mulro767

Latest facts: Lithium batteries were confirmed packed onboard as cargo by Malaysian officials. Malaysian officials also announce that previous reports of reprogramming FMS 12 minutes prior to last communications were false. The aircraft was programmed for Beijing at time of last communication. Military radar confirms a sharp intentional turn and steep descent down to 12,000'. At 12,000', that search area 1500 nm southwest of Perth, AU is way out of fuel range. CNN is still using a computer nerd as a Boeing 777 expert. At least AA Captain Les Abend is a voice of reason over there. These two pilots tried their best. Linking them to terror or suicide is just wrong without solid facts.

Let's say you are flying your Mooney at 10,000' all trimmed up and stabilized. If you disconnect the autopilot and let go of all controls what would happen? Would it fall out of the sky? No, it would continue on. It probably wouldn't hold course or altitude very well. A Boeing 777 is a very stable airplane and at cruise all trimmed up and stabilized, I believe it would continue to fly. It may climb or descend a bit which could explain FL450.

If that was the case I bet it would be pretty easy to find the airplane. The news show is just keeping the story alive with this garbage.

Aviation ELT's once armed will activate when submerged in water. So your theory holds no water.

I'm not trying to solve this mystery. There's still not enough evidence to do so. My post was only to show that there is a possibility that these pilots were not villains.

Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah and First Officer Fariq Abdul Hamid are the two most pathetic pilots in the world. Why? Because they're dead and they can't defend themselves. They are terrorists, suicidal maniacs, criminals, magicians, and even aliens in the minds of the news media's experts in the industry. These experts of private pilots, retired airline pilots, and Air Force Colonels are all coming up with evidence condemning these two pilots without anything solid. They are getting paid to sit in that CNN seat and feed you this "expert" information. There is no solid evidence, only clues. Some of the most important clues in this mystery that I see include: 1) The sudden removal of power to several key communications systems and radar transmitters. 2) The sudden and unexplained turn away off of the programmed northerly course towards the west. 3) The lithium batteries that were onboard as cargo. 4) The captains homemade Boeing 777 simulator which has been confiscated by the Malaysian Police. I have never flown the Boeing 777. Only the 767 and 757. I've had several friends ask me what I think happened. While I hate speculation without any solid evidence that a cockpit voice recorder or flight data recorder can provide, it may not be possible to retrieve that information now so only the experts are left to criminalize these two pilots. I am not defending these two dead pilots, only providing a "guess" based on real clues as to what really happened. I may be wrong. First, the sudden removal of power to the transponder and ACARS systems. For those that don't know, the transponder simply identifies the aircraft to ATC radar, and ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System) provides communication with the company including engine data to the company and weather data from. When you're out of radar contact, ACARS becomes the primary position reporting for the flight. It can be satellite provided. There is so much emphasis on how one of these pilots could shut down each of these systems. One theory included him climbing down a latter under a compartment in the first class galley. Then using extensive aircraft systems knowledge, he removes power from the system rendering it useless. Most pilots have never seen this compartment. Mechanics know it well. My speculation, that I'm entitled to use as well, is that a fire can burn through the wires that provide power to those systems. Second, the sudden and unexplained turn off the programmed course towards the West. CNN said that someone had to have extensive training to reprogram the flight management computer that far off course and it had to be malicious and terrorist related. I think they did exactly what they were trained to do. At my airline the standard practice while on a North Atlantic track or Pacific jet route is to preposition the heading selector of the flight guidance control panel (autopilot) to a heading perpendicular to the flight path to the shortest turn towards a divert airport. If an engine were to quit, a rapid decompression, or let's say something worse like a fire where to happen, this would be a good practice. Rather than trying to type in the flight management computer (FMC) the information needed to get the airplane to turn, you simply press the heading select button that was positioned towards the West. In a GPS world where every aircraft is stacked up on routes and airways and separated by only 1000' vertical separation and just a few feet horizontal, you can't just start descending without first getting off the programmed course. These pilots may have turned off course (towards the West) so they can descend and initially turn towards Kuala Lumpur. They just didn't get the chance to program the rest of the way home. The fire was too intense. Third, I have mentioned fire twice now. Lithium batteries have been on the radar of pilots unions for several years now. We don't just bitch about pay and benefits. Most of our battles are towards safety. The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) has been fighting hard to regulate the safe handling of lithium batteries as cargo onboard US air carriers since the 2010 crash of a UPS Boeing 747 transporting lithium batteries. But only two people (pilots) died on that flight. So there was no need for regulation. If a fire were to start in a forward cargo compartment and spread to the avionics compartment, the pilots would have one hell of a battle on their hands. As a student pilot I heard the words "Aviate, Navigate, Communicate" during an emergency. Those words apply to a Cessna pilot or a Boeing pilot. With an emergency, you aviate first. Fly the airplane and fight the fire! You gather information and run the appropriate checklist. Next navigate. Divert! Kuala Lumper is closest. Press the heading select button and at least start the turn towards that direction. Communicate. It appears they could have run out of time and the radios or pilots were not capable of transmitting. But how could a Boeing 777 that has a fire onboard continue to fly for that much time? The airplane is one of the strongest and most redundant airplanes ever built. Once established on a heading and altitude, each wing mounted engine is producing thrust from each wing main fuel tank. A fire may destroy the navigation, communication and manipulation that the cockpit can provide. But the engines run on fuel. Which they have. And finally, the captain had a homemade Boeing 777 simulator in his home. What a nerd! No seriously, he is an aviation nerd! The guy probably spent a good amount of his well earned money that he made from flying airplanes.....on flying airplanes! If he was an American he may have been able to afford to purchase his own airplane. He'd probably attend Oshkosh every year! But in many Asian and other foreign countries airplane ownership is illegal. His passion for flying only exists at work and in the virtual world. I spend a good amount of money that I make from flying airplanes on my own airplane because it's what I love. If I couldn't have that right, I'd at least have a Microsoft Flight Simulator. I guess I'm an aviation nerd too! Yes, there are many more clues about passports and political beliefs of the pilots and passengers. They even have Muslim names. There is a huge investigation to continue. Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah and First Officer Fariq Abdul Hamid may be the most despicable pilots because of their actions. Or they may have loved their jobs and done their best. We may never know the truth. I won't condemn them without the facts. Brian Mulrooney

This was my entry level Cub from Hobby Zone. I originally bought it with skis but they are very hard to keep level and in control. But the tundra wheels work great on snow! The pontoons are easy to fly and land but you need a lot of power to get airborne. Hopefully Jerry Chen (the RC enthusiast) will build a Mooney RC for us. I know it's very low on his priority list however.

Using my newly obtained SES certificate!

It's a lot easier with four hands that's for sure! But taking the top half off is easier. There are some screws on the front part of top cowling. The cowl flap connectors are easy too. Just open the cowl flaps, reach inside open the spring held connector and they free fall. Then disconnect the two landing light wires. Removing and replacing the bottom half is where a second set of hands helps out a lot. I have used a padded chair to rest one side on while I opening the other side. You just don't want it to fall and get scratched. My first time was frustrating but it gets easier once you develop a system that works for you.

I would like one too! I have an '81 J and I ordered Zepp's CD and it only had a 1998 J Service & Maintenance Manual. I'm not sure how the FAA would react if they noticed I had the wrong year model but it's better than nothing.

I too would like to know how keeping a plane in a heated hang is silly or dangerous.???

Jim Teske, Daytona Aircraft Sevices, MSC. He did my pre-purchase on my 201. He works on all Mooney models.

Thanks everyone. I was actually just curious about a shop down in GA that did work on my mooney several years ago. I just googled the name and found the number. But I became more curious that a company website was taken down after the company was sold. Hoping a bigger and better site comes back with some quality Mooney merchandise or something.

It appears the Mooney website is no longer. I was looking for a list of MSC's and the site is gone. Maybe they are upgrading or updating?

Where did you do that? Looks fun!

This is a great subject and worthy of more in depth discussion. I watch many single engine airplanes depart my airport and disappear into the 300' ceiling. They obviously have lots of confidence in their engine, airplane, and superior flying skills. Sure at 8,000' an engine failure looks survivable. You're probably flying very proactively with the nearest airport and approach chart readily available. And you probably have a plan. But what about down lower around 2,000' getting vectored to the IAF that is 8 miles from the field? Over dense population? What's your plan there? Or lets say you're very close to the FAF when the engine quits? You're a space shuttle. What altitude and airspeed should you be at crossing the FAF to successfully glide to the field? I have a fair amount of flying experience. 16,000 hours, 20 years airline, trained to land down to 300' RVR, CFII. My minimums in my WAAS equipped and instrument redundant Mooney are basic circling minimums. It gives me a fighting chance at survival when that engine quits. And it will quit someday. Plan on it.

Very cool! Way to make use of such a great travel machine. Please don't look at my flightaware page. It's pathetic now. Thank you for that! ;-)

I look to see that I'm at the correct airport before shutting down. Then I turn off the radios, do a mag check and pull the mixture. I always turn the mags off and leave the key on the glareshield. That gives me a warm and fuzzy when I'm standing in front of the airplane about to push her in the hanger.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=70c_1384839266

Good luck with your training!

On my pre-purchase inspection it was found that sb208 was not complied with. The owner said that it wasn't mandatory. Jim Teske of Daytona Aircraft Services disagreed and said it was in this case. There's so much mold that lived in the old insulation that it increased the risk of corrosion. Under the pilots storm window especially. Here my before and after. The previous owner paid for it. That was part of the deal. I'd go ahead and do it.

The baffle and silicone application simply helped improve the airflow over the cylinders which evened out the CHT's. The four cylinders peaking at the same time probably had to do with him working on the fuel injectors.