donkaye

It doesn't only risk it, it is just about a certainty if your are descending into cloud in below zero conditions.. I made that mistake once many years ago. Never again. They froze in the UP position.

Speed brakes would be totally inappropriate with OAT -17°C. They would freeze up. Gear down, prop back to bottom of the green arc, throttle slowly brought back to about 20" then 15". 1600 ft/min would normally not be a problem, but with convection the speed restriction to Va would demand a much lower descent rate. From our weather and risk discussion yesterday, that flight was a no go from the start. The weather looked pretty bad....

Nowadays it is pretty easy to make go no go decisions. Freezing levels below 6,000 feet with no TKS and convective activity greater than isolated and the briefing is over. No go for me. Convective activity and 3,000 pound airplanes don't mix well. With some exceptions flying in the morning between 6 and 12 is most likely to produce the best results. The AOPA weather has been satisfactory for me for the past 5 years or so. First I'll check US Satellite for cloud cover and lightning. If lightning along the route and no short deviations around it then the briefing is over--a no go. Next I check the Nexrad Chart. Anything greater than dark green along my path with no extensive deviations around it and it's a no go. Then I'll look at the winds aloft from the ground to 18,000 feet. The latter shows the the direction of movement of any systems. By now i have a pretty good idea of the type of flight it will be. Next I'll look at the Prog charts, then the Sigmets, Airmets, and Convective Outlook. From the above it's pretty easy to make the decision. I won't fly in heavy precipitation. Been there, done that, don't like it. It destroys the paint, and heavy precip usually means some type of frontal activity, turbulence and an uncomfortable ride for passengers. I'm not going there anymore. Regarding minimums; flying to them is fine as long as you make sure the altimeter is properly set and there is an above minimum alternate within regulation distance from your destination airport. Regarding Nexrad colors; I've tried yellow a couple of times--no more. Dark green is my maximum fly through and that for only short periods of time. After reviewing all the above, if I still am unsure about going, the decision is made--don't go. Having said all the above, I won't go without XM and/or FIS-B and Stormscope if any anticipated weather could present an issue.

There is a significant difference between having a certified WAAS GPS and a non WAAS GPS as relates to doing approaches. In the olden days it was "Dive and Drive" on step-down non precision approaches. You needed to be especially careful with multiple step-downs. Today almost all GPS approaches with WAAS have some form of Glidepath associated them. This is a HUGE benefit of having a certified WAAS receiver and provides much greater safety in doing approaches. Of course lower minimums associated with LPV approaches is another major benefit. In my area here in California 200 foot lower minimums than before make all the difference in being able to get into airports like Watsonville or Tracy or other Valley airports during foggy conditions.

Yes, I do have XM through the GDL 69A to Flight Stream 210 interface.

Well, as is par for the course, all is not well with the Flight Stream 210 Aera 796 interface. On flight test today, there was no ADS-B Weather or TIS-B Traffic. Also, on the 796 AI 3D page, the slip indicator did not work. Has anyone else tested out the interface who could also confirm my findings?

Peter Cazares, (925) 455-5657, at J & R Electronics in Livermore. The Flight Stream 210 is available now.

If you have the Flight Stream 210 and the GDL 88, you should now have ADS-B Weather and Traffic on the 796 along with Attitude on the 3D Page without the need for the GDL 39. I'm headed out to the airport to try it out.

I see. So the Stratus works with Wifi and the Flight Stream works with Bluetooth. The only question would be which GPS source takes precedence. For you the only reason to buy the Flight Stream would be to transfer flight plans, and with the GTN that isn't so important. Currently the flight plan transfer aspect of the flight stream isn't implemented. Unless you bought either the GDL 84 or GDL 88, I wouldn't spend the money on the Fight Stream 210 in your current situation, since there is so little value in it.

I guess my question would be: Why even use the Stratus when using the Flight Stream 210? See the "Feature Compatibilities" at this link: FlightStream 110 210 | Garmin

I never gave it much thought, but should have. While I have most of the iPad flight apps, I mostly use Garmin Pilot. I have both Wifi and Bluetooth enabled on my iPad. When on the ground at home I get all the Garmin weather apparently though the Wifi connection. In the air before I select otherwise a screen overlay dims the display and displays "Garmin weather not available". I then select either FIS-B or SXM, the screen lights up, and the weather shows up. Since FIS-B or SXM is coming through the Flight Stream 210, the app is apparently smart enough to know to use Bluetooth and not Wifi. Accurate GPS location must be coming through the Bluetooth, too, from the GTN 750. For Foreflight, since it is using the Flight Stream 210, all activity must be coming through Bluetooth including position from either a GNS or GTN. It would be wise to contact Garmin to find out if a Stratus and Flight Stream 210 can be used at the same time, and if so, which takes preference for GPS location.

I think it is time for a new battery. I think I replaced mine once when I had the 696. If the XM is connected, then I remember the battery depletes in about 2.5 hours. With it disconnected you should be getting 5-6 hours, if I remember correctly. When I would fly commercially I would dim the display to increase the battery life. It also might be time to upgrade to the 796 if you have or intend to put in the Flight Stream 210. Within the next month it should be able, through bluetooth, to get ADS-B traffic and weather from the GDL 88, and attitude from the Flight Stream. If you have a GDL 69 or 68A and an XM subscription for the 796 and don't flight instruct like I do where you need the XM separately from your airplane, then you could cancel your 796 XM subscription and get it through bluetooth from the GDL 69 or 69A.

More about buying a Bravo than a C, but you asked, so in abbreviated fashion--- I never really thought about my life being that unusual. I did almost go into music as a profession. I had thought about trying to get into Juliard, but in the end chose UC Berkeley and engineering instead. I still do play the Clarinet. From a financial point of view, the best thing I ever did was to start buying real estate at the age of 26. This gave many years to allow for compounding of the investments. The last time I worked for a company was in 1975. I am very good at managing property after all of these years, so it doesn't take a lot of my time. This allows me to devote the majority of my time to flying, teaching flying, and my music. Regarding the Rock Band Tours, they came about as the result of my interest in Mooneys. I met Bryan when I helped him bring his newly purchased Ovation home from San Antonio, where he had Flight Safety training. He did many ratings with me and I flew with him on a number of early tours before he got the CJ. When another pilot training seat was available to do the CJ type rating, he asked me if I would like to do it, too. So I got my single pilot C525S type rating with his airplane. Yes, I am very fortunate.

30 gal/hr in climb so I took a worst case average of 20 gal/hr. Cruise is 18 gal/hr.

If you have Garmin Charts on the 750 card and try to update them and are using System 5.13, it is a known problem that you will crash and burn the cards. Garmin has a method for update the cards with the Charts. Since I don't have Garmin Charts on my 750 I haven't been concerned about the problem. BeechTalk has a number of threads on this topic and Trek Lawler from Garmin monitors the forums daily.

Yes, I do bounced landing practice by deliberately bouncing the plane and having the student recover. I do not do it from the slow side, as that is not easily controllable; only from the fast side where most of the bounced landing problems occur. The recovery procedures are well pre-briefed.

Nice writeup. I think emergency gear extension should be done on the ground during your annual. I used to do them until at one PPP, the plastic covering on the emergency gear extension wire of my student's 231 unknowingly frayed and jammed the gear mechanism. I tried everything to unjam it with no success. The gear was in the half down position and although there were Mooney mechanic gurus there no one had any good suggestions that worked so I thought it was going to be a gear up landing at Palm Springs. As a last resort we put back the emergency gear extension lever and tried the gear with its motor. It worked and the gear came down. The plane was finished for the PPP, but at least there was no incident. I do simulated engine failures during training at unexpected times and do expect the student to successfully land the plane on the runway. I have had a 231 unexpectedly spin out of a cross controlled stall when practicing them with students many years ago. I have written about that on my website. I haven't done, won't do, and don't recommend practicing cross controlled stalls in a Mooney. Nobody has to come out here to train with me. There are a number of good Mooney instructors around the country. Check the Mooney Flyer for one near you.

Since I am very particular about how I recommend flying the pattern and landing an airplane in general (to keep it simple), I spend time refining most pilot's landing technique that is independent of the Mooney. Many, not knowing their airplane very well, will always want to land with power in a nose high attitude where they can't see the runway, or in a level attitude that chews up a lot of runway. I combine Mooney landing technique with eliminating faulty prior poor technique to become proficient with the Mooney. It will generally take 20-25 landings to hone in the skill that I think is necessary to call yourself a Mooney pilot. This includes normal, crosswind, no flap, short field, soft field, and most importantly practice with bounced landings, and go arounds. Certainly this should be done in transition training with any airplane, but with the Mooney bounced landings and go arounds require more skill than in the simple Cessnas and Pipers in my opinion, having taught in all of them.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree, especially when it comes to the Mooney. Just ask Top Gun how many prop strikes they have had to repair. Although I have my type rating in the CJ, it was quite awhile ago, so I wouldn't teach in it now even though I am qualified. Same for the King Air and the single engine turboprops. The Mooney is way more susceptible to prop strikes than the oleo strut airplanes. And how much more trouble is it to find a Mooney specific instructor who knows how to deal with those issues? When it comes to my safety, I want the best instruction possible from the most experienced person possible. There are times to be a CB and times not to.

A quick look at last year expenses 4/1/14 to 3/31/15: Hangar 6,800 Insurance 2,600 Taxes 1,800 Annual 6,000 Maintenance (+/-) 6,000 Fuel (5.50x20x100) 11,000 Wash 450 Database Subscriptions 1,500 -------- 35,830 This year will be much more on maintenance due to needing 2 cylinders overhauled due leak in the intake valve guides and the turbocharger overhauled. Note there is not reserve for engine overhaul. I'll just pay cash for it when it's due.

Students come to me to learn the best way to fly their airplane. Over the past 23 years, I've had a chance to try out many different ways to do that. So it's been an iterative process. The more questions a student has the better. They are involved the learning process. From that perspective I suppose you could say there is collaboration. But most students don't come to me to try to talk me into why their way of flying their airplane is the best way to fly their airplane. I've have had a couple of those (3 or 4 out of all the people I've worked with), and we part ways very quickly. Instructors are in a position of authority because of the experience they hopefully have to more quickly impart their knowledge to a student in the quickest least expensive manner possible. I will demo a lot early on to give a student confidence in their decision to have me teach them and to show them how the Mooney should be flown---especially landing them. Nearly always that encourages them and they improve more quickly. So from that perspective flight instructing is Authoritative.

Purported teacher..... I am certainly willing to be banned from this site for my point of view, which is to contribute to Mooney and aviation safety. I am very experience in recognizing the five hazardous attitudes, as I review them in detail before I send a pilot up for their instrument rating practical test, and have personally seen the results of those being violated--two dead former students, one with an innocent passenger on board. So I will continue to express my point of view as clearly as I can. If you do choose to question authority, I suggest you do it in private where you can only hurt yourself and not on a forum where your ill conceived input could lead someone, especially a newbie with little Mooney experience and truly asking for advice, to go down a path they might soon regret.

As a landlord in the Silicon Valley, I have the opportunity to see the average salaries of the Engineers working at Google and Apple. I also know the average rents in the area. A small 1,100 sq ft house goes for about $4,200.mo. That house will sell for $1,500,000 in a couple of days and maybe generate overbids in the neighborhood of $100,000 to $200,000. Buyers are almost always from India or China. Americans are gone from the scene. Salaries for people out of school a few years run between $150,000-$200,000 per year. I've seen a husband and wife making $250,000 who can barely afford renting a condo for $3,500/mo. Flying and maintaining a Bravo, admittedly more expensive than a C, costs a minimum of $30,000/year flying it just over 100 hr/yr. Things are definitely getting out of hand here. Owning an airplane is not for the faint of heart.

We agree on the first part, never implied the second, just that Mooney specific transition training is the wise path to take when buying a Mooney. Maybe there is someone out there who has taught more in Mooneys than I have, but I have't met them yet.

Hopefully, the original poster will see that there are some, how shall I say, less than the brightest light in the room people to put it nicely in the Mooney family, as once again this poster demonstrates. Regarding advertising, I never have, never will advertise. I teach because I want to, absolutely don't need the money one bit, enjoy being of service to those smart enough to use me to improve their piloting skills, and it should be obvious from my posting on this thread am not making any friends with the Macho, Anti-Authority types. However, based on what I am saying, I hope the others will choose a transition and recurrent training path that will lead to their becoming better pilots.