What is Your Approach Speed and Power Settings for F or J?

[MBDiagMan]

The title is the question.

[danad]

90 KIAS level is 18”/2350, 15 flaps.

90 KIAS and 500 fpm descent, 13”/2350, 15 flaps, gear down

[Ragsf15e]

My F is in mph, but I use:

Downwind - 100mph

Base - 90 mph

Final (ldg flaps) - 80 mph

You can take off a couple for light weight landing if you’re worried about float / landing distance.

I add 5 mph for TO flaps and 5 more (90 mph final) for no flaps.  These may be slightly conservative, but they work well for me.  I don’t use short runways often, but I do practice spot landing on speed.  My power pull may be slightly earlier than some to allow crossing the threshold / starting roundout about 70-75mph.

Regardless, in the flare, I hold the airplane off the ground until it is completely out of flying energy.

I don’t have specific power settings really, but I do glance at the Jpi % power and about 38% holds my 3 degree descent and airspeed pretty close.

Edited June 26, 2021 by Ragsf15e

[Shadrach]

I use similar numbers to rags maybe a touch slower.. I drop the gear at 2 miles for non-standard approaches or abeam the numbers. 80mph on final is fine but at the weight range I find myself on most landings, I’m slower than that by short final. I avoid the protracted roud-out in favor of lower approach speed into the flare. I try to be around 70mph or slower by the time I’m in ground effect. In calm conditions. If I’m in the flare for more than about 4 seconds, I’ve pooched it….

Edited June 26, 2021 by Shadrach

[A64Pilot]

Approach speed as in on final is 65-70 kts over the fence and touchdown happens I think about 55 but I’m not looking so I’m not sure, full stall land on mains and hold the nose off as long as possible.

‘Power on final is idle.

Downwind and crosswind 80 kts, I get gear before the pattern and I slow into the white arc before dropping gear, 1/2 flap crosswind and full when turning final.

But I fly tighter patterns and into smaller fields than most of you do apparently.

[carusoam]

Logic that fits most Mooneys… both in MIAs and KIAs depending on what your dials say… 

Distance from runway… runway on the wing tip from about 1k’ agl…
 

MP… Adjusted in the traffic pattern… to set up for  90,80,7X IAS… x based on DKayes’ guidance…

Start with gear down, flaps T/O… adjust MP to maintain Alt and Kias on the down wind…. Somewhere near 16”.

Abeam the numbers… begin the descent… Target 300fpm.  Take out 1” MP for each 100fpm desired….  About 13” MP….

 

I’m a fan of a shallow, continuous, U-turn to final…

I put in full flaps and trim prior to power reduction…. There is guidance for this around here somewhere…

 

Everything changes depending on how much weight you are carrying up to this point…

I include the logic because I probably learned it 10 years after starting to fly Mooneys…

Let me know if I left something out…  

PP thoughts only, not a CFI…

Best regards,

-a-

[MBDiagMan]

Thanks for the great and detailed replies.

My apologies though.  I should have specified instrument approach.

I think Danad’s numbers gave me a great starting point.  I also like 90 knots because it is below both gear and flap speed.  I’ve been out of the Mooney due to engine overhaul since January.  Trying to get a good instrument approach guideline again.  Before the engine work I was working on using the speed brakes to stabilize before the FAF and then at the FAF pull down the brakes, put down the gear and readjust power upon picking up the glide slope.  
 

Any thoughts and experiences sharing is welcome and appreciated.

[carusoam]

There is a really fancy chart for that…. With a half page description of the details…

Handed out at the Mooney PPP training…

If you have the opportunity to attend one of these… it makes a really cool weekend…

Best regards,

-a-

[Utah20Gflyer]

I have a G model so my data may be less applicable with the o 360, but I am the same fuselage as the two subject models.  I also follow the 100 mph downwind, 90 base, 80 final model.  I try to start slowing to 75 over the numbers and want to be at 60 as I reach full ground effect.   I normally only use half flaps for landing but will sometimes use full flaps or no flaps.  MP is 15” for downwind until I’m abeam the numbers then 13” base to final, pull the power just short of the numbers.   Seems to work well so far.  Not a lot of floating.  I have found if you enter ground effect with extra speed you will float a ways, bleed extra speed before you enter ground effect and it is much easier to lose that momentum.  

 

[danad]

1 hour ago, carusoam said:

There is a really fancy chart for that…. With a half page description of the details…

Handed out at the Mooney PPP training…

If you have the opportunity to attend one of these… it makes a really cool weekend…

Best regards,

-a-

Some may find my numbers eerily similar….

Edited June 26, 2021 by danad

[PT20J]

In my M20J:

Level, clean, 90 KIAS, 15” MAP

500 fpm descent, 15 deg flaps, gear down, 15” MAP

Level, 15 deg flaps, dear down, 20” MAP

I generally fly to GP/GS intercept at 90 KIAS and 15” and go to 15 deg flaps one dot before intercept and gear down at intercept.

Skip

[A64Pilot]

90 kts also moves you into Category A approach minima. 92 kts and your Cat B, sometimes it’s enough to matter.

Just going back from memory 20 something years ago, if you don’t have gear down prior to glide slope intercept, it’s possible you won’t be able to slow enough to make the landing, depending on when you break out and how long the runway is of course.

‘I’ve not yet shot my first real ILS, in my Mooney, I’m way out of currency, did so in training in 98 I think it was.

Edited June 26, 2021 by A64Pilot

[HIghpockets]

My home base is a Class C airfield. Flying ILS or RNAV I will keep the speed  120kts. Two miles from the threshold, pull the power, full flaps, 70 its over the fence. Keeps Tower happy. Otherwise agree 90.80,70 at uncontrolled fields with shorter runways.

[midlifeflyer]

Pretty much the MAPA manual numbers in a J - 18" for 105 KIAS; 13" for 90 KIAS. I move the prop forward early, especially with the slower one, for the additional drag it provides. No approach  flaps in either case.  (I've been a no-flaps on an IAP since my training days when my CFII tied in vain to get me to use them in a 172. There's like three airplanes out of the approximately 30 different singles I've flown in which  I use approach flaps).

[Hank]

I generally fly 90 KIAS, Takeoff flaps until 1-1/2 dots above glideslope, then drop gear. Touch nothing and it will go right down the glideslope. I generally leave the prop at my cruise setting, but if low altitude will sometime draw it back to 2300.

For VFR pattern, I like to slow to 90 mph and drop Takeoff flaps by downwind (prop Full forward). Flaps go down as I slow through 120, which really helps slow the plane down. Gear down abeam the intended point of landing, reduce power 2-3" and start down. 90 mph base. Roll wings level on Final at 85 mph, slowing to 75 mph - 5 mph for every 300 lb below gross at that time. Adjust flaps as required to stay on glideslope. It's easy to make the 2500' turnout with minimal braking.