Monticello Flying Club Pilot Transition Manual: Mooney M20F
Page 24 of 42
A
DJUSTING THE
S
EATS
The front seats are slid forward and back by pulling up on
the bar along the front of the seat. The seat back can be reclined or
set straight up by rotating the silver knob at the bottom of the back
rest while leaning slightly forward until it is in the desired position.
The rear seats can either be folded down for more baggage
storage or reclined for passenger comfort. Either is accomplished by
pushing down on the red handle found on both sides of the rear
seats (see picture on left).
S
TARTING THE
E
NGINE
The checklist gives a full description of the steps to start the engine. The engine is fuel
injected with no primer. You prime the engine by turning on the fuel pump with the mixture at
idle and the throttle half in and then pushing in the mixture to full rich for 3-8 seconds before
returning it to idle. Typically, more priming is needed on colder days. On warm days or with a
warm engine, it is often helpful to turn the fuel pump off prior to engaging the starter.
The article on mixture at the beginning of this guide is very informative for starting this
aircraft.
The ignition system is a shower of sparks system, so make sure to turn the ignition to
‘start’ and then push in the ignition. On ‘start’, you will hear a chattering noise which is perfectly
normal (for more on shower of spark systems, see this helpful discussion:
http://www.donmaxwell.com/publications/MAPA_TEXT/Shower%20of%20Sparks/Shower%20
of%20Sparks.htm
). As the engine catches, gradually push in the mixture, and lean the engine
promptly to prevent spark plug fouling.
On cold days, the engine should be pre-heated using with the built-in oil sump heater or
blown pre-heat air.
See the aircraft use rules for more details. It is important to recognize that
cold weather is particularly hard on engines, so pay attention to checklist details for cowl flap
use in cold weather and promptly reduce RPM after starting the engine to allow the oil to warm-
up.
T
AXIING
Mooney props sit closer to the ground so you need to apply extra caution when applying
breaking and when taxiing over uneven ground. As with towing, avoid sharp turns, allowing for
sweeping turns.
You should lean the engine during ground operations except when large amounts of
throttle are needed to get up a hill or while doing a run-up. Like most engines, this one tends to
run so rich that, without leaning, spark plug fouling is inevitable during a long taxi or while
awaiting takeoff clearance.
The risk with leaning on the ground is that a takeoff with a lean
mixture can cause severe engine damage so you must make absolutely sure the engine is full rich
(except in high density altitudes) prior to run-up and take off.
E
NGINE
R
UN
-
UP
The steps for the run-up are covered in the checklist. Cowl flaps should be open at this
point per the checklist.
To avoid damaging counterweights and cylinders, increasing the throttle
from idle should be done gradually (over a few seconds).
Mag checks are done at 1700 RPM and
