Jump to content

Boneheaded mistake


jaylw314

Recommended Posts

Funny. I could write this in almost any thread here about Mooney flight characteristics takeoffs, landings, stalls, whatever, but this one is about the gear, so I'm limiting it to that,

I first flew a J-bar Mooney in a rental M20C in 1994. The checkout, not much longer than a standard lesson, was uneventful. J-bar was interesting but no big deal. Handled it like other retracts. Take off, target a gear retraction speed, hold it to a certain point, retract the gear, and continue on.  

Since joining MooneySpace, I've learned how complicated and difficult it was supposed to have been :D 

  • Like 5
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Truth be told,when I got my Mooney my gear was really sticky.  I had to really set the bar into its holder on the floor, and I had to visually make certain it was set correctly.  It just wasn't easy to do at all.  I never thought to have anyone look at it because I thought that was how it was supposed to work.

Fast forward a few years and the panel holder got sticky to the point of dangerous, and I had the whole system lubed by a mechanic.  Now I see what you guys were talking about.  Bar seats all by itself effortlessly.  But if I wait too long for the swing its going to be the mother of all oomph to get the gear locked.  The forces get pretty strong.  Bigger stronger guys probably have an easier time of it, but I'm not one of them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/13/2019 at 12:15 AM, jaylw314 said:

After cleaning out my underwear and kicking myself, I figure at the very least I need to move setting the elevator trim to my takeoff checklist rather than my runup checklist.  More importantly, I need to make a note to add cold weather to my list of potential distractions that are worth slowing down for...

Bet you won't make that mistake again:) Lot's of good suggestions and observations in this thread. But, after 44 years, I've learned how fallible human working memory is -- a little distraction, or change of routine, and stuff slips through the cracks. So, don't be too hard on yourself -- you're human and we all do stuff like this on occasion. The checklists and mnemonics and SOPs help, but you will never be perfect. One aspect of airmanship is recognizing and effectively dealing with this fact of life.

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.