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A suggestion like that would put my wife in a Pilatus with her next husband.

Here's an idea; limit your legs to 2½ hours. Never had a bathroom issue with that. New airports, new experiences. Quick stops, get out and stretch your legs. You're refreshed for the next leg.

We just completed "Phase 2" of a 3-Phase modernization of our 1965 M20E. The first phase was redoing the panel last year which included a JPI 930 install, CIES senders, all new circuit breakers, new Garmin GMA 345, new Garmin GTX 225, IRANing the 430W, new engine controls, all new switches, a new, powdercoated and laser-cut 1-piece panel, new headset plugs, new antennas and digital coax, and a few other odds and ends. Phase 2 is the interior, and we chose to go with AeroComfort due to their stellar Mooney reputation and first-hand experience with one of their planes and oh man am I glad we did. As most here know, Hector is absolutely fantastic to work with, and the whole project was on-time and on-budget. We did a full interior with them and dropped the plane off at SAT to let them do the install. Along the way, we installed Alpha Aviation inertia reel seatbelts, replaced all the insulation & soundproofing with new, and had a custom leather wrap done on the yokes Hector recreated from a picture. I'll let the pictures do the talking... PICTURES BEFORE / AFTER COMPARISON

She’s done and back home. After 7 years of researching with the help of y’all, designing, re-thinking and re-designing (insert infinite loop here) I couldn’t be much happier with the outcome. Important to note that one of the things not visible on the panel is the remotely mounted Guardian CO detector that’s interfaced with the G3X. I had a major CO event in a very well maintained airplane that was successfully caught by my Sensorcon and now I will not fly without a CO detector. The Sensorcon is still in my flight bag to be used as a backup and when flying with students and friends in their airplanes. Big shout-out and thank you to Dan Bass @DanM20C for making us all aware of the importance of reliable CO detection capability and keeping a close watchful eye on the exhaust system. Time for me to step away from the keyboard and spend what’s left of my life’s savings turning dinosaurs into aviation adventures in my “new” ride. Again, thanks for all the help. Cheers, Rick EDIT: I changed the picture to show the panel powered up. Also, it shows I added white "OFF" labels to the top of the magneto switches on the Electroair ignition panel. I found this helpful in the transition from a rotary key switch to make sure I turn them off, and also makes it easy to confirm they're off looking through the window from the outside. They disappear into the switch body when they're turned on. This fine work was done by Precision Avionics Specialists at 6A2, Griffin Georgia. https://www.precision-avionics.com

Update - local guy repaired the wing tip and painted. I took the opportunity to have him touch up several other minor hanger rash and paint imperfections adn then clean, degrease, polish and ceramic coat the whole plane. I can say that I am happy again!

NONE of these 'ideas' would be mentioned to my wife... I value my life. We LAND and use real restrooms. Happily married for 37 years...plan to keep it that way

Glad to hear that Anthony is doing well, smelling the roses and getting more sleep since he's taken a break from Mooneyspace. Just a Private pilot, not a sleep specialist. LC

Seen on a Ballanca Viking at Durango, CO.

I thought it would be fun to go back down memory lane and look at some articles (Flying, AOPA, etc.) at important points in Modern Mooney history. Mooney M20J 201 Intro https://books.google.com/books?id=5pLFHBEpbF0C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Mooney M20J 201 Follow-up https://books.google.com/books?id=MikeOg4yGbMC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false https://books.google.com/books?id=3O3xoV-q02gC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/1996/september/pilot/mooney-mse Mooney M20K 231 Intro https://books.google.com/books?id=S8rkR5Hozv8C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false https://aeroresourcesinc.com/uploads/197904-1979 Mooney M20K 231.pdf Mooney M20K 231 Follow-up https://books.google.com/books?id=filryD-DNz0C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Mooney 201 vs. 231 https://books.google.com/books?id=WzZQlhAb1ZcC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Mooney M20K 252 https://books.google.com/books?id=bO2ZODqlC8AC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false https://www.youtube.com/live/-d-tkDxJjwM?si=JPn8xZs69wMEfcio Mooney M20K 252 Follow-up https://books.google.com/books?id=9S6jthMxz_8C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Mooney M20L (Porsche) Intro https://books.google.com/books?id=IxmAkTaX8OEC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Mooney M20M (TLS) Intro https://books.google.com/books?id=6cC-eWQx5Q4C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Mooney M20M (TLS) Follow-up https://books.google.com/books?id=CGIuxeSmYt4C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Mooney M20M (TLS) vs. Corvette https://books.google.com/books?id=VT7C_Y4Wm54C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Mooney M20M TLS Bravo https://books.google.com/books?id=SWTxHyD-U_wC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false (There is an error in this article which describes the Bravo's engine as being de-rated to 270hp, compared to a 350hp Navajo. A Lycoming rep dispelled this theory at a MAPA convention by saying that if those two engines share any parts, it would be just that they use the same spark plugs, and that a better comparison would be the 250hp engine used in a Trinidad TB21. The article below in AOPA corrects this mistake.) https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/1998/january/pilot/mooney-bravo https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2016/april/14/a-life-changing-mission Mooney M20R Ovation Intro https://books.google.com/books?id=J6O7Ctdb13MC&source=gbs_all_issues_r&cad=1 https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/1994/july/pilot/m20r-ovation Mooney M20R Ovation Follow-up https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/1996/february/pilot/the-mooney-ovation-at-two https://books.google.com/books?id=cTatyvxs0YMC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2003/june/pilot/mooney-m20r-ovation2-dx https://www.flyingmag.com/pilot-reports-pistons-mooney-ovation2-gx/ https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2005/february/pilot/mooney-gets-glass https://books.google.com/books?id=tvfuczRE650C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2017/november/20/mooney-delivers-first-production-ovation-ultra https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2018/january/pilot/climbing-back https://www.flyingmag.com/we-fly-mooney-m20u-ovation-ultra/?cmpid=enews113017&spMailingID=31965892&spUserID=NTE5MDMzMzc2NQS2&spJobID=1180001766&spReportId=MTE4MDAwMTc2NgS2 Mooney M20K Encore Intro https://books.google.com/books?id=0iNHz-kt9n0C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/1997/august/pilot/mooney-encore Mooney M20S Eagle https://books.google.com/books?id=W0WNUy4d8qQC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false https://www.aopa.org/go-fly/aircraft-and-ownership/aircraft-fact-sheets/mooney-eagle Mooney M20S Eagle Follow-up https://books.google.com/books?id=qZJRCyJPbvQC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2001/july/pilot/new-mooney-eagle2 Mooney M20TN Acclaim https://books.google.com/books?id=7-XCkSuHHAoC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2006/september/pilot/muscle-mooney https://www.flyingmag.com/pilot-reports-pistons-mooney-acclaim-type-s/ https://www.flyingmag.com/mooney-announces-m20v-acclaim-ultra/ https://www.flyingmag.com/project-notebook-mooney-m20v-acclaim-ultra/ https://www.flyingmag.com/mooney-achieves-certification-for-acclaim-and-ovation-ultra/ Misc. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/1995/october/pilot/mooney-safety-review https://airfactsjournal.com/2014/03/whats-wrong-mooney-pilots-lot/ https://mooneymite.org/articles-history/baxtermooney.htm https://airfactsjournal.com/2019/05/visiting-the-mooney-family/ https://www.planeandpilotmag.com/aircraft/mooney/the-marvelous-mooney-m20/ https://www.planeandpilotmag.com/article-category/mooney/

When I did my flight up the Hudson corridor, I flew 90-100 KIAS. In an Ovation. With a fast airplane, slow is a choice. With a slow airplane, slow is a requirement.

Great conversation! NA or TN’d there are some differences… and many similarities… in my O1…. 1) I prefer to fly LOP. 2) Long body speeds as they are… I start slowing down a couple miles from the traffic pattern… 3) This gives the opportunity to have gear down, and T/O flaps deployed once in the white arc… 4) This is also the time I go into ROP mode… not full rich. 5) the LBs got a blue arc on the EGT gauge for climb power… a 100°F range… starting about 200°F ROP 6) the Acclaims have the G1000 with the white box instead… same range, same engine safety, same operability for the go-around… 7) Essentially my first Gumps occurs a bit earlier than the rest of the world… 8) And the mixture is now steady in the blue box… 9) In the traffic pattern the usual flaps and gumps checks… and full rich at my near SL airport…. Note: leaving the engine leaned from altitude… won’t be noticed until the plane is on the ground… it will stumble and die on roll out. if you are fast on the mixture control it runs easily… if the prop stops turning… you start to wonder if the next start will be a hot, cold, or warm start… wondering if the plane’s momentum will carry you to the next turn off… Note for Dan… this is my NA IO550 experience for my O3 powered O1. Consider using the white box on your G1000’s EGT/TIT sensor..(?) going full rich at sea level the EGT will be lower than the white box… in a slight too rich zone…. But, realistically when we are turning 2700 rpm full rich is considered 30gph… (310 hp discussion) it’s hard to get there even at full rich… The big difference from standard Mooneys… the EGT gauge is calibrated with real temperature readings, and an arc is ‘printed’ on the face of the instrument… that makes it really easy to put the engine in a safe ROP zone… not too rich, not too lean, no matter what altitude we are landing at… the IO550s got a standard EGT sensor location for this important ship’s gauge. A location machined in the exhaust’s 3 into 1 collector allowing for the calibration between sensor location and the instrument readings… where an 1/8” really changes the temp being displayed… Oddly, for years… the G1000’s EGT display in the Ovations was marked TIT… it took a while before the software ever got updated… PP thoughts only, not a mechanic… or CFI. Best regards, -a- Soooo many Mooneys currently have nice engine instruments, and their sensors installed in standard locations… it wouldn’t take much to have the blue box actually indicated on a JPI or EI device… making absolute EGT readings totally useable…

I recognize it's de rigueur to speculate on how to achieve best longevity of fuel tank sealant, given how expensive and frustrating it is to deal with seeps. But I think there is much speculation and little (or no) evidence for most of the pet theories. Even if the pet theories have merit, it's hard to say to what extent non-full tanks compete with hard landings, and operating on grass runways, and differential heating from sun exposure when unhangared, etc. as sources of decreased sealant longevity. Furthermore, the fuller the tanks when sitting, the more weight sits on the ridiculously expensive landing gear doughnuts, potentially causing them to wear faster, etc. Call me a contrarian, but my suggestion is that you pay no attention to any of this. You can't really control most of it, and even if you could, there is no serious evidence for all these pet theories about sealant longevity. Just fly the airplane in the manner that best suits your needs, keep an eye out for seeps (and other wear items), and address them when needed.

And . . . she's sold! As of this afternoon after 15 years of Mooney ownership, and 12 years with this magnificent Missile, I'm planeless. I admit it was kind of hard watching her fly off today. She's got a great new home with a good pilot and owner who is very excited about this Missile. I hope he join's MooneySpace and attends Mooney Summit in October. Thank you as always to everyone here on MooneySpace. I'll stick around! -Seth

Which one is being traded?

It's never to soon to stockpile dollar bills. Just make sure they aren't all 1s . . . .

This little E has about 2000ttaf and 650 Sfrm - so rather than going with a vintage scheme, I wanted to take the acclaim ultra scheme because it has a little retro in it. Sneak peak, not yet finished on the detail, but thought I’d share. Don’t be too harsh - yes the shop is dirty - getting ready to blast and paint the walls.

Just went on a 700nm trip Tuesday, I do the return tomorrow morning. We flew w friends, he and his bride were in his 180hp Skyhawk, and my bride and I in my m20F (first real trip in her). They left an hour and 20 mins before us. We passed him 30miles out from our planned evening stop point. He about crapped his drawers when he put 15 gallons in, after putting 30 in at his first stop, and I put 30 gallons in as my first fill up. He said “are you kidding me? It costs that much less to fly a Mooney than a Skyhawk? And you beat me leaving later? That’s crazy! I thought you were going to go broke buying fuel w those speeds”. I just shrugged n grinned Oh then I rubbed it in, “well we could have just finished the trip and got gas once there, I was only at half tanks”

$250/mo for a hangar is what some people pay for a tie-down - that's a deal. I would do it and keep your name on a hangar wait-list at your home field. As you know, cleaning off your tied-down airplane in the winter in Wisconsin is not fun. (By the way I wouldn't consider this a big dilemma - you have two options. There are metro areas where there are no tie downs or hangars available.)

I think Craig McGregor set it up many years ago, He had owned an M20J and lived on the Big Island of Hawaii until he moved to New Mexico and bought a Malibu. We're lucky he continues to maintain it. I think MooneySpace is valuable enough that I donate more than the minimum and, if you find the forum useful as I do, I recommend doing the same.

Hey all! My favorite topic! How to get the best NA Mooney at a fantastic price? The Eagle as stated above… started out as a decontented Ovation… Nothing that couldn’t be reversed, or added, or adjusted… re-contented. 1) they cut the power output… to less than the Ovation 1. 2) put it back to the O3’s 310hp engine.. and call it a Screamin’ Eagle. Same engine, different governor, tach update fuel adjustment, and possibly a different prop to meet the STC requirements… 3) they cut the fuel capacity… to less than the Ovation 1. Keeping the weight down to match the reduced power output… 4) cut a vent hole in the fuel neck to keep the fuel neck from limiting the capacity… 5) the paint… lots of white, and little color… less than the Ovation 1. 6) Add a big red stripe with a swoopy style… to go with the Screamin’ Eagle decal on the tail… 7) Limited avionics… compared to the Ovation 1. 8) Either way… the Ovation 1 avionics were good… but who is still using DME and ADF approaches…? 9) Go all color screens with WAAS capability… 10) Rudder trim… Eagle didn’t get it. It is super nice to have. Especially with 310hp, and long descents from altitude… 11) cockpit sound insulation…. Ovations got some upscale treatment that the Eagle didn’t… 12) there are plenty of other Mooneys that decided to update this as well… 13) cruise speed for the Eagle… is slightly less than the Ovation… because the O1 got a 2500 rpm red line… the Eagle, slightly less… 14) Go with the 310hp STC… and you get to choose what rpm you want to cruise at, up to 2700 rpm. The STC writer recommended 2550 to match the prop’s design efficiency… These details were discussed early on when @Cris (RIP) bought an Eagle in about 2010 or 11…. Cris was a businessman, a pilot, and a CFII… listed in the MAPA who’s who of CFIs…. Cris was a skilled aviator and liked his Garmin and Bose devices… I gave Cris insight on knowing what was available for his Eagle…. He helped get me get flying again after some time off in 2012… that included getting a new prop and the 310hp STC for my O1… If you go this route… make sure the Hartzell spinner OD matches the diameter of the hole at the front of the cowl… it should be a smooth transition…. or consider the M-T composite four blade… Flying around at 175kts ROP… you want the transitions to all be smooth! If you are into efficiency… 165kts LOP… you really want the smooth transitions… Go Standing O! Or Screamin’ Eagle… you decide! If you go with the standard Eagle… be ready to calculate your T/O distances and climb rates… as they are most affected by the lower power output…. Some short fields may seam shorter… PP thoughts only, not a CFI… Best regards, -a-

If you are training for your instrument rating, the last thing I would recommend is to start learning a brand new software. I use Foreflight, but I would recommend sticking with what you know. You are going to have plenty of new stuff to learn.

What's wrong with losing a half hour versus the bathroom issues discussed above?

There are faster planes. There are roomier planes. There are planes that haul more. They all use a lot more fuel. There are few out there that use less fuel. My 56 Cessna 172 uses more fuel to go the same distance. For a plane that will take my wife and I 1/2 way across this country in a day, there are few if any that will do it for less money.

I know some thought my due diligence was unfounded in getting a “Legal installation” of the Garmin A/P in my Rocket, but an inquiry to Oklahoma FAA records found NO 337’s filed on any prior installations I was aware of. We DID get an approval from our FSDO after a very thorough and calculated approach to why this installation should be approved. We will gladly share the data required for any future 337’s for Garmin A/P’s in Rockets! The installation is complete, with just final setup, programming, re-weighing of A/C and flight testing remaining. I reupholstered my front seats in new leather, had my control yokes wrapped in leather, the glare shield covered in leather, and “another” new windshield installed (story for another time). It looks amazingly like my Lancair Turbine now. I can’t wait to fly it! Tom

I wish real names were required here, as they are on Beechtalk. It might make this type of thing less likely to occur.

Richard was a good friend and colleague and a champion for aviation safety. He reached out to me quite regularly on issues related to aviation weather. Will greatly miss his contributions.

I don't think it is "1 hour" difference. I believe you have overlooked some of the time that you will save with a hangar. You posed it as a 40 min. drive vs a 15 min. drive each way. That is an extra 25 min. commute each way and only an extra 50 min. commute in total to start with. But if you have it tied down, covered, engine plugs, pitot cover it takes some time to remove them and fold it up and stow it somewhere. And it takes longer to put it all back on - and if the weather changes as you land - i.e. windy or rain starts - it takes even longer. I bet you save at least 15 minutes total - maybe more What if it is a beautiful clear winter afternoon in Wisconsin, perhaps hovering around freezing, maybe slightly above? - in the hangar there will be no ice, slush or stubborn ice stuck in the shadows to clean off. What if you land after sunset? - you can push it into your lit hangar. There will be no fumbling around in the dark, losing time trying to put the cover on and tie it down. You will have lights, power and supplies handy to check/add air to the tires and check/top off the oil saving time. Depending on the airport and policy, you may be able to park closer with the hangar (or in the hangar) and save time. In the hangar, there will be less chance of rainwater/slush getting past the fuel caps - hence less time spent sampling/draining accumulated water out of the sumps. And there will be less chance of the unforeseen delay - animals in the cowling or making nests in the empennage, cleaning bird crap off the prop or antenna where birds have chosen to perch, etc. (when I was young my neighbor, who had his Bonanza tied down, had a small animal crawl out the front of the cowling as he revved the engine up for the first start on a cool day. - they lost a lot of time cleaning that mess up)

I believe we have spotted @carusoam on a few threads!!!! Welcome back!!! Better than any UFO sighting...

I heard he was hanging around with Taylor Swift recently

A 2.5 years ago, at our LOBO (Lancair Owners & Builders Organization) Convention in Henderson NV, one of our board members did a slide show presentation about a recent event that had happened after coming out of maintenance in Idaho. He departed Idaho on a flight to Phoenix and about an hour and a half into the flight the Evolution starting having A/P control issues. Other symptoms surfaced (it's been a couple years, I don't remember all the smaller details) so he decided to head back to Boise, hoping to make it there before dark (he didn't). As he was trying to figure out what was going on he noticed upon reaching 14k, descending into Boise, that the altimeter was indicating he was staying level at 14K. Boise Approach asked him to continue his descent for his arrival and although he felt he was descending, he was still showing 14K. It was dark and another call came from Approach to descend. At one point he was straining to see out the window and he spotted a farm with their lights on; he was within 1k' to 2k' of the ground. He climbed back to what he estimated was near 5k' and once he had the lights of Boise in sight, he managed a compete VFR arrival. All this time the controller insistently telling him he was too high!. The pilot took a picture of the panel showing him at 14k sitting on the ramp of Boise Airport. They found a static line had been routed to close to hot turbine engine components and had melted after 1.5 hours in flight. He completed his flight in daylight the next day. His take away was he will never fly again without his Stratus and Ipad running as back up. It will always give you ground speed (something better than nothing) and altitude, uncorrected for Barometric Pressure, but will never have you off far enough that the info is not valuable. Had he been using his Ipad and Stratus during that flight, he would have never been that close to the ground in the dark. My Stratus and Ipad are go / no-go items for any flight for me, even when requiring charging in flight on long trips, after hearing this story. Tom

Is the service center brokering the airplane going to bring to your attention things that might break the deal? You would like to think so, but not likely. It just doesn't work that way. Buying an airplane is a completely emotional decision, no matter what else you might tell yourself. You want this to be the one so your search will be over. The seller wants this to be the one so they can move on. The broker wants this to be the one so they can get paid. If the one doing the pre-buy also wants this to be the one, you aren't getting an un-biased look. They should be the reality check. A good pre-buy evaluation begins with getting to know a little about the seller, even if it is being sold by a broker. I want to talk to the seller and I will not try to cut the broker out of the deal. Then well before the first panel is removed, the next step is a thorough review of the logbooks by someone who knows what they are doing. Decades ago I didn't even know what to look for, but now since I have bought a lot of airplanes I know exactly what to look for. In years past, believe it or not, I had actually had two different people overnight me the logbooks to look at. They had already "bought" me by trusting me that much. Thankfully now, if they are a serious seller, they have the logs on a .pdf file. If it's a seller direct deal and perhaps they haven't sold an airplane before, I have had them take the logs into Office Depot of FedEx office to get them scanned. In a couple cases since I felt really good about it I flew there to look over the logs and then the airplane. Some pre-buys never make it past the logbooks and those few hours are money well-spent. If after that you decide to proceed further you don't need to know about $50 or $500 items - that's a waste of time and money. Those items are just part of ownership. You really need the time spent to focus on the big things. You need to know about the $5000 and $50000 items. Do your homework and direct whomever you decide to do the pre-buy in the areas you want him or her to look and then ask, "In addition to those areas, where else should we be looking?". In my opinion, if you're going to pay for an evaluation you need to be there to subtly oversee it, not hovering over them. However, inspect what you expect. Especially if this is your first airplane purchase you need a dis-interested third party that will point out all of the major good and bad things that they see and not gloss them over. The fact that you are asking the question, "What are the thoughts of the group of getting a pre-buy inspection done by the same muni service center that is brokering the airplane?" should tell you something. That is that little voice telling you that something doesn't seem right about allowing this to happen. The fact is that a reputable shop wouldn't put themselves in that conflict-of-interest situation.

Epic flight on Saturday. I decided to try to hit all the airports in the Inland Empire in a single flight. Video and blog post coming in the next week or so. Totals: Flight Time 1:58 13 Airports (Including KFUL where I'm based) 12 Touch-n-go's and 1 full stop back at KFUL

Yes, but it has actually worked out great for me. The previous owner (a EE by the way), had a nice J with a turbo-normalized engine that his family had for a long time. Well he “upgraded” to an SR22T without measuring the hangar doors or checking the wingspan. He sold the J, but when he got the new bird home he realized it didn’t fit! I was in a crappy rented/shared hangar but with 40’ doors. We traded. I got a great price to buy his nice, private hanger, and he got my crappy one! A year later, the owner of the crappy one kicked out the renters and turned it into a shop! Meanwhile, I own mine and the hanger prices have almost doubled! Now that I think about it, the 38’ hanger has been terrific for my situation!

I had thought about adding one of these units for years, but kept putting it off, due in part to not wanting yet another gadget or gizmo cluttering up the cockpit. I could not find any pictures of one installed in a Mooney and didn't think there was a really good way to do it. I finally bought one this year and have flown with it for probably 25 hours and wish I'd done it years ago. The install was actually very easy and so I thought I'd put some pictures up here of what I did: I mounted the unit here, using the velcro strips it comes with. The line you see running into it is the oxygen supply line from the ship's bottle, and the blue circles are where you plug in the lines that go to your cannulas or mask. It's reasonably out-of-the way here, although you do have to be a little careful not to kick it with your feet getting in and out. I've only knocked it off the velcro once. The velcro mount is surprisingly strong/stable, it was some kind of 3M product. We'll see how it does over time, but so far so good. A closer view: Velcro pic, with bonus dirty fingernails (I was cleaning the plane): I routed the supply lines up under the dashboard in front of the pilot's footwell and attached them to the various wires/tubing up under there with zip ties. This pic shows the required in-line pressure reducer that comes with the O2D2, which tucked away nicely up there and is not visible unless you stick your head under the panel: Note - the tube is secured up high and is not rubbing on the yoke, although it kind of looks like it in this photo. It comes out the other side next to the on-board O2 plug: And it stores away nicely like this when not in use: I had planned to figure out a way to get it wired into the ship's power system, but honestly, it's been trouble-free like this and I haven't had to change the batteries at all yet, and doubt I will bother. I added boom cannulas from Mountain High that plug in like this: For the PIREP, I love this setup. You just plug in the O2, turn it on, and flip down the boom cannula, and you're good to go. Before this, we had Oxymizer reduced flow cannulas, and even those used far, far more O2 than the O2D2 system with its metered puffs. A tank lasts probably 4x longer, at least. I'm about $1,600.00 into this, so not cheap, but after it's saved me about 12 oxygen fillups, it will have paid for itself, and that includes three boom cannulas that are about $100 apiece. I also added an oxygen transfill setup in the hangar (and wrote another thread recently on that) so between the two, it's a lot invested, but now I can use O2 on every flight for almost free. But better than the cost, is the convenience. Before, I would try to ration each O2 bottle just to avoid the hassle of having to get it refilled. Now, it lasts long enough for that not to be a factor. And the nice short hose and boom cannula is no problem in the cockpit, compared to the 5+ feet of coiled up, messy O2 hose that had to be put on before your headset, and was always uncomfortable on your face. Big quality of life improvement. Pretty big safety improvement too. It beeps an audible alert if you or your passenger aren't getting their air, and it's much more noticeable if you miss a "puff", which adds confidence when flying high. With the shorter hose and cleaner cannula, there's fewer ways for it to get kinked up or disconnected, and if you do, it's right in front of you and easy to reach. I've started using the O2 anywhere above about 5k feet, which is every flight if I can manage it. Pairs really well with the turbo and lets me use it to its full capabilities. It's not quite a pressurized cockpit but I think it's close to the next best thing, and maybe even better as far as your personal O2 levels go. I land feeling refreshed and pumped up like I've been sitting at an oxygen bar for a few hours, instead of mildly hypoxic and fatigued. So there's my experience. I hope you all may find it useful in designing your own setup if you decide to go this route. Happy flying.

Went up with a CFI this morning. Did slow flight, steep turns and power off stalls for proficiency. He asked if I wanted to try a power on stall and I told him I’m not comfortable trying one. He was fine with it. We moved on. Great feedback. Thanks all!

Ah, so that's why they're called Whizzos

^ this^ My wife has been flying with me for 47 years and 2.5-3.0 hours is her limit. Solo, I’ll do slight longer legs, but also want to stop at 3.5 hours. Lee

This thread and your screen name reminded me of this potential answer to your question:

Oh man. I’m famous! Over-detailed posts since knowledge is great at helping prevent future accidents: I was flying N226C with @N201MKTurbo. We did some great flying. I’m a bit of a new timid pilot (225 hours, 120 or so in the later half of last year), so Rich was helping me break some barriers. The wife and I had some trips planned. Since the plane was in for a botched avionics upgrade/fix, and then annual, it'd been a while since I flew consistently. Rich was kind enough to offer to show me a thing or two. Not as a CFI, just as another pilot with more experience in the same-ish plane. After we flew, we had breakfast and I filled up. Just me (180lb) and full tanks, not much for baggage. Was headed home to IWA which is a short flight. Typical run-up, JUST had an annual at CHD and the plane is great, power was not an issue at all. Got ATIS which was variable @ 8. Tower instructed to taxi to 4L and check the windsock on the way, which seemed nominal. I always check ATIS before I take off, to see if it’s changed at all. It was still the same variable @ 8. The one thing I did not do, that I got complacent about at a towered airport, is verify windsocks agree with ATIS after I do the run-up and am next to depart (there were 2 cessna or pipers waiting before me, and traffic inbound). New checklist item there. I trained out of CHD, so I know the airport well. I have an abort point set even though I’ve never needed it. The runway is 4200' or so. Anyways, I put full power in and the plane creeped up a bit slower than normal to 60 knots, short of rotate speed. All gauges in the green, MP 36", RPM 2700 or so. The plane started to drift to the left, and no real amount of aileron and rudder would correct it very well, something I’d never experienced. Wheels still on the runway and still not hitting 65k, I pulled power. All this happened just shy of my abort point (taxi K). I tried to break lift, and hit brakes. Nothing seemed effective while so close to rotate speed. When I can finally feel the brakes being effective, it was just too late. There’s a dip at the end of the runway and I got the worlds smallest prop strike on some gravel. No gear damage, though we’re also doing a rough landing inspection just in case. CHD reported it as an engine issue, but I corrected the NTSB and said it was likely windshear. I heard tower state winds 160@18G22, but I don’t see that anywhere so I don’t know what the deal is. The moment I opened the door, I knew it was a massive tailwind or windshear, and it wasn’t like that when filling up moments prior. Insurance wrote off the prop and has been great. I'm going with an overhaul since the engine had 1600 hours on it. It'll be up in maybe half a year. Literally one of the worst feelings I’ve ever had. It’s such a nice plane, and I was starting IFR training. The wife and I had so many trips planned, and she absolutely loves flying. Insurance, FAA, and NTSB have been nothing but nice and said it sounds like I did exactly what I should have and they're glad I didn't attempt the takeoff. It might have been fine, but it might not have. As for heat, it was *not* a hot day. I'm out of IWA, which has 10600' runways so it's a relatively forgiving airport and I take the full length on hotter days than this, and it's up by 1500 feet or so. Density altitude and humidity wasn't anywhere near what I'd call an issue. @1980Mooney posted exactly what I sent to the FAA, NTSB, and insurance, and the response was basically "ah yeah that'd do it". @1980Mooney, I stopped the engine, called tower on radio to get the number, and they said fire trucks were on the way. I said there was no need, the plane's not going to ignite.. I did ask for a tow truck to get the plane to Chandler Aviation. We drove so slow on it, I don't think I saw the speedometer move on the truck. They did close the runway temporarily since I was sitting at the end of it, screaming at the dirt. I guess this means I'm another "don't buy a HP plane as your first plane" statistic, maybe. Attached pictures of the damage. Plane's at KCHD where it'll sit while it waits for the overhaul and prop. Feel free to drop by and deposit some cash in it. :-D

Really sorry to read about your tale. But nothing you mentioned; neither the cam nor fretting case and especially not corrosion in the cylinders would have led to catastrophic failure. Maybe the oil pump gear was the bigger concern - hard to say. You mentioned mid time engine but didn't mention years since last major OH, but calendar time is just as important since corrosion is the number one killer of our GA engines. So if the engine was say 20 years old, I wouldn't expect to see it last another 20 years or make TBO for that matter, but a worn down cam would just start to make the engine anemic. The fretting case would lead to oil leak that would grow in time but not dangerous. Eventually an owner would get tired of feeding it lots of oil and cleaning it off. I had a mechanic friend with a Mooney that let his go till it was loosing a qt an hour - it was the cleaning the mess that finally inspired him to repair. Perhaps the silver lining is that insurance is paying for the tear down inspection and re-assembly and part of the prop so that your cost is hopefully limited to the new replacement engine parts and prop betterment. i.e. a fresh overhaul at a greatly reduced cost. (Unless you elected to not use your insurance - which these days there are good reasons to do that.) But yeah, sorry about the horrible delays, we haven't at all recovered from the delays from the pandemic. I hope though you're really looking forward to much brighter days of aircraft ownership with knowledge that you'll resume flying with a fresh major overhauled engine (I assume you elected to make it a full overhaul). I can say in my case I've been an owner of my current Mooney for over 20 years. I bought the most expensive one out there at the time because it had nice avionics and a fresh engine and I am past TBO now and still going strong.

I completely agree. Although we recently lost a valued contributor, there are still many here who are very knowledgeable and graciously share their knowledge with us of which I for one have benefited from and I know others have too. Although I don’t post too often, I enjoy the learning, conversing and banter with all of you. There are many on this forum that I would love to personally meet and enjoy a beer with, but alas, I live on the opposite side of the world. One of those is of course, Anthony and I look forward to his return.

I don’t need an airplane. I want an airplane, and I want a fast one.

This pic I have shows just how CorrosionX, ACF 50, or BoeShield flows. This is 2 years after application (the long dark streaks). Heed @LANCECASPER advice. This stuff flows everywhere.

As you know, The Mooney Flyer has partnered with the Mooney Safety Foundation. In support of this amazing organization and their valuable Pilot Proficiency Program, we are offering the following financial incentive to participate. The 20th person who signs up for the Tupelo, MS Pilot Proficiency Program in Tupelo on October 13-14 will receive a $250 credit from The Mooney Flyer. You must register and attend to win this $250 CREDIT. And the best part is that you will receive instruction from Mooney CFIs and leave the program a better and safer pilot. The Mooney Flyer is honored to be partnering with this great organization.

Would’ve been better if it was on the oil breather… CBs could then reuse the oil!

A box of doughnuts works well too. It got me unlimited free consultation and expedited work at the local engine shop.

There's nothing to agree or disagree with in @PT20J's description, the collision videos show it just as he describes it. You are either believing what your eyes are seeing or not. Now whether you believe that what you are watching will cause you injuries is another subject. Whether you believe the data that shows that a headrest would help with the rebound collision is for every person to decide. Making those decisions for your passengers though carries a lot of responsibility. Whether not having headrests makes it easier to access the back seat or whether the seats look better with or without headrests or whether they are comfortable shouldn't carry much weight in the decision. No one plans on getting into a crash, so yes the statistical odds are low, but if you're really doing a "risk versus reward" calculation, rather than just using that as a catch-phrase, human life always outweighs inconvenience. The low odds of a crash are counted as completely irrelevant the day that you have a crash and I believe we have an entire forum that covers crashes, so they do happen. There are three collisions in every accident. The vehicle collision, the human collision and then the internal collision (example: the brain colliding with the cranium in a concussion). Everything I've read says that a padded headrest slows down the acceleration of that collision and helps to minimize hyper-extending the cervical part of the spine. I believed it so much that 30 years ago in the first Mooney I owned, a 231, I found headrests and had them upholstered to match the interior. Thankfully I've never had to confirm how much help headrests are in a crash.

Make it fun for your wife or you'll be flying solo in short order. My wife and I are both pilots and we generally stick to the 2.5 to 3.0 hrs. Occasionally there is a need to fly longer legs but that's only when we're flying internationally such as in CENAM and want to avoid landing in some countries where a stop would be super expensive; then she is just as committed to it - but never with diaper! But here in the US, in my opinion, there is no reason to suggest saving a 1/2 hour at the discomfort of your passenger. Stops are part of the adventure and we welcome them.

Personally, I don't send anything I'm selling on any site until payment has been received and cleared. Having said that, it is apparent that, after this amount of time, this person has no intention of paying, has no integrity, should be "outed", and banned from MooneySpace.

Insurance is more or less disastrous for most pilots on a Cessna P337.