speedy mooney!

[rorythedog]

we flew our 201 from olathe to st. augustine on dec. 27. it was severe clear and on the second leg(bhm to sgj) we were clocking 230 miles per hour in level flight for most of the leg. i think that's the fastest i've ever recorded in the 16 years i've owned her! we might have had a slight tailwind at 11.5.

[Mcstealth]

braggart!

[flight2000]

I was able to get 212 knots (243 mph) at 11K on the way back from Denver to Kansas City on January 2nd.  Made for a short 2.5 hr flight...   And yes, this was in level flight.  Tailwinds are our friends.

Pics or it never happened....

Brian

[randypugh]

Speeds like that are not that uncommon in the Ovation

[rorythedog]

at 9 gph???

[scottfromiowa]

Sucking sound of BIG BORE FUEL Flow....

Everybody enjoying the rising fuel prices?  Why is there no discussion/backlash?  HMMMMmmmm?

[Piloto]

That's when I question myself the advantage of the turbo when flying westbound. You need to go low to avoid the strong headwinds. Not to mention the added fuel consumption, maintenance and reliability.

José

[RJBrown]

When I fly westbound from here is when I miss the turbo the most. With 16500' MEAs 20 miles west of where I sit my J is just too weak. It was nice to see speeds over 300 going east up high in the Rocket. But looking down on the rocks west of here was the real bonus.

Even the J can impress with speed down low with a tailwind. This was also in level flight. 232 kts @ 13500

[donshapansky]

In December I made a quick trip in my Rocket from Granbury, TX to Somerset, PA, I was wheels up at 06:00 Central time and 4:56 ATE, got there for lunch and training sessions to 17:00 Eastern, I found 30 kts quartering tailwinds at 11,500 then up to 15.5 for last 90 minutes and 240 kts ground speed. Wheels up 17:30 I started home at 6500' bucking 45 kts on the nose truing 194 kts, after looking over XM winds on my 530W I took a more southerly route, almost direct to Little Rock, I managed 180 kts most of the way and landed with 1 hr reserve left. After refueling I was home by midnight, there is a lot to be said for a turbo when you just got to get there. I do a lot of westbound flights to UT, ND, CO, WY on business. I rarely see less than 170 kts ground spd, I used to fly a late model Super Viking with 175 knot TAS, I used to do westbound flights on select days of my choosing. Mountain waves are a lot less disconcerting when you have the horsepower available! The SV would cruise nicely at 16.0' but with 17.0" MP I have seen swings of 60 KIAS, I like 29.0" MP a lot better.

[periksmoen]

Obviously, we had a 'bit' of a tailwind to help us out, but it was still pretty cool to be getting better gas mileage than my Prius while going over 300mph.  Taken while in level flight at FL140

[KSMooniac]

was that level flight at 6.1 GPH???  What are you flying?  I'm imagining a 130+ knot tailwind if you're in a normal-aspirated Mooney at 14k.

[periksmoen]

Yeah, that was in level flight.  That was in our 201 with a 125-knot tailwind.  There was a 150+ knot tailwind at FL180, but unfortunately our o2 tank was running low at that point so we had to settle for FL140.

[KSMooniac]

Wow, that is awesome!  I think the biggest tailwind (and headwind for that matter) that I've had so far has been ~50 knots.

[jetdriven]

Our first trip in our 201 from San Marcos TX we had 175 KTS GS level at 7500 and busted 202 knots on the descent into Houston.  Welcome to the 200 Knot club, first flight.

[jlunseth]

I am still trying to convince myself that 125 nm out is about right for a descent from the Flight Levels.  I am still stuck on 100 nm, but keep having to get into 800-1000 fpm descent rates to get to pattern altitude.  OK with me, but hard on some passengers' ears.  Besides, I kinda like the speed of that long slow ride downhill, especially with a tailwind.  225 kts. GS and up as high as 260 is pretty much par for the course when coming in from the west.

[jetdriven]

Even at 250'/nm which is what we use, thats 1000 FPM at 240 knots.  You would have to start down earlier to keep the descent rate to a reasonable level, like 750 FPM.

[jlunseth]

Yes, still learning that.  However, the descent math is not always linear.  Winds of 50 at FL210 may be 25 at 16k, and almost nothing near pattern.  So GS can go down as you descend, and you find yourself 60 nm out and near pattern altitude already.  Came in Monday night from SD to Minn., the winds at the airport were so strong that we were crabbing almost at a 45 to the airport on left base.  Should have started down further out.  The thing is, starting down further out in my case, means starting down while over ND or SD, to land almost at the MN-WI border, so I need to reorient my thinking.

PS Cruise going to KRAP on Sunday (flying westerly) was 177 kts. at 16k, and coming home on Monday was 198 kts., in both cases at about 75% and mid-13 for GPH.  Now, I will be the first to admit there are trips where the outbound is in the 140's or even 130's at 6,000, but those are the trips where the cruise coming home is hitting 230 something. 

[carusoam]

JL,

 

The descent math is complex, and the variables are unknown while you are flying.

 

This is why it is helpful to program the GPS for a glideslope type display.

 

Mine is set to calculate a GS equivalent to 400fpm, that ends at at TPA four miles out, in time to slow down.

 

When the variables change,  the GS bar begins to move up or down from the centered target.  Adjust your vertical speed accordingly.

 

In my NA  M20R,  the upward sliding bar is also a reminder to adjust the throttle as DA decreases.

 

Descent by Mooney is a busy time, let Mrs. Garmin do your math....my job is to follow along and stay below Vne.   

 

Best regards,

 

-a-

[jlunseth]

That is what I do - program the VSR, and I modify descent rate depending on what it says.  Just seems like I always wait a little too long.  Can't let it get up to the 500 fpm mark and then expect to do a 500 fpm descent, because the increase in airspeed will quickly run the descent rate to 800 something.  I shoot for about 450 but even that is sometimes not enough.

Not a very big deal though.  Maybe some day I will have one of those fancy glass cockpits airplane thingy's where you can set the descent rate and let the airplane do all the work.

That last half hour going down hill is a real sleigh ride in a Mooney.