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I think all the above advice is on the money. I remember transitioning from an Archer (which is, for all practical purposes, a low-wing 172) to a Mooney. I learned a few differences, which I'll share with you to hopefully speed along your learning curve. 1) Mooneys love to fly. Flying them is easy. Landing is a little trickier. In a 172 you can be 10 miles from the airport and 8000 feet above field elevation--just point your nose at the runway numbers, cut power a bit and you'll be fine. Don't try this in a Mooney. It won't work. Plan you landings way out (I use 6 miles per 1000 feet of altitude loss as a quick rule of thumb) and plan to be at pattern altitude about 4 miles out, terrain permitting. Make sure your transition training includes a cross country at reasonable cruise altitude (6000-8000 feet). 2) If you fly too fast, Mooneys really do NOT want to land. If you fly them by the numbers, (for the J about 72kts on short final) they aren't that different than a 172. But if you fly 10-15 knots quicker than this (maybe less) and try to put 'er down before you run out of runway, you will quickly find out the Mooney flies nothing like a 172. Set reasonable runway length limits to start and then shorten them. I just landed at KBID, 2500 ft, a few days ago. No problem, turned off early. But don't try this until you have a lot of Mooney hours under your belt. So FLY THE NUMBERS and NEVER HESITATE TO GO AROUND. Very few accidents occur because of a timely go-around. Several occur because pilots didn't execute a timely go-around. One of the corollaries of this is that before you solo a Mooney, make sure you are proficient in go-arounds. Fly with a CFI and practice several. Have him surprise you with a "go-around" command. Trust me, I've surprised myself with a go-around command many times. With a J there is a fair bit to do pretty quickly when executing a go-around--power, attitude, flaps (wing and cowl), then gear. Not hard, but you want to practice. Then keep practicing. Then practice any time a landing doesn't feel right. 3) Stop by a few Mooney Service Centers. Find a plane on jacks with a scraped up belly. Promise yourself you will never do this. It's easy when flying a standard pattern to check GUMPS. Make sure you do the same when tower directs you to extend downwind 10 miles because of an F-16 and Osprey on final, then you have to do a 360 on base to avoid a flock of vultures and then your alternator dies on final. Just my two cents. Find a good CFI to get transition training and it will be doable. Good luck.

BTW, I once made this excel file that I've given to a few people, very helpful for weight and balance. It'll tell you if you are within "the box" and show you how your CG will change with fuel burn down to zero fuel. I find it helpful. Disclaimer--always check your POH, use this only as a supplement... WEIGHTandBALANCE.xlsx

toto, you are right. It's a retrofit or something like that. I had it done on my plane by the fine folks at the KLNS MSC. It's mostly a paperwork job, changing all the pages in the POH that contain 2740 and changing them to a page with 2900 lbs. There's one minor thing they have to check, the rudder balance. Mine was fine, if not they put on a washer or something to correct the rudder w&b for the new gross weight. Oh, they also have to do a crazy silk screening of the ASI to indicate the new gross weight stall speed a knot or two faster. IIRC it's only available to those serial numbers that had the frame beefed up but left the Mooney factory before the FAA had approved the beefed-up plane to 2900lbs. With an empty weight of 1851, and weighing only 140lbs myself (wife smaller !) I have a major hauler on my hands ! No problem ever. 1049 lbs useful load. Even with full fuel 665 of available load ! So that's me + 515 lbs ! I flew into LNS to get the job done 600 bs under gross, had the POH and ASI undated and hence left 760 lbs under gross, but strangely the plane performed the same :)

I have no idea what it's worth. I was just thinking about putting it on ebay tomorrow.

I just replaced my Whelen Parmetheus 28v Par-46 (PLED462L) with a AeroLEDs SunSpot 4580. Significantly more wattage (170 watts vs 36 watts). Definitely brighter. I just can't promise if it's worth the AMU. Taxiing at night is easier for these 50+ year old eyes, and that's why I bought it. I'll have no pics for comparison, but did do some night flying at airports with minimal lighting at night (e.g. N40) and found taxiing much easier. So I guess it was worth it. Not sure what to do with the Parmetheus...maybe ebay. No point keeping it as a spare, as LEDs supposed to last 10,000 hours....Due to increased wattage not clear if I should leave this one on from startup to shutdown like I did with the old one...

Crazy story, but CO detector saved my life (or maybe our nannies). I bought a new CO detector. Took it out of package, some Velcro on back, all set up for plane. Threw flight bag into laundry (HVAC) room. Damn thing started alarming. "Damn it ! I just bought it and it's going crazy." Brought it into my office, it stopped alarming, I saw nothing wrong with it. Back in flight bag...flight bag into laundry room. Alarm say "High", meaning super high levels. Repeated process. Long story short...chimney totally clogged. Now that's a good test !!! I read everything I could about CO poisoning (I had studied it in school and given a few lectures on it and how it relates to pulse oximetry etc). Don't get too bent out of shape about an accurate CO monitor. Just get one that can detect low levels. Keep in mind OSHA lets people put in a 40 hr work week with levels somewhere in the 80 ppm level. In my plane I'm not scared of those levels IF I know where it's coming from (e.g. jet taxiing in front of me) and that it's getting better. Shouldn't happen in flight. Low levels during taxi with door open...ok...etc.

I'm reviewing emergency procedures for my '89 J. Coincidentally (because the ventilation system plays into the "fire in flight" emergency) for the first time in a long time, when I went flying over the weekend I got hot and opened the overhead wemac vents and was surprised when hardly any air came out. The lower vents (pilot's left knee position) worked fine. I was trying to figure out why no significant air came outoverhead. When I got home, I had a radical idea and read the POH ! Somehow I forgot about the "master air vent control" overhead. In reading about the ventilation system, I realized it's a fairly complex system in the Mooney with 3 separate (kinda) systems. I think I understand the overhead system--a master control and 4 overhead wemacs- one for each occupant. The air enters from dorsal fin. (seems like you would NOT want to close this with an engine fire/smoke--more on this later) I do NOT quite understand the cabin heat and vent controlled by the knobs by pilot's right knees. It seems like the heat and the vent work independently and the mixed air (hot from heat, ambient from vent) get mixed and go to front side vents and defroster. This sort of makes sense except when I pull the heat in the winter the hottest place seems to be by the floor between pilot and copilot-not coming out of lower vents. Am I misunderstanding something here ?

Hey, I'm not advocating this--I'm just asking if anyone is familiar with this maneuver in a Mooney ! I was, until a few days ago, unfamiliar with this as a maneuver. I saw this video and then read about this. Apparently a useful maneuver in gliders. In sailplanes sometime the problem is you can't come down, you're getting sucked up into a cumulus or some other such situations. The gliders I have flown had no power source and little in the way of instrumentation-ASI, compass, altimeter and a piece of yarn on the windscreen--to help you in IMC. So maybe this works in gliders. Heck, in airplanes certified to spin, spinning is a stable, relatively benign maneuver which can get you down in a hurry with the wings firmly attached !!!

I was watching a video (below) describing a means of descending in IMC with no instruments. Basically power at idle, trim all the way up, full flaps and hands off the controls until you enter VMC (hopefully well above terrain). I went up to altitude slowed down with power at idle, put full flaps down, trimmed way up (not quite full), I didn't like the way things felt, chickened out and ended up practicing garden-variety stalls. I'm a glider pilot and never learned this maneuver when I got the rating many years ago. I believe it's called a benign spiral. Anyone every try this in a Mooney (201 or other model) ?

I believe him (and You !), wondering about the "Why ?".

When I get my oil changed in my 1989 M20J, I have the mechanic put in 7 qt oil. (One for the filter, the dipstick reads "6") For the next ten or so hours, my engine seems to use no oil. Then it starts to require (in order to keep the level at 6 qts, where I like it) about 1/2 qt every 2.5-3 hr. My mechanic said it's not unusual for engines to use less oil right after an oil change. Why is this ? Why should the engine burn less oil right after an oil change ?

Any idea if the Aero LEDs will be discounted for Sun N Fun ? Were they last year ? I'm thinking that's the route I want to go...

I have an 1989 J which is 24V, so that would be no problem. I agree pretty impressive specs. http://aeroleds.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Datasheet_01-2230-4580_Sunspot-46-4580_RevA.pdf I assume installation is no big deal if the cowling is already off for an oil change--something I could do while mechanic changes oil ??? But $765 !!! Wow !

Thanks for clearing that up !

My understanding is that HID is WAY brighter. Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

I have spoken to them, but I suspect they are biased[emoji3] Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

I have been thinking about getting a Boom Beam landing light in my J for a long time. I just feel I would like more light when I land, especially after rolling out, coming to a stop and seeing big ol' antlers 20 yards away at night ! My mechanic stated some concerns as he had REMOVED a Boom Beam from an unhappy Boom Beam owner many years ago and was wondering if these concerns are valid. 1) The connector for the lamp is not a secure snap on type – it is a push on and so the owners was having a problem with the connection frequently slipping out. 2) Less of an issue is the wire harness from the box to the lamp. Whereas the original factory harness is embedded in the cowling and protected from exhaust heat, the new harness is not and so comes close to the exhaust at the lamp end. This could be ameliorated with a fire sleeve. Thoughts ? Any pireps ? Anyone have major problems.

If that works and is legal, perfect. No chance if buggering up ok paint using that option!!!

Hoping to go to Canada in a few months. Need to get medical (basic med no good for Canada, as I understand). Just got my Customs sticker and wondering the best place to put it so as to not mess up paint on plane. Thoughts ? I was thinking about door jamb, left side of door when facing it from outside... Thanks.

Yup ! Up to version 31 ! Why not. The FF is right there on the JPI. One nice thing about a fixed pitch prop is that RPM and power are more closely coupled. You can have a good RPM and manifold pressure and not be developing the expected power. FF doesn't guarantee that either, but one more piece of the puzzle. In flight, airspeed (in level flight) best indicator, on take off, best to know expected take off distance and abort TO it doesn't look like you will be airborne by that point.

Yes. Note it's version 30 ! How do you spell OCD ?

Yes. I too like to set RPM for missed (even prop control to max is reasonable). At low power you won't actually be at 2500 RPM. But it's good to be there. Every approach in IMC (or practice) should be flown with the expectation of going missed. Too many accidents from people going below minimums for no good reason. Many instructors routinely have you take off foggles at mins. Better to sometimes practice the missed.

Todd, Welcome to the world of M20J flying. It's a good world ! I've attached my checklist which has, on the second page, all the power settings you will need. Try them out for your bird and tweek them slightly if necessary. One thing you might want to consider is a Mooney PPP course. I think doing one of these courses is good if you are new to Mooneys... One of the things I see Mooney pilots doing wrong is flying the approach too fast. The recommended settings and speeds are good. Mooneys love to go fast and Mooney pilots love to fly them fast. IMHO this is not the way to go in IMC. If you agree, then don't fly practice approaches this way. Please let me know if you have any comments on the checklist or speeds ! Fly safe. By doing so you make us all look good ! Evan Salant, CFI, CFII, SEL, SES, glider... checklist1.30.pdf

What are we looking at? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It took me longer than 2.5 years to buy my Mooney ! I was looking, kind of, for 5 years. I had a 1995 Piper Archer. I bought the Archer 5 years old from a doc in Florida. It was a no-expense spared plane with great avionics. I had my old instructor (not a mechanic, but an old Air Force pilot who had been around planes his whole life) look the plane and logbooks over and bought it on his recommendation with no formal PPI. No regrets. I wanted something faster than an Archer but had so much trouble parting with such a reliable, simple plane. I was looking and looking, and never found a plane that would allow me to part with such a reliable plane as my Archer. I put it up for sale a few times, asked top dollar. Shortly after flying to Baltimore, bucking 45 kt headwinds in the Archer, with my wife complaining the whole time, I found a local M20J with a lot of hours (over 6000) , previously an Emory Riddle trainer then sold to a MSC mechanic/owner who flew his family around in it for a few years, and then sold to a private owner who had the plane repainted,factory reman 0 time engine, new interior and tons of new avionics installed. I knew the history, but due to its age and hours had a PPI done at a MSC-I would never have thought of doing otherwise. No surprises other than fuel leaks (not too bad, sealed several years later in Minnesota), missing decals and melted recognition light covers. The unfortunate owner got sick and lost his medical (he really was terminally ill, not a sob story), and at the same time I was contacted by a club in Germany that was really looking for an Archer III (take a look at this--they had a ferry tank placed and flew it from St John's to Germany non-stop. The radar coverage stops over the Atlantic, but I spoke to him, pilot made it fine... http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N92513 So I was able to basically trade a '95 Archer for an '89 Mooney. It took me about 5 years between the time I decided to buy a faster plane and the time I did. It worked out great !!! I got my commercial, CFI and CFII in the Mooney...all fun. I also got my seaplane rating, but that wouldn't have worked out so well in the Mooney !!!