fantom

Less than a hundred, mostly the kids of United employees.

Our last event was held in nice weather at Fort Pierce. We had 11 Mooneys bring 17 people together for a very nice time and good food. Our next event will be this coming Saturday, March 12, at Ocala (OCF). The restaurant is too small for our group, but they are going to put us in the conference room and the restaurant will serve us there. They are also supposed to have a reduced fuel price for us, check at the FBO desk for directions to the conference room and fuel prices. There current fuel prices as of today are $3.21 self-serve, and $4.21 full service. Future events all are on the second Saturday of every month. All events start at 11:30. Please check your e-mail before attending as sometimes I make last minute changes of various reasons. Future Schedule March 12, Ocala (OCF) April 9, New Smyrna Beach (EVB) May 14, Winter Haven (GIF) June 11, Williston (X60) July 9, Sebring, (SEF) I really appreciate it if you can e-mail me by Thursday night of the week of the event and let me know if you are going to try to make it, so I can call the restaurant on Friday with a head count. No one is obligated to come if they told me they are coming and can’t make it for mechanical, weather, health, or any other reason. Hope to see you soon, Dave and Ruth

Union is protecting their regional pilots who are already paying dues. They are just looking out for us

Dear Mooney Enthusiast, Our last event was held on a very low IFR day and only one plane flew into Leesburg for lunch. However, we figure about 37 people came for lunch plus all the EAA people and we estimated 40 or 50 came to see Ruth’s train layout, so it was a very successful day in spite of the weather. Our next event is this Saturday, February 13, at Fort Pierce (FPR) Future events all are on the second Saturday of every month.All events start at 11:30.Please check your e-mail before attending as sometimes I make last minute changes of various reasons.Future ScheduleFebruary 13, Fort Pierce (FPR) March 12, Ocala (OCF) They are offering $.50 per gallon discount off the truck price for 100LL - Confirm before buying. April 9, New Smyrna Beach (EVB) May 14, Winter Haven (GIF) June 11, Williston (X60) July 9, Sebring, (SEF) I really appreciate it if you can e-mail me by Thursday night of the week of the event and let me know if you are going to try to make it, so I can call the restaurant on Friday with a head count. No one is obligated to come if they told me they are coming and can’t make it for mechanical, weather, health, or any other reason.Hope to see you soon,Dave and Ruth

They won’t let me fly their jet fighters anymore. The day after I no longer pulled 5-6 Gs (or more) multiple times every day, my middle started expanding. It hasn’t stopped. First my toes disappeared, and then the equipment in the Nether Regions disappeared except on outstanding occasions. My feet might as well be in China. My toenails are turning into claws. The ladies no longer look at my ass as I walk by. My eyesight has started to fade. I once had the best vision of anyone I ever flew with except Chuck Yeager. He could see another aircraft at 60 miles and I could not see it until 50 miles. And he was older than me. I guess that is why he was an Ace. The music has faded. All those years in close proximity of screaming jet engines will do more damage to your hearing than a rock band. The VA gave me some very nice hearing aids but I don’t wear the damned things. I don’t want to look like an old man. However, it can be a blessing when I piss off Silvia. My prostate started to enlarge and I have to pee every 5 minutes. Speaking of which: The pressure is too low, the hose is too short, and the nozzle is set on spray. I find it advisable to sit down to pee to avoid getting Wet Foot Syndrome. I know the location of every publicly accessible bathroom within 100 miles. My gyro tumbled and I have vertigo. I have had it many times while flying in Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) weather but this is different. This is Visual Flight Rules (VFR) weather all the time. I walk like a drunken sailor. My golfing days are over. My back swing would put me flat of my back. A walker may not be far in the future. If I were to find myself on the ground in the middle of an empty Wal-Mart parking lot, I would not be able to get up onto my feet. The legs are just not there anymore. I would have to crawl to a shopping cart or fence to pull myself up. My smoking days finally caught up with me and I have emphysema/COPD. I used to cuss while climbing out returning from North Vietnam if I was so high that my Zippo lighter would not light so I could have a smoke to help me come down from an adrenalin high. I have had to go on oxygen in order to have enough to live. It is a real bummer to have to haul a bottle of O2 around with me when I go out of the house. I wear a nose harness at home and drag a plastic tube around and an oxygen concentrator out in the garage runs 24/7. The tube is always snagging on something or someone steps on the damn thing and it almost jerks me ears off. Don’t get me wrong. I like oxygen. I used to really like it after a night of serious partying when I had an early morning mission. As soon as I got into the cockpit I went on 100% O2 for startup, taxi, and weapons arming pit. By the time I had wheels up I was ready to fight. My sex life is 99.9% in my head. But I think that is pretty normal for the male population, which thinks about sex on the average about every 10 seconds. At least that has always been my average. And they won’t let me fly their jet fighters anymore. Getting old is a bitch. Some after Thoughts: Some people wonder why old fighter pilots (there are no Ex Fighter Pilots) miss flying high performance jets so much. A couple of examples: 1. I start up, taxi out and line up on the centerline of a 10,000-foot runway. I throttle up to full power, release the brakes and go into afterburner. There is a huge shove against my back that pins my helmet against the back headrest. The runway streaks under me faster and faster. At flying speed I raise the gear to get the wheels free of the earth. Flaps up. Sink down a foot or two until the end of the runway and then the field boundary flashes underneath and I pull the nose up to point to the sky and freedom. The horizon rapidly expands and after about three minutes and 6-7 miles above the earth I come out of burner, roll inverted and at zero Gs let the nose slowly drift down to the horizon. I look out the top of my canopy at the earth far below and think about all those pedestrian assholes down there that will never know what true joy is. 2. I complete my mission in North Vietnam and climb out South toward home base far away. I have to go to 53,000 feet in order to have enough fuel to make it. Once there, the adrenalin is subsiding and I turn off my cockpit lights to enjoy the view. There is not one light visible an the ground. But above: Oh my God!! It is unbelievable! The sight is not describable. Only God could have created something like this. The stars and galaxies are so bright that I do not need cockpit lights to read my instruments. This is something that an old fighter pilot cannot forget and it is only one of thousands of memories that only an Old Fighter Pilot can have. And they won’t let me fly their jet fighters anymore.

They won’t let me fly their jet fighters anymore. The day after I no longer pulled 5-6 Gs (or more) multiple times every day, my middle started expanding. It hasn’t stopped. First my toes disappeared, and then the equipment in the Nether Regions disappeared except on outstanding occasions. My feet might as well be in China. My toenails are turning into claws. The ladies no longer look at my ass as I walk by. My eyesight has started to fade. I once had the best vision of anyone I ever flew with except Chuck Yeager. He could see another aircraft at 60 miles and I could not see it until 50 miles. And he was older than me. I guess that is why he was an Ace. The music has faded. All those years in close proximity of screaming jet engines will do more damage to your hearing than a rock band. The VA gave me some very nice hearing aids but I don’t wear the damned things. I don’t want to look like an old man. However, it can be a blessing when I piss off Silvia. My prostate started to enlarge and I have to pee every 5 minutes. Speaking of which: The pressure is too low, the hose is too short, and the nozzle is set on spray. I find it advisable to sit down to pee to avoid getting Wet Foot Syndrome. I know the location of every publicly accessible bathroom within 100 miles. My gyro tumbled and I have vertigo. I have had it many times while flying in Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) weather but this is different. This is Visual Flight Rules (VFR) weather all the time. I walk like a drunken sailor. My golfing days are over. My back swing would put me flat of my back. A walker may not be far in the future. If I were to find myself on the ground in the middle of an empty Wal-Mart parking lot, I would not be able to get up onto my feet. The legs are just not there anymore. I would have to crawl to a shopping cart or fence to pull myself up. My smoking days finally caught up with me and I have emphysema/COPD. I used to cuss while climbing out returning from North Vietnam if I was so high that my Zippo lighter would not light so I could have a smoke to help me come down from an adrenalin high. I have had to go on oxygen in order to have enough to live. It is a real bummer to have to haul a bottle of O2 around with me when I go out of the house. I wear a nose harness at home and drag a plastic tube around and an oxygen concentrator out in the garage runs 24/7. The tube is always snagging on something or someone steps on the damn thing and it almost jerks me ears off. Don’t get me wrong. I like oxygen. I used to really like it after a night of serious partying when I had an early morning mission. As soon as I got into the cockpit I went on 100% O2 for startup, taxi, and weapons arming pit. By the time I had wheels up I was ready to fight. My sex life is 99.9% in my head. But I think that is pretty normal for the male population, which thinks about sex on the average about every 10 seconds. At least that has always been my average. And they won’t let me fly their jet fighters anymore. Getting old is a bitch. Some after Thoughts: Some people wonder why old fighter pilots (there are no Ex Fighter Pilots) miss flying high performance jets so much. A couple of examples: 1. I start up, taxi out and line up on the centerline of a 10,000-foot runway. I throttle up to full power, release the brakes and go into afterburner. There is a huge shove against my back that pins my helmet against the back headrest. The runway streaks under me faster and faster. At flying speed I raise the gear to get the wheels free of the earth. Flaps up. Sink down a foot or two until the end of the runway and then the field boundary flashes underneath and I pull the nose up to point to the sky and freedom. The horizon rapidly expands and after about three minutes and 6-7 miles above the earth I come out of burner, roll inverted and at zero Gs let the nose slowly drift down to the horizon. I look out the top of my canopy at the earth far below and think about all those pedestrian assholes down there that will never know what true joy is. 2. I complete my mission in North Vietnam and climb out South toward home base far away. I have to go to 53,000 feet in order to have enough fuel to make it. Once there, the adrenalin is subsiding and I turn off my cockpit lights to enjoy the view. There is not one light visible an the ground. But above: Oh my God!! It is unbelievable! The sight is not describable. Only God could have created something like this. The stars and galaxies are so bright that I do not need cockpit lights to read my instruments. This is something that an old fighter pilot cannot forget and it is only one of thousands of memories that only an Old Fighter Pilot can have. And they won’t let me fly their jet fighters anymore.

There was a great turnout at our last event, 31 people showed up at Punta Gorda in 12 Mooneys, 1 Bonanza, and few cars. We had a wonderful time and the restaurant did a good job of serving us. Our next event will be this Saturday, January 9, at the Leesburg airport (LEE). EAA CHAPTER 534 will cook and serve us lunch at their hanger, hamburgers and hot dogs for a small donation. Their hanger is just west of the FBO and parking ramp, the tower can direct you there. After lunch there will be several people with cars to drive you to Ruth & Dave's house to see amazing Ruth’s Garden Railroad operating. There's 1,000 feet of track in four loops, and probably 6 or 8 trains will be running, weather and “Murphy” permitting. (That’s Murphy as in Murphy’s Law). The EAA would like to know as soon as possible who is coming so they can plan how much food to buy so please let David know as soon as possible (daveanruth@aol.com). Future events all are on the second Saturday of every month and start at 11:30 Future Schedule January 9, Leesburg (LEE) Lunch at EAA hanger, then visit Dave & Ruth. February 13, Fort Pierce (FRP) March 12, Ocala (OCF) April 9, New Smyrna Beach (EVB) May 14, Winter Haven (GIF) June 11 Williston (X60) David would really appreciate it if you can e-mail him NLT Thursday night to let him know if you are going to attend. He then alerts the restaurant on Friday with a head count. This month, with the EAA, it's even more important to let him know quickly. Even after notification no one is obligated to come something happens. Don't miss this special event. Even the fantom plans to be there!

As a Christmas gift, I'd like a video of Peter Garmin's landing, or landing attempt(s).

Ditto on the Sky Tec 149NL ec....

There was a fine turnout and a good time last month at Vero Beach. 12 Mooneys and 1 Piper brought 25 people to the meeting. Our next event will be this Saturday, December 12, at Punta Gorda (PGD). All events start at 11:30. Future Schedule December 12, Punta Gorda (PGD) January 9, Leesburg (LEE) Lunch will be at the EAA hanger, after lunch you can be driven to Dave and Ruth's home to run the garden railroad, transportation provided by locals - both ways. Dave requests you e-mail him by Thursday night to let him know you're going to try to make it. He then lets the restaurant know the approximate head count. No one is obligated to come if they told him they are coming and can’t make it for mechanical, weather, health, or any other reason. Give it a try...you'll have fun, make new friends, and have some good Mooney talk.

The thought of it wipes the smile off my face and makes my teeth ache.

^^^ True, and right side brakes are quirky, both in my experience, and according to DMax. Unless you wind up with a long body, it will be great training to land and slow to a crawl without using brakes. You do have 3,000 ft, don't you?

That why you do it at low temps. Does your wife really use the oven for cooling? ;)

Powder coat @ under 300 degrees for a better finish, no structural deformity or weakness, and to keep your wife happy. Just may take a little more time.

Most of the evidence would suggest that the answer is YES, the chute doesn't incest one to always be prepared for stuff happening, since there's an easy out right above their head. A shame.

Pilots may have been scud running, below the glide scope in bad WX, hunting for the runway. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/palm-beach/sfl-pilot-procedures-ntsb-20151112-story.html

By Bob Koslow bob.koslow@news-jrnl.com Published: Sunday, November 8, 2015 at 6:54 p.m. Last Modified: Sunday, November 8, 2015 at 6:59 p.m. DELAND — When motorcycle enthusiasts from across the country cruise into the Daytona Beach area for next year's Bike Week, they’ll have a new event to consider attending. The inaugural Sport Pylon Air Races event is set for DeLand Municipal Airport on March 12, the final Saturday of the 75th annual Bike Week motorcycle rally that runs March 4-13. “We hope to capitalize on all the people and national media already here,” said Christopher “Doc” Bailey, the air race's organizer. “Right now we are piggybacking on Bike Week for the first event, but we want to make this a winter series across the country that starts and ends in Volusia County," said Bailey, who also owns a company at the airport called Renegade Light Sport Aircraft LLC, which makes some of the planes expected to be used in the air race event. The inaugural event from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. will feature timed heats of light sport airplanes flying at 150 miles per hour through a twisting and turning course of pylons — also referred to as "gates." More than a dozen pilots from throughout the country are expected to compete in the event which will feature races in different categories of light sport planes, including those with single ("monoplane") and double ("biplane") wings. The Federal Aviation Administration is allowing spectators at the air race event to sit about 500 feet from the course, which will be 70 feet above the airport's runways. The sport planes used in the races will be slower and smaller — but more agile — than those used in the better-known Red Bull Air Race series. The latter requires its planes to fly higher with a larger “splash zone,” which results in the audience being seated further away from the action, Bailey said. “This makes our event much more fun and interactive than sitting a mile away with binoculars,” he said. The sport planes are also safer, Bailey said. Each will be equipped with a ballistic parachute that can be deployed in one-tenth of a second. The chute lowers the plane to the ground below the course rather than having a pilot eject, leaving an unguided plane to crash. The inaugural air race will also feature food and drink vendors, aircraft displays, skydiving and short-takeoff-and-landing aircraft demonstrations. Post-event activities are also being planned. Tickets will be $25 per person and $20 for a couple. Children age 12 and under, and military veterans with an identification card, will be admitted free, Bailey said. The inaugural event is expected to cost about $250,000 to produce, Bailey said. He hopes the event, along with a second “teaser” race being planned in Austin, Texas, can generate enough interest to produce a full eight-event season that would run from September 2016 through April or May 2017. Bailey said he is in talks to secure air race venues in Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Atlanta, Georgia, as well as in Kentucky and Alabama. Some of the potential venues are motorsports racetracks, he said. Bailey said he has been planning the air race series for more than a year. He initially hoped to hold the inaugural event at Daytona International Speedway but said he was unable to secure a commitment to hold it on a weekend in February ahead of next year's Daytona 500. “We’re making lemonade out of lemons,” he said of holding the kickoff event at DeLand Municipal Airport. “DeLand is a good location because the planes will be here and it’s better for logistics,” he said. Bailey said he is hoping to draw 5,000 to 20,000 spectators for the inaugural event. Janet Kersey, executive vice president and chief operating officer for the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce, the official organizer of Bike Week, said she welcomes the air race event as another potential thing to do for visitors during the 10-day motorcycle rally. “The more the better,” she said. “This is an opportunity for them (Bike Week visitors) to see something unique. It’s a good fit and I think they’ll enjoy it.” Bailey's plans to promote the air race event includes having sport planes displayed at major Bike Week venues, putting event fliers in hotels and running ads to entice bikers to DeLand for the day. Nick Conte Jr., executive director of the DeLand Area Chamber of Commerce & Orange City Alliance, said area hotels will already be full with Bike Week guests, so he isn't counting on a big boost in visitors for the inaugural air race event. He does, however, see long-range benefits to having the sport plane event held here, especially if future races are held during slower times of year such as fall. “This will also help highlight the sport aircraft village that (Bailey) is trying to create (at DeLand Municipal Airport) and the city’s outreach to attract the (sport plane) industry, like was done when making DeLand a leading skydiving and parachute industry center,” Conte said. FAA officials are expected to visit DeLand in the next 60 days to inform airport officials what preparations and actions the federal agency will require for the event. The air races will not stop most other airport activities but will “inconvenience” some, said John Eiff, who manages DeLand Municipal Airport. The airport will be turned over to a master controller during the event to permit skydiving between race heats and regulate routine plane takeoffs and landings, Eiff said. Touch-and-go training will be prohibited. Bailey said he is less concerned about making money from the inaugural event than in creating a buzz among air race fans. “We’ll have a lot of people here watching us to see how we do before committing to the series," he said. "We’ll pull it off. We won’t get a second chance at a first impression.”

His number is 813-623-5819

Call Joe Dinolfo at Hawk and find out for yourself. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the quote, and even more impressed with his work. Good luck.

Another ugly fatal crash of a plane based at FXE in Ft. Lauderdale. 9 dead - RIP. No one on board a small business plane that crashed into an apartment building in northeast Ohio survived, authorities said Tuesday. The Hawker H25 was built to seat 10 passengers. Authorities couldn’t immediately confirm the total number of people on the plane, but did say there were at least two deaths. Sources told WJW in Cleveland that nine people, including the pilot and co-pilot, had died in the crash. No one was inside the four-unit apartment building or another home that caught fire after the crash, said Lt. Sierjie Lash, an Akron fire department spokeswoman. Plane owner Augusto Lewkowicz told The Associated Press that two pilots and seven passengers were on the flight. He said he had talked to investigators and was trying to contact the families of the vicitms. The jet took off from Dayton and planned to land at Akron Fulton International Airport, about 2 miles from where it crashed. Ohio State Highway Patrol Lt. Bill Haymaker said it clipped utility wires on the way down and crashed into the building, which was destroyed by a subsequent fire. The plane then hit an embankment beyond the building, causing a nearby house to also burn. ......and so it goes. Fly safe out there!

What follows is a video of captivating footage with Legacy and Super Hornets out on cruise, running low level training missions, shooting missiles, dropping bombs, and perpetuating absolutely everything cool about being a fighter pilot. Well guys, it’s time to buckle up and hang on to your hats, because this one is a beauty! The Royal Australian Air Force produced their own version of the famed Hornet Ball video, as they too fly the Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet and F/A-18C (Legacy) Hornet. Ask any USN or USAF fighter pilot who has had the privilege of flying with the RAAF – these folks are pros and extremely good at their craft. Watch as these Aussies bring the noise from down under! Enjoy! http://fightersweep.com/993/video-australian-hornet-ball/ My kinda cool....

Despite a marginal weather forecast, 7 Mooneys and 1 car delivered 14 people to the Flagler fly-in last month. One couple drove in from Savannah, GA. As is usually the case, the weather was better than forecast and a fine time was had by all. Our next event will be this Saturday, November 14, at Vero Beach (VRB) at 11:30, C.J. Cannon's restaurant. Future events all are on the second Saturday of the month, starting NLT 11:30 AM. Future Schedule: November 14, Vero Beach (VRB) December 12, Punta Gorda (PGD) January 9, Leesburg (LEE) Lunch will be at the EAA hanger, after lunch continue on to to Dave & Ruth's house and run their garden railroad; transportation provided by locals both ways. Please e-mail Dave by Thursday night to let him know that you're planning to attend. He then gives the restaurant an approximate head count. Of course you are not obligated to come if something better comes up, but we know that's impossible. See you soon.

Before using them, I suggest doing a search on this forum. A factory reman AFTER your good running engine tells you it's time, and it will when it's time. Just listen.

Former Wal-Mart CEO pulls the Cirrus panic handle today. Really falling from the sky. Sounds like no serious injuries. ......and so it goes. Fly safe out there!