markeg1964

Mine looks like it is made of cardboard or something that has been covered in fiberglass and painted flat black. It is held in place with Velcro. It works very well. I did not realize it was home built until I removed it and saw the rough edges that are out of sight.

I have a M20B and my A&P recommended P/N 77852. He preferred not to use a remote mount and said this adapted works well on Mooneys with limited space behind the motor. I thought it would be hard to change the filter without making a mess but it is not hard at all. I’ve been really happy.

What is the vicks vapor inhaler for?

I’m a low time pilot who learned in a Cessna 170 that I flew for five years and then traded it for a M20B. At the time of the trade, I had 278 hours. The transaction was a non event as I think the M20B is easier to land than the 170. The 170/172 is a MUCH better training aircraft but the transaction is not hard - just more to pay attention to. I’m just finishing my first annual with the M20B and aside from a prop overhaul (something I was planning on), the cost of the annual is similar to that of the 170. The Mooney has cost me more during this first year as I’m spending more money on avionics. I think the Mooney lends itself to spender upgrades. For example, I installed a fuel flow computer last year in the M20B. I would not have even thought of it in the 170. I also added a CDI for the GPS. A handheld was all that the 170 needed. All that to say I don’t think the Mooney is that much more expensive to maintain, however, I do think you will spend more maintaining it. I do love flying 40mph faster on the same fuel or even faster on just a little more.

I don’t have much night time but I really enjoy flying my M20B at night. Something about the Mooney makes it much more enjoyable than the Cessna I learned in. To build confidence I started flying at sunset staying out a little later each time. Following is a video I took while becoming comfortable in the Mooney at night. http://www.youtube.com/user/markgunnison#p/u/10/DDmIIeEsdfU No hickups so far though!

I traded a C-170 for my M20B about a year ago. I’m about your size – 5’11” with broad shoulders. I measured both planes and believe the M20B is the same size or even an inch wider. The M20 does feel smaller though. There is less headroom in the M20B and because it has one door and you sit low it feels smaller. It is harder to climb into and out of the M20B which also makes it feel smaller. I’ve noticed most first time passengers comment on how small it feels when they get in but then realize once we start flying that is it actually roomy. I think people think of Mooney’s as being a tight fitting airplane is due more too how you get into the plane then its actual size. There is a real size issue though for people with short legs. I have a friend with short legs who can’t apply full rudder even with the seat on the first stop.

I hope to fly from the Portland Oregon area (7S3) to a grass strip south of Seattle (49WA). I also hope to make a sightseeing flight probably south of the Portland area.

My home airport has a 2465ft runway. In my M20B is it not an issue. Following is a video I took last winter landing at the strip shortly after getting the Mooney: http://www.youtube.com/user/markgunnison#p/u/0/1_hOuEY2z6Q Looks like my shortest is a 2350ft

My plane is a M20B which uses a 100W bulb. I believe yours uses a 250W. However to answer your question, my bulb is a GE 4537. Yes, you just remove the screws and the lamp pulls out. Check your aim before putting the screws back in.

A little off topic but last night I realized my landing light is out and I hope to make a night flight this evening. To my surprise Napa has a replacement bulb for my M20B in stock. Same part number but listed for a Sport Aircraft on the Napa label. It was about $5 more than what Chief sells it for so not a great deal but good to know I can get one on short notice.

I transitioned from a Cessna 170A with springy gear – the plane I learned to fly in – so I find my M20B easy to land. I do find it hard to hold the nose wheel off as long as I would like and I have not had many greasers. My only real bounce was while practicing night landings which surprised me. I was practicing power out landings last month and was surprised how LITTLE glide I had with the gear down. After two failed attempts to reach the runway from my normal power off glide point I tried it with the gear up and made the runway with no problem. This was an eye opener I agree - fly the numbers listed above.

I don’t know of an online W&B for another model of the Mooney. It would be fairly simple to copy the code from my web page and modify it for another plane. Just be sure to give the original author credit for his code. He gave permission to copy and modify it although last time I checked his web site was not up. As far as putting it on a thumb drive, it should run just fine if the HTML, JPG and GIF files are in the same directory. Feel free to copy and modify them. Following is a great list of design changes from the B to the C: http://www.mooneyevents.com/cmodel.htm I think the weight increase was a paperwork change based on experiance.

I'm a member of all three. I probably perfer the EAA mag over the other two but enjoy reading all three mags cover to cover most months. I agree that the mags are worth the membership fees. I also really like the AOPA flight planner.

I had one installed in my Mooney shorthly after purchasing it. The fuel guage is not accurate and my A&P recommended the fuel flow meter instead of spending money troubleshooting the fuel guage. The EI guage is much more useful than I thought it would be. I will not own another plane without some type of fuel flow meter.

Following is a W&B calculator I made for my M20B. When I fly with friends who weigh 250lbs (I'm just over 200) I should have issues flairing due to a to forward CG yet the plane flies just fine. I have a feeling the C nuumbers work for the B although I'm sure my insiurance company and the FAA would not agree if something bad happened. http://www.mgcpa.com/mark/flying/m20/wab/wandb.html