IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 1157N Make/Model: MO20 Description: M20, M20A/B/C/D/E/F/G/J/L/R/S, M20K/M (T
Date: 09/17/2006 Time: 1806

Event Type: Incident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Minor

LOCATION
City: TEMECULA State: CA Country: US

DESCRIPTION
ACFT ON LANDING, NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED, TEMECULA, CA

INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:

OTHER DATA
Activity: Unknown Phase: Landing Operation: OTHER

Departed: Dep Date: Dep. Time:
Destination: Flt Plan: Wx Briefing:
Last Radio Cont:
Last Clearance:

FAA FSDO: RIVERSIDE, CA (WP21) Entry date: 09/18/2006

I put a call into my buddy Chuck and found out that the new owner drove the plane into the ground. Normally when you land a plane, you pull up the nose when you get close to the ground to make the plane fly parallel to the ground. This is called a flare. Apparently the new owner neglected to do this when landing. OPPS!

• Seeing my family (dad, mom, sister Rachel, step mom Krista, step brother Mikey, Grammy Elaine, and Grandma Alice)
• Seeing a number of my friends – Justin Klein (you can read his take on our get-together here), John Medina, Jeremy Sultan, Susanna Hyatt, Chuck McGill, Ross, Davide, Madeline, etc. and talking with many others
• Flying my old airplane
• Taking some great pictures
• Riding horses with my sister and Dad up at Will Rogers’ park
• Swimming at the Brentwood country club
• Taking a family trip up to Telluride, Colorado
• Eating some In-N-Out and many other things that I had been craving
• Shopping for all the stuff I can’t find in China
• Visiting the Getty Center
• Showing everyone pictures of my girlfriend Shenqi, and seeing everyone else’s pictures
• Drinking some good Italian wine
• etc.

While all of this has been really nice, I miss China, my friends, my house, my girlfriend 申琦, and my life there. The U.S. and everyone here just seem so foreign to me now. I am having a lot of trouble getting used to the slower pace of life in general here, the MUCH higher price of everything, and, I can’t believe I am saying it, but how inefficient many things are. When I first got to China, I would have never dreamed of saying that America was less efficient, but in some aspects it is quite true. I can’t stand how long it takes to wait in lines here, shop, pay for things, wait in restaurants, etc. Having an unlimited cheap labor force really makes many things run faster in China. I had to valet my car today when I went to visit my dad’s new office, and the valet took 5 minutes to get to me, get me a ticket, and take my car. I couldn’t believe it, but it wasn’t like it was anything weird by U.S. standards. That situation just doesn’t occur in China. I then waited 30 minutes for a table, only to get served SLOOOWWWWLY by a waitress who was overloaded and couldn’t handle all her tables. It took forever to order, get our food, get a check, and get change. I missed China.

Also, making plans with people requires much more notice and planning than it does in China. If I want to meet with someone in China, it happens that day, not a week later. There is no telephone tag, schedule checking, planning, etc. It just happens. Everything for the most part is on a much more accelerated schedule.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am definitely not saying that everything about China is better. All I am saying is that there are a few things about life there that I really really miss.

I have a few more days here in L.A., and then Labor Day weeked in Las Vegas before I fly back to China. I intend to savor every minute of my time here in the states, but will definitely be happy to get back to 中国 (China).

After clearing customs and getting my bags, I met Dad and Krista, who were waiting for me just outside. It was great seeing them again, and they really hadn’t changed.

Our first stop was In-n-Out Burger. I couldn’t believe how different it was from a Chinese restaurant. We waited in line patiently, no one screamed at the waiters, and then we waited around for our food.
Once I got used to the fact that everything was different, I really enjoyed the burger, which I’d been craving for so long. It was great to sit outside and watch the airplanes landing at LAX while we ate.

The very next morning, at 4 a.m., we caught a flight to Telluride, CO. We had to first fly to Denver and then take a very small airplane (Beech 1900) into Telluride. I really enjoyed the flight because the cockpit didn’t have a door and I could watch what the pilots were doing and see the view ahead.

The view, once we got to Telluride, was amazing. The air was extremely fresh and my jaw kept dropping at the beautiful mountains and natural features of the countryside. We had a nice Mexican lunch, which I hadn’t had in forever. Our hotel, which was more of a house than a hotel, was huge and amazing. It had a wonderful kitchen, huge TV, wireless Internet, and a private Jacuzzi. I unfortunately wound up spending a lot of time there, as I got sick on the second day. Everyone actually got sick, including my little brother Mikey.

My sister Rachel arrived three days later. Dad, Krista and I went to pick her up at the airport. I couldn’t believe the reaction I got when she saw me. She let out a huge scream, ran over and gave me a great hug. She was visibly excited, as was I. We quickly caught up, discussed our lives, and got right back into our old routine.

Over the next few days, we spent many hours watching movies, playing games, taking pictures and just catching up. It was a great trip, great environment, and the company was great. It is very nice to be home, but I definitely miss China, my apartment, my Chinese friends, and definitely my girlfriend, 申琦.

Anyway, a few things led me to want to head home for a few weeks (in no particular order):

1. My step brother Mikey, who is just over a year old, has really grown up while i have been away. When I left, he was a tiny little guy who couldn’t even crawl. Now he is talking, walking, and eating solid food. He has gotten much bigger and heavier, and I generally feel as though I am missing a huge part of his development
2. The little things that I don’t like about China are getting on my nerves more and more and I am finding that I am focusing on them and taking for granted all the things I love about this country. A little time at home will help put things in perspective and remind me of how much I really do love this place
3. I miss western food. It isn’t that there are a ton of things that I miss, or that Chinese food isn’t good (It is VERY good), but more that I am craving a few specific items. A good hamburger tops the list right now. I have yet to find one here in 石家庄(shíjiāzhuāng). The other foods I have been missing (mac & cheese, Mexican food, potato salad, etc.) are not quite as critical, but will definitely be consumed while I am at home.
4. Shopping. I can find most of the things I need here with the exception of English books, specific movies, sticky Velcro, and some photo equipment
5. I miss my friends and family
6. I miss flying
7. I miss driving
8. I need a break from studying ~6 hours a day. I think that coming back refreshed will allow me to restart and continue at a faster pace.
9. I want to go out and not have to speak Chinese for a whole day
10. I am sick of bargaining for EVERYTHING I buy.

So if you will be around and would like to catch up, shoot me a line and we will meet up. See you all back in the states ….

My friend Leo helped me book two plane tickets from 石家庄 (shíjiāzhuāng) to大连 (dà lián) for about 1300RMB each round trip ($165 US), and helped us find a decent hotel， 船舶丽湾大酒店 (chuánbó lí wān dà jiǔdiàn), for around 500RMB a night ($63 US). I was very excited about leaving and getting to spend a relaxed weekend on vacation with 申琦 (shēn qí), but she, however, was quite nervous.

Our flight left late on Friday the 19th. On Wednesday, 申琦 (shēn qí) started having trouble sleeping because she was so afraid of the flight. Most Chinese people have never been on a plane before, and thus have this deeply ingrained fear of flying that they have developed over many years. 申琦 (shēn qí) was the same, even though she knew that flying was much safer than any other means of transportation. I made sure that we were booked on a large plane, an airbus 319, and not a small one that might be bumpy. As Friday drew closer and closer however, she kept getting more and more scared, and slept less and less.

Finally by the time Friday rolled around, she kept on telling me that getting on a plane felt like she was giving me her life, and that she was sure it was going to be tragic. She wanted to have her mother come over for dinner and some majiang before we left. As we ate, she told me that it seemed like it was her last meal. As 申琦 (shēn qí), her mom, my maid wu jie, and I played majiang, the two women kept reassuring 申琦 (shēn qí) that it was perfectly safe and that everything would be fine, but she was still scared. Finally it was time to leave. We took a cab to some hotel that had an airport shuttle for 20RMB ($2.50 US). The石家庄 (shíjiāzhuāng) airport is about 50 minutes outside of town, so taking a cab would have been a bit expensive.

Our travel agent had said that we needed to be at the airport 10 minutes before the flight. Coming from the U.S. where you have to arrive hours before a flight, I of course did not believe this. We got to the airport about an hour in advance, which turned out to be much earlier than necessary.

The way the travel agency worked was that we deposited some money in their bank account and they then gave us a code. We were then supposed to take this code to the people at the airport, who would ultimately give us our tickets. This all sounded strange to me: depositing money directly in a bank account only to receive a code that we couldn’t validate until arriving at the airport, minutes before our flight. If the travel agency hadn’t been owned by a friend of mine, my bullshit detector would have been going off the chart, but I guess that’s just the way it is done here in China.

There were no real security checks at the airport. A quick glance at my passport, and then an x-ray of our carry-on luggage, was all that we had to do. We then walked right onto the plane. Once 申琦 (shēn qí) got seated, she began taking everything in. I quickly realized that she had to check everything out because it was all stuff that she had never seen before: how to put the tray table down, how to use the seat belt, where the bathroom was located and how it worked, what the wing looked like, how the stewardesses were dressed, what the magazines were, how to turn on the lights, etc. She was on overload, and her fear of flying combined with all the new stuff raised her anxiety level a lot. Once we pushed back from the gate, every noise, light, etc. made her jump. At one point (I think when the engines started up) she even cried a little. I was really worried about what to do. If she truly couldn’t handle it, we would have to get off the plane and go back. I kept consoling her, letting her know what would happen next, and reassuring her that everything was normal. I figured that the worst part would be the actual take-off, but it turns out that it actually calmed her down for some reason. She was surprised at how quickly the plane accelerated, and actually said she liked the feeling of the take-off. Score!

I had gotten her a window seat, and she sat glued to the window the entire time. She loved looking at the cars below, until we entered the clouds that had been looming over the city all day. For the rest of the flight, all she could see from the window was a black abyss, and she said that it made her feel as though we were still on the ground. The flight was smooth except for a few bumpy patches. She said that she actually didn’t mind these that much since if felt a bit like a massage ( )! When the drink cart came by, she had to have me help her put the tray table down as she didn’t know how. She decided to save her orange juice cup as a souvenir.

On the arrival into大连 (dà lián), she was again glued to the window looking at the buildings and cars below, and actually didn’t mind the landing too much. She was all giggly about having survived a plane ride, and I felt very special to have been able to share it with her. We hopped in a cab and proceeded to our hotel……

1. Talk Talk China is a blog published by three foreigners who claim to have collectively lived in China for over 45 years. They take turns posting based on some sort of schedule, and for the most part are correct in what they say. I find their comments to be very helpful on those days when I am just extremely fed up with how things work in China, or just need a break to laugh. Good reading.
2. Chinese Pod is a site that offers up free daily pod casts to help people learn Chinese. Utilizing their service after having studied Chinese for around 5 months, I find the site to be quite helpful. Having said that, I don’t think it would benefit absolute beginners at all. I have been trying to listen to 2 or 3 of their pod casts every day to try and catch up (They have several bit-torrents set up that allow you to download past pod casts). I think that if you have studied Chinese for a little, you will find their service to be extremely helpful. I like the format of their broadcasts, and love the idea behind the site, however not everyone agrees. Their early pod casts are much worse than their current ones and they seem to be quite open to suggestions and interested in making their site as useful as possible. They also offer a subscription service that allows you to do exercises and go over their lessons in greater detail. I have not subscribed yet so I can not comment on this content, but my intent is to subscribe once I get a bit more caught up on their older pod casts. All in all, I like their service and highly recommend it.
3. Sinosplice is another blog. This one happens to be from a grad student in Shanghai, John, who is an American from Florida. He has been living in China for over 5 years now and has some great perspective on the language and life here. He is keenly interested in the language and thus many of his posts deal with the finer points of the Chinese. I found one of his posts on the difference between shitting and a thesis defense to be rather amusing.
4. Going Native is another blog from a foreigner living in Shijiazhuang. This blog is not nearly as good as the other 2, but I find it interesting because the blogger lives in the same city as me, and because it centers around the Beijing PanAm flight school and flying in China. If any of you are considering flying in China, this might be worth checking out.

As far as my daily schedule is concerned, here is a typical weekday for me:

• 05:30am – Wakeup and leave the house as quietly as possible. Ride my electric bicycle to Lian Ban Ming Du to meet Leo
• 05:45am – Do cardio with Leo for around an hour (usually riding the regular bicycle or running)
• 06:45am – Eat a quick breakfast which usually consists of either porridge or guanbing, the best 1 kuai (1/8 of a U.S. Dollar) you can spend in China
• 07:00am – Enter the bath house for a sweat, shave, and shower
• 07:45am – Walk back to Lian Ban Ming Du
• 08:00am – Start class (Monday and Wednesday morning with Michael, otherwise with Willa)
• 10:00am – Finish class and ride my electric bike home
• 10:15am – Answer emails, catch up on news, call the states, and try to get to my homework (which usually doesn’t happen)
• 12:00am – Eat lunch
• 12:30am – Get back to using the computer and trying to do homework
• 02:00pm – Ride the electric bike with 申琦(Shenqi) and go to the gym to meet Leo and workout
• 03:00pm – Leave the gym and ride my bike to the bath house (kai sa), sweat and shower again
• 04:00pm – Ride the electric bike to Lian Ban Ming Du for class (Michael Friday, Willa every other day)
• 06:00pm – Ride the electric bike home for dinner
• 06:30pm – Eat dinner
• 07:00pm – Start doing homework
• 09:30pm – Get ready for bed and prepare for the next day since I can’t do anything at 05:30am
• 10:00pm – Crash…..

• lather rinse repeat

Not quite the high flying circus act as you might have expected, but I am learning a lot and enjoying myself.

Until next time…….再见。。。。。

Me flying past Mt. Shasta – 2003:

Anyway, I had not really thought about how much I loved that plane till I was flying down near Long Beach. I started remembering flying to Oregon with my buddy Justin, flying to Sun River to stay with Chuck and his family, flying around Mt. Shasta, altitude tests with Jeff Young, taking my parents for their first flight, flying to the Mooney PPP in Tucson and at the Mooney PPP in San Diego, numerous trips to LA for Laker games, numerous trips to Las Vegas to visit with my family, etc. etc. etc. All of a sudden, the song November rain started playing on my iPod and I really began to realize how much I am going to miss my baby

Me and my dad at Santa Monica getting ready to fly to Las Vegas – 2003:

Anyway, I got down to San Diego, parked the airplane, got everything I wanted to keep out of the plane, and closed it up in the hanger. I then went over to the FAA FSDO for my last San Diego Aviation Safety Counselor meeting. The Aviation Safety Counselors are a group of volunteers who work with the FAA to help promote aviation safety. We have monthly meetings and put on at least one big event a year–the Super Safety Seminar–which draws close to 600 local pilots for a day of safety-related seminars. I have been a member of the San Diego group for the last 2+ years and really gotten to know a lot of the other counselors well. I was elected to the board for a 2 year term, and was elected by the board to serve as treasurer. I have spent a lot of time with the group and I was very sad to say good bye. At the end of the meeting, the president and everyone present gave me a big thank you for my work over the past few years which made me feel very good. Thank you all very much as well for your efforts towards safer flying, and for being such great flying-buddies….I will miss you all.

I got a ride back to LA from another Mooney guy in San Diego who we will just refer to as Larry T. This was a great example of how NOT to fly. Larry T. started off as being very abusive to his plane. He tossed the keys onto the wing-walk, he let the tow bar slam into the cowl flap, and he was generally rough when handling the plane. This showed as his plane was not a good looking 231 at all.

Larry T’s 231:

The biggest thing I have to take issue with, however, is Larry T. being constantly behind EVERYTHING. He showed up 40 minutes late (and thus didn’t have the plane preflighted, fueled, or ready to go at all). He then stood around while waiting for the fuel truck only to do what vaguely resembled a preflight as they put fuel into the plane (no way to call it a thorough preflight at all). He then added barely enough fuel to make it to Santa Monica and back. He waited till we were both in the plane to clean the dirty windshield making us both get out. He didn’t have any of the charts out. He didn’t have any of the frequencies programmed in before he needed to change them. He didn’t have any backups setup in advance in case of a failure (I can only imagine what he would have to do if his GPS failed while IMC). He was behind the ENTIRE time.

He had a very nice panel containing a Garmin 430 GPS, an Apollo GPS (GX60 I think), a Garmin GMA-340 audio panel, storm scope, Apollo Comm/Nav 2, HSI, Autopilot, Bose headsets….the only problem being that he didn’t know how to use the equipment well. When we started up, my headset had good volume coming from the radios, but the inter-comm volume was low. When I went to adjust it on the GMA-340, he quickly snapped and said that he didn’t want me to touch anything in the plane (talk about an ego and not using all available resources….but I can live with that). The thing is that he then didn’t know how to do it himself and refused my help. We thus spent the entire flight in near silence as I couldn’t hear a word he said.

His actual flying wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good. He was very ham fisted and constantly jerked the plane around. Every time he looked right to adjust a radio, the plane banked 20 degrees right. He would then compensate by banking 20 degrees left. It was like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. Larry T. also had problems in pitch. He only used the electric trim and refused to use the manual trim wheel. While this might work in other planes, it does not work at all in a Mooney. The electric trim is too sensitive so you get excessive pitch motions every time you flick the switch. Well….Larry T. did this throughout the flight making a not so smooth ride even less smooth.

Lastly, Larry T. just seemed to be overloaded by the plane. This was most pronounced during the approach phase of the flight. He didn’t comply with instructions from the tower. While level on base, I tried to tell him to turn off the runway towards the north side of the field so that we wouldn’t have to taxi back across it after we had stopped. This, however, was too much information for Larry T. to handle while flying. We then turned base and Larry T. flew through the final approach course. To compensate, he rolled into a 50 degree bank to get back to final. For those of you that don’t fly, executing sharp extreme maneuvers while close to the ground at slow airspeeds is not the safest thing to do.

The touchdown was average. Larry T. rounded out a bit high so there was a slight thumping down, but nothing too bad. The strange thing was, however, that he added power after we touched down. This caused us to take FOREVER to slow down to a speed that would allow us to turn off the runway. This was not appropriate as the tower had previously asked us not to spend much time on the runway as there was an IFR departure holding in position on the runway behind us.

For a pilot with over 2500 hours of Mooney flight time over 30+ years (I have around 700 hours), I would rate the flight a 3 out of 10. The flight made me thankful for the great training I received from my instructor Chuck McGill of Safe Flight Intl. It really makes a difference when you fly not just with someone who knows how to fly well, but who knows how to fly well while keeping their passengers comfortable. I made it back to Santa Monica, but it was not fun.

You can view all the photos in the Bye Bye Mooney gallery.