Let's hear what you've adopted into your routines.

[jlunseth]

I use LCB GUMPS for landing.  I learned it when I took lessons in a Warrior years ago, where it was Lights, Carb Heat (on), Boost Pumps (on). etc.  My instructor was very good, and drilled that into me even though the Undercarriage and Props were irrelevant.  It became a consistent habit, so I simply adapted it to my K.  Lights, Cowl Flaps (closed), Boost Pumps (off), Gas, Undercarriage, the Mixture and Props are usually to go because they need some management in the pattern and on final in my aircraft, and of course Seat Belts.  So far, knock on wood, it has kept me from coming anywhere even close to the dreaded gear up. 

[Hondo]

I once flew with an instructor who had over 16,000 hours and was still flying jets. 

 

On takeoff, I would retract the gear shortly after liftoff to reduce drag.  Well, on my first takeoff with him, I'm about 20 feet high with the wheels coming up and he asked me.

"What would you do if the engine quit?"  I thought, good question.  With lost power at low speed on takeoff, how much altitude is required to give you the option of extending the gear?  How long does it take to cycle the gear?

[jetdriven]

I once flew with an instructor who had over 16,000 hours and was still flying jets. 

 

On takeoff, I would retract the gear shortly after liftoff to reduce drag.  Well, on my first takeoff with him, I'm about 20 feet high with the wheels coming up and he asked me.

"What would you do if the engine quit?"  I thought, good question.  With lost power at low speed on takeoff, how much altitude is required to give you the option of extending the gear?  How long does it take to cycle the gear?

 

Your airplane climbs faster, and glides better with the gear up, and a gear up landing in a field after takeoff might be a better solution anyways.  You are trading the ability to land with the gear down on the remaining runway (a financial decision)  for more altitude at any point after takeoff by retracting it early (an operational safety decision).

 

It's an old battle and there's two sides, but for me, at positive rate, the gear comes up, you cannot stop on the remaining runway unless it is over 7000-8000 feet anyways. I have delayed gear retraction a few moments on 10,000' runways because you might have the option to stop on it.

[jetdriven]

Over the runway threshold, verify gear is down, flaps are down, and on speed.

[bd32322]

Your airplane climbs faster, and glides better with the gear up, and a gear up landing in a field after takeoff might be a better solution anyways. You are trading the ability to land with the gear down on the remaining runway (a financial decision) for more altitude at any point after takeoff by retracting it early (an operational safety decision).

It's an old battle and there's two sides, but for me, at positive rate, the gear comes up, you cannot stop on the remaining runway unless it is over 7000-8000 feet anyways. I have delayed gear retraction a few moments on 10,000' runways because you might have the option to stop on it.

except for those aircraft where retracting the gear causes momentary increase in drag. At the low climb velocities - e.g. Vx when trying to clear obstacles - you may be better of leaving the gear hanging.

I will have to look into the POH to see what Mooney recommends for my plane - but if memory serves me right - its retract gear AFTER clearing obstacles.

At low speeds and high AOA your predominant drag source is induced and not parasitic.

Also when taking off from snowy runways you want the airstream to get rid of snow around your wheels and then lift the gear up (granted most of us don't do that)

[Marauder]

except for those aircraft where retracting the gear causes momentary increase in drag. At the low climb velocities - e.g. Vx when trying to clear obstacles - you may be better of leaving the gear hanging.

I will have to look into the POH to see what Mooney recommends for my plane - but if memory serves me right - its retract gear AFTER clearing obstacles.

At low speeds and high AOA your predominant drag source is induced and not parasitic.

Also when taking off from snowy runways you want the airstream to get rid of snow around your wheels and then lift the gear up (granted most of us don't do that)

 

I believe what you are stating is correct for Mooneys (at least some of them). My POH states to leave gear down until clear of obstacles. I also know that on a very calm day I can actually feel a slight dip when retracting my gear.

[Parker_Woodruff]

Double check the baggage door before departure.  I've seen the damage done to one that was left unlatched...not pretty.

[FlyDave]

Double check the baggage door before departure.  I've seen the damage done to one that was left unlatched...not pretty.

Ahhh....Parker - yes

My first solo XC flight in my Mooney I preflighted, got in the plane and taxied out to the runup area - all before the tower opened.

LUCKILY, another airplane was taxiing and called on the Radio "Mooney, do you know your baggage door is open?" I said thanks, shut down and closed/locked it.

Sooooooo, since then, my final walk around the airplane before getting in is:

1. Left fuel cap closed/locked
2. Oil door on cowling closed
3. Right fuel cap closed/locked
4. Baggage door closed/locked

[Parker_Woodruff]

Ahhh....Parker - yes

My first solo XC flight in my Mooney I preflighted, got in the plane and taxied out to the runup area - all before the tower opened.

LUCKILY, another airplane was taxiing and called on the Radio "Mooney, do you know your baggage door is open?" I said thanks, shut down and closed/locked it.

Sooooooo, since then, my final walk around the airplane before getting in is:

1. Left fuel cap closed/locked
2. Oil door on cowling closed
3. Right fuel cap closed/locked
4. Baggage door closed/locked

 

I wouldn't recommend locking the baggage door.  I would just make sure the latch is secure.  You need that as an emergency exit.  I have been trapped in an M20C where the cabin door locked itself on me.  Still no idea how it happened, but it was a reminder to leave that baggage door unlocked for flight.  Fortunately I was on the ramp at the time.  As I understand the situation, it was a problem with a lock and not the Mooney door mechanism.  But that's not to say a door latch/unlatch mechanism can't fail on any aircraft.

[fantom]

So did you crawl out the baggage door, Parker. If so, are there pictures

[Parker_Woodruff]

So did you crawl out the baggage door, Parker. If so, are there pictures

 

This is when cell phones are nice so that you can call Don Maxwell out from the shop and hand the key thru the pilot window.

[Parker_Woodruff]

My plane was modified early in its life with the later model's emergency interior baggage door release, which works regardless of whether the door is locked or not. So my SOP is to lock the baggage door prior to flight. It ain't pretty when that thing lets go when it ain't supposed to.

Jim

 

Jim,

 

Do you know which year this became standard?

[Hank]

I believe what you are stating is correct for Mooneys (at least some of them). My POH states to leave gear down until clear of obstacles. I also know that on a very calm day I can actually feel a slight dip when retracting my gear.

 

Here is more proof for checking your POH. The excerpt below is from my Owner's Manual [there was no "POH" in 1970]. Gear up when airborne and in good control; flaps up when obstacles are cleared.

[FloridaMan]

Here is more proof for checking your POH. The excerpt below is from my Owner's Manual [there was no "POH" in 1970]. Gear up when airborne and in good control; flaps up when obstacles are cleared.

 

Yup. Owner's manual. My 67F has a pamphlet. There were probably so many qualified expert pilots in the 1960s that anyone new to flying would have been exposed to more experience than any of us are likely to find. A 200 HP retractable tricycle gear airplane must've been nothing to an experienced P51 pilot or a B29 ground crew member. I've heard both opinions in regards to my gear. The transition speed with the Johnson bar is so fast (easily less than 1 second) that I'm not sure which is better. The advantage of leaving it down is that I don't have to worry about making sure I can get it locked. 

[Marauder]

Here is more proof for checking your POH. The excerpt below is from my Owner's Manual [there was no "POH" in 1970]. Gear up when airborne and in good control; flaps up when obstacles are cleared.

 

It is those little things that may come up and bite you. When I did my "complex" checkout in a Mooney, the relatively new instructor scolded me for leaving the gear down too long (we were flying out of a short runway with trees). That is when I found the "clear of obstacles" statement.

[Hank]

My home field is short with trees at both ends. As soon as possible, I raise the gear. She climbs over the trees accelerating from Vx to Vy much better. I use ~1000' to get in the air, then there's no getting back down and stopping on the remaining 2000'.

[bd32322]

Yup. Owner's manual. My 67F has a pamphlet. There were probably so many qualified expert pilots in the 1960s that anyone new to flying would have been exposed to more experience than any of us are likely to find. A 200 HP retractable tricycle gear airplane must've been nothing to an experienced P51 pilot or a B29 ground crew member. I've heard both opinions in regards to my gear. The transition speed with the Johnson bar is so fast (easily less than 1 second) that I'm not sure which is better. The advantage of leaving it down is that I don't have to worry about making sure I can get it locked.

And here is an excerpt from my 1987 M20J for maximum performance takeoff - it says do not lift gear until clear of obstacles - which makes sense to me. Like you stated I guess the difference is the speed of gear retraction with a manual gear.

[Hondo]

Thanks for the feedback on gear retraction on takeoff.

 

I decided to delay gear retraction until about 100' and 75-80 knots.

Below 100', if the engine quits, just land.  My home field is >8000.

Above 100', you have time to react, get the nose down and optionally extend the gear.

[aaronk25]

Double check the baggage door before departure. I've seen the damage done to one that was left unlatched...not pretty.

Plans flies terrible with it open. Lots of rudder and every piece of loose paper or light object to the Tornado dance inside the cockpit.

[Marauder]

Nope. Service Bulletin M20-239A just involves the installation of a modified clevis pin that is grooved for spring attachment in the interior baggage door latch, also in order to prevent accidental openings in flight.

Service Instruction M20-82, from 1988, also addresses the inadvertent baggage door opening problem.

Back to the original point, though, in addition to some additional latch modifications, M20-82 specifically recommends locking the baggage door before flight.

Even after all of this research I still have no idea when the interior baggage door emergency release latch mechanism itself was incorporated into M20 production. Perhaps my '78 model was originally so-equipped after all.

Jim

 

Like a trip down memory lane, isn't it Jim? I open my logs sometimes and find stuff that link me to other memories. Like flying to have my bladders done at O&N and having Myron giving me a peek of their new project the Silver Eagle.

[Parker_Woodruff]

Plans flies terrible with it open. Lots of rudder and every piece of loose paper or light object to the Tornado dance inside the cockpit.

 

That sounds exciting...

[jetdriven]

And then two grand for repairing the door and paint that doesnt match after. I lock mine.  For the ones that have the inside latch,you can open it from inside even when locked.

[aaronk25]

I got lucky it came open at rotation, still was committed to take off but didn't exceed 90 kts in pattern, landed closed no damage. If however it opened at a fast IAS I bet it wouldn't be pretty.

Distraction is the devil. Forgetting something opening the door then doing something else = door closed but forgot to latch.

For now on door is one of two position full open or closed and latch. No closing without latching.

[flyboy0681]

I formed three habits when I got into the Mooney.

 

First, my fingers go directly from the gear switch directly to the shelf on the annunciator light panel right under the Gear Down light when putting the wheels down, and I don't lift them until the light illuminates, at which time my head swivels to the floor indicator. When the light failed to go on a few months ago I knew instantly, followed by a big "gulp".

 

Second, just like Byron, I lock the baggage door each and every time (until the one time that I don't). This also assures that the key is out of the ignition switch when I go to get out the tow bar or chocks.

 

Third, before arriving into the airport traffic area I set the HSI pointer to the runway heading. This make it easy to find the correct runway when there are multiple in sight.

[Earl]

When I am preflighting the airplane I leave the key in the lock to the baggage door so I will remember to lock it (mine has an emergency release inside the airplane).  Only problem I have had is the couple of times I got into the airplane with the key hanging in the baggage door......grumble, grumble....climb back out......lock the door.........but no harm done.  As for the HSI, I also point it to the intended departure runway before I taxi but I also set the heading bug to the heading I am cleared to after take off.  So if I am departing runway 27 the yellow HSI pointer is set to 270.  If I am instructed to fly heading 360 after departure I will put the heading bug there before I take the active.  On arrival I will set up an instrument approach for landing runway on my 430 (whether its a ILS, localizer, GPS, etc.) even in visual conditions.  I imagine I have lots of others......