Ned Gravel

Got the info I needed. Hijack away (the tread of course). If they do have a good breakfast, it is too bad (almost) we are going to be wheels up on the Friday afternoon. By the way - Perkiomen got back to me with their parking fees for a tie-down for the three days. $30.00 per night. Ouch.

Marauder and Brian: Thanks for the info. And for Brian, thanks for the offer. Done. Enterprise car already arranged for pick up at Fowler. I hope to be wheels down at KUKT between 2:00 and 3:00 pm on the 17th (WX gods cooperating of course).

Not me. I used to have just an oil screen setup and it always scared me with regard to not being sure a bunch of little shavings had not escaped back into the crankcase. When I overhauled the engine in 2008, Clarence talked me into the spin-on oil filter adapter. Then he taught me how to do an oil change. That procedure included a bunch of things I had to learn to do correctly: how not to make a mess with the old oil how to remove the old filter and install the new one how to correctly install the safety wire how to cut the old filter and check for metal how to empty the air-oil separator sediment bowl and install new o-ring washers how to run it up so that the guys could check for leaks. It never included filling the filter after installation. I imagine that the "taking it easy" way the run-up to check for leaks was done mitigates an initially dry filter. I am not really sure. But I do trust Clarence.

Mike: I am like Don Rogers. in 2011, 87% of the cost of the use and upkeep of the plane was a business expense. Last year that number went to 93%. This year will not be so much (I had a great summer with the Caravan and all....). Fortunately, our Transport Canada rules regarding the "business use of personal aircraft" allows such travel to be supported so long as I am alone (no one else or my company is benefitting because we are saving travel expenses). As for our version of Revenue Canada (like the IRS), the Journey log is a legal document and it points exactly to where the aircraft was used to transport me. My business takes me to many places across the continent. Anything within range (4.5 hours or so) I try to do with the Mooney. Beyond that, it is normally cheaper to buy a commercial ticket. Unfortunately, too much of my business is in places where I will not take the Mooney (south Asia) but I am working to spend less time there and more time in North America. I publish the normal operating range of the aircraft for business on my website at http://www.motiva-training.com/index.php/about-us/42. Lots of clients like that and there is always the possibility of igniting the spark of flying passion in someone during the afternoons when the work is done.

I have some work to do in Harleysville, PA when I get back from Bangladesh and I have settled on Perkiomen (N10) which is about 7 miles southwest of the town. Trip is scheduled for the 17th of September. We depart on the 20th. Two questions to those who may know: 1. Is this the best choice? (I do not have a WAAS GPS, so I am limited to a non-precision GPS approach if IFR) 2. If it is the best choice locally, has anyone been there and do you have a PIREP for me?

My procedure is almost the same as Glenn's Approaching the FAF reduce MP to 15", which will produce 115mph Crossing FAF on final, drop gear - the plane will slow to around 95 (now in white arc) 2 pumps of flaps and hold 90mph on the approach using throttle to control rate of decent. Trim up as needed. Stabalise approach At the missed approach point - full throttle - you are now in the same configuration as a normal take-off. Retract gear then flaps as normal. You will need a little forward trim as the flaps retract.

I met Phil Boyer, AOPA pres before Craig Fuller, at the Aspen tent on the North 40 while I was recharging my iPad. Apparently he really likes being out from under that responsibility. But he is still a bit of a "performer."

I would offer condolences, but it does not appear that you are all that broken up about this decision. My wife loves to fly and she loves to share my passion for flying. I win both ways. Not all of us are as lucky - although there is really more than luck in that outcome. If it was me, and if this was an old argument (we are nearly 35 years along now), I would probably not have purchased my (our) Mooney 8 years ago. (She calls it "Baby", not me!!) If she was a new wife, she wouldn't have made it past that checkbox. I hope you keep flying - even if it is something lower and slower. (Nimis Brevis vita est Volare Tarde) Edit: Whew!!

I bought my Mooney to be a cross country machine. My typical flight profile is to "get up, get over, and get down." I want the challenge of IFR cross country and the capability of getting to places with better facility than driving or commercial. These are "second best" options. My E model allows me to do just that, within my own known capabilities and budget. If I want to go putzing around our local Gatineau hills, or go sightseeing, I will rent a Cessna from the local club. That does not happen often. Sent from my iPad

I am in the "Normally with 2 pumps of flaps" group. This is the normal T/O setting per the manual. However.....my Mooney Caravan experience opened my eyes, so I will now except some conditions for taking off (and even landing) without flaps. They are: When using a long runway, in excess of 5000', or When called for by specific operational necessities (ie: Mooney Caravan). These are my acceptable exceptions. I will still normally take off and land with flaps and the specific settings for each of these phases of flight depends on the conditions.

Zach: I am like Andrew and I have over 600 hours in my E Model and about 140 hours of instrument time. My criteria for using Ned Air are as follows: I will not fly when CBs or the combination of IFR/icing are forecast enroute. There are three sets of tools available to us all in deciding these things. The first is on the ground (strategic) and this is the one that generally decides it for me. We have good information available and good decision-making skills here will save you much trouble and heartache. The second is in-flight weather (operational) and this one is new to me (ADS-B receiver) in order to practice examining route option possibilities from 100 miles away. The third is the Stormscope/Strikefinder (tactical) tool and that one may be used by some to pick their way through / around / between cells. Not me. Don't have the equipment and not excited to push for it yet. I will not normally accept forecast minima for precision approaches (no WAAS in the aircraft yet) less than 400' AGL and 800' AGL for non-precision approaches. That is my personal safety margin. We each have our own. I will not normally fly night IFR, but I will fly night VFR (some very nice calm flights under those conditions to be sure). I start looking at forecasts seven days prior to the planned flight and I make my go/no-go decision five days before the planned flight. This allows me to keep the commercial flight costs down to something within the estimate I have given my clients. I tend to not plan Ned Air for business between 15 November and 1 April. I live in Canada and icing abounds. If, on the off chance that it is severely clear and the forecast is solid in that regard, I will exceptionally use Ned Air. But it does not happen often. If I messed up and made the go/no-go decision too late, it is my fault if I made a bad choice up to the date of flight. Hope this helps. Good luck

Halos for me too. Got over 50 hours in them. I use the baffled plugs as well. Love 'em.

Not going to spoil it here, because Mitch and Jolie have something in mind, but the common understanding was one (or all) of the three following reasons: The increase in rudder authority at higher angle of attack The smaller wetted area needed for it to serve our airframes, and (this is the one that has been hinted at here and will not surprise you when you hear/see/read it).

Why is the survey slanted to MOGAS? Is that the only solution the surveyors are considering? Sent from my iPad

Full international for me. I fly to the US all the time. But since that is not one of the options - I guess it wasn't really considered.

Mitch: Go to one of the clinics for next year's Caravan. You will then see how good you can be. Safest way to fly to airventure and a great and professional a group of folks. Sent from my iPad

Jolie: Check the numbers for the F Model. They had it listed as a 180 HP engine with a top speed of 128 knots. That was the most glaring one for me. The correct numbers are posted to http://www.risingup.com/planespecs/info/airplane349.shtml and http://www.pilotfriend.com/aircraft%20performance/Mooney/46.htm and http://www.pilotfriend.com/aircraft%20performance/Mooney/45.htm. Good luck

+1 on the Plane Power conversion and increased usefulness and increased useful load.

We visited the Mooney booth on Tuesday and found that the big banner across the back of the display tent that described all the models had some serious errors on it. Don't mind that. Errors happen. It is what we do about it when they are discovered that makes or breaks the situation. When told, no one seemed interested. That bothers me a little. These are the guys supporting parts for my aircraft. But the Mooney Caravan? Yah. Two movies attached - all from Charlie (Canada) element of Mooney Flight. The first is the takeoff roll from Yves' cockpit. The second is from my aircraft (Charlie 2) and is the landing roll for Charlie 1 and 2 on 36L. Yves (Charlie 3) is exactly opposite me on 36R. Charlie Takeoff Roll from Charlie 3 - Yves.mpg Charlie Element Landing.mpg

+1 Sent from my iPad

My logbook has 4.5 hours on it. And I missed one of the earlier sessions that Yves was able to attend. Sent from my iPad

Looks like I am going to follow Brett on the ADS-B choice too. I already have Foreflight - so the Stratus 2 it is. Not really worried about traffic. What I really need is a tool to warn me about stuff when I am already in the soup.