chrisk

I think the thing that will make the most difference in you path to a pilots license is having the same make of plane available on a regular basis. If the Cessna 150 is reasonably available, I would go that way. The price is right and it will do everything you need it to do. Another factor is the availability of the instructor. You want to go when the weather is good and when you have time. Nothing is more frustrating than sitting on the ground after 3 weeks of weather because some one else has the plane or instructor. Also, I probably would not buy a Cessna 150/152. Solo, then think about a plane. Get your license, then go buy one.

As far as the hours and years go. I'd look at the AD 2012-03-52 as an example. All M20s B through TN needed to perform the inspection to "detect incorrect positioning and improper attachment of the trim fitting, hinge, and filler plate of the tail pitch trim assembly". --No exemptions were made due to age or hours on the airframe. For me, 40 year old damage on a plane that was 8 years old at the time, is probably something that was fixed properly by an insurance company. Having said that, I would want to know what was replaced so I could see what was next to it, and to see that all looked good. Who is to say a repair done 40 years and 3,684 hours ago was done right? Who did it? Was it the factory? There is a 99.9% chance it was done correctly, but if I'm buying, I would still want to look. And just as importantly, I would not walk away from a plane with 40 year old damage history. I would however want to inspect the work and recognize there is some cost to doing that.

It's hard to tell how substantial the damage was, and the logs are missing. The only details indicate an overrun. I would get the FAA records and look at the 337s. They might give a good idea of what was done. Still for me, I would be very cautious based on the one piece belly and newer prop. They are the tale tale signs of a gear up. And as you can see, the missing logs and 40 year old damage history bring doubts and require further investigation. I wouldn't touch this plane with out a very thorough pre-purchase by a Mooney expert and examination of the FAA records. A good PPI will cost around $1000. Money that is likely gone if anything major turns up. This will play somewhat into the marketability, and value of the plane.

Man do I feel the pain. I got my instrument rating in a 172 with simple steam gauges. Moving to my 231 wasn't bad, all I had to learn was the HSI (pretty quick) and DME. I had no GPS, and shooting and ILS or VOR approach was no problem. Then I upgraded my panel. An Aspen and a GTN650. All I can say is: Wow was I behind the plane! What does that stupid OBS/CDI button do? (Garmins manual sucks, as it doesn't make it clear) I kept looking for the vertical guidance on the HSI display of the Aspen, but it's not there (It's on the AI. Not something to discover in the clouds). How do you set an altitude alert? etc. --Finally after a few re-reads of the manual and a few flights with a safety pilot, it came together.

A fire or an engine problem are not the only examples of a reason for an emergency decent. The pilot of passenger might be having a heart attack, an allergic reaction, or what ever. You want to bring the plane down quickly without risking damaging to the plane. --Particularly if others are on board.

I don't know why, but this thread reminded me of that crazy woman astronaut who drove from Texas to Florida wearing diapers. This was so she could kill her former boyfriend.

There were two procedures listed for my M20K, both power off. One at max speed with gear up. The other with gear down at max gear speed. The POH indicates the choice should be made on the amount of distance you want to cover. Shorter distance is with the gear down. --Either way, it can take a long time to get down if you are at 20,000+ feet. My training on the other hand was in a F. Gear down and spiral seems very effective.

Carb icing can be a factor in the summer too. http://www.avweb.com/news/eyeofex/182189-1.html?redirected=1

I just had the mechanic replace my right tire (yes with a cheap Air Hawk). I could have replaced the tire myself, but I feel more comfortable with being able to swing the gear after. --something I can't yet do myself (when on the ground)

There certainly was a period this summer in Texas where there was a good amount of airborne dust from Africa. Enough to make it hazy. I did wonder if this would effect the engines on planes and possibly show in oil analysis.

I've never landed a plane on a beach, but I have been on plenty of beaches. With some the sand felt as hard and firm as a paved road. With others, I sunk in ankle deep. I definitely would not want to be first to land and test the hardness. On the other hand, if it was a known good beach, and I'm not the first plane, I might be tempted.

I went to visit the plane today and noticed the smell of fuel when I opened the cabin door. After further inspection I found fuel staining on the left hand outer side of the wing. And before anyone asks, there was no hard landing, the plane is hangered, and the tanks are always refilled when I am done flying. The plane goes to the mechanic tomorrow for a quick look to see if the fuel sender is leaking. If that is not the cause, it looks like I might be in for a re-seal. Anyway, I'm planning on painting the plane soon. Will a re-seal mess up a new paint job? --It plays into the patch vs re-seal decision. The current sealant is 32 years old

The FAA should clearly provide the data in a standard format and for free.

Now that it is finally starting to cool off, I might be tempted to use the heater in my plane. A CO detector seems like a good idea. I just place an order for one of these. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000JZ3VL6/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here is a fun image from google maps. https://maps.google.com/maps?q=31.783761,-95.725833&num=1&t=h&z=16 I had to pull out the sectional to figure out what it was.

You might try tapping the brakes before you raise the landing gear. It will remove the gyroscopic effect from the wheels spinning.

Its not about complexity. Its about experience with the type. The experience to look for things like a dented nose gear truss, a jack screw that is not right, SB208, and where to find corrosion. If I'm buying, I'd just prefer to have an experienced Mooney mechanic look for all the things I don't know about.

The last plane I sold (a 172) was basically a handshake deal. The buyer had wanted me to fly the plane half way across the country for an inspection. For the reasons above, I told him no. I gave him the numbers for 5 shops within 20 miles of me and told him he could perform a PPI/Annual at any of them. He ended up using the mechanic at the field where I kept the plane and nothing major came up. And the last time I emailed him, he was enjoying the plane. --Now a Mooney is a different bird, and there is no way I could find 5 mechanics within 20 miles of my home base that I would trust. I would have been comfortable expanding the radius to 250 miles. Along those lines, when I went to buy my Mooney, I had several interesting experiences. One was a Dr. in Nebraska selling a 231. I wasn't comfortable using the mechanic at his home field, as they had a long term established relationship. The closest reasonable shop was, Arapahoe Aero in Englewood CO. We agreed on the terms and that he would get the plane to the shop for a PPI. --Well after 2 months of excuses for not getting the plane to Arapahoe Aero (and several missed appointments), I terminated the deal. It really makes me wonder if he suspected that there was something wrong with the plane.

How fast is too fast? I assume this would only be an issue when going from full throttle (and the turbo is spun up) to 0 throttle? I wonder if this is the sources of the "reduce MP by 1 inch per minute" technique? And is the pressure relief valve also called a pop off valve?

I don't quite know if I would call it a squall line, but I'd prefer to avoid fronts like this. It goes from Mexico to Canada and looks to have some thunder storms. --So today I am grounded and at work in Austin TX Here is a good example of a squall line. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/June_5_2008_squall_line.gif&imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squall_line&h=1600&w=3400&sz=3306&tbnid=-W_R6AUSwIzsGM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=191&zoom=1&usg=__mavEnrn7UElXeuA_Lf94GfSvvXg=&docid=rB3RBKIEzLoSpM&sa=X&ei=LGZdUpCTBsqliQLx4YDYDA&ved=0CDAQ9QEwAA

All fronts are not the same. See http://www.geo.hunter.cuny.edu/~fbuon/PGEOG_130/Lecture_pdfs/chapter9gh.pdf As I recall, a fast moving cold front can have quite a squall line associated with it. And a good source is the prog charts on http://aviationweather.gov/products/swl/ If you look at the current charts, you can see a cold front with thunder storms in south Texas and a warm front in the north east (looks like some showers).

Not even with my 32 year old paint job.

Looks like a nice plane. Definitely spend the money on a pre-purchase inspection. As for the plane, I know it has been for sale since Feb of 2012. Back when I was in the market, I called on it (an add in craigs list). I don't remember why I didn't look into it further, maybe it was the missing logs and higher time engine.

Now, that is the best reporting I have ever seen on a small plane crash. With the angle that the video was taken, it is hard to tell, but it looks like he touched down way to long.

Why not start a poll