The Report from the May 14-16, 2010 WAMM Fly-In is ready for viewing. More to come. 2010-05-19

We have acquired a copy of Ed Mandibles' cockpit checklist that he showed at the WAMM Fly-In. If you would like a copy for your own use, download it from the Maintenance page, then print, trim it, and have it laminated. If you would like to have a customized checklist, contact the Mite Site. 2010-05-18

The Dawn Patrol event at Porterville is getting totally out of control. The number of committed participants has jumped 25% since our last notice! To see the full group, go to the WAMM Fly-In schedule page. How about adding your name to the list? 2010-04-15

The Dawn Patrol at the WAMM Fly-in will now have at least THREE participants! Another Miter has asked to have his name put on the list - Ed Mandibles, N325M. Let's hear from more of you! 2010-04-01

We've just learned that the WAMM Fly-In has two airplanes confirmed for the Dawn Patrol on Saturday the 15th. Scott Lewis, N4096, and Michael Harms, N201MM. We hope more will join them. 2010-03-22

Reminder: (see News item dated 2010-02-09) Have you printed out and posted a copy of the WAMM Fly-In posteryet? 2010-03-16

Scott Lewis, N4096, was in Victorville, CA this afternoon where he had a chance to take these two photos of his Mite and the new Boeing 787. 2010-03-12

Where do you go when you get in your airplane? For many pilots, it's usually to a hamburger-and-coffee shop. Kevin Daugherty wants us to realize there's a lot more out there to be enjoyed. He has co-founded a website called OneTankFlights: Discover, Fly, and Share. The website offers free memberships for pilots, intending to help them find new and interesting reasons to get in their plane and fly somewhere. The ultimate goal is to improve the health of the general aviation system by increasing the utilization of our small airports, flight schools, and other FBO services like fuel sales. Currently, although the site concentrates on the Ohio area because that's home, it includes data from every other state. OneTankFlights.com is designed for adding content, and invites submissions by members to broaden the list of destinations in every region. 2010-03-12

Visitors to the WAMM Fly-In at Porterville, CA might be interested to learn that on Monday, April 17th a fly-in will be taking place just down the road from Porterville. Minter Field Air Museum in Shafter, CA will be "Celebrating 100 years of Kern County Aviation History" by hosting a Pancake Breakfast. Here is a copy of their poster. Further details can be seen on their website. Minter Field is 32NM SSW of PTV. 2010-03-08

We have received an e-mail from Jolie Lucas, who has formed a group called the Mooney Ambassadors. Their main purpose is to support the Mooney Airplane Company and promote General Aviation. Their simple concept is that Mooney Ambassadors would choose a fly-in day or airport day and arrange to display. They would equip themselves with suitable material such as prop tags, t-shirts, etc., and "Fly somewhere beautiful, display your Mooney, and talk with the flying and non-flying public all day about your airplane and GA. Can any other company have a 40-50 year old airplane right next to the world's fastest single-engine production piston?" Mite owners are invited to become Mooney Ambassadors. If you are interested, send them an e-mail. 2010-02-08

As the WAMM regulars know, the May Fly-In date is fast approaching. As we always wish attract new members, this time the Mite Site has made available a poster to advertise the Fly-In. As you will see, it is designed to be easily printed and cut in two. We ask that those of you who hang out at airports or flying clubs, and have a printer attached to your computer (this should include most of you), please download the Poster File and pin the posters up in suitable locations. Thanks for your help! 2010-02-09

We've been contacted by Jeff Miller, Chief Mooniac, Vintage Mooney Group-Northeast, who wishes to extend an invitation to all Mite owners to attend VMG events in their West, Northeast, or new South Central locations. You can visit the VMG website for more information, including up-coming events. 2010-01-30

Those of you who have been to the WAMM fly-ins know that Bill Vandersande, our generous hangar host, has had great difficulty walking in recent years, the result of blood circulation problems. Bill just sent us very disturbing news that he's had his left leg amputated above the knee. He seems to be taking this setback well. We extend to Bill our sympathy and hope that he will accept the offer of a ride to the next Fly-in, scheduled for May. 2009-12-25

We take pleasure in announcing that Mal Gross, one-time Mite owner, has completed his multi-year book writing project. NINE LIVES: Adventures of a Lucky Pilot is now available to the public.

The book contains details of Mal's experiences as a long-time aircraft owner, as well as intelligent observations about the risks of flight. For more, see Mal's website. I was personally involved in the preparation of the manuscript, and I can say with certainty that pilots and aviation enthusiasts will find the book totally absorbing.

We are also pleased that, through Mal's generosity, we are able to offer (for a limited time) copies of the book to donors to the Mite Site. 2009-12-15

Here's a news item that really turns our crank: Fred Quarles, owner of the M-18 type certificate and once producer of the M-18X kit, has found a woodworking shop that might be willing to manufacture brand new Mooney Mites. Fred has asked us to pose the following questions:

1. Is anyone interested?
2. What they would be willing to pay for a basic VFR Mite?
3. What they would be willing to pay for a IFR Mite?

It is too early for a price to be named. A substantial down payment would be necessary. The main point of this is to find out if there would be any buyers and what they would be willing to pay.

We would appreciate it if you would discuss this amongst your friends and acquaintances and send your comments to:

2009-11-03

We have added to the Mite Site some wording from particular FAA regulations brought to our attention by Mike Magnani, N4096. They are the rules governing registration marking (N-numbers) on airplanes at least 30 years old, which, of course, includes Classic aircraft such as the Mite. Interested? Go to the link titled Forms, Specifications, Regulations: on our Maintenance page. Incidentally, this probably gives us an indication as to what stage Mike is approaching in his rebuild of N4096. 2009-10-30

The report for the recent WAMM Fly-In at Porterville, CA is now published. 2009-10-009

Early on, factory Mooney Mites won recognition for a number of reasons, including long distance performance, speed, and efficiency. However, since they have been out of production for over 50 years, restoration plays a key part in keeping the Mites flying. As no surprise, several have received awards for restoration workmanship. We have managed to collect a few photos documenting several of their wins. Thanks to the owners who sent us these great photos!

We have no doubt missed mentioning awards won by other Mite owners. If you are aware of any, and can provide photos, please send them to the Mite Site. Photos are essential. 2009-09-27

Stephen Taylor has sent us a request for details about a Mite apparently involved in the Eisenhower presidential campaign in the 1950's. Anyone -- please take a look at the photos and send us your thoughts and/or recollections. 2009-09-09

The Mooney Mite Fly-In Is Coming!! A message from WAMM president, Michael Harms. 2009-09-07

Concrete, Washington is the home of 3-1/2 Mites and the Skagit Aero Education Museum. Their Vintage Fly-In, hosted by Jim Jenkins and Harold Hanson was held the weekend of July 24th. It was a good, old-time airport day, the kind where aviation enthusiasts can walk anywhere, look at the airplanes inside and out, and talk to the pilots. We had the pleasure of attending for a few hours on the Saturday. 2009-08-08

Scott KcKie of Seattle, WA has sent us a couple of stories that he can recall about his dad's exploits in an M-18C, a.k.a. Wee Mac, back in the 1950s (see below). They are also linked to our Articles/Flight Experiences page. 2009-07-04

We've received a request from Scott McKie for help in locating a particular Mite. Unfortunately, it cannot be identified through a search of the Mite Site files (which are very sparse for the 1950's and 1960's), so we'll let you have a look at Scott's request in case someone out there can help:

I am contacting you to see if there would be a way to see if pics of the Mooney Mite that my father owned and flew while he was stationed at Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming, might be available. His name was Major Forrest W. McKie (his rank at the time) where he was attached to the Wyoming National Guard as Liaison Officer to the US ARMY. This was during the early 1950s. He was later transferred to Fort Leavenworth Kansas and the plane went with him when it was sold after he completed schooling there.

The plane's name was WEE MAC (after me, his son) and had a bright red and yellow paint job on it. I can't remember whether the big scallops along the LE of the main wings up to half way back towards the TE were red on yellow, or visa versa. I believe the scalloped patterns also were present along the leading edges of the tail feathers. It had the 65 hp. Continental engine in it.

If there is a way that you might be able to contact the Mooney Mite group and see if anyone remembers a Mite with that paint job on it in the Midwest, most likely it was my father's plane.

Thank you in advance for anything that you might find.
Scott Mckie -- scotsman7@comcast.net

Any help would be appreciated. Please contact the Mite Site or Scott at the above e-mail address. 2009-07-03

Re: Trophies - I am planning to put together an article on the various trophies that Mite owners have won over the years. I have been in touch with the winning owners that I know about, but there may be others to whom I have not sent a request for photos. If you have not heard from me, please e-mail me with details. Thanks. 2009-06-20

Contents of an e-mail from Scott Lewis, N4096:

At the recent Porterville fly-in, I was talking with Ed Mandibles and a couple other guys about the Stromberg carburetor and he mixture control. Apparently, many Strombergs have had the mixture control wired shut because of rumors/beliefs that the control is ineffective. Anyway, I found an article from a Cessna 120-140 owners organization that has a lot of information about the Stromberg, and I thought it might be of interest to other Mite owners whose plane has that carb. (click here)

2009-06-05

Please note: a change has been made to the date of the next WAMM Fly-In which was announced in the report below. It is now scheduled for the weekend of October 2 - 4, 2009. 2009-05-30

The WAMM May 15 - 17 Fly-In report is now ready for viewing. Of special note are visits by new Mite owners, Ed Mandibles (N325M) of Lompoc, CA and Dave Rush (N4105) of Commack, NY. Welcome to the Mite Community, guys! 2009-05-20

We've been told that the Mooney Mite Site played a part in the development of a very good M-18C simulation for FSX, the Microsoft Flight Simulator program. Our thanks to developer Tim Conrad for making it available here for download, and to Joel Johnson, N4124, for bringing it to our attention. Note that FSX runs only in the MS Windows operating system. View sample images from the simulator here, on another site. Download the simulator zip file (9.5MB) direct from the Mite Site by clicking here. The installation instructions are found in readme.txt within the zip package. 2009-04-25

WAMM Fly-In, Porterville, CA, in three weeks! (May 15 - 17).

2009-04-25

Notice of Event:

The Golden West Regional Fly-In (Yuba County airport (MYV), Olivehurst, CA) will be held on June 12, 13 and 14 this year and, as the Vintage Aircraft Coordinator, I am inviting Mooney Mite owners to attend one of the friendliest gatherings of aviation people and aircraft in the West. In addition to Antique, Classic and Contemporary Vintage Aircraft, we anticipate that a large array of War Birds and Homebuilt aircraft will be on hand. As usual, an air show, including a military flight demonstrations, will be presented each day of the Fly-In.

I would appreciate it if you would notify Mooney Mites owners in the vicinity of North-central California of this Fly-In. The participation of classic Mooney Mite aircraft will help make the Vintage Aircraft sector one of the highlights of the event. Arrival and departure procedures during tower operational periods are linked to this site.

Marty Maisel, Vintage Aircraft Coordinator, 916-408-4803, Lincoln, CA.

2009-04-10

Here's an item of interest from Stephen Lowther, N397A, N4080, N372A (parts):

This is for all the guys that don't like to Hand Prop anymore!

In the April EAA Sport Aviation is an article on The "SafeStart Starter" system. The STC has a typo in the article. Here is the correct number: SA02604CH. Price $1850 + $500 to install at his location. He is working on his PMA to do kits.

This is currently for Continentals 100HP or less. He is working on a Mooney Mite Lycoming setup as well.

I provided a frame and 0-145-B2 core to do the setup on.
Will send more info as I get it.

P.S. I should have N397A back in the air in June.

2009-04-08

Like many other vBulletin boards, the MiteTalk forum has been deluged with phony applications for membership -- more than ten a day. The usernames are nonsensical and email addresses non-specific (such as "@gmail"), so I have to assume they are automated spamming computers trying to post inappropriate material (ads or pornography). The recent registration procedure had enabled me to intercept and block them, but it required daily attention. I have now changed the program settings so that new applications for membership must go direct to me by email. Previous members will continue to have full privileges. I notice that Mite Talk is receiving very few new postings from legitimate members. This leads me to question its value, in view of the fact that a license must be purchased every year. Your comments would be appreciated. 2009-03-24

We are pleased to add another first-hand story to our collection, that of John Jorgensen, who ferried N4105 to New York last December. [See Flight Experiences: "Coast to Coast in N4105" via the Articles Page]. Thanks for writing it, John, and thanks to new owner, Dave Rush, who gave him the opportunity. 2009-03-11

Over the past month, the Mite Site has been undergoing major renovations, mostly behind the scenes (where HTML code is involved). It was brought to our attention today that one of more of our web pages was not displaying properly in Internet Explorer. This was to be expected, considering the number of changes involved. These things can usually be fixed easily, as long as we find out about them. If you see something that doesn't look right, please let us know right away so we can avoid embarrassment. 2009-03-01

Rest assured, there WILL be a WAMM May 2009 Fly-In at Porterville. We have eight confirmations so far. 2009-03-01

Some of the WAMM members are starting preparations for attending the Fly-In in May. However, there is talk that current economic conditions are keeping many flyers grounded. It was suggested that it might be smart to cancel the May Fly-In and go for October only. I would like to hear a.s.a.p. from those of you who are still committed to coming to Porterville on May 15 - 17. 2009-02-24

Message forwarded by Fred Ramin, NC366A:

"On behalf of the 1940 Air Terminal Museum, I would like to invite you and your organization to our monthly Wings & Wheels Saturday open house. The event features vintage aircraft, vintage cars, lunch and fun. We host Wings & Wheels on the third Saturday of the month, with the next one on Saturday, February 21, 2009.

This month features Chopper Day, including many helicopters and motorcycles on display. Our 1957 Cessna 172 raffle plane will also be on display. Families and fly-ins are welcome. Admission is $10 for adults and $5.00 for kids under 12. We hope to see you there!

Thanks, Drew Coats, The 1940 Air Terminal Museum, at William P. Hobby Airport, 8325 Travelair, Houston, Texas 77061, 713-454-1940, 713-454-1930 (fax).

2009-02-18

Our MiteTalk discussion forum is back online. There are links here and on the Front page. All user names and postings should be as they were last October when it was taken offline. Because it was such a popular feature of the Mite Site, we've put it back online even though we're still tweaking the security settings and page appearance. We hope you can remember your user name and password! If you can't, send us an email. 2009-01-27

Long-time Mite owner (like 30 years), Bill Vandersande of Camarillo, CA has informed us that, as of last Friday, N4105 was on its way to New York. Bill says the new owner Dave Rush of Commack, NY hired John Jorgensen to fly it back. Welcome to the Mite community, Dave! 2008-12-02

In February, 2007 we learned that Bruce Brown had purchased N119C from Garry Gramman's daughter, Kelly Oletta of El Cajon, CA. We also learned that he'd had a landing mishap in May, 2007. We imagined the worst, but Bruce has now sent in a report and some photos giving us the particulars. 2008-11-30

Due to technical difficulties, our discussion forum, MiteTalk, has been removed. Much to our regret, we received no support from our old hosting service (which is one of the reasons we moved to a new one), so the postings and membership list from MiteTalk were not transferred and are probably lost. In addition, the never-ending need to install upgrades and remove pornographic postings has caused us to think twice about installing a new version of the Forum software. Our apologies to those of you who made valuable contributions to MiteTalk in the past. We encourage you to keep in touch with us by e-mail, as this News Page can be a reasonable alternative. 2008-11-03

We've received word from John Pound of San Rafael, CA, who sold N4096 to Scott Lewis last spring, that he is happy to be back in the Mite community. John has purchased N101C, the Mite currently featured on our Front Page. The airplane will be ferried to the Bay Area by a ferry pilot friend, Paul Reinders, who owned a Mite about 30 years ago. 2008-10-22

NOTICE: We are presently taking steps to move the Mite Site to a new Internet hosting service. You may expect a temporary service interruption during the changeover, but we don't know exactly when. Sorry for the inconvenience! 2008-10-20

Due to a recent series of SPAM postings in MiteTalk, we have temporarily put a stop to all new registrations. This means that, until further notice, no new members can sign up and make a posting. If you are already registered with MiteTalk, you should be able to continue posting. If you can't, please let us know. In the meantime, we are working on a solution to the problem. 2008-10-03

The online Role of Honor for the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award now displays the name of Tony Terrigno (see news item below). We also have a photo of the presentation by the FAA to show you. 2008-10-03

The report on the September, 2008 WAMM Fly-In has now been published. Enjoy! 2008-10-02

His name hasn't appeared on their website yet, but we've learned that WAMM founder Tony Terrigno has been awarded the FAA's Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award which "recognizes pilots who have demonstrated professionalism, skill and aviation expertise by maintaining safe operations for 50 or more years." Congratulations Tony! 2008-09-22

We wish to congratulate Robert Schroeder, N118C of Minneapolis, MN who just informed us that he is now the proud owner of two Mites, the second one being N4147C which he acquired from Vernon Flacksbarth and Durber Allen. We are looking forward to photos and activity reports for both airplanes. 2008-07-29

New Mite owner Scott Lewis, N4096 recently had some work done on the engine and instrument panel but the airplane is flying again. He sent photos of a recent landing at Santa Monica airport. 2008-07-18. New photos added: 2008-07-21

Here's an unusual one for you — Mite enthusiast Salvador Sanlley of Miami, FL submitted this photo and background story about an unidentified Mite in El Salvador, Central America, in the 1960s. 2008-07-05

Please note that the next WAMM Fly-In will take place in Porterville, CA on the weekend of September 26th, 2008. We'll be looking for you! 2008-07-01

Long-time Mite Site contributor Dick Rank has been trying to sell N125C for quite some time. He's decided try another route and has asked us to tell you about it. Look for it on eBay on July 9th. We'll try to give you the link when it's posted there. 2008-07-01

We are sorry to have just found out that Ted Stewart, N4150, passed away about two years ago. Having talked with 80-year-old Ted several years ago, we knew that although he had not flow the Mite since 1976 he was too fond of the airplane to consider selling it. Frank Scully, whose father once owned N4150, went looking for the plane this past weekend only to learn from Ted's one-time neighbour in Mason, NH that the Mite has disappeared from its barn. If anyone can tell us the present location of N4150, we would much appreciate it. 2008-06-01

Here's notice of another fly-in event of interest to Mite owners. Homer Ellis extends a special invitation to the EAA Fly-In at Bartlesville, OK in September, 2008. We understand that if enough interest is shown, there will be a Mooney Mite Tent forum. We'd like to see a good response, but it's up to you owners and enthusiasts in the southern USA. 2008-06-01

Old newspaper articles about Mites not already published on the Mite Site are pretty rare, so we were pleased to receive three "new" ones, sent in by Keith Mackey, N4159. Given to Keith by his friend and neighbor, Jeff Abrams, they are about Jeff's father, Maynard Abrams, and Margaret "Peggy" Lennox, a well-known aviator from Florida. 2008-05-29

Our report on the May, 2008 WAMM Fly-In is now ready for viewing. This report links to a special page of aerial photos, the first time we have been able to offer this kind of thing, thanks to a local Porterville helicopter owner, Cory Johnson, and an unidentified photographer. 2008-05-22

At the recent fly-in, WAMM member Doug Triplett of Rosamond, CA gave us some photos to share. They seem to indicate that he has been looking for the right Mite for at least ten years! 2008-05-20

Thanks again to Boyd Maddox for giving us our first look at what's happening inside his "Mite Factory" at Houston Southwest. 2008-05-14

We've a received a series of photos from Boyd Maddox showing the arrival of Leon Buenger's N4188 at Boyd's shop at Houston Southwest. Leon recently trailered N4188 a distance of 40 miles, with police escort, in order to have Boyd put the finishing touches on the Mite. 2008-05-12

Special Invitation: Mite owners are invited to the Golden West Regional Fly-In on Friday, June 6 through Sunday, June 8, 2008 at the Yuba County Airport, Marysville, CA. Details. 2008-04-19

Porterville Alert: We've just learned that motel rooms are going to be scarce on the weekend of the WAMM Fly-In, May 16 - 18. Here's an e-mail received today from WAMM president Michael Harms:

"Don Deaton has alerted me to other goings-on at PTV during the weekend of the combined Mooney Mite and Vintage Mooney Group Fly-In. The Red Star Pilots Association will have another Red Star Yaks get-together. Check out their web site.

"There will certainly be lots of activity around the airport! Last year the Red Star Yaks made the newspaper with an article and pictures of their many formation flights over Porterville. Ben Favrholdt wrote me: 'For the past five days, we had a YAK Fly-in here at PTV. There were over fifty YAK airplanes and two L-39 jets doing a lot of formation flying and the jets making low passes. I haven't seen this much activity here since our Moonlight Fly-in's many years ago. There were huge crowds and the motels were booked solid.'

"It's always fun to see people having fun around airports. If crowds aren't your "thing" you can sit at the hangar and talk Mites. Or, if you want to mingle and see other planes, you can do that too. But ... if you want to sleep in a motel you'd best get crackin'.

• Best Western (559) 781-7411
• Holiday Inn Express (800) 345-8082 (new)
• Motel 6 (559) 781-7600
• Super 8 (559) 562-5188 (Lindsay, CA 10.2 miles away)
• Or check out Yahoo.com yellow pages under Porterville, CA.

"See you next month, Michael."

2008-04-09

Back in July of 1998, Ted Teach, N4122 received field approval for a nifty installation of an alternator in his M-18C. Having received many inquiries from admirers over the years, Ted has finally found the time to complete an information package, consisting of sketches, documents and photos, which is now available for downloading from the Mite Site. Ted's package, in PDF format, can be found via the Conversions and Modifications link on our Maintenance Page. Thank you, Ted! 2008-04-06