Jeff_S

All you "E" proponents had better get busy, then, as I notice that the current Absolute Speed record holder for our category of plane is currently a J. J's rock! http://www.sportairrace.org/id78.html

Here's an interesting related topic. I did practice stalls in my transition training, and remember them being not too bad. I get shivers down my spine even thinking about stalls which goes all the way back to primary training days when I had a major wing drop in my trainer doing my first unassisted power-on stall. Amazing how that "primacy" stuff stays with you. But my issue is this. Although my stall warning horn goes off just fine when triggered manually during preflight, it has never activated in-flight, even when we were doing the stalls. I had Joey Cole give it a look one time and he thought it might be because there's a bit of paint on the upper arm that was throwing off the weighting. That paint was probably left by a prior owner doing some touch-up work. I haven't bothered trying to remove the paint or otherwise fix it because I religiously stay away from stall situations anyway (see above!) but does anybody have any ideas on what I might try? Is there some testing device you can use on the ground to determine at what AOA the lever will actually move?

Quote: 1970m20e http://www.aopa.org/members/files/pilot/2010/december/technique.html I found this article on AOPA website today. When I get back from my deployment I will be trying out this technique. My question is, what is the VG speeds on our Mooney m20e's? Does it vary? And if so then I guess what would be the Carson Speed? After purchasing the Mooney, I'm all about efficient flying. In fact I'm planning on removing the belly strobe when I get back to help reduce the drag.

i can't speak for the baffling, but I know at least in a NA engine the degree spread of CHTs can be that much as long as your upper temps aren't getting into the dangerous zone. It's been mentioned before in these pages, but for a great examination of EGT/CHT readings and how to interpret them, go to Savvy Aviator webinar series. Here's the direct link: http://www.savvymx.com/index.php/all-about-egtcht

Quote: carusoam "It gives an LED warning if there is a problem with one of the mags" - Jeff S. Jeff, What kind of warning do you get? Does the RPM gauge sense an output from each mag? -a-

It depends on a few things, the first of which is what machine you run. MS FS is only available in Windows, so if you run a Mac you would want X-Plane because otherwise you have to run in VMWare or similar. Also, MS FS has been discontinued so it's not currently well-supported by MS, but I have heard they intend to bring it back. The general feeling is that, while MS FS has perhaps better visualizations and polish, it isn't actually as accurate for simulating real flight. X-Plane, after all, has versions that are built into actual FAA-approved simulators where MS does not (the home version, of course, is not approved for logging). X-Plane has a totally different approach to modeling flight and generally gives more accurate flight characteristics in all phases, with appropriate differences between airframes, wing types, etc. It is also well-supported and in continual upgrade, with a new Version 10 due out soon that promises to blow the doors off (although you'll need a pretty powerful gaming machine to get the full effect).

Quote: craigsteffen Um...I hope I'm mis-understanding you. Are you saying that you don't do a mag check during your pre-takeoff runup? Do you ever fly IFR? Do you fly with anyone else in the airplane that you care about? I don't dispute that checking the efficiency of the mags under load in the air is a far better diagnostic technique for spotting long-term problems. However, I think that's a really bad idea for safety reasons. You're risking taking off with one magneto totally dead.

Always tragic. What kind of tire was that at :59, though? It looks like an off-road tire from a taildragger.

I've started looking for events in the SE next year to spread the Mooney word. I noted that the Vidalia Onion Festival is having a big airshow, including the Blue Angels, so I'm trying to contact the organizers to see if we can set up a Mooney Ambassadors static display. I can't imagine a cooler way to spend the weekend, hanging out and showing off our planes and getting a free ticket to the Blue Angels. I'll add this to the Ambassadors website if it comes to pass.

Well, you've summarized nicely the differences between them. The main drawback I see at this point is that there is no easy solution for weather on the iPad, so if inflight weather is your biggest concern (and if you don't have it, you DO want it) then the iPad isn't currently the best solution for you. However, if you already have in-flight weather and are looking for a better, bigger in-flight EFB, I don't think you can beat the iPad, in particular in combo with ForeFlight. This duo gives you access to all AF/D info, all charts (including geo-referenced VFR and IFR charts), excellent pre-flight planning with full weather briefings and filing capabilities, etc. The GPS has always worked for me in-flight, although sometimes it is a little slow in finding position. This is not a real problem since I intend it only as backup to my 480/MX20 panel, but if accurate GPS is an issue then you will be happy to know that ForeFlight has just endorsed two external GPS antenna options that work flawlessly and provide much more precise location. Because of this, ForeFlight has decided to add geo-referencing to approach plates (and hopefully taxi diagrams, which is all I really want). Read about that here: http://blog.foreflight.com/2010/11/09/external-ipad-gps-receivers-for-foreflight-hd/

I have a Zaon MRX, which is the smallest of their units, about the size of a pack of cards. It doesn't have a directional screen and doesn't integrate into any other input device, so the readout on the face is all you get. But it's small and unobtrusive on the top of the glare shield, and it does a decent job of pointing out traffic. I originally had it in my Warrior, and there I thought it did an excellent job picking up traffic. In the Mooney, perhaps there's more interference from additional avionics or maybe just the airframe causes blockages, but I find that it doesn't seem to identify as many planes as it used to. This is especially true when the planes are below my altitude, as that is when I am more likely to see one whiz by me underneath without lighting up the unit. But planes at/near my altitude and any above me, it generally picks up quite nicely. What it really does is give you the occasional reminder to keep your eyes outside the cockpit.

Quote: rbridges either this is a very prudish crowd, or I'm the only one that caught that. lol.

Jason's insurance company should be handling his settlement, whether that turns out to be repair or totaling the plane. Then they will make the decision as to who to go after, if anybody, regarding the other plane that caused the damage. That's the way it usually works, anyway.

If we're talking about superstitions, the only one I have is to never wear red clothing while flying. I wore a bright red shirt on the day I did my first solo x-country (feeling pretty cocky and powerful) and sure enough the ALT breaker popped without my noticing it, and I was 70 miles away from home base with no electrical power. I had just enough battery juice to reach a Continental Airlines pilot who relayed my situation back to PDK so the Tower was expecting me, and then I had to execute my first-ever no-flaps landing. So I did gain confidence in my pilotage, and in knowing that an airplane will fly just fine with no electrical power. But I also swore never to wear red again in the cockpit, which I have upheld. (Not that this has actually helped prevent other things going wrong in flight!)

I invented a new tradition to help recognize my wife's gradual acceptance of flying and going longer distances. Last month we flew from Atlanta to Kansas City, and I made a big deal of crossing the Mississippi river. She was excited by it. Of course, someone who lives near there wouldn't think it a big deal, but it's nicely symbolic of doing longer cross-countries, sort of like a new Navy sailor crossing the equator.

Quote: georgeb I've had one for almost 3 years and just so you know, the Chrome spinner is going away. After multiple mishaps, they're going to a painted composite spinner . They're in the final stages of certification with it and I understand I'm to be one of the first to have the composite spinner. I opted out of getting a polished replacement..they're still having 'issues' with them (at least on our 360 engines). Now, that being said, as far as the performance is concerned, I can without a doubt tell you that it has been the most significant speed improvement I've ever put on my mooney....period. I recently put a stock prop back on while mine is being repaired, and once again, I can tell you without any degree of doubt, there is a considerable difference between the two. George

I transitioned to an M20J from a Warrior at the beginning of the year. Don't let anyone scare you about cockpit space. The Mooney actually is roomier once all is said and done. Or maybe it just seems roomier because you get to your destination so much faster and there's less time to feel cramped!

Quote: N223MM Which version of X-Plane are you on? I have 8 but have not Loaded it on the Mac. Which yoke are you using? I am in the marked as my old joystick just wasn't cutting it the last few times I used it. Are there any issues in using the yoke/pedals/accessories with the Mac?

Hi Folks. Just want to get this to the top of the list one more time as a reminder about the fly-in this Saturday at Big Fork South Airpark. We've realized that our normal SEMooney email list serve is inoperable so we're having trouble getting the word out, so if you are in the area and at all interested please come on in. The weather is shaping up to be very nice for Saturday. And bring friends...even non-Mooney folks are welcome of course!

Quote: KLRDMD P < 0.05 is generally used as the limit for statistical significance. Based on that generally accepted value, three is an insignificant number in this discussion.

Sure...the POH's always used to refer to this as "Economy Cruise" and that's how it's referred to in the standard Lycoming chart. That's where I would fly any time above 8000', where the Red Zone pretty much goes away for NA engines and the GAMI guys say you can lean however you want. That's what I was alluding to in my note above...at the appropriate density altitude, I lean to the "richest" setting advised in the Red Zone chart which would be pretty much as peak EGT, only leaning it more if I need to reduce temps. (For example, this summer was brutishly hot even at altitude so I had to lean more aggressively.)

Quote: KLRDMD It approaches zero, but it's not zero. in the 2009 Nall report, 3 people were incapacitated while flying, all were fatal. One of those is thought too be from falling asleep at the wheel so it doesn't really count here.

AvWeb recently did a survey on this, and the overwhelming response was to drop the medical. I have to admit I was one of the few that weighed in on the affirmative side. I don't like that every two-year (for the over 40 crowd) bit of anxiety that comes with it any more than the next guy, but for me the issue is passenger safety. If the driver of a car has a heart-attack, the passengers are more than likely going to be able to get away from the scene with their lives. If a pilot does, not so much (Cirrus drivers notwithstanding). So I think the main target beneficiaries are the other passengers rather than folks on the ground.

Quote: rbridges how many people show up for these? I'd love to go to one.

I run a Mac so MSFX has never been available, but I've used X-Plane for years and also used it to practice during my IFR training. I agree that it helps one learn the scan and it's a great, low-cost way to really see what happens when you're trying to fly the needles on an old-fashioned approach like a VOR or NDB, or even an ILS. I haven't equipped my setup with all the add-ons to do GPS approaches, but really, they are so boring that it probably doesn't matter. Of course, in the real world, give me that boring magenta line and my GPSS-equipped auto pilot any day!