An UnMooney'd Weekend

[jlunseth]

Will, I spent the whole weekend without getting in my Mooney.  But that does not mean I didn't fly.  I think I have mentioned we have a program in Minnesota called the Fly Minnesota Passport Program.  You get a free "passport," and then fly around and land at airports in the state, collecting a stamp in your book for the airport.  There are 136 airports in the program, and three award levels depending on how many stamps you have collected.  About 22 of the airfields are grass strips, and I was frankly chicken to go barnstorming around the state landing on grass strips in my Mooney.  So a friend and I rented a Cessna Skyhawk and did some barnstorming in that this weekend. 

The truth is, I had never done an actual soft field landing, only soft field practice on asphalt strips.  I was really pleasantly surprised how easy they are and how well they work in real life.  I did nine or ten of our landings, and an equal number of takeoffs.  It was so easy, I think I got over my fear of doing it in my Mooney.  There are still about ten grass strips in the state that we did not get to, so I think the next thing is to try those in the K. 

Any advice?

[flight2000]

Watch for potholes and gophers... Sorry couldn't resist.  Landing on grass is still on my list of things to do eventually.

Brian

[Bolter]

I have a friend who learned to fly in Indiana, and most of his training was on grass strips.  That was his idea of "normal" before coming out here.  Out here, in Southern California, we tend to have nice paved strips.  Therefore I have a natural aversion to landing off-pavement, more so since getting a Mooney with gear doors so close to the ground.  

But I am curious to learn more (perhaps in a rental).  So an open question to Mooney pilots in SoCal: What  grass strips has anyone tried around SoCal in their Mooney, and would they recommend it for others?  

-dan

[jetdriven]

My first landing in our Mooney after we got it was on grass.   To be fair it was 3000 x 200.  Keep the yoke back and weight off the nose.

[scottfromiowa]

You won't hit any Gophers up there.  They are all dressed in Maroon and Gold and are easy to see.

[jlunseth]

Quote: scottfromiowa

You won't hit any Gophers up there.  They are all dressed in Maroon and Gold and are easy to see.