Thinking about getting an airplane

[T2 Ernie]

It flies well in the pattern, stable in roll, not as stable in pitch.

I think it's just that you're sitting on the CG. If I trimmed my Mooney up with my legs out against the rudders, then pulled them up to bend my knees, it would start a slight climb. Similarly, if I trimmed it up with my legs bent & feet back, then stretched them out, it would begin a slight descent.

The only real downside is cabin is not real big. The front seat has enough leg room for adults, the back seat is a little tight.

Ain't that the truth. I've put three adults & one small teenager in ours once - snug is an understatement!

Great plane though.

[Bill Greenwood]

When I write about Mooney handling, I am mostly comparing the M20C and the M20J I owned with the Beech Be 36TC I fly now. This is the long wing Bonanza and it flies nice in cruise; but at low speed in turbulence the wings roll around and you have to use a lot of aileron input to keep it wings level. The Mooney seems to have more aileron power at low speed. Pitch is the opposite, such as when flying an ILS approach. The Mooney is less pitch stable, changes speed more. Once trimmed at a certain airspeed the Bonanza is good about holding speed. My T-34 was also easy to trim for approach speed, even using 70k on final. The T-34 is probably the easiest plane to land I have ever experienced. For that reason it is not a good trainer for other warbirds, but a nice sport plane.

[Second Air Force]

T2,

You must be as short as I am if you can get your legs bent in an M20 cockpit ! Both you and Bill are right about pitch sensitivity--most of my meager flying time had been in various Cessnas before we got our Mooney, and I thought something was wrong with the airplane (or me) for the first few hours. Now that we've flown it for a while, I move my head forward or aft to stop slight excursions from level flight in smooth air. Ellen delights in moving around when I look like I'm ready to fall asleep just so I have to pay attention to the airplane . We have a two-axis autopilot, so I still have to perform the altitude hold function myself.

Happy Holidays!
Scott

[T2 Ernie]

You must be as short as I am if you can get your legs bent in an M20 cockpit ! . We have a two-axis autopilot, so I still have to perform the altitude hold function myself.

In reality, it was my dad's plane, not mine - although I flew it much more than he did the last several years. But I'm every bit of 5'8" first thing in the morning on a good day!

Our Mooney only had the wing-leveler, so I hand flew everywhere. Wing leveler was useful in light turbies.


I'm also looking at getting a plane in the not too distant future - timeline is 2-3 years depending on other factors outside my control (like what the USAF is going to do with/to me). Looking at something I can reasonably use to haul my family around in. It's gotta be a taildragger (ulterior motive for something in the middle-future) & still be able to moonlight with as single-pilot 135-type stuff. So, C-185 or C-195 is more practical than the Mooney & although I really love the radial of the 195, the 185 has about 400+ pounds more useful load for about the same speed & fuel burn, but is more expensive for initial purchase. The 195 maint is slightly higher too, so probably a reasonable wash there. Comes down to 400+ pounds or radial romance!