottle after landing . . . as well as how to not confuse it with the "good" bottle that is still being drunk from . . .

My C doesn't have one [1970], and my neighbor's 75 F doesn't either. I've read that Mooney recommended the removal, but don't recall why. Seems there was a discussion about it late last year on the Mooney Tech Board.

You're all making me feel better about my trip home from the beach at the end of July, when my groundspeed was 104 knots at 10,000 msl. Yes, I fly a mighty carberueted C-model!

I tried looking this event up in Facebook using the link provided above by retyping it into my cellphone [facebook is blocked here at work, only dial-up service is available at home, and I'm not a facebook user], and it could not find the event. What time should we plan to arrive? I think I will be able to figure out where to park. Is a schedule available for review with my wife? She said it sounds like fun, but is amazed that I would take her there "just for the day." Hope to meet everyone, and put some faces to the names!

I'd love to go, it's close and looks like LOTS of fun, but two pilots here are getting married that Saturday . . .

Quote: Barry Seniors 60 and over ... 8.50 REGULAR ADULTS ?? Geeee ... I wish I was still a "REGULAR ADULT" !!

Quote: Aviator4Life Thanks Hank, what is the business name in WV?

Dave-- I live at, and frequently fly to, uncontrolled fields. If I am clear to depart VFR, I'll go, and call up either the Class D across the river from home or whoever is listed as Departure to open up my IFR flight plan. So far, I've not needed to call and get a clearance do depart from an uncontrolled field, but I'm new at this game, too, and won't depart if I can't get back in VFR.

I forget their name, and I haven't used them, but there's an MSC near Lynchburg. Or you can come west to Huntington [KHTW] and let my well-trained mechanic do it for you. He has several Mooney's in his care, from C through J that I can think of.

I've never hangared my plane when travelling. Most places I've stopped are $10-$15 per night, waived with fuel purchase. I parked for a week at ROA due to weather and paid the monthly fee as it was cheaper. JGG is also cheaper to pay a month's tie down than four days, I think it was $50 when I visited for a week, ate lunch, fueled up and rented a car. There's a grass strip I visit at the beach that just lowered their rate from $10/day or $50/month to just $5/day or $25/month! Smooth grass, the lights now work, watch the trees at both ends and the power lines running through them to the sub-station beside the runway. But it's less than a mile to the Intra-Coastal Waterway, and sometimes the Marines are practicing following/tracking you from their helicopters as you go in and out.

Part of the fit problem is due to the handmade nature of our birds. As I understand it, even now the factory does not have robotic bending or welding jigs like you see at the auto factories. Someone cuts all of the sheet metal by hand, and even baggage doors are not interchangeable between planes. I had much trimming to do replacing just the nav light cover in my 201-style wingtip, about 1/2" at the rear corner slanting down to 1/8 at the front and rear curved edges. Then I had the pleasure of marking and drilling and countersinking the screwholes to match. At least no one will steal them to [not] fit their plane . . .

I usually land with Takeoff flaps anyway, even when VFR. To quote from my Owner's Manual: "Degree of flap deflection needed will vary according to landing conditions, but for most landings you should lower flaps about half way just prior to turning on to base leg. Extend flaps as required on final approach to adjust for variations in wind, glide angle, and other variables. BEFORE-LANDING CHECK 1. Seat Belts--FASTENED. 2. Fuel Selector Handle--SET for fuller tank. 3. Electric Fuel Pump--ON. 4. Mixture Control--FULL RICH 5. Carburetor Heat--FULL ON. 6. Airspeed--REDUCE to 120 MPH. 7. Propeller--FULL INCREASE. 8. Landing Gear--DOWN and LOCKED; green annunciator light on. 9. Flaps--As required. 10. Trim--As required. Most times I don't even look to see where the flaps are, I just push the switch to raise them when I'm comfortable on the rollout. And since I reset the trim prior to takeoff, I usually ignore where that indicator is, too, but I do notice that it is often very near the Takeoff mark when I'm doing the run-up. [P.S.--my home field is 3000', with nice, tall trees at both ends. No problem getting down with Takeoff flaps. I frequently take off with no flaps, too, but that's just input from two Mooney instructors.] I move flaps and trim, and sometime the throttle, as required to put the plane where I want it. Following a glideslope, though, I usually do at Approach flaps, and find the slippery Mooney descends well if I drop the gear with the needle a dot-and-a-half above center--that will usually bring me down right on the glideslope if I don't muck up anything else. Missed approaches require full power and lots of forward yoke, sometimes with both hands, until I've established and verified positive climb, raised gear and flaps, and then start cranking on the trim wheel. Makes me glad that I'm not in one of the new fire-breathers! Touch-n-goes on long fields [5000+] give me time to get the flaps up [i rarely slow even to 50 mph], and I adjust the trim during the climbout anyway, to hold the desired pitch. We do have the perfect planes for instrument work. Fly safety pilot for someone in a Skyhawk, or fly a practice approach in one. There is so little to do, and so much time to do it in, it's almost boring. My plane rides better and handles crosswinds so much nicer! The whole key is practice, and I really need to go practice some more approaches real soon. It's been a long, nasty winter, and I can feel myself getting rusty. The real challenge to IFR flying, in my very limited experience, is getting/keeping a good scan, and staying sharp. Don't fly any approaches for a few months, then go out and do 3 or 4 at different, nearby airports--it's like being a student again, hot and sweaty even in the winter . . . .

Yep. The center eagle is great. It's visible in my avatar, head towards the rear on both sides of the tail. Brian's image is the same in my avatar. Right now, I'm working on carving one out of a piece of scrap mahogany.

My 1970 Owner's Manual has the first one on the cover, but the middle one is painted on my tail [2 owners ago, in the 90's].

Just wait for your first bit of spatial disorientation! Whheeeee!!! It's a quick trip down, but fortunately I caught it just after exiting the clouds, and climbed back as required. Only happened the one time, on an early training flight. Seems I was turning right to capture an airway, at cruise power. I have not yet had a problem with descents in the almost-a-year since getting my IA. Even during heavy training, being down to 90 knots [105 mph] with Approach flaps by the IAF made all the difference. I have not noticed a huge difference in vertical speed by going to full flaps; dropping the gear seems to do more, and pulling the throttle back does the most.

Just measure the screws you want to replace, and order a bag of 100 from Spruce. If memory serves, there is mostly one size on my one-piece belly, except for some little ones behind the front wheel, and a different size for the wing panels. Some go into struts, some tinnermans. I bought two sizes of SS screws [100 ea], and the smallest bag of tinnermans that they carry, in time for the '09 annual. Ran about $50. Any screw I don't like on removal is thrown away. At re-install, I start at one end and put screws in about every fourth or fifth hole, alternating sides the ful length. Use a small pick to get everything lined up for the screw. Then I remove the support, run these screws about halfway in, put in the rest about halfway. Run every 3rd or 4th one until it touches, alternating sides, then touch all of them. Then alternate again snugging them up, then finish snugging. Don't forget to recheck, as I've found one of the 52 belly screws sometimes gets missed . . . Panels are similar but much easier. With the tinnermans, the pick is even more important. Work the star pattern like on your tires, there's just more screws. Start, seat, snug, check. Do I want Bill Wheat's new one-piece belly with cam-locks? You bet! Am I prepared to pay 3 AMU's plus crating, shipping and install labor on the cam lock kit? Not any time soon . . . But I'm getting faster removing and replacing the belly, and I use a simply Craftsman replacable tip screwdriver, with a standard #2 Phillips on standby for the stubborn ones. It's a good forrearm workout, but at least I'm not doing it in July any more!