Hank

I lean my C on the ground at large airports and when waiting in line. Don't rightly know where the engine idles by itself, I keep it at 1000 RPM, which does take some forward movement of the throttle. Landing is, of course, done with the throttle all the way out, but I don't take the time to look at the tach, I'm usually watching the runway. Target EGT means take off full throttle, full RPM, full rich [just like always] as close to sea level as possible on a day as close to 59ºF as you can get. Observe the EGT, record the number. For all other takeoffs, lean during the climb to maintain that EGT number all the way to cruise altitude. In my plane, that's about 1250-1300ºF. In the summer, I keep it rich longer, with an eye on CHT and Oil Temps. In the winter, extra power and extra lift give extraordinary climb rates. Single-digit preflights are not fun, but the VSI really moves going over the trees! Yes, the engine does "burble" with the throttle all the way out on short final, and yes, I do push in some throttle to maintain taxi speed and ~1000 RPM after landing. If I'm taxiing several thousand feet, the red lever comes back about halfway [i never notice any change in speed, RPM, sound or EGT, but figure I need to leave it SOME fuel . . . ]. My first trip after getting my PPL, I landed on the second stripe [8000' available], and exited at the first turn--the tower advised me that the FBO was 6000' away. Since then, I've always paid attention to airport diagrams and locating my parking spot; then I adjust the landing to minimize that kind of taxi, since I'm not comfortable taxiing with the ASI pointing to numbers.

Quote: MATTS875 Hello, quick question.. after start up and all gauges are reading in the green , are you suppose to lean the mixture back?My hanger is a little ways from the runway to do the run up at and did not know if I left the mixture at full rich if it would foul the plugs before run up.Because I am new to this airplane it takes me a little longer going down the checklist.Thanks for any input

Quote: 201er If we all weren't scared of heights, we wouldn't be pilots... we'd be sky divers (what we normally call meat rockets)!

Quote: jetdriven

Don't have one, but I've seen cut-to-fit models at Sporty's and Spruce.

Similar fuel bill . . . more speed . . . MX-20 . . . interior space . . . Looks good, sounds good, will BE good for some lucky pilot!

But you get there so much faster, and get to go above much of the weather that I slog through slowly . . . So what if your fuel bill is over twice mine? Didn't you buy a Mooney to go fast ? My two-leg flight last week was planned at 743 nm, and only had minimal ATC vectors; took me 2:20 + 3:30 = 5:50 to get there, and ~55 gallons in my 52-gallon tanks [i'm guessing at what was left]. Feeling better now?

Gary, your J sure has a lot of knobs and dials . . . . . . but a smile like hers is worth it. boy, gotta watch that mouse button--it posted once for each word in the original message!

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Jeff-- What does Higher Graphics print the placards on? Paper? The industrial solution I found would work for your tweed locations right out of the envelope with the peel-and-stick adhesive. Die cutting to size is available, but I was trying to go quick-and-cheap. I just don't want another one there by my knee that will look grungy after two or three more summers.

Urs-- I use the charts in the Owner's Manual to determine exact settings, but from memory these are typical: 3000 msl 23"/2300 5-6000' 22"/2400 >~7500' WOT/2500 NOTE: WOT means leave it full forward after climb to accelerate, then pull back just enough to make the needle move. This is supposed to create turbulence for improved fuel atomization and more even distribution. I'm typically 50º ROP, but at 9000' and above I run close to peak. The MAPA PPP notebook give the 'critical number' for our engines to be 46. [Critical Number = MP + RPM] This should yield ~65% power; for variations, ± 3 = ± 10%. In my case, 20" + 25 [for '2500'] = 45, less than critical so leaning is easier. NOTE: these numbers are from memory, but they sound right.

Quote: Urs_Wildermuth Empty weight is 1685 lb. I start wondering, if that is much higher than yours? 100 lb is a huge difference. I wonder where this comes from, if it is so different?

Quote: ToddDPT Thanks txbyker! I just ordered it and it will be here this Thursday.

Wow, your C is loaded! My full-fuel payload is 658 lbs., or 670 if I leave expansion room in the tanks [all the time except for long trips]. My legs rarely exceed 4 hours, and are typically 7500-10,000 msl. I'm getting a full strip/reseal right now; bladders may last longer but are considerably more expensive. If my reseal lasts only half of the 41 years it just went, that will be in line with reported bladder life. I'm crossing my fingers and knocking on wood anyway.

Thanks, Jim. That looks like it will take all the work out of it. I'll be itnerested to see if they are more durable than what came in my plane.

My placard for manual gear operation is in need of replacement due to excessive sweat stains from my left knee. [it's not my fault, really--IFR training does that to everyone!] I've found a good source to make permanent, custom replacements, so I thought I would just do everything in the cockpit. Took lots of photos, with my pocket scale for size reference. Turns out their smallest size is 40 in2 that fit into an 11 x 17 area; next is 80 in2 that fit into the 11 x 17 area. My thoughts are to arrange everything into a nice rectangular format, have them printed on the back side of a plastic overlay [it's industrial quality, designed to be machine faceplate labels for switches, buttons, etc.] and cut them apart myself. Their smallest quantity in the 'prototype' program is ten [10] sheets. Does anybody want in? I think this is legal under 'Owner Maintenance' and the FAA's guidance on owner-sourcing parts for vintage aircraft, and my 1970 model is undisputably over their 30-year-old age requirement. No, I am NOT selling parts, I am offering to share cost since I have to purchase multiples. See below for my gear placard photo. Since I'm trying to fill the printing are, I'll do breaker labels, too. Mine are: 430 GPS, COMM 2, XPDR, STORM SCOPE,NAV 2 AUDIO PANEL,TURN CORD GAUG & VAC, AUX BUS, ALTERNATOR, AUTOPILOT,GEAR CTRL CIG & IGN, STALL WARN, GEAR WARN, INSTR & RADIO LIGHTS, INSTR & CLUSTER LTS, FLAPS & DOME LTS, ALT FIELD, GEAR ACTUATOR. Plus little stuff like the baggage load limit, ELT instructions, Cabin Heat & Vent, etc. PM me if you are interested. Pricing for 10 prototype sheets starts at $200, but they may charge more since I won't be following up with a "real" order. We can fine-tune what else to add before ordering, anything that will fit into their size requirements.

Nah, that's my new Whelen LED belly strobe! It replaced the old, MUCH larger Whelen high-intensity light. Should be good for a pound or two's worth of drag reduction, but as tail-high as we fly, neglible speed increase. When trouble-shooting it's intermittent operation, there was a warning on the side about high voltage. I thought to myself, how high can it be when it's hooked up to 12V DC? The answer, when it felt like firing, was in the range of 550V! Be careful working on these . . .

Quote: jetdriven +% Michael! How about them Rangers!

Quote: orangemtl I'd love to make a small fortune buying and running Mooney. I'd need to start with a large fortune first, however...