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Becca, How are you adjusting your W&B this time? I remember last time you had carried some extra ballast distributed from the hat shelf forwards. Good luck. Best regards, -a-

For the kids... We used a simple noise reducing headset sold by sears under the craftsman brand name. The intended use was for the riding lawn mower. My 3 year old son liked wearing them, so my newborn girl got a pair. They are full size, but so light, and work so well that even the baby would leave them on. A decade later, they still used them... my son, now 14, is using my DCs, I just got the halos for me. My girl is waiting for the next hand-me-down... Our flights were always under 2 hours, and the back seat is not really noisy. Best regards, -a-

Michael, For your engine and prop combination, you probably won't find much value in lower engine RPM. Improved glide distance... The four cylinder O-360 engines have a much bigger vibration variation with RPM. Lower RPMs will have lower noise and vibration. Initial training in my Ovation was simple, leave the engine at 2,500 RPM from take-off to landing. Best regards, -a-

John, Let me summarize your thoughts... (1) a cross-controlled stall could lead to a spin. (2) a one turn spin in a mooney could lead to 1,000' loss of altitude. (3) turning from base to final is the biggest risk of stall/spin. (4) doing the math, it is impossible to recover from a spin in a mooney any where near final approach. (5) having a high time mooney pilot / factory test pilot as a passenger won't help either. He can't undo what has been started already. (6) there is no sense practicing spins, they only happen near the ground, where recovery is impossible. (7) recognize the stall and break the accident chain. (8) you're a lawyer from MS, your family is made up of lawyers, and people that fly M20Cs aren't real pilots. (9) you have $2,500 to give someone (or their next of kin) willing to risk their life while you watch. I got it, why did it take so many long posts to get that out in the open? Now that we have that put aside....what was the shortest runway that you flew a Mooney into? Best regards, -a-

Thoughts on speed brake deployment... The part I find missing in brake deployment is there is no tactile way to feel whether they are deployed or stowed. With the gear switch, it is in an up or down position (J-Bar is up or down), flap switch is down or way down (Hydraulic: two pumps or four), Brakes are push the button or push the button (and observe, did they both activate?). Since it is part of my check list to know whether they are deployed or not, I end up looking out the window at them a few times. A two position rocker switch with a feel of up or down would be nice....? Higher than usual sink rate on final is a less than subtle hint that they are not stowed like you think.... Best regards, -a-

PK, Where did you find the flat plate data? I am interested in the info for the M20R. Best regards, -a-

John, I updated the link above. The stall activity starts about 3 minutes into the 5 minute clip. It goes something like, intentional power-off stall, nose down steeply, engine revving, tight spiral, loss of videographer composure...then full recovery. Three full rotations in this particular sequence would lead to recovery from a lawn dart maneuver at thousands of vertical fpm after a loss of several thousand feet. Darwininian.... Best regards, -a-

John, I take great pride in bringing something new to you.... As you know, It seems no two planes stall alike. The FAA believes we should avoid stalls and spins. For an example of a Mooney stall accompanied by what looks like a spin, search this site for a video featuring the unwitting cameraboy in the back seat. (would you stall a skylane with backseat ?) It's either a spin or the world was rotating faster than usual. Now you can say you know of a mooney that has stalled, spun and lived to tell about it. Amateur flown.... Best regards, -a-

Search on what Mitch put in his M20R. Quite the upgrade over original and probably still available. Best regards, -a-

RB, This would be important for the day you land on your back and are still looking for a way to get out. Of course it is unlikely but possible to accidently break the pin that holds the door handle on the big door. For this non-emergency, you could always ask for help from somebody outside already... It may be a better idea to bring an acrylic breaking hammer? Best regards, -a-

Ty, That would be one of the most useful apps ever....(make mine ovation flavored). Followed by a GPS app that knows how long your take-off or landing performance actually was... Best regards, -a-

Group (1) a,b,c,d,e,f,g Group (2) j,k Group (3) l,m,r,s,tn Group (4) power plants - discussions related to all engine ops, turbo, NA, 4 cyl or 6, lyc or TCM, carb or injected......itsallgood. It seems to me that long bodies could use their own group. The TLS/Bravos may need more help. Ovations seem to be ideal / perfect machines..... I read it all, it doesn't matter how you group it. More groups could make searching a little more accurate. Best regards, -a-

MedD, You are referring to the post count. Once you reach a out 200 posts or so, you will be tagged with the category of "won't leave". This is mostly true. If you go to the stats section of the forums page you will see many of the same member's names logged in everyday. They are in the order of which we first signed onto mooneyspace. Meddesign comes up pretty early on the list... Early in the morning, our European members will be the first logged in, late in the evening, the west coast is still active. George's posts from Japan are alone in the middle of the night. I am in the category of won't leave...too much Kool-Aide...and I am not alone Best regards, -a-

After engine shutdown you may see it slowly come down. It is a combination of vacuum, system integrity, spring strength and cleanliness that dictates the speed of which the step goes up and down. Be careful on the ground. If you slide the step up into the slot by hand, the return spring will twist itself up and be difficult to sort back out. Best regards, -a-

Matt, Do you Have a number of hours of ground training that might be required a part of your training syllabus? I took a class with American Flyers. I think 20 hours of ground instruction also included written materials. The King or Sporty's or UND videos are an excellent supplement to your training. Best regards, -a-

Matt, There is a two year expiration on your test results. As long as you take your check ride within two years of passing your written, technically speaking, you will be OK. You may find that the IFR written test is a separate knowledge base than your actual training. They seem to be two separate but necessary requirements. Unfortunately, the IFR written has not been updated in a technological generation. My thoughts...pass the written test at your earliest convenience, and focus on your actual flight training. Both have a lot of information to know..... best regards, -a-

Sandy, A good boroscope can tell alot about valves. Stuck valves are scary on take- off. Monitor egts for anomalies. Stuck valves often send burning fuel down the exhaust... Is this engine new to you? Has it been sitting a while? Keep in mind, you are not second guessing your mechanic. You are showing genuine interest. Good luck. Best regards, -a-

Austin, As far as the real AC goes, it looks very interesting. There are three requirements. (1) a big generator, I think the system is 12 volts only. (2) heat ducted away from the unit into the tail cone. (3) moisture drain, either out the vent in the floor (do you have one?), or collected in a container to be emptied. I think the big hassle is having enough electricity to run the compressor. The other details are just a few small holes here and there. Ice is starting to look like a good option.... Best regards, -a-

Balance in the universe.... We have finally found the unhappy mooney owner. John, Hang out awhile, drink some Kool-aide. Enjoy the speed and efficiency that the Mooney has to offer. Share some wisdom, and even maybe help our community overcome some of the short falls in aviation that you have pointed out. We have thousands of threads and links to help each other through tough times and tight spots. We even have a few subjects that result in controversy ROP/LOP, bladders, turbo or not, etc.. There are two subjects that pop up from time to time, Barron T. and Coy J. Neither gets a very high rating from individuals with direct dealings. Enjoy. Best regards, -a- PS we have a thread that allows you to introduce yourself....32 planes in one lifetime? That is worth introducing...

Scott from I, Ken the dentist/anesthesiologist with the TN m20f, now twin bonanza gave a pirep on the sky radar. ( search...) The thing that is missing is the traffic. WingX only displays the weather and metars, but not the traffic. The SV would be helped by AHARS, but sky radar and this compete for the one Bluetooth spot. I am leaning towards sky radar, waas is also included with that. Best regards, -a-

Cris, I used my accountant here in nj. I summarized the details, as you have. He put it on letterhead and made the phone call. Everything settled out as you would have expected. The tax office was NJ, but the claims were as fictitious as yours in FL. Let me know if you want my accountants contact info.... Best regards, -a-

To prevent accidental retraction of manual gear, Mooney put two safeties into the process. (1) push release button. (2) slide handle down out of retaining collar. Then move Johnson bar to the floor. If some one defeats the first two devices, don't expect that a squat switch would have been better. Best regards, -a-

Hope, A pirep on the WingX SV when you get a chance will be greatly appreciated too. Best regards, -a-

Ipad1 test Wifi -off Cellular data (3G) -off GPS still works Airplane mode - on GPS not available with airplane mode on. Probably a good idea to turn off wifi prior to flight. It is my understanding that some battery power is required to keep searching for wifi connection. Quick review... Turning airplane mode on, kills 3G, wifi and gps receiver. Leaving airplane mode off, and turning off wifi and/or 3G leaves the GPS receiver operational. Overall the airplane mode was a wishful attempt to allow us to use iPads during take off and landing phases of commercial flight. Continental is uninterested in how great my electronic device is, it is still an electronic device with a switch. Unfortunately the internal GPS can't keep up very well with such small airliner windows.... Best regards, -a-

Wireless Dr. Bill now brings up another important detail... Could be the cell phone doing the deed as well.... Now i have some flight testing to do.... Best regards, -a-