[quote="Bob Patch"

Becca,

You'll notice I fly an M20J. I even calculate a final approach speed for every flight:

58 + 1.5 * (hundreds of pounds of fuel/bags/people). Add 10 knots for no flap.

Love the plane.[/quote]
So assume 350lbs, 1.5*3.5=5.25+58=63kts, that is no where close to 1.2Vso?

Ive always liked going to Starkville. Small town feel. I used to fly up there in my little 150 to go visit friends. I don't have a dog in the fight, I didn't go to either (Embry Riddle). But all of the very smart kids I knew went to State, your engineer types. The kids with wealthier parents who said they had to go to college and had a strong desire to formally dress up to go to a football game typically went to ole miss.

This thing started to drift like a fart in a crowded room.

So assume 350lbs, 1.5*3.5=5.25+58=63kts, that is no where close to 1.2Vso?[/quote]

Becca,

Yes. Say just me with my gear (200#) plus 25 gallons of fuel (150#), I would use 63 or 64 on final. That is actually 1.3 Vso.

I took the only full flap gear down stall speed available in my POH, which was full gross weight - 55 KIAS. 1.3 * 55 = 71.5 for full gross weight. I rounded up to 72.

I then used V2 = sqrt(V1^2 * W2/W1). Doing that for my plane, stall speed empty is just over 44 KIAS. Multiply by 1.3 and I get about 57.5 KIAS which I rounded up to 58.

That's a 14 knot difference for a 970# change in weight. 14/9.7 = 1.44.

For simplicity I just use 1.5 as the multiplier. Worst case it makes me about 2 KIAS fast at full gross weight. I'm not that good.

So assume 350lbs, 1.5*3.5=5.25+58=63kts, that is no where close to 1.2Vso?

For me i know my stall speed at mid weight*1.3...add 5 if heavy, subtract 5 if light....the math is easier

Buy a bonanza and you won't have to do math problems every time you land.

Kevin

What?! No CG calcs?

What?! No CG calcs?

What?! No CG calcs?

Ive always liked going to Starkville. Small town feel. I used to fly up there in my little 150 to go visit friends. I don't have a dog in the fight, I didn't go to either (Embry Riddle). But all of the very smart kids I knew went to State, your engineer types. The kids with wealthier parents who said they had to go to college and had a strong desire to formally dress up to go to a football game typically went to ole miss.

This thing started to drift like a fart in a crowded room.[/quote]

So, THAT is what I smelled!
The Ole Miss/State rivalry is not just a tradition, it is an obligation.
My first "biggest" mistake in life was getting a business degree at Ole Miss instead of an engineering degree at State.

Now, back to other thread drifts.

jgreen

So, THAT is what I smelled!
The Ole Miss/State rivalry is not just a tradition, it is an obligation.
My first "biggest" mistake in life was getting a business degree at Ole Miss instead of an engineering degree at State.

Now, back to other thread drifts.

jgreen[/quote]

John you've probably made more money and met more diverse people (Mooney Owners) becoming a lawyer.

That egg bowl and sugar bowl trophy sure look good in that trophy case in Oxford though

I have owned and flown a lot of airplanes. I bought a new F33 in 1992 but only kept it 3 years, which I regret.

Later I owned a Mooney Bravo for eight years.

With that background and reminding "everyone" that I have no BRAND loyalty, I'll make these comments.

A Bonanza is pretty much a Bonanza; not so with a Mooney. The long body Bravo, Acclaim and Ovation is a far cry from a short body Mooney and the J is a far cry from an older C, D, or E model.

Each airplane has its strengths and weaknesses, but I would give the edge to the Bonanza comparing it to the long body Mooney and a bigger edge comparing to the short body Mooney.

The seating positions are different and many people are completely comfortable in the Mooney. Obviously my wife and I were or we would not have kept it for so long.

My Bravo had several features that I really liked. First of all, I always felt safe flying it, maybe safer than in any other airplane (in most scenarios) I have ever owned. It is hell for stout and neither you nor mother nature are going to tear it up in the air.

Secondly, I liked the control feel. Solid and predictable which is what I want in an airplane that I will be flying IFR.

Thirdly, it would HAUL ASS. Don't dare pull a Bonanza turbo or otherwise next to it because it will hurt your feelings.

All in all, an airplane is like a woman, there is most times a "mystique" that you can't quite touch but touches you. The Bravo did that for me. I have never missed an airplane like I miss the Bravo.

Do I like Bonanzas? Yes, love them. But, truth is I have only flown one airplane that I didn't like, a One Design.

So, I don't mind giving others the room to like, enjoy, and be proud of what they fly. That's what makes us interesting.

Jgreen

The tightest airplane I've EVER been in was flying a M20K not long ago that showed 10-12nm/gallon

I am reasonably proportioned, stand about 5,9. I swear I had my first claustraphobia attack for the first few minutes after shoe horning into the left seat.

The Bonanza is, in my opinion, much roomier (feeling).

My M20J (a 205) was fine for my small family. I had a not-so-tall friend in a Mooney and he looked really crammed in there. If your legs are shorter, you are right up against the instrument panel. I'm average height 6' and it wasn't bad. Felt the same in width as the bonanza, but of course the Bo is much taller and you sit up straight.

The huge difference in the planes is in the back seat. The Mooney is really tight. My wife wouldn't sit back there for more than maybe 2 hours. The second row of the Bonanza is a living room in comparison. Full recline, lots of leg room. Wife won't get in a Mooney now.