Landing a Mooney

Julian Scarfe wrote:
"Jon Kraus" wrote in message
...


I've never flown a low wing plane before the Mooney and I am having a
problem with the sight picture working out for me. Is this a pretty
common issue in transitioning to these planes or should I just resign to
the fact that I'm not going to get as nice a landings in my Mooney as I
did in the Skyhawk .


I think you're most of the way there, in that you've correctly identified
the major issue. Once you've got the speed control mastered (which is
critical, as everyone has told you) it *is* all about sight picture and
knowing where the wheels are in relation to the runway. Mooneys are
particularly unflattering of bad landings because of the nature of the gear,
but no harder to land well.

I'd add one more thing to the speed control notes. You want to be crossing the
threshold at 71 knots (M20J). On final, if you see you are high, try -raising-
the nose and scrubbing off 5 knots or so. It's counterintuitive, but you will
find raising the nose at this speed will increase your descent angle.

For a normal landing, cross the threshold at 71. For a short-field landing, 65.
Don't go any slower than that or you won't be able to flare. Don't go any
faster, or you'll float or bounce.

There's little shock absorrption in the landing gear, so don't let it touch when
you're going to fast or you'll be airborne again in a heartbeat, with a
wheelbarrow to follow.