Happy Birthday to me:)

[xcrmckenna]

Today I commemorated a year of ownership of flying to S21 Sunriver Oregon and back. It was good times. The weather wasn’t super good but well worth the flying. I even got a red light showing me I’ve been doing a lot of flying.



It was a year ago today I flew out of Texas on my way home to Oregon. It’s been a great year with just over 130 hours of flight time. I just participated in my first owners assisted annual. I would of planned it for the end of March but I have a baby girl blessing our home this Friday. As they say “life is just about to get real”.

I’ve done every one of my oil changes and I think there was four. I managed to cover my nose gear with oil the first two. But have gotten much better. I’ve changed out all the outside lights with LED’s, done avionics upgrades and a host of other things. I hope she is in better shape then when I got her. And I want to be able to say that with every passing year.

Thank you everyone for helping me and listening to all my dumb questions:)


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[DanM20C]

8 minutes ago, xcrmckenna said:

I have a baby girl blessing our home this Friday. As they say “life is just about to get real”.

Congrats on the first year of ownership. Bigger congratulations on the baby girl! 

Unfortunately the baby girl will cost more to own than the Mooney, but there is nothing better than watching them grow! 

Cheers,

Dan

[xcrmckenna]

Congrats on the first year of ownership. Bigger congratulations on the baby girl! 
Unfortunately the baby girl will cost more to own than the Mooney, but there is nothing better than watching them grow! 
Cheers,
Dan

Thank you! It’s going to be a heck of a journey. Hopefully she will grow up to be a wonderful pilot:)


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[MB65E]

5 minutes ago, xcrmckenna said:

Thank you! It’s going to be a heck of a journey. Hopefully she will grow up to be a wonderful pilot:)


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Congrats! It’s all good! Three girls here, they are special! 7,5,&1. AND we still have the Mooney! 

Enjoy the ride! 

-Matt

[xcrmckenna]

Congrats! It’s all good! Three girls here, they are special! 7,5,&1. AND we still have the Mooney! 
Enjoy the ride! 
-Matt

I look forward to every bit of it. Even the stage when she hates me:)


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[Yooper Rocketman]

Congrats on the the baby girl! 

Your nights are about to get interesting for a while!

Tom

[xcrmckenna]

Congrats on the the baby girl! 
Your nights are about to get interesting for a while!
Tom

Yeah Shareena will be laid up for about a month and a half with the surgery’s she has to have right after. I’ll have to be super dad:)


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[Yooper Rocketman]

2 minutes ago, xcrmckenna said:

Yeah Shareena will be laid up for about a month and a half with the surgery’s she has to have right after. I’ll have to be super dad:)


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Beth was excited this morning when I shared the news with her.  Wish her the best from the two of us!!

Tom

[xcrmckenna]

Beth was excited this morning when I shared the news with her.  Wish her the best from the two of us!!
Tom

Will do, I’ll be sure to send you guys pictures.


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[carusoam]

Quick, Start building the checklists!

1) Sleep...

2) Eat...

3) Clean and dress...

4) Repeat... expect every three hours at first...

notes:

A) Be ready with the bottle... the sooner the feeding starts, the sooner everyone gets back to sleep....

B ) Follow all safety instructions... over feeding or underfeeding leads to a lack of sleep.

 

Now for the baby’s checklists...

 

 

Your going to love how the Mooney training applies to having children.  It’s all about speed and efficiency, with a whole bunch of safety thrown in.

Build your checklists, review and update often...

 

Good luck!

Best regards,

-a-

[xcrmckenna]

Quick, Start building the checklists!
1) Sleep...
2) Eat...
3) Clean and dress...
4) Repeat... expect every three hours at first...
notes:
A) Be ready with the bottle... the sooner the feeding starts, the sooner everyone gets back to sleep....
B ) Follow all safety instructions... over feeding or underfeeding leads to a lack of sleep.
 
Now for the baby’s checklists...
 
 
Your going to love how the Mooney training applies to having children.  It’s all about speed and efficiency, with a whole bunch of safety thrown in.
Build your checklists, review and update often...
 
Good luck!
Best regards,
-a-

Lol Anthony,
I think you hit it right on the mark. And I bet you have more knowledge than a mechanic on that topic;)

We are well prepared but I’m smart enough to know I still have no clue what kind of storm is coming. I will do my best to be a few steps ahead of the situation. If anyone wants to help with transition training feel free to come over or I’ll read any pirep. I’m willing to learn better ways to maintain the poop and pee speeds...

I was two weeks old when my dad had me in a 182, Emmalyn won’t be that young when she goes up for her first ride but I’m hoping within a year. Talk about the most thorough preflight I will EVER do:)


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[carusoam]

Baby wipes and Ziplocs... tools for the victor highway....

 

My youngest had to wait from Jan til November for first flight...

I started M20C shopping when she was born.  Transition training, plus an additional 10hours for passengers....

First real long cross country was to grandma’s for thanksgiving.... 200nm of pure bliss compared to prior 5 hour drives...

No MS, very little aviation info available on the Internet... at the time.

 

Another memory.... baby wipes.... keep lots of them around. Small packets in every nook and cranny, flight bag and overnight bag.

Start selecting the baby carrier and how to fit it in the back seat...

See if two carriers will fit in the back seat. Family building is often hampered by available volume of space... the older one has to be out of the carrier before the new one can get in...

Kids that grow up in the back of a Mooney don’t get seasick... as much.  When they do they use Ziploc bags....

Piloto has his tube... others own a Gatorade bottle franchise, family guys, we got Ziplocs! 

Another tool you are going to need... baby and toddler back packs... no self respecting mooney Pilot is going to be putting a stroller in the baggage area.... there is transition training for solo loading an older kid into a back pack too.

Keep healthy everyone,

-a-

[Yooper Rocketman]

7 hours ago, carusoam said:

Quick, Start building the checklists!

1) Sleep...

2) Eat...

3) Clean and dress...

4) Repeat... expect every three hours at first...

notes:

A) Be ready with the bottle... the sooner the feeding starts, the sooner everyone gets back to sleep....

B ) Follow all safety instructions... over feeding or underfeeding leads to a lack of sleep.

 

Now for the baby’s checklists...

 

 

Your going to love how the Mooney training applies to having children.  It’s all about speed and efficiency, with a whole bunch of safety thrown in.

Build your checklists, review and update often...

 

Good luck!

Best regards,

-a-

A.

No disclaimer at the bottom of that post?  Must be you're QUALIFIED on this subject!!

Tom

[thinwing]

Exciting days ahead!

[bradp]

And then one day your little one will be able to get from the step to the wing walk (with the baggage door open, of course) without stepping on the flap.   And she will tell you that now she can get on and off the plane all by herself.  And you will look on with great pride and admiration. 

[jaylw314]

On ‎3‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 10:02 PM, xcrmckenna said:

I’ve done every one of my oil changes and I think there was four. I managed to cover my nose gear with oil the first two. But have gotten much better. I’ve changed out all the outside lights with LED’s, done avionics upgrades and a host of other things. I hope she is in better shape then when I got her. And I want to be able to say that with every passing year.
 

Hey, sorry I missed you, hope your trip back from annual was safe!

A trick my instructor showed me for oil changes was taking a used plastic shopping bag (with no holes in it!), and pulling one of the edges of it under the lip of the oil filter pad.  Then you tape the handles of the bag somewhere above it on the engine mount, and you have something to hold all the oil that comes spilling out.  A 1" ratcheting closed end wrench makes removing the oil filter MUCH easier in the tight space, just get a cheap one at Harbor Freight or on Amazon.  Then when you're done, you can either lift out the filter, or just drop the filter into the oil-filled bag and lift the whole thing out, being careful not to tear it on anything as you pull it up.  After a bit of practice, it keeps your nose gear nice and clean.

I looked at some of the oil-filter tools that punch a hole in the side and allow it to drain, but I'm not sure there's room to use them behind an IO-360...

Congratulations on the new family member, and try to keep up on sleep!

 

Edited March 20, 2018 by jaylw314

[bradp]

What beats the grocery bag is a 1 gallon ziploc bag.  In this way you can angle it so that the heavy plastic lips of the bag somewhat seal up against the engine's oil filter flange.  Less spilling.  I've done the shopping bag way and had it spill all over the place. 

In fact I've only done two oil changes in 6 years of ownership that I haven't spilled oil at all over the front firewall - both since moving to the ziploc.  For me it's a win if I can keep it off the tire.  Big loss if the tire / pucks get it. 

Others have used a conical funnel, a cut up milk jug, etc to catch the oil and route it laterally.  I still have found the ziploc to be the cheapest / easiest catchment method. 

[Hank]

How to keep oil off your tire, firewall and floor (easy, cheap and repeatable!):

 

 

[xcrmckenna]

Hey, sorry I missed you, hope your trip back from annual was safe!
A trick my instructor showed me for oil changes was taking a used plastic shopping bag (with no holes in it!), and pulling one of the edges of it under the lip of the oil filter pad.  Then you tape the handles of the bag somewhere above it on the engine mount, and you have something to hold all the oil that comes spilling out.  A 1" ratcheting closed end wrench makes removing the oil filter MUCH easier in the tight space, just get a cheap one at Harbor Freight or on Amazon.  Then when you're done, you can either lift out the filter, or just drop the filter into the oil-filled bag and lift the whole thing out, being careful not to tear it on anything as you pull it up.  After a bit of practice, it keeps your nose gear nice and clean.
I looked at some of the oil-filter tools that punch a hole in the side and allow it to drain, but I'm not sure there's room to use them behind an IO-360...
Congratulations on the new family member, and try to keep up on sleep!
 

Thank you and sleep will for sure be at a premium!!!!

I use the tempest easy drain system now for the oil filter. There is just enough room to get it moved around. I use it to punch a hole on the top then spin it around hook up the 1/2” hose to it and drill in the bottom hole. The last few times I used it I only dirtied a few rags. Super easy to use. I started a thread on it I believe in the miscellaneous file. I also use the tempest torque wrench. It’s really nice to get into the right spaces.


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[xcrmckenna]

And then one day your little one will be able to get from the step to the wing walk (with the baggage door open, of course) without stepping on the flap.   And she will tell you that now she can get on and off the plane all by herself.  And you will look on with great pride and admiration. 

Lol, when does she get to the age when she says dad, my landing was better????


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[bradp]

19 minutes ago, xcrmckenna said:

Lol, when does she get to the age when she says dad, my landing was better????


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Sometime after she takes the front seat and having a visitor ride shotgun between pilot and window becomes a normal occurrence. 

[xcrmckenna]

Sometime after she takes the front seat and having a visitor ride shotgun between pilot and window becomes a normal occurrence. 

Looks like nothing better!!!!!


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[xcrmckenna]

Newest future Mooney pilot. Emmalyn Cleo McKenna


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[DanM20C]

4 hours ago, xcrmckenna said:

Newest future Mooney pilot. Emmalyn Cleo McKenna


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Fantastic! 

[bradp]

Congratulations!!!