Mooney test pilots

[Planegary]

I was looking thru my logbooks since it is that time of year (annual) and reflecting back on my planes history I saw that the test flight was done by C. L. Lane. Does anybody have any info on him? Just wondering if he was still alive or not Any info would be interesting to me.Thanks in advance

[N201MKTurbo]

You know, that control check before takeoff becomes very important.

Actually, I can’t imagine how they would get reversed in a mooney. With a Cessna or a Piper, all bets are off.

[carusoam]

My M20C was flown first by a guy named Bill Wheat...

I spoke with him twice on the phone 35 years later...  1965 to Y2K...

At first, I didn’t know who I was speaking with...

I had a question about getting a POH for my plane...

I called the factory, they put me through to Bill...

 

Best regards,

-a-

[carusoam]

See if @philiplane knows the other Lane(s)?

-a-

[kerry]

I had the same experience when I called Mooney and they transferred me to Bill Wheat.  He started telling me some cool history about my M20A.

[A64Pilot]

20 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said:

You know, that control check before takeoff becomes very important.

Actually, I can’t imagine how they would get reversed in a mooney. With a Cessna or a Piper, all bets are off.

There was an AD issued on Maule’s a few years ago, in Alaska after the Annual on the test flight the pilot was going to show off and do the famous “back in a minute” Maule takeoff, slammed back in the yoke and dug the nose in, the elevator cables had been reversed.

FAA’s answer, paint one red. I have no idea how painting one red would help anything. I can see the mechanic thinking, is red up, or down?

 

First B-17 prototype was lost due to control locks not being released, and more recently the Caribou turbine conversion.

‘Always wondered why Mooney has no control lock, the C-210 it’s just a wire with a flag so you will see it, no rudder lock.

In 1946 Cessna knew better, pic is a 46 C-140 control lock. attaches to the yoke and both pedals, and you can’t get into the airplane with it installed 

Makes you wonder?

Edited May 24, 2021 by A64Pilot

[MooneyMitch]

21 hours ago, carusoam said:

My M20C was flown first by a guy named Bill Wheat...

I spoke with him twice on the phone 35 years later...  1965 to Y2K...

At first, I didn’t know who I was speaking with...

I had a question about getting a POH for my plane...

I called the factory, they put me through to Bill...

 

Best regards,

-a-

My opinion...... Bill Wheat, another American treasure!

Bill was a fine man that was completely dedicated to the Mooney product.

During Bill’s later years with Mooney, and even into his post Mooney days when he was employed by Dugosh, Bill was also completely dedicated to providing the best in-depth customer service/knowledge to anyone that asked!

At a MAPA convention in Kerrville one year ( possibly 2010), during a wonderful presentation from Mr. Terrible himself, I thought, it would great to try and gather some Bill Wheat stories on video, knowing most of his knowledge to share would eventually disappear.

Hence, the documentary, Boots On the Ground, The Men and Women Who Built Mooney transferred from an idea to a reality.

If you can bear to muddle through the completely amateurish filming, audio, lighting, overdrawn, etc, production of the movie ( we had no idea what we we doing), it’s completely worth seeing and hearing this wonderful legend tell some special stories!

P.S.  Bill’s story of his test flights experimenting with just how loose the empennage could become till something bad happened ( they kept putting smaller and smaller bolts in the hinges) is well worth the price of admission.