love the paint!

how many times did you hear "Negative ghost rider, the pattern is full?"

yes, 100ft of float for ever extra knot. Forcing it on to the ground is a surefire way to bounce. There's more than a few people who like 80 on final and half flaps, and wont (can't) go into anything shorter than 3000ft. I find that steep, full flap, power off approaches to the threshold at 75 indicated will have me off the runway in 1500ft,

What is the fastest land animal?

So the answer is none?

All models, just need to install an optional kit. I think there is 1.5” and 3” extensions.

Cheetah, whose top speed is pretty close to the stall speed of a Mooney.

Cheetah, whose top speed is pretty close to the stall speed of a Mooney.

I love my 1981 Mooney 231 and I have about 1100 hours in it. I use it for work and also fly Angel Flights regularly - over 100. The airplane is terrible to get into and out of for anyone larger, or anyone with even a minor orthopedic issue. Sometimes, it's downright humiliating for passengers who have to crawl onto the wing to get out. If I have more than a single passenger, getting into the airplane is like playing Tetris.

Other than that, it's a great travel airplane. It's nice and solid, well mannered, and really well-built. Someone commented on the Bonanza being better built and perhaps that is true, but for me, of all the GA airplanes I am familiar with (I am not familiar with any Beech) the Mooney is the best engineered. The fuel system is simple with a great selector valve (strong detents) and only three options, left, right and off. The door is simple with a single lever to engage two pins. The panel is designed for anything you throw at it and laid out for IFR. The wing has really nice heavy skins with flush rivets. The list of AD's is paltry. Although everyone raves about the pushrod control linkages, I think the control forces in pitch and roll are too heavy. That said, the rudder is nice and light.

Landing is easy but not landing short isn't. At the recommended 73 kt approach speed you will use more runway that you like but the airplane lands like a dream. It does not like to fly an approach much slower than 73 kts. At between 62-70kts the airplane is piggish, heavy, nose high, and downright uncomfortable. The benefit is that going slower means it uses way less runway and really saves the tires. It took me about 600 hours before I felt really comfortable with an over the fence speed of under 73 kts.

All in, I do love my Mooney, but if I had a 182 RG, a Bonanza, a Comanche . . . . I'm sure I would love them too.

I will attach a picture of me with the perfect passengers, two spry teenagers!

Accepting you said you aren't an engine guy...

You mention your 540 makes 270 hp @ 2575 @ 38". I see naturally aspirated 540's that make 300 hp at 2600 or 2700. Why does it take an extra 8" of manifold pressure to make 30 hp less?

Low compression pistons for the blower

1. Yes - when my friend wanted to sell me his Mooney (which I had flown on and off for 10+ years), my wife said “NO, AND HELL NO!”. After flying in a Bonanza, she said, “GET ONE, NOW!”

2. Never had a problem landing one - stay on speed - they land like a lot of other planes

3. No - the best I was ever able to do in my fiends Mooney (20E) was 139 knots on 9 GPH

I didn’t know this.

This engine will maintain full MP to 22,000 (The so-called “critical altitude”)

1. Yes - when my friend wanted to sell me his Mooney (which I had flown on and off for 10+ years), my wife said “NO, AND HELL NO!”. After flying in a Bonanza, she said, “GET ONE, NOW!”

2. Never had a problem landing one - stay on speed - they land like a lot of other planes

3. No - the best I was ever able to do in my fiends Mooney (20E) was 139 knots on 9 GPH

Different engine, the angle valve 540's make 300hp, the parallel valve engines make about 10-15% less depending on the CR and RPM. Same displacement, but completely different engine.

Jeff

And I put a couple of hundred hours on that same airplane before selling it to Jack (when I got twin fever).