Hank

After landing, my trim is often very near where I position it for takeoff. Light, touching the top of the "Takeoff" mark; heavy, lined up properly. But then again, I rarely make full-flap landings.

That's a big AFFIRMATIVE on the insurance! My checkride was at the end of April, and my insurance renewed in July. With 300 Mooney hours [out of 375], adding on the IR dropped my rates 25%! I plan to invest the difference in avgas, making trips that I used to cancel. Missing the family reunion last year was the final straw, and this year it was not a problem. Even managed to log some actual on the way back.

Congrats on the successful checkride! Mine was back on 30 April. Now comes the fun part--logging some actual on your own. Our planes are EXCELLENT instrument platforms. Despite my earnest pleas, my wife never went along with my CFII, so her introduction was in the soup dodging T-storms. She doesn't like lightning on the ground, and the Stormscope never showed anything within 40 miles, but in-and-out of the clouds, the flashes were visible. Try to have a gentle introduction to actual for your frequent passengers, if possible. Hope you do well, and your passengers aren't alarmed and stay quiet so you can concentrate. The IR is a REAL license to learn! Fly safe!!

Make your measurements [mine are at 2-gallon intervals] using the paint stir-stick and a marker. Then buy either a plastic tube or a "real" fuel dipstick and transfer the marks with an engraver, Dremel tool or the like. They won't ever fade away . . .

Alun-- Thought this might bring a smile while you are down for repairs. Saw this store on a recent trip to Savannah, GA. For some reason, it reminded me of you . . . Cheers! And may you be back in the air quickly, inexpensively and above all, correctly.

KHTW is $4.50, in even-further-south Ohio, across the river from Huntington, WV.

I just use a dab of Mother's Polish from the auto section of my local big-box store. Two-fingers' pressure on an old washcloth, another to wipe it clean, takes ~30 minutes to do the whole spinner. Really makes it shine! Touch-ups from bugs and the occasional bird splat on the ramp are quick and easy. No drill, no $30 pads, just a $5 tub of goo and an old rag.

The gear horn and stall hornin my '70-C are both in the headliner near the overhead lamps.

I still wear the thin Omega I bought instead of a ring when I graduated from college. Keeps great time and is on the 5th or 6th battery in 22 years. Stainless steel looks good with everything, and the gold highlights are nice when dressy. Thought I wanted sub-dials, but am now glad I don't have them. When flying, I always look at it before takeoff, to set the clock in the yoke right after I wind it. Then I move the little red hands to match the time, and I always know how long the engine has been running. For timing approaches, if it's either a long one or an awkward number or starting time, the transponder has a really nice timer built in. If power craps out [bTDT], the yoke clock keeps right on ticking. Yes, WIND/SET CLOCK is on my Pre-Takeoff checklist. Works for me. Don't know what I'll do when my Omega gives up the ghost.

The POH for my C-model shows 230 fpm at 18,000 at a load approx. equal to 2 people, full fuel and some supplies. At that same load, I've been to 15,000 but OAT was 59ºF vs. standard temp of about 8ºF; if I did the math correctly, 15,000 indicated that day was 18,750 DA. Climb was somewhat anemic [100-200 fpm], peak EGT was easy to find [power dropped off sharply], and the plane manuevered crisply [quite a surprise!]. Climbing was done in a continuous right circle, with a CFII/A&P in the right seat. He seemed pleased with the engine performance and climb rate, and yes, we leaned in the climb. No LOP, though, even after leveling off. [it's a C, with a carb.] I would expect your J to climb better, with more power available and better fuel distribution. Just don't be in a hurry, and remember to calculate DA and not rely just on your altimeter, especially this time of year. The higher you go, the greater the difference can become. I tried to keep the climb speed near POH numbers, but (100 mph indicated) - (Altitude in thousands) only applies to 10,000', then it continues to drop down to just 80 mph indicated. And yes, 2% per 1000' loss of indicated airspeed makes 80 IAS = 104 TAS, but it sure does FEEL slow!

Jim's placard looks quite similar to what I remember seeing in my 1970 C-model. We're getting rain all day with thundershowers this afternoon, but I can take a look tomorrow, just let me know.

Calm down! This is a repair to the REAR SPAR!! The REAR SPAR is where the flaps attach. It is NOT the main wing spar, and is NOT the "heart of the plane." Like a properly repaired gear up, this would not disqualify the plane in my opinion. The logs should have enough history and detail to determine if the repair was properly done, at least when reviewed by a knowledgable mechanic. If he can't tell, then he surely will on the pre-buy. A greater concern to my mind is 130 hours in nine years . . . she spent a LOT of time sitting, which can lead to lots of engine trouble. Rust, corrosion, dry-rot in hoses--be sure to get a borescope inspection. That's a waving red flag saying "check me out." I do not see any "STAY AWAY" flags on this plane. All the more reason to get a thorough pre-buy inspection. Then you will know what shape the plane is in, what needs to be done, and you can agree on an accurate price.

Contact the Vintage Mooney Group, they have document sources that they can share with you.

I second the motion to attend Jerry's class. Be well rested, though--my head was ready to explode by the end of the day, and I am very glad to have the notebook to refer back to. Lots and lots and LOTS of good, useful information, some great nuggets and general "things to watch for." GO TO CLASS. GO DIRECTLY TO CLASS. DO NOT PASS "GO." DO NOT COLLECT $200. PAY JERRY $200 INSTEAD.

Contact Clyde Whittenbrook in Barnesville, OH. He's the best Mooney mechanic around, been working on them since Al Mooney finished his first drawing. He may know someone in your area. Congrats on the purchase! I bought my C-model 6 weeks after gettin my PPL in Cessnas. Study your POH, and I strongly suggest making your own checklists. If nothing else, it will force you to go through everything closely several times. The important parts are speed control and descent planning. Have lots of fun in the process!

I built my own checklist from the POH for my C-model. Then I went looking online for some emergency procedures, since my "Emergency" section is two pages, front and back of a single sheet. Half of one side is dedicated to emergency gear extension, and for in-flight fire it says to Close Cabin Heat. Nothing else, just close the heat vent. . . Good luck with your checklist. The nice thing about making your own is that you can rearrange things so that they make sense to you, especially with the pre-flight, taxiing and before takeoff portions. Then you get to mix in the upgrades installed. Word has a nice booklet format buried in one of the layout menus that will print the pages so that they can be stacked and stapled. I use landscape orientation, booklet format, then laminated them with the sticky kind, not the hot lamination that is hard, and the whole thing lives on my kneeboard. Half a sheet of paper is a good size.

Before I bought the plane, my current partner just typed it all into Word, and set it for reverse printing [white text on black background], printed it off and glued it to the panel. Even managed to get "Mooney Ranger" looking good in fancy script, similar to the original placard. I think this was done when the 430 and intercom were installed, a while back now. Just make sure to get the correct verbiage and numbers, some of which may change from updated equipment installation.

This will work for all placards in the cockpit. I do have a placard saying something to the effect of at or below 15" MP, no prolonged running between 1950 and 2350 rpm. There's a lengthy one about operating as a normal category airplane complete with references to POH and G-load limits, one about not running strobes near other planes, and one up top by the panel rheostat that I can't find a legible photo of. Got to have them all! Plus, of course, the one about the GPS being approved for non-precision approaches. [Never mind that they are much more accurate than the "precision" ILS approach . . . ]

You can get the exact verbiage and limiting numbers from the Maintenance Manual, and make them yourself/have them made to fit your panel.

I have one of each, and I have to agree. But there are fewer maintenance squawks on the Mooney. Both have quite similar seating positions, but the Mooney has more headroom, and is, of course, faster. Mechanics hate working on both of them, as there is little extra room for hands, arms, etc. There's just something about them both . . .

I love my Accu-Trak, but mainly fly with just the heading bug. One is Accu-Trak, one is Accu-Flite, and I never can remember which is which. The autopilot is interfaced with my 430W, and will fly the full approach as long as I control altitude. Don't want to upset the guys in the tower by overflying the field at IAF altitude.

Rob-- My 1970 POH says this on p.3-12: Before applying power for takeoff, quickly recheck for: 1. Propeller--FULL INCREASE. 2. Trim Indicator--TAKEOFF. 3. Flap Indicator--TAKEOFF or as desired. 4. Fuel Selector Handle--FULLER TANK. I usually desire FLAPS UP, unless I am heavy. For crosswind, I simply accelerate a little faster and pop off the ground [p. 3-13]: When making a cross-wind takeoff, hold the nose wheel on the runway longer and accelerate to a higher speed than normal. Pull up abruptly to avoid contact with the runway while drifting. When clear of the ground, make a coordinated turn into the wind to correct for drift. My instructor at the MAPA PPP suggested putting the trim a little above Takeoff, so I spin the trim wheel so that the bottom of the nice, wide white stripe is touching the Takeoff line. For landing, I also follow my POH [p.3-23}: BEFORE LANDING CHECKLIST 9. Flaps--As required. 10. Trim--As required. LANDING To allow for a safe margin above stall speed throughout approach, hold airspeed above 90 MPH until the flaps are lowered. 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. On final, trim the aircraft to fly hands-off at an approach speed of about 80 MPH. Yes, this runs counter to what many people here and on the MAPA boards say about make every landing with full flaps. All I can say is that this is taken directly from my POH--check your own and see what it says. YMMV and all that, too, but it works very well for me. Two Mooney CFI's agree--the one who transitioned me, and the MAPA PPP instructor who flies a 69 C-model. I did not delve into this in the original post because he was asking about crosswind takeoffs in a long-body, and we KNOW those handle differently. On my Instrument checkride, the wind was almost 90º to the runway and gusting into the mid-teens, and I just held her on the ground to a little above 75 and popped quickly into the air, making a comment as I passed 70 about "a little faster for the crosswind" and the DPE was fine with it. It's all part of the beauty of being PIC. When you're in command, you get to fly the plane your way.

All of my takeoffs are no-flap, unless I'm loaded heavy. Home is 3001' with trees at each end, high enough that we have no approaches. Night landings are fun, since they obscure the runway end lights until short final. No flap departures, Takeoff flap landings, adjust flaps on final as needed.

Thank you for creating and posting your spreadsheet. I've been trying to do that for the last three years, but haven't gotten past accumulating huge stacks of receipts . . . Partly from lack of motivation, partly because I don't really want to know exactly how much I've been spending. I do look forward to my insurance renewal this year, to see just how much my new Instrument Rating will reduce it. Will insuring just me for the plane ever drop to just the cost of insuring my wife and I together on three cars??? One thing I've never understood is why people include hangars, insurance and annuals when they calculate "operating cost." Yes, you have to pay them, but they are fixed costs of ownership. If you flew zero hours, these costs must be paid, and then your "operating cost" change from zero [you didn't fly, so you spent nothing going anywhere] to infinite. Your spreadsheet shows an increase of over 50% i n operating costs because you didn't fly as much as you thought you would, but the increase is simply dividing your fixed [non-operating] costs by fewer hours. Your actual operational expenses are lower if your operating time drops. To me, "operating costs" are what I pay to operate my plane--fuel, oil, tires, overnight fees when away from home, repairs when things break, etc. My hangar or tie down must be paid regardless of whether I fly the plane zero hours or ten hours a day every day. Does the fact that I flew less in May [~2 hours] than in April [~15 hours] mean that my hourly costs in May were higher? No, they were the same, and I actually spent less dollars in May, which proves the operating cost didn't increase. You are to be commended, though, for posting your actual expenses, as it is informative to other pilots for comparison, and to prospective owners to realize the full cost of ownership. I just disagree with the classification of every dollar spent on the airplane going into operational expense.

Be sure to practice your manual extension, and reread that section of the POH from time to time. I had an electrical failure and had to do a manual extension while training with my CFII. Having just re-read this a few days prior, it was fresh in my mind, and I handed over the book AFTER completing lowering the gear so the II could make sure it was correct. Your procedures are a little different from mine, but know your plane and its systems.