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Enjoyable Visit- Fellow Mooney Spacer- in Yooperland


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@gsxrpilot  and his wife stopped by during their North American tour after their visit to Churchill Manitoba.  It was really nice to have a face to face meeting with one of our popular posters (and he's clearly a Mooney Addict!).  We did lunch outside (yes, we can do that a few months of the year up here) and while our wives visited, we took a little spin in the turbine Lancair.  As promised, Paul was given the controls for a while and, in no more than 5 minutes, was flying it like it was on rails.  He's a pretty GOOD STICK!  Looking forward to seeing him and his wife again.  We may meet up in Texas this fall, if the stars align for them, when Beth and I attend the LOBO Convention down in San Marcos.

I did get one shot of him just before we launched, sitting in the left seat where I think he looked mighty comfortable.  :>)  He's the second Mooney Spacer to get a ride ( @tigers2007 was the first) , but the first since new paint.  I still owe a ride to @xcrmckenna .

Thanks for stopping Paul!

(And yes, I did close the fuel cap before we launched, as well as removed the nose gear lock)

Tom

Paul in Lancair 7-6-18.jpg

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The acceleration feels like riding a rocket sled for the first SEVERAL MINUTES. If you’ve ever rode in a car with nitrous activated l, it’s like that but for much longer.

GXSR - how was your experience?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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The turbine Lancair has been on my bucket list of airplanes since I first heard about it in probably 2008 or 2009. It has got to be the ultimate high performance personal pilot's airplane. But along with some other airplanes on my bucket list, P51, Spitfire, etc. I didn't think I'd ever get to sit in one, much less fly one. So it was an amazing 51st birthday gift to actually get to fly @Yooper Rocketman's absolutely perfect example of the type.

The workmanship, the fit and finish, the attention to detail, on this airplane is just unbelievable. Tom has not cut any corners in the building of this bird. And it flies as good as it looks.

It starts with the engine startup. You'll want to leave the headsets off just to enjoy the sound of that turbine coming to life. Then during the taxi, the prop going in and out of beta just to keep from running away on the taxi. I think Tom said 150hp at idle power! Then pull on to the runway and let it go! The acceleration is something that must be experienced. I recently test drove a friends Tesla P100D. My wife said the acceleration of the Tesla made her just a little queasy. The acceleration in the Lancair is vary similar. It pins you to the seat and doesn't let up. Tom said not to worry about the steep angle of attack on take off. He has to pitch up hard to keep the airspeed from out racing his ability to get the gear stowed. But it was even more extreme than I anticipated. Eventually we settled into a "cruise climb" that from the Mooney perspective would have been steeper than Vx. We were just going up to play around a bit. In the turbine Lancair... the practice altitude is 15,500. And why not? It seemed like it took a couple of minutes. And of course, this is all with the air conditioning running!

Tom got her trimmed out and stressed the need to keep the ball centered. Then it was my turn. I immediately realized Tom was just making it LOOK easy. This plane is a handful. The high wing loading and immense power on the nose keeps your attention. But with some expert coaching from Tom, I eventually was able to get the ball in it's place and keep it there. It's certainly more responsive than our Mooneys. But like driving a Ferrari, there is a sense that it could get away from me at any moment. I was certainly a mile or two behind the airplane. But it's certainly the airplane you want to learn to fly well.

Downwind at 150, base at 130 and over the numbers at 105 knots will keep your attention. But again, Tom made it seem easy. And of course, on touchdown, throw that prop into reverse and it slows immediately! What an amazing ride. 

So one of the benefits of owning and flying a Mooney, is that Iron Mountain or Spruce Creek are not that far from anywhere in the country. Don't pass up the chance to stop by and see this airplane. Chances are, you'll get a ride in it. 

Would I own and fly one if I could?  In a second! It is a true pilot's airplane.

@Yooper Rocketman thanks again for an amazing experience!

 

 

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