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You have to control for accident rate and fatal accident rate per 1000 hours. That said, It is far higher in the Cirrus. Its probably not the plane, its the high-income type "A" earners who want to impress the broad with high heels, a pencil skirt, and a nice set of cans. Shiny new stuff on lease payments gets them every time. BMW keeps popping up. Its the same thing, leasing something you cannot afford, in hopes you can attract attention from folks who think you are richer than you are. Scott from Iowa knows what I am talking about here.

I just wanted to point out that I love the Mooney community both on this site and in person. I think in other aviation subcircles (but more notably outside) people get too competitive, judgmental, and elitist. I think the Mooney airplane is much the reason the community is so terrific. We're all flying much the same airframe with some minor differences. The guy in the $25k C model is flying nearly the same airframe as the guy with the $600k acclaim. Also we all already know that mooneys are super fast and efficient so there's no defensiveness or insecurity that leads to arguments. Just the right number of Mooneys out there to have a diversity of pilots while remaining tightly nit. You guys are awesome and the pride of general aviation.

Flew the Acclaim from Denver to Cabo San Lucas this past Sunday, and as usual it was a fun and rewarding trip. Here's the first leg from Denver to El Paso: http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N3833T/history/20130602/1404Z/KAPA/KELP And the second leg from El Paso to Cabo: http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N3833T/history/20130602/1730Z/KELP/MMSL After leveling off and leaning the engine in Colorado, check the range lines on the GPS. Maybe next time I go to Cabo solo I'll try it nonstop.

You don't need to fly both, a simple paper exercise is all you need to compare the two... When I did the exercise, Mooney seemed like a niche plane. I was concerned that if I couldn't afford to fly over the long term, could I possibly sell it again without losing my shirt. I performed a PPI on the Arrow, lucky for me, it failed. So I bought what I really wanted an M20C... 15 years later the factory was back in business and then out again. Somebody invented the Internet. M20Cs are common and are easy to buy and sell. MooneySpace was created and revised. Interest rates are at an all time low. Support from the factory is alive. Support from the community is tremendous. Support from the engine manufacturers is excellent. Who wouldn't want to buy a Mooney and hangout here? Best regards, -a-

I think I know:

Flew from Rochester MN to LGA New York. Filled direct. Local RST departure had a funny sound to her voice when she said "turn direct LGA climb to 17,000. Then at FL 170 in my J at a ground speed of about 180kts almost to the lake Chicago approach said mooney 1ad you have time for a question? I slipped my 02 mask down and said "lots of time go ahead" Chicago approach said its kinda slow and me and a few people want to know if you can really make LGA without a fuel stop?". I chucked and said "well I'm burning 8.5gph and the computer says ill have 25 gallons left when I land. Chicago approach said "wow that's amazing we never new Mooneys were that good on gas". Pretty cool.

Not offended. My wife is a DBE for a large bank and gets to deal with users on a regular basis. She has much more choice words for them! Most that would make a sailor proud.

I don't think any of these oils will hurt your engine if you fly regularly and change the oil every couple of months. If your engine sits inactive for long periods in cold and humid conditions it might matter. We are lucky here in Arizona, nothing rusts.

Someone has invaded the site with weird posts about Louis Vuitton glasses and luggage. Can you remove it?

How can I put this gently . . . bunk They are both fast multi seat cross-country machines. One is a bit more efficient, one carries more, one will cost more in maintenance (on average), but they both fulfill the same mission. As an example of what I'm talking about, I have a 201 and a Husky, two very different aircraft, only one of which is suitable for landing off-field and playing in the Nevada outback or camping in the Idaho back country. Now you can press the Husky into service for long distance travel, but the Mooney cruises at just over 160 knots while the Husky (with big tires) is happiest at near half power, 105 knots burning 6 gph (pour the coals to it and it'll go 117 knots and burn almost twice as much). Mooney wins the travel contest hands down . . . but the Husky is way fun to play with! bumper

This is informative: http://www.blackstone-labs.com/about-aircraft-oils.php

Phillips works for me. I can preheat, but in the cold temps we get preheat can be mediocre. I also don't see the point of running a synthetic in an engine where the oil is changed every 50-100 hours.

The disappointing thing about any glass technology for me is obsolescence, and it is different than it is for steam gauges. The problem with computer technology is that processing power (bandwidth) increases exponentially, and because it does, the software, firmware and data that drives the device become larger and more complex, and as that happens, the ability of older hardware to run that software and firmware is impaired. Concrete examples in aviation are the Garmin MX 20 and the iPad. The MX 20 in my plane still does a serviceable job of displaying data, but the display is noticeably slow and every once in awhile it needs to do a reboot because it becomes overwhelmed with the amount of data it is being asked to process. I have an iPad 1 that I have kept as a backup, but it will not run OS 6 and is noticeably slow running the recent generations of Foreflight. The solution is to buy the newest generation of technology (I use an iPad 4, for example), and when the prices are in the range of a few hundred or a couple of thousand dollars that is costly and aggravating, but not impossible. When the prices are in the range of several tens of thousands of dollars, "disposable technology" is much less attractive. A whole generation of very expensive glass panels were installed some years ago, and then WAAS upgrades cost over $10,000 when WAAS became a reality. Steam gauges, on the other hand, just work. They may need repair or overhaul every decade or so, but they work as reliably and fast 40 years after installation as they did when the plane came out of the factory. Glass panels are still in the development stages. By that I don't mean that the panels that are put in aircraft are unfinished products, they obviously must be "fly ready" or they don't get certified. But functionality is rapidly changing, so we went from buttons, to touch screen and "banding," and in the next five years or so to NextGen, connectivity on the panel, and other things that have not even been thought of. To my mind, the better strategy is to give technology a few years to mature, unless you hit the Powerball and can afford to replace your avionics every five years.

And all this time I thought it all hinged around the "Rule of 3 F's for fiscally responsible toy management"?? That would be, "If is Flys, Floats, or (umm) Flirts . . . rent it!" bumper sent from my free Obama phone

So essentially everyone who can afford and purchases a new BMW or a new Cirrus, is doing it because of "cans". Yeah. That's a great line of thinking. I know life is tough sometimes, but can we all get past out high school prejudice. I get it, not everyone got laid. You get a set of "cans" because you have a set of "balls". Because you have a set of balls, eventually, if that's you goal, you can buy a new Cirrus. And sometimes, because you have a set of balls, you die in one. This entire argument is getting funny and out of control. We are all "driving" death traps. The GA safety record, is equivalent to riding a 1960s Triumph with a set of drum brakes on a wet gravel road. And no, it doesn't have jack shit with what's between our ears, it has to do with equipment. I know, most of you think you're superior pilots, but I hate to break it to you, you're no Bob Hover. When your engine covers your windshield with oil for a third time in your flying career, talk to me about balls or useless safety equipment. Accept it, when it comes to living a long life, we're all doing about the dumbest thing we possible can. Give me 3 smart kids, a C++ compiler, an autopilot with servo redundancy, and I'll eliminate 99.9999% of GA deaths by eliminating the yoke/stick and the throttle quadrant the same way it has more or less been eliminated in real airplanes with 3 channel autopilot, auto throttles, big jet engines and two dummies sitting up front looking pretty. All airlines crashes that happened in last 10 years could have been prevented by simply eliminating the yoke. I'm looking forward to sipping my coffee without a yoke in the way. Give me a touch screen to pick a destination. I got lucky a few weeks ago, high enough, within a gliding distance of a field I knew as well as the back of my hand, and put the aircraft down. Had it been a few weeks earlier, I'd be dead. None of this would be an issue if I was flying a Part 25 twin jet. Yes, equipment makes all the difference in the world. Tools give you options. By the way, my set of "cans" hates my Ducatis, my BMWs (don't have any), my Nissan GTR (have one), or my Aston Martin (have one of those too, somehow), none of them leased, BTW. She does however, loves the little Fiat 500 convertible (leased). She also hates the Mooney too. I don't think her "cans" or the pencil skirt would be too impressed by a Cirrus either. She does love the PC-12 or a King Air 300 we charter for business though. You know why? They have a bathroom. Want tits? Get a plane with a bathroom. "Cans" don't find sacks filled with kitty litter too appealing. Still working hard to match my partner's set of "balls" and if you'd see his type A personality drop in a couloir on a pair of skis at age of 50, you'd realize that even flying GA "death traps" doesn't even remotely means you have a pair. It's not a about a fear of death, it's about choosing your poison. He doesn't fly anything with propellers or less than two motors because as he tells me, he is not dumb like me. And yet, he still checks the weather himself and makes the go/no go decision for the two dummies up front. In any case Byron, if you think that your or mine CAR 3 aircraft is superior of a FAR 23 certified one, being a big government liberal, then I can finally see why you're inviting tea party Scott into the conversation because cognitive dissonance makes for strange bed fellows. And on this note, I'll repeat myself. World is changing, Mooney is dead, Beech is dead, long live Cirrus and Cessna or whatever else will follow. How does it feel to be grumpy old men? One day Garmin will make G10000 where you're only option will be clicking on the destination. Can't wait.

I wonder how many think chute first, fly second when an issue arises. I think the chute is a good safety feature along with an autopilot with straight and level. But I truly believe without the proper training and mindset they are both useless.

And how many of these Chute pulls would have been survivable had the chute not been pulled? The doctor flying to the Bahamas, ran out of gas, and his daughter smiling in the raft with the sinking Cirrus in the background comes to mind.

A Mooney is like a Brietling a arrow is like a Timex. They both tell time, but which one do you want to show your friends?

The chute may not help all the time but it sure as hell never hurts. Right? If the option were available for our mooneys and weight and/or cost were not a limiting factor why would anyone not want it. It's a tool for your toolbox not the end all be all.

If one hasn't made at least a token contribution to maintaing this site, they should earn a CB (cheap ba$tard) designation IMHO.

Hmmm... Needs a boat. His work is not finished. It is quite lovely. I am very jealous... errrr.

If you presently have a KFC 150 (or KAP 150) with the HSI it makes no sense whatsoever to give this up for some glass. Some try to make the ridiculous argument that you can have a vacuum failure. Yes you can have a vacuum failure. But remember you can be proactive and spend ~ $300 every 500 hours and replace your vacuum pump, and ~$2000 every 1000 hours to overhaul the AI AND HSI. I'm assuming that you do have the CV1J4 Clear view inline filter installed to protect the instruments from carbon dust. This is standard equipment on all Mooneys since 1994. Doing the math you will budget $2500 every 10 years which is ~$250 a year!!! I personally like the appearance of the AI and HSI in my KFC 150. They are serious precision instruments which look like they belong in my Mooney if you know what I mean. They complement the machine. Incidentally a vacuum failure is only an issue in hardcore IFR. In anything less than that it's a non issue. The HSI is electric. Also if you really want to be proactive and you fly hard IFR all the time, in addition to what I mentioned, you can install an electric BU AI for a few hundred bucks. Just my opinion.