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Night IFR is hard to describe. It gets hard to tell when you're in clouds, and when you're not. You can't see buildups ahead of you to deviate and stay out of them. The flash of your strobes off the clouds can unexpectedly disorient you. It's tempting to keep looking out the window to try to figure out if you have a visual reference or not. Unexpected flight into clouds can be disorienting even to an experienced IFR pilot. Add in trying to hold the flashlight with one hand, read a chart or plate with the other, and talk on the radio to a controller, while a passenger is jabbering in your ear... It's like day IFR, but harder. The dangers of night VFR are also compounded. Some pilots won't do night VFR because an engine out landing will be challenging. An engine out in night IFR is like that, plus you can't even see hope to see the ground or find a road to land on until you break out the bottom of the clouds. Same thing with a vacuum or gyro failure. Bad enough during the day. At night, you might break out with a partial panel, but still not be able to find the horizon. Find your own comfort level, but for me, night IFR is to be avoided. I'd rather get a hotel room and fly another day. I'd suggest you work your way up to it, if you're going to do it. My opinion only.

Deciding whether to fly yourself or go by airline is always hard. Especially if you're going on a long cross-country, which increases the odds you have to cross a weather system. There are no hard and fast rules. Each weather system contains its own challenges (ice, thunderstorms, low ceilings / visibility). Each plane has its own challenges (no de-ice, no onboard Nexrad, no stormscope, no WAAS, no autopilot). Each pilot has their own challenges (proficiency, training, confidence). Each and every flight, you need to make sure you evaluate each and every challenge, and decide if you want to tackle it. Also, decide if you want to take passengers with you. A few tips, some of which I wish somebody had given me when I was in your position, which was not all that long ago: 1. Do not fly in clouds when the outside air temperature is between -5C and +2C (Ice) 2. Do not fly within 30 NM of anything shaded red on Nexrad (Thunderstorms) 3. Do not fly above widespread areas of low IFR conditions on the ground, meaning ceilings < 1000 ft (Engine out) 4. Do not fly IFR after sundown 5. Carry lots of extra fuel when IFR. Detours and rerouting are much more common, and you have plenty to worry about without adding fuel to the list. Add a fuel stop if necessary. Some people will disagree with some of these. I am just submitting they are a good start for a fresh IFR pilot. Even the airline pilots will say that single pilot IFR in a single engine Mooney takes some brass. It's a serious game we play. So leave yourself some margin for error. If I can accomplish the flight without breaking that list of rules, I generally will fly myself.

Hah, you're right, Hank, I don't really have "notches" anymore. Leftover mentality from the manual flaps on my last Mooney, which took 4 pumps from zero to full flaps, and take-off was at 2 pumps. I would use two pumps on downwind, 3rd pump on base, 4th pump on final, generally speaking. My K model has a "take-off" setting marked, and infinitely adjustable flaps, but I still think of "take-off" as 2 notches. Anything past the takeoff mark, as I understand it, adds drag but not lift.

Takeoff flaps result in a faster take-off, better obstacle clearance, and a lower-nose attitude during the initial climb-out, which improves forward visibility. They should be used as standard operating procedure, in my humble opinion. I've done plenty of takeoffs with and without them. The only time I do not use them is in an extremely gusty headwind on takeoff. I will do a no-flap takeoff to minimize the risk of a gust picking up the plane and then slamming it back down. Remember - the first two notches of flaps increase lift, while decreasing airspeed (obstacle clearance). The 3rd and 4th notches only increase drag. Lift is what you want on takeoff.

Took my son, who is 3. First movie he's seen in theater. He absolutely loved it. But then, he's already got an airplane obsession. Not sure where he picked that up... I found it entertaining, but yes, it's aimed at a 3 year old demographic. Do not expect realism or FAR compliance.

I don't think so. In the Mooney you must get your speed right, which is not true in the 172. To keep your speed within 5 knots of your target, while hitting your target altitudes, requires throttle movement, at least for me. Mine varies between 17 and 13 " on most landings, adjusted slowly one way or the other. As far as I can tell this is true of all the Mooneys. Staying ahead of the plane requires constant small adjustments of both throttle and pitch.

So I made it, and got parked about two rows down. When does the bbq start?

I just had the main tanks filled for my flight to OSH tomorrow morning. I would like to know as well. I presume they will be swamped with planes and just filling up the spaces first-come-first-serve, but I've never been before.

I have several hundred hours flying a 262 conversion. The engine is really great. Set the power you want, at any altitude. Adjust the cowl flaps for the temperature you want, and it just flies. Just overhauled the wastegate and pressure relief valve, otherwise it's been trouble-free. Can't overboost it and it's easy to keep it cool. Dual alternators, standby vacuum system. About as redundant as you can get without adding another engine. $80k is a big chunk of change. It makes no financial sense. You're going to have a plane that's worth $125k tops, as far as I can tell in today's market, when you're done. Maybe less if your plane does not have speed brakes, hot prop (maybe the quote is for a hot prop, thus the expense?), split folding rear seats, long range tanks, and all the other goodies people are looking for in the 252 market. But then again, owning and flying a Mooney makes no financial sense anyways. It looks like maybe you're really paying the same price as an LB engine conversion, plus $10k for dual alternators, a better turbo and wastegate system, and the improved cowl flaps. That would be worth it, to me.

My C model would barely climb at 10,000 with full fuel and 2 adults on board. I took it to 12,000 a few times, but climb rates would be about 200 FPM at Vy above 10k. Any faster or slower and virtually no climb at all. The carb'd 180-HP O-360 is not a high altitude performer. It would be very easy, taking off at 10k DA, to pull back a little too hard and lose your climb. A little harder, staring at trees getting big in the windshield, and a stall could occur. No idea if that happened to this pilot, but be careful out there. Fly early and fly light if you're flying high.

When my gauge did it on the M20K, it was a faulty gauge. Rebuilt for a couple hundred bucks, works great.

So, I can probably go to Oshkosh the first weekend, and no other time during the event. Looking at the schedule, it appears the only thing on the first Saturday / Sunday are the B2OSH, Cessna, and Mooney caravans. I do not have the flexibility or training to join the caravan (wish I did). Is it worth it to show up Saturday? There appears to not be any activities really until Monday. Will somebody have a grill? I can bring beer. Trying to decide if it will be worth the trip.

I wish. From the ad: "Built in 1986, converted to the latest FA2 standard in 1997 and last flown in 2001, this aircraft will require several parts before it can be flown again and is being sold as not airworthy – for display purposes only." Pretty cool though. I saw one last fall on the deck of the USS Intrepid in New York City. It looked airworthy, but I remember thinking, it's a miracle if that thing can actually do VTOL. It looks like it would just tip over when you turned on the thrusters. Very impressive feat of engineering.

There may someday be a personal vehicle that can take off vertically like this and fly. It will look nothing like the TF-X. This is just somebody's pipe dream. It's like a miniature Osprey on wheels, with magic 600-HP electric engines that run on pixie dust. Not even all that imaginative, in my opinion. By the way, on my bucket list: Fly an Osprey. I need to figure out how to make that happen...

In my opinion, the best reading is various threads on Mooneyspace. It's all been discussed here, at length, by people with hundreds or thousands of hours of Mooney time and a serious love for Mooney aircraft. I've looked for Mooney books in publication and really found almost none. Those that have been written are out of print and hard to find. Some good examples of threads to browse: http://mooneyspace.com/topic/8971-4-bounced-landings-in-a-row/ http://mooneyspace.com/topic/8291-landings/ http://mooneyspace.com/topic/8340-crosswind/ http://mooneyspace.com/topic/8316-typical-m20c-speeds-tas/ http://mooneyspace.com/topic/5934-mooney-most-bang-for-your-buck/ Think of what you want to know, put it in the "search" box, and I guarantee you'll find your answers. Welcome to the Mooney family.

I for one suggest everybody post under their real name, first and last. If you are flaming somebody for their political views, LOP habits, hyphenated last name, or parachute desires, at least have the courage to put your name behind it.

I have also wondered why more small planes are not pressurized. I mean, it seems like with some industrial caulk and some elbow grease, plus a pressurization pump and a release valve, it would be possible. Easy, maybe not, but we see people spending 20k+ all the time on glass panels, and spending 800k on new airplanes that are not pressurized... I have no engineering qualifications. Can somebody who knows more than me explain this? I bet there is a good reason.

Awesome. Thanks.

Is it possible to cause topics to load at the first unread post by default? The option only appears for me when there are multiple pages, and I am not on the last page. The result is that on single page topics, I have to scroll down and try to remember what parts I have already read. Tapatalk fixes the problem and jumps to first unread, but does not show signatures, some pictures, videos, etc. It would be nice if the website could do it too. Many forums have picked up this feature lately.

Count me in. The internet could use some more civil discourse. The worst posts always come anonymously.

I will check and see how my pro bono portfolio looks for the year. I do not recommend pre-paid legal plans generally, although candidly I have not looked at AOPA's. They lock you in to using their lawyers, who are paid a reduced rate for guaranteed volume of business. That may be fine, or it may be the case that you want to hire a lawyer of your choice that you like and trust. You may want a really good lawyer for your case that refuses to take a reduced rate, because she is very talented and skilled. Also, in my experience, those plans usually come with limits on how much they will pay and what they cover. When you read the fine print they are not nearly what they are cracked up to be.

Jamie: Have you done your estate plan? Will, health care directive, etc? If not, find a local general practitioner. He will advertise for estate planning, criminal defense, personal injury, etc. He will have at least one attorney in the office that does free consultations. Go get a free consultation for your estate plan, which you probably need anyways. Repeat the process till you find one you like, then pay him to set you up. Now you've got a relationship with a good local attorney. 201er: They get away with it because the only remedy, meaning the only consequence, is that the pilot can sue them for violating their rights. If they get consent, then forget about it, no consequence. And they are good at getting consent. Also, generally, whatever money you get is paid by the insurance company, not the officers out of pocket. Assuming the pilot is smart and does not consent, you are looking at suing the federal government. You have to find a lawyer who will take the case, probably on a contingency fee. I do, but we are a small group. They are tough cases, for various reasons. You also are about to file a "tort" and are headed for the dreaded "jury trial" we've all been conditioned to hate. Many people these days are just morally opposed to it and won't do it. I know from prior threads about products liability, some are on this board

I am a lawyer. I do both some criminal defense and some prosecuting of criminals, although honestly I'm mostly a civil lawyer. I do some aviation law. No government agency can search your aircraft without a warrant, generally speaking. There are exceptions to this rule. For example, they may search it if you give consent. They may search it if they have probable cause to believe it contains evidence of a crime, and there are exigent circumstances that would prevent them from being able to delay and get a warrant. They can search if there is contraband (e.g. drugs) in plain view from the exterior of the plane. Law enforcement always prefers to search by consent. When you consent, you waive your 4th amendment rights and any claims you may have. Anything they find can and will be used against you. Any civil claims you may have for violation of your rights are gone. They are actually trained to use intimidation and clever wording to get people to consent to search. Assuming you do not consent, if they detain you and search your aircraft anyways, there are two different areas of the law that come into play. First, if they find any evidence of criminal activity (i.e. drugs), they have to prove that the evidence was legally obtained, without violating your 4th amendment rights. If they can't do that, then under what's called the "exclusionary rule," the evidence they found cannot be used against you in court. Generally that means you walk, after you hire a good attorney and he or she does a good job. Second, if you were not breaking any laws, and nonetheless they detain and search you, you may file a civil suit against the agency and/or officers that did it for money damages. This is the "penalty" they have for violating your rights. There are no other consequences for them. Your plane is not generally under the "jurisdiction" of the FAA and it cannot be searched at will. That might be true for charter operations or commercial flights, but for your 4-seat Mooney on a personal Part 91 flight, you have a reasonable expectation of privacy in your plane. That's why the FAA can't search the interior during a ramp check. The FAA can ramp check you, but you are only required to produce the required documents (AROW, anyone?) along with your pilot's certificate, medical, and photo identification. It's an administrative inspection designed not to implicate your 4th amendment rights. Some lawyers, like myself, have questioned whether the CFRs that permit Part 91 ramp checks are constitutional, but I'm not aware of a court decision on point, so for now it stands. The Pilot's Bill of Rights gives you some additional rights in the event of an administrative action to restrict or terminate your pilot's license. It does not effect what happens out on the ramp. Everybody wants to know "Should I consent?" and "What do I do if...?". These are natural questions. Unfortunately, no lawyer or qualified person should give broad, sweeping, generalized advice like that. Some attorneys do. I think it is unwise. Malpractice insurance carriers hate it. There are so many exceptions and caveats to all these rules, it would literally take a book and three or more years of law school to explain them all. If you are ever stopped, by any government agency, you do have the right to an attorney, and I suggest you use it. Do not answer any questions, or consent to anything, until you have an attorney on the phone. If they won't let you call one, sit down, tell them you are exercising your right to remain silent, and then do it. I've made this offer before, but if anybody would like my personal cell phone number, send me a PM. I'll take your call, free of charge, and help you assert your constitutional rights in a respectful and accurate manner.

I prefer the LPV. The needles never bounce. No need to tune and identify, or risk having the wrong frequency . No need to remember to switch the radio. Just fly the needle and cross check the moving map. Watch for a RAIM warning is all. If you accidentally select the wrong LPV approach the worst thing that can happen is you land on the wrong runway. Select the wrong ILS frequency and you can fly into the side of a mountain.

Nice looking plane, and I think you've got it priced right. I'm not shopping, so that doesn't help you much, but for what it's worth... Some more pics in your ad might help it move, more so than new radios. Good luck with the sale.