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The only way to completely fill the Mooney with fluid is to fill until it runs out of the overflow drain on the bottom of the plane. In order to minimize the mess, I have a small Tupperware container below the drain to catch the cup or so of overflow that happens whenI fill the plane. I’m generally pretty careful to dump that waste fluid into a 5 Gallon bucket with a lid, which in time I can dump at our free hazmat household dump station. I am very careful to glove up when handling fluid. The reason I’m writing this is tough: our 10 year old beagle was scheduled for a tooth extraction earlier this week, as a fractured tooth had caused an abscess on the outside of his mouth, and he wasn’t eating much. Pre-anesthesia blood tests showed stage 4 renal failure. We are doing what we can for the poor little guy (subcutaneous fluid, careful diet, etc). While I don’t think he ever got into the TKS fluid, this sad occurrence brought it to front-of-mind: as little as five tablespoons of ethylene glycol can be fatal to a mid-sized dog. The fluid is sweet, and animals, domestic and wild, will lap it right up. Please be cognizant of spills, puddles, or uncovered waste containers. Any antifreeze is deadly to animals. thanks. -dan

Has anyone found a useful way to provide supplemental oxygen to dogs in-flight? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The idea of a big plastic bag of O2 in my backseat would be a bit concerning. Do you really need to fly at FL240 with pets?

I am just trying to understand. It's a weird situation. Essentially you are asking the IA to sign the plane off as being safe for you, your family, your pets. But yet we can't trust them with the log books which we can agree have some value at buying or selling time (another topic since only required to keep a year). And reading @EricJ response the FAA is saying we can't trust the safety of the log books with the IA. Of course let's not talk about making the onus of an airworthy airplane on owner/pilots that don't know the difference between fuel injection servo and a carburetor. And let those same owners remove the brake calipers to change a tire, but not trust them with changing the break pads in the rotors they just removed. Going further, I have 4 very expensive Champion Spark Plugs that 3 of 4 broke. The whole reason we are given for spending lots of money on parts is the PMA process. The PMA Spark plugs were known to have issues. https://mooneyspace.com/topic/42826-champion-spark-plugs/ Now given that my deal with the IA is the airplane is airworthy until it crosses his hangar door. As noted in the three issues I found two flights after the annual. Fly it fix it.

For those of you who take your 4 legged companions with you on flights. What altitude do you typically fly at and what is the highest you have taken them without any worry? I don't have O2 yet so no current plans to get above 12k, but not sure if my dog would be perfectly fine around 10k for 3-4hr legs. Also as you climb and descend do you ever have issues with the pressure change making them uncomfortable and how do you combat it?

No, I'm not. Having just flown a great IFR flight over the Cascades and getting ready to do it again 2 or 3 more times this week I'd only sell it if that paid for something more capable. In my plane, weight is the most limiting factor; full fuel (and full TKS) useful load is 330#; I keep about 10# of 'emergency' supplies in the back (hatchet, fire extinguisher, emergency blanket, matches, etc) so since I weigh 160# that gives me 160# for my wife and luggage for both of us, which is adequate. We both pack light. I do have to be careful about fuel for the times it's going to be more than just me and her but on the bright side I burn 120# per hour, and most of my flights are about an hour each way, so as long as I know at least one 'trip' ahead that I'm going to carry another person or the pets it's very manageable. I was expecting more of my flights to be solo but it seems that I'm flying with my wife a lot more than I had been in my 182

Mooney Boogie - Flyer & Information Hi Everyone ~ Come Join the Fun! October 6th - 8th - Kern Valley Airport (L05) Fire Pits, BBQs, Hiking, Fishing, Hiking, Hot Showers, and a great Restaurant. This will be a fun and relaxing way to say goodbye to summer flying and welcome in the Fall flying season. Bring Your Family and Friends. Pets Welcome. Click on the Flyer Link Above For More Information. Please RSVP: Michael@WestCoastMooneyClub.com

You rang? Did someone page me? Just kidding The Lance/Saratoga is a people or cargo hauler for sure and much easier to get people and pets in and out. Just not as fun as a Mooney, but still a good airplane. It sounds like it fits your mission better than a Mooney.

Are we all gonna have our MS usernames on our name tags? Feels like we should. Launching from the Atlanta area may be a tricky bit of timing in the morning. I moved my bird to CTJ yesterday evening to launch from a paved surface. The home strip is likely to be a muddy mess tomorrow morning. Draining gatorade bottles now in preparation for the 3:30 nonstop. I'll leave my pets at home though.. everyone loves to scratch a pup's ears, but nobody really enjoys when a hen just stands there and poops on their shoes. See y'all in Longview.

Anyone have oxygen apparatus for pets? Thanks, Jason

rec.pets.cats was always where it was really at. And alt.tasteless.

I hope you don’t mean it this way but your post comes off as a little, dare I say “toxic.” Would you want a job where if you gain any weight from your hire date you got fired? Maybe the eating disorders a lot of these women develop probably don’t mean anything to you either because, hey, that’s their choice. My sister in law was a flight attendant at one of the fancy Asian airlines where a lot of these practices from the “good ol’ days” still remain. The rate of mental health issues and substance use was high among her peers. I too remember when flying was special and more expensive but the trend in commercial aviation as in many other industries has been to do things as cheaply as possible because that’s what people care about when they purchase their ticket. If you want to feel special when flying you could always charter a plane, but you probably won’t because of…cost. I won’t get started on “service” pets but that bothers me way more than flight attendants with a healthy BMI.

Theres nothing worse than working out on the ramp in 95 degree heat with the sun beating down on you! tools baking in the sun hitting 150 degress F too hot to handle! .....Oh wait laying on the ground in a frozen puddle with the wind whipping snow around your frozen ears whilst your finger tips turn to ice trying to get that last screw in!!! These are the tales of the tie down mechanic oh to be inside a warm toasty hangar this time of year. Heres a PSA " bring your pets in on a cold winters night" With that being said now that the weather has turned cold here in Georgia I will be bring my expensive CONCORDE RG-35AXC PLATINUM SERIES SEALED LEAD ACID AIRCRAFT BATTERY IN FOR THE NIGHT! With battery prices sky high and availability close to NIL I'm going to be extra nice to my battery this winter! What tips do you have for cold weather storage of your Mooney? what can we do to prolong the lives of the damned who sleep outside on tiedown? Happy Holidays!

I have an M20G and want to do more volunteer flights for Pilots 'n Paws. Does anyone have experience with the crate sizes? They can apparently be assembled inside the luggage and don't have to necessarily fit through the doors; the sizes offered are: 19" L x 12.5" W x 10" H 24.6" L x 16.9" W x 15" H 26" L x 18.5" W x 16" H 28" L x 20" W x 19.2" H 32" L x 22.5" W x 24" H Anyone have experience with knowing which size works well for a mid-body Mooney to either keep in the luggage compartment or in the backseat? -A

Small medium large as usual… Size chart here… https://www.safeandsoundpets.com/page/page/3771096.htm Their site is an interesting read… See where people are taking their pets… -a-

I looked back over the forums and found a few posts about flying with your pet. My question really is about "Mutt-Muffs" or hearing protection. I found a old thread were Hank says the frequency range is different for dogs vs. humans so they really they do not need them. I did not realize that..interesting. Wondering how many use ear protection for their pets. I have a 8 yr old Boxer and he loves to ride with us in the vehicles...usually goes round and round until he makes his nest and he naps. I would hope he would do the same in the plane. Those that have read my posts know I'm anal about my plane, so the backseat will be covered and then covered some more, but we would like to be able to bring him along. Thoughts?

Simply determine your priorities… 1) You have budgets to keep within… family, kids, pets… 2) Or you don’t… 3) When constrained by budgets… keep the plane you have and continue to upgrade… when able. 4) No constraints.. go Long body. The upgrades cost nearly the same… newer, faster, bigger, more Mooney! 5) Its a lot easier to make this decision when your existing plane is fully run-out… not just the engine… 6) It is extra challenging to sell one plane before buying the next… 7) It’s financially constraining to be stuck owning two planes for any period of time… if things don’t work as planned… 8) Looking forwards… if the cost of living is really going higher continuously… selling and buying and having time in between will become more of a challenge… 9) If you have gobs of excess cash…. Go Acclaim…. PP thoughts about aviation economics only, not a plane sales guy… Best regards, -a-

Residency now isn’t what it used to be. No more “if you only take call q2 (every other day) you’ll miss half the good cases.” About 10-15 years ago they made a bunch of rules which they have continually refined to make residency kinder and gentler. I believe this had coincided with the expectations of a certain generation about how they should be treated. There are some patient safety concerns as well however the landmark case which lead to all this regulation likely wouldn’t have been prevented by work hour restrictions because plenty of well-rested residents would likely have made the same mistake and by restricting work hours you restrict the amount of time residents gain experience leading to residents graduating with less experience than their predecessors (https://psnet.ahrq.gov/primer/duty-hours-and-patient-safety). Sorry if that’s a bit of a rant. I understand the reasons for the restrictions but those of us who have trained and taught during the transition have definitely seen a change in behavior and knowledge after the changes took place. When I was an internal medicine intern you were expected to know EVERYTHING about YOUR patient. If the attending asked you if the patient had any pets, you were supposed to know the answer (including how many, what type, and whether they were indoors or outdoors - bonus points if you knew the pet names). I remember as a hospitalist attending after the transition when they had eliminated overnight call for interns (in my opinion, the single most valuable experience of internship) I asked one of the interns a question about his patient - unapologetically, he replied “I don’t know. I just got him this morning. He’s not my patient.” I asked him “Well, if he’s not your patient then whose patient is he?” He replied “yours?” We had a discussion after that. I guess what I’m trying to say is that as a surgical resident it’s very likely that he does have time to fly. He will also have the income to support buying and maintaining an airplane. Hopefully he has the judgement to do it safely. When I took my commercial check ride the DPE commented afterwards “I’m really surprised your a doctor. You’re the first one I’ve flown with that has any common sense.”

Welcome aboard Olgita! Looks like You have come to the right place for some Mooney flying advice…. There are many pilots around here who have moved pets around… +1 for checking with pilots n paws to see if they have a service for this type of transport… As for animals and Covid… the local zoo had mentioned they are treating some of their animals for Covid… Viruses can be kind of specific to the types of animals they can inhabit…. The zoo didn’t mention anything about apes, monkeys or other primates… or raccoons… Consider adding a date or time frame to the title. Find the edit buttons in the original post…. They look like this…. “…” Best regards, -a-

There is a few threads around here regarding pets in the Mooney…. Ear protection, O2, and other things…. The first MSer seeking such advice was @Samurai Husky…. Search on Sam’s name… you will discover a treasure trove of doggy detail… We also have a few veterinarians around here… If it is only a few flights… no big deal…. But, if you intend to bring Fido along on lots of flights…. Get him a good ear protection device up front… That first flight can be pretty hectic and scary for him… making the second flight a bigger problem… PP thoughts only, not a doggy whisperer… Best regards, -a-

Glen, You have accomplished many things… What is your favorite animal charity? Are you involved with pilots n paws or other moving pets charities? Holy cow somebody is using stats from last century…. A heart-attack outside of the hospital environment used to be deadly… Smoking was a way to get you killed before 60, on average… Cancer was a death sentence…. Modern technology, knowledge, and time have gone a long way to extend the lives of many people… Long enough to be flying a Mooney in their 80s… Some people have been known to fly an airplane after serious health issues… Sometimes it takes a whole community to keep this dream alive… Just when you think you can live by statistics… I was having a great discussion about 1950s British Sports cars with this 80yr old gent just yesterday… he had to excuse himself to go take a smoke break… Best regards, -a-

But…. Spirit. I’d rather crawl across broken glass. I look at the whole thing differently. It’s not just about DOC $$$. The benefits of coming and going on my schedule and being able to carry stuff and pets that are a pain on airlines, maintaining some shred of dignity by not being herded like livestock onto the germ tube, and the joy and satisfaction of doing it myself are worth the extra $. of course, I’m rationalizing, but that’s OK :-) -Dan

Forever planes are nice... They outlast any pets except possibly turtles and parrots... there are a few of these around here.... Swapping planes is expensive... and takes a full year to figure out what you actually got... As far as costs and risks go... you have a window before the college bills start rolling in... The devil you know is much better than the devil you don’t know... The cool part of a forever-plane.... They get updated as if they will last forever... kept indoors, paint last forever... an engine OH pretty much lasts 20+ years unless you forget to fly it... some of the coolest avionics get surpassed every 20years... The fancy interior... probably lasts a good 30 years unless you fly it every day... If you fly every day... you are getting the most value out of your plane... while you pay an outrageous amount just to be soooo mobile. What budget do you have for your forever plane? Small, medium, or large? Once you have a plane already... operations costs difference between and E and a J is pretty much identical.... There aren’t a lot of people flying Long Bodies as a retirement plane... some, just not a lot... Stay healthy! Go Forever-plane! Best regards, -a-

Lance, I have big time second thoughts about parting with the Mooney. It has been such a great plane. A real pilot’s plane. I have never enjoyed flying flying anything as much. My decision is based upon the practicalities of my situation. I have two planes and am trying to get myself in a position to retire in the next couple years down to St augustine where I have only one hangar. The Mirage seems to be the best of both worlds between the Mooney and the PA32, plus it has Pressurization and FIKI and cabin space that will allow us to travel the way we want with our pets and friends. When we retire we really want to try to use the heck out of the plane to explore the nooks and crannies of the US, Islands, etc. I am actually going to be doing my transition training in Vero. In a perfect world I would love to have a Meridian or TBM, but who wouldn’t!

I think dogs are gods greatest creations. Nuff said? When I file IFR with pets I always add in the comment section what animals I have on board and write “save the animals first” Last flight while in cruise the controller asked “how are the animals doing?” I tell them “great, thanks for asking”. We both laughed.