How do they handle short (rough) fields and/or high altitude airports?
It isn’t unusually adept at short rough fields, but it handles them OK. Remember, like most Brand P’s etc., it only has the usual 600 X 6 main gear tires and a noticeably smaller one on the front! However it has super strong steel landing gear but for rough grass strips we would recommend you taking off the F/Glass inner gear doors-if so equipped. Usually, the non-turbo M20 POH’s indicate approx. 1,600 ft. balanced field length at gross, but I usually recommend operating out of approx. 2,000 ft. w/average obstacles and carrying the usual cabin loads. Short fields aren’t its nemesis nor it’s strong suit. I would rate short and/or rough field capabilities at about average. Many are operated out of sod runways with no ill effect. I know several operators who use them on mountain strips just fine. Remember however, an M20 gets its performance through efficiency not brute HP. In most airborne situations it mimics aircraft having 50-85 more HP, but in practice and especially at take off it d
