Flying at 0 AGL

[rbridges]

On 4/24/2016 at 2:23 PM, N201MKTurbo said:

While the top speed of the Vette and the Mooney are about the same, I can run the Mooney at top speed all day long without government intervention. You can't say that about the Vette.

The few opportunities that I have had to drive Corvettes and other high power cars just left me frustrated. It is painful to drive the speed limit in them. So I have a Toyota pickup that I dutifully drive the speed limit.

 

that pretty much sums it up for me.  I went through a handful of vettes and eventually got a Cayman b/c I learned that HP was wasted on the streets.  The Cayman handled great and was fun to drive, but flying has pretty much deflated my zeal for sports cars.

[steingar]

I have a little Toyota MR 2 Spyder convertible.  It isn't terribly fast, which is fine.  I have an airplane for that.  It corners like nobody's business, and is one of the very few in town.  Oh, and its a Toyota, so it shouldn't break, though it does frequently.  Oh well, its my car and its going to stay that way.

[jetdriven]

2 hours ago, Hyett6420 said:

I love the wolf in Sheeps clothing that my car is.  It's a Volvo V70  which our police use as high speed pursuit vehicles.  Comfortably does 140 (although having had a 385 euro speeding fine in Germany the other week I won't speed in it). It was the first time I had ever been caught speeding as well. Damn!  

A Volvo is such a good car at speed though, so stable and people don't realise how fast it actually is. It looks like a middle aged mans car (hence I bought one)  and you just leave them behind at the lights.  

God I am getting old, where's my MG that I had when I was 22? . 

Similar to the neeeest car I just picked up. A 2009 BMW 335i AWD. Wife said, what? An old man's car?  

Well this old mans car, in addition to the burl walnut trim and heated steering wheel,  came equipped with the N54 twin turbo engine, which can propel a stock 335i to a 12.9 quarter mile and bolt-ons will put down over 500HP to the wheels and run 11s. And one video on YouTube of 199 mph on public roads. It didn't take long to eat my friends brand new 5.0 mustang,,. The rest will follow. 

[Raptor05121]

On ‎4‎/‎24‎/‎2016 at 10:42 PM, ryoder said:

and the 8 speed automatic....

Wait...what?
 

On ‎4‎/‎29‎/‎2016 at 9:18 AM, DrBill said:

when I had my Sundowner this toy was faster ( I teach high perf driving for free tract time).  Not faster than the mooney !!

 

I love these style Mustangs. Right before I bought my Mooney, I had my eyes on a 2004 Mach 1. 32V V8, it sounds soooo good. The day I was set to drive to NC to go check it out and pick it up, my CFI called me about a Mooney he knew was for sale...the rest is history, except I still want a Mach 1. If Ford made the new 2016 Mustangs with the 5.0L in a Mach 1 package, I would be at the dealership tomorrow. I already had the custom license plate picked out- 623KIAS.

[ryoder]

Yes it has an 8 speed automatic.  It's faster than the seven speed manual in 0 to 60 and quarter mile.

[Raptor05121]

It may be faster, but whats the point of having a high performance car where you can't feel the stick shaking and manually downshifting and all that jazz

[Shadrach]

On May 6, 2016 at 7:22 AM, Raptor05121 said:

It may be faster, but whats the point of having a high performance car where you can't feel the stick shaking and manually downshifting and all that jazz

I'm with you on this. I am not a member of the mash it and thrash it crowd.  I like to interact with the car's drivetrain. There is little in driving that is as gratifying as a properly executed heal and toe downshift under hard braking.  I couldn't give two $hits if the mfg says the car is .15 secs quicker to sixty with the auto. In my mind, an auto in a sports car is like installing an S-tec 50 in a Decathlon... 

Sadly, manuals are going the way of the Dodo.  Porsche offered only an auto transmission (PDK) on the newest generation 911 turbo. As excellent as PDK is, it is not nearly as fun as a manual.

The majority of American Millennials (present company excluded), don't know how to drive manuals. It took 3 months for me to sell my wife's Fiat Abarth (only offered in 5 speed for the first few years) because the pool of buyers is so reduced.  

All this being said, Chevy is now building the best Corvettes they ever have (if not the best looking). They go around corners as well as they accelerate and stop. As much as Corvettes have changed, the buyer's don't seem to have changed much. A lot of them are still about playing "my d%ck$ bigger than yours" from stoplight to stoplight.

 

[rbridges]

23 minutes ago, Shadrach said:

I'm with you on this. I am not a member of the mash it and thrash it crowd.  I like to interact with the cars drivetrain. There is little in driving that is as gratifying as a properly executed heal and toe downshift under hard braking.  I couldn't give two $hits if the mfg says the car is .15 secs quicker to sixty with the auto. In my mind, an auto in a sports car is like installing an S-tec 50 in a Decathlon... 

Sadly, manuals are going the way of the Dodo.  Porsche offered only an auto transmission (PDK) on the newest generation 911 turbo. As excellent as PDK is, it is not nearly as fun as a manual.

The majority of American Millennials (present company excluded), don't know how to drive manuals. It took 3 months for me to sell my wife's Fiat Abarth (only offered in 5 speed for the first few years) because the pool of buyers is so reduced.  

All this being said, Chevy is now building the best Corvette's they ever have (if not the best looking). They go around corners as well as they accelerate and stop. As much as Corvettes have changed, the buyer's don't seem to have changed much. A lot of them are still about playing "my d%ck$ bigger than yours" from stoplight to stoplight.

 

We bought my wife a mini cooper S.  We were looking for a manual, but it eliminated 90% of the cars available.  Ended up getting an auto.  When I was younger, manuals were faster than the automatics.  I guess they've gotten more advanced, and it seems the autos are actually faster.  My son knows how to drive a manual, but I think he's in the minority of his friends.  Kinda sad for me to see, but that's how things go.

[Shadrach]

1 hour ago, Hyett6420 said:

My dear chap, if you like Manual transmission you need to emigrate to Europe, we sell 90% manual to 10% auto, God knows why. When I am stuck in traffic in London (aka Los Angeles, New York etc) I love the fact my Volvo has auto trans, but if you want "sports control" then yes manual is the way to go and Europe is the place to be.  Yep the founding fathers left Europe, but we will let you come back you know, Promise!  

I've spent many months of my adult life in Europe. Most of that time was in Italy. I actually really like driving there, save for the speed cameras.

I think manual drivers are more engaged in driving, which is needed in Italy's chaotic urban areas. Fiat made the big mistake of importing a "manual only" hot hatch to America. 

[Shadrach]

1 hour ago, rbridges said:

We bought my wife a mini cooper S.  We were looking for a manual, but it eliminated 90% of the cars available.  Ended up getting an auto.  When I was younger, manuals were faster than the automatics.  I guess they've gotten more advanced, and it seems the autos are actually faster.  My son knows how to drive a manual, but I think he's in the minority of his friends.  Kinda sad for me to see, but that's how things go.

My wife had a Cooper S when we met (oddly so did my last GF). The 6 speed is the way to go and is certainly quicker, even by BMWs numbers.

[ArtVandelay]

1 hour ago, rbridges said: We bought my wife a mini cooper S.  We were looking for a manual, but it eliminated 90% of the cars available.  Ended up getting an auto.  When I was younger, manuals were faster than the automatics.  I guess they've gotten more advanced, and it seems the autos are actually faster.  My son knows how to drive a manual, but I think he's in the minority of his friends.  Kinda sad for me to see, but that's how things go.

My wife had a Cooper S when we met (oddly so did my last GF). The 6 speed is the way to go and is certainly quicker, even by BMWs numbers.

Nice cars but ugly panels...the oversized speedometer, yuk!

[Seth]

I was amazed about five or six years ago when I found out how many of us own or owned 2001-2003 BMW E39 M5's.  There were at least 8 back then.  I still have mine and still drive it daily - 152,000 miles and going strong.

Mine is the Black one.  My uncle's is the Silver one with only 14,000 miles on it and used to belong to Roberto!

-Seth

[ryoder]

I drive in city traffic and like the automatic since I rarely get above thirty miles per hour and the transmission probably shifts 1000 times on the way home.

All Ferarris are automatic now.

I like flying the Mooney with a manual gear and no autopilot but enjoy the automatic in the car.

[DonMuncy]

If you lament to demise of manual transmissions, wait until we are overrun with self driving cars. When I first heard about them, I thought the world might be coming to an end. Now I am not so sure. From my perspective, it seems a very large percentage of the US drivers have absolutely no interest in driving, knowing how to drive or enjoying driving. The majority seem to want to be able to get into a climate controlled, soft, quiet environment and be taken to their desired destination with the least amount of effort, thought or skill, so they can get on their latest electronic device and chat or play games. This attitude, IMHO, is the primary reason our traffic death rate is so horrible. We will all live longer if all of them get into their self driving cars, so they don't run into the ones who know how to drive. I just hope they will leave some roads available for us to use while they are being transported in safety.

Sorry; rant off. Back to the original thread.

[XXX]

14 hours ago, Seth said:

I was amazed about five or six years ago when I found out how many of us own or owned 2001-2003 BMW E39 M5's.  There were at least 8 back then.  I still have mine and still drive it daily - 152,000 miles and going strong.

Mine is the Black one.  My uncle's is the Silver one with only 14,000 miles on it and used to belong to Roberto!

-Seth

Seth, Must be a genetic disorder or something. Here's a picture of my 2002 E39 M5. I sold it over a year ago and still beat myself up for selling. It was by far the most fun car I ever owned. I've noticed the prices are rising on "The Beast" lately.

[Shadrach]

20 hours ago, ryoder said:

I drive in city traffic and like the automatic since I rarely get above thirty miles per hour and the transmission probably shifts 1000 times on the way home.

All Ferarris are automatic now.

I like flying the Mooney with a manual gear and no autopilot but enjoy the automatic in the car.

The Ferarri situation has been rumored to have been orchestrated by US Ferrari dealers who make the bulk of their bread and butter reselling used cars.  I understand that it's a business decision, but it's not one that is targeted at a buyer like me (not that I could afford one!).  There is a way that car, driver and road come together when everything is going well that can only happen in a well driven manual.  It's the only real reason that I try to keep at least one sporting car in the stable. 

[DonMuncy]

18 hours ago, ryoder said:

All Ferarris are automatic now.

I enjoyed driving with manual transmissions and being able to heel and toe downshift well is an ego building exercise. However, the modern automatics are so good, it really makes about as much sense to insist on a manual as it does to work math problems on a slide rule. So sad to lose the need for skills we worked so hard to develop.

[salty]

28 minutes ago, DonMuncy said:

I enjoyed driving with manual transmissions and being able to heel and toe downshift well is an ego building exercise. However, the modern automatics are so good, it really makes about as much sense to insist on a manual as it does to work math problems on a slide rule. So sad to lose the need for skills we worked so hard to develop.

I agree. I never owned an automatic until I broke my thumb in a crash on the track with my bike and had to load the bike onto the trailer and drive the truck 100 miles towing the trailer with an untreated, broken thumb. That's when I realized maybe an automatic wasn't purely demon spawn. It is indeed an ancient art that serves no purpose but personal pleasure in today's world. I stopped making fun of automatic drivers a decade ago, but I still respect someone that can drive a stick well. 

[carusoam]

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2001/Farr-52-2376767/United-Kingdom#.Vy4n_NT3arU

Somedays, I fly my Mooney solo....  The Farr doesn't seem to have solo Ops available.  It looks like a crew of 12 may be helpful! 

The one pictured above looks like it may be stored out of the water which could add to the 'maintence' aspects.

Wish list:

1) Hangar home

2) O (means of travel between 1&3)

3) Farr

4) a pair of LS7s one with a stick, one with an automatic... (NJ - no annual car related taxes)

5) Automated car.  With appropriately raised speed limits to match.

Shared experience:

I stepped on a nail once while I was away from the home base.  Put a nice hole in my left foot. There is an rpm range that works so shifting doesn't need the clutch.  First gear is still a bit tough.

Best regards,

-a-

[Shadrach]

I understand why track cars have dual clutch automatics; that is about competition, getting the most from the machine with all the tech available. Sports car motoring is about fun. Using slide rule is an intellectual exercise.  Properly rowing a car through the gears is visceral and cerebral activity that is physically rewarding.  I drove a Panamera S with with PDK a year ago. There is no doubt that it matches RPMs perfectly during down shifts, much better than I could ever do consistently, but the drivetrain is boring compared to my Boxster S.  I grew up around unreliable old British machines that had nothing that was automatic. They went wrong all of the time, but were easy to fix. And when they went right, I felt privileged to be able to enjoy the experience! 

 

 

[Seth]

7 hours ago, Chupacabra said:

Seth, Must be a genetic disorder or something. Here's a picture of my 2002 E39 M5. I sold it over a year ago and still beat myself up for selling. It was by far the most fun car I ever owned. I've noticed the prices are rising on "The Beast" lately.

The beast has been ticking up in value recently.  Grab another one now!  Best bang for the buck for "Supercar."  However, you do have to maintain it!

 

-Seth