Amelia

Dumb question, from one newly roped into Brand G. Does this update necessitate another trip to an avionics shop and an outlay of cash?

I’ve flown for several Angel Flight organizations as well as Veterans Airlift Command. Good, professional mission coordinators who understand GA constraints. Last weekend I confessed to the coordinator that, gee, I’d love to help, the weather looks perfect, but I’m not IFR current in this airplane. She promptly waived that requirement, and the ride was glorious. There are mobility rules by the Angel Flight orgs. I’ve overlooked them when I thought we could manage,, but in general, the patient must be able to step up onto the wing, step down into seat, and do that process in reverse. Line help may or may not be available to assist. About Weight, the rules say 30 pound max softside luggage. So do I. I made one entitled couple repack, right there on the ramp, and leave most of their matched luggage in their SUV. Another coordinator said there’d be one small parent, small duffle, and baby. Showed up to find two parents, very airsick and badly-handicapped toddler, and a cartload of special, heavy medical equipment. “We didn’t think medical stuff counted.” Duh. Fortunately, the linking pilot gave me a heads-up on the load, and I hadn’t topped off. It was a near thing.These are the exceptions. Most passengers are scrupulously careful, weight-wise, and all are very appreciative. Some stories are heartbreaking, others heartwarming. They often can’t afford the commercial fare for repeat treatment, some are immunosuppressed, some live hours from commercial airports. It is a privilege to be able to help. And a tax write off for that flight. And great publicity for GA. And personal warm-fuzzies. And a fine excuse to burn 100LL. How often, how far, in what conditions, are up to the pilot and her plane. In the final analysis, whether to accept the mission, or call it off at any point, is my decision, like every other flight I’m PIC of. If the weather is poor, the patient and companion need special accommodations, are overweight or not mobile, it’s a no-go.

Mike, with the seat cranked all the way up, Mike, the visibility seems pretty good. I am thinking, if I have many more culinary adventures like this amazing weekend with a friend who likes to entertain, I may need 3" rudder pedal extensions. Yeah, Bob, haven't managed to lasso him yet. I blame the small patient who stared at him, pointed at the unruly white hair and 'stache, and, with a wide grin, crowed, "Einstein!" Rob was inordinantly pleased. Weather for the next leg of the trip looks less fine than the trip north. Where's my tailwind? Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

I'm beginning to really like this airplane! Funny how much familiarity adds to the fun. That and smooth air, sunshine and tailwind. 2:45 from EDE to GFL. Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

Thanks, y’all, for this topic. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the proper care and feeding of my new beastie, and your insight is most helpful!

Outstanding Mooney SummitV! It was my fifth, and as always, it was so very worth doing. This year, with a new bird’s care and feeding to learn, it was especially useful. Good seminars, most wonderfully organized, great people, super fun. Note to MAPA: Mooney Summit VI is already scheduled for the last weekend in September, 2018.Pick any of 51 other weekends next year, eh?

Paper mill residue?

Remind yourself that your insurance company owns the airplane as soon as engine quits. Gear UP for a water landing. Flaps. Unlatch door.. If time, steer gently at best glide speed toward shallow water. Fly airplane. Run abbreviated restart check, mixture, prop, etc, boost on, switch tanks. Fly airplane. Declare emergency on last frequency. Fly airplane. Slowww down, settle right down, nose up, onto those nice soft mudflats.Fuel off, shut down, gracefully step onto wing, and wait for somebody in a shallow draft vessel to come pick you up. I am told most Mooney pilots survive a water landing. Hope not to find out the fun way.

I like to think my decision to part ways with AOPA have little to do with class warfare. Though nowhere near a one-per center, I like being able to choose to fly a Mooney. I even like the fancy jet centers, under the right circumstances. Polite, well-trained personnel, hangar space when a hail storm threatens, clean restrooms, warm cookies... And I almost never get nailed for the mega-parasite fees when I'm flying for charity organizations. My solution for the $9 100LL crowd is to stop for lunch and a top-off at Podunk County Airstrip and BBQ an hour before arrival at Big City JetCorp. Passenger comfort above all, of course. That way a courtesy top-off at BigCity doesn't break the bank. I do wonder if there are enough golden geese flying in that losing potential fuel sales to us lesser birds doesn't matter. That said, AOPA leadership does seem to be out of touch with what was once its base, with one bone-headed elitist marketing blunder after another, A magazine devoted to fancy new turbines and how to fly them.The much mocked two-tier membership. The fancy wine club. Mega-celebrity spotlighting.Touting resorts for the very-well-heeled. And handsomely-compensated leadership who are too busy to respond. Fine with me, but like others, I chose to spend my $65+ elsewhere this year.

For the first time in 40 years, I declined to renew my AOPA membership this year. . It was the culmination of a number of decisions that made it clear I was not, and had not been for a long time, part of their target audience. I wish them all the best, in any case.

I'm betting production costs, tax structure, bureaucratic roadblocks, labor rates, and just about everything else are a lot more favorable in Texas than in California!

My handle has been Amelia for 70 years, an honor owed to a 200 year succession of southern. grandmothers. If I am not in trouble with the law, the FAA, or others in authority, I also answer to a nickname bestowed on me as an infant for unknown reasons: Mimi. And in appropriate contexts, HeyMa, Mom, DearLove, Grandmama, and others. Getting old enough to be Ma'am to clerks and Miss Mimi to neighbor children has taken some adjustment. Now I am trying to get in the habit of responding to Seven Zero Bravo. Uh, who? Wuzzat fer us?

Not a midlife crisis, Bob...that was ever so long ago, I forget exactly what it was.. I'm calling this 20S a Final Fling. Whee. How does the quote go? Something about intending to skid in sideways, with strawberries in one hand and Champagne in the other, screaming, "Woohoo! What a ride!"

Yep, and hope you'll have time to sell me some expertise before long! I have much to learn.

Mike, I am informed that I do want an AOA gizmo. Why don't you go talk Aspen Avionics into donating their $1000 one (sale price this month) to the silent auction?

No pix yet, at least worthy of national distribution. Get this silly Irma out of the way, and then we'll talk glamor shots... As if.

If the reported numbers are accurate on my new-to-me Screaming Eagle, it'll do that. Of course. There's the usual trade-off: Speed, range, load-hauling capacity, pick two. I am told I might count on 182 knots TAS at 15-16 gph, UL somewhere around 1000 pounds, tanks hold 86 gallons all the way topped. But I've been told that sharing a Mooney's back seat, even a nicely upholstered one with leg room, quits being comfortable after 3.5 hours. Especially if somebody had a second cup of coffee earlier. I've also noticed that hardly anybody sticks to baggage weight limits.(Outrageous case in point: I once made an Angel Flight couple repack for their two-day trip to see big-city eye specialists. Right there on the ramp. Despite the underlined 20-pound AF allowance, their newish SUV disgorged 8 matched suitcases of varying sizes. I pointed at one carry-on, and said, "We are taking that one. You may want to rearrange your things. This ain't no KingAir." Agonized huff and indignant puff, followed by whining wheedle. I looked at my watch, said we'd be wheels-up in 15 minutes with or without them, suggested that there was a fine commercial airport just a short drive thataway that could take all the things. They did comply, but the agony of deciding between the workout wear and the clubbing clothes struck me as hilarious. I don't think they understood the nature of charity flights, and Mooney ones especially. )

I loved my 231, wonderful cross-ountry, coast-to-coast, my mountain-and cloud- topping machine for 30 years. Good luck!

Not that we will be out of the woods here in coastal NC, but if by some stroke of luck, Edenton, NC looks like a safer place to hunker down, we have bedrooms for some, food for whoever shows up, and maybe some hangar space.

I've tried most of them, some for years at a time. My hands-down favorite is Fly-Q. It's fast, simple, intuitive, and very capable. Plays very well with the Stratux. No menu is more than two layers deep, all the options are accessible from the map page. I just bought a nice Mooney loaded with Garmin, and so I subscribed to the Garmin EFB, after a five year hiatus, and am remembering why I quit. Gah! Too much bumbling around looking for stuff. Clumsy, compared to FlyQ's oft-updated, easy and affordable elegance. I expect I will add Stratux back to the windscreen for quick iPad info I can get to right now, with a single keystroke. FF's proprietary approach, and its relatively expensive "ya want fries with that" pricing drove me away long ago. For free, Avare on my android phone has been a good backup. For not-free, the Garmin android version works, though still less full-featured than their i-Thingie version.

I'm coming to the grand opening of LASAR's new east coast facility... KEDE would so welcome you and your customers. By the way, love the T shirt, wearing it proudly.

The owner is a friend. Lovely man. He will have taken good care of it, I feel certain. Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

Hi, I don't seem to be on the first map posted, but anybody wandering through my little NC coastal village will find a warm welcome, RON options, and a nice airport. Amelia Reiheld

I provided ballast (flew right seat) in two AirRaceClassics in a Cherokee 180, a longggg zigzagging cross-continent-and-back way, sitting on sheep fleece seats. Nice! Very comfortable in all those extreme temperatures, and the soft, springy wool sure eased the sore back and fanny fatigue. I'd have bought a set for Marvin K, but my right seater objected to the esthetics. He might not get a vote if there is a next time!

Yeah. Me, too. After four months of not being in the left seat of anything fancier than a 21-year-old Volvo, I am having severe withdrawal symptoms. But frequent perusals of the Mooneys-for-Sale sites have yielded little within my $100K price range and my upscale wish-list. Yea, though I live at 11'msl, I loved my 231. Very little got in my way, not summer heat, not bumpy summer buildups, not density altitude... up and over the haze, right up over the winter ice-laden stratus... Sure would like another one as nice as the one I broke. .Y'all keep your eyes open for me?