Landing a Bravo on grass

[Skywarrior]

Considering taking my Bravo to an IA whose shop is at a grass turf airport.

 

What will I need to do with the wheel covers to prevent problems?

[carqwik]

I'd suggest stop considering taking your Bravo onto grass...check your insurance policy, I think mine says hard surface only...(it's a Bravo too)

[fantom]

Can't wait to meet you!

 

[Skywarrior]

Ha ha!

 

Got it!

[Lood]

As long as the grass is not too tall, you'll have absolutely no problems.

[gjkirsch]

Landing on grass would not be my first choice in my Bravo.  The gear doors, prop clearance, and weight compared to older models are all against you.  That said, if I had to land on grass, I would make sure the surface was pristine and be as light as possible for both take off and landing 

[Steve Dawson]

If things didn't go well on landing at least you have an IA on the same field.

 

Personally I'd like to try it also but would want to make sure the field was well looked after and smooth.

[Parker_Woodruff]

I'd suggest stop considering taking your Bravo onto grass...check your insurance policy, I think mine says hard surface only...(it's a Bravo too)

That would be the first policy I've seen that restricts such operation for a Mooney. That said, I wouldn't take a Bravo onto a grass runway, except for about one or two I can think of that are really smooth.

[orionflt]

I've landed my C model on grass at a local field that was Very well groomed, i sweated all the way in and out but it wasn't too bad. remember to keep the up while your rolling out and taxing, also do a soft field takeoff. I also recommend walking the field before you go into it if you have the opportunity, the 9 1/2 inches of prop clearance is a major concern because it only takes a small gully or berm to cause a prop strike. as for the landing gear doors, you are almost guaranteed some kind of contact  while taxing in the grass (Osh Kosh) because the taxi areas are not as groomed as the runway. mostly I have only seen grass but I have hit some ruts that caused the door to pick up some dirt with out damaging the doors.

 

Brian

[BorealOne]

There's a number of us on this board who land long bodies on strips that aren't 'hard'. Sure, I prefer pavement, but many of my destinations are (depending on the time of year) packed snow/ice or gravel/dirt, and wouldn't qualify as smooth at any time of year. I've never had the need to fly my Ovation into a grass strip, but I don't think that I'd think twice about it if I had some good beta on the condition of the field. Good soft field technique should be all that's required. 

[jlunseth]

I have landed my 231 on grass about 20 times with no problem, all of them different fields. That said, it would not be my favorite. The landings are no big deal, my 231 does not like soft field takeoffs from grass, either that or its pilot does not.

If you have not landed on grass before, the landings are fairly simple. The grass surface generates quite a bit more friction and you would be surprised at the shorter stopping distance. I find the trick to any good landing is keeping the nose off and not letting it lever down once the mains hit. That goes double for grass strips.

For takeoffs, I used the classic soft field technique the first few times, where you hold the yoke full back, let the plane take off early and let the nose over so it stays in ground effect until it has enough speed to climb. What I found was that my K wants to fly at a very high angle of attack in ground effect, just too long. And in any event, none of the grass field I landed at were soft, they were just grass. So I modify the takeoff a little by holding some yoke pressure to keep the nose light, then let the plane reach normal rotation speed while on the ground, before lifting it off. I just works better in my plane.

[jrwilson]

I'd suggest stop considering taking your Bravo onto grass...check your insurance policy, I think mine says hard surface only...(it's a Bravo too)[/quote

My policy prohibits non-paved strips also

[Fly By Night]

My policy says no grass.

[preinke]

What is the thought about flaps on grass ? Start with none to accelerate then apply take off ? I agree landings aren't the issue - actually are better, but the takeoff is the pucker factor. Trying to lighten the nose costs in speed. Other planes seem to work better with the ground effect technique. Flew the Skywagon last night  - off in < 500 ( concrete)

Slow as hell but smooth

 

Paul

[rbridges]

Considering taking my Bravo to an IA whose shop is at a grass turf airport.

 

What will I need to do with the wheel covers to prevent problems?

 

just wondering since you're near me, who's shop are you considering?

[piperpainter]

Can't wait to meet you!

 

Not every airstrip in the world has a damn critter waiting for you!!!

A lot of airstrips are nice and groomed. I've seen a Bravo come in and out of Johnson creek idaho a few times (3u2). If you have a nice strip go for it! I've been in grass that is pretty tall in the C and although I don't have the wheel covers, I have not had a problem in grass that has been almost a 1ft tall.  I say get a pirep on it and take her in. (Unlesss your insurance says otherwise).  Have fun!  

[Hank]

What is the thought about flaps on grass ? Start with none to accelerate then apply take off ? I agree landings aren't the issue - actually are better, but the takeoff is the pucker factor. Trying to lighten the nose costs in speed. Other planes seem to work better with the ground effect technique. Flew the Skywagon last night  - off in < 500 ( concrete)

Slow as hell but smooth

 

Paul

 

I fly my C in and out of grass the same way the jlunseth does/did his 231. Keep the nose light and rotate at normal speed. Sure, it's a little bumpy but effective. If the field is short, use flaps. I don't visit short grass fields when the plane is heavy, and have not needed to verify acceleration in ground effect yet. A local 2000' grass strip gives no problem clearing the trees at the end. Keep nose wheel down but some extra Up yoke, positive rate gear up, clear trees flaps up. Takes a little extra distance on the ground.

 

If weather cooperates, I'll be visiting the beach via grass tomorrow or Friday; it's pretty smooth, 3500' with a displaced threshhold when landing towards the ocean a mile or so away [the typical direction]. We will have appreciable luggage [for a C!] but will be down to half-tanks or so at arrival, with the nearest fuel 25 nm away at Wallace [Henderson Field, KACZ, a good coastal Carolina stop]. Home to beach, land on grass; beach to Wallace, fill up, fly home--no issues.

 

But then again, my C isn't a Bravo with a heavy nose. We do, however, all have the same prop clearance. I heard a 182 make a prop strike in very soft soil taxiing to park at SNF two days after the tornado, the front tire was completely buried in the ground. I ended up staying an extra day, missing a friends' wedding, because I thought the ground was too soggy to taxi [the day after the 182 . . . ] when I walked around my plane.

[John Pleisse]

I have landed my 201 on a grass aerodrome in DE many times. It's not that great of a field either. Seems to handle it well. However, I took my SUV and I surveyed the field visually and on foot before I landed there. If you wanted to, you could take your outer gear doors off, but you probably don't have to. Ruts and hard bumps could get your tanks leaking and you don't need that. Normal soft field procedure works and keep in mind increased t/o roll with density altitude.

 

I did my first 200 hours out of a grass strip and hadn't landed on one since I was a teenager. Not hearing any noise when the wheels touched kinda freaked me out the first time.

[aaronk25]

When coming out of a grass strip ill use 3/4 flaps pull all the way back until it lumbers into the air then deal with the slow airspeed and slowly clean it up.

Min take off speed necessary and full aft controls until airborn. Protect the prop....protect the prop...protect the prop.

[Alan Fox]

[Oscar Avalle]

When coming out of a grass strip ill use 3/4 flaps pull all the way back until it lumbers into the air then deal with the slow airspeed and slowly clean it up.

Min take off speed necessary and full aft controls until airborn. Protect the prop....protect the prop...protect the prop.

I land and take off my M20C without any problems using grass strips. Just be careful with the prop and speed!!! If you are concerned about prop clearance, have a look at this video. I shot it landing on a grass strip. You can see the landing after about a minute.

 

[Piloto]

Just make sure you are light on fuel and the grass is dry. The tires on the Bravo are too small for the weight. This makes the Bravo prone to get stuck on grass. I landed one on grass with no problem but had to be towed out using a horse because the golf cart tires had no traction on wet grass. Wish I had a camera.

 

José 

[piperpainter]

Oscar I'm glad to see another Mooney driver taking their airplane into grass. These planes can handle a helluva lot more than what people think...even the owners!

[Awful_Charlie]

I frequently go into a 1000m grass strip, which is well kept and smooth.  I do it as light as practical though, and the only problem is the same as Jose - on a couple of occasions I've ended up with a sinking nose wheel stopping any further movement.  At my home base I have to taxi over the grass to get to and from my hangar, and the ground there drains better so I've not had a problem under power - the power-tow struggles to get grip when it is wet though, the cure is to put the power-tow back in the hangar and start up!

[Hank]

Grass field departure as described above. A little Up yoke, rotate at normal speed, gear up and climb. The only difference is "a little Up yoke on the takeoff run" and a little longer before rotation.