Hank

My home field, where I did my initial training and staged from for Instrument training, is 3000' long with tall trees at both ends. Last night I visited a nearby 2000' grass strip, landing on 2 through a slot in the trees, rolled out and departed on 20 through the same slot. I was solo and very light on fuel, so I flew 80 mph final, pulled the throttle above the treetops and came over the hurricane fencing barely past the end of the runway at 70 mph. Had no trouble floating or touching down gently, and required power to reach the "far" end to turn around. [At home, I fly 85 mph on final and cross the road at 75 mph, because 3000' of runway is not short.] So maybe your fears about the correct speed and accidental stalls are overblown? Of my 610 hours, 524 are in my Mooney, and my primary CFI took me to the grass strip before my initial checkride, so I'm familiar with short and obstructed. AOA would be beneficial to me during high DA, but I've really only experienced that on one multi-day trip, landing at KRAP when ATIS was broadcasting DA of 6600' once, continuing to KCOD the next day landing before noon. Who knows when my next trip will be, that one was back in 2008 with almost 200 hours in my logbook. My Stormscope, on the other hand, comes in handy every time I am in IMC.

Me, too. Must be a C-model thing. The Stormscope provides real-time information not otherwise available, and helps avoid embedded T-cells when flying along enroute IMC. It also gives advance notice that I may want to change course or land short; unlike XM, it is real-time without the variable 5-20 minute delay. Your use of statistics is very unmathematical: Because according to 2009 stats thunderstorms accounted for 6 fatal accidents, stalls accounted for 110 fatal accidents. That leads me to believe that an AOA is 18 times a better investment than a stormscope? Thunderstorms account for few fatalities because we have many ways to find out if they are in the area. I've avoided many by staying below the deck and aiming behind them. Some I've been vectored away from by ATC. Some show up on the stormscope. When the forecast is really ugly, I don't fly. Thus thunderstorm exposure is minimal, but there is no way to count how often it occurs without causing fatalities. It seems that many of the stall accidents are due to pilot inattention. Adding another instrument won't make the pilot look at it. Sometimes pilots are looking at other things--like a Mooney pilot who took off VFR and cut [too] sharply to avoid a fog bank at the far end of the runway, ending up inside a building, on fire. Distraction, [poor] judgement and [bad] decision making were the causes of the accident, which led directly to the stall, and AOA won't prevent things like this. Part of the resistance to AOA is the instrumentation itself. No, I don't much fancy having 16 LEDs added to my panel. No, there's no room in my panel to put anything, but I'm going to have to add ADSB capability somewhere, somehow. Oh, how qaccurately the AOA works is very dependent upon: 1) tricks of installation that are model AND airframe specific; 2) tricks of instrument calibration that are model AND airframe specific. Iron out these details and the level of resistance will decrease. Some people just don't like change, whether it's for the better or not--facts of human nature. Don't even mention cutting holes in my wing and adding probes, wires, tubes, etc! How far out on the wing does it need to be to avoid propwash? Will location be affected by changing propellers, as when people upgrade to Top Props, 3-blades, Scimitars, etc.? Or do they get to patch the previous AOA proble hole, cut new holes, run new wires & tubing and re-calibrate? etc., etc.

John-- Shouldn't you side-step to the right so you can keep an eye on the runway and watch the other traffic? I've been cleared to depart after someone else has been cleared to land. That's when a look up final approach is priceless. GA on 2-mile final is plenty, but more distance is required if it's a Boeing/Airbus coming in. But I go infrequently to controlled fields . . .

Not sure about the thread, but I recommend Wash-Wax-All. Works great, can do it in the hangar without a hose or floor drain, and it makes bug removal fast and easy. Visit www.washwaxall.com, I think. Blue is for everything, Red works well if the belly gets nasty.

I would love a smaller set of plans, sized around a .40-.48 engine. The seven-foot wing on this one is just too large for easy transport.

When closing the door, hold it hard but don't slam it. Push the handle forward and down, mine will hesitate then move the last half-inch home with an audible click. Otherwise it will pop open.

The first quart at about 20 hours, gradually more often, the last usually around 40 then change at 50. Now around 650 hours on Signature overhaul in 2003. Gotta love the O-360!

That's probably a good start, though. Are there any good ways around the calibration issues that Bennett discussed? does it vary by aircraft model or airframe, or does it depend on the actual installation? The last thing I would want is an inaccurate readout backing up the approximation I already get from the ASI.

Flying at MCA with the horn squalling was required when working on my PPL, and has also been required when attending the MAPA PPP. She flies well that way, I just don't appreciate the control feel. On the other hand, if the stall horn goes off as you are in the base-to-final turn, you may be toast. Thus the perceived need for AOA. Good procedure, however, will prevent that from happening. My max weight variation [gross - (empty + me + 10 gals)] is about 25% of gross, giving a non-quantified change in Vso. [back in 1970, there was no "POH," and data on many things included in more modern POH's is scarce.] So I don't bank steeply in the pattern, I don't cross-control except when intentionally slipping in straight flight, and I don't worry about cutting turns tight because that requires steep banks and/or crossed controls. Combining threads here, I rarely use the PC-disconnect thumb button in the pattern, the additional heaviness is a good reminder to make shallow banks. Reading Bennett's post above, AOA may not be ready for wide implementation in the GA fleet,either.

Huh. My initial CFI taught me to not bank steeply in the pattern, to not bank steeper if I overshoot on base, and to just maintain my bank angle and fly the plane back to the correct final. On my rare visits to places with parallel runways, I've never been that far off-center--there's no room at home, I'd be inside the ridgeline. If I'm too wide to fly back, throttle in and go around. AOA removes the doubt about just what a good speed is on final to a short field. The only short field I frequent is 2000' grass, and I never go there heavy; they don't sell fuel, so I don't worry about trying to leave heavy. Two people and 30-40 gals is my personal limit. Just how slow can I get? 75 mph - 5 mph per 300 lbs under gross is what? Oh, yeah, there's a twitchy crosswind that will go away as I enter the slot carved through the trees. Quick, Mr. No-Physics-Dentist, how fast should I be? Half flaps, gear down, stall at gross is 57 mph per the book. I'm 15 gal [90 lbs] below full, and am alone. 1.3 Vso = 74 mph at gross. I can't overshoot the base-to-final turn, there's a ridgeline ~200 yards away, parallel to the runway which sits behind a row of trees along the riverbank. If I land short, I'm either on the soccer fields or the parking lot for the soccer moms; if I land long, there's a gravel pile for the cement plant. What's the correct airspeed for me to fly? THAT's what an Angle of Attack readout will give you. It tells you if you have a margin of safety between your speed right now and stall. Just like your ASI needle, the AOA needle moves, so if it is moving downward too close to the stall mark, lower the nose. If lowering the nose puts you below the desired glide path, add power just like always. If you're high and have a good cushion, slow down some. At least, that's my interpretation of it all. An AOA can be beneficial, but I've never flown a plane that had one. Fly right, don't get in a tight spot, and for sure never try to steepen a turn or cross-control to make final, and you really won't need one. The place where an AOA gage is needed is in aircraft whose landing weight varies significantly, like when the fuel load at departure is more than the empty weight of the airframe, or in military aircraft that will be expelling ordinance and burning tons of fuel per hour. Can AOA help GA? Sure. Is AOA necessary for GA? No. Can AOA help you out of a tight spot? Sure. So can a go around for a second try. I'm not too proud to go around, I did one on my initial solo in front of family and friends; I've gone around visiting new airports, too. Going around is not shameful, and is not a mark of poor piloting but rather bood ADM [i.e., this approach isn't good, lets go make one that will be easy to land]. In the meantime, Chuck has clearly nailed the options. Thanks, Chuck!

Congratulations, Bobby! You'll really enjoy the plane. It's a great traveling machine, a steady IFR platform, and according to my DPE, "the perfect plane to work on your Commercial cert" which I haven't done. I encourage you to check out the Mooney Aircraft Pilot's Assocation [www.mooneypilots.com ]; their website isn't the best, but there are some good articles there about how to configure your Mooney--look for M20C, as they have several different model reports. They also offer training [PPP = Pilot Proficiency Program] in various locations around the country every year. My first PPP was a month after I finished transition training and insurance dual instruction, and I found it very valuable. Fly safe!

The Cessna 310 here can't be had for $348/hour . . . but then again, it has upgraded engines, 300 hp each. Kind of took my desire for MEL away when fuel went up and took rental prices with it.

You and me both! Durn digital tapes are too distracting, and then it comes up between numbers and tries to put both of them inside the little highlighted box. Color me "not interested," although the data record would be nice to have for review sometimes, it's just not something I want to look at and deal with every day. Also, I don't often adjust my friction lock, I just keep it tight enough for things to not move on their own, but loose enough that I can make them move. Worked well for over five years . . . Now I just check it periodically and adjust as needed.

I've had the throttle and prop levers move during cruise. On the quadrant, the friction lock knob is over on the right side, out of view. After it moved and gave me an extra 100 RPMs the one time, I now periodically check the gages after setting power and if anything has moved, I reset it and adjust the friction lock.

My plane began turning left. After checking the other three servos (two in the ELT compartment, and the right wing), it turned out to be a torn boot on the left wing servo. At least I know the two for the tail are good, and I rewrapped the right servo. Wing servos are behind the inspection panel at the inboard end of each aileron, but you will need small hands and stubby wrenches to get the single screw out of the back of the servo. Google Brittain Industries, Tulsa, OK, an d call them. It is simple to rewrap, they will tell you what you need and how to do it. If it's torn, they will fix it quickly and inexpensively. Last December it took about two weeks including shipping, and their charge was about $125 to fix my left wing servo. Good luck with your repairs. It's really nice to fly straight again!

Rapid City, enroute to Yellowstone with my wife and mucho luggage. Winds were 50 degrees left of the runway, 20G28. I had almost 200 hours, VFR, with > 100 in my Mooney. Went to CRW during Instrument training, landed on 23 several times. Winds were 250@12G17, 200V310. Made for a fun ILS, especially when I sped up to 130 mph for the Lear behind me. Practice how you're gonna fly, cause what you will land in doesn't always match the forecast. I don't have absolute limits, it depends upon the location and direction relative to the runway.

I have the Ashlight from Spruce--works very well, the AAA batteries last a long time. It's great for doing things before engine start in the evening, and has enough light to review a paper approach plate. I used it a lot during Instrument training. I'm also curious about wrapping my yokes without covering the clock, and may as well do the center post too, and fully combine two threads.

The Mooney feels tighter because the panel is closer to you, and the legroom is mostly in front of the seat, sports car style vs. SUV seating position. The controls feel heavy because there are pushrods to the control surfaces, not braided cables and pulleys. The time will come when you will be glad to have the pushrods (or you will wish you did). Listen to the Rocket & Missile owners here about actual performance, engine management and fuel flow--they aren't trying to sell anything.

Nah, just buy Parker's 252/Encore. It's Maxwell-approved!

Me, too, especially roasted with some gravy and potatoes. They're too little to bother grilling.

enquiring minds want to know . . . .

It's about the number of posts you make. Newbies are new with few posts; Won't Leave means I've made a lot (I won't leave the site); others are in-between. Never seen an official list, just watched mine change over time. It's all just in fun, maybe it gives credence to advice from a Won't Leave that a Newbie won't get, even with years more Mooney experience. Cause how do the readers know?

No, Newbie, you're a Junior Member now!

M20-C's are good 3-person machines; four adults are okay for short flights [1½-2 hours duration] only. Legroom depends on the front seat position; I fly in the middle notch, but unlike in my Honda, I don't scoot the seat further forward when flying. Four burly guys will also require less than full tanks--my one trip that way was limited to 34 gallons, or 4 hours' worth [3 hours + 1 hour reserve]. Fortunately our destination was just under 2 hours away, and I carefully refilled to 17 gallons per side to go back. Can a 172 with four guys actually have useful load left for fuel? Memory says that my initial CFI told me many times that the Skyhawk has 4 seatbelts but won't fly with 4 adults. Another thing: loading baggage into the Mooney is a higher lift, but it's like loading the trunk of your car [although smaller]. Stack stuff right up to the ceiling, then load the back seat if nobody is sitting there. With a Cessna, the door is down low, and it's quite difficult to stack very high unless you crawl in with each bag and throw over the back seat. It all boils down to your mission requirements. How do you plan to load the plane, how often, and how far will you fly it?

It's now mid-May. To file legally, your logged holds, approaches, etc., must be in the six months before May, which are April, March, February, January, December and November. If so, you're good until at least the 31st.