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ATTENTION ALL NON
MOONEYLAND CUSTOMERS
If
you enjoy all of our articles and wish to see them keep coming, please give
all of this information the value it deserves and please help us offset the
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IN CELEBRATION OF OUR
20TH YEAR SPECIALIZING IN
MOONEY AIRCRAFT;
Get your BRAND NEW
PRE-PUBLISHED
BOOK AVAILABLE FOR YOU NOW!
"THOSE MOONEY AIRPLANES"
by Richard Zephro; studying the Mooney since 1974; 38 year private pilot/owner of Mooneyland and author
of the articles within this website.
FLYING IS NOT CHEAP! Within
this book we will discuss not only how to save money while owning your
own airplane, we will discuss ways to save big bucks on purchase,
ownership, maintenance,
appearance (lipstick), and upgrades.
Further; we will discuss matters of safely operating your prized BIRD,
why Mooney is the safest (by far) in its class, and aid in the pure FUN
of owning your own airplane. BOOK INCLUDES 25 CHAPTERS OF INFORMATION
FOR MOONEY ENTHUSIASTS, OWNERS, AND ASPIRING OWNERS OF MOONEY AIRCRAFT
IN PARTICULAR, APPLICABLE TO ALL AIRCRAFT OWNERS IN GENERAL AND INCLUDES
100 HOUR/ANNUAL INSPECTION GUIDE AND ALL ABOUT MOONEY AIRCRAFT; HOW TO
KEEP THEM SAFELY FLYING (ON THE CHEAP) DO IT YOURSELF STUFF, WHAT
TO WATCH FOR, AND INCLUDES 124 FULL SIZE PAGES OF INFORMATION AND
PHOTOS.
(Includes some reprints
and references from Mooneyland and tons of NEW information at your
fingertips)
2 NEW CHAPTERS JUST ADDED:
"HOW MUCH DOES IS COST TO OWN AN AIRPLANE" and
"MEMOIRS OF A MOONEY BUYER".
GET YOUR PDF COPY IN
ADVANCE OF PUBLICATION EMAILED DIRECTLY TO YOU FOR $39.95;
A TEN DOLLAR SAVINGS PRIOR TO
PUBLICATION. CLICK ON THE "BUY NOW" PAYPAL LINK BELOW, PURCHASE THE BOOK
AND I WILL PERSONALLY EMAIL IT TO YOU IMMEDIATELY. (2MB) in size.
(this is the first of a series of must have books to come
by author; Richard Zephro and you will automatically receive any
updates, revisions, & additions to this BOOK).
See our dedicated new
website for Mooney information at: www.mooneybooks.com.
Enjoy
& learn, learn, and LEARN!
Richard "zef" Zephro
OR GO TO:
Package deal of the Mooney Kit of 3 available at a
discount (see main Mooneyland.com or Master Navigation page
for details)
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Please Indicate on your
order whether you have Earth/Beige or Grey Tones Interior. Each order my vary in
color but this will compliment your Tones.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
WELCOME TO THE
The
CELEBRATION
of this BLOG will reach widely not to celebrate so much the
FINEST SINGLE ENGINE AIRCRAFT
in history as much
as it is to celebrate aviation in general with a slant toward that finest single
engine airplane;
the
Stable
Super efficient
Fast
Safe
Fast!
The
Of
the SKIES!
I have spent
the better part of 35 years making general aviation an important part of my
life. Flying has been the single most important aspect of our endless search for
the ultimate life experience; flying one's own PERSONAL aircraft! There can be
no freedom (save the worship and respect of our CREATOR) as FLYING has
provided human kind. For those of you who spend much time during your day DAY
DREAMING of flying; I know who you are! I have been there, done that, and
continue to be a part of that human realization of that dream.
The bit of advice I have for you
is to NOT allow secular, family, or personal responsibilities interfere with
that DREAM! Sure flying is expensive and it deserves that consideration no
doubt, but FLYING is the result of DREAMERS that pave the way to ADVENTURE in
life! After all, what is life without adventure? Not much in this humble
writer's opinion. Without the advent of adventure, we are merely automatons, and
to spite government's goal to make us an automaton workforce to pay much desired
and needed taxes, there are those who extend themselves well beyond the
conformists of the world, in fact; we can consider ourselves enthusiasts,
adventurists, and according to the general public; "dare-devils"! We know
different! Our aspirations and goals are NOT to be part of the Evel Knevil
type-cast, but adventurers in to the defying of natural laws in a controlled
environment whereby the combination of man and machine comes together to prove
the point that no matter the challenge, man has within his ability to overcome
the obstacles presented, and do it in a safe, sane, and methodical
representation of the "need of mankind for adventure" realized. IS IT CHEAPER to
fly commercial? In the long run; yes. For those of more practical thinking I
would encourage to stay away from general aviation and simply jump on a jet for
your travels; but for those few who reach beyond a Starbucks cup of coffee, who
are larger people who do not fold to this society which is based on advertising
of THINGS you cannot live without; for those who can see through the plasticism
of this modern age who yearn for something beyond spending needless amounts of
money on trinkets we rarely use just so we can say that we are "good consumers",
there is AVIATION!
"Good times Bad
times.......gimme some of that" is the song, but those few words sort of define
our life in this modern society. Good times and bad financial times will occur,
but I have always maintained that no economic downturn will affect the spirit of
the TRUE AVIATOR! This BLOG is dedicated to those true "non conformists" who
will not allow anything to get in the way of their PASSION. I salute you because
your sense of "ADVENTURISM" fare exceeds that of "practicality".
The Wright Brothers
were
the definition and epitome of ADVENTURISM. Orville and Wilbur were not men
of unlimited means by all means. They had a small, simple business of selling
bicycles, and other than Schwin and a few others, few got rich dealing in such
novelties as bicycles, but those two brothers had a passion and a goal to defy
natures laws to become airborne as the birds they witnessed doing and reasoned
that if God had not intended MAN to defy gravity, HE would not have provided the
birds for us to ponder and wonder about.
But what about the risks
asks the skeptics.
What about the expense asks the more practical
spouses..........While our society seems to preach and even demand conformity,
we refuse that continually taught doctrine and we continue to pursue our dreams.
Is that what they mean by the
"RIGHT STUFF"?
You bet your next flight they do! Let's face it, one of the "perks" of
flying is for others to place us in the light of adventurists knowing that they
can not, would not, or otherwise place themselves in what they consider a risky
endeavor at best, yet they respect and even revere that which is contained
within all of us died in the wool pilots. People respect airplane pilots because
they know that they do not possess the "RIGHT STUFF" as we do! There. Someone
had to say it. We are an exclusive bread of humans that have that sense of
adventurism and we let no one take that from us; not even the money hungry oil
companies. We spit that oil back in their eyes and we can all agree that the
GREED OF THE MAJOR WORLD-WIDE CORPORATIONS to get all from us they can; can kiss
our airborne asses! WE WILL FLY no matter what and if you subscribe to that
philosophy, then this blog page is for YOU!
We at MOONEYLAND
will use
this page to keep us updated on the latest issues regarding GENERAL AVIATION
whether Mooney related or not; we all have the pushing, condoning, and support
of GENERAL AVIATION in common!
You will need to
check back with this page
periodically to experience the latest up to date news in GENERAL AVIATION. As
always, we encourage your input and suggestions of topics to present.
Meanwhile this site beyond
aircraft sales sections is mainly
DONATION DRIVEN and the
tendency
and
need
is heading toward making this a
subscription driven site in order to help insure updating as well as new pages
of information continue, we ask your support in order to keep this information
otherwise free of charge to the public in general. To those few who have
contributed, we are grateful and have kept a list of those who had so that when
the time comes and we have to go to subscription, special consideration will be
given to those relatively few who have helped us maintain and add to this
educational, entertaining, and informative website.
Please
To show your appreciation
and support.
Meanwhile; prove the
skeptics all wrong and...............FLY, but FLY SAFE!
richard zephro
CHECK BACK OFTEN FOR
MOONEYLAND BLOG UPDATES.
Check out our new
website:
*****************************************************************************
04/01/09:
Check out our latest articles:
Enjoy!
Take a
tour of the Mooney Aircraft Factory Here:
Thee very latest New Article:
FEEDBACK is always
WELCOMED and ENCOURAGED:
Owners of older Mooneys now
have a new option when it's
time for an engine overhaul.
Lycoming recently received
the FAA OK to replace the
original IO-360 Lycoming
engine in Mooney M20E, M20F
and M20J models with a new
or remanufactured
IO-390-A3A6 engine. The
engine provides more
horsepower as well as
improved climb and cruise
performance, while
maintaining the same
footprint as the IO-360
engine, Lycoming says. The
new STC shows the company's
commitment to legacy
aircraft, says Dennis
Racine, Lycoming director of
marketing and program
management. About 50 service
centers across the country
have been authorized to
complete the installations.
The STC includes a new or
rebuilt IO-390-A3A6, the
Slick Start System and
required documentation. In
addition, Hartzell has
certified both two-blade and
three-blade propellers for
the STC. List price of the
new IO-390 is $48,500, or
$36,100 for the rebuilt
engine, according to AOPA.
Meanwhile, Mooney is trying
to entice new buyers with
financing at 2.99 percent
for the first four years,
for those who qualify. The
company is also offering a
leaseback option.
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Pilot's Beware!
Ramp Checks on the
rise. Be certain all your aircraft and personal papers are in order!
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As I said to my buddy Tom early on in this investigation, I simply don’t
trust composites, and I cited the tail coming off the airbus over NY
just after 9/11 and I had a hunch it came off this plane as well. Under
no circumstances should a rudder or tail ever come off an airliner. I
will try not to fly on AIrbusses in the future. There WILL be more
separations until they re-design that tail.
z |
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Our thanks to ATL Capt John Pilger for sending this most
informative report to us.......John was a fellow pilot with me
at Delta Air Lines in those great years '66 to '97 before the
massive problems began even for grand old DAL. Wayne
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Air
France Accident: Smoking Gun Found:
A Brazilian Naval unit reportedly found the complete
vertical fin/rudder assembly of the doomed aircraft floating
some 30 miles from the main debris field. The search for the
flight recorders goes on, but given the failure history of the
vertical fins on A300-series aircraft, an analysis of its
structure at the point of failure will likely yield the primary
cause factor in the breakup of the aircraft, with the flight
recorder data (if found) providing only secondary contributing
phenomena. The fin-failure-leading-to-breakup sequence is
strongly suggested in the (below) narrative report by
George Larson, Editor emeritus of Smithsonian Air & Space
Magazine.
It's regrettable that these aircraft are permitted to
continue in routine flight operations with this known structural
defect. It appears that safety finishes last within Airbus
Industries, behind national pride and economics. Hopefully,
this accident will force the issue to be addressed, requiring at
a minimum restricted operations of selected platforms, and
grounding of some high-time aircraft until a re-engineered
(strengthened) vertical fin/rudder attachment structure can be
incorporated.
George
Larson's Report
This is an account of a discussion I had recently with a
maintenance professional who salvages airliner airframes for a
living. He has been at it for a while, dba BMI Salvage at Opa
Locka Airport in Florida . In the process of stripping parts,
he seesthings few others are able to see. His observations
confirm prior assessments of Airbus structural deficiencies
within our flight test and aero structures communities by those
who have seen the closely held reports of A3XX-series vertical
fin failures. His observations:
"I
have scrapped just about every type of transport aircraft from
A-310, A-320, B-747, 727, 737, 707, DC-3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,
MD-80, L-188, L1011 and various Martin, Convair and KC-97
aircraft. Over
a hundred of them.
Airbus
products are the flimsiest and most poorly designed as far as
airframe structure is concerned by an almost obsession to
utilize composite materials.
I have one A310 vertical fin on the premises from a
demonstration I just performed. It was pathetic to see the
composite structure shatter as it did, something a Boeing
product will not do..
The
vertical fin along with the composite hinges on rudder and
elevators is the worst example of structural use of composites I
have ever seen, and I am not surprised by the current pictures
of rescue crews recovering the complete Vertical fin and rudder
assembly at some distance from the crash site.
The Airbus line has a history of both multiple rudder losses and
a vertical fin and rudder separation from the airframe as was
the case in
NY with AA. As an old non-radar equipped DC4
pilot who flew through many a thunderstorm in Africa along the
equator, I am quite familiar with their ferocity. It is not
difficult to understand how such a storm might have stressed an
aircraft structure to failure at its weakest point, and
especially so in the presence of instrumentation problems.
I
replied with this:
"I'm
watching very carefully the orchestration of the inquiry by
French officials and Airbus. I think I can smell a concerted
effort to steer discussion away from structural issues and onto
sensors, etc. Now Air France , at the behest of their pilots'
union, is replacing all the air data sensors on the Airbus
fleet, which creates a distraction and shifts the media's focus
away from the real problem. It's difficult to delve into the
structural issue without wading into the Boeing vs. Airbus
swamp, where any observation is instantly tainted by its
origin. Americans noting any Airbus structural issues (A380
early failure of wing in static test; loss of vertical surfaces
in Canadian fleet prior to AA A300, e.g.) will be attacked by
the other side as partisan, biased, etc. "
His
follow-up:
One gets a really unique insight into structural issues when one
has first-hand experience in the dismantling process.
I am
an A&P, FEJ and an ATP with 7000 flight hours and I was
absolutely stunned, flabbergasted when I realized that the
majority of internal airframe structural supports on the A 310
which appear to be aluminum are actually rolled composite
material with aluminum rod ends. They shattered.
Three years ago we had a storm come through, with gusts up to
60-70 kts.,catching several A320s tied down on the line, out in
the open. The A320 elevators and rudder hinges whose actuators
had been removed shattered and the rudder and elevators came
off.
Upon
closer inspection I realized that not only were the rear spars
composite but so were the hinges. While Boeing also uses
composite material in its airfoil structures, the actual attach
fittings for the elevators,rudder, vertical and horizontal
stabilizers are all of machined aluminum."
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The K-7 first flew on 11 August 1933
Have you ever seen this airplane?
See
more of the Russian K-7 HERE:
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Title: |
Texan Jailed for Flying Without a Pilot’s License |
|
Date: |
February 11, 2003 |
|
Type: |
Investigation |
|
Summary: |
Cornie Gene Lowe was ordered by a U.S District Court judge in Del Rio,
TX, to pay a $5,000 fine and spend 6 months in jail for piloting a plane
without a pilot’s license and lying to the FAA. Lowe flew as
pilot-in-command from Del Rio to Ruidoso, NM, even though FAA revoked
his pilot's license in December 2001. He also made false entries in
airman logbooks as though he were a certified flight instructor and
signed off biennial flight reviews of other pilots when he was not
authorized to do so. Lowe co-owns Fontera Aviation, Inc, an aircraft
fuel business at Del Rio International Airport in Texas. OIG conducted
the investigation with assistance from FAA. |
YOU GO
GIRLS!
World flight raises money for Lou
Gehrig's disease
By Alyssa J.
Miller
CarolAnn
Garratt and copilot Carol Foy leave San Diego Brown Field.
Photo courtesy of ALS World Flight.
Eighteen months of planning paid
off for CarolAnn Garratt Dec. 11 after she and copilot Carol
Foy completed their seven-day, 160-hour round-the-world
flight in a Mooney to raise money and awareness for
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou
Gehrig’s disease. Garratt’s mother died of ALS in 2002.
Upon final touchdown in Orlando,
the two set an unofficial world record. The
National Aeronautic Association
is reviewing the record attempt and will then send the
information to the the
Federation Aeronautique Internationale,
the governing body for world records. Final approval is
expected within 90 days.
“The better the planning, the
better the execution,” Garratt told AOPA. She started
searching for a copilot in May 2007 and remembered Foy, a
fellow Mooney owner she had met three years earlier at
Oshkosh, Wis. Foy, who participates in air races and ferries
Mooneys, talked to Garratt on the phone and via e-mail
before accepting the position.
But, as Garratt later learned,
the mission would be important to Foy for multiple reasons.
Not only did she love flying Mooneys, she also has a family
member who was diagnosed with ALS in 2007.
“It’s such a debilitating
disease,” Garratt said.
ALS is a motor neuron disease
that typically strikes people between the ages of 40 and 70,
causing brain and spinal cord degeneration that leads to
muscle atrophy. The cause of the disease that affects nearly
30,000 Americans (about 15 new cases daily) is not yet fully
understood,
according to the ALS Association.
Nearly half of those with ALS live three to five years after
diagnosis, 20 percent five or more years, and 10 percent
more than 10 years. ALS first received widespread attention
in the late 1930s when baseball star Lou Gehrig was
diagnosed with the disease.
CarolAnn
Garratt (right) and copilot Carol Foy in Hawaii. Photo
courtesy of ALS World Flight.
In an effort to raise money for
ALS research, Garratt and Foy spent about seven months
giving presentations across the country. They paid 100
percent of the expenses related to the trip out of their own
pockets, so that all of the donated money could go toward
ALS research. Even though company after company in the
aviation industry rejected opportunities to help sponsor the
flight or donate to the cause, the pilot community came
together to help them raise $153,209 of their $1 million
goal for ALS.
Garratt and Foy flew together a
few times on test and training flights to get acquainted
with each other and practice for the trip, including making
some over-gross takeoffs. They even conducted a two-day
flight, with an overnight stop, so that they could
experience some of the fatigue they would on the trip, among
other things. During the seven-day trip, they would have to
eat, sleep, and relieve themselves in the airplane, which
takes some practice.
“You can’t just do one of these
things at the drop of a hat,” Garratt explained. Garret
should know. She flew around the world in 2003, also to
raise money for ALS research.
She gathered the necessary
charts—most of which were for crossing the United States, as
she needed only eight for the rest of the route, plus
arrival and approach procedures for each of the stops along
the way.
Garratt
refules using a 55-gallon drum and hand crank. Photo
courtesy of ALS World Flight.
The trip took them from Orlando
to San Diego; Lihue, Hawaii; Guam; Bangkok, Thailand;
Salalah, Oman; Djibouti; Bamako, Mali; Cape Verde Islands;
and back to Orlando.
Because Garratt prepared in
advance and received prior approval for the routes and
airways she planned to fly in the various countries, she had
no delays getting through. The only hiccup came as they
crossed the African continent.
“Stops in Africa have been
interesting, especially the refueling process. Fuel has come
in 55 gallon drums on the back of a truck and must be hand
cranked to get it into the airplane. Each fill up, at
Salalah, Djibouti, and in Ouagadougou was accomplished by
airport staff, even at 2 a.m.,” the two wrote in a flight
log update.
During the trip, the two
alternated left and right seat each leg and took turns
sleeping every two hours.
CarolAnn
Garratt (right) and copilot Carol Foy leaving Hawaii. Photo
courtesy of ALS World Flight.
The Mooney, which Garratt flew
around the world in 2003, performed flawlessly on the trip:
“Not one thing broke in 160 hours.” She and her mechanic
worked tirelessly before the trip to make sure the aircraft
was in top condition.
“It’s been around twice, and
it’s got another one in it,” Garratt said, explaining that
she plans to make one more trip around the world, although
not at the same record-breaking pace.
[Note: Garratt will release a
book in February about her latest trip, called “Upon
Silver Wings: World Record Adventure.” All of the
proceeds from the sale will go to the
ALS Therapy Development Institute.]
December 23, 2008
FAA need for arrest
disclosures challenged
Other
reporting requirements do not change
The inclusion of
“arrests” to the reporting requirements in item 18v
of the revised FAA Airman Medical Certificate
Application does not change the reporting
requirement under FAR 61.15(e). This regulation
requires that a report be made to the FAA Security
and Investigations Division within 60 days of a
conviction or administrative action for an
alcohol-related motor vehicle offense. An
administrative action includes a suspension, denial,
cancellation, or revocation of your driver’s license
based on the
alcohol-related motor vehicle
action. If you are
arrested, the 60-day reporting limit begins at the
time of the conviction or driver’s license
suspension, not the date of the arrest. However, if
the suspension occurs at the time of the traffic
stop, the 60-day clock begins then.
AOPA’s legal counsel is asking
the FAA to justify a new requirement that applicants for a
medical certificate disclose arrests in addition to the
current requirement to report convictions and administrative
actions involving alcohol-related driving offenses.
In an Oct. 15 letter
to the FAA, AOPA attorney Kathleen Yodice asked the FAA to
reconsider its decision to add the word “arrests” to
question 18v of the medical application.
“At the very least, the FAA
should publish guidance available to all medical applicants
and aviation medical examiners as to how the disclosure of
arrests will reflect upon the determination of medical
fitness of applicants,” Yodice wrote.
Yodice raised concerns that
reporting arrests as well as convictions could have a
negative impact on innocent individuals’ ability to get
medical certification. And the association notes that in
some states drivers can be arrested for unpaid parking
tickets or other violations that have no bearing on their
medical fitness to fly.
October 16, 2008
August 24, 2008
SPEED
BRAKES continue to aid
in bending Mooney airplanes. My advice is never to use them anywhere near the
landing phase. The pilot deploys them, gets the drag he needs that would have
needed gear down prior to the advent of speed brakes, he knows subconsciously
that he "hit a switch", he gets distracted; followed by the sickening sound of
the prop striking and belly skidding on the surface. Speed Brakes are a
fun toy and even a useful accessory, but you can easily see how with those
installed the "inadvertant" gear up accident rate in Mooneys is increasing. See
my article here:
August 4, 2008
Mornin’ Walter,
I have attached photos of you and
your new MSE. Enjoy!
See
It was good flying with you
yesterday. I know that I made you a bit nervous and kept you busy. I also know
that you understand my reasons for doing that are that I will not be with you
during times that the pressure will be on due to flight circumstances that on
occasion can demand of you your top performance, and my goal is to see that you
are ready for such occasions. We crammed a lot of information into the few hours
we spent yesterday and overall you did well adapting to the Mooney. Once you
head clears from so much data input, it will all come together to aid in you
being a TOP PILOT!
The great news is that you are
flying one of the most bullet proof and pilot proof engines out there, so don’t
be afraid to experiment with power and mixture settings, etc.
What I feel you learned yesterday
is:
1.
1. The need for more pilot input rudder authority on final approach.
2.
2. The quickness needed for landing and “planting” the plane by
immediately reaching for the flap switch to bring them up.
3.
3. Power management in the pattern to achieve the desired speeds; that
power setting numbers are not necessarily the way to achieve the proper speeds,
but flying more on feel by adjusting power to achieve those proper speeds than
pinning down actual number settings because the airplane is affected by winds,
atmospheric conditions, etc. and in the real world actual power settings by the
number don’t always get the desired effect. (Today’s technology is great, but
should not take the place of the real “stick & rudder” flying by the “seat of
your pants” as in the old days. So, whether you’re flying a Cessna “box kite”, a
slick Mooney, or a 747; power needs to be adjusted in order to achieve the
desired speeds and performance to match conditions). That is seat of the pants
flying that ALL pilots should work on before adding in modern technology. Why?
Because it is easy to take for granted the benefits of modern tech, but one has
to consider that each and every system aboard today’s modern aircraft is subject
to failing, and when that happens, a good and safe pilot has to be able to fly
his aircraft competently should every piece of technology fail. FYI, I once had
a total airspeed indicator fail in my Mooney 201. It was not a problem for me
because I learned to fly by feel and even sound levels and landed without
incident. That is true “stick and rudder” stuff and you and every pilot would do
well to work toward that goal.
4.
4. You also learned why so many pilots land their airplanes
inadvertently gear up. When workload is high or you get distracted, your
subconscious suggests to you that your eyes had seen what you wanted them to see
and even though you checked and reported a gear down light and verified that
light with the mechanical window indicator were good to go for landing, they
were in fact NOT because I had pulled the gear actuator breaker on you while
filling your mind with other pattern tasks and you witnessed the result of that
anomaly. I actually look forward to the pilots I fly with to fail that test as
about 85-90% of them do! The reason that it is a good thing is that it brings to
their attention the importance of moving beyond the exercise of checking
something and actually ingesting the data, not just passing over the check
visually while thinking the task is complete when it is in actuality not
complete.
5.
5. You witnessed how an engine can be just as happy while running LOP
(Lean of Peak) and saving a bundle of gas money.
6.
6. We also went over the importance of “unwinding” the propeller as a
useful tool to slow the plane down without having to pull back severely on the
throttle which could lead in shock cooling an engine. You learned that as you
apply a more coarse pitch to the propeller, the manifold pressure actually
increases due to the engine having to work harder to push that more coarse
propeller though the sky. By that you learned that on climb and cruise, heat is
your enemy while on descent heat is your friend, and it is necessary to become a
proper “Power Manager” in order to achieve the desired results and speeds.
7.
7. You learned that speed is your friend and not to be afraid to allow
your airplane to accelerate during descent while still in the green airspeed
wise. Speed however is your enemy in landing configuration. Too fast on final
and you’ve messed up your landing. Too slow on final and you’ve messed up your
DAY! I had observed you on multiple landings yesterday and some were way to fast
and some way too slow on final. You must work on nailing speeds for consistent
good landings in a Mooney airplane. Good approaches and landings are ALL BASED
on getting the “picture” right along with indicated airspeed.
8.
8. You learned by actual experience yesterday to look for and react to
in-flight birds and how they react and how quickly they can move toward the
airplane in an instant once they pass you by. Because when flying at no matter
the airspeed, the fact that you are high in the sky tells your brain that you’re
really not moving that fast even though you are, so if any flying object appears
in the sky, you will need to make an IMMEDIATE evasive maneuver in order to
ensure not striking those objects even though they initially appear relatively
static such as in a photograph and I remind you that our subconscious can
convince us that what we see under workload is not always what it actually is.
(re-read paragraph 4). It is necessary for a good pilot to ingest all
information around him or her, and make correct snap decisions at times out of
the routine in order to “categorize” the items of importance and at times makes
it necessary to instantly “prioritize” the information in front of you and
“step” out of the normal routine to take care of a pressing issue immediately
and once that’s cared for, you will train yourself to get back into the normal
“categorizing” your workload. For instance; we are all trained in the importance
of answering a call from a controller in a timely fashion, however if you are
dealing with an immediate issue affecting the safety of flight; one must
“prioritize” the issues at hand and get to the less important issues once the
one of safety if handled.
9.
9. “PIANO PLAYER”: I stress the importance to all of my
“Mooneylanders” of working toward becoming a fast, efficient, and proficient
“MULTI-TASKER” like a good piano player that has to make the melody or
background with his left hand and the actual tune with the right hand, and at
times; a piano player has to reverse his chores in order to achieve the desired
tune he is playing such as the need to play the melody with his right hand and
lead or tune with his right. I know this may sound complicated, but that is the
goal or should be for every pilot in the sky. If one could remove the “stupidity
factor” such is in the article by that name on my website; the accident rate for
general aviation would be reduced severely; perhaps even by 90%! It’s just the
same thing on the freeway or city streets. Stupid and unthinking moves often
ruin the day for many commuters. Distractions such as cell phones for instance
take away the “prioritizing” of safety from the driver. Always fly with safety
first in mind, and always ask yourself “WHAT IF” in every phase of flight
including the takeoff and landing roll where that “subconscious” factor can mess
with you. Example: I have seen pilots continue their landing phase even though
there may be a dog, deer, airplane part, or even tractors on the runway. I am
saddened when I hear of one airplane landing atop another that is on the runway.
Our subconscious tells us that in virtually all of our landings to date, we did
not strike a runway object, therefore there probably won’t be one there in our
future landings. The safe pilot is one who can discern that something is out of
the “ordinary” and therefore “unordinary” actions must be required on occasion
in order to achieve a given successful flight. One must NEVER be complacent
about any flight, just like one should not try to memorize exact power settings,
but think in terms of adjusting power to achieve YOUR DESIRED RESULTS. That is
the difference between your flying “behind” the plane, “with” the plane; or the
all important “ahead” of the plane. Flying “ahead” of the airplane should and
must be the goal of any pilot which has the important effect of leaving less to
“chance” as many pilots do because some day, some time, that will bite any
behind the machine pilot square in the ass and of the “ass” of those flying with
us. Human flight is an “unnatural” setting and the “defying” of gravity can get
us if we leave too much to chance and not do enough to place the “odds” in our
favor.
1 10.
You
learned the importance of flying a wider pattern than perhaps you have been
taught so that you can “leisurely” make your pattern turns at no more than
STANDARD RATE. If you fly a fast and clean airplane like a Mooney, it is
necessary to “think ahead” of the machine and make it do what you want it to do
rather than to react each time to the situation you may have put yourself and
the airplane in such as the need to make an excessive bank from base to final.
11 11.
In the pulling of the gear circuit breaker thing I put you through
yesterday, you learned that if something is out of the ordinary such as the
problem you had slowing your Mooney down on downwind, the extra work you had to
do in order to stop the Mooney from climbing above pattern altitude, the fact
that you had to trim so far down to try to descend during base and final, “RED
FLAGS” in your mind should have warned you that something “ain’t just about
right” and now you have a new “priority” to figure out what it is and
immediately do something about it. Just because your white gear knob is in the
down position does not GUARANTEE that your gear is down!
12 12. While
checklists can have their place, reading one item after item while flying the
plane in a high traffic situation such as landing phase can be more distracting
than driving a car while on the cell phone or turned around while yelling at the
kids in the back seat…………too much can happen in an instant while driving or
flying and one must be prepared and able to make instant decisions followed by
even more instant reactions. To me, a checklist is something you learn while on
the ground and when we rely on the checklist in flight rather than make the info
on the checklist “our own” we use them at times at the risk of “not discerning”
what we’re reading while allowing that list to distract us from the first order
of the day in flight; that being “FLY THE PLANE” first no matter what. Airliners
have been lost with countless lives when those experienced pilots allow
distractions to cancel out the first and foremost pilot responsibility to fly
the plane. I remember one airline disaster that was blamed on the pilot’s
attention being diverted to a blown light bulb! How would you like to be the
relative left behind knowing that the pilot killed their loved one simply
because of a broken light bulb? It happens, so I give you 3 simple rules to make
your own in order to help ensure consistent safe flights: A. Fly the plane. B.
Fly the plane. C. FLY THE PLANE! Upon those 3 simple rules, your life and that
of others depend on your ability to continually FLY YOUR AIRPLANE no matter what
and at ALL COSTS.
13 13.
You learned how to properly care for your airplane as well as things
you can do to help keep your airframe as beautiful as it is currently, and also
how to check for any items that should require attention such as our discovery
that even though an annual was just completed by a certified Mooney Service
Center, the mechanic can often be the weakest link in the chain of maintenance.
By that I mean that we should be familiar enough with our airframes to see that
the two spark plug wires we tie wired disallowing them to flap in the wind of
flight or having them rub on the metal engine cylinders. We also learned that no
matter how much we spend on annuals, not everything is always taken care of such
as there are zerk fittings on your plane that have never been lubed and others
that were previously lubed, were not re-lubed in this instance. While those are
relatively minor things, ALL HUMANS are subject to distraction, error, and
complacency which is why I tell all of my Mooneylanders to learn enough about
the mechanics of their own airplanes in order to discern yourself if the plane
is safe to fly or not because when it all boils down, it is THE PILOT’S
RESPONSIBILITY to ensure his or her air machine is safe for operation and should
never be assumed because you wrote a sizable check to the mechanic and that
everything must be okay. Experience in life dictates that we don’t always get
what we thought we paid for, but few things can have the consequences of those
“errors” that the “defying gravity” can expose us to.
14
14.
You learned the importance of RELAXING in flight. When our minds are
relaxed, we can do our best thinking. When we have to continually wipe the sweat
from our hands, that is an indication that we are in anything but a relaxed
state of being and an indication that our mental data banks are overloading
which is fine during the learning process when someone of experience is in the
right seat to save the day, but that won’t always be the case, so it is up to
all pilots during a learning cycle to discern that they are being instructed
properly and to spend a lot of time sitting in the airplane while parked to
ingest, discern, reflect, and make your own all of the tons of information you
are given in your instruction. Learn to reach for any control blindfolded. Learn
what it takes to react quickly to the unordinary. You learned that part of
Murphy’s Law is that if you’re prepared for something, it is less likely to
occur and if it does, you’re ready for it with immediate reaction without having
to even think about it. Always do your homework and never think that you have
finally come to know it all because no one ever achieves that actuality in our
“imperfect” world.
As I mentioned yesterday,
it will be good for you to continue practicing flight and solo for awhile until
you begin to master the airplane, and once you get another 15-20 hours of solo
under your belt we will fly together once again to polish and hone your skills,
and even introduce you to some more stuff to learn on your way to expertly
flying your more than capable airplane.
As a side note, I believe
that we located you the finest Mooney MSE on the planet and it is good seeing
the love and pride you have for your new machine. Mooneyland NEVER has the
thinking that once the sale is made; our job is done while all the while it is
just beginning because we feel a responsibility to all of our customers to help
aid them in becoming as safe an airplane operator as is possible, so when you
get questions, write them down and email them to me so that you will have a
written response to go by and remind yourself for all time.
Once again; thank you for
placing your trust in Mooneyland. We try very hard never to let our “people”
down once we get some of their money as is so often the case elsewhere, and hope
that thus far your experience with us is a good and memorable one. I will be
publishing this article to help other Mooney “newby’s” as well.
Rich
Well, my constant ranting that Mooney
needs to enter the jet age or be left in the dust is finally happening. I just
learned this morning that Mooney has entered into an agreement and
co-development with Rolls Royce to come up with a Jet A sucking turbo prop. It
is questionable that the new turbo prop would be based on the standard Mooney 4
place non-pressurized airframe, but it’s a start in the right direction and
hopefully Mooney will discern that their best chances would be to re-build an
airframe much like the Pressurized "301" they once had.
|
Mooney and Rolls-Royce
Sign Agreement for Joint Engineering Project
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 2008 |
Mooney and
Rolls-Royce Sign Agreement for Joint Engineering
Project
New Rolls-Royce Turbine Offers Fuel Alternative for
GA
KERRVILLE, TX --
Mooney Airplane Company announced today at AirVenture
that the company has entered into a joint engineering
project with Rolls-Royce. The scope of the project will
include exploration of using the RR500 as an alternative
fuel (Jet A) power plant to complement the current
Mooney product line. Mooney’s participation in the
General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s Future
Avgas Strategy and Transition (FAST) Plan and Mooney’s
experience in building high-performance airframes make
the two companies logical partners for the new project.
The benefits of
developing the RR500 to power a four place aircraft
include improved global fuel availability in emerging
markets where 100LL is scarce to non-existent.
“The RR500 turbine
introduced this week by Rolls-Royce represents the next
step in our exploration of alternative fuel power for
personal aircraft,” explained Dennis Ferguson,
CEO/president of Mooney Airplane Company. “The rugged
Mooney airframe is uniquely suited to accept the power
of the Rolls-Royce engine and we’re very excited about
working with Rolls-Royce to examine to the possibility
of bringing a Jet-A powered Mooney turboprop to the
market in the future.”
Mooney believes
that an affordable turbine-powered four-place aircraft
is an important segment of the market that is being
overlooked. Such an aircraft configuration fills two
growing voids in the market. First, a four-place
turboprop represents a logical step for the tens of
thousands of pilots now flying high-performance piston
aircraft because the transition to flying a small
turboprop will require no special type rating or unusual
insurance requirements. Second, a Jet-A powered turbine
provides the basis of a product that has global appeal.
More details will follow in the coming months as Mooney
and Rolls-Royce work together to expand the scope of the
engineering project and refine what the configuration of
such an aircraft will be. |
The Lancair
experimental aircraft: beautiful, fast and having what the FAA calls a
“disproportionate” number of fatal accidents. There have been 7 fatals since
February including the most recent, which occurred this week. July 10, 2008.
Check out
the latest Mooneyland article on the Mooney Rocket.
In this current down sided
economy, there are so many opportunities to purchase your new Mooney at prices
reflective of ten years ago, so those that realize the value of buying at the
right time will recognize that now is the time if you have been putting it off.
For the rest of you, expect to pay around 20% more once the economy improves. As
usual, we are here to locate you the best of the best out there and for the best
price possible, so don't hesitate to contact us to help you with your aircraft
needs.
IMPROVED SAFETY RECORD LOWERS AVIATION INSURANCE
PREMIUMS
As the economy and fuel prices force pilots to look for ways to lower the cost
of flying, there is good news on the aviation insurance front. Recognizing the
improving general aviation safety record on a large number of GA aircraft types,
aviation insurance underwriters are offering rate reductions. While not all
aircraft will see rate reductions, and certain state restrictions may apply,
many GA piston aircraft owners could see savings. Check with your insurance
company.
By way up update,
Cirrus fatality accidents
continue at a sit up and notice
accident per number of fleet rate with 1 fatal crash in Feb. '08 followed by 3
fatal crashes in Mar. '08. Meanwhile the FAA issued multiple A.D.'s on the
Cirrus fleet. Note this Feb. '08 report of some AD's to date:
http://www.caa.govt.nz/Airworthiness_Directives/Aeroplanes/CRS.pdf
OH CRAP!
PILOT SENTENCED TO
JAIL FOR LYING ON MEDICAL APPLICATION
Ronald Crews was sentenced on March 20 to 16 months in federal prison and two
years of supervised release after pleading guilty in 2007 to four counts of
making false statements to a federal agency, according to the District of
Massachusetts U.S. Attorney's Office. Crews had lied to the FAA about his
diabetes and dependence on insulin injections. The charges resulted from an
investigation into a February 2002 incident in which a passenger, who happened
to be a student pilot, landed the Cessna 402 Crews was flying for an air taxi
flight after he suffered a diabetic seizure. "While this type of incident is
extremely rare, it is a strong warning to all pilots."
GARMIN'S LATEST
PORTABLE GPS
Garmin has come up
with the money saving 495 Portable unit for about a grand less than the 496. All
that is missing is the XM including weather and an automotive data base. Other
than that, you get all of the 496 features for around $1595.00.
JET A:
There have been a
number of accidents from fueling reciprocating aircraft with Jet A. I dunno
about this generation of young people coming up. Liana and I stopped at a
chicken sandwich place on the way to Stinson Airport last week and we decided to
split one of their large sandwiches so I asked the girl in the box to please cut
the sandwich in half and she asked what I had meant by that as no one had ever
asked her that question. I said put a knife in the middle of the sandwich and
push! Once up at the window she asked me once again to explain what I wanted her
to do so I used my hand like a knife and showed her how I wanted to cut the
sandwich in half and as it dawned on her what was meant by asking to have it cut
in half, she blushed in embarrassment and reiterated that no one had ever asked
that of her before. What I'm trying to say is that we're seemingly raising up a
generation of dummy's for what ever reason and often that same generation of
youngsters are working at airports fueling aircraft. I always check my fuel sump
especially after refueling and one time leaving Las Vegas in my 201 while
pre-dawn; I checked my fuel and it was green and not blue. I had never seen the
green fuel so I questioned it. Turned out it was another octane of fuel than
100LL and after investigating it, I found my 201 would run on that so off I
went. My point is that not only should we always check our fuel for
contaminants, but equally important is to check for the blue color of 100LL, and
even smell it to ensure it is indeed avgas. An SR-22 pilot with 4 aboard this
month burned in killing all 4 on board due to being refueled with Jet A. What a
tragic loss for one simple slipup and the fueler was a dummy for sure, but
ultimately it was the pilot that made this fatal error by not inspecting his
fuel condition. PILOT IN COMMAND means just that! Be that always and take
nothing for grated.
HOW MUCH DO YOU WANNA BET that
the likelihood of your Mooney not being airworthy is great?
WHAT!? NOW WHAT?!
Well, this not only applies to Mooney's, but to
most aircraft. We know our birds well enough not to need a PLACARD for
everything in and out, but did you know that a single missing placard
technically and legally renders your aircraft NON-AIRWORTHY? That it does, so
you need to check your aircraft for the correct markings starting with the
compass error card in which many are missing or unreadable. For those who's
compass cards are there but barely visible from fading, MAKE A COPY NOW and
replace the old one. ADDITIONALLY, there are umpteen interior placards and a
bunch of exterior ones required by the FAA to reflect that which the aircraft
manufacturer be installed as original and standard equipment. Below is an email
I received recently which helped remind me to bring this OFTEN OVERLOOKED
mandate to my attention:
>>>Hello, do you know where I can find instrument panel
placards for a 1963 Mooney 20-C?
Also, I found your articles VERY informative. My 1963
manual says very little about how to operate, land etc. my Mooney. I have found
a wealth of information on your website!
Thanks, Eileen
REPLY:
Hello Eileen. Nice to hear from
you and thanks for the compliment on our website. We care about Mooney types
like you!
The lack of Placards is prevalent
in many Mooney aircraft and those owners don’t realize that without them, the
aircraft is not airworthy.
The Maintenance/Parts/Service
manual we provide will give you information on all placards required for your
Mooney. Just click on the Maintenance CD button and make the purchase and I’ll
get that right out to you.
Fly safe,
Rich zephro
www.mooneyland.com
A complete list of REQUIRED
PLACARDS in included in Mooneyland's MAINTENANCE/PARTS/SERVICE CD, and in this
day of LAWYERS, you never know when some incident will be blamed or insurance
refused to be paid by the INSURANCE COMPANY'S on the lack of a placard! GET YOUR
COPY of this ALL IMPORTANT INFORMATION that no Mooney Owner should be without,
and while you're at it, order the Mooney INSPECTIONS PDF wealth of information
for staying on top of our aging fleet of aircraft and receive a GOOD DISCOUNT
for the package no Mooney owner or aspiring owner should be without!
REMEDY for the PLACARD
PROBLEM: Order this information now and also go down to your Office Depot and
purchase an inexpensive LABEL MAKER because chances are you're going to need
that too!
You need THIS
and
THIS
and
THIS
GAS IS A FACTOR!
Fuel for your airplane is going to be a major operating cost factor for the time
being. Many experts believe relief will come with the seating of our new
President come January 20, 2008. We are spending BILLIONS on the IRAQ WAR and no
matter what your IRAQ politics are, I am certain that we can all agree on the
fact that IRAQ is making BILLIONS on the sale of their own OIL, so I for one
feel it's about time they pick up the financial bill of the money being spent
for their own emancipation, or is that too logical and the right thing to do?
DUH! But for now, all the war bux being spent with the dollar devaluation
partially causing high fuel prices until someone gets into office to fix the
problem. Meanwhile, the smart buyers are buying their aircraft now in the
depressed market. (BY LOW, SELL HIGH!) and once the market recovers driven down
by fuel prices, it is wise to follow some of the admonition found on this
website here:
Be sure to take advantage of one of our latest article:
Tom Leonard is flying his new Mooney Acclaim from Richmond, VA
to San Antonio on April 20, 2008 so as to attend the professional Mooney flightschool locally and he will be staying with me. I hope to get video and do
a pirep on his new glass cockpit Mooney rocketship. Track him as he flies into
the wind on April 6 and then track him outbound with the wind on April 12 at
http://flightaware.com/. N233KT for (233
kts) cruise.
.jpg)
My buddy
Tom Leonard
Tom's response:
Hi Richard,
Now that sounds like a plan! I'm excited to have the chance to learn more about
the plane and improve my flying. I can remember buying my first 201 from you 6
years ago and sitting in the pilot seat (on the cell phone to you) while you
talk me through the start up long distance!
I
also can remember my first landing in Lexington with it. I switched to ground
after rolling off the active and the guys in the tower were laughing so hard the
almost didn’t respond. When I asked them what was so funny, they commented on
how lucky I was there was no landing fee …. I bounced so many times I would have
had go to the bank to pay the fee! No bounces yet in KT! Your friend Tom
SAFETY ALERT
HEX PLUG 383493 COMING
LOOSE FROM REGULATOR COVER
PRECISION
AIRMOTIVE FUEL CONTROL Servo Models: All RSA-5 and RSA-10 Models
Engine Models:
Lycoming
IO
and TIO Series, TCM
TSIo-360-RB Dates ofInterest: Any Servo Installed Since August 1, 2006
Date Issued:
3/13/08
Precision Airmotive has recently learned of two incidents relating to its
RSA-10ED1 fuel injection servos installed on Lycoming IO-54Q-K engines in Piper
Saratoga/6X aircraft. In both cases the brass hex plug pIn 383493 on the cover
of the regulator 2525035 (see figure) was found hanging from the safety wire,
out of the hole, with damaged threads. In one instance the condition was found
on the ground while troubleshooting a lean running condition. In the second
instance the occurrence is believed to have happened in the air while flying at
cruise power. The aircraft in the latter instance experienced a significant loss
of power and misfiring while in flight. An off airport landing was made,
resulting in considerable damage to the aircraft. The servos in these incidents
had between 200 and 300 hours TSN.
The
cause of the occurrences has not yet been confirmed. However, Precision
Airmotive made a change to the gasket that is used under this plug in August of
2006, and is concerned by the similarity of these two incidents. Accordingly,
Precision Airmotive believes immediate action is warranted notwithstanding the
incomplete information that is currently available.
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED:
Please immediately inspect all aircraft with RSA-5 or RSA-1 0 servos which have
had a new, rebuilt, overhauled, or repaired engine and/or servo installed since
August 1, 2006 to determine if the brass regulator plug is loose.
DO
NOT FLY YOUR AIRCRAFT UNTIL THIS INSPECTION HAS OCCURRED.
Determining if the plug is loose requires more than just a visual inspection.
The inspection should be accompiished by attempting to turn the plug by hand,
while taking care not to damage the safety wire or seal. If the plug can be
moved using your fingers, please contact precision Airmotive Product Support for
directions on how to proceed regarding evaluation and repair. Phone:
(360)651-8282 Web Site:
www.precisionairmotive.com
IF THE PLUG IS
LOOSE, DO NOT FLY YOUR AIRCRAFT UNTIL THE ISSUE IS RESOLVED.
Yesterday, March 1, 2008 I was bothered by the news of the runway incursion
and subsequent crash between two home built planes in Florida, thinking that
those folks were out having a great time on a great day of flying locally there
in the Florida sunshine. While many accident causes end up differently than they
seem initially, this one was fairly obvious if it was reported correctly. One
plane was landing while the other was taxiing down the runway heading toward the
ramp. If the initial details of the accident change, it doesn't mean that this
scenario doesn't happen, but why does it happen time and again? TUNNEL VISION!
My son who is now 33 was taught to drive when he was 15. His problem then was
that he would drive with tunnel vision as he zero'd in on the road ahead but
with little to no regard for cars that would potentially come out of a driveway
or street in front of him and he would just zoom on by paying them no mind. He
has since then had 4 car accidents, some of which would not be considered his
fault, but he had them nonetheless and his dad has never had one. I bring this
up because I recently went to visit him in LA and he still uses that same tunnel
vision when he drives to spite my attempts to change that in him. I fly with
people from every walk of life and more often than not I can tell a pilot's
attention on final is just to get the plane down on the runway via the large
picture that soon shifts to the numbers on the runway. Is that how you fly, or
do you do what I always do by checking the runway carefully for obstacles, deer,
dogs, airplane parts and even grass mowers and the like. Sometimes we can look
directly at something and not see it or have it register in our minds. If we as
pilots cannot be trained to expect the unexpected and look for it in each flight
regime each time we fly, then we should not be in control of a flying machine. I
know that sounds harsh and to some even pessimistic, but the responsibility we
as pilots have to ourselves, our families, and our passengers as well as those
unsuspecting folks on the ground below, we owe it to all of us to be the best
that we can be as pilots; taking nothing for granted nor leaving anything to
chance. The accident this past weekend has left devastation to the families of
those whom were lost in the accident, and to those laying in hospitals with
severe burns. Can you......will you recognize some object on the runway when it
exists? The answer is NO; that is unless you expect it to be there each time you
land and then look for it rather than leaving it to chance that you will see it
if and when it does exist. Always when you fly, expect the unexpected and
chances are you're never be taken by surprise. zef.
February 27, 2008; a lime green colored Mooney (preliminarily an early C
model) took off from Riverside Municipal Airport in Southern California with 3
aboard. Shortly after take-off at around 10:00 p.m. the pilot was experiences
engine problems and he knew he had to find a place to land his lime green
colored Mooney. For those who have not flown Southern California, it is wall to
wall buildings and houses so this pilots only choice was to find a street to
attempt his landing upon. Preliminarily, the pilot lined up with a street being
careful not to hit the houses lined up on either side, but according to eye
witnesses, the pilot saw some wires at the last second and to avoid them had to
abruptly pull up which led in to an apparent stall. The Mooney landed nose first
inverted and exploded killing all three aboard. The Mooney pilot was praised by
local home owners for skillfully avoiding hitting any of the homes. Considering
the darkness of the night, the Mooney pilot seemed to have done everything
correctly and had it not been for those wires the outcome may have been
different.
Night flying is a beautiful thing to behold, but not without its risks,
especially in a single engine aircraft, and especially in a congested area such
as Southern California. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the loved ones
affected by this accident.
FAA
MANDATES
PLASTIC PILOT CERTIFICATE
Still hanging onto your paper pilot certificate? You'll need to upgrade to a
plastic pilot certificate by March 31, 2010. The FAA released its final rule
Feb. 28, announcing the required switch to the certificate it deems is more
counterfeit resistant. When the FAA proposed this mandate in 2005, AOPA members
overwhelmingly supported the move to a more secure certificate. If you are
attached to your paper certificate and original issuance date (the plastic
certificate will have a new one), don't worry. You can keep your paper
certificate for nostalgia; you just can't use it to fly.
Joe Smith
started the day early having set his alarm clock (MADE IN JAPAN) for 6am.
While his coffeepot
(MADE IN CHINA) was perking, he shaved with his electric razor (MADE IN HONG
KONG). He put on a dress shirt (MADE IN SRI LANKA), designer jeans (MADE IN
SINGAPORE) and tennis shoes (MADE IN KOREA). After cooking his breakfast in his
new electric skillet (MADE IN INDIA), with his he sat downcalculator (MADE IN
MEXICO) to see how much he could spend today. After setting his watch (MADE IN
TAIWAN) to the radio (MADE IN INDIA) he got into his car (MADE IN GERMANY)
filled it with GAS (from Saudi Arabia) and continued his search for a good
paying AMERICAN JOB. At the end of yet another discouraging and fruitless day
Computer (Made In Malaysia), Joe decided to relax for a while. He put on his
sandals (MADE IN BRAZIL) poured himself a glass of wine (MADE IN FRANCE) and
turned on his TV (MADE IN INDONESIA), and then wondered why he can't find a good
paying job in AMERICA ...
and now Cessna Aircraft is going to manufacture one of its airplanes in China!
Economic downturn? Don't ask manufacturers of new General Aviation Turbo
Props and Jets!
Turboprop deliveries were up 11.4 percent, from 412 units to 459 units, while
business jet shipments rose from 886 to 1,138 units—a 28.4-percent increase.
Sales of new piston aircraft was down slightly from a year ago, but still posted
the second best sales figures in over 20 years! Ah to be young again. Why?
Because eventually all of these current and exciting new aircraft will trickle
down to those of us who can only afford used ones, so imagine at some point
being able to buy a used Very Light Jet (VLJ). Now that's exciting, in fact we
will no doubt have opportunity and soon to rent a couple of hours in one of
those bad-boy Jets!
On a side note, I recently had to fly last minute to Los
Angeles for a friends father's memorial, and all it takes is a ride on one of
Southwest's Boeing 737's to remind one of how much more comfortable and
palatable general aviation flying is. On that jet I was crammed into the window
seat with people coughing all around me, no elbow room, and the overweight
lady's butt skin slightly under my back side as it oozed its way closer with
each passing minute. She was a very nice lady but it was really gross and when
she began to complain of airsickness; it was about all I could take. Sure
airliners are faster, but not that much faster once you include the time it
takes to check in, be searched with shoes off, small items such as my Mooney pen
knife and drinking water being confiscated, my bag treated like a basketball
thrown about without regard to the electronics such as camera packed within. I
would much prefer having to fly an extra hour or two in a Mooney anytime than in
one of those sardine can air bus cattle cars of the skies! Then there was
the stop in El Paso on the way to LA. Due to my first flight being over an hour
late, I had only a few seconds to run and catch the connecting flight to LAX and
as I sat down I realized this worst odor I had ever smelled coming from the
passenger seated at the isle seat and it would not stop! I had no storm window
to open to stick my nose out so I had to just sit there and breath what ever
this poor soul had eaten that did not agree with him. It was so gross I nearly
launched my lunch over it! Yes Lord! Give me general aviation any day over those
people moving toothpaste tube people stuffed airliners.
General Aviation Sales
are on the up rise since the fuel crunch and economical downturns. The reports
from my own company as well as those from other dealers all report higher sales.
Pilots in general are intelligent people that recognize an opportunity to
purchase an aircraft at this point in time due to the temporary downturn in
prices. We are also proud to report that our website hits are on the increase
and more pages at Mooneyland are being viewed than ever before. Our Mooney
Inspections PDF as well as the Maintenance/Service/Parts CD package deal sales
are through the roof and we continue to get feedback from purchasers on how
valuable they found the information.
THIS IS THE TIME TO BUY a Mooney; and of course we at Mooneyland appreciate all
of our sellers, purchasers, and aircraft location customers. As the overall
General Aviation fleet ages, the smart money continues to be on Mooney aircraft
due to the way they are constructed. With careful inspections, one can expect a
Mooney to last indefinitely without the worries of having an airframe come apart
in flight. 100% aluminum airframes unlike those on a Mooney that has the famous
steel tubular super-structure and single piece wing, makes for worries as those
all aluminum airframes could eventually disintegrate in flight due to corrosion
and the over and over flexing of the aluminum structures. Fold a soda can over
and over and what do you get? Try flexing steel! Between you and me; when I fly
40 year old aircraft, I never give Mooney a single thought about it coming
apart. There is simply nothing out there that can match a Mooney for
construction, safety, speed, economy, and fun and efficient flying! Did you know
that in early Mooney models there is a legitimate power setting of 19.5 squared
that will yield around 120 mph on about 5.5 GPH?! That's up to ten hours flying
on a tank depending on the model's fuel capacity. In other words, you can burn
Cessna 150 fuel in a four place aircraft if you want to. Why anyone would buy
another 4 place model other than Mooney is well beyond my comprehension.
Further; smart aircraft owners who own Mooneys realize a couple of things that
those who don't own Mooneys at present may not consider: The Mooney being so
fast and efficient translates in to taking less time to get to a given
destination by far than the competition aircraft. That translates in less time
being placed on the engine, airframe, instruments, radios, etc. which translates
to cheaper operating costs than the "competition", not to mention the time saved
by the pilot and passengers. Further, with the already superior safety record,
the fact that the Mooney flies more miles per hour than the competition, the
Mooney mile per mile accident rate are even more diminished when that fact is
taken in to account. Soooooo, as intelligent as most pilots are, it is the
Mooney pilot that is the most intelligent of all! ;o)
zef
Recent San
Antonio Crash of Piper Malibu,
pilot
loses control while plane is visible to an experience pilot on the ground not
far from this author's location. I had suspected ice in which conditions existed
that day as well as some of the earlier communication transcripts verification:
Here is the NTSB
initial summery for the 500TP turbo prop Malibu based here:
You may now book your flight in to space via Virgin Atlantic Airways. Play
the movie:
http://www.virgingalactic.com/flash.html
Beechcraft V-Tail Bonanza's continue their propensity to in-flight breakups
to spite the rudder-vator fix and even while in VFR conditions:
NTSB Identification: LAX08FA047
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, January 18, 2008 in Selma, CA
Aircraft: Beechcraft V35B, registration: N4662M
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain
errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report
has been completed.
On January 18, 2008, approximately 1400 Pacific standard time, a Beechcraft
V35B, N4662M, broke up in flight over Selma, California. The airplane was
operated by the owner under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The commercial
pilot was fatally injured and the airplane was destroyed. Visual
meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight plan had been
filed. The personal flight originated at Fresno Chandler Executive Airport,
Fresno, California, around 1350.
A witnesses reported to the National Transportation Safety Board
investigator-in-charge that he heard a loud screaming noise overhead. When
he looked up he observed an airplane traveling south to north, suddenly
"disintegrate," and described the wings and fuselage floating to the ground.
The wreckage was located in a vineyard, and was dispersed along a 1,500-foot
distance in a north-south orientation.
FAA air traffic controllers reported that the pilot requested a frequency
change while climbing, and when the airplane was around 7,000 feet they lost
radar contact. No other radio communications with the pilot were reported.
HOW CAN AN AIR COOLED ENGINE BE HARMED BY WATER?!
If you own an engine, then you need this!
Cheap insurance, you can build to help get you
engine to its rated TBO
Continental and Lycoming typically rate their engine
life from 1600 to 2000 hours of operation between overhauls on most models.
However, the only owners likely to achieve that kind of rated performance are
those who use their aircraft on a nearly daily basis. Why? The reason is not the
flying. It is the parking!
A primary culprit for premature aircraft engine
overhaul is corrosion caused by condensation within the engine cavity that
occurs after shutdown. Aircraft engines that are used daily frequently reach
their rated TBO because liquid condensate is boiled off on a regular basis. Low
use rate often results in reduced engine life. As the engine cools and the
internal temperature drops below the dew point, liquid moisture condenses out of
the vapor and clings to internal engine surfaces. This liquid water then resumes
its ongoing process of eating up your engine from the inside out. However, if
the dew point can be made sufficiently low, then liquid water will never form.
The engine dehumidifier provides a continuous positive pressure injection of
extremely dry air (dew point approximately -100°F) on a 24/7 continuous flow
basis. It is recovered at the crankcase blow-by vent, returned to the pump,
dried again and re-injected in the oil fill port of the engine.
How it works
The dehumidifier is connected the engine as soon after engine shutdown as
possible. (Before the engine cools) It is then run on a 24/7 basis. A small
aquarium, type air pump forces ambient humid air thru a Plenum bottle containing
Silica Gel (This is the stuff used in shipping and storing aircraft engines and
electronics.) The Silica Gel has a great ability to suck up moisture and
literally sucks it out of the air. The dried air is filtered and injected into
the engine crankcase. Any moisture inside the engine vaporizes with the incoming
dry air and is moved by the constant positive pressure from the air pump to the
crankcase blow-by vent, back to the pump and the Silica Gel dryer. At some point
in time, the Silica Gel will absorb all the moisture it can hold. This is
oblivious because about 5% of Silica Gel crystals are dyed blue with Cobalt
Chloride that changes to a Maroon Pinkish color when saturated with moisture.
When that happens:
Remove the saturated Silica Gel from the bottle.
Spread it out on a cookie sheet.
Heat in oven at 275° F until the CoCI dyed silica
gel turns blue again .. Cool and return to the plenum bottle.
That's' it!
The
frequency of this recycle rate will depend up the humidity of the local
environment. This may vary from months or more in dry regions down to just a
week or so in the deep humid South East. Adding more Silica Gel to the Plenum
will extend the service interval. Additional Silica Gel used for drying flowers
is available at the national chain of Michaels's Craft Stores
SERVICE ALERT:
MOONEY OWNERS: CHECK YOUR
NOSE GEAR DOORS
As part of your pre-flight please check your
nose gear doors.
While doing an annual on a Mooney I found that there were
only 2 of the 9 screws holding the left door hinge and they were at the rear and
not tight and there were 4 screws missing from the right door hinge. If the
door had come loose prior to takeoff, it is conceivable that the door could have
gotten tangled up with the nose gear and prevented it from coming down.
A recent email
to compliment my website included a question from a very experienced pilot
whose constructive sarcasm brought in to question about how many emergencies I
have had in my career. He is correct that it is an inordinate amount and does
not reflect on the experiences of most pilots, but I have an unusual occupation
in that I fly so many different aircraft in which many have sat and not been
maintained. Read his remarks and my response:
January 6, 2008
Your web site is a good one. I'm on my fourth Mooney been flying for 50 years and i think that you have had
more near death experiences than i had my entire career of over 25,00 hours
both military, light planes and airline. scares me and I'm sitting in my living
room. I had no idea flying was dangerous or so complicated. :-)
sincerely,
Jim H
Hi Jim,
I'm not sure how to take your comments but I always
appreciate feedback.
In my business I fly many aircraft that owners knew they
were going to sell for quite some time and human nature is such to let things go
that should have been fixed; planes that have sat for months and even years,
flying planes just after annuals, etc. We are certain to repair such issues
prior to sale, but often times I fly these planes prior to knowing what needs to
be repaired. I agree that I have an unusual amount of
emergencies or near emergencies and those mentioned above are some of the
reasons. I have had 6 engine failures in flight and 2 in one day just at
lift-off. I only wish that gen av aircraft were maintained to military and
airline specs not to mention updating engine components. 4 of my 6 failures were
due to the old style fuel injector servo as found on many early engines
overhauled prior to around 1985 and two were induced by a lousy mechanics
including two weeks after 9/11 where those idiots at Cutter Aviation used a
black automobile O ring at the injector filter screen that did not fit and had
to use some goop which helped clog where the injector needle passes through and
I had to make a landing at Randolph AFB where after being arrested to spite the
controller clearing me to land, once that was straightened out and they realized
I was not Osama, they let me go thinking it was water. Then after that takeoff
from there, the engine quit again and I managed to keep it running part time
enough to circuit for landing once again. With your military experience, you
ought to be able to get that info from the AFB. FBI and FAA were involved until
they got proof that the O ring caused the problem. My last one was Thanksgiving
two years ago where I picked up an F model from a farmer in Tennessee where the
plane had been rarely flown for years and flown out of a cow pasture basically
and was missing the gasket on the ram air so the induction system had been
sucking in dust and debris for Lord knows how long, so once the plane had flown
beyond a few touch and goes, it was me the engine quit on and I barely made the
airport but made it going through two small trees to do it. That was Liana's
first small plane flight.
The two engine failures on the same day had to do with
Mooney Rockets that were in for annual at Lone Star Mooney and their fuel flow
calibration tool was out of tolerance and both engines failed on me just after
lift-off about the time when full power is added on the 305 HP Rocket engine
which wants to fly even before you get full power in.
I hit a tree on having to go around because of a deer at
Comfort Airpark when the wind switched on me at the wrong time and that would
have taken the wing off anything else besides a Mooney.
Ken Shoup, the original owner of All American Mooney was
a friend and at times I would sell off of his inventory as well, so Ken used to
ask me to test fly planes coming out of his shop which I was glad to do, but
they had so many employee problems in those days that it seemed like emergencies
were the order of the day so I quit flying for them at one point, especially
after two engine failures in one day, a gear collapse of an older Mooney on taxi
due to improper downloading of the gear, a stuck trim on a 201 I was taking to
Florida which nearly caused the plane to go out of control, I flew a 201 just
after an annual there and they forgot to hook the rudder back up to the steering
system, etc. I had never had an emergency in any plane I've owned and maintained
personally.
Yessir, I've had much more than my share of emergencies
and now that I'm 60, I mostly let others do the flying for me except the times I
fly with my buyers to wring them out and to move a plane locally. My goal is to
help warn especially those without a whole lot of flying experience to those
things that can go wrong to aid them in becoming an "aware" pilot, thus a safer
pilot.
Thank you for the compliment on my website. We work hard
for Mooney enthusiasts and would happily accept a donation for the information.
Kind regards,
Rich Zephro
www.mooneyland.com
MINOR MAINTENANCE
ISSUES OWNERS SHOULD ADDRESS THEMSELVES:
Let's face it. Our fleet of
aircraft is not getting any younger, and few of us have over half a million bux
to spend on a brand new airplane; so why not take care of what we have?
Unlike some of the
competition, Mooneys are so very well constructed that when properly cared for,
can outlast us all, but just like the adage that if you watch your penny's, the
dollars will take care of themselves, we must do what we can to preserve the
"common man's" ability to own and operate their own personal traveling air
machine. I have always felt that aircraft "ownership" is much like owning land.
In order to truly own something, we would have to live forever and keep our
possessions to rightfully state that we "own" this or that. In actuality, we
truly do not really "own" these things, but we have simply purchased the right
to possess an item such as an airplane for an undetermined time, and at some
point that possession gets passed on to others, so it remains that the only
thing certain in life are death and taxes. We hear so much today about going
"GREEN" to conserve, recycle, and preserve, which no matter to one's personal
politics, this makes sense to have application to us all.
It is easy to go decades as
a pilot and aircraft owner, and like anything else in life, even exciting things
such as general aviation can become routine and for some even passé', but we
need to remember that there is a whole nuther generation of young people who are
enamored by general aviation and the world it opens up to those of us who choose
to fly; therefore it is prudent to have concern for them as we do for the next
generation to pass on all good things to help offset all of the bad in life. So
why the soapbox? Because it is becoming more and more frustrating with time to
see all of these wonderful flying machines begin to show their age when they
don't have to!
Airplane ownership is an
expense for sure, but quality of life is important enough to help justify the
expense. While we would all want brand new paint, interior, and glass, those
items are just the clothing for the basic body and in no way defines the body
itself. What does define the "body" is the quality of what's beneath the
clothing.
I had recently marketed a
Mooney 231 that on the surface was a beautiful aircraft. The paint was sexy,
fresh thick grey tinted glass, and an interior to die for, but what was the
plane underneath all of that gorgeous clothing? Well, I have a multi time
customer living in upstate New York who wanted to upgrade to turbo from his
modified E model, so I went to work and worked hard for him. I had been in touch
with the 231 owner and after seeing the pictures of the plane I got so excited
for my NY customer to see this plane that I jumped on a jet to the East Coast
and took the opportunity to visit and fly with another valued multi time
customer in his Ovation 3 which you can read about in the "FLYING IMPRESSIONS"
portion of this website. It was a fun trip indeed but with a bit of sadness at
the end. What caused this sadness was the actual overall condition of the Mooney
231 beneath it's extraordinarily sharp clothing. I had met with the owner of the
231 in Virginia who had flown up from North Carolina to meet with me and then on
to upstate New York from there. Once we met and I got a chance to see the 231 in
person, I was a bit disappointed by the once-over I gave the plane, but hey,
there is no perfect airplane so off we went. The owner was a really nice man
with a young wife and baby about to be born, thus the sale of the 231 out of
financial necessity. At the Virginia airport he had said that he wanted me to
fly left seat PIC so he could observe how I handled the turbo aircraft and
hopefully learn something.
It was a glorious day with
visibilities large all the way and a most interesting flight resulting. We were
having a ball skirting past the east side of Philadelphia, and because of our
south to north flight path, we were pointed out and having pointed out jet
airline traffic passing above us on their approaches to airports to our south
until abeam New York City where traffic was everywhere. It was really cool
seeing the jumbo jets as nearby as 1,000' above us which appear much closer than
that due to their size, but I became concerned that some wake turbulence would
eventually get us so I eventually requested and received a deviation in our
route. It was about 45 minutes prior to sunset when we first spotted the area
destination and the air was silky smooth which made for a beautiful flight in to
the mountainous area we were closing in upon, so proceeding onward we began to
notice the pucker factor providing the view of the small runway of our
destination flanked by the approach end where you had to fly close to the
descending tree lines on that end to the huge metal bridge at the departure end,
so I knew we had to fly very close to the trees and homes within the trees in
order to make the runway with enough room to land safely, but that wasn't all. I
had discovered on taxi out of Virginia that the right brake was very spongy and
had to be pumped quite a bit to produce enough pedal to evenly stop prior to
hitting the bridge and sinking into the Hudson River a couple of thousand feet
beyond the touchdown point. Oh fun! On the flare I hit the speed brakes and
dumped the flaps to settle in as early as possible and of course the brakes;
just the right side were floored so on top of all else I had to do, I had to
pump the right brake frantically. It all worked out but you know the feeling as
you pass through the seemingly long and iffy seconds of situations we
occasionally find ourselves in as pilots. As it turned out I had done everything
right that time and got stopped with 1/3 of the runway before us. Taxiing to the
ramp we noticed the potential buyer running and jumping down the taxi way to
greet us in his excitement, and of course he wanted to fly in the plane right
then and there to spite the continued setting of the sun, but bright enough to
get by so we flew while the owner remained on the ground. He was very impressed
with the plane initially as I was and it sure flew well. With some pointers from
him about the best way to fly the approach to his runway, the subsequent landing
produced much less pucker factor and the right brake worked better after just
being pumped up for the previous landing. We all lovingly tucked the 231 in to
bed for the night and all had an enjoyable evening together followed by the best
bagel breakfast and coffee one could wish for.
Once at the airport, we
taxied the 231 to the maintenance hanger and with the 4 of us armed with screw
drivers including the mechanic, we had the plane opened up in minutes for the
inspection. Upon opening up some of the rear tail cone inspection plates I had
noticed some bubbling of paint surrounding the screws of the panels and pointed
that out to the potential buyer. I told him that at times when a plane is
completely stripped and painted this can happen when moisture or improper
thorough prep of the bare metal can take place, (see my article on sand vs strip
in the "Painting" section of this site) but it was a relatively easy fix that I
would do for him while I was in New York being handy with paint and all. By this
time the mechanic was on his creeper under the plane examining and what he found
was somewhat astonishing. The seller had had the paint and interior done in
Mexico at a place where many biz jet type planes were getting new lipstick as
well. The owner had flown this plane across the Gulf of Mexico to a trip to
southern Mexico and had the work done locally to his locale where he conducted
business for about 4 weeks. They did an admirable job on the interior and the
paint overall was okay, but the poor prep seemed to ruin what would have
otherwise been an all around nice job. It turns out that in addition to painting
some surfaces over a somewhat poor prep in some areas, he painted the landing
gear actuation rods only in areas easy to see and get too which meant that the
tops of the actuator rods didn't get any primer or paint and they were rusted at
the hard to see upper portions of those areas. While the paint and interior were
only about 2 years old at this point, severe rust began immediately eating
through the metal hastened no doubt by left over paint stripper that they
obviously did not properly wash out prior to paint. Seeing all of that had us
delve even deeper in to the condition of this aircraft. Uncowled, the engine
mount showed significant rust in places as did the landing gear legs themselves.
Needless to say the potential buyer's smile was waning some as was mine.
I had some photos of the
gear actuators but I cannot locate them at the moment, however picture about 3/4
of the tube that you could see covered nicely in white paint but as you ran your
fingers on the upper part imagine the sick feeling of heavy rust eating away at
the steel. As if that was not enough, the painters had removed the fairing below
the flaps on both sides where apparently they used too large a drill to remove
the speed fairing so they decided to re-drill other holes and install rivets in
the new holes. However the holes they drilled were not drilled through the
backing strip which lays above the wing skin, so they muscled the rivets in to
the point that the rivets pushed the backing strip upward leaving a serious gap
between the skins and backing strip in the areas where they were to mate
together which led to the mechanic's thinking that there was damage history not
recorded in the logs which was the last straw for the buyer so even when the
plane's owner figured out and explained what had happened, it was too late; the
buyer decided to pass on the plane. Fortunately the buyer still had faith in my
efforts and had me locate a 252 Mooney for him which he is currently flying and
enjoying.
This is only one example of
an owner letting problems that are basically out of site/out of mind get to the
point that it destroyed the credibility of an otherwise nice and low time Mooney
231. BTW, I did not further market this particular aircraft after these problems
were discovered. The owner sold it to some unsuspecting private buyer who did
not use an all important knowledgeable service such as we provide. The buyer was
yet another unsuspecting individual who obviously subscribed to out of site/out
of mind and one day soon he will find that the landing gear has collapsed due to
all of the rust eating its way through the tubular structure.
I am often saddened by the
fact that so few people know their airplanes mechanically enough to watch and at
least check for such problems before they develop in to something a lot more
serious.
Don't leave everything to
your mechanic. He normally focuses on what it is he's working on and may not
catch all of the problems developing in his customer's airplane, in fact, you
can count on that. To me, it is up to the owner of the aircraft to get down and
dirty with a flashlight on occasion in order to probe areas not easily seen by
the eye, nor easily caught by the mechanic even if he seems thorough, he may not
be or even care that much; after all, it's not his butt up there at 14,000',
it's yours! Remember that, and remember that every Mooney owner should have my
maintenance CD so they can learn all aspects of their aircraft part by part.
You should also have my in depth Mooney Inspection product that will help you to
check and verify common areas of problems associated with your airplane.
You need THIS
and
THIS
and
THIS
EPILOG:
Again, it is not cheap owning any airplane, so rather than pay huge bucks adding
new lipstick, be certain that the areas of importance are covered first and
foremost. Keep your engine mount, landing gear legs, actuator rods, tubular
structure, etc. maintained. That is a low cost way of properly maintaining your
aircraft in a more youthful condition and remember; what you don't see can kill
you at worst and can functionally obsolete your aircraft at best.
By way of a reminder, there
are those so called professionals in general aviation that are in it for the
money, and those who are in it for the love of aviation, and in this case;
Mooneys in particular which is why we have been so free in providing 34 years of
studying and loving Mooney aircraft as I do and passing on most of that
knowledge free of charge to you. You have no doubt found a donation button to
this site on just about every page, yet in all this time I have received only
about half a dozen donations; period! Do you appreciate this information and
want it to continue? Please help us offset the cost of running and maintaining
this very popular website and take a few moments to donate towards the money and
even life saving information provided.
Thanks in advance. Zef
New Generation of
General Aviation ENGINES?
Intermittent Combustion Engine Element
The
IC Engine Element addresses the type of engines used today in light aircraft and
automobiles. This element will demonstrate a new propulsion system for
entry-level aircraft. Such aircraft are usually characterized by a single
engine, no more than four seats, cruise at less than 200 knots and have docile
flying characteristics. The goal of the IC Engine Element is to reduce engine
prices by one half while substantially improving reliability, maintainability,
ease of use and passenger comfort.
To achieve this goal,
Teledyne
Continental Motors, subsidiary Aerosance, and
its partners,
Cirrus Design,
Hartzell Propeller,
and Lancair
International, and
subcontractor ModWorks, have teamed with NASA to develop a highly advanced
piston engine. This engine will incorporate many innovations. It will be a
horizontally opposed four cylinder liquid cooled two-stroke diesel engine. Here
are some of the design features:
- Compression Ignition Engine
- 2 stroke, direct injection
- Liquid Cooled
- 200-bhp @ 2200 rpm
- Jet-A fuel
|
- Single Lever Power Control
- Electronics Diagnostics and
Display
- Low Noise, Vibration and
Harshness
- Meets Expected Future
Emissions Requirements
- 1/2 Cost of Current Engines
|
CHECK
YOUR EXHAUST SYSTEM!!! It's HEATER TIME.
Don't let leaks kill you!
ITEMS
TO CHECK:
1.
Carefully inspect your muffler for cracks and seperations.
2.
Check exhaust manifold fittings and gaskets.
3.
Check exhaust pipe for leaks at the union as well as overall condition. Insure
the exhaust pipe is sticking downward well below the belly.
4. Look
for any white powdery residue anywhere at the exhaust system.
This is a
tell-tale sign that exhaust is leaking. Leaking exhaust can and will kill you so
don't take this advice lightly.
COLD STARTS!
Did you know that COLD
STARTING an engine is where about 75% of engine wear occurs. Pre-heat your
engine if possible in cold WX. When not possible, be absolutely certain to start
the engine at the lowest RPM possible and keep that RPM going for at least one
minute prior to adding more power.
GA ACCIDENT TREND CONTINUES TO IMPROVE
The downward trend continues for general aviation accidents. The number of
accidents per 100,000 flight hours decreased from 7.19 in 1997 to an all-time
low of 6.32 in 2006, while the fatal accident rate dropped 7.4 percent during
the same time frame, according to the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's just-released
2007
Joseph T. Nall Report. The report provides an
overview of the GA accident statistics, trends, and contributing factors from
the previous year. "Even with a slight uptick in the number of hours flown in
2006 as compared to 2005, pilots are flying fewer hours than they did five years
ago," said Bruce Landsberg, AOPA Air Safety Foundation executive director. "But
the accident rate shows pilots are flying safer."
The Breitling
Emergency has got to be one of the most unique watches I've ever seen.
Breitling primarily makes watches for aviation professionals, and
therefore outfits them with appropriate functionality like chronographs,
circular slide rules, multiple time zones, etc. But these are all
features designed to keep you in the air, on course, and on time. What
about a feature designed to offer pilots and crew members assistance
when they encounter the unexpected? That's where the Breitling Emergency
comes in.
The most salient
feature of the Breitling Emergency is its ability to broadcast an
emergency distress signal. Unscrew the protective cap on the right side
of the case, fully extend the antenna, and the Breitling Emergency will
broadcast on the 121.5 MHz aircraft emergency frequency for a full 48
hours. The range of the transmission is about 100 miles, which seems
reasonably impressive for a watch. An interesting technique might be to
outfit an entire crew with these watches, then in the event of an
emergency, spread out to create a combined coverage area of several
hundred miles.
Be careful when
showing the Breitling Emergency to your friends, however. Apparently,
the FAA will slap you with a $15,000 fine if you broadcast a false
distress call which will probably result in you having to sell your
expensive watch.
For more
information, check the Emergency out on
Breitling's site.
DID YOU KNOW that it takes
3535 man hours to construct a new Mooney? That was reduced from 4400 hours a
copy:
"The company was
able to reduce the total unit hours spent
constructing an aircraft from an average of 4,400
hours in September to 3,535 hours in October. This
is a remarkable step forward and all of our
employees need to be congratulated. This is over a
20% decrease in labor hours, and will go a long way
to reducing our manufacturing costs."
|
Al Mooney Inducted Into
Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 21, 2007
Al
Mooney Inducted Into Kansas
Aviation Hall of Fame
 Wichita,
KS—The founder of the Mooney
Airplane Company, Albert W.
Mooney, has been inducted
into the Kansas Aviation
Hall of Fame. As part of
the festivities associated
with the annual Kansas
Aviation Museum Gala in
Wichita, Kansas on November
17, 2007 Mr. Mooney was
enshrined along with
aviation notables Jake
Moellendick, considered the
father of Wichita’s aviation
business, and former U-2
test pilot Robert L. Sieker
of Hutchinson, Kansas. Al
Mooney founded the Mooney
Airplane Company in
Wichita—twice. Initially,
he and a group of backers
from the Bridgeport Machine
Company, incorporated in
Wichita in 1929 but the
Great Depression brought
that effort to an end before
production could begin. The
company that presently bears
his name was founded in the
“Air Capital of the World”
seventeen years later, in
July of 1946 and continued
to operate there until
1953. Nearly 200 M 18
Mooney Mites were built in
Kansas.
Dennis
Ferguson, president and
chief executive officer of
Mooney, accepted the plaque
commemorating Al Mooney’s
selection. He thanked the
Kansas Aviation Museum and
the State of Kansas on
behalf of Al Mooney’s son,
John Mooney, daughter Bobbi
Sanders, and the employees
of the Mooney Airplane
Company for recognizing Al
Mooney’s significant
contributions to general
aviation. “We take pride in
Al’s induction into the
Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame
and we’re proud , too, of
the more than 11,000
airplanes that have been
produced and still bear his
name. Mooneys have remained
among the industry’s highest
performing single engine
aircraft. They are, without
a doubt, an enduring and
fitting legacy of Al
Mooney’s genius,” he said.
About Mooney Airplane
Company
Mooney Airplane Company,
located in Kerrville, Texas,
is a wholly-owned subsidiary
of Mooney Aerospace Group,
Ltd., a general aviation
holding company. Mooney
Airplane Company currently
produces the world’s
fastest, most efficient
single engine piston-powered
aircraft – the Acclaim,
Ovation3 and Ovation2 GX.
Since its inception in 1946,
the company has manufactured
and delivered more than
11,000 aircraft worldwide.
Today, more than 7,800
customers in the United
States and 1,000 more
overseas fly these proven,
high-performance airplanes. |
The new Mooney Acclaim (great performer, lousy
name). I once suggested to the factory that they
name their at the time soon to be released new
model; the "Raptor". As I see it, Mooney has yet to
name any of their airplanes past and present with a
proper name that depicts the excitement that such an
airplane should. Mooney's
STRENGTHS:
Building the fastest, safest aircraft in their
class. Weaknesses:
MARKETING!
Not
the loveliest of paint schemes/colors. (note
winglets)
Twin
TV sets!
An
Acclaim flown by well-known aviation writer Scott
Perdue, who writes for Santa Monica-based PLANE &
PILOT magazine, completed a coast-to-coast trip from
San Diego to Charlotte, North Carolina in 7 hours
and 26 minutes last year. He averaged more than 300
miles per hour for much of the trip.
Scheduled for January 2008 will be the release of
Mooney's newest model, the Acclaim "Type S" which
will be 6 mph faster than the original.
"Acclaim
Type S, will enter service in January boasting a
cruise speed of 279 miles per hour; (25,000'),
putting it in the same performance category as some
turboprops". Mooney expects a wide range of
prospects will be interested in flying the Acclaim
since it combines the cost efficiency and
versatility of a single engine piston airplane with
the performance that will have business jet
operators more than a little intrigued, as well.
For those of you with a few extra bucks standing by:
The Acclaim carries a suggested list price of
$579,900. All Mooney models feature Garmin G1000
avionics and a GFC 700 autopilot, giving the single
engine flight deck the same capabilities and
technology as that available on jets. The Garmin
system integrates all primary flight, navigation,
communication, terrain, traffic, weather, engine,
and sensor data on two 10.4-inch, high-definition
liquid crystal displays (LCDs). The multifunction
displays (MFDs) put all aircraft-systems monitoring
and flight-planning functions at the pilot’s
fingertips. They paint a composite view of the
aircraft’s environment, providing the pilot with all
necessary information to make safe decisions during
every phase of flight. Engine performance and
situational data such as location, terrain, traffic,
weather and airport information are all digitally
depicted and can be quickly interpreted at a glance
on the large-format displays.
|
Mooney Acclaim
Voted “Best of the Best” by
Robb Report Magazine
Kerrville, TX—The world’s
fastest single-engine piston
airplane earned a new
distinction recently when it
was chosen by the Robb
Report as “The Best of the
Best” Personal Aircraft in
its 19th annual “Best of the
Best” issue which hit the
newsstands on May 22.
Noting that the Acclaim’s
forward-slanted tail
“conveys the impression that
the plane is moving at a
tremendous speed whether its
flying or sitting on the
tarmac,” the prestigious
monthly publication included
the Acclaim among an
impressive list of luxury
products and services that
ranges from exclusive
hand-rolled cigars to the
most advanced private jets.
“It’s an honor to be singled
out by the Robb Report for
such recognition,” noted
David Copeland, Mooney’s
vice president of sales and
marketing, “but it should be
noted that the Acclaim isn’t
merely a personal luxury.
It has already established a
proven record as a
productive business tool, as
well. The fact that it
offers unparalleled speed
with exceptional comfort,
convenience and capability
only adds to its overall
appeal and marketability.
We’ve seen a great deal of
enthusiasm for this airplane
since it entered service in
December of last year,” he
added.
For 18 years, Robb Report
has searched the globe for
man’s finest creations and
published its annual “Best
of the Best” issue
highlighting products that
deliver the top echelon of
the luxury lifestyle.
Featuring yachts, private
aviation, automobiles,
fashion, luxurious
developments, spirits and
much more, the magazine
designates each product as
the epitome of
sophistication and
refinement in its category,
as well as the pinnacle
of its class.
“Our “Best of the Best”
issue can rightfully claim
to be the world’s most
discriminating guide to
luxury goods and services
for our equally
discriminating and
acquisitive readers,” noted
Robb Report editors. |
THOSE DARING YOUNG MEN AND THEIR
FLYING MACHINES........proves that
those types still exist! Check this
out:
ARE YOU THINKING OF SELLING YOUR
AIRPLANE? click
to see our new SELLERS OPTIONS PAGE
We Now Do
mooneyland@satx.rr.com
You need THIS
and
THIS
(Package price available) and
THIS
Hey now, who's got your
back? 
You know dats right!
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