This may have been posted previously, but I couldn’t find it. Check out this true “cross-country” in a Mooney…
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N9208M/history/20100429/1310Z/KMYF/KSAV
Apparently it’s a stock airplane, too, with the exception of some long range tanks (not ferry tanks).
Don’t forget to bring a couple empty milk cartons.
Posted previously? That just happened 19 mins ago (as I type this). 13 hours in a '66 Mooney nonstop?? I’d love a Mooney, but I don’t know about that much. Not even so much as a piss break?
Forget the pee break- in 12 hours and I’d need to #2
Apparently he tried it earlier on the 6th but took a left in Arizona
And I thought the C150 I was flying sipped on fuel. 
Gatorade bottles Rob. They’re equipped with a wide mouth for ease of access, but more importantly, a LID!
Which is why we have pizza boxes Jason. Easy to hit even in turbulence, although updrafts can cause unwanted imprinting. 
Wow, I never would have believed 13 hours (+ reserve, I assume) endurance. Gotta be somewhere between 10 to 15 gals/hr, right? They do have long wings so I guess they can hold gas better than most pilots. 
Email from the pilot and owner of N9208M last night after the trip…
To everybody who followed my cross country flight today and sent congratulations and/or made interesting comments, my sincere thanks. I am sitting in my hotel room on Savannah reading them all. There must have been 50 or so. It was better than a cheering crowd (but the notion of a whiskey and cigar had some appeal too). Coming through Atlanta center’s area the controller sent solicitations from Bill Rebek. Several friends left nice messages on my cell phone. My wife expressed great relief.
To answer a few questions:
I forgot to post a notice of my flight as promised after my first failed attempt. So I tried from the air. Those messages didn’t get sent till I landed.
My power settings were 1950 RPM, 17 inches MP, leaned to 5.2 gph. At 13,000 feet my TAS was about 115 knots, indicating 95-97.
I tried to fly at 15,000 feet but couldn’t get a reasonable air speed at the low power settings that I was using.
I had no difficulty with clouds of chicken grease.
The weather was perfect for the flight. Beautiful VFR weather from coast to coast. The strong winds in the west gave me a huge push ( 50-70 knots till west Texas. And I had 10-15 knot tail for the rest of the flight. I had been waiting for these conditions.
By far the worst part of the flight were the mountain waves in AZ and NM. 1000 fpm up and down. Most of my first four hour hours of flight were with a block altitude clearance of 13,000-15,000. The controllers didn’t seem to care and I was able to maintain something like an optimal airspeed.
I landed with 3 hours fuel. (specifically, 17 gallons).
The rush to the men’s room never happened. Tomorrow I have to tidy up the airplane and remove various “left over” items.
Over Louisiana I realized I would arrive at KSAV 10 minutes after the last FBO closed. I called FSS and asked if they would call Signature and see if they would hang around for a few extra minutes. The did and relayed the message that it would cost me $75. I agreed but was dis disgruntled. By the time I arrived, Signature had received a half dozen calls of congratulations and must have decided I was some sort of VIP so they waived the fee. But the nice part of the story is that the FSS is really here to help.
Now I have to fly home against the wind.
I expect I will write up a further description of this adventure. As somebody said on the list, it does show the remarkable potential of modern light planes and Mooney’s in particular.
Again, thanks to all.
Jonathan Paul
(Recuperating in Savannah)
I flew from HOU to OAK with a connection in ABQ yesterday (29 Apr). The winds were extremely strong. They were strong enough that the flight attendants were told to sit down and didn’t even do the safety inspection prior to landing. (They told everyone to “make their mommas proud and do what you are told” when the cabin was told to turn off electronics.)
The 737 was bounced up and down and side-to-side quite hard from about FL200 to 10,000 feet.
How many Nautical Miles was the trip?
According to Great Circle Mapper it’s 1816NM.
Was there any reason for the flight, or was it just because I can type of thing? Was this some type of record attempt?
He sort of addressed my next question - what about the way back, with headwind the whole way?
how did he carry enough O2 for the flight?
if the pressure was high enough he might not need o2 most of the time
he was at 13,000 for 12 hours, it’s the law. You’d need o2 after a bit no matter how high the pressure. Plus dude prob. Feels like crap after having his body at that ALT for 12 hours. I know after 10 hours at 5,500 pressure ALT I feel like crap the next day.
My small portable Sky Ox system is good for around 20 hours at 10K feet and around 15 hours at 15K feet.
