xftrplt

Some mistakes are simply inexcusable: e.g., long ago, and far away, Pierre ze Fighter Pilot had bombed a hundred bridges. But one day his Mirage sucked up just one set of chocks. Was his nom de guerre "Pierre, ze Bridge-Bomber?" Non! He was, forever, "Pierre, ze Chock-Suckair." Advance apologies to our Francophones.

Quote: 231BB The fuel selector on my K model got pretty hot one morning in mid winter flying into Truckee airport near Lake Tahoe. I had the heater full on; it was very cold at altitude. As I was about to change fuel tanks, the lever came off. The set screw was just a little loose, and the heat caused sufficient expansion of the lever's collar to allow it to slip on the fuel valve shaft. So there you go, it can cause problems. And BTW, one night over the Sierras a meteorite narrowly (< 100 ft) missed my right wing. Granted, this would not have been as bad as an asteroid. M20/KCCR

Preheating the fuel, whether it's JP-5, 100LL, or wood, does increase the efficiency (very, very slightly) of the combustion event. In heavy metal that I've flown, the fuel-oil heat exchangers' function was first to cool the oil and, second, to warm the fuel to avoid ice clogging the fuel filters. There were also hydraulic-fuel heat exchangers in the fuel tanks to cool the hydraulic fluid. IMHO, wouldn't worry in the slightest about the temp of the fuel selector, or at least I'd rank it below asteroid strikes.

Quote: Piloto I noticed that in the automotive sector most of the new car still have analog displays for all the parameters. Anyone knows why? José

Quote: Hank It has always been my understanding that the gear warning horn is activated by a microswitch attached to the throttle quadrant, and is not related to anything on the MP gage itself. The switch is adjustable by referencing the MP gage, but it is either on the cable itself or inside the quadrant and activated by the throttle lever.

JD, Are you sure you don't have EI and Horizon mixed up? The EI has an analog display (albeit LED's), while the Horizon is digital only. I haven't encountered the readability problem you mention with the EI. In fact, the last digit is always zero, as the the device reads in 10 RPM increments. (And I'm rarely concerned with setting RPM to that precision.)

Quote: Mooneymite Aviation Consumer is essentially Paul Bertorelli. If you like his opinions, you'll like his magazine. If you tend to disagree with Paul, you're wasting your money.

When my analog tach failed, I opted for the EI. I like the 1300 RPM clock and the monitoring of the mags.

Seth and Caruosam, Thanks for the quick replies on a short notice. Hopefully another day. All the best,

MD, PA, WV flyers. Anyone care to meet at 2G9 early this afternoon? I will bring shotguns and we can talk aviation and shoot Sporting Clays nearby. It doesn't get better than that. Time flexible. 301-501-4601

Bravo! Randy's above post is dead on. Too bad it took so long to arrive. I wish I had had the integrity (cajoles, maybe?) to say it first, rather than thinking, "Where are the Bonanza's when you need them?"

Which brings up my last thought on the turns. I've done a lot of geometry-style math trying to figure out the optimal spot before a turn and the bank angle to use in the turn - and even how much altitude loss to allow in the turn (so you don't get speed loss from the g's of a steep turn) - but I am still not quite sure I've found the optimal point. It seems to me in this case a Mooney is very different than say, a cessna, which seems to be able to pivot around its wing tip in a steep turn. Any thoughts? I'm sure a lot of thought has gone into planning the turns, but I'll dare add a thought to two. The aim is not to preserve a/s in the turn, rather it's about minimizing energy loss while maximizing turn rate. Assuming you're limited to 3G's, I'd calculate the minimum a/s that gives you that loading. (Your 3G corner velocity.) Here's a "back of the envelope" approach (sitting in front of the fire pecking on an iPad) that I'm sure you can refine: If 1G L/Dmax is Vx, say, 80kias, at what a/s will that AOA produce 3Gs? (Your 3G Corner Velocity) Since G-available increases with V^2; and the square root of 3 is 1.73; therefore 1.73 x 80kts = 138kts and that gives you 3G's at that your L/Dmax AOA. So, I'd pull 3g's, let the a/s bleed to 140kts, then descent to maintain 140. After the turn, descend to regain cruise. Just my 0.00002 AMU. PS: Actually, the 3G Corner Velocity is 1.73 x Power-on Vs, but I figure if looking for energy efficiency with a thrust-limited aircraft, 1.73 x the 1G L/D speed makes more sense.

Quote: astelmaszek Mike, How do you get your ovation to slow down to 100knots on downwind before dropping the gear? I seem to be entering the patern, straight and level and still doing about 130knots with my power at 20"/2400". Unless I yank the power all the way back (bad for my expensive engine), unless I drop the gear, I see 130knots. Andy

Thankfully, the following defies my imagination: Quote Aviatoreb: This is my wives tail I operate under

Ross is correct. AC ran a test, reported in the Mar 07 issue. They started at 40df and 60% rel. humidity and ran the heaters continuously for six days, graphing the temp., rel. humidity, and dew point. The temps within the engine quickly stabilized at 120df, and the r/h dropped to <15%, while the temp - dew point spread widened to > 75df. Hence, no condensation. They recommended running a pre-heater continuously.

at the speeds we fly, winds have to be ~45° off either side of the tail to give us a push... True, but it is true for all airspeeds--from J3 to Sr-71...and of the same magnitude, just not the same percent of TAS. If in doubt, play with it on an E6B.

Quote: 201er So does the gas saving still outweigh the deduction in engine time for resale value? Has anyone considered this?

If the fan stops making wind, your options become very unique during night as it does flying over a thick undercast that goes to the surface. As long as the engine keeps doing it's thing, then the additional challenges can be mitigated with skill and experience. Blindly gliding through the unknown blackness or greyness is likely going to negatively impact the outcome no matter how thick a pilot's log book. It's an increased risk, no ifs ands or buts...It does not stop me from flying at night, but it certainly increases my awareness of my options or lack there of... Well and unarguably said, Ross. Those are, simply, the facts. It's not about IFR or VFR, SE or ME, or even about experience/proficiency...or whether it's fun or how long you've done it. Ceteris paribus, the outcome will probably be worse. Now, do I fly at night in my 231? Yes, if I have a good reason. But, hell, I spend an inordinate amount of time below 100' (because I like to), ride a sport bike aggressively (ditto), and have, surprisingly, made it to 65. It all about individual choices. But it's good to know the facts.

Quote: Daniel You might be right. I suppose the only to choices are to use that speed for all flaps or to say without limitation published you can use T/O flaps at any speed. But that second interpretation is hard to accept. Ive flown a lot of aircraft models in 30+ years flying, and I can't recall another model that didn't publish an airspeed limit for first notch of flaps.

I used to be fairly cavalier re night S/E (recip) ops, but a comment from a 40-year friend--a five-time shuttle pilot/commander, who made one launch after the Challenger disaster (clearly, no shrinking violet)--made me rethink my attitude. Namely, he won't fly his 201 over wide areas of low ceilings, even DVFR. Just a thought.

Quote: Daniel In the limitations section of the POH, Vfe is listed as 110 KIAS with this remark: "Do not exceed this speed with flaps in full down position." Further in the same section is description of airpseed marking. The white band, from 59-110 KIAS is the "Operating range with flaps fully extended." Twice the POH refers to the 110 KIAS limitation in relation to "full" flaps. It raises the inference that there is no speed limitation on 10 degree flaps. Hence my confusion.

As a Vance graduate (70-05), I'd hate for you to miss the scenic and cultural attractions of Meade, OK (KMEJ).

Don't know if this helps, but I've replaced the twin PAR36's in my 231 with GE-H7604 bulbs. They are direct plug-in replacements, have the filament in a Q/I capsule, appear brighter and are said to last longer than the standard PAR36's. Available for about 0.013 AMU at http://www.airsuppliers.com/Aircraft_Parts/GE-H7604.htm

Quote: FBCK I have the external power unit plugin on the side of my Mooney but I was under the impression you could not use that to charge your battery, is this correct.

My earlier post was imprecise. I didn't mean to suggest disconnecting the BatteryMinder every night. It should read: Ditto. Mine is hard-wired with cords coming through a small hole in the hat rack. If you follow this route, don't forget to disconnect the cord to the battery when flying--and more importantly for any extended period when not connected to AC. The battery will back-power the charger, resulting in a dead battery in a few days. DAMHIK.