It’s Todays Flight for 2025

[bonal]

Well it’s the new year and I thought I’d start the thread for this calendar year.  Hope is for lots of flights throughout the year.

Bonal

[M20F]

I thought about flying today on 1/1/25, it was a glorious day in ATL.  Then I decided eating left over charcuterie and drinking dredges of wine, champagne, and other fruitful drinks was a better way to spend the day.  

I promise on 1/2/25 to do better.  

[toto]

Back in the barn after the first flight of 2025 for me ..

[Pinecone]

Wanted to fly today.  But 26 knots of wind, almost direct Xwind, so I didn't.

 

[EricJ]

Not a Mooney, but coming back from Tucson tonight had a nice sunset.  This is continuing on a little bit from the night flying pics from last year.  This is something I rarely get to do.

[hubcap]

Took Myrtle up for the 1st time in 2025. Flew 3 approaches and 3 night landings. Was blessed with an absolutely gorgeous sunset. Now we are going to get hammered with weather. Myrtle is tucked safely away.

[Ibra]

Happy new year to all Mooniacs !

First flight in Mooney (second flight of 2025): quick trip to Amiens (LFAY), cold weather here in Normandy but nothing compared to “freezing bones” in Chicago 

The first flight of 2025 was Wing-Shift ULM (sort unregulated LSA), takeoff on skis at 9500ft elevation on top of Alps, a very short flight though: at -15C, this is the best fun one can have with LOT of their cloths on, it did not last more than 15min  my wife complained about flying in freezing cold on “something that looks like motorcycle”, I reassured her that it makes us younger: the cold help to preserve meat for long conservation, this analogy did not go very well 

Edited January 4 by Ibra

[Skates97]

Went up for some therapy after work yesterday. 

[Danb]

3 hours ago, Skates97 said:

Went up for some therapy after work yesterday. 

Awesome 

[Hank]

Shocking! I made a round-trip to Houston, VFR both ways! I've usually been above a pretty solid layer with no ground visibility. 

This is crossing the Mississippi, looking towards Natchez on Tuesday. 

Coming home today was smooth sailing at 9500, just had to duck out of an MOA that two F-35s entered about 4 minutes after me, and about 15 minutes after Center confirmed that it was cold . . . .

[Yooper Rocketman]

@Skates97

OMG !!  Where do you land if you lose an engine in an area like that??

Love my rural U.P. of Michigan

Tom

[Skates97]

On 1/21/2025 at 11:25 AM, Yooper Rocketman said:

@Skates97

OMG !!  Where do you land if you lose an engine in an area like that??

Love my rural U.P. of Michigan

Tom

Very limited options... 

[MikeOH]

4 hours ago, Skates97 said:

Very limited options... 

Yeah, and they all suck!  Especially out of KFUL.  KPOC isn't a lot better; I'm going swimming in Puddingstone more than likely.

[Skates97]

16 hours ago, MikeOH said:

Yeah, and they all suck!  Especially out of KFUL.  KPOC isn't a lot better; I'm going swimming in Puddingstone more than likely.

Yep, whenever we visit KPOC my takeoff plan includes "If there's a problem immediately after takeoff our best option is the reservoir..."

[Ibra]

Dropped Mooney for it's annual plus right side rank reseal at the MSC shop in Netherlands, it was a quick trip from France with 80kts tailwind (we had 940hp or 27.72" depression over UK), bumpy surface wind but aligned with runway: I probably used less than 400ft for takeoff and landing !

In the hangar, I saw what it looks like an unwanted child from an affair between GeeBee and J3Cub? flying is getting expensive: downsize from J3 to single seater version  this one looked very cold and tiny 

Edited January 26 by Ibra

[wombat]

Mostly from a long XC on the 13th (KFFL to 2S0)  but the last picture of an undercast was on the 15th taking off from 2S0 to KTTD for annual.

If you look closely at the fuel planning on the 750 in the cockpit picture you'll notice I only have a 20 minute reserve at my destination.   Also, I'm at 8,000'.  So you should expect me to be IFR.   Well, the short version is that I ended up changing my destination to stop and get fuel earlier.     As it turns out though, I didn't need to, because as I went further West the headwinds got lighter so I would have had plenty at KBYG, as was calculated by ForeFlight to begin with.    But sitting there for an hour looking at the fuel remaining being that low got the better of me and amended my flight plan.    Then I was too proud to go and change it back. hahah.

The two 'dark' pictures are at night, it was the full moon then and with the snow and full moon, it was plenty bright to see everything!

[N201MKTurbo]

Went to see this giant airplane at the boat ramp at Lake pleasant this morning.

[Slick Nick]

@N201MKTurbo nice! We flew over it on Sproat lake a couple weeks ago!

[EricJ]

It was only in the water there about a day, but I got some pics of it there last week.    I was kicking myself for not taking my kayak with me, I could have gone out and paddled around it and got some cool close-ups.   They pulled it up the boat ramp the next day.

 

[N201MKTurbo]

1 hour ago, EricJ said:

It was only in the water there about a day, but I got some pics of it there last week.    I was kicking myself for not taking my kayak with me, I could have gone out and paddled around it and got some cool close-ups.   They pulled it up the boat ramp the next day.

 

I was wondering how much the 80 year old hull leaks. By the looks of what is coming out of the bilge pump, a lot. I don’t think you want to leave it in the water too long. Or is that just something shiny on the pontoon boat?

[EricJ]

8 minutes ago, N201MKTurbo said:

I was wondering how much the 80 year old hull leaks. By the looks of what is coming out of the bilge pump, a lot. I don’t think you want to leave it in the water too long. Or is that just something shiny on the pontoon boat?

It's normally been in the water for long periods of time before it flew down here.   The thing coming off of the tail of the wing tip float is part of a boom circle that was around the entire airplane.   It's also attached to the nose.   I don't know what the boom was for other than potentially to keep curious kayakers or boarders out (which I think is also why the pontoon boats were there), or to help keep leaking oil or fuel a little bit contained around the airplane.

[N201MKTurbo]

6 minutes ago, EricJ said:

It's normally been in the water for long periods of time before it flew down here.   The thing coming off of the tail of the wing tip float is part of a boom circle that was around the entire airplane.   It's also attached to the nose.   I don't know what the boom was for other than potentially to keep curious kayakers or boarders out (which I think is also why the pontoon boats were there), or to help keep leaking oil or fuel a little bit contained around the airplane.

What? Big old radials leaking oil? Tell me it isn’t true.

[varlajo]

On 1/21/2025 at 11:25 AM, Yooper Rocketman said:

@Skates97

OMG !!  Where do you land if you lose an engine in an area like that??

Love my rural U.P. of Michigan

Tom

Don't even know which one is the worst scenario )

 

[Ragsf15e]

Guess I’m a little late to post pictures of the new bird, but here she is!  She needs some interior work on the yellowed plastics and the paint is original, but everything else is great - 1700hrs tt, 200smoh 3 years ago, maintained at Cole MSC, etc.  Looking forward to lots of family trips! (And if anyone wants to help/teach me the plastic restoration process, much appreciated!)

 

[Sue Bon]

56 minutes ago, Ragsf15e said:

but here she is!

Congrats!! She looks awesome