HOW NOT TO LAND A MOONEY

[MooneyDriver78]

Slide over to th cp seat... reach to the outside-top of the fuselage... using that as leverage stand up and step out on the wing... easy-peezy !!

But you have to back out which is kinda weird, although that’s what I do on entry, minus gripping the top, I grip the sides of door frame.


Tom

 

[Dave Theisen]

I never land with power, and in my mid-body J, I actually prefer to be over the fence at 65kts or so as that speed just works for my airplane. Even after a long power off decent, (IE dropping in pretty fast), there's still plenty of energy at 65kts for a nice roundout. If I'm light, the winds are light, and I'm aiming for a short field, I'll even let it drop to 60kts or so over the fence.

OMG, you’re going to die!

 

[danhagan]

Pro pointers on getting out of a Mooney with your dignity intact:
DO NOT use the door as a crutch, it’s not meant for that.
Roll over, putting right knee on the copilot seat, right hand on fuselage or seat back, left hand on fuselage or use handheld.
Step onto the wing with left foot, lift yourself up.
One more thing, don’t slam the door close when getting in.
Tom

Sounds like you were writing instructions for getting out of an Archer! <];-D

Wow, how sad! While you guys are are playing "Twister" trying to get out of your ride, I've always just climbed out of the Tiger or RV after a long taxi looking like a total stud with my arm hangin' out enjoying the COOL breeze

 

[idahoflier]

Part of the issue as well is many people learn to fly on pitiful examples of airplanes, like 172..

I'm starting to think you had a bad breakup with a Skyhawk... ;-)

 

[Tarheelpilot]

Why do people hate the skyhawk? I learned to fly in one... I think the quality of instructor has more influence than the forgiveness of the airplane.

 

[midlifeflyer]

Why do people hate the skyhawk? I learned to fly in one... I think the quality of instructor has more influence than the forgiveness of the airplane.

Of course it does.

 

[Tantalum]

I'm starting to think you had a bad breakup with a Skyhawk... ;-)

Ha.. it's what it feels like sometimes!

Why do people hate the skyhawk? I learned to fly in one

**DISCLAIMER**
-all things that fly are good
-I would not say no to a free, or even modestly priced 172.. there are however some crazy priced 172 out there.. outside of starting a flight school I don't know why you would spend more money on a 172 when you could (for the same or less money) buy a great Mooney, decent Debonair / Bonanza.. is bananas!
-flying ANY plane is still better than not flying
-I honestly don't hate the Skyhawk, but it has enough flaws that it's very easy to pick on

I have not a ton of time (by some standards) but at least few hundred hours in PA28 and various C172.. I'll take any PA28 any day over even the newest Skyhawk.. I've been told "well maybe the ones you flew weren't rigged right" and things like that, but honestly the 172 just never felt "good" to fly. Plus it screams "I'M A TRAINER!" with the strutted wings and tall springy gear.. personal (less subjective, more objective) gripes:

-bending over to get in the plane, at 6 ft I'm not crazy tall, but I hate bending over to get to the door of a plane, makes the plane feel small

-yes I've ended up with diamond shaped welts on my forehead

-despite it being a small plane you need either a ladder, or to perform semi-erotic gymnastics to who ever is already sitting in the plane to check the fuel.. cold morning? Dirty plane? Too bad, you get to drape a third of your body all over an ice cold dirty wing wing.. by yourself and trying to fuel it from the self serve pump.. GOOD. LUCK

-why is the plane so un-sure-footed on the ground? A bird flies by and it wobbles.

-taxi.. unlike the PA28 that very directly connects your feet to the nose gear, or Tiger / Cirrus that is purely differential braking but you can turn on a dime, the 172 is some perverse combination of the both; who thought rubber band bungee cords to connect to the nose gear was a good idea?

-later models have the landing ear light on the wing.. but not really in any logical or symmetrical location.. it's just kind of thrown out there roughly mid span on one wing.. why?

-are there any 172 more than 10 years old that have a working rear baggage door latch? Cessna never could get this right, could they.. just about every 172N/M/R etc., and even some 210s I've flown have a rear baggage door that doesn't really latch or unlatch without the feeling of bending metal

-THE SHIMMY! Have you ever been sitting there, eating lunch at the cafe, and heard what sounded like a wreck, you look over in horror only to find a 172 shimmy'ing its way down the runway?

-why no rudder trim? (yeah, some have them, but you can't dial it in like a PA28, you move the toggle around to find some compromise that still requires constant rudder pressure)

-the fuel sump for the engine is madness.. the plane pees on your feet and pollutes, or you need to be really tall, or you need a buddy. There's really no way to GATS jar sample the center fuel drain

-later models have some absurd number of fuel drains, I think either the R or SP or one of them has something like 13 drains?? WHY?!

-the seat latch.. you never know when that departure climb may be your last one as you stall into oblivion because the seat unlatch and hurdled you into the back seat

-fuel on "both" - and watch in horror as 2 hrs into your cross country as the left tank hovers around 1/4 tank while the right is almost full. This "both" arrangement also means that if one tank is contaminated the other may as well be contaminated, and if you run out of gas you're screwed.. at least on a plane with L / R if you "run out" you can switch tanks and maybe get 10-20 minutes flying out of it

-good luck seeing traffic on final as you turn onto the runway (but that's a general high wing grip, along with a weird perception of hanging under a wing as opposed to sitting on it)

I think the quality of instructor has more influence than the forgiveness of the airplane.

Oh for sure, but that's a whole different topic. You can get good or lousy instruction in just about any airplane

 

[steingar]

Wow, how sad! While you guys are are playing "Twister" trying to get out of your ride, I've always just climbed out of the Tiger or RV after a long taxi looking like a total stud with my arm hangin' out enjoying the COOL breeze

Except that I'll have arrived, gotten out of my Mooney, taken a leak and probably and at my destination in my rental car before you show up in your Tiger. And I'll have brought my Mrs. and her ****, which I can't do in your RV. Most importantly, I have to get into and out of the RV by standing on the seat, getting it and my ass dirty.

 

[Tantalum]

And I'll have brought my Mrs. and her ****, which I can't do in your RV

I'm very intrigued... you'll have brought your Mrs and her what? Apparently not only is it banned in the RV but not allowed on PoA either...?

 

[Tarheelpilot]

Except that I'll have arrived, gotten out of my Mooney, taken a leak and probably and at my destination in my rental car before you show up in your Tiger. And I'll have brought my Mrs. and her ****, which I can't do in your RV. Most importantly, I have to get into and out of the RV by standing on the seat, getting it and my ass dirty.

That’s. Odd. I didn’t say that.

 

[danhagan]

Except that I'll have arrived, gotten out of my Mooney, taken a leak and probably and at my destination in my rental car before you show up in your Tiger. And I'll have brought my Mrs. and her ****, which I can't do in your RV. Most importantly, I have to get into and out of the RV by standing on the seat, getting it and my ass dirty.

I was rolling at 187 knots on the last Telluride run. ... most times I'm at 160-165 knots but could turn a little quicker - unless you're rolling the turbo I doubt you're that far ahead of me. Some people get in stepping on the seat, I don't ... my manufacturer is still around, so parts are no issue .... only "donuts" I have issues with are at Krispy Kreme

 

[steingar]

I was rolling at 187 knots on the last Telluride run. ... most times I'm at 160-165 knots but could turn a little quicker - unless you're rolling the turbo I doubt you're that far ahead of me. Some people get in stepping on the seat, I don't ... my manufacturer is still around, so parts are no issue .... only "donuts" I have issues with are at Krispy Kreme

Can't outrun an RV, I'll admit that. Couldn't touch one for the money I paid for my Mooney, unless it was really old and very basic. And even then I don't think I could do it. The ones I've flown in you get in by stepping on the seat. I've yet to see anything short of an RV10 that I could take Me, Mrs. Steingar, and Mrs. Steingar's luggage. Last week long trip she did I filled the back of the Mooney and had to leave something behind. Ain't happening at all in an RV.

I keep saying RV's are great airplanes. They really are. But they're not good for everything.

 

[dtuuri]

Amusing, reading how to land a Mooney or not. Although I've given a couple BFRs in one, an M20K rocket with 305 HP, and ridden around in the right seat by a factory pilot after a tour of the plant, I don't remember ever landing one myself. So, here's how it ought to be done (like I really know ):

• It has a big engine which acts as an airbrake at idle, so I wouldn't pull off all the power until the very last moment. That would stir up the air behind the prop and cause the horizontal tail surfaces to stall or ride in turbulent airflow making for a rough, inconsistent landing.
• It is a clean plane which takes a long time to slow down, so I'd do that long before entering the pattern and I'd avoid power settings above that which would provide zero thrust during the flare. I'd use all the flaps. I'd follow POH advice re: speed brakes, if equipped.
  
• It has a long wing and a short gear which would cause the plane to skip like a flat stone across a pond during landing. So I'd flare a little higher than normal and let it sink into ground effect with just a touch of power as mentioned above (not too much!).
• I'd aim for 1.3 Vso @ 50' AGL on the first attempt, then reduce that speed incrementally if it causes a long float on subsequent tries.

Ok, all, bury me next to runway where I'll have a nice view.

 

[steingar]

Amusing, reading how to land a Mooney or not. Although I've given a couple BFRs in one, an M20K rocket with 305 HP, and ridden around in the right seat by a factory pilot after a tour of the plant, I don't remember ever landing one myself. So, here's how it ought to be done (like I really know ):

• It has a big engine which acts as an airbrake at idle, so I wouldn't pull off all the power until the very last moment. That would stir up the air behind the prop and cause the horizontal tail surfaces to stall or ride in turbulent airflow making for a rough, inconsistent landing.
• It is a clean plane which takes a long time to slow down, so I'd do that long before entering the pattern and I'd avoid power settings above that which would provide zero thrust during the flare. I'd use all the flaps. I'd follow POH advice re: speed brakes, if equipped.
  
• It has a long wing and a short gear which would cause the plane to skip like a flat stone across a pond during landing. So I'd flare a little higher than normal and let it sink into ground effect with just a touch of power as mentioned above (not too much!).
• I'd aim for 1.3 Vso @ 50' AGL on the first attempt, then reduce that speed incrementally if it causes a long float on subsequent tries.

Ok, all, bury me next to runway where I'll have a nice view.

One of these days I'll head up that way and give you a crack at mine. What you'll see is if you stick to the numbers it really isn't a deal. If yo don't, well, I hope you have deep pockets.