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Can we talk about bumpy runways?


Joe Larussa

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Most runways in my area are relatively friendly to Mooney's. I have pretty much new shock disks on my plane. Maybe 175 hours to be exact. Today I was taking off from Rio Vista and I swear I didn't lift off but bounced into the air. At roughly 55 MPH the nose is really bouncing but it just isn't ready yet of course. I tried holding the yolk back a bit like a soft field take off but don't think it helps. Thoughts?

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You just described my home airport.  I use a soft field technique every takeoff just to keep some of the weight/bending forces off the nose gear.

I use FULL back pressure until the nose wheel comes off the surface, just like back in the C-152 days, then wait for the airplane to fly itself off the ground.

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2 hours ago, Joe Larussa said:

. I tried holding the yolk back a bit like a soft field take off but don't think it helps. Thoughts?

Mooneys don't have a gas strut so pulling back on the yoke isn't going to stretch the nose up much.  They are poor planes for unimproved fields and landing in particular can get interesting when you hit a bump.  There is a reason why you don't see any other plane with rubber discs. 

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Andy nailed it above. As aviators we don't need to put up with the bouncing for very long; as well as watching the instrument panel vibrate from it. Get the nose off asap and as the lift builds we feel less and less of the bumps.

 

Personally, just my opinion, but I don't think us pilots should ever be complaining about the runway. I am thankful for every airport we still have. Some of the most beautiful places I get to visit by Mooney are only made possible by a dirt or gravel runway. (Although these are mostly south of the border.) The Mooney, although far from ideal for them, can do them just fine with good soft field techniques and proper speeds. Still, I won't go into any dirt or grass strip - I have pretty conservative limits; but many are just fine.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

 

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I hold back pressure on my home field. There is one bump right before lift off... Translates to all fields out of habit. Then there is the one whoop from the taxiway to the parking area.

Edited by Yetti
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5 hours ago, bluehighwayflyer said:

Beech Musketeers and Sports have rubber shock discs, too.  I think the Musketeer line is a Stinson design. Just FYI. 

Correct, I worded it badly but point is it isn't a great design. 

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I fly off of grass at my home field.  However, there are many grass strips I just won't use.  The Mooney is not a "back country" airplane (PiperPainter not withstanding ;)).  Sure your Mooney can get on and off a few times, but I think rough runways take a toll on them over time:  wet wings, gear linkages, avionics, passengers all get beat up.

For longevity's sake avoid the bumpy runways.

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On 4/9/2017 at 3:10 PM, Joe Larussa said:

Most runways in my area are relatively friendly to Mooney's. I have pretty much new shock disks on my plane. Maybe 175 hours to be exact. Today I was taking off from Rio Vista and I swear I didn't lift off but bounced into the air. At roughly 55 MPH the nose is really bouncing but it just isn't ready yet of course. I tried holding the yolk back a bit like a soft field take off but don't think it helps. Thoughts?

That's funny cause Rio Vista was moved 10 or 12 years ago from its old site closest to town.That means it is one of the newest airports within a 200 mile radius!So did the contractor do a lousy paving job...is it as bad as Lodi/acampo ?

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We have a hump built into runway 30, as we cross it diagonally near the northwest end, on departure from runway 20. 

If I cross that hump part at nearly rotation speed, yes, it puts me airborne prior to where I want to become airborne.  To overcome this, once takeoff clearance is given, I lightly accelerate slowly until across the hump, and then off we go.

Yes, our landing gear is not as forgiving as other types.  No doubt.

I try to mitigate situations such as bumpy surfaces, but I'm not always successful (long grass taxi situations at OSH North 40!)

And, just taxing from my hangar to our self serve stop can be a bit of a roller coaster event too!

With that all said, during the filming of the Boots on the Ground experience, I did learn there have been several times over the Mooney lifetime, attempts were researched and actually seriously persued in an effort to redesign the gear.

But, in a non perfect world, I still choose Mooney. :)

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21 minutes ago, gsxrpilot said:

It's pretty easy to find airplanes that are much better than Mooney's in every way... while on the ground.  In the air... well that's a whole different story.

All airplanes are flying compromises.

With a Mooney you just don't have to compromise as much.  :lol:

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Bad yokes in this thread.  

My favorite bumpy road is where the inlaws are - LYH.  There's a speed bump shy of 1000ft in on both ends of 4-22.  I land before 1000ft I hit the bump and go flying again for a sec.  The runway is in great commercial airport shape it's just that it had a hump.  I take off and the same.  Urg. 

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6 hours ago, thinwing said:

That's funny cause Rio Vista was moved 10 or 12 years ago from its old site closest to town.That means it is one of the newest airports within a 200 mile radius!So did the contractor do a lousy paving job...is it as bad as Lodi/acampo ?

Haven't been to Lodi but midway down runway 7 it gets rockin! 7 doesn't get used much because wind is usually blowing like a big dog down 25. Certainly cracks and weeds coming through.

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5 hours ago, RobertGary1 said:

Did you stop in Rio Vista for the fuel prices? I think the self serve pump at McClellen (on the West side of the field) is still the cheapest around. For a long time it was below $4. Its closer to $7 at my home field at Mather.

 

-Robert

Wow under 4.00? I've been paying 4.18 at Lincoln for a while but their pump has been down for weeks so I go to Rio Vista for cheap gas and high winds! Lol

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5 hours ago, RobertGary1 said:

BTW: Why do I always see ads for foreign brides on this website and no where else? What have you guys been doing to the ad heuristics? 

-Robert

You could always chip in a few bucks to support the site. Then you won't see any ads.

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