Jimhamilton

Quote: richc22a Thanks for the responses. I have made it a point to study Mooney crashes, with other losses. The Mooney comes across as efficient with an edge to it's slipperiness that requires attention at all times. It reminds me of sports car that I had that was notorious for biting you if you did not stay ahead of it... hopefully within 3-4 months I can part of the 'Mooney Clan"... I had not considered a 737...might be easier to fly, but there a couple of drawbacks.....runway size needed...fuel prices....long walk to the can..

First I would like to say welcome. The mooney is the best single money can buy for speed and economy. The Mooney is also a complex aircraft that is a challenge for all pilots. I fly a Boeing 737 for a living and the Mooney (M20K...231) is more complex to fly. In the 737 most systems are automated to the point they are dumbed down. For instance, the engines on a 737 are almost impossible to hurt. The computers protect the engines from dumb pilot errors. With the Mooney this is not the case. The pilot needs to manage the engine in all flight phases for temperature, mixture, fuel flow etc. There is very little protections afforded to the Mooney pilot by onboard computer protection. My point is this. You are now just starting to learn how to fly. Your pick for an aircraft has challenges to even the best pilot. Please get the best training possible and get as much time in your Mooney with your instructor as possible. Dedicate yourself to it and fly two to three times each week. Your Mooney is a challenge in it self, add to it very long cross country legs and you will add weather, mountains, winds, cold and heat etc. You have a lot to chew on here, but you can do it. Dedicate yourself. God bless, Jim Hamilton

When I park in KCOS it's normal ops for them to move the plane around with a tug. I have talked to the ground crew and they all claim to know about the Mooney nose gear. I am still nervous though. Thanks, Jim

About a mont ago I posted for my first time with my thoughts on my new Mooney. I have not posted since because I am now using an IPad and my pea brain could not get the posting to work. ( For those of you interested, I am using Safari with the java script turned off ) I bought my M20K about two months ago for the purpose of helping me commute between KCOS and KSLC. I am a pilot for Delta in Salt Lake and I am attending my second year of bible school at Charis Bible School in Colorado Springs (part of Andrew Wommack Ministries). Most of the time I pass ride or jump seat to and from work and school, but when the schedule does not permit I fly the Mooney or drive when the weather is bad. I have about 25 hrs in it and am starting to get used to it. I have flown both VFR and IFR and I am usually between 14,000 and 17,000 feet. It seems to be a sweet altitude for this plane. The other day I was descending into KCOS with a ground speed of 250kts. Now that is why I bought it; Altitude and Speed and let's not forget fuel economy. For the money I spent I do not believe I could have made a better choice. I am not sorry, not one bit for buying it. Anyway, I have some questions for you seasoned owners. What do you do at different FBO's who insist on using a tug to tow your plane? After informing them that the Mooney nose wheel has limited turning radius I usually let them tow. I inspect the nose gear after every tow and so far so good, however, I am still nervous every time they tow. At higher altitudes the oil temp can get a little high. Still in the green but a needle and a half from the red line. What I have done is open the cowl flap to the mid position. Is that normal? On takeoff I am not using the full 40 inches. I set about 38 inches and I still get great performance. I do this to be easier on the engine. If obstacles are a factor I will use the full 40 inches until clear. For climb I use 33 inches and 2600 rpm. Any thoughts on this? For you Garmin 430 users, when you insert your route of flight, can you enter using airways or do you have to input every fix? For example, the FMS we use on the 737 allows us to enter a fix then connect to another fix using a jet airway. Such as TCH J80 JFK. All the intersections would be included between the two fix's. By the way, any of you with flying missions experience, I would love to get in touch with you Anyway, thanks for reading and hope to get to know you better, Jim.

I bought the 231 having never flown one before. I simply picked the Mooney for its ability to do the job I needed it to do. I will be using it to help with my commute from KSLC to KCOS. The MEA's are above 16,000 feet and that did not leave me too many choices on type. The plane was well taken care of by the previous owners (Dugosh annuals for fifteen or so years). They checked me out with about a two hour flight and off I went. My first thoughts were these 1. The rudder pedals seem to be far away and I sit a little low. Takes a bit to get used to. 2. Descents need to be thought out. I now understand why some have the speed brake option. 3. Speed is critical on final. The gear is stiff and is not kind to landing flat. Found out first hand. First Go Arround. 4. This plane is the fastest single I have ever flown and sips fuel. 5. In smooth air the plane is a joy to fly with finger tip control. Very smooth and stable. 6. Lots of airflow through the cabin to keep it cool. In all the plane is better than I had imagined. At 12,500 feet I still had sea level power and if I need to go higher I can with factory O2. It has a nice stack of basic avionics and an IFR GPS that I am still getting used to. The autopilot also works very well. It has been 25 years since I had flown anything like this and as I recall the autopilots on those planes never did work well. I will go as far as saying this, this Mooney is the best single engine aircraft I have ever flown. Also, I have been a lurker here for over a year while I made my choice. This forum has helped me learn about this plane from the people who fly them. Thanks, Jim Hamilton

I would love to be come to the Lake in the Sky Air Show, however I will be working. Darn.

Hello everyone, I am Jim Hamilton and I am a new owner of a 1981 Mooney M20K. I live in Park City Utah and I chose the 231 for its high altitude abilities. I bought the airplane in Texas and flew it back here a couple of weeks ago and I was thrilled with it. The leg from KPUB to home was picturesque and it was nice to fly VFR for a change. I flew at 12,500 for most of the way and I still had to poke my way around the many 14,000 foot peaks. I look forward to chatting with you in the future, Jim Hamilton