Trying to Transitioning from Cessna

[AerostarDriver]

Welcome Pknox, I am a Mooney Owner in the Atlanta area. Honestly, the biggest thing you will need to learn as part of the transition is speed control on approach and decent planning... Both of which I will openly admit I am still working on, I would rate myself a solid B. Highly recommend a Mooney, I love my E. Yesterday I was parked next to Arrows at MLJ and SSI, both times we got in to the question of speed. Even fighting winds all day in every direction I was constantly 155 KTAS with ground speeds in the ~140 kts range, that is something you just can't do in any other airplane on 200hp.

[Pknox]

Well guys, I pulled the trigger on it (65 M20C).  My safety pilot and I are flying commercial from Atlanta to Fresno to pick it up.   We are going to fly it in the pattern a few times.  Then a couple of take off and landing at the field, then two neighboring fields.  If it feels right then it will have a new home at LZU.  Hoping to be an official contributor to the conversations has I learn more about it.  

I just want to say it was the productive Mooney talk that helped make it happen.  There are a lot of insightful conversations here that helped get me over the hump.  

Here is what the return route looks like: E79-KWHP: KWHP-KHII: KHII: KHII-KAEG: KAEG-KPWA: KPWA-KHAB: KHAB-KLZU:  We chose to go south to fly through the lower mountain pass from KWHP to KHII.     

 

[ohdub]

10 minutes ago, Pknox said:

Well guys, I pulled the trigger on it (65 M20C).  

 

Congratulations on your new airplane, you'll love it!

[PeteMc]

26 minutes ago, Pknox said:

Well guys, I pulled the trigger on it (65 M20C). 

Congratz!!  Looks like a nice route home. 

On those initial local flights, have your CFI pound into you being on speed for the pattern and especially for the final and landing.  If you have a lot of time in a Cessna, for the first few flares in a low wing and especially in a Mooney will seem different to you.  But if you nail the speeds, you'll get the feel for the flare with just a few landings. 

[NewM20CPIC]

1 hour ago, ohdub said:

Congratulations on your new airplane, you'll love it!

Thank you, Ohdub.  I'm very excited.

[NewM20CPIC]

4 hours ago, PeteMc said:

Congratz!!  Looks like a nice route home. 

On those initial local flights, have your CFI pound into you being on speed for the pattern and especially for the final and landing.  If you have a lot of time in a Cessna, for the first few flares in a low wing and especially in a Mooney will seem different to you.  But if you nail the speeds, you'll get the feel for the flare with just a few landings. 

Yes sir, I'm counting on it since I want to start my IFR training.  A month ago I passed the written as well.  Thanks for the heads up.

Edited March 15, 2022 by NewM20CPIC

[carusoam]

Congrats!

Training for the IR is a great way to get to know your plane…

Go Mooney!

-a-

[NewM20CPIC]

7 hours ago, carusoam said:

Congrats!

Training for the IR is a great way to get to know your plane…

Go Mooney!

-a-

Yes sir.  Thank you.  I'm at Hartsfield Jackson as we speak.

[Hank]

4 hours ago, NewM20CPIC said:

Yes sir.  Thank you.  I'm at Hartsfield Jackson as we speak.

Hey, small world! Me, too! Without my Mooney . . . .  

[NewM20CPIC]

1 minute ago, Hank said:

Hey, small world! Me, too! Without my Mooney . . . .  

If you're as stubborn as me you'll have it sooner than you think.  I've seen nice ones out there but costs and conditions all over the board.  Try reading as much as you can about the aircraft and the group chats have been God sent in many cases.  It's like having family everywhere.  

[Hank]

38 minutes ago, NewM20CPIC said:

If you're as stubborn as me you'll have it sooner than you think.  I've seen nice ones out there but costs and conditions all over the board.  Try reading as much as you can about the aircraft and the group chats have been God sent in many cases.  It's like having family everywhere.  

I have a Mooney. Love my C! But I'm about to climb inside the Great Aluminum Tube and head north.

[A64Pilot]

If you find yourself hot and high, don’t try to salvage it, go around, trying to force a Mooney to land often ends bad, partially because our gear are so bouncy, but prop clearance works into it as well.

Never try to salvage a landing, you might can, but the risk just isn’t worth it.

[Skates97]

On 3/14/2022 at 3:30 PM, Pknox said:

Well guys, I pulled the trigger on it (65 M20C).  My safety pilot and I are flying commercial from Atlanta to Fresno to pick it up.   We are going to fly it in the pattern a few times.  Then a couple of take off and landing at the field, then two neighboring fields.  If it feels right then it will have a new home at LZU.  Hoping to be an official contributor to the conversations has I learn more about it.  

I just want to say it was the productive Mooney talk that helped make it happen.  There are a lot of insightful conversations here that helped get me over the hump.  

Here is what the return route looks like: E79-KWHP: KWHP-KHII: KHII: KHII-KAEG: KAEG-KPWA: KPWA-KHAB: KHAB-KLZU:  We chose to go south to fly through the lower mountain pass from KWHP to KHII.     

 

Congratulations! Yours is just a few N numbers from my 65 D.

Any particular reason why you chose WHP? I would go a little further east and stop in at CNO or RAL instead. Both have nice wide long runways, but even better than that you aren't dealing with the tight spaces around VNY and BUR. Also, if it is just a fuel stop GNT which is a little further west of AEG is a great little airport with reasonable fuel. We stopped there enroute to Oshkosh last summer. We flew some similar routing a few years ago when we went from Southern California to North Carolina. I'd be happy to chat about it if you want.

https://intothesky.com/2019/07/16/coast-to-coast-mission-tour-complete/

[NewM20CPIC]

On 3/16/2022 at 7:49 PM, Skates97 said:

Congratulations! Yours is just a few N numbers from my 65 D.

Any particular reason why you chose WHP? I would go a little further east and stop in at CNO or RAL instead. Both have nice wide long runways, but even better than that you aren't dealing with the tight spaces around VNY and BUR. Also, if it is just a fuel stop GNT which is a little further west of AEG is a great little airport with reasonable fuel. We stopped there enroute to Oshkosh last summer. We flew some similar routing a few years ago when we went from Southern California to North Carolina. I'd be happy to chat about it if you want.

https://intothesky.com/2019/07/16/coast-to-coast-mission-tour-complete/

I went to WHP because my son live in the San Fernando Valley.  That way also had a lower mountain pass.  Had I seen your text before hoping on United Airlines I could have at least considered that route.  The good news is I got the bird and I'm back in Georgia safe and sound.  You guys were absolutely correct about it being a slippery bird.

[Skates97]

9 hours ago, NewM20CPIC said:

I went to WHP because my son live in the San Fernando Valley.  That way also had a lower mountain pass.  Had I seen your text before hoping on United Airlines I could have at least considered that route.  The good news is I got the bird and I'm back in Georgia safe and sound.  You guys were absolutely correct about it being a slippery bird.

Congratulations again on your new bird, and on the trip. You're going to love it for travelling and just cruising around local.

[carusoam]

Time to add a pic to the avatar!

and a location…

 

Best regards,

-a-

[NewM20CPIC]

2 hours ago, carusoam said:

Time to add a pic to the avatar!

and a location…

 

Best regards,

-a-

That's true.  I really like this Mooney space so why not?

[NewM20CPIC]

On 3/15/2022 at 12:51 PM, Hank said:

I have a Mooney. Love my C! But I'm about to climb inside the Great Aluminum Tube and head north.

Aluminum tube?

[NewM20CPIC]

8 hours ago, NewM20CPIC said:

That's true.  I really like this Mooney space so why not?

I thought I added a new photo but it didn't seem to post.  Hmmm.  I will try again.

[Hank]

Just now, NewM20CPIC said:

Aluminum tube?

I successfully completed the round trip, ATL-ORD-ATL, surrounded by fellow pax. Managed to nap most of the way up and about halfway back. Neither aluminum tube had any empty seats.

The airline experience was unremarkable, typical exercise in patience while ignoring the huge waste of time by arriving two hours early, to say nothing of drive time to / from the airport. But company policy only permits flights on regularly scheduled airlines . . .

[NewM20CPIC]

2 minutes ago, Hank said:

I successfully completed the round trip, ATL-ORD-ATL, surrounded by fellow pax. Managed to nap most of the way up and about halfway back. Neither aluminum tube had any empty seats.

The airline experience was unremarkable, typical exercise in patience while ignoring the huge waste of time by arriving two hours early, to say nothing of drive time to / from the airport. But company policy only permits flights on regularly scheduled airlines . . .

Okay, that aluminum tube.  lol.

[MikeOH]

2 hours ago, Hank said:

I successfully completed the round trip, ATL-ORD-ATL, surrounded by fellow pax. Managed to nap most of the way up and about halfway back. Neither aluminum tube had any empty seats.

The airline experience was unremarkable, typical exercise in patience while ignoring the huge waste of time by arriving two hours early, to say nothing of drive time to / from the airport. But company policy only permits flights on regularly scheduled airlines . . .

My company prohibits it, as well.  Really ticks me off that a company can fire you for HOW you commute to work!  I could drive, or ride a motorcycle (arguably a similar level of risk) without issue.

[PT20J]

1 hour ago, MikeOH said:

My company prohibits it, as well.  Really ticks me off that a company can fire you for HOW you commute to work!  I could drive, or ride a motorcycle (arguably a similar level of risk) without issue.

There should not be a problem with commuting since that is on your own time.

Companies I have worked for had insurance exclusions for company travel in personal aircraft. I did get one to add coverage to the policy and it wasn’t a big deal, but it was a small company and I could just go to my boss who was the CEO and discuss it. And, it helped that there was a legitimate business reason because it saved a several hour drive each way to a key vendor for a new product we were developing.

Probably a waste of effort at a larger company to get it approved unless someone pretty high up really, really wants it done. 

Skip

[MikeOH]

10 minutes ago, PT20J said:

There should not be a problem with commuting since that is on your own time.

Companies I have worked for had insurance exclusions for company travel in personal aircraft. I did get one to add coverage to the policy and it wasn’t a big deal, but it was a small company and I could just go to my boss who was the CEO and discuss it. And, it helped that there was a legitimate business reason because it saved a several hour drive each way to a key vendor for a new product we were developing.

Probably a waste of effort at a larger company to get it approved unless someone pretty high up really, really wants it done. 

Skip

You'd think it would not be a problem, but it is!  I suspect it is NOT a problem to your 'normal' office location.  The problem arises when you need to travel to another company site; the company, somehow, says that is NOT commuting!

And, yes, I work for a HUGE aerospace company whose 'someone' high up really, really, wants to prohibit it!

[PT20J]

3 minutes ago, MikeOH said:

You'd think it would not be a problem, but it is!  I suspect it is NOT a problem to your 'normal' office location.  The problem arises when you need to travel to another company site; the company, somehow, says that is NOT commuting!

And, yes, I work for a HUGE aerospace company whose 'someone' high up really, really, wants to prohibit it!

I can see how going between company sites, or to site that is not your normal work location, could be construed as traveling on company business. The problem is that company legal counsel, hired to provide advice to protect the company, will argue against it and most company executives are unlikely to argue against a legal opinion unless there is a great benefit.

Skip