Z W

I have stalled a Mooney. It was a non-event. Had a very obvious buffet. Makes me feel much better knowing that.

I think you are looking for this thread; http://www.mooneyspace.com/index.php?/topic/9231-Anyone-seen-this-yet?

Very cool. Cabo just got added to my "someday" destination list. I didn't realize it was so close to El Paso.

Posting this from my Verizon 4g connection. I think you have it fixed. Thank you very much. Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

An interesting turn of events - putting 198.74.57.200 into the address bar on the browser on my phone also leads to the "Apache is functioning normally" page. I had thought it must be a DNS issue but the failure of the hard IP to get here suggests its something else. Any ideas? Jared - All URLs involving Mooneyspace in any way, shape or form fail. Also can't get it loaded from a search result link. I can't seem to run a cmd window on my phone. It's actually the first phone I've had in 4 or 5 years that I have not rooted yet, so I have limited access to those types of things. When I get home tonight I'll connect my PC to the phone's WiFi and do a ping / tracert and post it.

I have had a consistent error trying to access this site from my Verizon mobile connection ever since the new site went online. I get a message of "404 file not found" if I try to go to a specific page. If I try to load the Mooneyspace main page, I get a page that simply says "Apache is functioning normally." This has persisted for a long time now. It also persists through Tapatalk, Chrome, and the standard Android browser on my phone. I know it is the connection because if I connect my phone to WiFi, it accesses the page no problem. Likewise, if I connect my iPad or my PC to my phone's connection through its WiFi, the iPad and PC cannot access this page. I have no other pages I have difficulty accessing. I have tried manually changing the DNS server to Google's OpenDNS but it makes no difference. It seems likely that for some reason my Verizon connection keeps finding the old server instead of the new server. From my networking experience, the easiest solution would probably be to "Forward" all incoming traffic on the old server to the new server. I would lurk and post here a lot more often if my phone could access the site. Whether that's a good thing or not might be debatable, but there could be a significant portion of the internet that cannot access Mooneyspace.

I'm an attorney familiar with these issues. If anybody wants my cell phone number to put in their phone, send me a PM. I don't want to post it in the public search-able forum, but I'm happy to give it out to fellow pilots. If you ever find yourself accosted by Homeland Security, the FBI, Border Patrol, or anybody else, ask to call an attorney, and call me. No charge. Attorneys, including me and those hired by the AOPA, cannot post general guidance for what to do. It's not smart or even legal to give generalized legal advice like that. But if you get me on the phone, I can advise you for your current situation, and I would be happy to. If it results in a few more pilots exercising their constitutional rights in a smart, respectful manner, it will be time well spent.

I have no experience with an AOA indicator. I like the idea of having one and may add one in sometime when the plane is in for panel work. That being said, I find it easy enough to keep my airspeed up and my bank angles shallow in the pattern, like I was taught. I know of no similar training that can keep me out of convective activity when I'm in IMC, short of not flying into IMC. I fly from a 4,000 ft paved runway usually to a longer paved runway, then back home. A lot of the time I am flying into towered airports where I get a straight-in final just like the big boys, so there is no pattern to be flown. AOA I imagine would be extremely useful for short field and high altitude ops. Not intending to bash the AOA, and not saying you're wrong about which should be chosen. Just my perspective.

Pretty sure this is just the next great business idea from these guys: That link may not be safe for work, depending on who you work for...

I really like my Stormscope. When you're in IMC and about to fly into some yellow or yellow/orange on the XM, it's nice to get confirmation from the scope that there are no strikes, in real time, and it's actually just moderate precipitation.

I sent you an email with contact info for a couple CFI's not too far away.

From Wikipedia: Trolling is a game about identity deception, albeit one that is played without the consent of most of the players. The troll attempts to pass as a legitimate participant, sharing the group's common interests and concerns; the newsgroups members, if they are cognizant of trolls and other identity deceptions, attempt to both distinguish real from trolling postings, and upon judging a poster a troll, make the offending poster leave the group. Their success at the former depends on how well they – and the troll – understand identity cues; their success at the latter depends on whether the troll's enjoyment is sufficiently diminished or outweighed by the costs imposed by the group. Trolls can be costly in several ways. A troll can disrupt the discussion on a newsgroup, disseminate bad advice, and damage the feeling of trust in the newsgroup community. Furthermore, in a group that has become sensitized to trolling – where the rate of deception is high – many honestly naïve questions may be quickly rejected as trollings. This can be quite off-putting to the new user who upon venturing a first posting is immediately bombarded with angry accusations. Even if the accusation is unfounded, being branded a troll is quite damaging to one's online reputation

I have landed with a 20G30 direct crosswind in the Mooney. I would not recommend it. I now will not dispatch if it is forecast to be that high. It almost always dies down if you wait a few hours. 15G25 is standard operating procedure for me. I have landed at Amarillo, TX in 45-knot winds, but only about 20 degrees off runway heading. It was a non-event.

201er - way too harsh, in my opinion. His attitude appears to be that he's scared himself so badly he may not fly again. No need to kick the man while he's down after he came here to confess. He's seeking additional training and trying to learn from his mistakes.

178 seconds to live makes no sense to me. What part of "straight and level" is so hard to accomplish with an attitude indicator staring at you from the center of your panel? If you can find that video on Youtube, you can understand that your sense of balance is completely destroyed by the motions and G-forces in an aircraft, and so you must trust your instruments. VFR into IMC is a very serious situation and should be avoided, but it should not cause panic.

Traffic stops or "checkpoints" are presumed unconstitutional violations of the 4th amendment. The State (or in this case the Feds) would have the burden to prove that they 1) Had a valid, safety-oriented reason to conduct the stop at this particular location, 2) took all possible measures to minimize the burden or inconvenience of the motorists (they can't search every car), and 3) stopped every single car, as opposed to randomly selecting a few that passed by. These are just a few requirements, and the law is always changing. There are probably more. The health department inspections are another matter. You have no reasonable expectation of privacy in a restaurant where you invite in the public to eat your food. The same is true for part 135 flight operations. The argument could very easily be made we have a reasonable expectation of privacy in our privately-owned part 91 aircraft, just like we do in our motor vehicles. This is why the FAA does not claim to have the right to enter your aircraft during a ramp check, and why their policy states they have to let you go if you claim to have an "appointment." It's all geared so someday they can argue you weren't stopped, and were free to go, and so it's not a search or seizure. Therefore you don't get 4th amendment protections and they don't need any reason to ramp check you. Someday, some unfortunate pilot will get caught without his documents and face a sanction. He'll appeal it up, and we'll get the answer.

FAA ramp checks are quite possibly unconstitutional. It's been held that drivers on the roads cannot be stopped randomly just to check and see if their license and registration are current. The LEOs on the roads must have some safety reason to be performing the checkpoint at that particular location - they usually use a history of recent DUI arrests on that street. If somebody has challenged a FAA ramp check on 4th amendment grounds I would very much like to see the opinion, whichever way it was decided. Nothing is more un-American than the government stopping you for no reason and saying, "Show me your papers." Allowing it just because driving is a "privilege" has failed the constitutional test. If it's ever challenged for an airplane the result might be the same. I'm talking here about just an FAA ramp check where they have no authority to enter your plane and just check your required documentation. DHS ripping it apart and searching the inside without probable cause or a warrant is a blatant 4th amendment violation.

I would think DHS would have trouble establishing it was a border search when your flight did not cross any international borders.

The 4th amendment protects you, even from DHS or the FAA. You can always refuse to consent to a search of your person or property. It is their burden to prove they can do it without your consent if they proceed.

Haze can reduce visibility below 3 miles. Legally that is IMC. I have seen it before where haze removed the horizon and I was using instruments. You can usually see the ground straight down but forward is a big light and dark blur.

The TAFs shown to you on Foreflight are different from the Area Forecast I'm describing. You can find them here: http://www.aviationweather.gov/products/fa/ Foreflight will not show them to you anywhere except in your DUATS briefing if you opt to "Brief" or "File and Brief" the flight. TAFs are great for predicting the weather at your departure, destination, and alternate. For everything in between, you need to use the Area Forecast. For example, it may have contained a warning for haze in eastern Missouri / western Tennessee at your cruise altitude. The TAFs will only warn you if haze is expected on the ground at the field. All VFR pilots should be very cautious flying into haze. You can be in IMC in haze without going anywhere near a cloud. It sounds like that may have happened to you, and if so, you did a good job dealing with the situation.

You are not alone, and you are brave for posting this here. Most pilots scare themselves once or twice while learning. You are being too hard on yourself. Great job, and keep at it. I suggest you call your CFI and run through some realistic flight planning scenarios, or post some here for feedback. The information you needed to see before your departure should have been in the Area Forecast. That is your best source of information for cloud bases and tops and items like widespread haze on a cross country. It sounds like you relied on the TAFs (terminal aerodome forecasts). Those are only good for a 5 mile radius around their field. They can easily give the wrong impression like they did for you here. There is a lot about weather they do not teach as part of the PPL. It is your license to learn.

90% of my flights could probably be completed in a $25k Cessna 150 with a VOR/GS radio and a few extra days off work. It is all relative. Pick your price point and have fun. If your price point could include a turbo, do it. You only live once, and I will bet you never regret it. My best flying memories are up over 12k. Ground speeds, weather avoidance, mountain flying. But then, if you like your J, by all means, keep it. It probably can make 100% of the same trips as a K. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

I stay at FL180 or below. I would go to about FL220 to top weather or possibly terrain (Aspen?), but otherwise I do not like being that high for long. This is your useful time of consciousness at those altitudes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_of_useful_consciousness At FL180, you have 20-30 minutes. At FL220, you only have 5-10 minutes. Not worth it to me for just a tailwind. So far I've never needed to go that high. If I did, I would be watching my pulse ox closely and being very careful not to crimp or pull on my oxygen hose. Also, most cannulas are only certified to FL180. To be legal higher means a mask. My mask is uncomfortable. Another reason to stay under FL180. I use 65% power a lot of the time. It is a whole lot more economy for only a 10-15 knot speed loss. Sometimes I will go 75% if I am in a hurry or need to use the restroom

At 10,000 feet: 160 KTAS @ 11 GPH, about 65% power 175 KTAS @ 13 GPH, about 75% power To sell you on it, you first must understand, the turbo is not about increasing your TAS at the cost of wearing oxygen. It's about increasing your groundspeed by gaining a 50 knot tailwind in the high teens, turning a 4-hour flight into a 3-hour flight. It's about cruising in comfort in the teens when there's moderate turbulence to at 12k or below. It's about taking off out of Jackson Hole, Sante Fe, Telluride, or other high altitude airports at gross weight on a hot day and climbing at 750-1000 FPM until those 16,000-foot mountains no longer block your horizon. It's about flying in clear air at 17,000 feet, visually avoiding thunderstorm buildups, instead of being down at 10,000 feet, in the soup, hoping your Nexrad display or Stormscope is giving you accurate information about where those buildups are. It's about when, at 10,000 feet, you start to pick up unforecasted ice, and you push in the throttle and have 100% engine power to either climb or maintain altitude while you perform a 180 degree turn. Capability, not speed. The downsides? Some additional maintenance. Probably largely avoided if you watch your temperatures. There will be an additional cost at overhaul time. You have to watch more carefully for shock cooling coming down from the teens, and stay ahead of the plane, or you end up too fast and too high. Not really a problem once you're used to it. Just beware. Once you've gone turbo, it's hard to go back.