Opinions on a M20J

"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
...

Anyway, even with those caveats, I'm not saying you couldn't land a Mooney
there. A person flying by the numbers, using proper technique, should be
fine. It's just no place to be sloppy.

I think that's the key. I implied in my original post that the M20J
requires more landing distance than comparable tourers. On reflection in
the light of others' posts, and perusal of some numbers, I think that's
misleading. The issue is that it's much less forgiving of any imprecision
in technique. Given that we're all human, I still think that's a good
reason to think hard about whether you want to base a Mooney at a relatively
short field.

Julian

"Bob Miller" wrote in message
...

The previous poster seemed to imply that Mooney deliberately set the
limitation low. Can any other J owners corroborate the 11 kt
demonstrated x/w for a J??

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?e...13X26176&key=1

Julian

On 6 Sep 2004 19:55:58 -0700, (Bob Miller) wrote:

The previous poster seemed to imply that Mooney deliberately set the
limitation low.

I'm not aware that Julian posted anything about Mooney setting a
*limitation* on crosswind performance, deliberately or otherwise.

He did post that they chose to *demonstrate* crosswind performance at a
certain speed. But Part 23 only requires that this demonstration be done
at 0.2 Vso or greater. Vso in the 'J' is 54 KIAS. So anything over 10.8
Kts 90° crosswind component meets the requirements of Part 23.

As I said, the usual reason for that is because that's what was available
when the schedule called for performing this part of the flight test.


Ron (EPM) (N5843Q, Mooney M20E) (CP, ASEL, ASES, IA)

That is
the reason why we drain the sumps before flight.


Well, for me, it's not. Again, the amount of water aquired through
condensation is so minimal as to be non-existent. However, draining
will rid you of any water, no matter where it comes from.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

Right now we are looking at a '79 M20J. I flew it Saturday adn it was
very nince. The owner has taken good care of the plane. My partner is
going to fly it Wednesday to get his impression. He will probably like
it. He is the one that sent me the ad. I'll keep you posted.

Jon Kraus
PP-ASEL-IA
Student airplane owner

Jack Allison wrote:
Hey Jon...keep up the posts your buying adventure. I'll be
interested to see what you finally wind up with and what the journey was
like. I'm hoping to eventually head down the ownership path. At this
point, I'm only familiar flying Cessna hardware but am definitely
interested in what you're leaning toward in the Mooney arena. Something
about 160 kts and 10 gph that just sounds like something for
nothing...er, sort of.

Nice looking plane, by the way.

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?e...13X26176&key=1

Thank you.

"Julian Scarfe" wrote
If you're in the market for a fast, fuel-efficient single-engined tourer,
there are 4 reasons not to buy a Mooney:

Actually, there is one you missed. Cabin room.

If you're a stick (tall and thin) and you like the sportscar position
(legs stretched out in front of you, stuck into a narrow channel) you
may well enjoy a Mooney. If you are shaped more typically, like to
sit upright, and want room between you and the front seat passenger -
think again.

The late model Mooneys are not so bad (the Ovation is almost
comfortable - almost) but I have some time in a K model Mooney and it
is by far the most tight and uncomfortable aircraft I have ever flown,
not excluding the gliders.

Of course I am what might be called gravitationally enhanced, so the
best advice I can give is this - decide how long your longest trips
are going to be, and sit in one for that long. Then make your
decision.

Michael

"Julian Scarfe" wrote in message ...
"Bob Miller" wrote in message
...

The previous poster seemed to imply that Mooney deliberately set the
limitation low. Can any other J owners corroborate the 11 kt
demonstrated x/w for a J??

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?e...13X26176&key=1

That's a pretty common mistake in cross winds. Once you touch down in
a strong cross wind, the ailerons should be turned all the way to the
stops against the wind. When I teach cross wind landings I teach that
you never want to expose your belly to the wind (metaphor only). You
need to keep that upwind wing down.

-Robert

You'll love it. They are fine aircraft. I've operated in and out of 1500'
fields, at lightweight.
The last time I few one, they were still using MPH on the airspeed, and we
would shoot for 63 across the fence.

The large tanks, and low burn can combine to give interesting results.
Here in fog country, I live in Oregon, the extra fuel sounds reasonable when
airports all over start going 0-0. Catch the winds just right, and you can
go a very long way above most of the weather. I once flew a Mooney 20K
x-country in about 8 hrs. Ok, it was turbocharged, and yes, I did carry a
little extra gas, but 104 gallons from San Francisco to Washington DC in one
afternoon is hard to beat.

Can't say that I've ever had the opportunity to try out Mooney's extreme
crosswind, as we generally have a pretty good choice of runways. But I have
operated it in well over 30 knots. The low profile and stiff legs make it
feel very stable on the ground in a high wind.

I lost an engine in one, at night, over mountains, and 30nm from the
airport, and made it to the airport. (Ok, before you start, yes it was MY
fault. I left the ram air door open and then flew into very thin clouds. I
could see the moon, and I was at eleven thousand. United was at 370, also in
it, and could also see the moon. Ice crystals built up on the fuel injection
air inlet tubes, and shut off the fuel to the engine. I closed the door, and
leaned the mixture trying to find the right spot. As I got lower, Some of
the ice melted, fuel started, and I used power to extend my final to the
airport. Ok, standby, flame proof suit on, go ahead, I'm ready.)

Al Gerharter CFIAMI *

*Long time Mooney Lover







"Jon Kraus" wrote in message
...
http://www.aso.com/i.aso/AircraftVie...craft_id=84399

I flew this yesterday and it was nice (but what the hell do I know) He is
asking 105k but Vref says it is worth $113k. That seemed high but again
what do I know. Any Mooney owners out there want to give an opinion on
the M20J? Thanks in advance.

Jon Kraus
PP-ASEL-IA
Student airplane purchaser

Jon Kraus wrote in message . ..
Right now we are looking at a '79 M20J. I flew it Saturday adn it was
very nince. The owner has taken good care of the plane. My partner is
going to fly it Wednesday to get his impression. He will probably like
it. He is the one that sent me the ad. I'll keep you posted.

One interesting thing about Mooneys is that they all fly at different
speeds. Some are faster than others. As with all planes they all came
out of the factory with wings that are a little different (the effect
of hand building). Its not unusual for one Mooney to be 10 knots
different than the one that came out of the factory after it. One was
to tell if you have a fast straight wing is to stall the plane with an
experience CFI. Some Mooneys will roll inverted. These are the slower
ones. Some will stall straight ahead. These are the faster ones. Make
sure you try it with and w/o flaps. Under no situation should you ever
attempt to spin your Mooney.

-Robert, CFI Mooney owner.