Super Dave

One of Bob Kromer's articles mentioned the change in run up RPM over the years, but he didn't know the reason either.

Well I'll be darned. Just read 91.171 and realized I "knew" the reg wrong. Has it always been only "if using VOR navigation"?

I had just landed from an IFR flight!

Several times for work, both part 91 and part 125. Every time inspectors have been nothing but curtious. Once on a 91 ramp, an inspector found that the VOR check was overdue by three days, and said nothing more than "you'll probably want to do a ground check before leaving here today". I had permitted the inspector to enter the cabin, and always wondered if she would have been as leanient if I had refused entry. On another occasion, an inspector caught a disparity in our aircraft registration and offered to print us a corrected version at the on field FSDO.

I don't know about frictional heating, but our F had some blue stains over the coldest days of winter that have stopped since the spring thaw. Anyone else see this?

I would avoid grass, I read a study (can't find it now) that found that gear-up landings on hard surfaces do less damage to the occupants AND the airplane.The hard surface is more "slippery" to the metal belly of the airplane than grass, resulting in a longer skid and more gentle dissipation of the energy. I witnessed a Cessna Cardinal make an intentional gear-up landing on grass, and it made a carrier landing look gentle. The airplane was bent up enough that the doors would not close once they got it back on its gear. After asking the occupants if they were OK, I looked inside the airplane to make sure fuel, mags, and master were off, and noticed that the throttle control had been bent down 90 degrees by the pilots hand during the rapid deceleration.

As was pointed out earlier, the airplane will be within the gust envelope when encountering a 30fps sharp edged gust all the way to the top of the green arc. Further, we are still within the gust envelope with a 15fps gust all the way up to redline. With these limits in mind, I think it is overly cautious to say that we should never be in the yellow arc in anything other than perfectly smooth air. Especially considering the fairly low yellow arcs on some of the earlier Mooneys. But since we have no practical way of knowing if we are encountering or are about to encounter a 30fps or 15 fps sharp edged gust; how do we decide, as the OP wonders, when to stay out of the yellow arc? I found some excellent guidance regarding the yellow arc in the NORMAL PROCEDURES section of the Operators Manual for my 76 F model. "When flying at lower altitudes, it is possible to cruise at airspeeds above 175MPH (152 Knots) in the yellow arc. The yellow arc indicates the range of airspeeds in which you must exercise caution when flying in rough air or gusts. Rough air is defined as flight in turbulence of a degree that is uncomfortable to the pilot and passengers." So, Mooney says that we can operate in the yellow arc as long as the turbulence does not make the pilot and passengers uncomfortable. Since 30fps gusts at the bottom of the yellow arc, or 15fps gusts at red line would provide one hell of knocking about, Mooneys guidance seems conservative but practical.

It's not just the risk of forgetting them on; unless the aircraft is parked outside for several days, I see cowl plugs and pitot covers as a solution looking for a problem. I acknowledge that critters can and do get into openings, but in 8000 hrs, I haven't seen it yet. In the unlikely event that a bird makes a nest under the cowl, I'll remove the nest. If a pitot is blocked by insects and I don't catch it on the preflight, I'll catch it on the takeoff roll, abort and have them removed. I see no problem with using plugs and covers; just wanted to defend those of us that leave it bare.

I don't use covers or plugs, but once I was getting in to start, when my five year old son climbed on the wing behind me and pointed out that the oil door was still open. Fortunately he still thinks I'm the best pilot in the world.

Ahhhh.... All is clear now

Am I the only one puzzled by the use of "AMU"?

There is a magnificent example that flies on a regular basis out of Minot, ND. The owner was kind enough to give me a tour.

Gold Seal CFI/MEI-II in Northwestern Wisconsin (KEAU). Current, but haven't instructed actively for a few years.

While working through my certificates and ratings I would always use the preflight, in a Zen sort of way, as a time to clear my head of distractions and mentally prepare for the flight. Maybe this is why it doesn't feel right for some people to do the preflight the night before. It's not that we are worried that the brake pads have gotten to thin over night, it's that looking at the brake pads is one of the many steps that helps us "get in the zone" and feel like we are ready to act like a pilot. When flight instructing, and now as a corporate pilot, I'm almost always getting into an airplane that someone else has pre-flighted, so i've found other rituals that get me ready to fly. Now, when taking the family on a trip, I'll frequently do a complete preflight in our locked hanger the evening before departure. I think that I'm more methodical, and my routine is less likely to be interrupted if my family isn't sitting there waiting for me.

At least this thread hasn't crept to politics... Oh, never mind....

Impressive results with the paint. How did you do it?

I don't understand your point. First of all, the study uses data that is 14 to 19 years old. Secondly, looking at fatalities in pilot populations without considering something like hours flown per fatality or miles flown per fatality makes it difficult to draw any useful conclusions. Lastly, the study you cited actually reports a HIGHER fatality rate for instrument rated pilots both overall and in VMC.

If you're up for some reading, check out John Deakins "Pelicans Pearch" engine management articles on AvWeb. Lots of well writen information on prop, manifold pressure, and mixture settings.

I think that's exactly what's going on.

Unless it has canards or digital fly-by-wire, the tail will be producing downforce on any airplane within CG limits.

Cruel

Wow, Thanks Byron! Very thorough, useable and pithy. I've been searching several days for this kind of info, and you've just increased my knowledge ten fold in two minutes.

I'd be interested in a strobe and a pitot.

As long as we're talking skiing, I'd encourage any CC skiers out there to make a trip to 3CU (Cable, WI). The American Birkibiener literally starts on airport property, and Telemark Lodge is just off the south end of the runway. They clear an area for airplane parking, but if you need a plug in, tie down or fuel, you'll need to park on the north end, which is still walkable to the Lodge. Telemark is a little run down, but the rooms are clean, the food is better than you'd expect, and the beer selection is pretty good. If you just want to make a day trip, they will sell you a trail pass that includes use of locker room and shower. Telemark maintains its own extensive trail system that links to the Birkibiener trail, which is world class for both classic and skate.

Wow, I'd never heard of the SARL 'till seeing Becca's post. Sounds like fun, so I'm going to try to enter the Northwoods 100 (Waupaca, WI) on Oct. 5th. I'm curious about how and when time is started/stopped and if you've found any good resources for learning about race technique and stratagy? I haven't found much online.