Bob_Belville

I fly an E, IO 360. I have 64 gallon bladders and a 930 EDM. I just flew from Klamath Falls OR to Stow MA. in 4 legs. I fly at 2350 rpm, full throttle and 8.2 gph. Cruise is usually 140 ktas. From Garmin Pilot Logbook. Klamath Falls to Grand Canyon with a brief stop: 5.5 hours, 664 nm, 47.5 gal. Grand Canyon to KPWA (Oklahoma City) 5.7 hours, 736 nm, 47.3 gallons. KPWA to KMRN (Morganton NC) 5.7 hours, 794 nm, 50 gallons. MRN to 6B6 (Stow MA) 4.6 hours, 650 nm, 39.3 gallons. Total 21.5 hours, 2844 nm, 184.1 gallons. That’s 8.56 gph avg. (The first hour is typically 12 gallons climbing to 9000’.) Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Hank, while no one would contend Caravan arrival to AirVenture is a Thunderbird performance, you are ignorant of what Caravan is. No one flying in Caravan flies formation “0nce a year” And the flight is not “20 minutes “ And your 1/2 mile comment is weird. Each 3 plane element is 15 seconds (less than 1/2 mile) in trail of the element they’re following but the planes in the element are much closer than you imagine whether in fingertip or route position. Are you confusing Mooney Caravan with a gaggle as performed years ago with Mooneys and some other groups today. 1/2 mile is not formation! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

We were taxiing for departure, talking to ground control. I was not looking for a red line. Ground control noticed that I missed the turn to the parallel and told me to stop, then to make a 180. As I was complying he told me to hold position then to shut down. The MP accepted my assertion that I had not crossed the line, he checked my licenses... I assume that will be the end of it... except on MS, a public, permanent forum. Lesson? Situational Awareness. An IPad and a GTN 750 with Safe Taxi didn’t prevent a missed turn. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Okay guys I’m back in MA. We had a fun trip with what I hope are great memories for Ben. This moment in OR was not the one I would have chosen to document... but thanks for the pics... Ben has some from a different angle. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

David, were you at KOSH, if so I’m sorry I missed you. My cowl is fantastic, I’m just finishing a long tour of the west with my grandson. Everywhere we went involved taking off at gross and very high DA and clawing our way to 11,000 or more with mountain turbulence and downdrafts. The only thing I didn’t have to worry about was CHTs which seldom exceeded 360 for the hottest cylinders. Of course people who know Mooneys offered that my plane with your cowl is the best looking Mooney they’d ever seen including a former Mooney owner who now does transition training for new Cirrus owners. He came over to say hello from a brand new SR 22 parked beside me this morning at KPWA. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Several folks have been urging me to apply and I have already done so. Four great friends, long time Mooney promoters were kind enough to write letters of recommendation. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Hi Tom, great to see you at KOSH, thanks for engaging Ben! The anniversary date that counts for something like the Wright Brothers Master Pilot award is your first solo date so look that up and celebrate 25 years as a pilot. We’re back in NC and the Mooney is in her hangar tonight but tomorrow we’ll fly to MA to check complete Ben’s adventure. Nancy and I will be back home by Friday. Over 50 hours on the oil by then. But what a great, economical airplane... the leg today was 794 nm from Oklahoma City to KMRN, 5.7 hours, avg. 141 ktas on 8.1 gph. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

My name has appeared a couple of times above... I am a fan of the E model. I’ve owned 2 for almost 20 years combined. My grandson and I are finishing up a 7000 nm tour of the country and I have even more respect for the E’s take off performance. We’ve made several take offs in the last week or so with DA approaching 10,000’, at gross, and clawed our way to 11’500 while in mountain down drafts and bumps. What a great machine. Today we departed Grand Canyon KGCN with 64 gallons and our camping gear from KOSH. Non stop to KPWA in Oklahoma City. 5.7 hours. I am surprised to hear you’re seeing a lot of Es on the market... normally the Es are far scarcer than Cs or Js and similar to Fs. All great planes. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

My plane was picked up at Hawk 14 months ago. The work was quoted in about Jan. 2018. Joe was already higher than 10,500. I think I was quoted 12.5 and paid a few hundred more to smooth the cowl which was pretty rough after stripping and removal of old filler. I still get enough “prettiest Mooney I’ve ever seen” to make me feel I went to the right shop. You might be able to find a few pics around here... Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Well y’all have been quite chatty while my grandson and I have been on a grand tour of the West post AirVenture. We’re finally out of the big hills having flown from Grand Canyon to Wiley Post today. (5.7 hrs, non stop.) This was my 4th Caravan in a row. I was active in organizing what I think was the largest clinic, the MAG group. We actively encouraged “newbies” to try formation flying as practiced by the Mooney Caravan. These experienced pilots got several hours of “instruction” (though that term is not quite appropriate) from safety pilots who are well qualified by previous experience, our wing lead is active Air Force instructor, we had retired military pilots and airline captains. One weekend does not make a newbie a Top Gun but this was Caravan XXII and in my view we’ve gotten better each year. No one has asked me to keep quiet about the event that occurred in the last element. I talked briefly to both pilots and I saw the damaged rudder and wing. I have nothing to say because I don’t know what happened. Folks like Brad, Paul, and others who have flown multiple Caravans and clinics are happy to discuss formation flying as practiced by Mooney Caravan. I won’t speak for anyone else but I can’t add anything useful to the info already offered. A couple of planes flying in a mutually agreed upon formation came together. The exact what and why will come out only when the pilots tell us. Guys, what we do, fly, has inherent risk. Two days ago marked 50 years from my PPL, I am the greatest risk factor involved in my flying experience. I have made and continue to make mistakes. (So far I’ve terrified my grandson at least twice that he’s posted about... nether was during Caravan which he judged “cool”.) To a friend who didn’t fly Caravan this year I observed that “stuff happens”. Most of the time we get away with it, sometimes we get bit in the backside. If I don’t fly Caravan next year it will be because someone has pulled the plug on an old fool, not because I count Caravan as particularly risky. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I suspect the change to 6 quart cases is due to UPS and other carriers. 12 is too heavy. A bag of mortar mix is now half the old bag weight. Suits me fine. 35 pounds feels like 70 did a few decades ago. Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

$35.22 including tax is price at Aeroshell Booth show special is free freight with 6 case order (36 quarts) Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

You're right, we don't need all these fancy gadgets. But for some reason I think it is a lot more fun to fly long cross country flights in my current Mooney than the much newer one I flew in 1969. I do not miss NDB approaches. I'm pretty sure I would have had some advanced warning of an impending exhaust valve failure if that Mooney had had a modern EDM instead of a single EGT gauge and a single needle representing CHTs. The shop that rented me that G model with the bad fuel gauge may have been one of your relatives. When I told him my experience with the fuel gauge he told me that everyone knows you can’t trust an airplane fuel gauge.

The JPI EDM 930 displays the CiES informed fuel qty remaining for each side and the FF totalizer informed fuel remaining (combined tanks) side by side. If there's a discrepancy an alert displays. Makes for a warm, fussy feeling on long trips. (I maintain a spreadsheet comparing FF fuel used to actual fuel pumped in order to make sure the K factor remains correct. The comparison over the most recent ~200-300 gallons is less than 0.8% - for my 64 gallon bladders that's about 0.5 gallon. By using a running total the apparent differences caused by the fact that "full" is not well defined is mitigated.) I suppose we're all to a great extent the product of our past experiences. In my case I fly with an ingrained distrust of fuel gauges. Almost 50 years ago I (nearly) ran out of fuel in a rented M20G. I was only 20 minutes from my destination, Wilgrove, Charlotte, and flying on a tank that read 1/4 full when it coughed dry. I switch to the other tank that read "E" and landed at Newberry SC which fortunately right below me. Pumped 50.2 gallows into a 52 usable system. Color me "Never Again".

Talk to Scott Philibin. @fuellevel visits here from time to time. FWIW, I don't speak for CiES but I suspect it is both true that the senders can send output resistance but it is also true that the precision of the CiES "deserves" more precise gauges.

I like my Jim Cancil PlaneCover which I ordered right after buying the plane. It is great and we miss Jim. The fabric does not stretch but the 3 adjustable straps do have bungee components. I have seen no evidence that the cover moves or scratches my relatively new paint and windows. Nor does the cover I have absorb much water. If I remove it after a night of rain I put it in its bag and air it out when I get the plane back in the hangar. My 7 year old cover is like new however I only use it 3 or 4 weeks a year.

@JPAseems to be typing/proofreading challenged... or English is his 4th language... I think he has been told by an an avionics shop that the installation time (=costs) are higher in a Mooney than in other planes. (Everyone knows that Mooneys are difficult to work on. )

VID_20190324_122724276.mp4 I have time and I enjoy working on the plane so I snaked the wires out the wing and up to the back of the panel. I located the sensor under the right wing symmetric with the pitot tube on the other side. AGL did the rest, a couple of hours maybe? Except I flew a calibration flight. There are pics on multiple old threads. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Paul! I can learn form anyone and I appreciate all the advice from all those who took time to comment. My current plan has moved the Eastbound portion to the south picking up Yosemite and an aerial tour of the Grand Canyon (not depicted) so I'll skip Denver but enjoy Gorilla's hospitality in OK. Thursday July 18 Minuteman to KPWK (Chicago) eat at Cafe Beograd.need car, room Friday July 19 KPWK to KMSN, Holiday Inn Madison WI Saturday July 20: formation flight KMSN-KOSH Camp with Mooney Caravan in “North 40” Sunday July 22 Caravan Wisconsin Fish Fry @ Caravan tent Monday July 22 MooneySpace pizza @ Caravan tent Wednesday July 24 Brats & Brew at Aspen Avonics July 22-28 AirVenture … Air shows every day & 2 nights, war birds, antiques, exhibitors, workshops and seminars... Day 1 Monday July 29 KOSH to KCUT (Custer SD) with brief stops in MN, ND, NE. camp on airport overnight Day 2 Tuesday July 30 rental car to Mt. Rushmore then flight to KCOD Yellowstone. Fly over/through Yellowstone land KWYS West Yellowstone. Camp there and rent car for tour through the South Loop of the park - Old Faithful, etc. Day 3 Wednesday July 31 KWYS to KDLS (The Dalles OR - Columbia Gorge with stops in Idaho Falls ID, Pasco WA. The leg from Paso to The Dalles follows the Columbia River. Day 4 Thursday August 1 The Dalles OR to KMMH Mammoth/Yosemine CA. Scenic flight passing Mt. Hood, Mt. Jefferson, Mt Washington, Three Sisters Mts, Crater Lake, Klamath Lake/Rapids, Mt. Shasta, . Day 5 Friday August 2 KMMH to KPGA Page City AZ with stops in Tonopah NV and Cedar City UT. Day 6 Saturday August 3 KPGA to KSAF Santa Fe NM with aerial tour off Grand Canyon and stop in Cortez CO. (Glen Canyon, 4 Corners) Day 7 Sunday August 4 KSAF to KSUS St. Louis MO with stops in Amarillo TX, Elk City OK, Independence KS Day 8 Monday August 5 St. Louis to Minuteman with stop in Dayton OH

Mark, I have almost zero hands on experience mountain flying at the altitudes of the West. That's why I am soliciting all the advice I can get. I plan to fly early and be on the ground by noon each day. I'll be watching the winds aloft and surface winds carefully. I plan to be on VFR flight plans with flight following most of the time instead of IFR as I would be in the East. etc.

I flew into Bethol several years ago. I was picked up by friends but I thought there was someone in the FBO building. The town web site says they have Enterprise https://www.bethelmaine.org/2163/Bethel-Regional-Airport

Matt, Berlin NH KBML is a lot closer (<30 miles) than Portland and has Enterprise.

Thanks again for the input. I plan to come down to KMMH from Susanville and east of Reno staying east of the Sierras. After renting a car there to visit Yosemite we'll depart eastbound to Tonopah. I will not need to cross the peaks of the Sierras.

Thanks, Jolie, do you run up to full power to set mixture or do you maximize RPM at some lower power before departing a high DA field? Ross, what technique do you have for setting mixture before takeoff? (I lean to max RPM a low power for taxiing but I doubt that'd where I'd want mixture to be at full throttle.

Thanks, I do plan to be back on the ground by about noon every day. I do have O2 and plan to be at 13.5 or above when around the Sierras. Mammoth where we'll rent a car for Yosemite, and the flight through Yellowstone are the only segments with mountain ridges to contend with. With full fuel (64 gallons) we'll be close to gross but I won't top off if I need to improve performance for certain fields.