Mooneymite

Here's a question for you AOA guys: How close to stall, does the stall warning typically sound? I realize that the stall warning does not operate exactly like an AOA, but it operates on the same principle..... Is it 15% above stall in the landing configuration?

Now there's a real selling point!

Yep. Great demonstration. And a nice tool for a primary flight instructor!

Criticizing the use? Not at all. Mine was an open invitation to you and any other advocate to promote, or explain the need for an AOA system for the typical Mooney operator. I'm just being quite candid that for someone who operates their Mooney as I do, I just don't get it. I don't conduct, or even attend university flight programs,but I certainly see where AOA data is useful for such. That is not criticizing anyone. Far from it. I just like simplicity.....

Spring loaded to the up position? Mooney innovation at its best.

And I guess that's the point. "Close enough." I don't fly my Mooney "on the edge". As a matter of fact, I take care not to. I don't ever need to go into short fields, land on carriers (any more) or fly on the verge of a stall. 100% of my operations allow a safe operation at air speeds covered by my POH. I've been operating my Mooney this way for the past 17 years and never had an occasion where I thought an AOA would make mine a safer operation. Not once. I'm sure there are folk who need the precision of a perfectly calibrated AOA, but two questions come to mind: what operations require this precision and is a Mooney really an appropriate aircraft for short-field precision landings? (Might need one with a tail hook!) I would like to hear more about your benefits derived from the AOA. Are you just using it for landing/approach speeds, or is it a teaching tool for pilots transitioning to the Mooney? For someone who has never had an AOA, seeing how AOA changes with apparent GW and in turbulence might be a great lesson.

Don, would you like to tell us why you like/need an AOA..... I've flown aircraft with AOA's for years and have to tell you I rarely look at the thing. About the only time I even scan it is during re-currents in the sim when we do the stall series and occasionally in the aircraft when doing holding. For day to day operations both in the jets and flying my Mooney, flying the proscribed airspeeds is all I need; the AOA only confirms that I'm flying the right speed. I've never had it tell me something I didn't already know. While I would say the AOA might be a "nice to have" gizmo, I certainly would never classify it as a "need to have" once the aircraft has been certified and the appropriate speeds documented. Perhaps if I flew the Mooney "on the edge", but in normal ops, I'd rarely look at the thing unless my AS went out, but even then, I know the proper pitch/power combinations such that I could land without either. Why do I need one?

And I think the answer may revolve around the issue of how the flap actuator (be it electric, or hydraulic) is braced on a particular model. I can tell you for sure my 125 mph flap actuator is not braced on the aft (stub) spar. My neighbor's Mooney with hydraulic flaps had the lower flap speed limitation and that actuator pushed against that aft spar. The cracking of the aft stub spar is (I believe) at least partially due to over-speeding the flaps on those models where the actuator is braced on the aft spar since this doesn't seem to affect the electric flap models. No clue what other issues may be involved. Someone who works on the various models and knows the various iterations of flap actuators/attach points could give us a more definitive answer, but it is probably more than just a paperwork change to the flap speeds. Where is Don Maxwell when you need him!?

I know everyone will be relieved to know that Landmark at ATL is still selling avgas at $8.99. That's fool service, not self service. 42 miles south at OPN it's $3.85 At PDK, the cheapest FBO fuel, Epps, is selling at $5.40, right next door at the flight school, self serve is $4.90. Pick a price! It's all over the place.

Correct. My POH references MPH, but my AS indicator displays both. I'm used to always using KTS, so MPH seems strange in the aviaiton world.

No clue, unless there was a difference in the way the flap drive is braced. My 74 C electric gear has a 120 gear speed/125 electric flap speed. As a matter of operation, I try not to operate either near the max, but that's what the POH says and that's how the IAS indicator is marked. Of course a C that is as fast and efficient as mine really needs those higher speeds to fit in with the slower Mooneys.

I am no expert, but wasn't this associated with the change from hydraulic to electric flaps? The electric flaps are braced against a fuselage bulkhead and don't brace on the aft spar. I believe that the aft spar was the reason for the lower speed limitation on the hydraulic flap Mooneys. My 74 C with electric flaps has the 125 kt limitation. So, if the flaps on the 67 are braced against the aft spar, it would not be structurally prudent to go with the higher air loads of the 125 limit.

It's not an actual flight track, but it shows locations well: http://www.gcmap.com/ Just enter the airports separated by a dash, as in: http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=ga04-klax-kphx-ksat-myam-ga04

Oh, no! But that's the high pressure Dukes, right?

Great! Please give us progress reports on the paint job. We want to hear the good, the bad and the ugly, but we expect beauty when it's all done!

One more plea to all the new guys (and some of the long time posters!) to put some info on your profile as to which model you own and a general idea of where you are located. We don't need to know anything specific, but it sure helps to make a half-way suitable response to questions, or comments. Something like: Location: TX Model: Don't own a Mooney yet, but leaning toward an 'F'. Thanks!

I try to avoid this type of base-to-final turn so that it is not my "final turn".

So do I use WD-40, or duct tape? I'm so confused.... Actually, I am interested in replacement parts for the Dukes pump for carbureted engines....anyone got that parts list?

Well, Hank....maybe you were the varmit what brought the cold down here! :-)

The most convenient airport is DCA which is basically out of the question for a private operator. So most any other airport will require ground transportion to the downtown area. (Rental car, taxi, Metro, or some combination.) Flying into one of the DC-3 airports is pretty complicated for a one-time deal, so you are looking at outside airports like JYO, GAI, IAD, etc. If you have friends also going to the wedding who are willing to provide transportation, that will simplify which outlying airport is best. Otherwise, airport fees, rental cars, hotel choices will all have to be evaluated to come up with the best choice. Even if you fly in IFR, take the little on-line course and print out the certificate. It doesn't take long and you'll have the VFR option if you need it. (ALC-405: DC Special Flight Rules Area Revised 06-05-2014) https://www.faasafety.gov/gslac/ALC/course_content.aspx?cID=55&preview=true

Yes! I was happy to see the THA event. Oct 10 is a great time of year in that part of the country.....and I'll be on vacation! Hank, Rob.....anyone else?

Ahhhhhh! The problems we southern boys avoid.....

700 hours and 12 landings? Yikes! How many in the simulator?

When the Dukes fuel pump starts leaking from the small drain hole below it, I understand it is a leaking diaphragm. Has anyone disassembled the pump to see what this diaphragm looks like and if it can be replaced without overhauling the entire pump? I suspect the supply of parts is a closely held secret based on what some shops charge for the overhaul. An electric pump that is run as little as theMooney fuel pump (except for those of us who habitually forget to turn it off!), should last approximately 100 years. Too bad the thing starts leaking after about 10 years.

Ah! The nut that holds the yoke. Yeah....I have that problem all the time.