Mooney Chaparral Pilot's Operating Handbook

level; it's so quiet, it gives you the im- pression of just hanging there, like a free balloon. Stalling speed with flaps and gear The Chaparral trademark is on the wing tips. For you who are not Texans, a chaparral ;s a roadrunner, which is a bird noted for its speed. '~.:, I . .,---- ~ IHI ~ •..... • . , (1.....• - "" '"':!I 100D61 '-: .\1I&~a~d: ChaDarralby MAX KARANT AOPA 18 I ! I 37 COMPARATIVE DATA Mooney Chaparral 2,575 1,600 975 52 35 23/2 8/4 15.4 Lye. 10-360-A1A 200/2,700 190 1,015 1,400'~ 57 18,800 $20,755 down is 57 (flaps are 33° down fully extended). With flaps and gear up, stall is 64, according to the manual. The stall itself is mild and gentle. You use half flaps for takeoff, and pull back on the wheel when the airspeed gets to 60. When it hits 80, retract the flaps, then go to 120 for cruising climb. One peculiar point: the flaps apparently are sturdier than the gear; gear speed is 120, flap speed 125. At 65% power, true airspeed was about 175 m.p.h. This is only approxi- mate, however, because 53V's primary instruments, including the airspeed in- dicator, altimeter, directional gyro and horizon, vibrated and oscillated con- stantly. The power instruments were a little steadier, and I assumed that the settings for 65% power were accurate. However, the Alcor Ekonomix EGT sys- tem also seemed to have something wrong with it; when leaning the mixture at cruising altitude the EGT needle went down instead of up, and I was never able to get a clear temperature peak. As a result, I could only rely on a nonstop range somewhat shorter than the airplane is able to fly. This was particularly annoying because I was IFR much of the time from Kerr- ville to Washington. This IFR operation, incidentally, was interesting to me for two reasons. First, I was on edge most of the time, be- cause 53V's total radio capability con- sisted of that lone Mark 12A. Secondly, I was interested in why I felt that way. Of course, one radio is minimal for IFR. But I reflected at some length on the amount of IFR that used to be done routinely with one radio, and the tre- mendous amount of flying that was done with no radio at all. I couldn't help thinking about how far general avia- tion has advanced, to the point where today I find myself feeling sort of naked flying IFR without two VOR and ILS receivers, dual 360-channel com- munications, DME, transponder, ADF, marker beacon, autopilot with couplers, excellent aircraft instruments, and so on. Surely we have reached an advanced state of snobbery ... ? On the other hand, there I was, either in the solid cloud deck, or with a VFR-on-top clearance, with one radio, shaky instruments, in a new, untried airplane. What would I do if I lost the radio? Or if the permanently cocked horizon quit entirely? In the former case, and depending on where I was at the time, I'd probably turn off the air- way and let down slowly until I was VFR underneath. The loss of the horizon wouldn't have bothered me, because 53V also was equipped with a Turn Coordina- tor and PC-either or both of which would suffice. And because of the neces- Gross weight (Ibs.) Empty weight (Ibs.) Useful load (Ibs.) Fuel capacity (gals.) Span (ft.) Length (ft./in.) Height (ft./in.) Wing loading (Ibs./sq. ft.) Engine Power (h.p./r.p.m.) Top speed (m.p.h.) Range (statute miles) Climb (f.p.m. @ S.L.) Stall (flaps and gear down) Service ceiling Base price This is the emergency gear-extension system, on the left side of the cabin wall on the pilot's side. In front of the pilot, on the floor, are the com· bination sump drainage system (spring-loaded ring at left) and fuel selector valve for the plane's two tanks. Directly below the throttle quadrant are the trim and flap indicators. Above them is the ram-air knob for use only during climbs and cruiSing. sity of keeping PC always operational, Mooney has added the heated pitot tube as standard equipment. Also, it was winter. And although no one was reporting icing, I always figure that winter and clouds automatically constitute a threat. As a matter of fact, I got varying amounts of ice (none serious) on approaches to Monroe, La.; Nashville; Tri-Cities, Tenn.; and Wash- ington. 53V performed normally, even though I was occasionally apprehensive. I kept asking the ATC centers for icing reports, and when I could reach them (sometimes I had to relay through other aircraft because of the Mooney's poor microphone) none had any reports. I ended up giving them a couple myself. My cruising altitudes ranged all the way from 5,500 to 11,000 feet, depend- ing on the cloud tops and winds aloft. At 5,500 feet, I used 24 inches and 2,400 r.p.m., for an indicated airspeed of 160 m.p.h. The engine delivers its full 200 h.p. at 2,700 r.p.m. You use 25 inches and about 2,500 r.p.m. for climb. At 65 % power this engine is supposed to burn about 9.5 g.p.h., which would be a maximum endurance of 51/2 hours for the Chaparral's 52 gallons. The instrument layout and appear- ance are particularly attractive. Throttle, prop and mixture controls, for example, now are like those on a multi-engine plane, with a quadrant and individual handles that move back and forth. The electric switch for the flaps also is on this quadrant. Just below the throttle quadrant is the ram air control. This novel little feature, familiar to Mooney owners, is simply a little door in the nose which, when opened, bypasses the air filter Piper Arrow 2,500 1,380 1,120 50 30 24/3 8 15.6 10-360 180/2,700 170 857 875 61 15,000 $16,900 38 THE AOPA PILOT I FEBRUARY 1969 OAt 2,200 Ibs. -~- .-- -. L L L ," ".1.11 C ···.e "" --- 9893), now with Piper at Vero Beach, designed that remarkable little plane nearly 30 years ago. It was originally certificated March 25, 1940. In its way, and all out of proportion to its size, it revolutionized private flying. It was cer- tificated as spinproof, and its stall was little more than a gentle mush. Many of these Ercoupes still are flying, and the basic design itself has gone through almost as many changes as it has manu- facturers. The Cadet version currently being produced by Mooney is, in a way, a sad commentary on general aviation's progress. They've put a single rudder and fin on it, added rudder pedals, and have redesigned it back to the point where what was once the Ercoupe now produces both a sharp stall-and a spin! Mooney said they had to add a trainer to their line and, when they merged with Alon, decided to use the Ercoupe, then being produced by Alon, for that trainer. So, presumably to meet the requirements of flight schools and instructors, they have now deliberately put the full stall and spin back in! Closest competitive plane to the Chap- paral is Piper's Arrow. And it's because of the popularity of the Arrow that Mooney stopped claiming to sell the most retractables some time ago. 0 ally, showing both pilot and engineers how the proposed helicopter would per- form, said IBM officials. The electronic system also will simulate external forces, such as wind and turbulence .•• James F. Atkins, executive vice presi- dent at Bell, said, "The new system makes our design work more economi- cally, gives engineers a better insight into their work, and greatly reduces the time involved in setting up and solving de- sign problems." 0 ~ \ Test pilots at Bell Helicopter Com- pany, Fort Worth, Tex., soon will be test flying a newly designed helicopter before it has even been built. The pilots will be using a mock-up cockpit that is linked to a specially de- signed IBM computing system. Called the Hybird, the system combines two analog computers with a digital com- puter-an IBM system 360 Model 44. Linked to a mock-up cockpit, the IBM system will simulate flights electronic- Gene Colvin, experimental test pilot for Bell Helicopter Company, left, is briefed by an engineer on Bell's new IBM data processing system designed to simulate test flights electronically. Computer Designs Bell Helicopters gossips. So I talked with Ralph Harmon, company president; Dick Martin, vice- president for single-engine sales;' John Allen; and others. The gist of what I got from them is that they are short of working capital, due almost entirely to the unexpectedly high costs of de- veloping and marketing the Japanese turboprop MU-2, the pressurized Mus- tang, and the Cadet (which is what I'd call a loused-up Ercoupe). Harmon says flatly that they're over all these cost humps now. But he also made it quite clear that he· is now operating head of the company, and that Hal Rachal, an attorney and former opera- ting head, now is board chairman and is concerning himself primarily with legal matters. He attributed most of the gossip I asked about to a couple of dissident sales representatives. As for overall sales, Martin-the salesman-says they now are "tremen- dous," and that they already exceed the company's ability to produce planes under the best conditions. In model year 1969 they expect to produce 784 units of all models; the best year they've ever had hit 779. One quick word about the Cadet, largely because of my own personal experience with the Ercoupe dating back to the early 1940's. Fred Weick (AOPA and takes its air directly into the engine. You only use it in climb or cruising flight, and then only when you're flying clear of dust or visible moisture. But when you do use it, it boosts the plane's performance by as much as 15 m.p.h., according to Mooney. I turned it on and off several times at cruising altitudes, and the manifold pressure actually in- creases about IV2 inches when it's open. Most of the engine instruments are strung in a neat rectangular line across the top of the panel, including two fuel gauges, cylinder head temperature, oil pressure, oil temperature and the ammeter. One peculiarity: Mooney has for some time been calibrating the fuel gauges in pounds of fuel, instead of gal- lons. No particular reason I could find, but the pilot does have to divide what the instrument says by six to find out how many gallons remain. Mooney it- self quotes its engines' performance in gallons per hour, notwithstanding this added little bit of confusion. Just to add to the confusion, the fuel pressure gauge is calibrated in pounds per square inch. There's a novel little annunciator panel of six lights beside the flight instruments; any of those lights when on warn the pilot that that particular function is not normal. In the floor, between the pilot's feet, is a small metal ring attached to the lowest point in the plane's fuel system. You just pull up on the spring-loaded ring to drain the system during runup. In an emergency the gear can be lowered manually, by a folded handle on the left wall of the cabin, next to the pilot's knees. The noise level in cruising flight is quite good, especially considering that there's a 200 h.p. engine running just ahead of the windshield. Using my tape recorder mike to test the noise level, I preset the volume control, then moved the mike slowly around the inside of the cabin. The needle reached its peak right at the center post of the wind- shield. Mooney's using the latest version of PC: the Brittain Turn Coordinator, tied to PC. There's an added roll trim knob on the Turn Coordinator so that now, in effect, you can adjust the plane's heading with that knob while flying hands-off. The cabin heater in 53V was excel- lent. At 9,500 feet the outside tempera- ture was just 14°F, yet with just the slightest movement of the heater knob I had abundant heat in the cabin. On the ground at Washington, I got into the back seat to see how it felt. My conclusion was that I would not relish carrying four people on a long trip. May- be a couple of small children in back, with the front seats pulled forward, but certainly not four adults with any com- fort. I can see why Mooney added the Executive 21 and Statesman to their line, with their stretched cabins. While I was at the Mooney plant, I asked about the rumors currently mak- ing the rounds. Everything from being short of cash to collapse and bank- ruptcy has been passed around by 39