Bringing the Mite home

by Dick Rank
(Reproduced from the Minnesota Flyer magazine, April 1998)

Dick Rank built a Kitfox on these pages several years ago. Now he's back with a restoration project that he describes as "an ambitious undertaking but a very pleasurable learning experience. "

My feet were a little off the ground for a few days after the successful first flight of my now beautifully restored and painted Mooney Mite. The view down the runway on that first flight is a peak experience never to be forgotten.

But more work had to be done. Some minor tweaks were accomplished, and a second flight showed the landing gear to work properly. However, predictions of how the gear worked came true. A sliding portion of the gear handle locks the gear up or down, and I quickly found that it is no easy task to reach up under the panel, grab the handle, unlock it and briskly pull it back and down into the up-gear locked position. That is truly the "Armstrong" method of raising the gear. With all that leverage and pulling with the right hand, it's easy to wiggle the stick and rudder pedals, producing unexpected maneuvers that would serve to escape a Messerschmidt 109 on my tail!

The finished product: Restored Mooney Mite N118C

I completed a couple of circuits around the field, did two touch-and-goes and called it a day. Everything looked perfect, and I felt ready to make the long trek back to Minnesota. My reasoning was that every hour I flew it in Georgia was an hour I could use to get it back to the homebird's nest at Flying Cloud in Eden Prairie.

The next day was taken up with preparation and double-checking lists of tasks and items to be packed. There is not much room behind the seat for extra items. A check of the weather showed a likely three days of perfect weather on the line from Atlanta to Minneapolis, except for a small front developing in the Dakotas, so it was a go on Monday morning. I drew a straight line between the two cities to plan my exact course and stops. The Mite has 11 useful gallons at four gallons per hour, so two-hour refueling stops seemed prudent.

Monday morning dawned clear, and after a few last-minute delays I was off at 11 a.m. The view from that bubble canopy is almost perfect, with superb visibility in all directions, including the view almost straight down over the wing leading edge.

The Mite in the "good old days" with Larry Johnston at the controls.

The route took me along the edge of some 5,000-foot mountains in north Georgia, and about that time the batteries in my GPS gave out. Oops, that was one item I didn't have on my list! It was time to turn around and go back to a little strip I passed over five miles back. A good Samaritan offered a ride to a convenience store, and in a few minutes I was on my way again. I had decided to use pilotage all the way home, depending on the GPS only if I got lost or to double-check my course. The new GPS equipment is so good that one could get very lazy navigating.

With one quick stop for fuel and light headwinds, I arrived at Bowling Green, Kentucky, on time. That airport is so beautiful from the air. All that Kentucky bluegrass must have something to do with it. Very helpful ground persons admired my aircraft and, after some tire kicking, drove me to a nearby motel. I took the suggestion of eating at a small barbecue grill in the back of a gas station, and it was the best I've ever had.

More good weather greeted me the next day, so it was off again to get as far as I could before dark. Unfortunately, the weather reports and radar showed that front moving down from the northwest. I could see it coming on strong as I approached Bloomington, Illinois, so that became my destination for the day.

After the test flight, author Dick Rank seems pleased.

While parking the Mite, a number of FBO mechanics and tug operators came out to see the little bird. What an ego trip! The wind and rain cut short the admiration group's activities, and not wanting to get hail damage, I had them put it in the hangar for the night. I knew I would sleep better, and the front was a big one.

As expected, day three opened up with clear, cool air behind the front, and I got off at 8 a.m. What a perfect day to be where I was! The Mite was running perfectly, cruising at about 110 mph and handling like a thoroughbred.

A "Mitesized" Lycoming 65

A fuel stop in Decorah, Iowa, gave me a chance to check in with my Atlanta sup- port group, and then it was time for the final leg home. Rochester came into view, and then the familiar rolling hills of Minnesota. I called in to FCM tower over Prior Lake, and I knew I was home again. I had a nice surprise when my friend, Jim Sechser, drove up to my hangar blowing a trumpet to signal my arrival.

The day was complete when I was able to get both the Kitfox and the Mooney Mite into the hangar. Now I could look forward to Minnesota fly-in breakfasts and bragging about my airplane. Why not? I've been humble too long! This project deserves a celebration of its completion. It is time to quit building and start flying! 

Our thanks to Dick Coffey and the Minnesota Flyer magazine, in which this article first appeared.

October 20, 2000