Today's flight in the year 2020

[The Other Red Baron]

Wife wanted to go North to visit friends in Minnesota.  Then this happened... 

 

There is a deer in this photo...

 

The flight back was a great experience builder dealing with icing and convective activity.  I called the briefer on both ends of this trip (probably the first time since 2005) just to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

Departing Flying Cloud (KFCM)

 

Looking a little sporty out here for this Southerner...

 

 

Snow is gone..

Put on the big boy pants to go IFR and get around the crap building up East of KMCI.  Picture overload but it is probably the prettiest flight we've had.

 

 

Little man happy we're home.

 

 

 

 

[Nick Pilotte]

I know you have all had the same excitement as I do today, but it was finally my day.  Multiple instructors after my first one decided flying a Falcon was more fun than flying with me, COVID, and managing to fly while taking care of my family, I soloed today. The setbacks of starting with new instructors was frustrating, but SO worth it.  I hope to join the ranks of Mooney owners one day, but I’m happy to just be plane crazy about them until then.  

[amillet]

Today’s flight just to fly and support the fossil fuel industry. Mount Baker and San Juan Islands

[carusoam]

Congrats on the big step, Nick!

Two things to look forward to...

1) Fly as many of the same plane as possible... some of the differences you will pick up are the differences in the weather, as much as they are small differences in every plane...

2) Fly with as many different instructors as possible... you will pick up differences in their style, experience, and personality...

3) Did you ruin a good shirt?

Each of these differences may cost you an hour here and there... but the experience gained helps to understand your plane and your self better...
 

Look forwards to those Mooney days... and IR training! 

Lots of fun to come..!

Best regards,

-a-

[dominikos]

Nothing spectacular but an important flight for me. This is from the last weekend, dropped off CFI at Monroe, LA and flew a first flight in my mooney by myself with a fresh complex endorsement and insurance requirements met...

 

[Nick Pilotte]

@carusoam  

1) I have been flying a bunch of different 172s at the school but I’ve taken a liking to 8398L(even when comm2 let out the magic smoke on me one day right after takeoff). She’s just a bit older but in good shape, and since she’s orange not nearly as booked!  
2) I have flown with 5 different instructors and my first spoiled me.  He and I got along great as he was my age and doing this as a second career, we understand and communicated well.  My current one, it was an adjustment. She’s 16 years younger than me, and her teaching method is different.  But after I explained my way way of learning and my thought processes, we started clicking well.  
3) The definition of a perfectly good shirt depends on the person you ask.  I felt it was a perfectly fine, not thin, no rips, holes, or loose stitching.  But my wife was happy to see it’s remains relegated to the rag bin.  
 

As an aside, I am not stopping, I’ll be moving right into my IR once I get my PPL, and will keep going.  My friend with the Mustang has hinted he might want a SIC that can handle themselves in the future.  

[carusoam]

I had a favorite C152 I used for primary training...

It let me know I was on speed, on altitude, Right attitude, on final...

The chair gently slid forward on one side... (probably missing hardware...) only when everything was just right in the pattern... 
 

PP thoughts only, definitely not CFI ideas...

Go Mooney!
 

Best regards,

-a-

[Kyle Koukol]

I have had the great fortune of having quite a few memorable trips, so much so that I am struggling to decide which story to tell! I think the one that stands out the most was a trip in late May to see my college best friend up in Boise, Idaho. The 201 was certainly up for the three-hour flight from Novato, CA (DVO) to Caldwell, ID (KEUL). It was great to catch up with Dylan and he fired up his Traeger almost immediately upon my arrival, always a welcome treat. I did quite a bit of research both on MS and the Idaho Backcountry website to see if/where we could fly for some light backcountry. Garden Valley, Idaho (U88) fit the bill almost perfectly. It sits at 3,177', is 3,800' long and is very well maintained. Dylan and I packed our lunches and headed out for a long day of exploring Idaho. I did quite a few T/O and landings to get a feel for her soft-field performance. After spending a few hours exploring along the river, we took off for Cascade, ID (U70), overflew Johnson Creek (3U2), and landed McCall, ID (MYL) for a little picnic on the wing break. After a few more days of flying around, I decided to head east to meet up with an old high school buddy in Darby, Montana (6S5). I fell so in love with Idaho on that trip, that it called my girlfriend and I back up for a trip a bit later in the year, which will be another post! Little did I know, I would fly my last trip on the beloved 757 a few days later, off to a new Boeing!

[Nick Pilotte]

Congrats on the new wings!  And I love the paint on your J.  I had to really look and see that it wasn’t an Acclaim.  In fact, I just looked at your build thread. You have quite the panel and interior as well.  

[Kyle Koukol]

1 hour ago, Nick Pilotte said:

Congrats on the new wings!  And I love the paint on your J.  I had to really look and see that it wasn’t an Acclaim.  In fact, I just looked at your build thread. You have quite the panel and interior as well.  

Thanks Nick! It has been a ton of fun to renovate over the years. The projects continue to build, which is always fun to manage!

[carusoam]

Kyle your avatar needs a good pic... it will take about three minutes to do...

-a-

[rainman]

At 69 years old, I discovered I have another brother confirmed by Ancestry DNA. We spoke on the phone and agreed to meet in his city. Enter the Mooney.  It was an IFR wind aided flight from San Antonio to Wichita Falls where he and his wife met my wife and I for lunch. We had a great first meeting and hope to have many more in the future. A very special day. 

[Nick Pilotte]

That’s really cool Rainman.  Very happy for you.  

[gsxrpilot]

Todays flight...

Hobbs 1.6
Tailwheel Endorsement - signed off
Log book rolls past 1400 hours.

[Skates97]

I can't imagine why, but my wife thinks it's more fun to spend Halloween with the grandkids instead of at home. She drove to UT on Sunday and my son and I flew up to Salt Lake yesterday. Over Las Vegas I passed 500 hours. Descending over Utah Lake it was almost like glass and made for a great picture reflecting the mountains in on its surface. 

[Nick Pilotte]

@gsxrpilot congrats on the tail wheel.  That plane looks like loads of fun. Did you have an adjustment time of having mixture on the left under the yoke?  
 

@Skates97 congrats on 500 hours.  I wish I was flying on Halloween too but alas, not today. 

[Mooney in Oz]

12 hours ago, Skates97 said:

I can't imagine why, but my wife thinks it's more fun to spend Halloween with the grandkids instead of at home. She drove to UT on Sunday and my son and I flew up to Salt Lake yesterday. Over Las Vegas I passed 500 hours.

Congratulations Richard. You look way too young to be a grandfather!

[FlyingScot]

Halloween flight from MI to the NC Mountains - beautiful weather and light winds 12.8 gph LOP and 175 true at 10k. Wonderful. 
 

Southern MI

E of KTYS, TN River west of Calderwood Dam

 

making the turn towards Fontana Lake and 1A5

[Skates97]

Flight back from Salt Lake to SoCal with a stop in St George to visit my oldest son. 

Sunrise at U42 

[Hank]

3 hours ago, FlyingScot said:

Halloween flight from MI to the NC Mountains - beautiful weather and light winds 12.8 gph LOP and 175 true at 10k. Wonderful. 
 

Southern MI

E of KTYS, TN River west of Calderwood Dam

 

making the turn towards Fontana Lake and 1A5

There's good fishing in Fontana Lake!

[rbridges]

 

 

Gotta love a tailwind.  TBH, I feel like I deserved it.  It seems like I'm flying into the wind 90% of the time.  Coming back from the blue ridge mountains.  Doing 190 knots around Atlanta traffic is the way to go.  

 

[jonhop]

Boss asked us to share what we do for fun via pics.... something about mental health in a pandemic. I'm an INTP, so a closet works for me... but I'm good on the radio.

Had a flight of 3 H60's and a flight of two AH-1W/AH-1Z's on the way from KSEE to F70 today. Too bad the phone camera couldn't capture them in enough detail to share. 

[carusoam]

10 hours ago, rbridges said:

 

Gotta love a tailwind.  TBH, I feel like I deserved it.  It seems like I'm flying into the wind 90% of the time.  Coming back from the blue ridge mountains.  Doing 190 knots around Atlanta traffic is the way to go.  

RB,

If that is a video, and you want to share it...

Drop it into YouTube... and copy the link, post the link here... YT does all the work...  

+1 tail winds are like a turbo charger, with less maintenance...

Best regards,

-a-

[Hank]

14 minutes ago, carusoam said:

RB,

If that is a video, and you want to share it...

Drop it into YouTube... and copy the link, post the link here... YT does all the work...  

Vimeo also works well.. Probably most other online video-sharing services, too.  

Copy and paste from the address bar, don't try the "share link" button, they don't know about MooneySpace. 

Edited November 4, 2020 by Hank

[carusoam]

So.... Jon.... 

I was hoping to figure out what an INTP was before having to Look it up....

Sounds kinda Briggsy mayerly....

https://www.16personalities.com/intp-personality

Or did I miss the boat on this one too?

I thought all MSers were Flyer/Flyers. Similar, yet different than Driver/Drivers...

Best regards,

-a-