Mooney Load Capacity
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Amelia
Pre-takeoff checklist
Volunteered for a charity flight yesterday, and the linking pilot called to say, "We're leaving now, should be there in a couple of hours. By the way, these folks have a LOT of luggage, and it's heavy. (I rechecked the mission form, which admitted to only 30 pounds of cargo.) So, while all that gear was essential medical stuff, I sure was glad to have the warning. Rather than the usual top-off, I put in the minimum amount of fuel to get to the destination, plus reserves, and was glad I did. Took a bathroom scale out to the airport and weighed the bags as they got stuffed in the back, and it was over 100 pounds. Whew. And two of the three passengers weren't exactly lightweights. The W&B was a near thing; Some of the equipment went in front of the back seat just for a little cg margin. It was also nice to have cold air and long runways. A Mooney 231 will take 700 pounds of pax and bags, and still climb like the proverbial bat, but if the pilot is a stickler, it won't have all 72 gallons of gas.
Amelia
Pre-takeoff checklist
BTW, Jim, I don't have a digital POH for a Mooney 231, but I have the hard copy at hand. What, exactly do you want to know? I'll look it up.
I sure like my M20K- it's a real world-shrinker. Almost any destination east of the Mississippi River is a one-tank trip. Leaps tall mountains at a single bound. Uses about 12.5 gph and true airspeed at 12,000 feet is about 165kts. It's faster and leaner higher, of course, but O2 for everybody is a bit of a hassle, so I don't usually take advantage of that. It's usually enough for me just to climb above the haze and turbulence. I did have a smug grin, though, when a controller somewhere near the Canadian Rockies asked if I could accept FL 210. Dug out the Ox masks and said, "why soitenly. On my way up." I tell you, the view of the Ice Field Parkway's glaciers from that vantage point is simply amazing.
I sure like my M20K- it's a real world-shrinker. Almost any destination east of the Mississippi River is a one-tank trip. Leaps tall mountains at a single bound. Uses about 12.5 gph and true airspeed at 12,000 feet is about 165kts. It's faster and leaner higher, of course, but O2 for everybody is a bit of a hassle, so I don't usually take advantage of that. It's usually enough for me just to climb above the haze and turbulence. I did have a smug grin, though, when a controller somewhere near the Canadian Rockies asked if I could accept FL 210. Dug out the Ox masks and said, "why soitenly. On my way up." I tell you, the view of the Ice Field Parkway's glaciers from that vantage point is simply amazing.
flyingcheesehead
Taxi to Parking
If you're serious about buying, it's probably worth the $22 to pick up your own hard copy from Essco:
http://www.esscoaircraft.com/c-5312-mooney-m20k.aspx
Unfortunately, it seems that digital POH's are hard to find for most airplanes.
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jsstevens
2300' is "stampsized"? What do you fly? I flew in one day and sat at the upstairs open air seafood place and watched a TBM 800 or 850 do touch and goes for most of my lunch.
John
If it was at my home airport, I just might.
Geez:
Adult 1 = 160; Adult 2 = 130; Adult 3 = 170; Adult 4 = 130; Fuel 35 gal (plenty above IFR reserves for the distance. could have been legal down to 30 gal) = 210; Baggage = 100; Grand total = 900#
What in the world was the point of this?
For me, just about every day is Christmas.
Everskyward
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Everskyward
What you are trying to say here is that nobody is a real adult.
HPNPilot1200
En-Route
Jim, I don't have a digital copy but I have copies that I could scan for you. I fly a 1984 M20K (231).
Here is an excellent article about the 231 by Bob Kromer that I highly recommend reading: http://www.mooneypilots.com/mapalog/M20K231%20Eval%20Files/M20K231_Eval.htm
Do you have a built in O2 tank? The mooney I fly (fairly late 231 model) has a built in tank that we were considering taking out to save some weight and use a portable O2 bottle when needed, though we haven't removed it yet. It is really nice to be able to go up high, though. True airspeed tends to drop off above 17k, but we've had it up into the flight levels before to take advantage of some great winds.
A few summers ago on the way back from Pennsylvania, I had a NY Center controller ask me to confirm my type aircraft. He said the system showed me as Mooney but that couldn't be right since I was doing 230+ kts over the ground at 17k. I laughed and told him he's welcome for a ride anytime.
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dennyleeb
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Geez:
Adult 1 = 160; Adult 2 = 130; Adult 3 = 170; Adult 4 = 130; Fuel 35 gal (plenty above IFR reserves for the distance. could have been legal down to 30 gal) = 210; Baggage = 100; Grand total = 900#
What in the world was the point of this?
For me, just about every day is Christmas.
Geez
Just asking
So it is a 4 place plane if the trip is very short.(and the passengers are small, US avg. weight male 191lbs, female 162lbs) I guess that was my point when I said it was a 2 place plane. For any decent cross country it is a 2 place plane. I don't ever go up with 35 gal. Not that it is wrong. Just below my personal minimums esp. on a ifr flight to anywhere.
The original post was about Mooney load capacity correct?
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alaskaflyer
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35 gal is just below the TOTAL usable capacity of a heck of a lot of planes with poorer MPG potential than a Mooney
Whatever makes you feel better jesse
Touchdown! Greaser!
Base it in Lincoln and I'll put some hours on it for you. Hell, I'll even pay for the hangar and wash and wax it so that it's always in tip top shape when you come back to the states. Plus I have a spare room you can stay in when you're in town.
dennyleeb
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35 gal is just below the TOTAL usable capacity of a heck of a lot of planes with poorer MPG potential than a Mooney
Ok let me do the math for that flight on my plane with a decent alternate.
HARTSFIELD - JACKSON ATLANTA INTL [ATL]
300°
15 165°
169° 169°
174° 140
150 26
26 278.7 nm
278.7 nm 1:51
1:51
GEORGE T LEWIS [CDK]
280°
21 120°
123° 125°
128° 140
160 8.7
34.7 99 nm
377.7 nm 0:37
2:28
KISSIMMEE GATEWAY [ISM]
Great circle distance: 355.3 nm. Average Ground Speed: 153 knots.
bolded numbers are fuel burn at 14 gph,(my turbo 182) So on that trip with a decent alternate I would use 34.7 without taking into account extra fuel for taxi, takeoff or climb or approaches prob another 10 gal. Not to mention a 45 min reserve. That flight is not a very long cross country. That is why I would not attempt this IFR trip or any with less than 35 gal of fuel.
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jsstevens
Why go all the way to ISM for an alternate? OCF is much closer, and fully equipped.
I'm not picking a fight, just trying to learn.
John
dennyleeb
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Guess it's a good thing for Lance that his plane is a 201, and not a T182, and that he knows the difference when he is planning his flights!
Why I said my minimums. I have no clue about the mooney fuel burn or his TAS or his personal thoughts on a alternate.
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dennyleeb
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You are right OCF is much closer so the weather is likely to be the same there. Even if I used OCF as my alternate I would not have enough for a 45 min reserve. I just like to pick a alternate where the weather is likely to be different. I love options and fuel on a IFR flight gives you options. Cutt your fuel close and you run out of options very fast.
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Oh, in so many ways.What you are trying to say here is that nobody is a real adult.
Thank goodness.
alaskaflyer
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OK, that makes sense for you with that airplane. But like you said we are talking about Mooney load capacity? Until the 231 they have typical cruise fuel burns of below 10gph and a cruise MPG better than most trucks and SUV's.
35 gallons gets you quite a ways in a Mooney. I'm no fan boy but if you can get your load into a Mooney you are going far for less juice. I also think "most" cross country trips for small GA owners are less than 450nm.
Amelia
Pre-takeoff checklist
Jason, my 1980 Mooney 231 does have a built-in Ox tank. And when that ran out of test a year or two ago, I bought a replacement just like it- just because it's convenient to have the tank back there, out of the way, and I didn't figure 20 pounds, or whatever it was, would make much difference, weight-wise. Certainly not enough to make it worthwhile putting up with a klugey ad-hoc substitute portable rig to rattle around loose and get in the way, and then have to be dredged out and set up in order to take a couple of whiffs on a dark night to turn up the lights out there. As it is, if I need a quick pick-me-up after a long day, if I want to climb above that looming cloudbank, I just plug in the nasal cannula and do it. They do make fancy super-lightweight built-in tanks worth investigating, but they were right spendy.
The only thing about having built-in O2 is that the tank needs to be refilled at an FBO that has bulk oxygen. That typically costs between $50 and $100 a pop, and takes time to set up and fill. (I'd threatened to take my old run-out tank, plus a couple of others that have somehow migrated to my hangar, and set up my own cascading refill system, but, ...eh... never got around to it.)
The joy of heading east-bound at 17k, with the groundspeed way up there past 220 or 230 is lovely, indeed. And that's still low enough that adjustable-flow nasal cannulas work fine and are both economical and legal, so no need to deal with cumbersome oxygen masks with poor built-in mics.
The only thing about having built-in O2 is that the tank needs to be refilled at an FBO that has bulk oxygen. That typically costs between $50 and $100 a pop, and takes time to set up and fill. (I'd threatened to take my old run-out tank, plus a couple of others that have somehow migrated to my hangar, and set up my own cascading refill system, but, ...eh... never got around to it.)
The joy of heading east-bound at 17k, with the groundspeed way up there past 220 or 230 is lovely, indeed. And that's still low enough that adjustable-flow nasal cannulas work fine and are both economical and legal, so no need to deal with cumbersome oxygen masks with poor built-in mics.