Burning holes in the sky and collecting airports

[cwaters]

Hey everyone, last week I went out to do what most pilots do when they don't have much going on. I went collecting new airports and visiting new places. It was a wonderful day with a good bit of flying. I'm still getting comfortable in the Mooney but love every trip so far. 

 

 

[Yetti]

I would get a "now arriving runway 2 right"   from my CFII.   apparently carrier guys always want you on the centerline at all times.

[cwaters]

12 hours ago, Yetti said:

I would get a "now arriving runway 2 right"   from my CFII.   apparently carrier guys always want you on the centerline at all times.

hahaha, yeah its something I am working on. The centerline is afraid of me on most my landings so far but we are getting to know each other again.

I can imagine those Navy guys are sticklers about it given you could be fishing otherwise.

[Yetti]

7 hours ago, cwaters said:

hahaha, yeah its something I am working on. The centerline is afraid of me on most my landings so far but we are getting to know each other again.

I can imagine those Navy guys are sticklers about it given you could be fishing otherwise.

There is a lot of real flying done the last 100 feet above the ground.

[cwaters]

2 hours ago, Yetti said:

There is a lot of real flying done the last 100 feet above the ground.

Yeah I feel like I get lined up then typically drift in that last 100 ft while focusing on managing the decent more to avoid floating too much 

[Yetti]

if the plane is done flying there is no float.   One thing I have done is go up and just putter around at like 21 21  It is a different feeling plane at 110knots.   It will help your feeling for when you need to slow down and land.

[Hank]

1 hour ago, cwaters said:

Yeah I feel like I get lined up then typically drift in that last 100 ft while focusing on managing the decent more to avoid floating too much 

The key to not floating is to be at the correct airspeed for your weight at that time. Every knot above stall speed in the flare will be an additional 100'of float. Congratulations on not forcing the plane down, that leads to crow hopping (pilot induced oscillations), and the third bounce in your Mooney is often a prop strike. 

[N201MKTurbo]

I always thought it was boring holes in the sky, 

Wouldn't you need a jet To burn holes in the sky?

I’ve heard that astronauts punch holes in the sky.

[cwaters]

3 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said:

I always thought it was boring holes in the sky, 

Wouldn't you need a jet To burn holes in the sky?

I’ve heard that astronauts punch holes in the sky.

well I started with "Burning AvGas..." then changed it and well... I guess props do bore holes 

[cwaters]

11 hours ago, Yetti said:

if the plane is done flying there is no float.   One thing I have done is go up and just putter around at like 21 21  It is a different feeling plane at 110knots.   It will help your feeling for when you need to slow down and land.

that's what I've heard, there is no float if you're on your speeds and the plane is done flying. I'm still perfecting being on my speeds. It is a different animal from the 172 I learned in. 

[Hank]

1 hour ago, cwaters said:

that's what I've heard, there is no float if you're on your speeds and the plane is done flying. I'm still perfecting being on my speeds. It is a different animal from the 172 I learned in. 

Very much! In the 172, being 10 knots fast made little difference; in your Mooney, it's 1000' of float.

Like we all did, you just have to learn airspeed control. 

[Skates97]

13 hours ago, cwaters said:

Yeah I feel like I get lined up then typically drift in that last 100 ft while focusing on managing the decent more to avoid floating too much 

I always drifted left of centerline on my landings when I got my Mooney. Part of pre-flight is putting the flaps down and after I'm in the plane I would raise them and make sure they were coming up and then move on with my checklist, but then I noticed the left finished retracting before the right. This was after owning it for years. A couple other things was that with the flaps down it wanted to make a slow roll to the left and when stalling it the left wing would always drop on me. I brought this up in another thread (linked below) and it was pointed out that it was a likely rigging issue, which it was. When down the right flap was down more than the left, giving the appearance that the left retracted faster and also causing the drift to the left on my landings, the slow left roll with flaps down, and the left wing dropping when doing stalls.

After adjustment to the rod end they extend the same now. There is no slow roll with the flaps down, they don't cause drift on landing which has helped me hit the centerline more often than not, and during my last flight review when doing power off stalls I had it in a full stall and able to keep the wings level with the rudder without having a wing drop.

 

 

[cwaters]

Just now, Skates97 said:

I always drifted left of centerline on my landings when I got my Mooney. Part of pre-flight is putting the flaps down and after I'm in the plane I would raise them and make sure they were coming up and then move on with my checklist, but then I noticed the left finished retracting before the right. This was after owning it for years. A couple other things was that with the flaps down it wanted to make a slow roll to the left and when stalling it the left wing would always drop on me. I brought this up in another thread (linked below) and it was pointed out that it was a likely rigging issue, which it was. When down the right flap was down more than the left, giving the appearance that the left retracted faster and also causing the drift to the left on my landings, the slow left roll with flaps down, and the left wing dropping when doing stalls.

After adjustment to the rod end they extend the same now. There is no slow roll with the flaps down, they don't cause drift on landing which has helped me hit the centerline more often than not, and during my last flight review when doing power off stalls I had it in a full stall and able to keep the wings level with the rudder without having a wing drop.

 

 

Thanks for the advice, I'll keep an eye on if one flap retracts before the other. In stalls it drops the right wing first, hard, but I think that is mainly due to the right stall strip being much higher than the left. I tend to think my centerline allergy is due to my still getting to know the plane (~25hrs in it so far). 

[Yetti]

I don't know what speeds are during landing.   It's more about energy management.   

 

 

[KB4]

Great video, but stick to VFR altitudes when VFR. Flying VFR at 6000 isn’t advisable.   

[cwaters]

5 hours ago, Yetti said:

I don't know what speeds are during landing.   It's more about energy management.   

 

 

how do you recognize if you are carrying too much energy on short final ?

[cwaters]

4 hours ago, KB4 said:

Great video, but stick to VFR altitudes when VFR. Flying VFR at 6000 isn’t advisable.   

I typically do, I'm not sure why I was not on this day, I will say I was with ATC for the majority of the trip with Flight Following. 

[Yetti]

1 hour ago, cwaters said:

how do you recognize if you are carrying too much energy on short final ?

Feel the plane slowing losing energy.  All around the U from the downwind threshold. When I pull the throttle out, the plane is slowing losing energy.   There are two other energy management tools.   Flaps and gear.

I do quick glance at the ASI on the base part of the U turn to make sure I am not dipping below 90mph before flaps go out.  Flaps go out base on how the sight picture is lining up on the run way.  I usually land half flaps.

If the throttle is out the plane will be losing energy.

You ski uphill to stop.

End of the day you should also be able to fly it on at 90mph.   Just one more trick in the pilot bag.

[cwaters]

1 minute ago, Yetti said:

Feel the plane slowing losing energy.  All around the U from the downwind threshold. When I pull the throttle out, the plane is slowing losing energy.   There are two other energy management tools.   Flaps and gear.

I do quick glance at the ASI on the base part of the U turn to make sure I am not dipping below 90mph before flaps go out.  Flaps go out base on how the sight picture is lining up on the run way.  I usually land half flaps.

If the throttle is out the plane will be losing energy.

You ski uphill to stop.

End of the day you should also be able to fly it on at 90mph.   Just one more trick in the pilot bag.

Thanks, I'm still learning from anywhere and practicing every chance I get.

[Yetti]

18 minutes ago, cwaters said:

Thanks, I'm still learning from anywhere and practicing every chance I get.

Being able to feel the plane is a learned art.  I grew up sailing small sail boats.  I can feel when the ball is out.   It was funny when my buddy who is ex carrier pilot takes control I can feel the plane straighten up and he never never flys uncoordinated.    I asked him if he can "feel it in a 737" he said yes.  I can "feel it"  as a passenger in a 737

 

On the landing thing, there is a bit of standardized process and trust that if I do it like I did it last time, it will be slowed down by the time I get on the runway at the same place each time.  And feel.  So practice makes perfect.

It took me about 90 hours to start feeling comfortable with the Mooney.

Someone said about riding motorcycles that when you are auto downshifting when coming to a stop without thinking about it is when you are there.  Said it takes about 2 years.

Edited February 13, 2021 by Yetti

[cwaters]

Just now, Yetti said:

Being able to feel the plane is a learned art.  I grew up sailing small sail boats.  I can feel when the ball is out.   It was funny when my buddy who is ex carrier pilot takes control I can feel the plane straighten up and he never never flys uncoordinated.    I asked him if he can "feel it in a 737" he said yes.  I can "feel it"  as a passenger in a 737

 

On the landing thing, there is a bit of standardized process and trust that if I do it like I did it last time, it will be slowed down by the time I get on the runway at the same place each time.  And feel.  So practice makes perfect.

Since this video I have spent a few more hours just practicing landings. That video is actually being uploaded now. 

[carusoam]

Other Things to practice....

1) What happens if the TPA is 1100 agl instead of 1000....

2) What happens if I get to the key point with 10+ kias showing on the ASI...

3) Also similar... 900’ and 10- kias...

4) Knowing what +1 and -1 inch of MP will do to your VS indication...

 

If you come to my home drome... the TPA is 1100’ for some reason...

That adds an extra 100’ of falling energy to account for... and time for it to happen....

 

Our Mooneys are really good at being aerodynamic... so small amounts of altitude, speed, and MP need to be accounted for...

 

The stronger your multitasking skills are... the more times you can scan all the instruments, and make adjustments....

PP thoughts only, not a CFI....

Best regards,

-a-

[Yetti]

Here is a landing 16 left.   Winds in the spring in Texas are "sporting"  Looks like a one wheel landing with starboard wing down.  You can see I am getting shoved to the left and I keep fighting to get back to the centerline.

 

[cwaters]

Just now, Yetti said:

Here is a landing 16 left.   Winds in the spring in Texas are "sporting"  Looks like a one wheel landing with starboard wing down.  You can see I am getting shoved to the left and I keep fighting to get back to the centerline.

 

WOW what were the winds on that? Almost got pushed off the runway completely there. 

[Yetti]

Overshot first landing and high.  Probably full flaps on this one to get down.    On the last landing it's the home drone and landing to the north I don't always make that first turn off. It's at 2000 feet.