jlunseth

Would you mind saying what Willmar's quote was to reseal?

The issue that bothers me is not so much gear up or gear down, I think that is dictated by the circumstances. Being a fairly new pilot, I scratched my head a little at the training approach to this, which is that a road is never an acceptable place to land (powerlines, cars, etc.), look for a good field. Here in the cornbelt there is no such thing as a good field. All the fields are either in crops, which can flip a plane, or they are plowed. If you have ever walked a plowed field it is no place to try to make a landing with minimal damage. If I ever have to make an off-field engine out, I will be looking for the nearest, nice, country gravel road that angles into the wind. There is no traffic and if there is, you can see the car for miles from the air, and from practicing off-field approaches out here, there is no such thing as a field without a power line issue, I would rather deal with the power lines on the sides of the road than trying to find a field clear of lines at the windward end.

On the issue of the engine temp increasing once you close the flaps, my admittedly very limited experience is with my new 231. We also had that issue flying the plane home from KSDL, where I purchased it. I am told by the Mooney Service place that currently is working on the plane, that the cowl flaps need to be set by the mechanic to trail slightly open. If they close tightly the engine compartment will warm. We had to open the cowl flaps to the detent (half open) position to cool down at altitude (15,000). A Cessna 210 friend of mine who lives in NM says his mechanic tells him the same thing. Cowl flaps need to be set to trail slightly open in the summer, then can be set to fully close in the winter. Not an adjustment you can make from the cockpit though.