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It's been a long and sometimes frustrating road, but today success was achieved! As most of you that have followed this project know, there was an unacceptable increase in CHT to go along with the very acceptable 4-6kt gain in airspeed. We tried many things to decrease CHT, most of which was only marginally successful. The decision was made to open the inlets to add more air and, after today's test flight, there was a solid 20 degree drop and the CHT numbers are what was being targeted! I personally think the larger inlets look better. Hard climb (Vx) yielded a high number of 367. Cruise numbers leveled out around 357. This was achieved at 50ROP, WOT; much leaner than I usually run it ROP. Oil temp was a solid 190. OAT 22 in the climb and 17 in cruise. On a really hot day, I am expecting to see no more than 380 on a climb and 365 in cruise. I couldn't be happier these numbers! Some rough calculations don't indicate any loss of airspeed with the larger openings. I will do a four-way test when I can though. The next thing to do is removing the third cowl flap and see what kind of difference it makes... if any... in both speed and cooling. The furry kids went along for the test flight

Can I hit the “Like” button about 6 times? Happy that we finally nailed it and can finish your cowling including paint!! David

Hi all! I am the new owner of N6995V. I have been a member of Mooneyspace for about 11 months but this is my first introduction and 95V is my first plane. To say I'm excited is an understatement. First, regarding @rdshave, I want to say that I could not have asked for a more generous, kind, and stand up guy. This was my first aircraft purchase and after reading about the potential pitfalls and gotchas that can often plague the process, I was initially apprehensive. But I feel extremely lucky that the entire purchasing experience occurred with no problems. Not only did Ron bend over backwards to help with the multitude of details of the sale itself but he ferried the plane with me as a passenger up to San Jose where I did my transition training and he prepped the plane (including emergency gear) for the trip back to Wisconsin. Thank you so much @rdshave - I can't imagine that many sellers would have done what you did for me and I really appreciate it. Secondly, with the new to me plane, I was very excited but also a bit anxious about transitioning into a Mooney. As a low-time pilot, I have read many stories of potential landing challenges for people like me. Additionally, I didn't have my complex endorsement at the time of purchase. Because the plane was in California, training with @donkaye was the logical choice for me and I am so glad that I was able to train with him. Lets put it this way, when I'm on final approach now, I hear Don's voice pop into my head reminding me what to look for to achieve a good landing. On the way home it seemed like he was still in the cockpit with me! I'm so grateful that the timing of the purchase worked out with his schedule and that we were able to have our initial meeting during Oshkosh. And boy does he have some interesting flying stories to tell too! Finally, I really lucked out with the weather. To start, I staged the flight from Stockton to avoid the potential morning overcast of the San Jose area. I took the middle route over I-80 with only an overnight stop in Scotts Bluff, NE (and fuel stops in Ogden, UT and Lemar, IA partly because I'm conservative and still learning and getting comfortable with her actual fuel consumption); about 11:30 of total flight time from Reid-Hillview RHV to my home base in Waukesha, WI KUES. By the way, the Steel Grill restaurant in Scotts Bluff makes an excellent steak. What an epic adventure the last 6 days has been for me...I'm still decompressing and processing everything. I'm certainly on cloud 9 though and looking forward to more flying opportunities with my family and for work. Next for me is to finish my instrument rating - now in my Mooney! Also, I would appreciate any recommendations for a Mooney mechanic in my area. Thanks!

Power Flow had a used system that was already drilled for JPI EGT probes inspected and ready to go out. So I jumped at the multiple discounts and immediate delivery. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sadly I cannot be with her yet, but here is a picture.

I read my wife the thread and she said: “An inch can really make a nice big difference”... Glad you got ‘r figured out. Sell a bunch. Looks great/faster/cooler. Trifecta achieved. Congratulations!

Yeah...UMMMM....I majored in math.

Depends on what you want/need. Also, keeping an eye on promotions and rebates will lower the cost considerably as well. As well, consolidating the upgrades into as few of steps as needed will lower the cost. These prices were at different times. Like the 60-2. That was the installed price in 1998 with autotrim. Be more expensive today (>$20k). The $9,500 for the GTN was after a sizeable rebate and an aggressive discount by the shop. I believe the L-3 9000+ is cheaper now. The audio panel includes installation. The JPI's $4,500 was an upgrade from a 830, so a good chunk of labor was not needed. The Aspens were rebated and I got a really big discount on the MFD from the Aspen regional sales manager (price is the installed price).

Muuhh. Ha ha ha. Picture me setting down my morning coffee and wringing my hands in contemplation of my evilness. OK - evil test period over., now back to adding Cessna Twins to the AML

I guess my point is that many aircraft have all sort of buzzers and bells meant to keep the pilots out of dutch. I recall seeing a video of an aircraft landing with the gear warning blaring the whole time. I fail to see how yet another buzzer or screen is going to really change things. In moments of stress or distraction its just another expensive thing in the panel to ignore.

No, but we did eat at Smoke on the Water and caught a minor league baseball game. We'll definitely be back.

Okay guys I'm too excited not to share this! Trent Palmer if you don't follow him is a soon to be famous you tube pilot, and I am in the works with sponsoring his videos. Yesterday he released his recent video and it gave my site a nearly inconceivable 1000% increase in traffic! And my traffic was a pretty good to begin with!! Here's the videos!

Oh - Paul has spent 4 hours with me - I don't mean to name drop but I recommend him highly and I will be spending more time with him, but he isn't available for this trip. My insurance requires I have 25 hrs mooney time before solo (I only have about 4hrs mooney time right now - everything else is in Cessna 172)....I happen to have a project I need to check on in Colorado and it would be a great flight, either direct or pitstop at Grand Canyon and get me about 10 of those hours. The two guys that were offering to fly with me got called for a charter.....and I'm hoping I don't have to fly commercial now that I own my own plane!!!

You are correct. I mistyped. Ok I just got back from the airport. All is good, the crew was turned off. Thanks for the help

I was really intrigued by Icon's marketing over the past decade - trying to appeal to a whole new audience of non-pilots. Seemed like getting more people interested in aviation had to be a good thing, even if we all sort of cringe when we hear terms like "a jet ski for the sky." But to say nothing of the purchase agreement controversy and the high-profile crashes, I just don't see how the economics work for Icon. The A5 looks freaking cool, and I'd love to own one, but you can buy a base SeaRey for $124k (vs a base A5 at $269k), or the high-end SeaRey for $169k (vs a high-end A5 at $369k). That price disparity is insane for roughly-equivalent aircraft, especially given that the SeaRey has a 25-year track record and the A5 still has all the kinks to work out.

I don't know Lee... She still maintains a climb (be it very slow I'll admit) even on one engine. It might have actually increased my chance to land safely with just one. We did several full engine outs and completely dirty it still maintained controllability. Being a smaller twin I also was a doubter about the flying ability and one engine theory in the Comanche, but I will say it will stay above blue line with careful management. It's not a Baron, Dutchess or something with more HP, but think they don't get the credit due as far as single engine out ops. I would have preferred to find one with CR props, mine does not. So extra attention is due to compensate for non-CR props. Just my .02... I'm only about 50 hrs in it now, so still learning, but really feel it would get me safely to the closest airport on just one engine. Hope we never have to find out. -Tom

It’s done just the opposite for me. I now have a LED landing light, LED nav lights, LED strobes, LED tail light with strobes, LED recognition light, CiES fuel senders, JPI 900, Senscor CO detector, CYA 100 AoA indicator, Jaeger Spatial Design Interior, all new RG-400 wiring, a new CI-196 antenna, new Klixon switch covers, countless RAM clamps, brackets and assorted hardware and I’m sure a bunch of stuff that is off of my radar. These people are evil!

Hi Bob, Oil temp didn’t change much if at all with the larger inlet rings. It did make an effect on the CHT’s. We can do larger rings if you’d like to. Thanks, David

Thanks for the recommendations. I had a great trip to Ft. Lauderdale with my daughter this weekend. We flew into FXE and used Banyan. Very nice and there were no ramp or tie down fees for two nights with fuel purchase and they gave me a $1 a gallon discount on the fuel. Very nice pilot shop also. I felt a little out of place with all of the private jets but we were treated like we belonged there. +1 for Banyan. The trip was about 3.5 hrs each way from CUB and the plane did great at about 9500 ft it was cool and smooth along the east coast a few miles offshore.

At our EAA meeting yesterday, one member who flies for CALFIRE has some interesting information about the TFR's. When flying anywhere near a TFR, monitor 122.925 the one frequency that all CALFIRE planes are on. The size of the TFR changes daily and may not be reflected correctly on Forflight and other sites. If you are unsure do not hesitate to call the Fire Boss on 122.925, you may be surprised that you might be able to travel through the TFR. Also on Forflight if you tap on the TFR and then in the info box tap the (>) and bring up additional info there will be a frequency for that particular fire and you can contact the fire boss. An interesting fact about the 747 being used to fight fires, one load of fire retardant cost the taxpayers $75,000 where as for the small S2's that are mostly used runs a mere $2,000. The sky is smoky so fly safe. (That is JUST for the retardant). Pritch

Throw some sprayers on it an you have a legitimate high speed aerial applicator.

Good to know - thanks for the info. I took it with about 30 minutes remaining on our flight, but will stow this away for the future.

We are really proud of our downtown. I keep changing jobs just to make sure I stay here. Moved here from GA about 10 years ago and couldn't be happier!

We added a bladder cell on each side to our '66E giving us 64 gallons usable. I was not sure the cost of the bladders for the extra 10 gallons but comfortably going to and from KOSH in July was awesome. (The original bladder conversion was done in 1997 and those cells seem to be as good as new.)

It sure is. Hopefully one day when I acquire more knowledge I can contribute to other conversations.

Instantaneous fix from MS!

Great news. I’ve been able to secure a spot in the upcoming Mooney PPP in Manchester NH at a discounted rate (since I don’t own a Mooney.... yet!). Thank you Ralph if you’re reading this. In the meantime, I’ve become addicted to MS. There’s so many interesting, fun, helpful, practical and good-spirited exchanges of information on this forum - I love it. So, here’s my plan, please feel free to comment. I’m in the process of wrapping up my PP training in a PA-28-161 at East Coast Aero Club at Nashua Airport (KASH). My plan is to then get my complex and IR in their PA-28R-201 and then start shopping for my Mooney. The reason that I want to get my IR in the Arrow before shopping for my Mooney is that I want to know as much as possible about plane parts, instrument flying and the purchasing process (awareness of what to look for, etc.) before I buy my Mooney. My plan is to have my Mooney sometime in the spring of 2019.

Because future customers are on the roads and not in the air. Notice the logo on the wing facing outwards. That's product placement perfectly for road warriors to know the answer to "WHOA! What was that?!?!" They're appealing to my generation; hoping to get pictures taken at fuel stops, blow it up on Instagram, attract the 20-somethings that either has Daddy's money and lives an extravagant lifestyle or those lucky enough to work for what they own and want something they can play in on the weekend. Not to speak ill of previous customers, but I don't think it is the safest option. But you know the rule, safety third.

Anthony, I think the concern about hot polished fuel caps is when you go to remove them . . . . I have to agree, though, they sure do look good. I remember reading when I first got my Mooney a decade or so ago about chroming it up to increase visibility--spinners, hub caps, even stall strips. But no one ever mentioned fuel caps. What else cojld be polished up nice and shiny to look good, withiut going as far as @Wildhorsesracing and his fully polished Mooney? My wingtips are, sadly, fiberglass . . . .

I am sure your are right. Its just that I'd bet most interested folks would already have tips and would just want to add antenna's. But with some interest I am sure they'd be game.

Keep an eye on your TIT. If you get it too high you will melt your turbine wheel. I kept getting broken turbo mounts until I removed the muffler hanger rod. It has been ten years and about 1000 hours and not a single issue sense. The TIT probe kept self destructing. (see #1) I was using an EI probe with the hose clamp. I had my machine shop make a little fitting for the screw in probe and had it welded on the exhaust. No problems with the TIT sense. The heat shield kept self destructing. I removed it and glued high temp insulation to the cowl. Operationally, I usually run LOP at 2400 and 28in and richen it to 1500 TIT. It will burn about 9.5 GPH and true 155 down low and about 180 up high. I usually fly in the high teens. I have had it in the flight levels a few times, but it takes so long to get up there and back down it has to be a pretty long leg to make it worth while.

There’s actually a pretty good discussion on POA regarding the FAA’s treatment of mental illness and the strong disincentive to seeking treatment and self-reporting. As @kmyfm20s said, the brain is an organ and just like every other organ in the body it can fail. Unfortunately, when your brain starts failing it affects your judgement and decision making. Due to social stigma, denial and the FAA’s current approach to mental health (and a bunch of other factors) it seems that many people who would benefit from mental health treatment aren’t getting it. It seems like this event did get people talking about mental health and aviation which hopefully will be a good thing.

Came across this one the other day. Love the plane, but the hanger is a disaster.

Some of the jet boys have been known to run industrial kerosene. Either way it is illegal tax evasion.

Hah! NATO code name?

That switch is Mooney Part# 01265. I'd have to check with them on Monday for pricing. Agree there's probably one or more equivalent push-button "click-on, click-off" type switches at places like Mouser or Greybar. Unless anyone else has this covered, happy to dig and see what I can find out. Steve

This seemed appropriate for this thread...apologies to the (human) ladies present. Why men prefer airplanes over women Airplanes do not get mad if you “touch and go”. Airplanes do not have Mother-in-Laws. Airplanes do not take forever to get ready. Airplanes do not care how many other airplanes you have flown with before. Behavior of airplanes follows logical rules. The maintenance of an airplane is cheaper than the maintenance of a woman. Airplanes come with instructions. An airplane will kill you quickly...a woman takes her time.

She's sipping Aeroshell in the photo, not quite as pricey as champagne.

It really is a beautiful feature.

Now that last line was really funny!

And... somedays we have a few people in Australia... and a couple of mobile MSers Check in From Asia.... and GSXr who comes from one, lives in the middle, and works in the Far East... depending on the day... Do we have any MSers living in China yet? Go MS! Best regards, -a-

I just undo my shoulder belt and enjoy a bit of self-fellatio while I change the tanks. I have to admit, I am very afraid of running a tank dry at low altitude. I have to take off my shoulder belt at a moment when its services may be vitally important, and boy am I worried about how that report is going to be written.

Here's the link to there article, but they don't seem to have the dang video on their website anymore. I'll see if I can find it elsewhere... https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2010/june/03/spin-myths Can't find the original video, but here's someone who tested 3 different spin recovery techniques against each other in a Pitts. The method above is referred to in the video as "Finagin" (the instructor in the article above)

I got my first Mooney ('64 M20E) just after getting my private certificate. M20C/E is seriously good value for money for a first airplane. You can spend significantly more $$$ to go a lot slower...

Purchased my Mooney prior to my check ride. Had the annual and pre-buy repairs completed and the plane delivered from Longview Texas. Loved knowing that once I finished with my PPL I had a wonderful airplane waiting for me in the hangar. Take your time in the transition phase and get a Mooney specific instructor. You will not regret it in the least. Delivery Day Photo Below.

I agree with you. I would never post my Mooney for sale here. I’ll just call up one of those people who have called me over the years begging to sell her to them. Posting a Mooney for sale here is like taking a pig to sale at the auction. “She’s too fat”, “She’s too old”, “Her belly is dragging on the ground” — and no matter what you do to your plane, to those critics, it’s like putting lipstick on that pig. People don’t appreciate the effort (and $) we put into these updated planes. Why should they? They say they’re happy with their pig. Oink [emoji200] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Pros: Goes really fast! Cons: Sucks fuel like you own an oil company! Has the full fuel payload of a Cessna 150

The CFII I've been flying with thinks you're safer without them. I don't agree, and I think it's hard to argue that you're not a LOT better off with a shoulder restraint. The Arizona Pilot's Association does an annual GA Accident Reduction and Mitigation Symposium, which covers all of the fatal GA accidents involving AZ pilots from the previous year. A couple of years ago there was a Comanche crash with a family aboard, and the Mom perished as her side did not have a shoulder harness and she got a head injury from the panel. Dad had a harness and was fine. That's anecdotal, but it's also easy to understand the mechanics behind it. A buddy I fly with a lot has an ancient Cherokee with no shoulder harnesses. He's gotten used to my reel harnesses and is coming around to the idea of getting them for his airplane. I hope he gets them soon.

If I hadn’t put shoulder belts in my 64E it’s questionable I’d be a MSer today. Might not have even survived my off field landing in 2012.

1 demerit for not listing Mooney as a "popular" brand, but in the Other brand classification.