N9453V

JFK was a much better choice than LGA. Too bad you didn't get to do the VOR/DME 13L/R, that's a fun approach!

Renewal this year as about an 11% increase due to market factors. I'm currently paying about $1100 for $100K hull value M20G with $1MM liability. I have about 1400 Mooney hours and an ATP. I've used Cliff with Falcon for the past 9 years as my broker and I insure with Global.

I just realized I will be free on Monday night and would like to come if it's not too late. I enjoyed this event last year. It'd be myself + 1. Thanks, -Andrew (N9453V)

I've been slacking on posting on MooneySpace lately, but I will be at OSH this year and would like to attend. A friend's flying in with me, so it'll be me + 1. He's a Cherokee-owner so everyone can feel free to make fun of him. Thanks!

I'll be there; flying in on Friday night from PAE. 15 minute flight. -Andrew

Done this trip many times... 2 routes I usually take... 1) North to Montana then west to Seattle. Usually stopping at AMA, CYS and GTF. Fairly low IFR altitudes till you leave GTF, then 12k to get to the Seattle area... 2) West to Bakersfield then north to Seattle. Longer, but usually is the best bet to stay clear of icing in the colder months. Usually stopping at ELP, CGZ, BFL and EUG. -Andrew

What type of mags and how long since the last mag inspection? I had a new slick mag that failed on about 50 hours short of the first 500 hour inspection? -Andrew

Wow... I was unaware of a correlation between genital size and aviation experience, thanks for the info, jkhirsch. My posts on here are often fairly short because I'm busy, but I enjoy being able to help others and share my experiences. If you wanted to understand why I was recommending 500 hours as a level where many pilots could likely begin to feel ready using an aircraft for regular transportation in a wide array of weather, you could have politely asked... Believe or not, you might be able to learn things from people on here if you are willing to adjust your attitude, but it appears you already have everything figured out with your private pilot certificate and several HUNDRED hours... -Andrew

I'd strongly recommend getting your Commercial... I did mine 4 years ago in the Mooney and I know it made me a better pilot and comfortable flying the airplane through a much larger envelope. I found the power-off 180's the hardest to do. I got all the requirements and the written done (well twice, since the first time, work got in the way for almost 2 years) and completed it over a week working with an experience instructor. -Andrew

jkhirsch, both the FAA and insurance companies use 500 hours and an instrument rating as a level of competence where the risk goes down substantially (see 91.146). The reality is there is no substitute for experience. My experience is as a 1500 hour commercial pilot who has operated piston and turbine aircraft in all weather from south of Miami to the west coast of Alaska and through most of Canada. I've flown hundreds of hours along the very route the op is posting about commuting year round. While many pilots on this forum have more experience than me, I believe my experience is both relevant and sufficient to provide my opinion as to the viability of the op's plan. Since you feel we are all wrong, I'd appreciate if you'd post your experience and qualifications to make that assessment. -Andrew

Yep, a FIKI airplane, an instrument rating and 500+ hours of experience can get you close, but if you need airline-level dispatch reliability in that environment, you need turbines and a professional pilot. -Andrew

I've frequently commuted between the Seattle area and the SF Bay Area, often with a fuel stop at EUG. I would not recommend a new private pilot purchase an aircraft with the expectation to be able to use it for commuting along this route. I've dealt with ice along this route from September through May. An instrument rating and FIKI are both essential for dispatch reliability. There's really 2 ways to do it... the most direct is on V23 over FJS (at or above 11k south, 10k north) but you can deal with icing there most of the year and severe turbulence is possible in the mountains, the other is V27 along the coast (at or above 7k south, 8k north)... I usually fly this route, it's longer, but the lower MEA's tend to keep you free of ice, but be aware that most of the airports around that route are coastal airports and if you have to divert, you may have to deal with high winds and fog (I've landed at CEC with almost 50 knots on the nose at short final and also seen it below ILS mins). The weather in the bay area is usually pretty benign, but EUG to STS is NOT a good route for a low time private pilot to have an expectation to fly regularly. -Andrew

I did my commercial in 2012 in an accelerated program with the flight school (ProMark Aviation) in Burnet, TX. I already met all the requirements, so it was just a matter of getting the maneuvers down. I found the power-off 180's the most challenging; my instructor helped by getting me to fly the pattern entirely by feel (all instruments except engine RPM and MP were covered). I probably did 100 practice landings to ensure I could always hit my mark (-0, + 200). The check ride was uneventful; I'd over-prepared and everything was within PTS standards except I let my airspeed increase a bit on the steep spiral and quickly corrected. For the oral, my DPE knew I'd studied the ASA book cover to cover, so most of the questions were more ADM, aircraft performance, charts and weather using scenarios (e.g. having to fly customers out of a short high elevation strip on a hot day)... -Andrew

Pat, for the 330ES and 335, you need a WAAS GPS position source like the GNS 430W. -Andrew

SurfAir can operate either VFR or IFR under Part 135. They just have to operate in accordance with their SOP's... if it requires them to keep the IFR to the ground and get the clearance before departure even in VMC conditions, that can and should be changed and approved by the FAA. I used to be based at SQL and remember what a pain it was waiting for an IFR release on the ground. Not really. 135 covers most non-scheduled charter operators and non-jet scheduled commuters with up to 9 passengers seats. Good examples of this are Southern Airways Express which operates 208's and Sun Air Express (just purchased by Southern) that operates PA31's. -Andrew

My theory on personal minimums is they are printed on the bottom of the approach plate. If I'm not comfortable flying an approach to minimums, I shouldn't be flying IFR. Otherwise, for the Mooney, no forecast icing at my MEA, surface winds at 40 knots or less (gusts to 50), max crosswind component of 30 knots, ability to stay at least 20nm from thunderstorms. When flying over the mountains below FL180, max winds aloft of 30 knots, and no mountain wave activity. -Andrew

I own a 1970 G model and have for the past 6 years and put about 1100 hours on the plane. I plan on about 135 KTAS. It is definitely slower than the F as others have said, but the 180HP O-360 is arguably the most reliable powerplant out there. You are much more likely to meet/exceed TBO with an O-360 than it's fuel-injected counterpart and avoid a top overhaul on the way. Also, overhaul cost is a fair bit less. I fly with 3 people and a dog on occasion and the back seat is much more comfortable in the F/G than the C/E and I've got a lot time ferrying E models. I was initially focused on a C (I made the choice of powerplant due to lower operating/maintenance costs), but purchased the G due to how it was equipped (I wanted a GNS 430W, 2-axis autopilot, HSI and engine monitor). As others have said, I'd recommend a pre-buy by a Mooney Service Center. In California, I'd suggest LASAR in Lakeport, CA. Let me know if you have any G questions. I'm pretty sure I have the highest time G in the fleet (9500 hours). -Andrew

I've been a CANPASS Private Aircraft member for about 4 years and frequently use it. Details are here: http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/canpass/privateair-eng.html It costs $40 CAD for 5 years, but requires an extensive background check that takes 4-6 weeks. The main advantage are pre-clearance into Canada (you call 1-888-CANPASS once at least 2 hours and not more than 48 hours before arrival) and are given your arrival number. If, when you land, there are no CBSA agents waiting you can exit the aircraft and go on your way. The other advantages are you can land at a number of CANPASS-only airports (like CYBW) and you can land at any AOE 24/7 (not just during customs hours). The only confusion about the program is that non-members also call the same number (1-888-CANPASS), but they need to make 2 calls (first call from 2-48 hours before arrival and second call after arrival if no agents are there). Let me know if you have any questions. I travel frequently between the US and Canada. -Andrew

I used Aerospace Welding in MSP for my engine mount (inspect, magnaflux, repaint) and Dawley to overhaul my exhaust. Great experience with both. -Andrew

That's my experience as well with every Mooney I've flown. Full flaps creates substantially more drag than the gear. On a go around, I'd always go flaps to takeoff before raising the gear. Also, there's the risk the airplane could settle back down on the runway, so I've never seen a POH recommend raising the gear before bringing the flaps to takeoff. -Andrew

No offense, but your analysis doesn't make much sense to me... how many hours do you have in the SR20? I don't have any Cirrus time (around 1100 Mooney and 400 in other singles and twins) and I'm not familiar with Cirrus standardized training, but I'm baffled you'd ever be climbing at Vx. Hopefully the NTSB can shed some light on exactly what transpired. I'm not going to guess what was going on that cockpit, but whatever happened it appears the result was a cross-controlled stall that resulted in a spin. -Andrew

Doubtful. Stall speed goes down dramatically with full flaps (from 65 to 56 with 0 bank and 78 to 67 with 45 degrees bank). Also why would you be so slow at Vx when climbing back to TPA? -Andrew sr20_stall.tiff

The SR20 doesn't have a crosswind limit; it has a max demonstrated crosswind component of 21 knots. I haven't flown a Cirrus, but in the Mooney, I've found that I can handle a crosswind of up to about 30 knots before I run out of rudder travel. The winds at the time were 090 at 13G18, so well below the demonstrated crosswind component and not difficult, imo. As I stated in my post, runway 35 crosses runway 4 and there was a constant sequence of arrivals to 4, so if she was not anticipated to touchdown in time, she would have conflicted with the other arrivals. I personally prefer large airports, nice long runways, ILS approaches and better facilities. Cost usually isn't much more. HOU is a great airport, but not a good place for inexperienced pilots. They expect everyone to be on their A game there, but do their best to assist regardless, unfortunately, in this case, there was a limit to what ATC can do. -Andrew

I based my M20G at HOU for about a year and have dozens of arrivals and departures from this airport, I can shed some light on operations there... The airport is extremely busy and is effectively single runway since the majority of runways cross at HOU (and airliners can only use 4/22 or 12R/30L). The accident pilot was sequenced to runway 4 with the winds at 090 at 13G18. She slowed down too early and was asked to go around and join a right downwind for runway 35 due to conflicting traffic behind. She seemed to be having trouble getting lined up with 35 (maybe confusion with the runway layout) and ended up making 2 more go arounds due to being 2 high and unstabilized. The controllers were then making a 4th attempt to get her in on 4 or 35, but there was a tight line of arrivals and it looks like she lost control making a steep turn while getting too slow, but we'll have to wait for the NTSB to say for sure... In terms of runway assignment, generally HOU will only change runways when a crosswind component exceeds 20 knots or tailwind component exceeds 10 knots. Approach has a long line of planes (I've had 10 or more in front of me multiple times), so it's a huge job to change runways. There is also impact to the arrival/departure routes from IAH. On arrival, I'll usually keep 130 KIAS to the FAF, slow to 104 KIAS (Vle in the G), maintain that to 300ft and go power idle and add flaps 15. If I'm coming in on 12R and the bases are high enough, I'll usually offer to side step to 12L. On departure I'll usually get 12R at Mike, or 17/35. On a number of occasions, I've had to suggest alternate sequencing with approach coming into HOU since they are often unaware that I'll have to slow to 104 to get the gear down and maintain that. Whenever I am asked for best forward speed, I advise I'll need to slow to 104 knots to lower the gear and offer to take a vector behind the aircraft in front of me. I've only had one issue where the following traffic had to go around (it was a SWA 737 that didn't comply with its assigned speed reduction). After reviewing the audio, I don't think the controllers did anything wrong. I only wish that either the controllers or the accident pilot had suggested she divert to EFD (Ellington Field) after the second go around where there is little traffic and she could have had her choice of runway. Perhaps the outcome could have been different. In any event, this is a tragic event, prayers for all the families involved. -Andrew P.S. Here is what an approach to runway 4 looks like and you can see the relative position of 35:

If you can't take any chances over the Sierras, you should probably upgrade to something with twin turbine engines. Even the best maintained single-engine aircraft can experience engine failure (although the chance is less than 1 in 50,000 hours). I routinely fly over the Rockies between Seattle and Calgary, so I share your concern for flight safety, but you're not going to be able to convince me that a overhauled/repaired engine by a reputable shop, new prop and inspected/magnafluxed engine mount is less safe than going all new without data to backup your claims. -Andrew