How high have you gone?

[Joe Larussa]

Just curious how high have you taken your older Mooney and what kind of climb rate did you see ? Did you go to your book service ceiling?

[carusoam]

Starting the bidding with....

My C went to 14.5k' to take advantage of a nice westerly tailwind.

Lesson 1: A lightly loaded Mooney can easily get to levels requiring O2.

Lesson 2: Climb rate is related to excess HP/weight ratio.  If you have a method of determining your %hp (chart or instrument) helps.  

Knowing...

- how much hp is excess vs hp needed to maintain level flight for your weight is helpful.

- MP (HP) is directly related to altitude for you NA engine.

Lesson 3:

Altitude is NOT your friend. It robs power the higher you go. Go turbo to fight this!

Altitude is your friend. Thinner air lowers the actual drag. Go Mooney laminar wing and low CSA/flat plate.

Altitude is your friend. Increased margin of safety for engine out ops.

There is an optimum altitude, or compromise, for NA Mooneys for best speed at WOT.  Somewhere around 7,500' (?).  This is around where the power curve and drag curves cross on a chart...

My preference: Highest altitude available without using an O2 system.

Best regards,

-a-

 

[gsengle]

17k in m20r due to weather including cumulogranite

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Hank]

I've cruised my C at 11,000 avoiding turbulence in W. NC through WV. Just for fun, I grabbed a CFI & O2 bottle in August and eventually reached 15,000 msl. The last bit took some level offs to accelerate. Later, I figured DA there was 18,800.

None of the books that I have give a "service ceiling," although the Climb table shows at 18,000' I should have 230 fpm at 2200 lbs, which is approx. 2 adults and almost full fuel. But he and I shoulda been a little above 2300, still 250+ below gross.

P.S.--gsengle, if the weather is bad enough to include cumulogranite, do you really wanta fly there? 

[carl]

6,500 '

It was pretty scary too. I'll try next time to go higher. 

carl

[jerryg324]

13,500 in a C model and 17,500 regularly in the K model...  After 10 the C struggled and the K wasn't even breathing hard at 17,500...  Hurray for the turbo...

 

[flight2000]

20 minutes ago, carl said:

6,500 '

It was pretty scary too. I'll try next time to go higher. 

carl

You're almost to pattern altitude for some of the airports out here.   

I've been up to 13,000 so far in my 67E.

Cheers,

Brian

[carl]

Yes , 

But your Mooney is nicer than mine! 

One day I going to fly up to 10,000'. Just wait, you will all see.I'll post a picture.

By the way, Brian, my plane came from Carson Valley , a 1967 M20E too.

carl

[carl]

Wait a minute, Brian.

Did you plane start out as N3248F?..."Mo"

17 minutes ago, flight2000 said:

You're almost to pattern altitude for some of the airports out here.   

I've been up to 13,000 so far in my 67E.

Cheers,

Brian

 

[carl]

I figured that out myself !!

mooney brothers pic1.docx

[Parker_Woodruff]

Quick trip to FL230 in my M20K to watch it do 200 KTAS then back down to FL210.

[N201MKTurbo]

I had my M20F to 17500. I flew an IFR leg in it once at 17000.

i have had my J to FL220. It was still climbing at 500ft/min.

[MooneyBob]

1 hour ago, carl said:

6,500 '

It was pretty scary too. I'll try next time to go higher. 

carl

Why was that scary ? 

[Raptor05121]

1 hour ago, carl said:

6,500 '

It was pretty scary too. I'll try next time to go higher. 

carl

I did 6,000 feet yesterday for a 40 mile flight in grossed out Cherokee 180 just because my nephew had never been that high.

4 minutes ago, MooneyBob said:

Why was that scary ? 

Experience? On my solo XC in a 152 I went to 7,500 and it gave me vertigo. I have since overcome that feeling and routinely do 10k on cross countries.

[aviatoreb]

I drove my car once to 14k.  No turbo either.  Pikes Peak.

[bonal]

Fully fueled and two of us plus luggage and 12,500 in our C can't recall what climb was when I leveled off. Interesting we had our little C150 at full gross to 11,600

[bonal]

9 minutes ago, aviatoreb said:

I drove my car once to 14k.  No turbo either.  Pikes Peak.

I used to have a car with weber dcoe's that I had a complete set of ready to drop in jetting that I would pull over and install above 5000 feet took less than 5 minutes that was before the days when every one had fuel injection 

[Joe Larussa]

I had my J up to 11,500 over the Sierra's yesterday. Pretty easy 500 fpm all the way up.

[aviatoreb]

9 minutes ago, bonal said:

I used to have a car with weber dcoe's that I had a complete set of ready to drop in jetting that I would pull over and install above 5000 feet took less than 5 minutes that was before the days when every one had fuel injection 

Cool - Webers.

I always think of Webers when I drop my Mooney off at Weber Aircraft the MSC at KNLS.

Before I had my car I drove up Pike's Peak I had a Volvo 240 - an old one with 180k on it - and it just couldn't make it up pikes peak.  Couldn't do it.  

[SkyBound]

11,000 in my M20C - it was pretty "anaemic" above 9,500 full fuel and baggage.

FL230 a few times in my M20K.

[carl]

50 minutes ago, MooneyBob said:

Why was that scary ? 

 

43 minutes ago, Raptor05121 said:

I did 6,000 feet yesterday for a 40 mile flight in grossed out Cherokee 180 just because my nephew had never been that high.

Experience? On my solo XC in a 152 I went to 7,500 and it gave me vertigo. I have since overcome that feeling and routinely do 10k on cross countries.

I don't like it. I think I'm going to fall,and its a long way down. I hate the Ferris wheel. 

I like just at tree top level. 

To over come this I have hiked Pikes Peak, and jumped from a plane at 15,000'. 

And, yes, really I am a licensed pilot. 

 

carl

 

[rocketman]

20,000 feet a month ago in my Rocket

[Danb]

17,500 in my J. & 25,000 (FL) 250 in my Bravo

[kerry]

1 hour ago, Joe Larussa said:

I had my J up to 11,500 over the Sierra's yesterday. Pretty easy 500 fpm all the way up.

Where did you cross at 11,500.  You must of been down south by VIS.   I generally cross at MMH and I like to be at 12,500 west and 13,500 east.  It seems to be the narrowest part of the Sierras but there are still peaks on either side of me.  I've had my A model up to 14,500 to avoid weather and it would have still gone higher. 

[bonal]

Carl altitude is your friend the higher you are the greater the options should there be a problem. However a fire could mean the opposite is true.