Anything you wish you would have known?

[gitmo234]

9 minutes ago, Whiskey Charlie said:

I have an E also and I've owned it for about a year and a half and I have logged almost 200 hours in that short time.  Like others have stated, learn to control your speed and plan your descents.  I came from flying (plowing) around in a 172 and wasn't used to thinking so far ahead of the airplane.  If you have a G430, use the descent planning page to help you get to your target altitude for the pattern.  You can set it up for the rate of descent you want and it will remind you when you should start to descend.   I set mine up to hit pattern altitude 4 miles out at 500 fpm.  It helps as a handy reminder especially when flying cross country at high altitudes into unfamiliar fields.  I live in Wichita KS.  (35 miles north of Oklahoma).  What part of Oklahoma are you going to?

I fly into Tulsa on Saturday, then fly back to the east coast on sunday

[Bart Chilcott]

7 minutes ago, gitmo234 said:

I fly into Tulsa on Saturday, then fly back to the east coast on sunday

You'll enjoy Tulsa if you haven't been before.  Have fun flying home!  It'll be a great adventure.  I did something similar when I bought mine.  I took my CFI with me as I wasn't IFR rated.  We flew mine back from Seattle to Wichita, crossing eight states in two days.  Just get ready to get spoiled on speed!  You'll never want to go back to anything less.  Have fun and welcome to the family.

[Bartman]

First of all congratulations on your new bird !

1. Wish I knew that takeoff trim settings were so important, and that sometimes the older Mooney can have problems with the trim position indicator.  If it is too nose heavy you can takeoff and wheelbarrow down the runway, and if it is too light on the nose then you can takeoff and if feels mushy.  

2. Lots of great info on settings in all phases of flight, especially in the pattern and landing.  Follow this closely.

3. Continuing to trim the nose up in ground effect until touchdown is very effective, especially with the electric trim.

4. When you finally feel it stall in ground effect, pull the yoke smoothly and fairly quickly into your stomach for the perfect full stall landing.

5. Make sure you and your instructor practice aborted landings with FULL FLAPS, either from the bounce that you will no doubt do, or abort just before you are about to stall in ground effect.  You may be surprised just how much forward pressure is required until you adjust trim.

6. Really wish I knew how to Hot-Start the engine after fueling.  Use the flooded start procedure and it works every time.

7. You already found the one of the most important things for your transition.... Mooneyspace is the best resource and the entire community is willing to help. 

Edited July 27, 2017 by Bartman

[Oldguy]

13 minutes ago, Bartman said:

6. Really wish I knew how to Hot-Start the engine after fueling.  

Learn to do this consistently and you will impress Mooney owners new and old.

[gitmo234]

Well folks, I am on the way out to pick her up and fly her home. Will be in the air all Sunday. I’ll write it up upon my return. Thanks for the advice

[Hank]

Ya'll have a great trip!

[lamont337]

Manual gear: Early on it can be a struggle to slow down below gear speed. This makes you pull the throttle all the way out and before you know it the gear alarm is blasting your ear drums. Reaching into the gear block to hold the switch stops the alarm as you patiently bleed off airspeed.

[gsxrpilot]

3 hours ago, lamont337 said:

Reaching into the gear block to hold the switch stops the alarm as you patiently bleed off airspeed.

And is a good reminder that the gear still needs to be extended.

[Skates97]

3 hours ago, lamont337 said:

Manual gear: Early on it can be a struggle to slow down below gear speed. This makes you pull the throttle all the way out and before you know it the gear alarm is blasting your ear drums. Reaching into the gear block to hold the switch stops the alarm as you patiently bleed off airspeed.

2,400 RPM, 15" MP, level off and if necessary a shallow climb for a moment will get you to that magic 120mph to extend those "lower speed brakes" every time. Just make sure you plan ahead enough to do that. Then you are set up well for pattern speed. 

[SantosDumont]

After about 200 hrs of XC I decided to get an O2 tank.  What a difference it made!  I found that I wasn't exhausted after the flight like I usually was after cruising around at 11.5/12.5k.  My advice for O2 is to get the biggest tank you are comfortable with.  I got a short 9CUFT one and it lasts for about 5 hours... not long enough to make a round trip on a long XC. 

[gitmo234]

Well Gents, I'm back home. The day was horribly long, partly to our own ignorance and partly because it was >1000 miles in a day. The ignorance issue was simple... PUSH THE KEY IN. We arrived on time, pulled the airplane out of the hanger, did our preflights and were ready to go.... but it wouldn't start. Battery was dead but not so dead nothing would light up. After trying to get a jump and waiting around for hours I called the previous owner to see if he had any tricks, tips or parts. He said "did you push the key in?". I tried it and like magic it fired up. So, there I was for hours trying, my CFI assuming I was doing that, me assuming it was just a turn to start.

After that was over we were off. Stopped at 3VS (90 minute flight) for lunch with my dad and just a bit of fuel. My first landing was good but rough. The 1956 Cessna has a windshield and sight picture that is huge and you feel like you're sitting on the nose. Because of the difference in sight picture and feel I flared a bit too much and held the nose up a bit too long but not too high. It just made it rough but okay.

 From there we went to I18, but by the time we got there it was dark. My instructor had me shoot a GPS approach (I don't have my IFR cert yet). I nailed the approach perfectly and I will say that following that actually made me much more accurate, even in the dark. I was semi-familiar with this airport, I've stopped there once before

From I18 it was home to 58M. Landing there at night is a bit intimidating because of the slope of the runway and trees on final. The slope always gives the perception that I'm about 20 feet off the ground when in reality I'm about 2 feet. Other than overshooting the turn to final (by a lot) it was okay. I landed at about 12:15 am (I get up for work at 5 am) and I was exhausted. Killed a lot of birds with one stone. Flight review, complex sign off and some familiarity work. I feel like I felt when I first got my private certificate. I can do it, but im shaky with it and not yet comfortable.

Details about the airplane:

Other than the change in sight picture, there's nothing else that was difficult in flight. In fact, it's unbelievably easy to fly. It literally took so much of the work out of flying and was a lot smoother. My Cessna has so many quirks, bends, dings, etc that there was no physical rest in flight. You were always on the trim wheel, always adjusting, always correcting. It had nothing automated. The mooney needs so much less. The wing leveler helps a lot but it's just a steady flight regardless. Trimming out was so easy and didn't need by-the-minute adjustments.

More or less, we flew at 7500', 2400 RPM and 22'. Burned 9.5 GPH (about equal to my Cessna) and usually had a ground speed of 137-147 knots. In the Cessna my ground speed was really, really good if we were at 100.

I noticed and was told that comparatively all mooneys are heavier on the controls (by design), and it took some adjustment but the long story made short is that I'm in love with the airplane and in love with mooney.

 

[carusoam]

Welcome home (to your bird)...

You know it's been a long trip when your MP is measured in feet...  

Best regards,

-a-

[mike_elliott]

3 hours ago, gitmo234 said:

Well Gents, I'm back home. The day was horribly long, partly to our own ignorance and partly because it was >1000 miles in a day. The ignorance issue was simple... PUSH THE KEY IN. We arrived on time, pulled the airplane out of the hanger, did our preflights and were ready to go.... but it wouldn't start. Battery was dead but not so dead nothing would light up. After trying to get a jump and waiting around for hours I called the previous owner to see if he had any tricks, tips or parts. He said "did you push the key in?". I tried it and like magic it fired up. So, there I was for hours trying, my CFI assuming I was doing that, me assuming it was just a turn to start.

After that was over we were off. Stopped at 3VS (90 minute flight) for lunch with my dad and just a bit of fuel. My first landing was good but rough. The 1956 Cessna has a windshield and sight picture that is huge and you feel like you're sitting on the nose. Because of the difference in sight picture and feel I flared a bit too much and held the nose up a bit too long but not too high. It just made it rough but okay.

 From there we went to I18, but by the time we got there it was dark. My instructor had me shoot a GPS approach (I don't have my IFR cert yet). I nailed the approach perfectly and I will say that following that actually made me much more accurate, even in the dark. I was semi-familiar with this airport, I've stopped there once before

From I18 it was home to 58M. Landing there at night is a bit intimidating because of the slope of the runway and trees on final. The slope always gives the perception that I'm about 20 feet off the ground when in reality I'm about 2 feet. Other than overshooting the turn to final (by a lot) it was okay. I landed at about 12:15 am (I get up for work at 5 am) and I was exhausted. Killed a lot of birds with one stone. Flight review, complex sign off and some familiarity work. I feel like I felt when I first got my private certificate. I can do it, but im shaky with it and not yet comfortable.

Details about the airplane:

Other than the change in sight picture, there's nothing else that was difficult in flight. In fact, it's unbelievably easy to fly. It literally took so much of the work out of flying and was a lot smoother. My Cessna has so many quirks, bends, dings, etc that there was no physical rest in flight. You were always on the trim wheel, always adjusting, always correcting. It had nothing automated. The mooney needs so much less. The wing leveler helps a lot but it's just a steady flight regardless. Trimming out was so easy and didn't need by-the-minute adjustments.

More or less, we flew at 7500', 2400 RPM and 22'. Burned 9.5 GPH (about equal to my Cessna) and usually had a ground speed of 137-147 knots. In the Cessna my ground speed was really, really good if we were at 100.

I noticed and was told that comparatively all mooneys are heavier on the controls (by design), and it took some adjustment but the long story made short is that I'm in love with the airplane and in love with mooney.

 

Its obvious you didn't have a Mooney knowledgeable  CFI with you. Spend some time with one, and become one with your plane, like you have in the military. Congrats on your new plane! You will learn to appreciate its virtues and characteristics more and more.

[Danb]

234, you've got quite a few Mooney pilots near 58m if you ever need a helping hand.

Good luck

Dan

 

[KLRDMD]

8 hours ago, mike_elliott said:

Its obvious you didn't have a Mooney knowledgeable  CFI with you. Spend some time with one, and become one with your plane, like you have in the military. Congrats on your new plane! You will learn to appreciate its virtues and characteristics more and more.

My first thoughts exactly !! A few hours with a truly Mooney proficient CFI, versus one that just says he knows Mooneys and may have a few hours in one, will be invaluable.

[gitmo234]

I may have an oil leak. Checked out preflight yesterday, logged 8.5 hours coming back, and it had burned just over 2 quarts, and some of it was just below the air intake filter.

  Filled it up and took it up for some pattern work. Will check levels next time

[gsxrpilot]

6 minutes ago, gitmo234 said:

I may have an oil leak. Checked out preflight yesterday, logged 8.5 hours coming back, and it had burned just over 2 quarts, and some of it was just below the air intake filter.

  Filled it up and took it up for some pattern work. Will check levels next time

How much is "filled up"?  A lot of Mooneys throw anything in excess of 6 quarts, overboard just because. How many quarts did you start with prior to you 8.5 hour trip?

[gitmo234]

6 quarts to both your questions