Mite Site News Archive

The Mite Site has an active guestbook again. Clicking on the Guestbook link in the column to the left will take you to it. The New Guestbook has a type of SPAM protection which should prevent it from being littered with "garbage". Time will tell. It was the constant spamming which caused me to deactivate self-posting in the previous guestbook. If you would like to read the fine collection of postings in the old guestbook, it is linked only in one place - the ARCHIVES section down this page.

I trust you had an enjoyable Christmas, and I wish you all the best in the New Year. Dave. 2007-12-29.

It's safe to say that most Mite enthusiasts are fans of other airplanes designed by Al Mooney, which justifies this news: Andy Czernek (www.mooneyevents.com), recently put us onto this story about an Alexander Bullet project with a sad ending. On December 6th it was reported that "an Alexander ... went down at 10 am local about 1.5 WSW of 57AZ in NW Tucson. The plane was enroute from AVQ to San Manuel The pilot apparently got out OK. The cabin is intact, etc. so another hurrah for our steel cage design. Wings gone. Local news and the deputy watching the site says the engine failed. She apparently tried to land on a small road and just missed, clipping a tree with the left wing and coming to a quick stop headed the opposite direction in some brush." As a follow up, Andy just sent us this link to a full report. 2007-12-13

We are always pleased to receive relevant submissions for the News page. Here is one from Larry Minch of Cottonwood, AZ:

Hi Dave, I thought you might include the following in the News section of the Mite Site. I have been on the email list for the Vintage Mooney group. These are all big Mooneys however. They have fly-ins all around the Southwest and I thought that some of the Mite Group might (no pun intended) be interested in attending one or more of the get-togethers. They told me that all are welcome, even if you don't have a Mooney and only know someone who has one or even if you only know what a Mooney is. It is a group like the WAMM group, very informal and no dues etc. They just do it for the fun of getting out and flying somewhere and having lunch or an overnight. Since many of the Mites are in the southern CA area it might be a nice thing to try. I attended the one this past Saturday at Temple Bar (U30) Arizona on the shore of Lake Mead. We had a nice lunch and visit. The flight there was very scenic to say the least. I have included pictures of the "line up" and look what Mooney was the first one in line...N4187. If anyone wants more info then email me or just sign up on their web site above.. Larry Minch N4187 [2007-11-12]

We would like to have some feedback from Mite enthusiasts on the topic of WAMM Fly-Ins. Rather than send a bulk e-mail which might offend a lot of people, we have decided to make use of MiteTalk for a survey. If you are located withing driving/flying distance of Porterville, CA and could attend, please log into MiteTalk and express an opinion. 2007-11-09

The National Air and Space Museum Archives holds a full set (over 600) of Mooney's M-18 drawings. To assist you in ordering copies, we are making available the full Index of drawings (which the NASM calls "Custom Search List"), as well as the forms you are required to fill out to purchase them from the NASM. 2007-09-15

Those of you planning to attend the WAMM Fly-In next month will be happy to hear that Bill Vandersande's hangar, for many years the WAMM "headquarters" in Porterville, should be available at least one more time. 2007-08-27

We are pleased to have received an e-mail for the first time from Tim Veenstra, N482M, of Wasilla, Alaska. Tim has owned his Mite since 1983, and flown it only twice since then. It is currently in pieces in his hangar in Wasilla awaiting restoration. Years ago, Tim restored another Mite that you probably remember: N4102, which is orange and black and has the stars of the flag of Alaska on its tail. 2007-08-27

As of today, six members have signed up for the new MiteTalk discussion group. Congratulations! The old MiteTalk is now archived. If you wish to see the postings in it, there is permanent link to the archive near the bottom of this page. We are looking forward to seeing many more participants in the new MiteTalk. If you have any problems joining, or have a suggestion for a new forum topic, please e-mail us. 2007-08-24

The original, cast metal "Mooney Mite" logos that were fastened on each side of the fuselage just below the windscreen are damaged or missing on many Mites. If you're looking for a replacement, Ted Teach might be able to help you. He had a graphics shop create vinyl replicas for his airplane. The pattern is saved in a computer, and can be easily reproduced. Ted is willing to provide them for a very modest sum. Contact him for details. 2007-08-22

You will notice the new link on the left to our New MiteTalk forum. It's a big new experiment for me. I expect many of you are more experienced with discussion forums than I am. New postings are welcome: that's what will help us all to learn how to use it. 2007-08-22

Joel Johnston, N4124, has sent a second report on the progress of the restoration of David Cabbage's N335M. We hope to see a third and final report when the Mite is flown from Michigan out to David's home airport in Washington. In another e-mail, Joel mentioned that previous owner, Dr. Alfred Burnside of North Carolina, had enquired about the progress of the restoration, and was happy to hear his Mite (that he had owned since 1957!) was in good hands and back in the air. 2007-08-18

The next WAMM Fly-In at Porterville, CA has been scheduled for the weekend of September 28 - 30, 2007. Mark your calendar! Note: Ben Favrholdt passed along the information that the annual T-18 Fly-in will be in Porterville on the same dates as our event. They usually get a big turnout, so hotel rooms might be in short supply. 2007-08-06

A preferred date has been chosen for the next WAMM Fly-In: the weekend of September 28-30, 2007. The date will not be set in stone until this coming Monday, August 6th. If you have a problem with this date and have another suggestion, please e-mail us before Monday. 2007-08-02

Here is a brief report on the recent visit to the annual Concrete, WA fly-in by yours truly, David and Erik Favrholdt, and Gil Gilbert. There, we visited with Mite owners Harold Hanson and Jim and Drew Jenkins. As we have said before, it is alone worth a trip to Concrete just to have a look at Harold's marvelous private aircraft collection. Here is a link to a site describing the collection. 2007-07-31

We have just published some additional material provided to us by Sydney Jones, whom we met at the recent WAMM fly-in. There is a 1953 article from the Witchita Beacon and some previously unpublished photos of her grandfather C.G. Yankey. 2007-06-07

After months of working with the FAA, Keith Mackey, N4159, has received approval for an alternate means of compliance (AMOC) for parts of two AD's on the Mite that require fabric removal. See Keith's explanation and document. Those who wish to take advantage of the AMOC will need a letter of permission from Keith. 2007-06-07

For those of you who did not make it to the Fly-In last week, souvenir WAMM30 plaques are now available from the Mite Site for $7. They are black on brass finish, 5-1/2" x 2", with adhesive on the back. Order by snail-mail enclosing a cheque or cash, or click on the Make a Donation button to use PayPal. 2007-05-27

The WAMM30 Fly-In report is now ready for viewing. Note that we have two other articles linked to the Report. The first is a great story by Sydney Jones of La Jolla, CA about how she got a Mite directly from the factory production line in Kerrville, TX. The second is a photo-report showing how Don Deaton prepares his famous deep-pit barbecue. You will find links to these articles on our Report page. 2007-05-26

An e-mail from Vern Hain of Punta Gorda, FL led to a interesting exchange of information between the Mite Site, Bill Larkins and Vern about N122C, number 203, now registered as N66MX owned by Ben Favrholdt. You can start following the story by reading Vern's two postings in our Guestbook. 2007-05-02

Last month, when WAMM stalwart Gil Gilbert, N4121 happened to meet Meg Godlewski, a columnist with the General Aviation News (GAN), he suggested that they publish an article about WAMM, since it is celebrating its 30th anniversary next month. Well, mission accomplished. The article appears in the April 20th edition. To see the online version, click here. 2007-04-28

The condition of landing gear donuts is a common concern of Mite owners. So is the question of how to replace them. The original manufacturers are long gone. Parts collections like that of Fred Schmidt are gone. Fortunately, Paul Workman, at his own initiative and expense, has developed a source of replacement donuts with specifications that match the originals. If you are in need of donuts and want details, see his recent posting in MiteTalk. 2007-04-26

We just had a phone call from Norm Douthit, N3162K, of San Bernardino, CA to inform us that he's managed to buy two Mites at auction. This is especially good news because both Mites were on our "missing" list. They are N361A, serial number 22, and N4135, serial number 145. The last information we had about either of these airplanes was from the 1970's. Norm reports that he has accumulated a large collection of Mites and parts at his hangar in Shafter, CA. He now has five N-numbers, from which he hopes to end up with two airworthy Mites, serial numbers 6 and 24. We're looking forward to seeing Norm at Porterville next month. 2007-04-18

We have an intelligent discussion happening in MiteTalk on the topic of wood repair in the tail bulkhead, thanks to Tom Neeb, Keith Mackey and Gil Gilbert. You may want to have a look. As Keith has pointed out, the Mite Site is the perfect repository for photos and written material on any Mite-related subject. Note that photos are especially useful. 2007-04-18

A friend of Keith Mackey, N4159 recently took a photo of N3199K, giving us our first look at this historic Mite in its permanent home after restoration at the NASM's Udvar-Hazy Center. For the full history of the project, see this page. 2007-04-04

After a three year hiatus, Ray Allen, N476M, N4162, N4169, N4176 is back at work in his Mite shop, but he's having trouble finding things. He needs some canopy rollers. If anyone out there can suggest a source, please get in touch with him. 2007-04-02

All Mite owners or prospective owners are inevitably concerned about the structural integrity of this wood-and-fabric airplane. Note: At the bottom of our Maintenance page, we have added links to two pertinent chapters in the FAA's Advisory Circular (AC) 43.13-1B, namely, 1. Wood Structure, and 2. Fabric Covering. Look for other additions to the Maintenance page as well. Thanks to Keith Mackey, N4159 for the suggestion. 2007-04-01

In anticipation of the 30th Anniversary WAMM Fly-In in May, we've also thinking back to past Fly-Ins. Wouldn't you know it, along comes an e-mail from Jim Belding, N4096, of Sedona, AZ describing his experience of attending the WAMM gathering last May (2006). We're hoping that Jim and others will make the effort to come to our special event next month. 2007-04-01

Another missing Mite has been found! We've just heard from Bill Jennings of Rosamond, CA, who last month acquired N124C serial #204 which we thought had been destroyed in a crash. Turns out it had been stored in a hangar in Pacoima, CA for more than 18 years. According to the previous owner it was never destroyed or even crashed, although Bill did find evidence of it being on its belly at one time in its life, but with little damage. The aircraft had been dismantled and a lot of parts are missing: canopy rails, hinges at the tail assy, linkage parts for the landing gear, and most of the sheet metal . If anyone can help Bill, it would be welcomed (for contact details, see his "wanted" ad in the Buy & Sell page). We appreciate his getting in touch with us, and wish him success in his restoration project. 2007-03-21

In another "first" for this website, Craig Ortet, N386A, has provided us with a short movie demonstrating the "proper" way to start a Mite (pun intended). For those of you who are unfamiliar with, and perhaps apprehensive about, starting an airplane by pulling the prop through, this will show you how to do it methodically and safely. 2007-03-10

Another new Mite owner has checked in - David Hutton of Abilene, Texas, has purchased N4051 from Fred Bennett and says he is enjoying it very much. Welcome to the Mite community, David! I hope you can join with the many other Mite owners in Texas. 2007-02-24.

WAMM president Michael Harms invites all Mite enthusiasts to come to the next Mooney Mite Fly-In at Porterville, California, scheduled for the weekend of May 18th. This gathering will be important as it marks the 30th anniversary of the founding of WAMM. We are looking forward to seeing all the regular attendees, plus many more who will be coming for the first time. Bill Vandersande has prepared unique plaques for distribution to commemorate the event. We guarantee that you will see the largest gathering of Mites anywhere. That's in less than three months. Mark it down on your calendar. 2007-02-21

As we had hoped, the new owner of N119C has made contact with the Mite Site. He's Bruce Brown of Birmingham, AL. Welcome to the Mooney Mite community, Bruce! We hope you will have many hours of pleasure flying your beautiful machine. 2007-02-19

N393A, s/n 54, has been very active since last summer, when it acquired its new owner, Elizabeth Collins. Fortunately, Elizabeth takes her trusty Pentax wherever the Mite takes her. To read her articles, go to our Articles page then click on Flight Experiences. 2007-02-15

We are pleased to note that two Old-Timers have done touch-and-goes on the Mite Site. Rey Nelson and Richard Calarco both flew Mites back in the early 50's. Take a look at their entries in our Guestbook. Rey also has provided us with some photos along with a story about his experiences. You can also find links to his and other stories on our Articles page. 2007-02-15

Those of you who have attended the WAMM fly-ins for a while will have a soft spot in your heart for Garry Gramman's M-18L, N119C. We've just learned that the Mite has been sold and is going to Alabama. We hope the new owner will get in touch with us. 2007-01-21

The Mite Site continues to reach out to more and more people. The latest Mite enthusiast to submit an article and photos for our reading pleasure is Harry Mitchell of Topeka, Kansas. Harry purchased N4105 in Salina, KS back in 1958. Here is his story. 2007-01-10

We hope that you spent time with family and enjoyed the recent Holiday Season as much as we did. We've finally had a chance to update the Owners List and have made contact with some new Miters for the first time. We'd like to welcome Daryl Johnson, N4EM, from Garrison, ND to the Mite community. As well, our congratulations to Ron Morgan of Los Alamos, NM who bought N395A from his friend Dan Holden. We also would like to give belated recognition here to Elizabeth Collins, N393A. whose smiling face you've seen on our Front Page, of course. We actually met Elizabeth at the WAMM fly-in last October. Incidentally, we heard that she recently stopped for fuel at Porterville (PTV) in the Mite. Well, that's a California winter for you.... 2007-01-08

Housekeeping business: I am always concerned that someone new to me has sent an e-mail but not received a reply. I'd like to point out again that unless you put the word Mite in the subject line, the chances are I'll assume your message is spam and delete it without reading it. I'll take this opportunity to remind you that it's time for your annual donation to support the Mite Site. 2007-01-08

Mike McCrath, N283DE, reports that due to numerous job commitments he hasn't flown the Mite for about a year now. In the meantime, he's made some changes on it. He'd re-built the engine about three years ago at P-Ponk Aviation on Camano Island; now it's a 75 and the plane cruises around 130 TAS at 4,000 ft. and 2300 rpm. It has a new panel, courtesy Rick Moore of Moore Aviation, Arlington Field. Additionally, they fashioned a new belly pan to blend in the carb intake and reduce burbling air around the nose. Mike says that improvement alone provides about a 3 mph speed boost for his gas dollar, plus better cooling and lower engine temps at speed and altitude. He finds he no longer has to step-climb to reach desired altitude. He says he'll soon be installing a transponder, too, plus a solar panel array inside the canopy to run the electrics. Also, he's considering a Harley-Davidson motorcycle battery that would work perfectly in the Mite for a fraction of the weight and about the same amp hrs. as a standard aviation battery. 2007-01-08

Last July, David Cabbage of Colville, WA bought N335M as a project from Alfred Burnside of Columbia, SC. The Mite was transported to Roscommon, MI and put in Jerry Johnston's hangar where it is undergoing restoration. We have been kept informed of all this by Jerry's son Joel Johnston, N4124, of Mead, WA. Now, thanks to Joel, we have a report and set of photos of N335M for you to look at. 2006-11-14

Here's a precautionary tale from Ted Teach, N4122, about the potential hazard of the Mite tubular fuel gauge. 2006-11-09

Here's another Mite-flight movie from Craig Ortet. This time it's in .WMV format, and small enough for downloading, so we've made it available on this site. Those of you who have Windows Media Player installed should be able to see it okay. Sorry, Mac owners. 2006-10-15

Thanks to Craig Ortet, N386A, we have something new for your viewing pleasure - a series of photos taken in the cockpit of a Mite while flying over the central valley of California. They are actually frames (stills) from a series of videos Craig shot and donated to the Mite Site. Each video is way too big a file to post on the Site for downloading, so we are making them available on CD for those of you who would like to get a sense of what it's like to fly in a Mite. 2006-10-10

Our report on the recent WAMM- Fly-in at Porterville is now published. 2006-10-07

Reminder: WAMM Fly-In. All Mite enthusiasts, owners or not, are invited to the semi-annual Fly-In at Porterville, California at the end of this month: September 29 to October 1. For further information, contact Bill Vandersande or this site. 2006-09-18

Here's the latest report on Mite landing gear donuts from Paul Workman. He has found a manufacturer in the antique airplane world and is going ahead with having a mould made. He plans to initially have 4 sets (24 donuts) available after some testing for hardness and resilience on a prototype or two. Since they are not setting up for mass production, the up-front investment is much lower, but the cost will be $140.00 US per donut (or $810.00 per set of 6). That's a lot, but he has found no better options that would keep the gear in its original (legal) configuration. Also, buyers may be asked to send in the old donuts for exchange so that the conical washers can be removed and re-used. Paul asks those owners needing donuts to call him ASAP at 740-452-1636 or 800-794-6560. He will be going out on a limb with this and needs to know how much demand there will be. Also, he is looking for a Mite owner who is willing and able to help with testing the new donuts.  2006-07-21

WAMM president, Bill Vandersande, N4105 has announced the next Fly-In at Porterville will be on the weekend of September 29 - October 1, 2006. This will put it one week ahead of the EAA regional event (Copperstate Fly-In, Casa Grande, AZ). Please let us know if this will not work for you. 2006-07-14

Ben Favrholdt, N66MX,has brought to our attention an opportunity for owners who have  restored their Mites to original condition to compete for the Heritage Trophy, sponsored by Rolls Royce via the National Aviation Heritage Invitational. Those of you who are interested can find further details on the NAHI website, or contact Tracy Rhodes, Western Region Coordinator or the Mite Site. 2006-06-27

We are pleased to report that Mal Gross' beautifully restored and recently sold '55 model, N4187, is in good hands. It was recently ferried from Orcas Island, WA to Cottonwood, AZ by Glenn Bell, who delivered it to the new owner, Larry Minch. If that name sounds familiar, it's because Larry used to own N4180 when it was Mite of the Month in 2002 and he was living in Ohio. Larry's got a good airplane and he's pleased to be back in our select group. 2006-06-19

We would like to welcome Weldon Sellers of Griffin, GA to the Mite Community. Weldon and partner, Mitt Farmer, recently purchased N11NB from James Birchfield of Lafayette, AL. We note that Weldon is one of those Mite owners who is looking for another rarity, a set of landing gear donuts. If anyone out there has some they can part with, please give us a shout. 2006-06-19

Be looking for an article in the Summer 2006 (August) issue of Sportsman Pilot Magazine featuring Keith Mackey's N4159. It came as a result of Keith winning the Outstanding Classic Aircraft trophy at Sun 'n Fun last April. We've had a preview of the article, based on an interview by editor Jack Cox, and it is excellent. 2006-06-16

As we learned at the recent WAMM Fly-In, Ben Favrholdt has invented a method for brake shoe replacement for his Mite. We have published an article and a photo showing what he did. 2006-06-15

Stephen Lowther of Clearwater, FL has purchase N397A from John Breese of Omaha, NE. We understand Stephen will be picking up the airplane and flying it down to Richmond, KY this weekend. Good luck on your first cross-country flight, Stephen, and welcome to the Mite Community! 2006-06-13

Please be advised that there will be no new postings, and no response to e-mail to the Mite Site, for the next couple of weeks - the webmaster is going traveling. I hope to hear from you when I get back! 2006-05-26

Our report on the recent WAMM Porterville Fly-In can now be viewed. We expect a few more photos will be added when they are received. 2006-05-24

Two new ownerships have been brought to our attention, and we'd like to welcome them to the Mite community: Gary Niva of Monte Sereno, CA who bought N4075V from Chris Byrd, and Paul Workman of Zanesville, OH who bought N4138 as a project from Bob Pike. 2006-05-23

Thanks to Gil Gilbert, N4121, we have a copy of the Air Facts magazine article about Charley Loomis's Mooney Mite, as requested below. Written by Oliver Fuller in 1953, it can now be read on the Mite Site. Now we would like to find out the N-number of the airplane in the article.... 2006-05-14

The April/May 2006 issue of the NASM's Air & Space Magazine has an article on small airplanes (Think Small by Patricia Trenner). It was spotted by two Mite enthusiasts, Peg Morgan and Patrick Moran, N9AW, both of whom sent us scans of the article because a Mite is pictured in it. Thanks Peg and Pat for keeping us in mind! 2006-04-18

Keith Mackey, N4159, had his Mite to Sun 'n Fun for several days last week.  Walter Dix, N4057, came over for one day and parked next to him. While they were there, Carl Wolff, the owner of N383A stopped by. Carl said his airplane has not flown in about 10 years and needs some work. He was unaware of the "Mite Site", but promised to visit. 2006-04-14

We've just learned from Anne McCombs that N3199K, Mite Number One, has been delivered to the Udvar-Hazy Center (Smithsonian) in the Washington, DC area. It is presently sitting on the floor at the south end and will be hung in its designated spot hopefully by June. 2006-04-11

We are very saddened to learn from Patrick Moran, N9AW, of the death of a member of our Mite community, Ken Shea, N4071, N4152 of Quincy, California. Ken last attended a WAMM gathering in May, 2002, with his son, John, but was widely known among California Miters long before that. 2006-04-09

We have made a couple of changes to our site by adding the convenience of PayPal^© for making donations and ordering manuals on CD. Hopefully, these will be seen as improvements that will boost Mite Site support. Incidentally, you've noticed Google ads have been placed here and there on the Mite Site. For those of you who are not inclined to make donations, clicking on the Google ads is another way of supporting us, as the clicks are supposed to add up to small payments to us from advertisers. So click and click away! 2006-03-23

Does anyone out there have a copy of the January 1953 issue of Air Facts magazine they can loan to us? It contains an article on Mooney Mites that we have not seen. Thanks to Joel Johnston, N4124 for bringing this to our attention. 2006-02-15

The Mite Site always welcomes pictures and updates from Mite enthusiasts. Here's one from the owner of a Mite that's been across the continent more than once. Joel Johnston of Deer Park, WA sent us a couple of photos of N4124. 2006-02-14

Bill Vandersande, N4105, is having some souvenir shirts made for WAMM members. The shirts will be the polo type, light blue, with the WAMM logo above the pocket. The material is 50% cotton/50% polyester. Bill is going to absorb the tooling and set-up cost which will mean the shirts will sell for $15.00. He promises to have them ready for the May Fly-In. 2006-02-13

Once again, the lack of supply of Mite rubber landing gear donuts has become a concern. We have a couple of owners looking at possible solutions to the problem. It would help if any of you who are seriously interested in buying a set of new donuts were to send an e-mail to the Mite Site so that we can get a idea of how much demand there is for them. 2006-02-10

Keith Mackey, N4159, confesses he likes to play around with photos. He sent us a pair of pictures that make N4157 and N4159 look like twins. As mentioned elsewhere, Keith set out to make his refurbished Mite as close to factory original as feasible, and these photos show that he got it right. 2006-01-17

Once again, it's our pleasure to welcome a new member to the Mite community. Congratulations to Richard Reibel of Pismo Beach, California on purchasing N4050, M-18C serial number 277, which has sat in limbo for several years. Richard reports that she is flyable but out of annual, so his first project will be to get her ready for inspection. To top off this report, Richard has provided us with our first photos of this airplane at Turlock Municipal Airport. 2006-01-10

Most Mite owners will be thinking more of family and season's festivities rather than about going flying, particularly in view of the weather typical of this time of year. Apparently, the cold and snow are not a problem for one well known pilot. We've just received an exclusive photo of him flying his Mite in what appears to be a blizzard! We'll take this opportunity to quote him as well: "Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas to all!" 2005-12-17

It's time for the annual appeal for funds to support the Mite Site. This year we are offering a special reward to donors of $50 or more. It's a movie on a DVD made from a video shot at the May 2002 WAMM Fly-In. The video was produced by WATV of Los Angeles and aired as part their feature program called "Ride of Your Life." Our DVD-Video contains only the 3-½ minute segment on Mites. It shows interviews plus aerial shots of Tony Terrigno, Ben Favrholdt, Michael Harms and Mal Gross in their Mites taken with a camera in the cockpit. It's professionally done and would be a real treat for those of you who know these fellows and their airplanes. It really shows the Mite for the appealing airplane that it is. 2005-11-20

Once again, Dick Rank, N125C has been at work on our behalf. He acquired some files from the estate of Fred Schmidt and forwarded them to us. Some of the items in the files will appear on the Mite Site. The first of them is a clipping from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin -- an article by Jocelyn Fujii about N4103 when it was owned by Frank Gomes and flying in Hawaii. Does anyone know where he is now, or what became of him? 2005-11-15

Perhaps one of you old-timers can help us with this request. Bill Bussell writes that he always admired a friend of his father who was a newspaper photographer and pilot. His name was William A. Oates, of Indianapolis. At one time, Oates owned a Pacer, a Mooney Mite, and perhaps an old Stinson. He had a landing strip and hangar on his property for a number of years. He has been gone for about 20 years, and had disposed of the Mite some years prior to that. Bill would like to know if the planes owned by Mr. Oates are still flying today. Please let him know if you can help. 2005-11-06

We are pleased to learn from Forrest Lovley of Jordan, MN that he has purchased and begun refurbishing N4068, once owned by Fred Schmidt. Click here to see Forrest's note and photo, which is especially appreciated. Incidentally, we'd like to thank Mal Gross, N4187, for putting us in touch with Forrest. 2005-11-03

Another of "Fred Schmidt's Mites" has changed hands. Jim Frank of Atlanta, GA has sold N4189 to another Mite lover, Mike Sarsfield, of Buford, GA. Although this Mite was already a gem, we hear that Mike has since installed Bose noise cancelling headphones and a Garmin 396 GPS with weather uplink. Look for it at the AOPA Expo in Tampa this week. 2005-11-03

Some of you who, like me, have carefully browsed the Web looking for references to Mooney Mites may have come upon an unusual story about a Mite on the island of Aruba. With the help of Scott Royall, N4172, we have made contact with Gerard Casius, the author, who kindly gave us permission to reproduce the story, which he calls "Low Level in The Mooney Mite". 21/10/2005

Congratulations are due to Keith Mackey of Ocala, FL who reports that his first flight in fully restored N4159 took place on Friday, October 7th. His wife took a couple of photos which we have added at the bottom of his update page. 10/10/2005

Dan Beltrami, N339M, who recently attended his first WAMM Fly-In (see below), tells us that he went from 90 degree heat to snow on the flight home to Oregon. See his full report. 07/10/2005

If you've been scanning our Buy and Sell page, you may have noticed that Gus Hertz has sold N70DV. We've learned the buyer is Sig Chrzanowski of Hampshire, Illinois. This time, instead of just updating our Register and Owners pages, we are able to show you a nice photo that Gus kindly sent, showing the two parties in the transaction (that's Sig on the left). We'd sure like to receive more of this kind of photo, as we believe it adds a personal touch to our site. Incidentally, Sig, welcome to the Mooney Mite community! 07/10/2005

Thanks to the efforts of Bill Vandersande, N4105 and Michael Harms, N201MM, N4181, we now have a report on the October 2005 WAMM Fly-In at Porterville. 04/10/2005

The absolutely perfect emergency landing by the crew of JetBlue Flight 292 at LAX on Wednesday, Sept. 21 prompted Peg Morgan to send us this anecdote: "Watching this dramatic maneuver took me back to 1962 when George and I each took some brush up dual time with our dear friend and flight instructor, Ralph Winebrenner, at McMinnville Airport. Ralph said, "Making a perfect 3-point landing should not be your goal. That can sometimes put extra stress on the nose gear. What you aim for is to touch down on your main gear carrying the nose wheel a foot or two above the runway. Then you carefully ease the nose down and glide on down the runway." That's the instructions Ralph gave us. And boy, when we managed to achieve this perfect landing it felt so good and Ralph bragged to everybody what wonderful pilots those Morgans were. And we said, "Only because we have the perfect flight instructor." 27/09/2005

We now have a report by Dick Rank on his recent maiden flight in N125C down in Atlanta. 27/09/2005

This is a reminder that the WAMM (Western Association of Mooney Mites) fall fly-in at Porterville, CA (largest assembly of Mooney Mites in the world!) is coming up next weekend: September 30 - October 2. 20/09/2005

We have two Mite restoration projects to mention. The first one is Dick Rank's N125C, which he flew for the first time on August 24th. Congratulations, Dick! The other is Keith Mackey's N4159 which is almost ready to be assembled and flown, as you can see in the photos on this page. We hope mentioning this will put some pressure on these fellows to send words and photos for the rest of us to enjoy sometime soon! 09/09/2005

Fred Ramin, NC366A, has sent a notice about a fly-in/camp-out at Reklaw, Texas next month. Mooney Mites would be welcome. Click here for details. 08/09/2005

This is a reminder to those of you who have technical questions. As you know, we had to eliminate the old Mite Talk discussion page due to getting so many spam-type postings. The alternative is the discussion "Forum" which you access by clicking the link in the column on the left. There you can still ask questions or give answers by sending them to us by e-mail for posting. Lastly, remember to hit your "refresh" key (or F5 key) so your computer will display the latest version of the page. 31/08/2005

One-time Mite owner and long-time enthusiast Peg Morgan of Oregon would love to see a Mite again, but she is unable to travel far. She would like to know if one will make an appearance at the nearby McMinnville Antique Aircraft Fly-In next weekend (August 19-21, 2005). Anyone? 16/08/2005

Good news for the Mite community: Fred Schmidt's entire inventory of Mite parts, which he salvaged over the years from more than 20 aircraft, has been acquired by Paul Workman, N4138, of Ohio Aircraft Interiors in Zanesville, OH. Paul describes it as consisting of 2 - 3 tons of parts, much from engines (both O-145 and A65), but also tail cones, push rods and landing gear sections (the kind of things that wear out), repair jigs, a forward fuselage section, and even a wing. Paul says there is enough to build an entire airplane. After two days of hauling a distance of 150 miles using five trucks and three trailers, he says he now needs to build a place to keep the stuff in. Also, he plans to properly catalog the parts, as time permits. Paul has obviously has made a big investment on which he would like to make a return. If you wish to make inquiries and purchase parts, you may reach him at 740-452-1636. 12/08/2005

We received the following invitation of interest to Mite owners, particularly in the California area: "We would like to welcome all Mooney Mites to join us for the 5th Annual Gold Country Mooney Fly-In, September 16th-18th, in beautiful Jackson, California. Our event web site is www.GoldCountryMooneyFlyIn.com. If the Mooney Mite group can get a few participants, I'll feature your organization on our event web site so everyone that visits knows that the "original" Mooney's will be there. Many of our Mooney drivers (including myself) have never actually seen a Mooney Mite. but we'd love to! Thanks! Chris Floyd, Sponsor, Gold Country Mooney Fly-In."  [Editor's note: If you plan to fly your Mite there, please let the Mite Site know as well, so we can tell about it here.] 11/08/2005

Frank Nekvasil, a retired A&P, commercial pilot, and aircraft and antique auto enthusiast contacted us with this interesting item. A friend of his offered to sell him a 'hotrod' Crosley engine for his car. When he looked at the engine it was unusual in the fact that it had eight spark plugs and a short stainless steel exhaust stack. Further inspection revealed a metal tag riveted to the lower left front side of the engine block which had 'Mooney Aircraft' stamped on it. This led him to believe it is one of the original 13 engines installed in the Mite. Frank would like to know if there someone who would like to purchase this piece of history or could assist him in researching the life of the engine. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. 11/08/2005

Once again, a Mite enthusiast has come through for us. Recently we received the following report and photos from Don Krieger, who owned N6192C (now N4138) back in the 70's. 24/07/2005

We've been informed by Bill Vandersande that the photo-shoot in Porterville, CA with English photographer Geoff Jones took place as planned. Apparently Geoff took pictures and learned a lot about Mooney Mites from local owners Ben Favrholdt, Don Deaton and Michael Harms. However, for reasons unexplained, air-to-air shots were not attempted. 13/07/2005

Keith Mackey has sent us some very sad news. He was informed by a friend and neighbor of Fred Schmidt that Fred passed away suddenly on June 16th. This is a great loss for the Mite community. Fred, a long-time Mite owner, was very knowledgeable and helpful as a supplier of Mite parts to many other owners. Fred, who suffered from Parkinson's disease, was a perfectionist and very talented machinist and electronics technician. The Mite Site needed to talk to Fred on several occasions, and we came to know him as a very friendly and obliging gentleman. He will be greatly missed. 06/07/2005

Webmaster Takes Break: Due to other commitments this summer, your webmaster here at the Mite Site will be away from his computer for extended periods. You will notice that updates will be few and e-mail responses may be delayed. We ask for your patience. 05/07/2005

Due to vandalism in our original MiteTalk Discussion Forum, we have decided to give Mite enthusiasts an alternate method to ask for and give help with Mite issues. We now ask you to send any such messages by e-mail to the Mite Site and we will post them on a Forum page for you (see the menu at the top left side of this page). Thanks! 05/07/2005

We have received an urgent request from Geoff Jones, an aviation photographer based in England. He will be in California from the 1st to 9th of July and wants to do some air-to-air photos of a Mite for a possible new book on historic/classic US aircraft. He says he's already done two colour books with ex Pacific Flyer editor Chuck Stewart: 'AMERICAN CLASSICS OF THE AIR' and 'VINTAGE AIRCRAFT OVER AMERICA' from Motorbooks International (MBI) of Wisconsin. If you're interested and your Mite is available, or you know of another owner who would do it in locations preferably in the mid-northern California area - send him an e-mail before June 29th. 24/06/2005

One of the several Mite owners we have never been able to contact is Raymond Proffitt, N4117, of Levittown, PA. Much to our delight, we have news of Ray indirectly. In an e-mail from his trustee, Thomas McMenamin of Pembroke Pines, FL, we have learned that Ray is now 91 years old and still owns serial number 285. Ray does not fly anymore, but has given instructions to his trustee to finish the restoration and obtain a certificate of airworthiness again. 24/06/2006

Make a note that date of the next (fall) WAMM Fly-In has been set: September 30 to October 2, 2005. 14/06/2005

As many of you have noticed, the MiteTalk discussion forum has been inoperative for a couple of weeks. We temporarily disabled it because it had become corrupted. Unfortunately, we have not yet been able to repair and recover the old list of entries. However, the forum is back online and ready to accept new postings as of today. We are continuing to work on the problem. 12/06/2005

The report on the May, 2005 WAMM Fly-In is now published. Larger copies of any of the photos displayed, and many more not published, are available upon request. 20/05/2005

John Davidson of Crestwood, KY has sent us another well-written report on N4096, this time telling of his flight delivering the Mite to its new owner, Jim Belding, in Sedona, AZ. 07/05/2005

This is a last reminder about the WAMM Fly-In at Porterville, CA. The event takes place next weekend, May 13-15. All Mite enthusiasts are invited to drop by for an hour or for a day, whether you own a Mite or not. Porterville will have the largest gathering of M-18's you'll see anywhere. 07/05/2005

Sky-Tec, the company that makes the 9.3 lb starter has just added the A65-12 and the M-18C to their STC's. This means any mechanic can install the starter and associated push button switch with just a 337 form. A field approval from the FAA is no longer needed. A copy of the revised STC's can be downloaded from the Sky-Tec web site at: http://www.skytecair.com/ST2CertPack.htm. Thanks to Keith Mackey, N4159, for this item. 06/05/2005

Bill Vandersande, N4105, reports that the Vintage Mooney Fly-In was somewhat limited, due to weather. However, 12 Mooneys showed up, most of them with two occupants. The lunch at Michel's was excellent. They had four Mites on display and they drew a lot of attention. He also noted that all four versions of the Mite are represented at PTV. Here are some photos of the event provided by Michael Harms, N201MM. 12/04/2005

Donn Larson reports the Vintage Mooney Group fly-in to Porterville has had a great response. So far 30 airplanes and 55 people have signed up for lunch. A number of those who registered have said they are looking forward to seeing some Mites. As mentioned earlier, your opportunity to see a whole bunch of Mooneys is this Saturday, April 9th only. I expect that owner/chef Michel Adams of the All-American Grill at PTV has arranged for extra staff on Saturday! 07/04/2005

Our good friend Michael Magnani of Valencia, CA, who has been attending the WAMM Fly-Ins to get to know The Airplane and The People, has graduated to the rank of Mite owner. We've just learned from seller Jim Frank of Atlanta that Michael is presently on his way back from Georgia with project N4094 on the back of a truck. This leaves Jim with only the lovely N4189 to look after. We're sure that he'll be happy with the results when Michael, an experienced Gulfstream engineer, is finished the Mite project. 05/04/2005

We have opened up Tony Terrigno's treasure box of photos again and found something we have been wanting for a long time: photos from the first WAMM Fly-In in 1977. And while you are on the WAMM Page, have a look at Tony's additions to Columbia '82, Cameron '83, Columbia '92 and Porterville '95 and '96. Our collection now has photos from every WAMM Fly-In except 1978. Can anyone help? 26/03/2005

We have just been informed that the next fly-in of the Vintage Mooney Group will be in Porterville, CA on April 9th. Local Mooney Mites will be on display, of course. For more information about this one day event, please visit their web page. Hosts Donn and Barbara Larson are looking forward to meeting you. Please note that you are invited to register in order to be included in the headcount for lunch. 25/03/2005

The Mite Site Guestbook has been reactivated. We think it was an entertaining and useful part of the Site, but removing junk postings got to be such a nuisance that we decided to de-activate it last fall. Well, it's back working again, and we hope it leads to plenty of interesting postings, with fewer problems. 22/03/2005

Bill Vandersande, current president and long-time member of WAMM has moved from Porterville and is now a resident of Camarillo, CA. See the Owners Page for contact details. Bill will continue to keep his hangar and aircraft at PTV, which is good news for the rest of us WAMM Fly-In attendees. This is a good opportunity to remind everyone again that the next Fly-In at Porterville will be held on the weekend of May 13-15. 21/03/2005

Down in Ocala, Florida, the total rebuild of N4159, serial number 325, is coming along nicely. Owner Keith Mackey has sent us a progress report, and we have to say the airplane is looking really good. We note that Keith took a great many photos along the way recording Mooney's original design and construction details, and is willing to share them with anyone interested. 19/03/2005

We've heard from another life-long Mite enthusiast recently - always a pleasure. John Warner of New England wrote to us enquiring about N4088 which his dad owned from 1956 to 1961 before selling it to Gerald Oleary. John wrote: "Yes, N4088 is something I will never forget. I first flew it when I was 16...student pilot's license. Flew it about 200 hours before Dad sold it to Father O'Leary in December of '61. I will never forget the first flight...what a delight! We had a J-3 Cub, too. The dogfights were amazing!" He also tells the story of an F-86 ANG pilot at the field (Leicester, MA) who wanted to fly the Mite, so John's dad said okay and sent him off with it. He took it up over the airport and did a loop, followed with a string of four aileron rolls! When he landed, his father (also a John) gave him hell. The F-86 guy said, "You mean it's not fully aerobatic?? It sure flies like it!" We all know, of course, that the gravity-feed fuel system in the M-18 precludes inverted maneuvers, and wise pilots will resist the temptation. 08/03/2005

Our apology goes to anyone who has sent an e-mail to the Mite Site with the best of intentions and never received a reply. The problem is, we are now getting 700+ spam e-mails every day, so we may be deleting some legitimate mail by mistake. Making sure you put the word "Mite" or an N-number in the subject line of your e-mail would help the situation. 07/02/2005

We have just been informed by Anne McCombs, our contact at the NASM, that Mooney Mite Number One will now be put on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center some time next year. For details and an explanation of the delay, see the update on our N3199K restoration page. 03/02/2005

Gus Hertz, N70DV, of Mallards Landing, GA recently flew up to Dekalb-Peachtree (PDK) in Atlanta to see how things were going with Dick Rank's rebuild of N125C, serial no. 205, a project he bought from John Gadeikis in 2000. Gus took some nice photos for us, and Dick provided comments to go with them. 26/01/2005

Shortly after sending us the material for the current Mite of the Month article, John Davidson told us of the loss of another airplane. An Aeronca Champ, purchased many years ago by John's dad, was treasured by his family. Last month's unusually heavy snowfall in the Ohio Valley collapsed the roof of its hanger and the Champ was totally demolished. Because of the need for a two-seater replacement for the family, and in view of the fact that his First Officer's pay is not sufficient to support two airplanes, John has made the tough decision to sell N4096.You can see the details in his ad on the Buy & Sell page. 26/01/2005.

It's January, time for The Mooney Mite Site annual request for support. The costs of server space, domain name registration fee, postage, and phone bills never end. Since this site does not have income from pop-up windows, banners and other commercial clutter, we have to come up with funds from our own bank account plus  donations from you, our readers. We trust that if you enjoy the contents of this website and visit it regularly you will want to help pay for keeping it on the Internet. To find out how to support the Mite Site, see our Donations page and special offer. Happy New Year! 01/01/2005

Just in the nick of time, John Davidson, N4096, has submitted some words and outstanding photos for our January Mite of the Month article. Up until three days ago, we were resigned to having no new material to feature. We do have a number of outstanding requests to owners whose Mites have never been featured, but apparently reached a point where these last few are reluctant or unable to respond. In our five+ years, we've gathered enough material to publish articles on 46 different airplanes. Next month's article is our first repeat. As the notice at the bottom of this page says, we depend on contributions. Keep them coming! 31/12/2004

In 1989, the Mooney Aircraft Pilots Association sponsored a reunion at Kerrville, Texas. Two Mooney Mites attended, and one of them took the Best of Show. We can show you the issue of the MAPA Log which featured the event, thanks to Monroe Spake, N4080. 27/11/2004 It's great how our viewers keep coming up with articles about Mites previously published elsewhere. Here's one from the April, 1978 edition of Homebuilt Aircraft, scanned and sent to us by Monroe Spake, N4080. It tells about Fred Quarles and the M-18X as well as the MMAC and MMOA, which he founded. It features Bob Katz and his N4155 - which is not a homebuilt! - and will make some of you glad you own a Mite. 25/11/2004

Back in May of 2002, we posted a request from Carolyn Kuespert for information about a Mystery Mite that she was sure her dad, Hugh Sheetz, had once flown. With persistence, she has discovered his log book in which there is an entry for a flight in N4062 back in September, 1954. As far as our records are concerned, this airplane is now in limbo. According to the FAA, it was last registered to Sale Reported (this guy sure owns a lot of airplanes!!) at a box number in Oklahoma City. If anyone out there can track down this airplane or owner and let us know, it would be much appreciated. 14/11/2004 Probably the longest-lasting Mite owners association is the Western Association of Mooney Mites. Here is a short history of WAMM, provided by its founder, Tony Terrigno. 12/11/2004.

Here's the kind of e-mail we especially enjoy receiving. It's from Mite enthusiast Carl Mitchell of Era, Texas. 20/10/2004 There are two new items on the Articles page for you to read. The first is one by Gil Gilbert, N4121, describing a modification that will minimize damage from a wheels-up landing. The second, from Tony Terrigno's WAMM files, is a reprint of a 1992 flight report in the Pacific Flyer by his son, Larry Terrigno. 17/10/2004

You will recall from an earlier article that Jeff Helmericks purchased N4178 in North Dakota and had it flown up home to Palmer, Alaska. Since then, he has given it a very thorough going-over. You will probably be astonished, as I was, when you see the pictures of the new instrumentation in the Mite. Thanks to Jeff for sending us this report and photos. 10/10/2004 John Balkin of North Hollywood has bought his second Mite in three months. Having acquired N363A last July (as we reported earlier), he just took delivery of N4130 which he bought from Ron Anderson. It was hauled from Illinois to California by Rex Brandt Aircraft Hauling, right on time and with no damage. John says he will get N363A back in the air first, then over the next few years totally restore N4130. 10/10/2004

Our report on last month's Concrete, WA gathering is now complete, with four new photos added. 05/10/2004 Here is our report on the recent and very successful October WAMM Fly-In at Porterville, CA. 04/10/2004.

From the Porterville October Fly-In, we brought back a number of items from Tony Terrigno's WAMM files, some of which we will publish as time goes by. Here is one of them -- a set of photos taken by Bill Spellman of a Mite gathering in New Carlisle, OH hosted by Ted Teach in 1998. By the way, there is word from Ted that he flew his Mite today for the first time in a year. The engine has a totally new top end. Also, he expects to fly out to Porterville next May, so the other fellows back east who have expressed an interest in doing the same can expect an invitation. 04/10/04

Here is an item that shows that managing this website can be fun. After downloading the latest FAA database to check out their list of current Mite owners, we noticed that one of our "missing" Mites, N4146 is back - now registered to Larry Omps of Winchester, VA. With the help of SuperPages and his obliging cousin, James Omps, we managed to reach Larry by phone and learned that the Mite was the subject of a newspaper article that you'll enjoy reading. Incidentally, Larry tells us the Mite is in fine shape and should be flying soon. 28/09/2004 It's time to set aside your everyday activities and pack up for the trip to Porterville, California to attend the WAMM Fly-In. It's happening next weekend, October 1 - 3. We'd be pleased to see you there. 26/09/2004

Here is a preliminary report on last weekend's fly-in at Concrete, WA. We are hoping to receive more photos soon. 25/09/2004 Harry Asbury, of Amelia Court House, VA saw our Mite of the Month article about ESAM's N4089 and it brought back many memories (see his entry in our Guestbook). He looked hard and found a photo to send us, showing himself and Michael Gluroff, ex-V.P. of Sikorsky Aircraft taken way back in 1956, when he owned the Mite. 22/09/2004

Bob Pike bought N4138 as a project in northern lower Michigan and recently towed it home to Adams, Wisconsin. He has sent us photos showing how he loaded the Mite on the trailer. 15/09/2004 For those of you that can remember the MMA News Bulletin, we'd like you to know we've received an e-mail from editor Bill Nolen. Bill, now 73 years old, once owned N4126, serial no. 296. In May 1969, he established the Mooney Mite Association and edited and issued a Mite Newsletter for seven months. This was during a time when Fred Quarles' Mooney Mite Owners Association (MMOA) was inactive. Bill is apparently doing fine and enjoying browsing the Mite Site. We are looking forward to sharing material that Bill has promised to send us. 10/09/2004

We've just received a great flight report by Gary Middleton about his recent ferry flight in Harold Hanson's N4149E from Ohio to Washington. N4149E was Ben Workman's Lindy-winner. Having a look at this beautifully restored Mite is just one of the many good reasons to visit Concrete on this coming weekend, September 17-19. 09/09/2004

It's time for this reminder about the Mooney Mite - Culver Fly-In at Concrete, Washington. 25/08/2004 Subsequent to a request he received from Scott Royall for information on wood repairs, Dick Rank decided it would be useful to send us some photos of his spar gluing jig. We thank him for sharing his ideas. 25/08/2004

Please note that the October WAMM Fly-in has been re-scheduled for October 1-2-3, 2004, which is a week earlier than previously published on this site. This will allow those who travel commercially to avoid holiday traffic on the October 8 - 10 weekend. 09/08/2004

Mites are changing owners all the time, that's nothing new, but the recent history of N363A is noteworthy. Here's what happened: Last February, Pat Waters of Mt. Pleasant, SC decided to sell the Mite, and listed it on eBay. In March, he ended up trading it to Gene Turner of Virginia for a 1927 Chev touring car. Then, for reasons unknown to us, Gene posted it on eBay again a couple of weeks ago. John Balkin of North Hollywood, CA, a long time fan of "rag and tube" aircraft, decided he just had to have a Mite, and outbid the competition. We've learned that the plane will be flown by an un-named CFI out to the West Coast early next month. John is a long-time A&P IA with special interest in wood and fabric aircraft. His only concern about owning the Mite is that, at 6' - 4", he will not be able to get in it! Well, he'll soon find out.... 28/07/2004

The waiting is over. The FAA has released the Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft Rule, and it will go into effect on September 1st. For Mooney Mite owners, the result is very disappointing. The Mite does not qualify due to its retractable landing gear. In addition, we have been advised that the chances of success in appealing for an exception to the Rule are virtually nil. If you would like to read the fine print, we have posted the FAA's discussion about their definition of sport-aircraft landing gear. 23/07/2004

It's our pleasure to announce that we have two new members in our small but important community. Wayne Smith of Johnson City, Tennessee has acquired N372A, serial number 33, from John Blaha of Naperville, Illinois and Robert Irsik of Richmond Hill, Virginia is now the owner of N4080, serial number 266, a project which he purchased recently from Monroe Spake of Villa Rica, Georgia. Welcome to the Mite community fellows! 13/07/2004

Keeping the Mite Site in mind as usual, Dick Rank, N125C, mailed us a photocopy of a Mite featured in the Gallery of a 1977 issue of the IMS Log. Does this website contain everything that has ever been written about the Mooney Mite? Probably not. Is it getting close? You bet! 23/06/2004

Keith Mackey, N4159 has sent us some information about where to find replacement rubber boots for the Mite. Articles like this will normally be found via the Maintenance Tips page.  28/05/2004

From Ernie Buenting, N396M, we have received our second set of photos for an article on Mite gear doors, as suggested by Gus Hertz, N70DV, last March. We are hoping to receive more photos to add to the page as time goes by. 26/05/2004

During the recent refurbishing of his Mite, N4187, Mal Gross  learned that his rudder deflection was below specifications. He brought this to the attention of others at the recent Fly-in at Porterville, CA. Then Tony Terrigno did some investigating and discovered that all of the Mites there had problems in this regard. You probably want to check this out. 25/05/2004

Here is our report on last weekend's WAMM Fly-in at Porterville, CA. 18/05/2004

We learned very recently that our good friend and stalwart member of WAMM, Garry Gramman, died of a heart attack on March 16th. Garry hadn't flown his immaculate Mite for two years, but that didn't stop him from attending every one of our Fly-Ins. He will be greatly missed. We will be adding to his memorial page in the near future. Incidentally, the Porterville Fly-In will be taking place this weekend. It would be great if you could drop by and say hello. 11/05/2004

Thanks to Jeff Helmericks, N4178, we are able to offer a variety of Continental and Lycoming engine manuals. These publications are available as digital files or printed on paper. You can find an index to the manuals by clicking here or going to our Maintenance Page. 08/05/2004

Those of you who attended the October 2001 Fly-in at Porterville, California will remember Ben and Doris Loftsgaard. Or perhaps you remember the story about Doris's famous purple Mite. We have learned that Ben was diagnosed with bone cancer a few months ago. He is in the Kaiser Hospice Program, on medication, and free of pain. The Loftsgaards consider themselves fortunate to be now living with their daughter, who is a doctor, and her family in Portland, Oregon. Doris says that anyone who would like to make contact is more than welcome to do so. 07/05/2004

• Ben and Doris Loftsgaard
• 6165 SW Wilbard Street
• Portland, OR 97219
• (503) 245-7697
• bendoris@juno.com

We are concerned that some of you may not have received a reply to e-mail you sent us. If your message subject was not specific or you are not in our address book, we may have deleted your e-mail by mistake. Always put the word "Mite" in the subject line of any e-mail you send to the Mite Site. This will help us to separate it from the loads of spam that we receive every day. 02/05/2004

New item now listed on our Maintenance Page - the Lycoming 0-145-B2 Operator's Manual, as a fully indexed PDF file. Thanks very much to Jeff Helmericks, N4178 for sending it to us. Because it is so large, we will make this file available upon request. 28/04/2004

The MAPA (Mooney Aircraft Pilots Association) website photo album displays the photo of a Mite which they cannot identify. If you can help us to find out the N-number of this airplane, we would much appreciate it. 26/04/2004

Here's the last in our series of flying adventures in a Mite by Chuck Fairchild for your enjoyment. It's a good one. 04/04/2004

Back in the summer of 1999, when we were first gathering material for the proposed Mooney Mite Site, we were happy to come upon an entertaining story called "The Dead Man's Spiral", by Harry Stege, then of Laredo, TX. It was about a harrowing experience he had as a student pilot in a Mite way back in 1953. It seems Harry never lost his liking for the little airplane because, after all these years, he has become an owner, having bought N110C from Steve Walton, of Acworth, GA. The airplane will be based at Gundy's Airport, a fly-in community at Owasso, OK. Welcome to the Mooney Mite Community, Harry! 20/03/2004

The number of Mites known to still exist has gone up by one. Jim Jenkins, C-GHIY, of Waquiot, MA and soon be based in Concrete, WA has found N4118, S/N 286 in the back corner of a nearby hangar where it has sat for almost 20 years. Jim believes the Mite will likely make "a full recovery." Congratulations, Jim. Here's hoping that your experience will be an incentive to other enthusiasts to hunt for more of these missing Mites. We are convinced there are many more to be found. 20/03/2004

We have more for you about the flight of N4178 to Alaska, as mentioned yesterday (below). Jeff Helmericks sent us this this flight report, including more super photographs for you to enjoy. You will notice that none of the photos were taken above the 49th parallel, which tells you something about the kind of March weather we've been having here in Canada. 19/03/2004.

Mooney Mite N4178 has a new owner. Jim Bergo of Minot, ND sold it to Jeff Helmericks of Palmer, AK last month. We appreciate that fact that both fellows promptly informed the Mite Site about the transaction. Jeff sent us a magnificent aerial photo of the airplane during the flight north earlier this week. So long, Jim. Welcome Jeff! 18/03/2004

The above news item prompted us to search our database for Mites in Alaska, and we found that Gordon Pugh's N17P, s/n 19, was apparently the first Mite there, way back in 1956. Gundi Steele's N4102, s/n 136, was reportedly brought back from Alaska years ago stowed inside a DC-3. We have no information on how it got there in the first place. Alfred Burnside's N335M, s/n 216, was flown there by a previous owner, Russ Anderson, in 1969. John Crossman's N4186, made famous by Ron Swartley, who flew it to the tip of South America in 1965, was destroyed there in 1967. The current FAA records show Tim Veenstra of Anchorage, as the owner of N482M, s/n 236,  but we've never heard from him, and thus put that Mite on our "missing" list.18/03/2004

Gear doors were not factory-installed on Mites, but installation instructions are shown in the M-18 Parts and Service Manual. So the gear doors you see on Mites are custom-made and various. Gus Hertz, N70DV, is contemplating the installation of some, and tells us it would be useful if the Mite Site featured a "Gear Doors Gallery." We agree, so we ask that those of you who have a camera and a Mite with gear doors please mail or e-mail us a set of photos. Thanks. 12/03/2004

Another new Mite owner has checked in and another Mite is back in the air. We recently learned that Delvin Gregg has purchased N100JM from Mark Dold, also of Durango, CO. The Mite was in pieces, but Delvin now has it back together and flying again. He reports that it performs better than his 85hp J-3 from the local 6660' elevation airport. Welcome to the Mooney Mite Community, Delvin! 09/02/2004

In spite of the fact that Monroe Spake is in Hong Kong at this time, we have some fresh pictures of N4179 to show you, due to the efforts of Gus Hertz who went over to the hangar and took some photos of the undercarriage in order to show us some nicely designed gear doors. Thanks Gus! 08/03/2004

In the Better Late Than Never department, here's an item we forgot to tell you about last summer. It's about Jerry Johnston, famous in Mite lore for accompanying Ted Teach in a flight across the USA to attend the May, 2000 WAMM fly-in at Porterville, CA. Well, due mainly to the fact that his hangar was dismantled by authorities - for political reasons that we won't go into - it was necessary for Jerry to give up N4124 to his happy son, Joel Johnston, of Mead, WA. Joel was very familiar with the Mite because he had helped rebuild the plane years ago. Last July, Joel wrote to tell us he'd had the pleasure of flying the Mite out west from Roscommon, MI. Today he sent us more photos of the plane, which is now based at Deer Park (DEW), north of Spokane, WA. Sorry for the oversight, Joel. Please accept a belated welcome to the Mooney Mite Community. 28/02/2004

We've been told that MCFI Dave Dodson's article on getting checked out in a single seat aircraft (i.e. the Mooney Mite) has been published in the latest edition of the NAFI Mentor magazine. If anyone out there can send the Mite Site a copy, it would be much appreciated. 27/02/2004

Thanks to Keith Mackey, N4159, we now have available for downloading from our Maintenance page the full M-18C Parts and Maintenance Manual (as a PDF file). The Mite Site also has the P&M Manual for the M-18L and LA models available on request, but only as photocopied pages via snail mail (so far). Keith has generously sent us copies of much of the documentation that came with his new Mite, some of which we will attempt to use for the Mite of the Month feature for March, 2004. It should be interesting to see what we come up with.  By the way, it looks like N4159 has made it from Ohio safely to its new home in Ocala, FL. 24/02/2004

Have a look at three nice photos sent to us by Dan Beltrami, N339M, of Sandy, Oregon. If you have originals of photos you'd like to share, just snail mail them to us. After scanning, we'll send them right back to you. 02/02/2004

Once again we remind you to always put the word "Mite" in the subject line of any e-mail you send to the Mite Site. This will help us to separate it from the loads of spam that we receive every day. 02/02/2004

We'd like to welcome Keith Mackey of Ocala, Florida to the Mooney Mite Community. Keith has purchased N4159 from Philip Harbaugh of Ohio. Along with this news, he sent us a nice photo of the Mite (our first one of this airplane) taken at Brackett Field in California in 1965. We've learned that the Mite has been sitting in a garage for a number of years, but Keith plans to truck it home to Florida next month and make it airworthy as soon as possible. 29/01/2004

It's time for the latest installment in Chuck Fairchild's series of articles about interesting and unusual adventures in a Mite. This time it's about CAP Searches in the Mite. Chuck says his supply of stories is inexhaustible. We sure hope so! 26/01/2004

On the subject of flying events, Gus Hertz, N70DV, informs us that there are monthly gatherings of Mooney and Mite owners at Rome, GA. Check out our Events page. 24/01/04

The red Mite (see below) has been identified. Our thanks to Bob Katz, N4155, for steering us in the right direction. The plane is N4088, owned by Father Gerald Oleary now of Santa Monica, California. 03/01/2004

We need help in identifying an unknown red Mite. 02/01/2004

It's time for our annual appeal for funds. Server space and domain name registration fees, postage and phone bills add up to a considerable amount every year. Other website operators often turn to revenue from pop-up windows, banners and other commercial clutter in an attempt to recover costs. We have chosen to avoid this route. We trust that if you enjoy the contents of this website and visit it regularly you will want to help pay for the ongoing cost of keeping it on the Internet. 01/01/2004

Thanks to an old article from the The Ohio Flyer sent to us by Bob Hanek of Cortland, OH, we've gained some interesting background on another one of our "missing" Mites, N4060, once known as Rootnik-IV. Hopefully, this article will cause someone out there to get in touch and tell us where this airplane is now. 29/12/2003

Chuck Fairchild has another story for us this month on our Articles page: The Power Line Slalom. We don't recommend that anyone imitate this adventure, as it's the kind of thing one might do when one is young and .... 13/12/2003

We received an e-mail today from Garry Gramman, N119C, of El Cajon, CA giving us his perspective on the devastating Cedar Fire in the San Diego area this past October. Click here to read his email and view a map which shows how close the fire came to his property. Thanks for the report, Garry. 11/11/2003

Here's another in the series of adventures in a Mite by Chuck Fairchild. This one is called The Radioactive Mite. 05/11/2003

Do you get unwanted e-mail (Spam)? We do too. Tons of it. Much of the problem is caused by the fact that we have necessarily displayed our e-mail address on this website. If you e-mail the Mite Site for any reason, make sure you include a meaningful phrase in the subject line to catch our attention. If you don't, and we don't recognize your name or e-mail address, chances are we will delete your message unread. 05/11/2003

Here's a hilarious story about the adventures of Mooney Mike Michlig, told by himself, when he was the owner of N4102. 31/10/2003

It's a pleasure to hear from previous Mite owners as well as current ones. We received an e-mail from Michael Michlig who once owned N4102 and now has the Artisans Gallery in Bigfork, Montana. He and his wife live at the Bigfork Airport and fly a 1954 TriPacer from their home. Because he has fond memories of his M-18, Michael had a local aviation artist make a solid wood replica of a Mite. One of these would make a nice souvenir for your living room. See the Buy&Sell page for more details. 30/10/2003

As mentioned in our Concrete, WA fly-in report, at last August's EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, Mal Gross's newly rebuilt N4187 played a prominent role. Not only did he take the Lindy for Best Classic Aircraft in the Under 81 h.p. category, but Mal was invited to place his Mite in the Mooney Aircraft display which was organized to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Mooney in Kerrville, TX. Now we have learned that the lovely N4187 is pictured in the October issue of EAA's Vintage Aircraft magazine, page 13. Once again, congratulations, Mal! 22/10/2003

In West Coast news, Bill Vandersande, N4105, has agreed to take over as head of WAMM subsequent to the voluntary withdrawal of Ben Favrholdt, N66MX, at least until May 2004, when members will have a chance to let their wishes be known. These two fellows have been the generous hosts of the Porterville fly-ins for many years, and we have appreciated the contribution Bill has made towards the semi-annual gatherings. With him as the WAMM honcho, we look forward to enjoying more of the same. 22/10/2003

From Steve McGuire, N85PM, here is a report on the 2003 Tulsa Regional Fly In: "It was held at the Bartlesville, OK Municipal Airport on Friday and Saturday, September 19 and 20. We had two days of absolutely beautiful weather --  cloudless blue skies with highs in the mid 70's. An estimated 500 airplanes flew in for the event. There were three Mites in attendance: George Ramin flew in from Houston in his C-85 powered M-18C-55 (N366A). Kurt Etling flew his 1950 M-18C (N342M) from the Texas panhandle. Steve McGuire brought his 1953 M-18C (N85PM) from Ponca City, OK. We had a great time talking Mites and renewing old friendships. On Saturday, we had a Mite forum. We used it primarily to talk about Mite maintenance and to talk Mites with those that attended but weren't Mite owners." 22/10/2003

It's always a mixture of pleasure and regret to report the comings and goings of Mite owners. The latest is Lewis Moon of Rockford, IL who has purchased N4180 from Larry Minch. Welcome, Lew! On the other hand, Stephen McGuire of Ponca City, OK has decided to sell N85PM (see our Buy&Sell page). This airplane is well known for having been featured on our Millennium Fly-In post card (now a collector's item). Steve has decided that three airplanes is just too many. We hope that even without his efforts Mites will continue to gather each year at the Tulsa regional fly-in in Bartlesville. 22/10/2003

Our ".pdf" version of the Continental A65 Engine Specs document (see below) has been improved thanks to the help of Scott Royall, N4172. The document is not an exact replica of the original, but it is getting pretty close. Now, would anyone like to see the Lycoming O-145 Specs? 22/10/2003

A photo-report of the recent Porterville Fly-In is now ready for viewing. Larger versions of these or any other photos on this site are available, free of charge, thanks to the generosity of our donors. 09/10/2003

We are looking for three drawings which are part of the Continental Engine Specifications for the model A65-8 series. They are No. A50381 Outline Assembly, No. A6445 Sectional Assembly, and Curve Sheet 1009-3 Altitude Performance Curve. If you have these and will share them with the Mite Site, please let us know. 07/10/2003

This is a final reminder that the Porterville, California Fly-in begins just one week from today. The semi-annual WAMM Fly-in is probably the largest gathering of Mite experts that you'll find anywhere. For Mite owners and enthusiasts, this is an excellent chance to discuss the answers to your questions about M-18s, or just do some hangar flying with a great group of guys. It's an opportunity that should not be missed. 26/09/2003

We give a belated welcome to our community to Charlie Collman of Broomfield, Colorado who purchased Mite No. 333 from Larry Dale of Colorado Springs this past summer. Charlie looked long and hard for a -55 model, and finally made a deal for N4168. Therefore we say so long to Larry, a long time Mite owner (29 years), who will now have more time to spend with his other airplanes, including a lovely Mooney Culver V which can be seen in our Mite of the Month feature for February, 2003. 26/09/2003

Chuck Fairchild, once owner of N4156, has sent us an entertaining story about his venture into formation flying in Mites with buddy Phil Ehart in N395A in the 1960's. 20/09/2003

We would like to welcome Gus Hertz, N70DV, to the Mooney Mite community. His Mite was briefly owned by Janet Francum of Florida, who bought it earlier this year from Donald Vecchie of Illinois. Gus lives at a fly-in community called Mallard's Landing (GA04), located just southeast of ATL. 16/09/2003

It's time for another reminder: We are appealing to all the "regulars", as well as those Mite fans who are within flying, driving or walking distance of Porterville, California, the Mooney Mite Capital of the World, to come to PTV for the semi-annual WAMM Fly-In, October 3, 4, 5. For details, see our Events page, or e-mail Ben Favrholdt. Don't forget - it's just over two weeks away. No admission. Come as you are. All are welcome! 16/09/2003

Here are a few photos from the recent Concrete, WA Fly-In. 25/08/2003 A reminder - the Tulsa Regional Fly-In will be happening at Frank Phillips Field in Bartlesville, Oklahoma in less than a month - September 19-20 to be exact. We mention it of course because our representative in Ponca City, OK Steve McGuire, N85PM, has invited Mite owners to put in an appearance in the M-18 Type Club display area. For details, see their website link on our Events page. 25/08/2003

We have obtained a copy of the program handed out at the memorial service of famous Mooney M-18 test pilot, Eagle Bill Taylor, who died in June, 2002. It was sent to us by Stephen Drane of Kerrville, TX. 20/08/2003

Once again, a Mite has changed owners. This time it is N246MM which was purchased by Gerald Clark of Osceola, Iowa from Michael Bolinger of Kokomo, Indiana. Welcome to the Mooney Mite Community, Gerald! The Mite Site appreciates being kept up to date by new owners. 19/08/2003

Congratulations and welcome go to Otto Puhlmann of Logan, UT who has purchased N4097 from Dale Johnson of Seminole, TX. Otto towed the Mite 1100 miles on a trailer to its new home in northern Utah. He is in the process of reassembling it and expects to have it done shortly. 18/08/2003 In June we published a note about the Flying Bomb decals that are available from Fred Ramin. Well, Bill Vandersande has sent us a photo of what they  look like on the tail of N4105. Bill also submitted a photo and specs of an easy-to-make homemade static prop balancer.18/08/2003

Jim Frank of Atlanta is pleased to inform us he has purchased his second Mite, N4189, a C-55 from Fred Schmidt of Camden, Ohio. We're looking forward to receiving some new photos of this Mite - we've heard it's a beauty. 30/07/2003 We are fortunate to have a top-notch flying instructor in our Mite community, Dave Dodson, N3493A, who has submitted an article on how to prepare to fly a Mite for the first time. Because it is so thorough, it contains advice which even experienced Miters will find useful. 06/07/2003

Steve McGuire, N85PM, sent us this: We are again planning to have a gathering of Mites at the 47th Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In. The dates are September 19-20. The fly-in is held at the Bartlesville, OK airport (Identifier BVO). All Mites will be parked together. Again this year we are joining up with the Culver group for a forum on Saturday the 20th..... We will be sending flyers out to all the Mite owners within about 500 miles of Bartlesville when they get printed." 04/07/2003

Mal Gross' N4187 is finally finished its seven-month-long rebuild and is

Monroe Spake of Villa Rica, GA has announced his purchase of his second Mite in two years.  He has made a deal for N4179 (N201MM) from Michael Harms of Mountain View, CA. 24/06/2003 Recently, N4138, serial number 305, was sold as a project by Robert Farr Jr. of West Bloomfield, MI to Bob Pike of Lake Zurich, IL. Other commitments have forced Robert to withdraw from the Mite community. For the benefit of others still involved with the Mite, he has kindly donated to the Mite Site a print-out of the index of all the original M-18X drawings archived at the NASM (Smithsonian), and now available upon request. Thank you, Robert! 20/06/2003

We would like to put together a referral list for wooden airplane construction and restoration. If you personally know of, and would recommend, any individuals or shops who are qualified to repair and restore Mooney Mites, please e-mail the Mite Site or post a note in the Discussion forum. Thanks. 21/05/2003 Mite owner Dave Dodson, N393A, of Granger, Indiana has recently earned his Master CFI designation from the National Association of Flight Instructors. This is quite an achievement, as we understand that less than one-half of one percent of aviation educators in the USA gain the Master rating. Dave is an Aviation Safety Counselor for the local FSDO as well as a flight instructor in South Bend. Congratulations, Dave, well done! Now, if we can only figure out how Dave is going to take a student up in his M-18L.... 14/05/2003

Hey guys, time to mark August 15, 16, and 17th on your summer events calendar.... 06/05/2003 Most enthusiasts who go to a gathering of airplanes take a camera with them. For those who use more sophisticated film cameras and have opportunities to take photos of airplanes from the air, we have put together this article. The material was gleaned from e-mail exchanges we had a couple of years ago with professional photographer Jesse H. Moore V. of Seattle. Even though digital cameras have taken over from film cameras to a great extent, much of the advice is still relevant. 04/05/2003

The May 2003 WAMM Porterville Fly-in has been cancelled due to poor weather. This will be confirmed later by e-mail to expected attendees. It's raining in Porterville right now, and the weatherman is calling for more rain and thundershowers on Friday and Saturday. Ben Favrholdt, our man on the spot, says this is a very rare occurrence in Porterville at this time of year. Too bad. We'll see you in October. 29/04/2003 You will recall that in the summer of 2001, airplane collector Carl Terrana died in the crash of a homebuilt Hurricane near his home in Buckley, Washington. At that time Carl was having N4103, one of his two M-18's, totally rebuilt. We are fortunate that his son Dino Terrana has send us some recent photos of the almost-completed airplane, which is now listed for sale on our Buy&Sell page. This gives us an excuse to briefly tell about its unusual history. In 1961, Air Force captain Frank Gomes purchased N4103 in Sacramento for $1700. It was flown to Travis AFB where the tail section was removed, and the entire plane loaded aboard a C-124 and flown to Hawaii. In 1979, Gomes wrote in a letter to Tony Terrigno, "I have flown her to every island in the Hawaiian chain. Some of my flights take over an hour over nothing but ocean. This is the faith I have in her." We've never been able to discover what became of Gomes, or when and how the Mite came back to the mainland. Maybe some day we'll find out. 26/04/2003

Our Accident page has been extended to show all Mite accident reports going back as far as March 1964, which is the earliest available data from the NTSB database. As they say, learn from the mistakes of others, for you won't live long enough to make them all yourself. 15/04/2003

Every once in a while we are delighted to receive some new Mite photos. The latest come courtesy of Dan Shumaker, N4142. Dan has put together a huge collection of airplane photos on CD ROM, some of which are M-18s.  We've borrowed three for the Mite Site collection. You can see them via the Owners page: N3162, N4169 and N4173. Thanks very much, Dan! 12/03/2003 If you agree with us that the M-18 is a sexy airplane, you'll enjoy a look at one without its clothes on. In January, we paid a visit to Orcas Island, WA where owner Mal Gross has been waiting patiently since December for N4187 to be stripped and re-covered. You'll have to wait a while to see the new paint scheme, but take our word for it, it's going to look good! 12/03/2003

With regret, we report that Dave Grubert, N4177, of Tacoma was killed this week in a crash of his two-seater homebuilt KIS in Puyallup, Washington. See our memorial page. 26/02/2003 The new MiteTalk forum is now our primary discussion area and can be reached via the Discussion button on the left. The old discussion group can still be viewed by clicking here, but will not accept new messages. 15/02/2003

We will be making the transition to the new discussion forum in a couple of days. If you are planning to post a notice or reply to one, please do so in the new forum, as the old one will soon be deactivated. 13/02/2003 On the left you will notice a new "button" labeled New MiteTalk. It will take you to a new discussion forum that we are testing. Please give it a try, and tell us if you like it better than the old one. 09/02/2003

This month's Mite of the Month owner, Larry Dale, has sent us more for that article, plus some general comments on the topic of maintenance and safety, which we have added to our list of tips on the Maintenance Page. 05/02/2003 Award winning N150C has changed hands again. The proud new owner is Don Deaton of Porterville, CA who bought the Mite from Ted Reusch of Banning, CA. Although he has not owned a Mite until now, Don has been an enthusiastic member of WAMM, well known to attendees at the Porterville Fly-ins for his deep-pit barbecues. Ted, who did not take well to the confines of the Mite's cockpit, told us he intends to come to the May Fly-in in his Thorp T-18. Thanks to Bill Vandersande for the photos. 04/02/2003

Porterville, California can now lay claim to the title of M-18 Capital of the World! There are now six fully operational Mites based at PTV: N4105 (Bill Vandersande), N386A (Craig Ortet), N4181 & N4192 (Michael Harms), N66MX (Ben Favrholdt), and now N150C (Don Deaton). 04/02/2003

Here's a treat for you. Toni Guttman of Soquel, California has put together a website showing his flight home in N10301 from Florida a couple of years ago. After he purchased his M-18C-55 from David Skipper of Ocala, FL, he dropped it off in Houston, Texas to let Boyd Maddox check it out. Although the Mite was no stranger to cold weather, having spent the first part of its life in Canada, the midwinter flight from Texas to California was no small feat for Toni, a first-time Mite owner. Nicely done, Toni! 13/01/03

Jim Jenkins, C-GHIY, would like to host a fly-in for Mooney Mites and Culver Cadets at Concrete, WA (3W5) some time in late August, 2003, depending on the number of enthusiasts who show an interest in attending. The town has built a beautiful new meeting/club building at the field with a kitchen, showers, bathrooms, lounge and meeting room. Jim's and airplane collector Harold Hanson's hangars would be available for sleep-overs. A motel and two decent restaurants are only a mile away. The area offers a great place for unrestricted flying and photo sessions. It's a two hour ride by auto into the scenic Cascades. There's plenty of hangar sight-seeing, and just a comfortable laid-back atmosphere. The possibilities are endless. Response requested: Please e-mail Jim with a Cc to the Mite Site if you think you can make it. If it's successful, it can become an annual event. 07/01/2003