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Welcome... |
| ...to Mooney Accolades!
Have a special place you love to fly? Send us your recommendations, stories and pictures.
We will share them with other Mooniacs!
You can also share them at
Plane and Pilot Magazine by clicking here. |
| Sun N Fun |
Like many of you, Mooney is making plans to attend the Sun 'n Fun airshow in Lakeland, Florida next month. Scheduled for April 13-18 at the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, the event is billed as Spring Break for pilots and always proves to be a great start to the spring flying season.
The Mooney flag will be flying in the same exhibit spot as the past few years. Space number MD-7B is located in the manufacturer's display exhibit area near the air show viewing area.
On display will be the fastest single engine pistons on the market - the Ovation 3 and Acclaim Type S. The 310-horsepower Ovation 3 offers all the amenities and features of the Ovation 2 GX but allows a shorter take off distance and improved climb performance. The Acclaim Type S is the fastest Mooney ever produced, cruising at a true airspeed of 242 knots at its service ceiling of 25,000 feet.
The Mooney team staffing the event will include representatives from the sales, marketing, technical support and factory service center groups, so folks will be on hand to discuss your new Mooney needs or an upgrade to your current model. We look forward to seeing you in sunny Florida! |
| Why Can't We Land? |
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By Wayne Fischer, ATP, CFII
Aviation Safety, the monthly journal of risk management and accident prevention, recently had an excellent discussion on "Why Can't We Land". According to AOPA's Nall Report, the accident record is filled with just about every type of accident you might imagine. Pilots with enough experience to know better are consistently touching down more than half way down the runway, bouncing hard enough to be launched into orbit, and somehow thinking the entire airport grounds are the landing sites. Landing short, landing long, departing the runway, with or without wind, there seems to be no end to the arsenal of methods we use to damage or destroy our airplanes.
While the article is a commentary on all of general aviation, the 1995 AOPA Safety Review of the Mooney M20 series concurs that Mooney pilots fit right in to the analysis. With both M20s and the comparison group, pilots had their share of landing mishaps and hard touchdowns. But there is a significant departure from the comparison group with the M20s higher rate of long landings-more than twice as many as our compatriots in the other group when expressed as a percentage of all landing accidents. The Mooney group had only one short landing episode compared to 59 in the other group. Of the 24 Mooney long landing accidents, three causes stand out like a sore thumb-(1) landed long/fast, delayed abort, overshoot; (2) landed long/high/fast, improper flare, overshoot, and (3) landed long, downwind/crosswind, delayed go-around, overshoot.
The Aviation Safety article concludes that the primary underlying cause of poor landings appears to be "lousy speed control". The summary of the AOPA Safety Review of the M20 Series concludes that the most significant factor in Mooney landing accidents is "approach speed, approach speed, approach speed!" There is a common misperception among much of general aviation that the Mooney is difficult to land. NOT SO! (Emphasis mine). The difference, of course, is that the results of airspeed mismanagement are more dramatic and sensational. With this background in mind, let's talk about landing a Mooney.
First of all, let's look at the objective of our speed control. At what point is the optimum speed most important and what is the configuration at this point. Take a look at the landing distance charts in your POH, and in the upper left corner you will see approach speeds for varying weights. This is the optimum approach speed, in the landing configuration (gear down, flaps full down). This is NOT the speed at touchdown! Let's try to find the optimum speed as we cross the threshold, and we will discover that the Mooney lands like any other airplane-nose high and slow!
In order to demonstrate, I will use the numbers for my airplane, but the exercise can be applied to any of the Mooney product line. First of all, let's pick a realistic landing weight. When was the last time you landed at maximum gross weight? If you are like me, probably never. My airplane maximum gross weight is 2900 pounds, but my average landing weight is usually comprised of two persons and one-half tanks fuel, or about 2600 pounds. Interesting how my POH has a number for 2600 pounds! The recommended approach speed for this weight is 71 kts. Is it coincidence or by design that 1.3 x 56 kts (stall speed in the landing configuration) is 73 kts? I'm sure it's widely accepted that 1.3 x Vso is an appropriate approach speed, but the question then is; what is an appropriate speed across the threshold, and when do we begin the transition to this speed? In my judgment and experience, 1.2 x Vso, or 68 kts, is the target speed across the threshold. Again, look at the upper left corner of your landing distance chart, and you will see in the associated conditions that the power is at idle for landing. If you cross the threshold at about 35-50 ft, in the landing configuration, at 1.2 x Vso, power at idle as you transition to the landing attitude, you will land on the main gear first, as you gently lower the nose to the runway. There, my dear friends, is the secret to landing the Mooney, or any other airplane.
If you cross the threshold any faster and attempt to flare to the landing attitude you will balloon and float. Impatience will get the best, and in our attempt to force the airplane on to the runway we will see the classic bounce, leading to a porpoise, leading to a prop strike. A key component is the smooth and deliberate transition to the landing attitude. Any abrupt elevator input as you enter ground effect will be translated to an increase in speed as you balloon, and here we go again. This is particularly true in the long body Mooney.
Remember, we make good landings when we want to fly and the airplane wants to land, and we make bad landings when we want to land and the airplane wants to fly!
Fly Safe! |
| Tech Tips from the Mooney Factory Service Center |
by Brian Kendrick
Brakes are probably the most under appreciated resource available in your arsenal of flying. Wait until they fail and you are in for one big surprise.
Two things that go a long way toward keeping your brake system healthy are replacing your brake linings before your brake calipers start leaking (don't let them wear past 1/8" of material) and replacing the brake fluid at the calipers on a yearly basis.
As the brake fluid at the calipers heats and cools over a period of a year, the fluid in the calipers turns to syrup. The brakes no longer capture and release as desired. This is especially noticeable in the winter.
Have your local service center replace your brake linings when worn and replace, at a minimum, the 1/2 cup of congealed hydraulic fluid accumulated in the brake calipers. This will keep the system armed and ready to serve you.
Thanks for owning and flying a Mooney!
Fly Fast, Fly Safe!
For more information on the Mooney Factory Service Center,
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| Mooney Employee of the Month |
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Mooney Airplane Company is proud to announce that its Employee of the month for February 2010 is Frank Martinez.
Frank has been a Mooney employee since November 2005, and until moving to Kerrville last month, commuted daily from San Antonio. Frank works as an aircraft mechanic in the Factory Service Center and is a leading expert on air conditioning system installations.
He loves to learn new things and is a willing participant when it comes to cross training on other aspects of Mooney maintenance requirements. Frank's goal is always to protect your aircraft and provide the best service possible.
Recently, Frank proposed an improvement and worked with manufacturing engineering to design and build a temporary seat to utilize inside the aircraft when the interior has been removed. The temporary seat prevents mechanics damaging or breaking components when working inside the aircraft. This is an excellent example of how Frank is contributing to the Service Centers 'Lean Manufacturing Journey'. |
| 2010 Mooneys! |
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Having sold all inventory aircraft, Mooney Airplane Company is now taking deposits for 2010 models. Production in 2010 will be limited, so reserve your position now! Projected delivery time is six months from order date. Contact your salesperson for more details.
Not sure who your salesperson is? Contact us here. | |
