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Prop Forward on Final


HopePilot

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I want to make sure I'm not putting the prop full-forward too soon when I land.  Can I have some feedback on when you put the prop full-forward.  I'm full-forward by mid-field downwind.  If it's straight in at a toward field, I would say at 4-5 miles out.  I don't want to overspeed anything, so I'm interested in how people fly.

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I push the prop forward when I make the final power reduction for landing. (abeam numbers or ~3 mile final).    The prop is already at 2100 RPM anyways.


Nothing is going to overspeed unless you rapidly shove the prop knob forward, especially at high speed.  In that case, you will get a transient overspeed.

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Quote: HopePilot

I want to make sure I'm not putting the prop full-forward too soon when I land.  Can I have some feedback on when you put the prop full-forward.  I'm full-forward by mid-field downwind.  If it's straight in at a toward field, I would say at 4-5 miles out.  I don't want to overspeed anything, so I'm interested in how people fly.

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Quite the variety!  I don't move forward until short final when the prop isn't being governed anyway.  I also leave the mixture at my cruise LOP setting and only move it forward if I need to go around.


The more experienced I've gotten, the more I question some of the stuff that has been taught, and especially when things should be done.  

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I was taught to put the prop/mixture in on base leg. This makes sense because it's less busy than downwind (when you are already working on slowing down, working with traffic, extending gear, deciding when to turn, etc). Mixture goes foward along with prop so this allows to fly leaner for as long as possible but without burdening to do it on short final. This is a good time to run through a GUMPs check and have everything set before things get busier on final.

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I like to put the prop in at 100 because it begins to act as a sort of airbrake to help slow the aircraft.  I do not put the mixture in though, sometimes not at all, but usually not until the turn to base.  The reason I have written about before.  The 231's, at least my 231, are set up to run very rich so that there is sufficient fuel to cool the engine in the climb.  So my engine burbles if I have it at idle with the mixture full forward.  The way I do my approach and landings now, I start to establish a stabilized approach on base, and the aircraft begins to fly behind the curve a little.  It is at that point that I add some power, and at the same time put the mixture in.  The engine does not burble if I do it that way, and I have the mixture set for a possible go around.

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Just curious, have those that don't touch anything except gear until final tried an experimental go around with cruise mixture and cruise prop? I haven't, so I can't comment on how well this works or doesn't work, but I'm wondering if it works just fine or not. By not adjusting those things, it assumes that you will always remember to correct those things in the event of a go-around. Seems reasonable to test and see what happens if you don't.

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Quote: DaV8or

Just curious, have those that don't touch anything except gear until final tried an experimental go around with cruise mixture and cruise prop? I haven't, so I can't comment on how well this works or doesn't work, but I'm wondering if it works just fine or not. By not adjusting those things, it assumes that you will always remember to correct those things in the event of a go-around. Seems reasonable to test and see what happens if you don't.

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I richen the mixture lever about 1 knob back from the forward stop on the panel, and push the prop in before landing. In case of a go-around, the engine will run fine, perhaps about 75 degrees leaner than target. On a hot day it is right at target.   You have plenty of time to put the mixture in on the initial climb; its not going to melt down.  Early 201s have levers so just push them all forward on go-around.

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In my "J" I usually go prop forward, full rich right after I turn final.  With regards to the gear, I lower it as soon as I reach gear extension speed and use it as a speed brake to further slow down.  I've always told my non-Mooney pilot friends that I don't see how a Mooney pilot could have a gear up landing.  If you're set up with the rest of "the numbers" and you're on short final and still going over 90 kts, your gear is not down.  But I do, do a gear check abeam the numbers and turning final anyway.

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