Lessons Learned Owning/Flying Mooneys

[Ross Statham]

I know this has been covered before, but I thought that this time of year might be a good time to re-visit "lessons learned" in owning and flying a Mooney.  I first flew (and got my commercial training and check-out) on a "G" model many years ago; I have owned both an "F" model as well as a "J" (our current baby).  I do love my "J", whom my wife dubbed "Plane Jane" (N6201Y).  Here are a few lessons I learned both in owning them as well as flying them-- some the easy way, some the hard way:

• The importance and safety of using the checklist, flow and memory aids EVERY flight-- and in creating these specific to the airplane and equipment installed.
• The importance of accurately flying the numbers, and in constantly working to get them "spot on" instead of "close" or "sort of".
• The knowledge I've gained flying with more experienced pilots than me in the right seat, and soliciting their input.  This includes instructors, ATPs, etc who may or may not know Mooneys-- but they know high performance, complex aircraft. 
• The knowledge to be gained from other Mooney pilots and owners' in forums such as Mooney Space and otherwise.
• The importance of staying ahead of maintenance, and in setting time aside to take care of small things (before they can become big ones.)
• The wisdom that comes from planning for the worst-- as both a pilot as well as an aircraft owner.

Those are the major ones for me-- I'd sure like to hear some other thoughts and perspectives.

[irishpilot]

For the ownership part, finding an A&P who understands Mooney's will save money, even if their hourly is higher.

Also, don't defer mx and if you have an extra couple of grand laying around, invest that into your training vs buying a new widget.

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

[steingar]

Stay humble.  No matter how long you've flown or how many airframes you still don't know everything.

[Ross Statham]

Just now, steingar said:

Stay humble.  No matter how long you've flown or how many airframes you still don't know everything.

That one should LEAD our lists!!

[gsxrpilot]

1. A friendship/relationship with a good Mooney shop.
2. The engine monitor is the most important instrument in my panel.
3. Fly a lot. The more hours the better. 
4. The airplane needs to fly as much as the pilot does. So if you're not flying, toss the keys to someone who will fly it. Don't let the Mooney sit.

Every one of those will increase safety and reduce costs. And those are the two things that reduce the pilot population more than anything.

[carusoam]

Be nice to everyone...

You never know who is holding the keys to your next challenge’s solution...

Or who will be available to give you a lift to get your plane...

Or who knows the answer to tomorrow’s question...

Or who has an extra chair at Friar Tuck’s during KOSH...  

Or who will fly right seat while you figure out what is going on in the left...

Or who has seen a spot like this...

Or who has the answer to.... I’m stuck in X, where do I find a Y..?

 

Take the time to discuss... what worked for you, and why...

 

We are all very different, with some really strong common interests...

Time flys at Mooney speeds...

There are some really cool opportunities to be found while flying a Mooney... go there...

Best regards,

-a-

[gsxrpilot]

7 minutes ago, carusoam said:

Or who has an extra chair at Friar Tuck’s during KOSH...  

This can make all the difference!

[jlunseth]

Learn, learn and learn. When you think you have learned enough, just decide on a new thing to learn about for the fun of it, you will be surprised what you discover.

[toto]

Seems like most of the lessons that apply to Mooney ownership apply to other types as well. 

A handful of things that I've learned that are kind of Mooney specific..

* The tail trim system works well, but needs to be maintained. If your shop lets the jackscrew get dry, you may be unable to trim the aircraft at all. Keep it greased. 

* There's a tiny spring in the electric gear actuator that has a very small chance of failure, but when it does fail, you can't operate the gear. Replace it every 1000 hours or so for peace of mind. 

* The electric tachometer, driven by an engine-mounted tach generator, can fail because of a crummy little wire attached to something near the ignition. If your electric tach gets goofy and the shop knows to check the panel ignition wiring, this is literally a 10-minute fix requiring a screwdriver. If the shop doesn't know about this, they'll spend weeks and many hours replacing things before figuring it out. 

[Yetti]

Participate in an annual. 

Do a E gear extension on the jacks

Don't forget to have fun.

[Ragsf15e]

Mine is not mooney specific... definitely buy a roller board and clean the belly often. You’ll grow accustomed to the exhaust color and oil splatter down the fuselage.  Changes are always worth investigating.

Amazing how much better look you get at the brakes, gear wells, and nose gear steering when you’re cleaning them vs “preflighting”.

[Mcstealth]

23 hours ago, carusoam said:

Be nice to everyone

-a-

Bingo. 

[JimB]

19 hours ago, toto said:

A handful of things that I've learned that are kind of Mooney specific..

* The tail trim system works well, but needs to be maintained. If your shop lets the jackscrew get dry, you may be unable to trim the aircraft at all. Keep it greased. 

* There's a tiny spring in the electric gear actuator that has a very small chance of failure, but when it does fail, you can't operate the gear. Replace it every 1000 hours or so for peace of mind.

Actually when I read the posts here, you have the only 2 items that really are Mooney specific!  (not "kind of Mooney specific"). 

[rbridges]

a plane is not a financial investment  

[whiskytango]

Not Mooney-specific, but Mother Nature tends to win the argument if it involves icing or thunderstorms.

 

[Yetti]

The purchase price is the cheap part of owning a plane

[Yetti]

My three rules for flying:

1. always land with an hour of gas left in the tanks

2. no single engine piston in the CO rockie Mtns.

3. Never cross frontal boundaries.  Just land.

 

[Hank]

The important Mooney lessons:

• Learn your procedures
• Calculate takeoff and landing distances
• Know your landing weight
• Know the right speed to land at that weight
• Fly the right airspeed and glideslope when landing
• Every extra knot of speed in the flare will be an additional 100 feet of float
• Never force a Mooney to land! Pushing nose down will not work!

[Yetti]

Don't consider anything that will get an NTSB report created.

[eman1200]

Mooneys are cool.




That’s all I got.

[KLRDMD]

The third bounce will be a prop strike.

[KLudwick]

Lots of great responses here.  I would also say do at least an hour or two of recurrent training yearly - that'll not only help ensure you haven't picked up any bad habits, but it'll also help on your insurance quote when you can say you did partake in some training during the year.  Most important thing to me?  Engage in the community.  Go to fly-ins, participate on this forum, fly with others and let others fly with you.  Continue to learn as much as you can - you'll have more fun when you do.  As I tell my Mooney transition training students, buying your airplane and getting checked out in it is just the start!

+1 on standardization of operations of your airplane, speed control, and finding an experienced Mooney mechanic.  

[Joe Zuffoletto]

In a long body, be VERY careful if you need to go around. Trim for landing is nearly full aft, while trim for takeoff is slightly forward. If you don't get that trim moving aggressively forward while adding power, you could be in for a departure stall.

[KLudwick]

1 hour ago, Joe Zuffoletto said:

In a long body, be VERY careful if you need to go around. Trim for landing is nearly full aft, while trim for takeoff is slightly forward. If you don't get that trim moving aggressively forward while adding power, you could be in for a departure stall.

+1.  Just practiced this with an M20M student last weekend, and this exact point was hit home.  Fly the airplane - re-trim, re-trim, re-trim, and clean up as you have the pitch change under control.

[tmo]

And remember that for a go-around you don't necessarily need full throttle immediately. Even less so in a M20K 231.