Mooneymite Posted September 28, 2015 Report Share Posted September 28, 2015 +1....gentle hands! If you have trouble with the satin touch-downs, try approach flaps for a few landings until you get the feel. The plane doesn't decelerate in the flair so quickly and gives the transitioning pilot more time to react. Once you "get it", full flaps landings are easy too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marauder Posted September 28, 2015 Report Share Posted September 28, 2015 A mooney is not a royal pain in the six to land. You have to treat them like the fine women they are. You cant horse them like a $5 whore or a Cherokee or they will smite you. Use your gentle hands, be precise, put her in the right position and she will respond with a gentle kiss of the runway. Sure, sure... Until you get behind her, as in behind the power curve. Then all that gentleness goes out the window. I never believed all the talk on being behind the power curve until it happened to me. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Posted September 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2015 Get some experience and fly both types and evaluate flying qualities. Then define your mission. After doing all that, choose which fits all parameters best. I owned Mooneys for years until family dynamics changed and the cost/utilization lines crossed. I bought into a 4-way partnership in an F-33A Bonanza with IO-550 conversion. Believe it or not, useful load on a given mission was about the same as my '78 Mooney 201 because of the extra fuel the Bonanza had to carry to feed the big engine. Another thing you need to check out on any airplane you're considering is W&B. The F-33 I was in had HORRIBLE aft CG issues. With four adults and 80 lbs of bags, the airplane was at the aft CG limit for takeoff. And a Bonanza CG moves aft with fuel burn. You couldn't land the airplane in CG. The best thing I can say about the Bonanza is that it was fast. Just loafing, it would do 160 knots. You have the one plane that the DPE said "I've been a DPE for 40 yrs, owned a Cessna dealership, currently own a 182, flown nearly every single engine plane out there and the best flying plane ever made is the Bonanza F33A!" He said you can fly that plane with the most minimal of inputs but "damn the parts and the planes are expensive" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PMcClure Posted September 29, 2015 Report Share Posted September 29, 2015 Just get a Mooney. You know you want one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted September 29, 2015 Report Share Posted September 29, 2015 (edited) If you like planes (like the DPE) that are converted to having an IO550 power plant...Go Mooney Missile. It is an M20J with 300hp, and it's prop can be feathered in the event of engine silence. If you don't like anybody but the factory building your plane, and you like the IO550...Go Ovation3. My DPE showed me how to trim a C152 to fly steep turns, hands off. His favorite plane was a DC3 on floats. Some DPEs really know how to fly. But, their opinion on the best plane to own only makes sense if it is a Mooney... What is you typical flight mission for the next few years, decade, life segment, etc...? Best regards, -a- Edited September 29, 2015 by carusoam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZ231 Posted September 29, 2015 Report Share Posted September 29, 2015 Congrats on the PPL! I was low-time when I bought my Mooney, but wanted something reasonably fast for regional business and personal travel that I could also do my IFR training in. Most of all, I was just tired of feeling like I was flying a kite (172). Never flown a Bo, but if you get the Mooney, you won't regret it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooney20 Posted September 29, 2015 Report Share Posted September 29, 2015 You have the one plane that the DPE said "I've been a DPE for 40 yrs, owned a Cessna dealership, currently own a 182, flown nearly every single engine plane out there and the best flying plane ever made is the Bonanza F33A!" He said you can fly that plane with the most minimal of inputs but "damn the parts and the planes are expensive" I'm no longer in that airplane. Two of the partners never flew it and wanted out so the plane was sold. I'm currently without an airplane. If I get back into an airplane, it most certainly will NOT be an F33. If you're considering one, make sure you can land it in CG, as equipped, with four people and bags at the end of a trip with an hour or so of fuel left in the tanks. It was impossible in our airplane. Your DPE owns the best all-around GA airplane ever built, the Cessna 182. If you need to fill four seats with FAA adults, the baggage compartment with a reasonable amount of bags, and top the fuel tanks, that airplane is one of few that is usually capable of it. Congratulations on your accomplishment. Now get to work on that instrument rating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooney20 Posted September 29, 2015 Report Share Posted September 29, 2015 Just transitioned to a Mooney M20C from a Cherokee. The Mooney flies just fine, really nothing adverse to report. It does the same stuff, just a whole lot faster. I have to admit, the Mooney is a royal pain the six to land, but I seem to be conquering those demons. I doubt strongly it is any worse than any other complex aircraft, but admittedly I haven't flown any other complex aircraft, so I really can't say. I transitioned from a Cherokee to a Mooney many years ago. Landing a Mooney well is all about airspeed control. You MUST be at the proper speed at flare or you will float. Don't force it onto the runway. If you do, you'll set up a porpoise with great potential for a prop strike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Posted September 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2015 I'm no longer in that airplane. Two of the partners never flew it and wanted out so the plane was sold. I'm currently without an airplane. If I get back into an airplane, it most certainly will NOT be an F33. If you're considering one, make sure you can land it in CG, as equipped, with four people and bags at the end of a trip with an hour or so of fuel left in the tanks. It was impossible in our airplane. Your DPE owns the best all-around GA airplane ever built, the Cessna 182. If you need to fill four seats with FAA adults, the baggage compartment with a reasonable amount of bags, and top the fuel tanks, that airplane is one of few that is usually capable of it. Congratulations on your accomplishment. Now get to work on that instrument rating. Thanks! Can't seem to do much else other than go for an IR as don't have enough hours to rent a complex or to even get checked out in one at the flight schools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryoder Posted September 30, 2015 Report Share Posted September 30, 2015 I transitioned from a Cherokee to a Mooney many years ago. Landing a Mooney well is all about airspeed control. You MUST be at the proper speed at flare or you will float. Don't force it onto the runway. If you do, you'll set up a porpoise with great potential for a prop strike. if you do touch down a bit fast it will bounce slightly so just maintain back pressure and maybe add in a slight amount of power and it will settle back down. Not worth it in my opinion to risk a go around when you are already 1/3 or more down the runway at stall speed with flaps in and carb heat on. Learn how to recover from a slight bounce. I am not a cfi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steingar Posted October 21, 2015 Report Share Posted October 21, 2015 No worries on the landing front, knowing about airspeed control and getting it in the act are two very different things. Still, I can and do put the airplane right where I want it. the down side is right now I'm coming in low behind the power curve. I've seen other guys land that way, but I'm still not happy. I'd rather come in high under low power and still nail the airspeed and altitude. I'll post up when I happily get it worked out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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