Mooneymite

Me, too! But I'm only drinking cases of Corona.

I do think that "touchy trim" should be investigated at the empenage first. Nothing in the trim wheel is going to kill you. Sometimes serious problems have subtle clues. Here's hoping it's a minor issue, or even a perception, not something serious.

I do, in fact get a multi plane discount, but I had to agree to no one flying the planes but me. No named pilots, etc. So far it hasn't been a problem, but if I ever need to have my plane ferried by another pilot, I'll have to re-negotiate.

During pre-flight, try moving the tail section up/down. If there's any slop, the trim will be inconsistent. There is a close tolerance bolt that may need to be replaced.

Update: a different property just came up for rent. If anyone wanted to test the waters, renting in a fly-in community may be the way to go. Disclaimer: I have no financial interest in this property.

Yes. I know that the manual gear is beloved for the reasons you list. My intention was not to resurrect any of the manual vs electric gear threads. I merely wanted to point out that for me, the electric gear has been a big plus. A newer C will have the electric gear and the much better electric flaps that don't crack the rear spark like the earlier hydraulic flaps are prone to do. A newer C should not be ruled out solely because of the electric gear. As in every issues, there are pluses and minuses on both sides. I think it's fair to point this out to a prospective C owner. My post was not an attack on any aspect of the manual gear.

I notice that a manual gear on your C is one of your preferences. Like you, I was 50 when I bought my Mooney 22 years ago. I wanted a manual gear Mooney, but decided a newer ('74) C with a standard panel was the way to go. I reluctantly accepted the electric gear and flaps. Now, I'm no longer 50 and I am so glad I have the electric gear. When my bursitis flares up, the gear still goes up...pain free. Don't exclude an electric gear Mooney out of hand. They're great and mine has been completely trouble free for 22 years. I know a lot of folks on Mooneyspace love the manual gear, but there are reasons Mooney stopped producing manual gear Mooneys.

You think I shouldn't be using this?

I've often wondered about this. If an FBO bought 8000 gallons just before the big price drop, what are the options? Will the FBO just sit on that high priced fuel until it finally sells and watch market share divert to other FBOs, or will it take a short term loss to unload that high priced fuel to retain customers? Neither seems like a good option profit-wise. As my fuel supplier explained to me, "Gus, in this business, I lose money when fuel prices go up and I lose even more when they go down".

Great explanation! The big drop off in flying means the higher priced avgas will be around longer since we're not using it. The FBOs are loathe to sell fuel cheaper, until they've bought the cheaper fuel. However, some FBOs seem happy to sell cheap fuel for more when the spot price rises. I bought 500 gallons a week ago at $3.46/gallon. I suspect 8000 gallons could be had for well less than $3/gallon right now. Now go to airnav.com and check the prices around KATL today. ($7.98 ‐ $3.88) We need the FBOs to stay in business, but there are a few big FBOs I love to hate.

I have a 550 gallon tank at my hangar which forces me to speculate on avgas pricing. Our area has only one avgas supplier unless buying 8000 gallons, or more. His pricing is kept somewhat in line by the prices charged by local FBOs. Over the years, I've developed a (constantly adjusted) algorithm: when my local supplier is delivering fuel for $4, or less, I fill my tank. If local FBO prices drop below $4, I use the FBOs as much as practical, when local prices rise above $4, I use my fuel as much as possible. Occasionally, I go through periods where my tank is either empty, or sitting full, but generally, I average "better than the FBO" prices and the fuel in my tank doesn't sit long. Owning your own tank has high overhead: initial purchase of the tank, evaporation/shrinkage, changing filters, pump, hose, fuel counter, etc. The slight price advantage over the FBOs dosen't begin to cover the overhead, but the convenience of fueling at my house (no airport fuel available) makes it worthwhile to me. 22 years ago, when I bought my tank, the first load of Avgas was $1.60/gallon and a case of Aeroshell W100 was $18 + tax. Does the price of aviation oil ever go down?

I would doubt that. Given the speed with which the FAA typically moves on regulatory matters, this didn't appear within the month. I suspect it was initiated long before Corona was anything but a beer. I think the original proposal for the change started in 2005, or 2006.

Ahhhhhh. Thank you. I always thought the vacuum wig-wag was a clever idea, though it was apparently no more successful than other gear warning systems. Lots of Mites landed gear up. My Mite had the lights, but they were abysmally dim. If I remembered to check the lights, it was because I had already remembered to lower the gear.

Not all multi-crews. That's just for Part 121. As far as I know, the 91K and 135 operators are under the same rules as before. I suspect that 121 was changed to remove one obstacle to single pilot 121 ops which is looming on the horizon. The O2 mask rules are largely ignored by some, but they are (were) based on sound science. In an explosive decompression at the higher flight levels, your TUC is 'really' short.

Kevin, I'm not familiar with that experimental version of the Mite, but I am curious that it seems to have neither the wig-wag gear indicator, nor gear lights. What am I missing?