Performance in Colo Mountains

[sepp]

Im trying to determine how well will a M201J perform at 8000 DA?

Ive only flown one other F model, and this is where I got my license - Colo mtns. many years ago.

thx Sven

[EricJ]

We get those conditions in AZ a lot, too.   You have to pay attention, but if you do it's not too big of a deal.

 

[kortopates]

8000 DA is not really realistic for mountains in CO unless your only flying in the winter and flying at the tree tops.
Summer time and climbs to enroute altitude will be much higher DA.
Of course this is what Turbos are made for.


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[M016576]

8 minutes ago, kortopates said:

8000 DA is not really realistic for mountains in CO unless your only flying in the winter and flying at the tree tops.
Summer time and climbs to enroute altitude will be much higher DA.
Of course this is what Turbos are made for.


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Yep... 14ers...

[N201MKTurbo]

I flew almost 3000 hours in 8 years back in the day out of Denver 01V. I made 3 to 5 trips a week and most of them went west. I did this all in my M20F. I was almost always alone and the performance was just fine. I would usually cross in the passes at 13500 or 12500 without issue. operated at Leadville and Telluride with no problems. 

Now that I have a turbo, it does make it easier, you just pop up to the high teens and cruise over the top of everything.

Most of the mountain airports have very long runways, which helps.

[carusoam]

Congrats on your first post, Sven.

Could be the way the question got worded....

Performance of any NA Mooney @8k’ DA is very good... in terms of climb and cruise.  The M20J is Not much different than your M20F experience...

But... More specifically where caution is most significant is the Take-off phase of flight... where T/O runs are long.  Weight and OAT are an important part of your calculations...

For departure from high altitude airports in a NA plane...  Become familiar with the Target EGT method of setting mixture for optimum power.

Find a copy of the M20J performance charts...

Then find a copy M20K performance charts...

If buying a plane to operate around tall rocks in IMC... why select an NA model Mooney, when a turbo is the answer?

Consider the turbo a safety device for this environment...  speaking of safety, get some mountain flying training to help with your decision process...

MSers are really good at spending OPM!

PP thoughts only, not a CFI.

Best regards,

-a-

 

[midlifeflyer]

Are you talking about 8,000' density altitude for takeoff and landing or 8,000 density altitude for cruise?

I flew a normally-aspirated C model in Colorado for a while, including my commercial cross country, a flight from Denver to Scottsdale, AZ, including landings a Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Perhaps, obviously, it performed great at 8,000 in cruise. It was acceptable at 8,000 D-Alt on  takeoffs but nothing to write home about. I would expect marginally better performance fro a J. In either case, if I were considering the mountains on a regular basis, I'd be looking for a better performer, whether a big-bore engine or a turbo.

Edited December 8, 2018 by midlifeflyer

[FoxMike]

A  201 does OK in the Rockies but you need to operate with some care.  IFR is not a good idea.  Colorado Pilots Association teaches an excellent mountain training course (ground and cross country).  It is well worth the time.  

[N201MKTurbo]

1 hour ago, FoxMike said:

A  201 does OK in the Rockies but you need to operate with some care.  IFR is not a good idea.  Colorado Pilots Association teaches an excellent mountain training course (ground and cross country).  It is well worth the time.  

Back when I was flying around the rocks, my personal minimums stated that I don’t cross the divide IFR or ar night. 

It was all fine until one day I took my girlfriend along. When I was done for the day the clouds had closed all the passes. I was at Grandby. I told her we would have to spend the night. She started crying and said her son was in daycare and there wasn’t anyone to get him. She said there must be some way to get home. So I filed and flew back at 16000. The trip was a nothing burger, but I felt dirty because I broke my own rules.

[FoxMike]

Flying the rocks requires some skills and equipment.  Need an O2 bottle (above 12.5K and maybe lower), a good idea of the terrain your route will take you over, skills in leaning the engine from startup to shut down, a willingness to put up with a very rough ride, etc.  Some instruction is worth the time and cost.

[larryb]

Sven:

 

Do you own the airplane yet? I flew my J for 5 years in the California mountains. It does OK but a turbo is better. If you already own it, it will be OK. But if you don’t own it yet, buy a turbo. Much better. I own a turbo Mooney myself now.

 

[Shadrach]

The short answer is that a J will perform about the same as the F you formally flew. Some lycomings have been set to 20 degree timing. This diminishes what would already be marginal take off and climb performance. DAs of  8000 are no trouble for my F model, but DAs in Colorado during summer will exceed 8k by a great deal. In cruise, the 200hp Mooneys are very useable into the teens but climb becomes more modest above 10k. Even so, getting to and cruising at 12,500msl is no problem any time of year.