David Mazer

The gyroscopic force generates stress on the bearings and structure of the main landing gear only since the nose gear retracts in line with the rotation. Not being able to brake the nose gear is irrelevant since the gyro effect are nill. There is still the slinging of foreign material to consider. I'm not sure how significant the stress is at our takeoff speeds but why add any unnecessary stress?

Quote: aviatoreb & I don't doubt you Dr Mazer but it is so counter intuitive I would love to see it. Maybe somehow we think of the trunks of trees but approaching from above they are thin and springy to absorb energy? Like an exaggerated version of landing in tall grass. Just guessing.

At 12 fatalities per 1,000,000 miles, that means there is one fatality per 83,333 miles and, at 200 mph, a fatality every 417 flying hrs. That seems very high.

I can't remember where but this question was studied and the answer turned out to be trees. I'm not sure I understand why but the highest chance for survival was not water but trees. Seems counter intuitive but that is what I remember.

This may be a really silly question, BUT, here I go. If commercial flying is "safer" than private GA, what are the stats on private GA flights with commercially rated pilots? Does that mean we could substantially improve our stats by requiring a higher level of proficiency for a private license? Does that mean I can improve my personal odds by getting a commercial license? Do we KNOW the answers to this from documented stats?

Inserting them always takes longer than putting on traditional headsets but I have found that if I do it just a certain way they go in quickly and without a problem. It took me a few tries and I started paying attention to what happened when I did it this way or that way and eventually found the right way.

Stopped by for a quick lemonaide at OSH today. It is nice to put faces to the screen names. Thanks to all those who put this together.

Oh, definitely, the QT headset is the best. I bought one for my wife and promptly stole it. Had to get another for her to use. Now I'm planning on getting a 3rd set. I can wear any hat I want and they are much more comfortable for me than the other headsets I've used. If I had hair, I would also like the fact that it doesn't mess up your hair. The owner flies an M20B.

I had an intermitent gear problem on my experimental airplane (a SeaRey). It took many attempts to figure out what the problem was and I had to manual reach out and hit my left main with my hand to get it started several times (not as hard to do as it sounds). It made me very uncomfortable having checked it on the ground over and over with no ability to recreate it. Finally, it turned out to be a tiny dead spot in the electric gear actuator and when the gear stopped in the up position at that tiny spot, it wouldn't go down until I found a way to get it off the dead spot (hitting it with my hand, for example). The manufacturer of the plane kept saying it wasn't the actuator since they had never had a failure with one before until the problem occured at their lake and they were there to help me out. There is, apparently, a first for just about everything. I replaced the actuator and haven't had a problem since. I suggest you don't give up trying to diagnose the problem as the gear really isn't a system I like to be paranoid about and, I suspect, you don't either.

I remember reading about two CFIs trying to test the concept of don't raise the gear until you can no longer land safely. They both died in the wreck. I get the gear up when the plane has a positive rate of climb. I'm not too worried about the damage an engine out landing will do with the gear up. Like Parker said - it isn't my airplane anymore.

I can appreciate your frustration at the towered airport as there is a lot of training activity at my home airport and the students sometimes do strange things but if you listen to tower for a little bit before takeoff, assuming they have only one frequency and you have the time before cleared to take off, you can get something of a mental picture from the tower's instructions to traffic and their response. There is often a delay in taking off for me so I usually have the time. Your experience was clearly different.

The other day I flew over a small, fill in the blank, airport with one plane entering downwind, one turning base, one departing and on upwind, and me crossing the airport at 1500 ft AGL mid-field. Everyone knew where the other was and communication was clear. Apparently, it can be done.

Abolutely, we are a passionate group. The Mooney is a truly great machine that we select few get to experience and understand. Enjoy your new Mooney, take care of it, and fly safely. We have lost a few in the last week or so and we need all of us to keep providing the great information you have begun to enjoy.

Quote: Bnicolette We also have a lot of our manuals loaded on them as well (Minimum Equipment List, Internations Ops Manual, Systems diagrams, etc.), so no more digging for a book behind the seats or walking to the back of the airplane to dig up some information.

The 1"/min reduction is recommended by Rocket in the supplement. I have a JPI and it does show when cooling rate starts to be a problem and at 1"/min it is never a problem. I use completely different procedures for non-turbo engines. My discussion is pretty specific to what is recommended for this plane (the Rocket) by the designers. My real question is how correct they may be. Regardless, I have been following their advice in an abundance of caution.

Most of my flying is IFR and ATC really doesn't let me descend at 300 - 500 ft/min. I usually figure a 700 ft/min and dance around power settings and, when required by airspeed or turbulance, speedbrakes to stay in the bottom of the yellow arc or less. Typical IAS is 175 - 180 unless I am penetrating cumulous or there is turbulance. Then I shoot for about 155 IAS and use the speedbrakes as required because I won't reduce the power more than about 1" MP/min unless it is an emergency. Engines are very expensive and I really try not to buy them any more often than I really must! If shcok cooling is a real problem, I'm avoiding it. If it isn't, I guess then it isn't a something I will ever care about.

I'm pretty sure each Mooney is a little different. The minimum recommended MP for the Rocket is 25" during descent and 20" is usually the setting for level flight in an approach. There is no discussion of RPMs but I have been flying at 2200 RPM and leave it there. What I also do is lean carefully while I decrease MP slowly to maintain TIT. I have to assume that a normally aspirated J has completely different procedures and I have recently read that there is a lot of question if shock cooling is really the engine killer it was once thought to be. The prototypical shock cooling model is parachute jumper's planes. They apparently climb hard to altitude, jumpers away. chop the power, and dive to landing with little impact on their engines life expectancy. Anyway, what do I know?

I stole my wife's iPad to try it out. On bright days, with sunglasses on, I can't see the screen. Am I the only one? I use a Motion LS800 with an extra bright screen for my Seattle Avionics EFB and I can almost always see it fine. It has to be exceptionally bright for me to have difficulty. I agree there are some stability issues with any Windows product but when it is working (and that is the vast majority of the time) I can see it.

I changed the bulb before I had a failure. I did so for two reasons. First, I wanted to try it out with the incadecent bulb as backup. Second, I now leave my LED landing light on all the time for increased visibility. I think of it as cheap insurance.

Parker, I believe the 252 is a 28 v system (my 252 Rocket is so I assume yours is also). There are two versions of the Parmethius light (landing and taxi) but I only see one listed at the link you included (WHELEN PAR 46 01-0790623-20). Also, $289 seems a bit high. I think I paid $208 at SNF in April. The LEDs use a lot less power and are much cooler than the HID lights. Also, I thought the HID lights cost about $1,000 each for installation. I don't know what replacement bulbs cost.

They are available at Aircraft Spruce and others for a little over $200 I believe. There is a landing and taxi version. The difference is in the angle of spread. I've installled the landing light and I hope to get a taxi light at OSH at a discount.

The Whelen is 1200 candle power and it works very nicely. I recommend it highly. I think it is also 2/3 the price of the Alphabeam but I haven't tried that one. It may be worth the price.

The plane is way cooler than my ability to come up with catchy moniquers. Nat exactly the area in which I excel, if indeed I excel in any. Any way, my wife had to come up with that since I'm not even that good.

Erik? What kind of name is Erik? Mad biker or Killer prof sound so much better! Name withheld to protect me.

I think the numbers quoted depend on the perspective of the person making the statement. Someone selling an airplane may be very optimistic while someone trying to buy the same airplane may be a little more pessimistic. When I quote speeds (since I'm not buying or selling), I generally quote what I would expect as a reasonable cruise at a typical altitude for a given plane. Someone above said 145 for an E and 155 for a J. I think they are using the same criteria I would use. You know - about this or that speed. I wouldn't use it for flight planning just comparison.