Recommended Cruise Settings

[EDNR-Cruiser]

Hey Carusoam,

 

Auto fuel in Germany has come down (!) to about Euro 1.40 per liter, that is approx. $5.75 per gallon...
We really enjoy these low gas prices and just hope that the oil price stays down a little longer! 

[jkhirsch]

I run my plane one way: http://www.mooneypilots.com/mapalog/M20F%20Evaluation/M20F_Evaluation_Report.html

[garytex]

Cwalsh, another way to look at this is that no matter what your power setting is, the lowest brake mean specific fuel consumption for the I/O 360 is going to be 20° lean of peak. So you'll get the most propulsive power out of each unit of fuel there. It's measured in pounds of fuel per horsepower per hour. The curve is fairly flat so you can be close and still get the benefits.

65% of power lean of peak assuming 14.7 hp per gallon of our calculates out to 8.8 gallons an hour. So if you're burning less than 8.8 gallons an hour and you are lean of peak you're less than 65% which is a really safe place to run your engine for detonation margin. My engine is typically at peak or slightly rich of peak at 8.8 gallons an hour at cruise at altitude, but that's what the numbers say. In warmer summer temperatures and at altitude my F with an I/O 360 typically is very slightly less than 8 gallons an hour at 20° LOP. Winter gets up in the 8.4 8.5 gallon an hour range. 165 - 170 mph true. On trips near maximum range it's faster to slow down to about 140 indicated Burning in the low sevens and skip a 45 minute or hour long fuel stop with the attendant descent and climb.

In my normal cruise,I may be 5 to 8 miles an hour slower than at a 10 1/2 gallon an hour ROP cruise. But that's really not a material difference when you're doing 170 miles an hour instead of 176.

The other side of the coin is that this power setting makes me happy, which is what it's all about. I have my prejudices and predelictions which I try to satisfy, yours may really be different. The great thing is, there's the information out there and many of the airplanes have the instrumentation to afford you lots of choice.

[pinerunner]

If what you're literally after is greatest time in the air per gallon then I believe you want to fly at the best glide speed. Someone else said that and it made sense to me. I've read a couple of stories of Mooneys staying aloft for some crazy amount of time like 10 hours or so. 

 

I think you might be on the back side of the power curve too, so if you get in a bit of a downdraft you'll HAVE to add power and not just lift the nose to maintain altitude. Now if you're really nuts about stretching your time in the air you might hunt for an updraft and pull the power back even further.

 

You then need a good pee pot, which I haven't wanted to bother with.

[Shadrach]

Hey Carusoam,

 

Auto fuel in Germany has come down (!) to about Euro 1.40 per liter, that is approx. $5.75 per gallon...

We really enjoy these low gas prices and just hope that the oil price stays down a little longer! 

 

How does that compare to Benzine and Diesel?

[frankw]

Managing energy and speed - especially during descent and approach - are the challenges of flying a Mooney... - nothing spectacular, just some practice and discipline is all it takes to enjoy this wonderful aircraft...

 

Agree, and enjoy flying the m20fex at 20 - 21 mp/17 - 19 rpm, 110 kts at a burn of 5 galls/hr and 20+ mpg (ymmv    ), there are few birds (I know of) which can come anywhere close… like you Bernd, I like to be in the air, and not necessarily racing from A to B, but should the need arise… there is plenty in reserve, now where are you based in Germany? A trip beckons, frank.

[EDNR-Cruiser]

I'm based in Regensburg (EDNR - Regensburg-Oberhub), Bavaria - close to the Danube river and with plenty of beautiful scenery to explore...   :-)