Seth

It is sad. I've climbed through that B-17G, the Nine-O-Nine a few times. My grandfather who died in the 1970's flew B-17's in WWII. I understand both sides of the argument to allow these types of vintage aircraft to fly vs putting them in a museum. -Seth

Here's an interesting problem. I cannot find in all my paperwork/weight and balance information the actual weight and arm location of my current full feathering three blade Hartzell Missile prop. I can get the weight from Hartzell - non issue. The arm length for CG calculations should I change the prop (which I'm doing) I cannot find. In all the paperwork it simply states new CG calculated as per STC SA00472SE and Per STC SA00081SE. But in all the STC paperwork I have it does not give the location. It had diagrams, everything, but I'm not able to find it. I'm thinking SA00081SE may be the rocket STC, but I don't have that. Can someone with a Missile check out your prop location for me in your paperwork? In the Rocket paperwork, can someone share with me their prop location? Last, since I have a K Cowling as part of the Missile Mod, can someone with an M20K give me their prop Arm location? I do plan to call Rocket Engineering on Friday. Thanks! -Seth

very cool

My wife has been tempted to create an App for GA pilots. When you tell your spouse you are going to the airport to for a quick flight, she'll know you'll be gone for 4-5 hours. "I'm heading to a brunch fly in" means I'll be home in time for dinner. I'm going for a morning flight, should be back at 10:00 = see you a 1:00 PM I'm going to update the GPS = See you in 3 hours. I'm going to go plug in the heater = see you in 1 hour. Something like that figuring out distance to airport and come up with a calculation. -Seth

That's a great pic!!! Bob it's been an honor getting to know you. We were thrilled you chose to have the Master Pilot award presented at Mooney Summit.

Thank you to all who assisted in planning, executing, and of course attending Mooney Summit VII! Planning has commenced for Mooney Summit VIII. -Seth

At Freeway the normal procedure is to call Potomac approach from your cell phone get your IFR clearance and code, and state you can depart VFR. Then depart VFR, and once you check in with Potomac approach they then reclear you as per your phone call and you are on your way IFR. On IMC days they actually release your. The bravo is low there and they can talk to you very soon off the ground. So this was a VFR departure even though it was an IFR flight plan that has not yet been activated but had been copied. -Seth

I learned how to fly Mooney’s there and used to base my M20F there prior to a hangar opening up at a closer airport to where I live -GAI. My Missile I now normally keep at my hangar at GAI except for heavy maintenance at W00. It’s there now.

I’ve reached out to my contact at the WTOP who the link was from (personal friend) and let them know Cessna was incorrect and it was a Mooney.

It's now in the news: Pilot: Julius Tolson of Laurel, MD - 58 years old Passenger Michael Garrah of Columbia, MD - 59 years old I've heard Michael Garrah's name around W00 before. Glad they are both okay (as are two guys in the smashed up car). -Seth

Any appropriate updates I get I'll post. W00, Freeway, is my Mooney MSC and where my Mooney is right now with the engine being removed to be sent out and where my new propeller is heading for install. Glad everyone is safe. And true, the passenger cabin intact is part of what Bob Kromer continuously advocates regarding Mooney's in bad situations. It is indeed a good picture for marketing safety (except the entire crashed airplane aspect). -Seth

In the pics in the link the prop blades are bent backward (indication of no power) and gear is up. He may have been trying to extend glide to make it to the runway. He's under a class B shelf of 1500 feet for a bit after departure from that airport. -Seth

A Mooney just crash landed on Route 50 at Freeway Airport, W00, in Maryland. N202JB. Both occupants alive, both people in the car hit alive. Not sure of severity of injuries. A flight plan had the aircraft departing W00 for Clarksburg, WV (CRW). The aircraft is not based at W00 but uses the Mooney Service Center there like I do. https://wtop.com/prince-georges-county/2019/09/small-plane-crash-lands-on-route-50-in-bowie-may-have-hit-car/ The pictures in the linked article are pretty clear. Left wing ripped off. Maybe returning due to issue (likely with the flight plan showing W00 as departure airport). Freeway is 2400 foot field with obstructions on both ends. Aircraft may have tried to land with traffic once it got too low as the 18 runway is perpendicular to the east west oriented route 50. We'll obviously find out more. -Seth

I’ve owned a Missile since 2011 and can help put. PM me and I’ll send contact information. -Seth

I do indeed. But I also used a battery minder with the Gil’s that came in my Missile. They were 2 when they died even when using the battery minder. They were not on a battery minder the 1st year and she wasn’t flown much that year (last year under previous owner). In my F model - the Gil it came with lasted the same 2 years - no battery minded. And I put in a concord - no battery minder and sold the plane 1 year later. -Seth

My Concords are at 7 years each right now!! -Seth

I test my mountain high steel bottle once every 5 years (once so far). Use it mainly during return flights from west to east or south to mid atlantic when solo to get a tailwind push. Again, only a handful of times per year. A dive shop near FDK performed the test for me. -Seth

That’s awesome Hank! Glad you finally were cleared into a bravo!! -Seth

Still available if anyone wants to move their airplane! -Seth

My Missile is more a 175-185 machine depending on power settings. Max speed I’ve ever hit is 192 and I don’t want to burn up the engine and have that fuel flow on a regular basis.

Funny - this happened to me during my solo cross country in a 172 in 2004 . . . out of PDK!! Landed in Dalton, GA (if my memory serves correctly) instead of Chattanooga, TN. Called the flight school, they said that if I could get the engine started, load shed, and fly back to PDK, and then if I could, contact the tower and land. If I couldn't, they'd be in the tower and look for the light gun. I was stupid and said OK! I shed enough, turned the transponder back on once I was in 60 miles, and had plenty of juice on the one radio for the tower who cleared me to land as soon as I made contact about 10 miles out. I used dead reckoning and approximate headings to fly back. Not bad for a newbie with less than 40 hours. My first indication of issues is what I tried to reach Chattanooga approach in TN and they couldn't hear my transmission but I could hear thiers. Then my Garmin 430 screen died. I scanned and saw the low voltage indicator. I turned away from the airspace I was approaching (class C), load shed, and landed at the uncontrolled field as indicated. In hindsight and after many years experience (and still gaining more every day). AOG - get it fixed, send out a ferry plane or pay for my taxi ride home! -Seth

Correct

My daughter asked if we could get a pink and purple propeller. I let her know I'd ask if the special harder formula paint came in those colors. I think we're moving forward with black blades with white tips and the white (color matched to cowl white color) spinner. The white tips of the prop will NOT be color matched as that will be the harder paint formulated for the prop. I have gone against putting a red line at the tip of the prop as well, or one strip of the the tip of the prop because that red is too far off from the burgundy in my paint. -Seth

My hangar at KGAI is available in MD just outside DC if anyone wants to fly up here to to get out of the path and enjoy DC for a few days. -Seth