201er

If you're looking for the "Best Combination of Speed and Efficiency" then without a doubt it's an M20J. The 201 is essentially the peak of Mooney aerodynamic engineering with the constraints of a 200HP engine. Like others said, from there onward, it's just about throwing more gas on the fire to make it go faster. That means efficiency goes down but the benefit is more altitude or speed (but at a higher cost). There may definitely be great reasons to own these other Mooneys but maximum efficiency isn't it. Come to think of it, seems to me like the Mooney 201 to this day remains the most efficient speedy 4 seater flying. Even those Cirruses and other composites rely on bigger engines to achieve similar performance. Anyone know any other 4 seaters that can boast equal speed to hp over 150knots? Perhaps some of the RVs?

Quote: gregwatts There is a reason that sellers, dealers, and brokers all deliderately use the "NDH" claim when it is supported by logs..........Just sayin'

Quick question: was that a '77 or later 201? I wonder if the speed sensing system on a '78 or later 201 would have prevented this? Or was this done still at flying speed?

When I was mooney shopping I also tried ordering that Mooney Buyres Kit with no luck. They neither charged my card nor shipped it despite several phone calls. Seems like a scam to me.

^ Too bad it wasn't a full tank of AvGas.

Quote: Shadrach Mike, be wary of the $10 HD Guangdong "special"... I have learned that lesson the hard way.

I received some shirts and a hat with a Mooney and my N number embroidered on them.

I got a $10 variety toolkit at home depot with its own case. It contains screw driver with various tips, pliers, box cutter, scissors, mini screw drivers, alan kets, etc. I probably gotta add a socket kit or at least an adjustable wrench to that. I also have an LED lantern, funnel, few quarts of oil, gats jar, dip stick, 50ft of rope, rags, plexus, cleaner wax, jumper cables, and plug and jump adapter to allow jump starting from a car or 12v battery! I bought a car trunk organizer in walmart that perfectly fits across my cargo area. This keeps all my permanent airplane stuff together in one place instead of bouncing all around. Also makes for easy removal of everything at once if I want to vac the back or shed 30 pounds. I also keep a first aid kit on the hat rack, box of zip lock bags, and paper towels.

Let's just say there's no way in hell they'd let me bring it on an airliner

180.0 hours in 2011 so far, mainly thanks to my new old Mooney that I got this May. 165.3 hours were in airplane, 14.7 in glider. Of the 165.3 hours airplane, 162.7 were complex. 153.7 hours were in my Mooney. 81.8 hours cross country with 76.3 of those in my Mooney. I also added 39.9 hours of instrument time this year and earned my instrument rating. The majority of my time was in my 1978 M20J. The rest of the hours were in a mix of BE35 Bonanza, PA28R-180 Arrow, PA28-160 Cadet, Cessna 162 Skycatcher, and gliders (Schweizer 2-33, 2-32, 1-26, 1-34). It was a great year with tons of flying and many firsts for me, mainly thanks to getting my own plane, more specifically a Mooney!

Speaking of priming method, what I've been doing (mech's recommendation) is full throttle, full mixture, boost pump on, watch until maximum fuel flow is reached, wait 0-2 seconds depending on conditions at this fuel flow, then mixture idle, fuel pump off, throttle 1/4-1/2 way in, crank, bring throttle back, put mixture in. He said by priming with full throttle, it opens the fuel servo and gets better fuel flow for priming. This has worked very well for me but then again before I had a weak impulse coupling so it may have all been about that and not the priming method.

A mechanic suggested to me to use more throttle when starting and sure enough it fires up sooner with less cranking. Obviously this is easier on the starter but how is it on the engine if it fires into 1200-1800RPM right away based on the throttle position? I bring the throttle back first and then advance the mixture. So is there anything wrong with using more throttle to start with less cranking?

THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS 'Twas the night before Christmas all over the place, When we were confronted by an old flying ace. There was icing reported and turbulent air , He said, "File me a flight plan, I gotta get there". Outside sat his aircraft all ready to run, And the old man walked out to that P-51. "Bad weather's no problem," he silently mumbled, The prop came to life...that big Merlin rumbled. He eased in the throttle, the roar shook the ground, He taxied on out and turned it around. He went through the run-up and seemed satisfied, Then he said to himself, "I'm in for a ride." So he lined it up straight as he poured on the coal, The tailwheel came up as he started to roll. Up off the runway, he sucked up the gear, And that mighty V-12 was all you could hear. He screamed overhead with a deafening crack, Blue flames flying from each little stack. "He pulled up the nose and started to climb, No ice on that airframe, it didn't have time. On top of the weather with the levers all set, He looked up above him and saw a Learjet. "With jet fuel and turbines there just ain't no class, Gimmee pistons, and props and lots of avgas!" Now he was approaching where he wanted to go. But the weather had covered the runway with ice and with snow. How will he land it? We just have to guess, because the only way in was a full I-L-S. Then over the outer marker, he started his run, The ceiling was zero, visibility...none. Still going three hundred and he felt the need, For an overhead break to diminish his speed. Over the numbers he zoomed, along like a flash, Pulled into his break, we just knew he would crash. Oh, why do they do it on these kind of nights?? Then over the threshold, we saw landing lights. I'm on a short final with three in the green, And I see enough runway to land this machine.". Then he tied down that Mustang, and they all heard him say,.. "Next year, I'm stickin' with my reindeer and sleigh.."

Quote: N9154V I am in CA, so can't help you there much. But how big are you? Many of us carry extra pounds, some are real tall. With this info, we may be able to help. My F is as wide as a Bonanza, Cherokee etc. Some of the pilots are over 6 feet tall, and fit quite well. Maybe this will help a little. Also check out planes for Sale in your area. Good luck and enjoy. Ron

Where are you guys getting these interpretations of ice from? I've seen nothing that suggests IMC or that this occurred enroute. Sounds like it happened 1-5 minutes after takeoff. 287 is close to TEB so it's more of a question of what part of 287 rather than where. My first thought about crash on highway was failed off airport landing. But the fact he was raining down in pieces definitely adds a twist to things...

Not really a Mooney but sortof: http://news.yahoo.com/least-3-dead-small-plane-crash-nj-highway-165557705.html?bouchon=501,ny Shame. Good thing no motorists were hurt or it would make it look like planes fall out of the sky and kill innocent bystanders.

Santa Claus, like all pilots, gets regular visits from the Federal Aviation Administration, and the FAA examiner arrived last week for the pre-Christmas flight check. In preparation, Santa had the elves wash the sled and bathe all the reindeer. Santa got his logbook out and made sure all his paperwork was in order. He knew they would examine all his equipment and truly put Santa’s flying skills to the test… The examiner walked slowly around the sled. He checked the reindeer harnesses, the landing gear, and Rudolph’s nose. He painstakingly reviewed Santa’s weight and balance calculations for the sled’s enormous payload. Finally, they were ready for the checkride. Santa got in and fastened his seatbelt and shoulder harness and checked the compass. Then the examiner hopped in carrying, to Santa’s surprise, a shotgun. “What’s that for?!?” asked Santa incredulously. The examiner winked and said, “I’m not supposed to tell you this ahead of time,” as he leaned over to whisper in Santa’s ear, “but you’re gonna lose an engine on takeoff.”

Quote: Cris Mike- Don't you have a high/low vac indicator in your annunciator panal? MORE TO THE POINT HAS IT BEEN TESTED? If you have the AI overhauled your mechanic can add at very little cost a simple 1" suction guage to your panal like many of the latter Mooney's. A better idea is a low cost back up http://www.thevacsource.com/svs.php system which includes the warning now that you will be regularly "in the clouds"

Not sure what mine is. My mech checked the model for me and got the quote. It was going to be over 1k for a drop in overhaul replacement so I'd rather wait a week for mine to be overhauled during annual and save $300.

I've had the same thing happen with my AI. Mech tested vac system since and said it's flawless (no suction gauge on Mooneys to go by). He says I'm going to need the AI overhauled, so looking at about $700 to have that done. I'm trying to hold out till annual cause it takes at least a week. It's been working fine again for a while so keeping fingers crossed. But it would be the instrument I'd trust least if it disagreed.

Quote: aerobat95 So our plane will glide 13 miles for every 1000 feet of altitude??? That sounds pretty good...almost too good.

Duplicate... how can I remove it?

If you have a scanner, just use the scan to pdf option where it bundles all sequential scans to pdf. I took the lid off of mine and press/hold the logbook page down against the glass and keep going. I set the size to scan as the page size so no cropping is required. Not as quick as photographing, but saves all the work organizing it on computer.

I'm thinking of getting an ATD300, few questions popped into my mind: 1) Is Garmin 430 coupling available yet? How does it work? 2) Does the unit come with antenna/cable for portable use AND panel mount kit or do you have to pick one? I'm thinking of getting just the unit for portable use for now and then get it permanently installed in the panel at annual. Otherwise just going to wait till then.

Yeah, safer to cut a few control towers and let us keep our free chart downloads.