Hank

My stall horn sounds once every landing. Doesn't yours? Flare, buzz, chirp, chirp.

There's some good information in there. I like the part about the Limitations only apply if you intend to use the aircraft again. When it comes time to set it down right now, all that matters is getting to the ground right now and slowing down before impact.

Don't forget to pick a Mooney when you get your certificate! I had to wait almost 6 weeks while moving money around, preparing paperwork, shopping for insurance, etc. Gave me a chance to fly off the rest of the 10-hour prepaid bundle at the FBO.

Either one would be an awesome speed upgrade from your Cherokee, and would have no trouble carrying the three of you 600 nm or more. If you are interested, I know of an F in this area that is for sale. If you stick with Mooney, do not get a short body--stay with F or later. My C is a great 2-person travel machine. Either way, you will go further and faster. Talk to your insurance agent and see if there is any significant difference in premiums or transition training, I don't think there will be but you never know. In broad, general terms, Mooneys "feel" smaller on the inside due to the low seating position and the close panel. Actual numbers from your tape measure are very, very similar. You sit down in a Mooney, you sit up on a Bo, and of course the Bo feels bigger on the ramp because the landing gear legs are so much longer. With a Mooney, there are no pneumatic legs to have problems with, and parts used to be less expensive. Don't know about Debs, but Bo's can throw out the gear as a speed brake; I have to slow down before I drop the gear. My Mooney is a lot easier to manage on the ground with a push stick than my friends' Bo's just because of the larger size and weight. They both use gas tugs, I push mine by hand. Rummage around this site for lots of information.

Model & Year weren't in the old site, I don't think. They've been in my signature forever, and Location has under my avatar just as long. When did I join? Oct 2008? The only thing I've changes since then has been the picture a couple of times. Deal with it. Oh, yeah, my name is at the top and in my signature. Where is your name, fantom?

Boy am I glad that's all that "No Sex?" meant!

Wow! Bummer . . . Even my C has a useful load of 970 lb, or 656 with full fuel [5½ hours theoretical endurance]. Seems like a friendly discussion with the mechanic is in order, maybe with a cool, refreshing adult beverage or two. Get the scoop without upsetting him. I'm especially curious how he can calculate a new CG envelope rather than use the approved one in the TC and POH?

I found my Mooney 3 weeks before my PPL checkride, and had to ignore it to concentrate on flying. Then I bought it. Fresh low-time pilots with Zero Retract time are difficult to insure, even as named pilots. While there is nothing wrong with training in a Mooney, I would recommend getting to solo or beyond in the flight school rental. Learn to land on someone else's landing gear, not retractable gear that you have to maintain and repair. Then start blending flights in both airplanes, and finish up in the Mooney. Recognize in advance that this will take longer--more flying time, more instructor time, more months to get your certificate. The down market certainly makes buying a trainer less expensive, but then you will need to sell it to someone. "Buy your second airplane first" is a good approach, and it has worked well for me. George Perry has a great thread on this site from a couple of years ago about what to look for in a Vintage Mooney. It is lengthy and full of excellent advice. Use the "Search" box. The important part is to buy a well-maintained airplane, watch out for certain Mooney-specific problem areas and do not be in a hurry to find the right one. Best of luck to you! Please let us know how it goes for you, and if you have any questions.

How can you fly "on the step" if you cut it off???

Don't be superstitious, Squirrel--be cautious instead. "Fly as if your life depends on it, because it does." Luck, hope and wishes have no place in flight planning. It's certainly OK to check something out, but not without Plan B and Plan C mapped out and prepared for also. Don't mess with Mother Nature, like the old butter commercials used to say. "Not Flying Today" must always be an option, at least until you are flying a 737 for hire [but even they cancel for weather sometimes!].

I'm only 5-11, and I sit on a 2" wedge cushion for visibility over the nose during landing. There are three seat positions on my C, I fly in the middle one which fits nicely for rudder pedal control. My 5-3 wife sits on three regular chair cushions, and cannot reach the pedals. Headset clearance was never an issue. Now, though, I use Halos for greatly improved pilot comfort--no more headaches, no more sweaty ears in the summer, etc. It will give another inch of headroom if you are close. Note that my seatback has three positions, and I think I'm in the most upright of them. Everyone thinks they don't need a cushion to ride with me. Then they sit in the plane, look out front and change their mind. Every single person who has ever ridden with me uses at least one cushion, most people use two. Lots of headroom. My last BFR, the instructor sat on two cushions and pulled the seat all the way forward to reach the pedals. If you're overseas in Europe, search for EMPOA, the European branch of MAPA. Shouldn't be too hard to find one to sit in and test the fit. Don't believe most of what you hear from Brand B/C/P pilots about "cramped Mooney cockpits," that kind of stuff is what I put in the garden.

I'm a believer in MAPA, too. Just attended a refresher PPP on the 6th at Niagara Falls, so did not try to fly to the far reaches of Texas last week. They generally do a good job, and I haven't been a member long enough for the articles to feel like re-runs as some people complain. Having them on our side, updating the world about the factory, spreading ADs and SBs, getting the word out about upcoming changes and new technologies, is nice so that I don't have to pound the sidewalk and pour through innumberable web pages to get the information myself. The dues, in my mind, is money well spent.

Man, that sucks! Good luck with your search for a good replacement. One positive for electric gear: I store charts, plates and water bottles between the seats, and don't have mismatched arms. It's really not a bad experience. Just be careful with your headset cord after you do your first emergency extension, and be sure to fold the handle down before resetting the breaker. It was an experience I will never forget . . .

At the end of my Instrument checkride, the DPE said I should pursue a Commercial ticket, adding "you have the perfect plane for it." While we didn't stall, 45° steep spirals showed 1500-2000 fpm descents at cruise airspeed. Very stable and smooth. If she stalls cleanly, and you can handle accelerated stalls, you shouldn't have problems with the maneuvers.

Go, Rob! Must be the Johnson bar a d 201 cowl.

Land with Takeoff flaps? Rent travel boards and check for symmetrical flap deflection? Park on a level surface, extend full flaps and measure up from the ground for symmetrical deflection? Seems I've read of an adjustment screw somewhere. Are both flaps at the same position when UP? Lay a yardstick along the upper wing surface [front-to-back], it should be the same angle on both wings, check the gap between the yardstick and the sheet metal. Crawl underneath and repeat the yardstick--are both flaps up the same amount? If not, your A&P can adjust flaps to be the same. See Maint. Manual for adjustment method and proper set points.

Oscar-- Beautiful scenery! Nice flying, too. I'm not sure if your brakes were locked or not. May you, your family and friends manage the Fuego eruption with minimal disruption and loss. Hopefully it's not too close to your homes.

My C has distinct detents at all three positions. I think it is the older, non-rebuildable style. :-( Still no emoticons, but I can post with my Droid phone now. I'll be interested to see what happens.

I had the pleasure of driving a cop-car-turned-courtesy-vehicle somewhere in Illinois while waiting on weather to clear up. It ran, only made occasional strange noises, and had a permanent 10º list to port, even when parked empty. Since it had the airport logo painted on both sides [almost filling the front doors], I had to drive responsibly . . . . "Home of the Friendly People" didn't seem like a good logo to go racing around town! Ya'll have a good time, and eat some barbequed beef for me.

I love Wash-Wax All, use it everywhere but the windows. Red [degreaser] for the belly, Blue [regular] for the rest; Plexus for the windows. I buy white, all-cotton handtowels in bulk for the metal, and white, all-cotton washcloths for the windows. So far, so good. Use 'em til they are nasty and throw them out. Also use the washcloths with Mother's polish to keep the spinner shiny.

Guess I should have looked at the pictures, I responded inappropriately. Your yellow is pretty low--mine starts at 175 MPH, and even on normal descents I rarely indicate 170. Just some of the joys of having so many models. Typical 3000 msl, 23/2300, I'll indicate ~130 MPH.

We can all cherry-pick data to support any air/ground speed that we want. I have photos showing my C making 183 knots over the ground headed south to Charlotte once; when I was topping the hills between Greenville and Knoxville at 10K indicating roughly the same airspeed but groundspeed bottomed out at 68 knots, I did not take any pictures. Normal everday flights are better used for discussion. I went 1300+ nm west at an average of 127 knots, and returned at an average of 151 knots, including takeoffs, climbs, descents and landings. Don't ask me what my indicated speed was, or the groundspeed during cruise, I was too busy sightseeing and vacationing for three days in each direction. I typically indicate 125-130 knots at 6-9K, and groundspeed is whatever the wind makes it. Book values are 160-165 mph for my plane, so I'm happy. The guppy mouth closure and 201-windshield both help; I've been told the 3-blade on the nose hurts. Either way, I get where I'm going, I can see out the front, and my OAT sensor is not in the way.

Don't forget the improved visibility from inside the cockpit, since the 201 windshield goes several inches further up at the top. Lots of sheetmetal work to be done.

Stopping at KSAV: Sheltair. For fuel, KBNL, Barnwell, SC. KSAV --> KBNL = 68 nm, further than I remembered, more or less north. Expect 6-7 gallons for the trip. I thought the fuel prices were higher than the temperature at Savannah when I was there in June. Must have been 110-115º, sitting at the end of the runway waiting on an airliner to land on the crossing runway and taxi to the terminal before I was cleared to depart. How did I ever get through 2-a-day practice in high school???

There's only the one airport that I could find in Savannah, unless you consider Hilton Head to be "greater Savannah." There are four FBOs; I used Sheltair because I could see their big fuel sign. They took care of me, gave my wife directions to drive out and pick me up [she was already there on business], served good snacks, and gave us a ride to the plane when we left on their golf cart. They also drove [6-8 miles around the runways] to pick us up after I turned in my Avis rental car and brought us back to get in the plane. For fuel, I recommend Barnwell, SC if you are going north. It's about 20-25 minutes' flight, has a nice crew car with COLD air, and saved me over $2/gal since KSAV doesn't much want to sell nasty 100LL. If you have time, the folks at Sheltair also had a brand new LSA on floats that looked like lots of fun. Sadly, I had no time . . .