Mooneymite

Cruel.... Hopefully one would notice the warning light before begining the takeoff roll, so all the embarrassment would be contained within the cockpit and not shared. :-)

Seems like a warning light for the baggage door would have been a simple safety feature for Mooney to install. I wonder what sort of paperwork would be involved to add one?

Personally, I think the thread is Non-Mooney spam, but whatever....

I have no experience with an M-20A, however, my experience with the Mooneymite taught me caution. Wooden pieces and parts can be strong forever, if properly cared for, but there's not much data on aging glue! I wouldn't buy a 55 year old plane that had spent much time outside....and after that much time, who really knows? There are a lot of places visual inspection is difficult, if not impossible and you have to know what you're looking at. IA's with wood-wing expertise are getting tougher to find. Be very careful.

The two back-seat intercom connections are probably the most under-utilized feature of my Mooney.

In my experience, the number of maintenance issues will decrease the longer you have it. Taking care of small problems early and owner assisted annuals are key. Congratulations on your first fifty hours!

I hate to lock the baggage door on my C because I have drilled the holes and carry a tool to make that an "alternate egress" should the cabin door latch fail. There are several stories out there about Mooney owners becoming entrapped in their own airplanes when they couldn't open the main door.

No, I've never had an issue with the baggage door coming open on my C model. I've had the cabin door open a couple of times until I learned how to properly rig it. I suspect you may have a rigging problem too. As you found out, neither the baggage door, nor the cabin door have any huge effect on the flight characteristics of the plane, but they can have a huge effect on the pilot! Best thing is to stay calm. If in flight, just keep flying and wait until you're on the ground to try to close it. If you look through the NTSB accident database, it's amazing how many fatal accidents have occurred, not because a door, or hatch opened, but because the pilot over-reacted.

There's lots to like at Island airport. The cheap fuel is just one more benefit.

I love stories with happy endings! The "someone" had to ruin it by mentioning Landmark.

I suspect there's been a lot less time for flying ever since the "Little Timmy" thread got started on MS!

I agree! You really don't need a powerful driver...it will just ruin the heads of the screws more quickly. I make judicious use of the clutch feature, take my time and try not to do any damage. The power driver is great for speeding the process along, but I generally torque the screws by hand. When I first got my plane, there were so many frozen screws. I thought that was normal for an annual. Aircraft Spruce sold me a lot of fasteners for that first annual. Now I realize that most of those problem screws had not been loosed on previous annuals, (maybe never before!) Now it is rare that I have a problem removing screws since I've been participating in the annuals.

Or just fly south!

Yes. Because of the huge back-log of qualified pilot applicants, NetJets can set the bar fairly high. However, "back in the day" when they were competing with the airlines for fewer pilots, they weren't so choosey! With Delta (and other majors) hiring 100+/month forcast for years to come, NetJets and the other fractionals will either have to offer more money, or lower the bar. This always goes in cycles. Because fractionals do not (usually) operate under part 121, there is no age limit. That's why old, retired guys like me can keep flying past 65. All we have to do is hold a 1st class physical and pass the sim checks every six months (and refrain from wetting our pants too often!). From the web-site: High School Diploma required, Bachelor's Degree preferred. Types of Certifications/Licenses: Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate, (Airplane Multi-Engine Land); Valid First Class Medical certificate. Qualifications: 2500 hours total flying experience with at least 500 hours at the controls of a fixed wing, multi-engine aircraft 250 hours of instrument time (actual or simulated in flight excluding simulator time).

Unofficial, but generally accurate info at: http://www.airlinepilotcentral.com/airlines/fractional/netjets

Hank and Rob, I suspect that Mooney time in your logbook will make you a shoe-in. Automatically fulfills the "good character" requirement. :-)

Professional pilots pay their employers these days, but they get to wear cool uniforms. :-)

After having 500 pilots furloughed since the "great recession", NetJets is hiring off the street. The pilots are in contract negotiations where management wants 17% give backs over the next 4 years, so some of these conditions may be fleeting. In any case, it's nice to see hiring instead of furloughs. ******* NETJETS AVIATION NOW HIRING NEW PILOTS December 11, 2014Author: Carrie King NetJets Aviation (NJA) is pleased to announce that it is now accepting applications for pilots. To learn more about the opportunity, please see: www.netjets.com/Careers/Pilots/ or go directly to the pilot job posting. “We are thrilled to begin hiring pilots again,” said Eric Lampert, vice president and director of operations for NetJets Aviation. “Unfortunately we had to furlough several hundred pilots in 2010 as economic conditions deteriorated. We have sent recall notices to all furloughed pilots and will soon be in position to begin hiring again. NJA has recalled 179 furloughed pilots this year.” “This is wonderful news, and demonstrates how the Company is growing thanks to the hard work of all team members.” Please share the following information with anyone you know who is qualified and may be interested: Pilots joining NetJets Aviation will be able to: Become part of the industry leading safety culture NetJets has an uncompromising commitment to safety. From our comprehensive recurrent training program to our dual-release dispatch system which gives NetJets pilots the authority to remove aircraft or themselves from service due to safety or health concerns, safety is the foundation for everything. Fly the best equipment and receive the best operational support Fly the newest aircraft with the latest avionics. Every pilot is FAA type-rated as captain and flies only one type of aircraft with universally outfitted flight decks, to be completely familiar with the aircraft they are flying. Pilots are supported by an expert operations infrastructure that takes care of everything from flight plans to catering to ground transportation. Receive top pay and a comprehensive benefits package: Competitive salary Complete medical benefits effective upon date of hire 401K plan with generous matching Life and AD&D benefits Paid time off Annual vacation time: 1 to 4 years of completed service = 2 weeks 5 to 9 years of completed service = 3 weeks 10 + years of completed service = 4 weeks Uniforms and generous annual replacement credits Generous meal allowance Travel and hotel expenses Enjoy job flexibility and variety NetJets pilots have the ultimate in job flexibility. Can live just about anywhere, choosing from among 100 crew bases in the U.S. Can choose from three types of work schedules: 7 Days On / 7 Days Off 18 Day Fixed 15 Day Flex No two days are the same. NetJets pilots may fly virtually anywhere based on where our customers want to travel. NetJets is looking not just for the most experienced and accomplished aviators but also for service-minded individuals who have the ability to embody the interests of NetJets customers, their fellow team members, and NetJets. Specifically, we seek individuals who: Demonstrate an unwavering dedication to safety Focus on exceeding the expectations of each Owner and their guests as the norm Act as an ambassador for NetJets Are open and flexible to ever-changing flight schedules Empower and respect fellow team members Strive for continuous improvement

Right at 50 hours Mooney time, mostly cross-county, 2-3 hour legs. Flew my experimental about 25 hours, mostly flights of 20-40 minutes. Flew for work about 525 hours, but the autopilot logged most of that.

Just $600 for all you do? Lee, tell your IA you want a raise! (Just don't let him tell you he needs one, too!)

What does he say about the practice of mixing avgas with the oil to get a radial engine started in cold weather?

Hank, I'm surprised there isn't a fly-in community near Auburn. There are plenty around here. Maybe you could develop one!

If you do decide to up-grade, I suspect there are people on Mooneyspace who would like your PC accuflite, etc. Make sure your shop uses care when removing the PC to save every piece and part!

After looking at this link from the AOPA daily brief, it makes my neighbors place look like a steal! Under a million dollars! http://curbed.com/archives/2014/12/01/fly-home-to-these-houses-with-airplane-hangers.php

Excellent....as usual. I especially like the Instrument refresher's delineation of WAAS and non-WAAS regulations. I was also amused to read that Mooneys electrical (gear) systems started in 1978.....no wonder my '74's gear is so mysterious!