Where do these rumors come from?  Are they true? Do Mooneys float on flare? They'll float like an airbiscuit if you don't mind your pattern speeds.

If you come in fast enough in a Mooney and begin to flair, I like to kid people that you will not only pass the airport, but you'll pass the city.  Does that mean that Mooneys cannot be easily handled when you're low and slow? Landing is probably the most challenging thing about flying a Mooney. In my mind, Mooneys are easy to fly, so the most difficult part of the "easy to fly" Mooney would probably be nailing landings on the spot you'd like to aim for. Some other brands have most difficult parts of operation that are worse than this. 

But let's talk about how I managed to "nail" landings in a Mooney with relatively low Mooney time. The year was 1988. I had decided to sell out in California and move east to Virginia. I didn't mind leaving Los Angeles, my birthplace, but Virginia? I wasn't sure. Personally, I favored San Antonio, which we had visited. However, one of the coolest airports I've ever operated out of was Chesterfield County Airport in Chesterfield Virginia, a suburb of Richmond.

The thing that was really cool there was the Chesterfield Pilots Association. I joined them. These guys took a regular hanger and double decked it themselves. The upper floor was made in to the coolest bachelor loft you've ever seen. It had everything from beer kegs to frozen Snickers to a whole array of videos on flying. There was also a shower, a bedroom, full kitchen, and great furnishings. These guys hung around there more than they were at home.

Zef, what does Chesterfield airport have to do with landing a Mooney? Glad you asked! We got together and planned a spot-landing contest. There must have been around 30 planes there to compete. I was there with my then new 1965 M20E, N79823. "823" was my very own first Mooney. She had only 1600 hours total time. Of course I didn't realize that this engine only had a 1400-hour TBO. The previous owner used "823" to run he and his dog from their home in New Jersey, where he had his physician practice, to Florida where he yearned to live. His wife would fly down to meet him on an airliner. You know the deal. Anyway, he kept this plane well maintained, but didn't care about esthetics. In fact, he had some neighborhood kids paint it and they used LATEX! The interior was baby doodoo yellow Naugahyde
, but, the price was affordable at $16,800.00. Within 3 months, "823" became a beauty queen, but that's a story for another time.

SPOT LANDING DAY! We all eyeballed each other standing by our trusty steeds, panning each plane and pilot with a humph. A couple of guys were snickering at my new Mooney and me. They later admitted their “snickers” were due to the "impossibility" of a Mooney winning a spot-landing contest. The rule was that 3 guys were standing off the runway midfield downwind. You had to have your engine at idle before you passed them by. If any of the three heard power above idle, you were disqualified for that run.

I was last to fly. Once past them and with no power, my son and I sat up and leaned forward in our seats with a determined look on each of our faces. I figured I would come in a bit fast, but really low before the threshold. I kept the altitude as best as I could while speed bled off and was only a few feet off the ground from before the threshold. I had set the flaps at full, as there was little wind.

Soon came the numbers with the finish chalk line ahead about 50 feet. I dumped my flaps as I passed the numbers, and then really had to flare which I did. My tires chirped 6" past the chalk line. If anyone landed before the line, they were disqualified. The next closest guy was about 6' beyond the chalk.  There were Bonanzas, Cherokees, Travelers, a Rallye, a Beagle, 2 twins, several homebuilt and one Mooney. But who wins???

The "Zef" (childhood nickname) ME! My son and I were giving each other high fives left and right. Mikey and I were really impressed with ourselves. We got a great trophy for that day. I'm pretty proud of it as you can tell.

Was it just luck?..........................................................You bet your ass it was!  Of course I could never duplicate that one, but with practice, you can work to look pretty good in a Mooney. As far as landings are concerned, Greasers Rule! Besides, a Comanche floats worse, so the worst of the Mooneys ain't so bad.

Fly safe,

Rich