exM20K

After Prince Dick ordered the destruction of the runway, stranded pilots were permitted to depart from the parallel taxiway.

I agree as well. The DA40 / DA42 panel is so well designed in comparison. The standby gauges are in front of the pilot, above the PFD. No head turning, and no vertigo. -dan

I’ll be at F47 tomorrow. Come on over, and we can do some air work. -dan

FIKI long bodies and, if I recall correctly, my old 231, have the fuel vent in a NACA duct on the underside of the wing. This shape does not collect ice. -dan

And the heated stall warning, which is breathtakingly expensive. -dan

When the kids were little, I’d blow it all into a big pile or them to play on. It would harden and persist long after all the other snow was gone. Good times….

The right tool for the job: a 25HP lawn tractor with a 42” snow thrower. Plows suck because they leave big berms of snow that making taxiing a low wing like the Mooney a pain.

Did you mean the difference between a TKS and clean wing plane? There should be no difference between FIKI and no hazard with respect airspeed loss. -dan

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe only the 28V M20K is eligible for FIKI. I had a no-hazard system installed in the late 90's on my 231, and IIRC, it was about $38,000 then, so the current price is not too far off the inflation rate adjusted price I paid., which in aviation, is astounding. -dan

...and carry speed tape in the plane to secure if loose and away from home. -dan

Reminds me of how CDW used to look after a big snow. I’d definitely complain to airport manager. They need to do a better job REMOVING, not piling up snow in front of tie down CUSTOMER planes. -dan

Is there someone at the FBO to whom you can throw a bone to plug it in for you several hours ahead of flying? If they have access to the hangar, great. If they don't, you can leave two ends of extension cords connected to the wall and the plane outside the door for them to plug in or make a more weatherproof switch solution that penetrates the door. always on or on from 9-5 are not usually a good idea. If unable to engage a human being, I'd do the drive. -dan

I’ve had one for years and find it very handy for the plane and around various airports. the founder of the company, Karl Ulrich was a really interesting and accomplished guy. https://www.fastcompany.com/40763/professor-ulrichs-excellent-adventure He was an active GA pilot who built a product he “wanted to buy.” Perhaps the airplane application was part of his inspiration. Sadly, he and his companions perished in an MU2 crash near Eluthera a few years ago. -dan

What subscription do you have? I believe the multiple profile feature requires a premium subscription -dan

If I recall correctly, that failed experiment also has a maximum wind limit in the low 20’s knots. For me, max crosswind is whatever x wind leaves me enough rudder to get the nose strait-ish. The wind recorded by the weather station and the wind you are flying in at the flare are often very different, and only the latter is meaningful. -dan

I had a 24V cigarette lighter socket installed on the back of the baggage compartment to power my BeKool. It is wired with a breaker but no diodes to Battery 1. This could probably be used to trickle charge that battery.

@graham28105 my AFM lists the baggage door as 20.5x17”. Will this bike fit through the baggage door of your J?

There are two versions of the Sidewinder for the mooney: the original, which requires downforce on the handle to engage the roller into the front tire, and the newer style, which clamps down. I chose the older style because it does not require a wheel cover change. If I were doing it again, I'd go with the newer style. For short distances and where there is no snow to contend with, it is a very good solution. I agree that a second battery is desirable. If going longer distances than just in/out of a hangar, something powered by dead dinosaurs would be my choice. -dan

Easiest thing to test is instrumentation. I'd start with a three leg GPS test. There are several spreadsheets published. One is here. Next, I'd check that the FF, MAP, and RPM are recording accurately. Best way I know is via FF against the power charts. Fill, Run a known setting for an hour, re-fill. If FF is not right, everything is wrong. I've had a major FF errors due to dirty connectors. Next step should be to check rigging. even if the plane flies straight, there could be offsetting mis-rigging maybe. Mine flies 8-10 ish knots off book speed as best as I can tell, but I don't run a book power setting. at 16,000 - 17,000 I typically see 200-205 TAS at 16.5 GPH. -dan

As airplane owners, I believe we are also an element of stewardship or caretaker as owners, not just of the plane, but also of GA more broadly. This stunt fails abjectly in this regard and is a sad artifact of our society’s preference for junk food titillation and outrage over accomplishment. Imagine yourself as a previous owner who served a caretaker or possibly,y restorer of this aircraft over its 80 year life. How sad to see all that obliterated for clicks and “likes.” I hope he learns something and doubt his “fans” will -dan

Can you share a part number for this? Bummer about the stall warning. Those things are spendy. Welcome Back! If you "Get" Mooney, upgrades are few and very, very costly. -dan

Mine came with CMI’s Platinum!!! Engine, this is flow and mass balanced. It’s a really nice piece of work, and it runs happily all the way down to 100* LOP. I do not believe that the TN induces more stress than the NA engine. Mine runs cool as a cucumber all the way up to the low FL’s. I simply point out the low hourly accrual for the top overhaul because others raise it as a show stopper financially. It is not, and I’ve seen no evidence that the TSIO550 variants consume cylinders at a greater rate than the IO550’s do,. Even if true, this MX cost doesn’t even make the financial needle quiver, especially in a world of $5+ per gallon a gas. Both are very smooth, efficient gas aviation engines, and I am very glad to be able to own one.

@Schllc the TSIO550G is kinda turbonormalized. It has the low compression pistons, though, so it is not as efficient as the IO550. HP LOP IS 13.7x fuel flow in GPH vs something considerably higher in the NA plane. IIRC, Ovations burn something like 12.5 vs my 16.5 to make the same power. Especially with gas prices where they are now, this is a big factor in DOC. Cooling inlets on TN are huge compared to Ovation, and I believe they generally run cooler. I’m somewhere between 320-340 most of the year, even in the Florida summer. The C&D hourly DOC estimates when the used to publish were something like $205 vs $187. Not life changing money. I topped mine but only because it sat idle for a long time, resulting in significant corrosion in the cylinders. The TN is much more capable, but that’s only meaningful if you’re going to use that capability. If you frequently climb to mid teens or higher, wouldn’t you rather climb to altitude at 12-1500FPM instead of 500 for the last part of the climb? I don’t know how to say this without sounding like a jerk, so I’ll just say it. If you can’t stroke a check occasionally for $1500 or so for turbo component service, you probably shouldn’t be flying a multi-hundred thousand dollar plane. Ditto a $12-15,000 top overhaul. Do the math. It’s $6 x $7.50 per hour. The fuel burn difference dwarfs that. If mission calls for a turbo, buy a turbo. Buy right, buy once. -dan

I'm with @N201MKTurbo: Find a torpedo heater and blast it in the unheated hangar. Shouldn't talk long. Like @philip_g, I used to keep a garden sprayer handy when commuting to KBED for defrosting. I do not think it will work very well on attached ice, however. -dan

There is a slider to adjust airspeed or fuel flow up and down in the aircraft profile. I don't think many planes are spot-on book performance. -dan