Today’s Flight - 2024

[N201MKTurbo]

I loved my M20F. I have a working relationship with my J. 
 

Looking at your plane brings back good memories.

[Ragsf15e]

Another Mooney on the ramp in Hillsboro Oregon this weekend!  A beautiful long body with tks.  Definitely makes me jealous.  I always miss out meeting the pilot too - he/she must have arrived after me?

Real nice tailwind on the way back to Spokane.  Apparently I broke the Mooney groundspeed record as well… at least my 430W thinks so!

Edited April 21, 2024 by Ragsf15e

[Ibra]

1 hour ago, Ragsf15e said:

Apparently I broke the Mooney groundspeed record as well…

"LA centre, Mooney XXX request speed check" 

Now I wonder how G430W calculates ground speeds? I recall one has 3 choices: position differential, doopler redshift in L1 frequency and statistical methods (kallman/markov filters) 

https://www.e-education.psu.edu/geog862/node/1786

The other thing, I get puzzled when I see +/-3kts differences between ground speed in G5 and ground speed in G430W, they always catch each other overtime in cruise, however, I get to see some differences here and there 

Not as far as 1146kts, sounds like afterburner STC 

Edited April 21, 2024 by Ibra

[Ibra]

On 4/2/2024 at 4:56 PM, Ibra said:

Not as much as Americans, here is a 5 seconds summary 

Cousin Avi (Snatch film, Guy Ritchie)

Funny enough, I just come across a British friend who told me that Guy Ritchie bought his airfield in UK, saving a historical aviation heritage (that would have gone to property developers), now he is running it with such enthusiasm, well done Ritchie, GA is a small world as they say 

https://flyer.co.uk/guy-ritchie-confirms-flying-to-continue-at-compton-abbas/

 

 

Edited April 21, 2024 by Ibra

[hubcap]

Flew back from Casper, Wyoming today. Nice flight, picked up a little rhime ice in a thin layer out over Nebraska. Dropped down to 13,000 and got out of it. Myrtle did well.

[Rwsavory]

The Great Smoky Mountains along the NC - Tenn. border. 

[FlyingScot]

Made the pilgrimage today. 
 

 

[Ibra]

We had plans to visit Guernsey or Shoreham (UK), however, weather was not motivated, so we flew to Châteaudun AirBase (LFOC) to see another museum...

[wombat]

Into Seattle then back over the Cascades.    All the clouds around here are dangerous for one reason or another.

[Hank]

1 hour ago, wombat said:

All the clouds around here are dangerous for one reason or another.

Nice photo of the legendary, semi-mythical cumulogranite!!

Be careful out there!!

All we had this weekend was oppressive haze. Beneath the layer, ground visibility was decent, 8-10 miles, but the ground blurred into the clouds. Was too busy handflying to take a picture of the bad stuff . . . . Sweet Home was nice, but getting hone across Upland SC (even the lower parts, too!) was not.

Oh the joys of not being instrument current! But plans for that are in place.

[PMcClure]

Pirep flying into Midway - I had an unexpected business opportunity come up this week that needed quick action and a trip to Chicago. After reviewing commercial flights and weather, I decided to fly the Mooney in and out in one day rather than overnight with commercial. Departing Alabama yesterday morning for the 2:45 flight everything was uneventful until reaching Chicago. Weather was not much of a concern inbound, so I was flying VFR. All runways at Midway were closed except 1, putting an enormous amount of mixed traffic onto one runway. Chicago handed me off to MDW tower who handled everything efficiently and professionally. They put me on a 7 mile final behind an Airbus and ahead of a Boeing. I only had a few seconds to take in the beautiful skyline as I turned base for 31C. 

On final, the controller informed the following Boeing that I was flying 90 knots. He said 90 soooooo slowly, calling out the disparity in speeds. On short final, he had me go around and put me on a 10 mile final following in a Boeing. Taking the hint, I turned behind the airliner so close I could smell the jet fumes (kidding), I kept the throttle near full forward on glidelsope before slowing to 140 knots, dropped the gear then added more throttle and kept my speed up as long as possible before deploying speed brakes and then full flaps,  landing right on the touch down markers. Tower had me roll to the end and as I was turning off, called for a landing  jet to go around. Whew...

Parking at Altantic was easy and the service was exemplary. They had free tacos and excellent facilities. Fuel was expensive - but fees waved with my 30 gallons.  Mostly NetJets, Citations and Gulfstreams with a couple Challengers on the busy ramp. There were only 4 pistons and 2 looked like they haven't flown in years. 

My business meeting was only 2 miles from MDW. Made a lucky break on weather and departed VFR 30 minutes before MDW was shut down for strong storms. 3 hours to dinner at home with the wife. 

I am always amazed at what you can do with the Mooney. I would do Midway again, but maybe take more consideration if the general aviation runway is closed. 

Stay safe! 

 

 

[Ragsf15e]

10 hours ago, PMcClure said:

Pirep flying into Midway - I had an unexpected business opportunity come up this week that needed quick action and a trip to Chicago. After reviewing commercial flights and weather, I decided to fly the Mooney in and out in one day rather than overnight with commercial. Departing Alabama yesterday morning for the 2:45 flight everything was uneventful until reaching Chicago. Weather was not much of a concern inbound, so I was flying VFR. All runways at Midway were closed except 1, putting an enormous amount of mixed traffic onto one runway. Chicago handed me off to MDW tower who handled everything efficiently and professionally. They put me on a 7 mile final behind an Airbus and ahead of a Boeing. I only had a few seconds to take in the beautiful skyline as I turned base for 31C. 

On final, the controller informed the following Boeing that I was flying 90 knots. He said 90 soooooo slowly, calling out the disparity in speeds. On short final, he had me go around and put me on a 10 mile final following in a Boeing. Taking the hint, I turned behind the airliner so close I could smell the jet fumes (kidding), I kept the throttle near full forward on glidelsope before slowing to 140 knots, dropped the gear then added more throttle and kept my speed up as long as possible before deploying speed brakes and then full flaps,  landing right on the touch down markers. Tower had me roll to the end and as I was turning off, called for a landing  jet to go around. Whew...

Parking at Altantic was easy and the service was exemplary. They had free tacos and excellent facilities. Fuel was expensive - but fees waved with my 30 gallons.  Mostly NetJets, Citations and Gulfstreams with a couple Challengers on the busy ramp. There were only 4 pistons and 2 looked like they haven't flown in years. 

My business meeting was only 2 miles from MDW. Made a lucky break on weather and departed VFR 30 minutes before MDW was shut down for strong storms. 3 hours to dinner at home with the wife. 

I am always amazed at what you can do with the Mooney. I would do Midway again, but maybe take more consideration if the general aviation runway is closed. 

Stay safe! 

 

 

I did ohare once (not in a Mooney).  I’ll try to dig up a picture, but I might get heckled for putting up a 20year old pic on “today’s flight”.  Anyway, loved the Chicago controllers too!  Very good, professional, but also, a good sense of business (no messing around)!  Views of the skyline and lake were amazing.

Edited May 3, 2024 by Ragsf15e

[dkkim73]

1 hour ago, Ragsf15e said:

I did ohare once (not in a Mooney).  I’ll try to dig up a picture, but I might get heckled for putting up a 20year old pic on “today’s flight”.  

Do it! 

I've only flown into Pal-waukee, so I'm living vicariously through you guys.  

Missed Meigs by not very much time. Of course, I could've been grounded when the Pharoah of Chicago closed the airport overnight...

[dkkim73]

11 hours ago, PMcClure said:

On final, the controller informed the following Boeing that I was flying 90 knots. He said 90 soooooo slowly, calling out the disparity in speeds. On short final, he had me go around and put me on a 10 mile final following in a Boeing. 

Great PIREP. I am seeing old Bob Stevens cartoons in my head as a result of reading your description. That's high praise in aviation humor!

[PMcClure]

2 hours ago, dkkim73 said:

Great PIREP. I am seeing old Bob Stevens cartoons in my head as a result of reading your description. That's high praise in aviation humor!

There I was.... between a Boeing and an Airbus doing 90 knots......

 

[Hank]

28 minutes ago, PMcClure said:

There I was.... between a Boeing and an Airbus doing 90 knots......

 

Once upon a time, there I was with the DPE, shooting ILS 23 into CRW when a Lear checked in behind me. Tower told the Lear to slow down, he had 50 knots on traffic in front of him that was making 80 knots. I looked at the DPE and said, "that's me, isn't it?" He agreed that it was, while the Lear pilot was replying with shock in his voice. "Should I speed up?" "Sure, let's see what you can do." So I raised flaps and accelerated to about 135 mph and we rolled down the course, slowing at about 3nm out, dropping flaps then lowering gear 1-1/2 dots before intercept.

We did a miss to get out of his way, went back to the HVQ VOR and did a VOR-A approach into 12V, Ona Airpark, where he typed up my Temporary Instrument certificate before we took off flying in opposite directions--he went east, back to CRW, and I headed west to KHTW.

Again, hardly "today's" flight, but the story just fit in so well.

[Mark942]

15 hours ago, dkkim73 said:

'Do it! 

I've only flown into Pal-waukee, so I'm living vicariously through you guys.  

Missed Meigs by not very much time. Of course, I could've been grounded when the Pharoah of Chicago closed the airport overnight...

Two Thumbs Up for Meigs.  I used to fly VFR into Meigs in a C140 for business trips from Indiana.  Great way to access Chicago.  Really a great little airport on Lake Michigan and out of the way of all the heavy traffic.  What a shame the "Pharoah of Chicago" didn't go to jail for that stunt.  Now it is a very small little park that few people in Chicago even know that it exists.  What a waste, but fond memories.

[Ragsf15e]

22 hours ago, dkkim73 said:

Do it! 

I've only flown into Pal-waukee, so I'm living vicariously through you guys.  

Missed Meigs by not very much time. Of course, I could've been grounded when the Pharoah of Chicago closed the airport overnight...

Alright, here's my Chicago shot... it's summer 2003.  If you look very close at the bottom left, I think that's Meigs.  We were flying the Gary airshow that weekend, but the runway there was 500' too short for us, so we flew out of O'hare!  Was so much fun.  Held over the lake (dumping gas because we'd be too heavy to land after the flyby) and then formation approach back into O'hare.  I loved taxiing there - there was a taxiway bridge over a highway!  We went over it and people were hanging out their windows waving at us.  It was a good time to be a fighter pilot.  Funny story from the actual airshow flybys... we were to go North to South down the runway at 500' and 500kts in fingertip formation and start a climb past the end of the runway.  We had comms with the airshow coordinator who actually cleared us into the show box.  After us, was the Red Baron pizza biplanes (Stearmans?) going by in a 6 ship formation at about 80kts but from the opposite direction.  Anyway, at the pilot briefing, the Red Baron guy says to my WSO, "if it all goes bad, make sure you're at 500', we'll definitely be below that."  So day one, pass one, holding over the lake, the coordinator gives us our time over target and the Red Barons theirs (about 1 minute after us).  Well, I swear to god we were exactly on time, but at 80 knots, the Red Baron guy was also on time which put him about the South end of the runway.  We were at 500' and, as he said, he was definitely lower, but the airshow coordinator got a surprise as 8 aircraft merged with something like 580kts closure pretty close to show center.  I swear I didn't see them until they were about 500' in front of my nose and just below which is about a half second before we passed.  They spread out the timing a bit for the next day.

[dkkim73]

Very cool. I'll bet the Stearman guys enjoyed that, too.. esp if you guys were in burner for the climb.

And yes that looks like Meigs. 

D

[Mooney in Oz]

23 hours ago, Hank said:

Again, hardly "today's" flight, but the story just fit in so well.

It does and I hope he scored you well for good judgment.

[Hank]

1 hour ago, Mooney in Oz said:

It does and I hope he scored you well for good judgment.

I passed!

[N201MKTurbo]

I checked my logbook and I’ve landed at Midway three times. I never had any drama. I landed at Miggs  once. Three days after buying my first Mooney in 1984.

[0TreeLemur]

Took my J up yesterday to test a "refurbished" (thanks @Jake@BevanAviation!!!) KC-192 autopilot computer.  It performed flawlessly!   After I landed and shutdown, I opened the cabin door in front of my hangar.  The way I felt was confirmed by the license plate on my Tacoma!  I had to memorialize the moment with a picture.  A beautiful evening in Alabama!

[Yooper Rocketman]

On our last flight down to Spruce Creek we took a little trip from Port Orange (Daytona Beach area) down to Punta Gorda to visit with some friends.  We departed a bit before sunset and captured this sunset over Tampa Bay that evening.  Clearly one of the most colorful ones I've ever seen.

[BlueSky247]

Not a Mooney but had to share this view off the wing from the trainer this week. Times like these make the hour drive to the strip after a long workday worth it.