Best way to drop a pumpkin out of a Mooney

[cferr59]

My thoughts are to slow to ~80mph (C model), open the door and let it roll off the back of the wing. Any other ideas?

 

Thanks!

[ArtVandelay]

Just be careful (keep seat belts on), I don’t want to read about you on aviation mishaps forum.

[201Steve]

Affix a wood screw eye hook to pumpkin. Latch to wing tie down eye hook with a straight pin. Run a line from pin to gear door. Keep gear down until ready to drop. Select gear up- bomb deployed. 

no I wouldn’t actually do that but I also wouldn’t participate in my Mooney. Far fetched as it may be, I’d be thinking about a pumpkin tail strike on my horizontal stab. 

[Guest]

24 minutes ago, 201Steve said:

Affix a wood screw eye hook to pumpkin. Latch to wing tie down eye hook with a straight pin. Run a line from pin to gear door. Keep gear down until ready to drop. Select gear up- bomb deployed. 

no I wouldn’t actually do that but I also wouldn’t participate in my Mooney. Far fetched as it may be, I’d be thinking about a pumpkin tail strike on my horizontal stab. 

Sounds like the voice of experience!

[GeeBee]

"As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly" Or....how air drops can go wrong....quickly

 

[Fly Boomer]

1 hour ago, 201Steve said:

I wouldn’t actually do that but I also wouldn’t participate in my Mooney

Nope.  Fly with someone who has a taildragger with the door off.  This is like asking if you can land on a glacier or in a stream bed.

[carusoam]

Pick a properly sized pumpkin…

1) It fits through the vent window…

2) It doesn’t dent anything when it hits…

3) Call in a favor with one of your Brand C friends…. With a big window in each door.

PP thoughts and other unhelpful ideas only…

 

Best regards,

-a-

[N201MKTurbo]

Just remember the pumpkin is going Mooney speed when you release it. Think lobbing it onto the target. 
 

You will be amazed how many people think the wind will blow it back and release it after the target.

[carusoam]

Time to bust out the physics book!

Height of drop, speed (Vx, Vy, axis not climb rates) of drop, gravity, some fudge factor for the non-ideal pumpkin shape and its wind resistance…

WAAS distance measuring…. To identify the target, and release point…

Practice the execution… dry runs will be important…

 

Plan A: Fly the plane, no distractions… don’t make it into the daily paper…

Best regards,

-a-

[Rwsavory]

1. Ascertain that aircraft airspeed and groundspeed is Zero. 2. Stand on wing walk holding pumpkin firmly in hands. 3. Extend arms so that pumpkin is forward of wing’s leading edge. 4. Release pumpkin. 
 

 

[DXB]

Use a syringe to squirt a pumpkin spice latte through the narrow slit created when the door pops open in flight.   

Where you been @cferr59?? Been a long time since I saw you even tho you’re just a few hangars away…

[Marc_B]

@DXB when i read this my first thought was "Jose's pee tube" pumpkin puree...if you have enough puree you could start your run early and streak it right across the target!

 ha ha.

[Hank]

Good luck getting the door open far enough to push out anything larger than your fist . . . .

[A64Pilot]

1 hour ago, Hank said:

Good luck getting the door open far enough to push out anything larger than your fist . . . .

Exactly,

I believe it was Cut Bank Montana that had a junk car on the airfield, if you could  fly over at some set altitude and hit it with a bowling ball your fuel was free. It’s way harder than you would think.

Apparently some time ago they decided the liability of bowling balls falling from aircraft was too high and stopped it. 

Pumpkin is better than a bowling ball?

Find someone with an airplane that it’s legal to remove the door and go with them

The weekend is jam-packed with fun events for the entire family. However, this year’s event will not include the bowling ball drop, a favorite event, but a liability nightmare.

http://www.cutbankpioneerpress.com/cut_bank_pioneer_press/news/article_ebcbc5a2-1d78-11e4-a1fe-0019bb2963f4.html

The weekend is jam-packed with fun events for the entire family. However, this year’s event will not include the bowling ball drop, a favorite event, but a liability nightmare.

“The insurance company won’t let us do the bowling ball drop, and because it has been eliminated we have received a lot of comment on it,” said Nollkamper. However, he does not believe that the elimination of the bowling ball drop will have an effect on turnout for the event.

[ArtVandelay]

Good luck getting the door open far enough to push out anything larger than your fist . . . .

Speaking from personal experience?

[Bolter]

I can neither confirm nor deny having seen flour bombs from a J model.  Low speed, but still well above stall speed, and the door is opened pretty easily.  I strongly encourage a separate pilot and bombadier for slow and low flight.  The mass of a pumpkin concerns me for impact with a poorly done toss, however.  

Your no wind drop distance is calculated by: 

[N201MKTurbo]

I’ve done 3 different flour boomings from a Mooney. Always through the storm window.

[WAFI]

As long as you don't say "Hey watch this!" you'll be fine.

[N201MKTurbo]

The best I ever did was 3’ right and 10’ short. 
 

The target was a mannequin in a canoe wearing a red bikini. Two people got in the canoe and the winner got her in the left boob. 
 

There was a bit of controversy. Some said if the flour haven’t hit the lady, it would have been about 5 feet long. 
 

There were about 30 planes and you got 3 tries. There were 4 airplanes in the air at any time. You did your three runs and on the next circuit you landed and another plane would take off.

[Hank]

2 hours ago, ArtVandelay said:

Speaking from personal experience?

I left the door open while taxiing one hot summer day and forgot to close it. Managed to do so at 3000 msl / 100 mph and went on my way. Not sure I could have pushed it open a foot, it was trailing nicely with about a 2" gap.

[Pinecone]

3 hours ago, Bolter said:

I can neither confirm nor deny having seen flour bombs from a J model.  Low speed, but still well above stall speed, and the door is opened pretty easily.  I strongly encourage a separate pilot and bombadier for slow and low flight.  The mass of a pumpkin concerns me for impact with a poorly done toss, however.  

Your no wind drop distance is calculated by: 

You didn’t take into account the drag of the pumpkin.  From the time you release it, it is decelerating.

[MikeOH]

3 hours ago, Pinecone said:

You didn’t take into account the drag of the pumpkin.  From the time you release it, it is decelerating.

Yeah, and you need to know if it's an African or European pumpkin...

[aviatoreb]

12 minutes ago, MikeOH said:

Yeah, and you need to know if it's an African or European pumpkin...

That’s not a horse… you are just banging to coconuts together.

[Bolter]

3 hours ago, Pinecone said:

You didn’t take into account the drag of the pumpkin.  From the time you release it, it is decelerating.

True.  This is an order of magnitude calc.  Too many variables you cannot control to make a meaningful precision calculation.  Including knowing your precise position and speed relative to target at the moment of the drop.  

[bradp]

I threw a gross banana peel my kid handed me out the pilot window over the Atlantic. 
it just smacked the H stab and caused a gross mess.