Most "Graceful" way to get in and out of a Mooney

[EricJ]

On 1/21/2019 at 5:35 PM, DonMuncy said:

You guys overthink this. I just climb in, and I'm not sure how I do it.

I had no idea it was supposed to be so difficult until I read this thread.

When I told an old friend who is a DPE that I'd bought a Mooney, she said, "They're nice airplanes.   You have to do kind of a snake dance to get in one, but otherwise they're okay." 

[G Miller]

I tell my newbie co-pilots that getting out of the airplane will be the hardest thing they do all day. The technique I suggest for the co-pilot is to move the seat full aft, remove headset, rotate upper torso to right, place right hand on wing walk aft of door fingers facing aft, slowly stand up while rotating lower body to right and basically walk out of the airplane.

[gsxrpilot]

3 hours ago, Igor_U said:

Existence of this thread and multiple angers show there's no easy way to get in and out. 

True... but who cares?

Take a plane like a C172, or SR22, basically a plane that's made for pattern work or at.most, short hops. A plane for which the FAA says 50 miles is a cross country flight. Short flights means you're constantly climbing in and out. So you'd want that to be easy.

The Mooneys are made to go fast and go far. For Mooney drivers, a cross country is when you stop for fuel and you're still outbound. (someone else said that, but I love it!) Four hours in my log book might include one entrance and one exit of my airplane. But then it might be more than four hours to get one in/out. For a plane designed to go far, the in/out dance is a lot less critical. Whereas for planes that never get that far from home, the in/out thing is a regular activity.

I'll take the long distance, speed, and efficiency knowing that the in/out thing is just not all that often.

I am looking for a plane just to fly in the vicinity of the airport... but it will likely have an open cockpit, and maybe even a spare wing.

 

[201er]

4 minutes ago, gsxrpilot said:

True... but who cares?

Take a plane like a C172, or SR22, basically a plane that's made for pattern work or at.most, short hops. A plane for which the FAA says 50 miles is a cross country flight. Short flights means you're constantly climbing in and out. So you'd want that to be easy.

The Mooneys are made to go fast and go far. For Mooney drivers, a cross country is when you stop for fuel and you're still outbound. (someone else said that, but I love it!) Four hours in my log book might include one entrance and one exit of my airplane. But then it might be more than four hours to get one in/out.

50nm!? 4 hours!? Why that’s child’s play. Just local flying I tell you! 

That darned Mooney is so hard to get in and out of that’s its better to piss in a bag than have to climb in and out an extra time! Or all over the underside with a hose if you’re the guy who STCed the tanks to fly that long.

Actually it’s such a nice ride there’s no rush to get out so might as well just fly on.

[Hillndale]

Here’s a method that works pretty well:

Open the door while standing in front of the wing. Facing forward (with your seat against the leading wing edge) slide in between the door and the wing and then sit on the wing. Work your way into the passenger seat without standing up on the wing. Once there it’s an easy matter to get your legs into position or get over to the pilot seat. When my father was in good enough health to fly with me, but struggling with bad knees, we happened on this method. Dad doesn’t fly anymore but I’m at a point where it’s become my favorite way to enter and exit my 20J.

[carusoam]

Great first post HnD!

You waited long enough.

Best regards,

-a-