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121.5 let ‘em know to quit hitting pot holes and it’s time for a refill on my Diet Coke.

First, congratulations on what sounds like a great trip. On my trips I like to use mid-size regional airports. These airports have at least regional airline service, as well as FBO's, cars and reasonably priced fuel. For the hotel I have two sources, Airnav.com and the FBO itself. I've found that FBO's often have great local hotel rates and can hook you up with a local hotel that at least has an airport shuttle van. The person that knows this stuff however generally works M-F 8-5. So if you call late at night or on the weekend you just get a random line person answering who doesn't know anything. The FBO's are used to dealing with crews from the visiting jets so they are very used to doing this sort of service. Airnav.com has a hotels tab and they sort the hotels by distance from FBO. I've gotten some outstanding rates through them as well. Larry

To be honest the original paint didn't look that bad......I wish mine looked that good.

The "jumper" wire is a flyback diode to quench the EMF created when current is removed from the coil and the magnetic field collapses. It's polarity is important. Your description of the symptoms sounds more like a weak battery than a solenoid. Skip

I think we may be overthinking this. Here are the facts as I understand them from this thread. 1. The gear has been operating normally since the OP purchased the airplane recently. 2. After a bounced landing, the gear unsafe annunciator illuminated and the gear actuator breaker popped. 3. Upon inspection, it was found that the gear down limit switch mechanical actuator (paddle? Mooney calls it a lug) was loose. (It would be nice to have some pictures). 4. The floor indicator shows that the gear is fully extended. Given the above, a likely scenario is that the gear fully extended normally before the landing. Upon landing, the gear down limit switch lug moved (maybe it wasn't tightened properly?). This caused the motor to run until it hit the mechanical down stop (it won't turn far -- maybe not even a full revolution) and jammed which caused the breaker to trip. If the preloads were correct before the incident, they will still be correct, or maybe slightly higher because of the motor overrun. There is no reason to think that the gear is in an unsafe position, if all the above is true. Checking the nose gear preload requires partially retracting the gear, and since it is most probably safe now, it might be best not to mess with anything. Obviously, the best thing to do is jack it up and have a mechanic check the gear rigging and readjust the down limit switch. Skip

From Wednesday night 12/7 to Wednesday afternoon 12/14, I flew from the Bay Area to Jacksonville, ran a marathon, and flew back. Total nautical miles if I had flown direct between each airport: 4,177. Actual routing: 4,343. My routing, affected by where friends live, where weather was, fuel prices, and when I had to land to take work calls: SQL-RQE-BRG-TDW-AXS-HKS-CRG-VLD-EDN-GKY-TDW-PGA-SQL. One thing I found difficult in planning my route was doing searches for fields with someplace to stay within a walkable distance. Four of my flights ended in the middle of the night. So I'll share some info in hope that the community will pool its knowledge and help those taking future trips. Walkable hotels were in Window Rock (no fuel on field, but otherwise good overnight) with a five-minute walk to the Quality Inn; Arlington, Texas, a 15-minute walk to the Hampton Inn; Page, Arizona, a 15-minute walk to the Hyatt Place. I walked to the Hampton Inn in Altus, Oklahoma, but it wasn't a good move. The road from the airport to the hotel is a highway with no sidewalk. A sheriff pulled over with flashing lights to ask me what the hell I was doing. Fredericksburg (T82) would have been good if it had been closer to my route. Please share your favorite airport/walkable hotel pairings. By the way, the views from the Page airport are phenomenal, even though you're looking away from the Grand Canyon.

It was LONG. I scheduled painting in July for the end of August. I delivered the plane to them on Aug 20 and, as it turned out, they were in process of losing their shop manager and hiring another one, so plane was sitting in their shop for a good month. They actually started in the first decade of October and finished a month later. Total what I paid, including taxes, some OSHA hazard crap, vinyl cutouts, etc was around 25K. Plus, I paid around $1000 for the painting scheme to the third party. So, my conclusions were: 1. The actual job is about 1 month 2. Prepare to pay for the vinyl cutouts that will not be in the main quote 3. Hire someone to do the scheme. 4. Deliver plane to them on nearly empty tanks because they will drain all gas from the wings before painting and you will never see your unused gas again.

Rural airports with self-serve courtesy cars are the next best thing. Probably a list for those out there, too.

With a hat tip to @Deb for pointing this out, BeechTalk had this discussion six years ago. Here is a list they put together there, with my recent suggestions of hotels that are not on-field but still walkable added: State, City, Code, Name, Hotel, Latitude, Longitude, Distance, Restaurant, Turf AR, Lakeview, 3M0, Gastons Airport, Gaston's White River Resort, , , , , t AZ, Page, KPGA, Hyatt Place AZ, Sedona, KSEZ, Sedona Airport, Sky Ranch Lodge, 34.8485833, -111.7884444, , , AZ, Window Rock, KRQE, Quality Inn CA, Coalinga, 3O8, Harris Ranch Airport, Harris Ranch Inn & Restaurant, 36.2481111, -120.2384722, , r, CA, Concord, KCCR, Buchanan Field Airport, Crowne Plaza, 37.9896667, -122.0568889, , , CA, Imperial, KIPL, Imperial County Airport, Rodeway Inn Imperial, 32.8342222, -115.57875, , , CA, Mojave, KMHV, Mojave Air and Space Port, , 35.0589444, -118.1506111, walking, , CA, Van Nuys, KVNY, Van Nuys Airport, Airtel Plaza, 34.2098056, -118.4899722, , , FL, Boca Raton, KBCT, Boca Raton Airport, Fairfield Inn & Suites, 26.3785, -80.1076944, , , FL, Fort Lauderdale, KFXE, Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, Courtyard Marriott, 26.1972794 / -80.1707063, , , , FL, Lakeland, KLAL, Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, Hilton Garden Inn, 27.9889167, -82.0185556, , , FL, Sebring, KSEF, Sebring Regional Airport, , 27.4563889, -81.3423889, , , GA, Brunswick, KSSI, McKinnon St Simons Island Airport, , 31.1519722, -81.3910556, , r, KS, Beaumont, 07S, Beaumont Hotel Airport, Beaumont Hotel, , , , , t KS, Wichita, KICT, Wichita Dwight D Eisenhower National Airport, , 37.6499444, -97.4330556, , , KY, Cadiz, 1M9, Lake Barkley State Park Airport, , 36.8178014, -87.9075167, state park, , KY, Gilbertsville, M34, Kentucky Dam State Park Airport, , 37.0096944, -88.2993333, state park, , LA, Alexandria, KAEX, Alexandria International Airport, , 31.3273717, -92.5485561, , , ME, Bangor, KBGR, Bangor International Airport, Four Points Sheraton, 44.8074444, -68.8281389, , , OK, Oklahoma City, KOKC, Will Rogers World Airport, , 35.393074, -97.6007617, , , OR, Albany, S12, Albany Municipal Airport, , 44.6378056, -123.0594444, , , PA, Farmington, PA88, Nemacolin Airport, Nemacolin Resort, 39.8056314, -79.54893, , , PA, Pittsburgh, KAGC, Allegheny County Airport, , 40.3544376, -79.9290467, , , TN, Knoxville, KTYS, Mc Ghee Tyson Airport, Hilton, 35.8093739, -83.9953214, , , TX, Arlington, KGKY, Hampton Inn TX, Austin, KAUS, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Hilton & Hyatt Place, 30.1945278, -97.6698889, , , TX, Fredricksburg, T82, Gillespie County Airport, Hanger Hotel, 30.24325, -98.9091944, , , TX, Lajitas, 89TE, Lajitas International Airport, , 29.2779167, -103.6876389, resort, , TX, Marble Falls, 86TA, Slaughter Ranch Airport, Horseshoe Bay Resort, , , , , t TX, Presidio, 3T9, Big Bend Ranch State Park Airport, bunkhouse, 29.4710833, -103.9364167, , tarantulas, TX, Taylor, T74, Taylor Municipal Airport, Best Western , 30.5726389, -97.4431944, , r, VA, Moneta, W91, Smith Mountain Lake Airport, Bedford Landings B&B, 37.1077222, -79.5924722, , , VA, Saluda, W75, Hummel Field, , 37.6022708, -76.4467292, , , VA, Tangier, KTGI, Tangier Island Airport, , 37.8258653, -75.9976625, , , VT, Vergennes, B06, Basin Harbor Airport, , , , , , t WA, Auburn, S50, Auburn Municipal Airport, , 47.3276844, -122.2266547, walking from S parking, , WA, Bellingham, KBLI, Bellingham International Airport, Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites, 48.7926944, -122.5375278, , , WA, Roche Harbor, WA09, Roche Harbor Airport, , 48.6123217, -123.13852, , , WI, Green Bay, KGRB, Green Bay-Austin Straubel International Airport, Windgate by Wyndham, 44.4846389, -88.1297222, , , WI, Oshkosh, KOSH, Wittman Regional Airport, Hilton Garden Inn, 43.9844911, -88.5569349, , r, WV, Davis, WV62, Windwood Fly-In Resort Airport, Amelia's Motel, 39.0551086, -79.4314386, , r, WY, Alpine, 46U, Alpine Airport, VRBO, 43.1817736, -111.0385236, , , zNova Scotia, Fox Harbor, CFH4, Fox Harbour Airport, Fox Harb'r Resort, , , , ,

Sell it as a core. If I were looking to buy an engine, either as an experienced Mooney owner or a homebuilder, I would not pay much for a random field overhauled engine as I would much rather have it field overhauled under my supervision and specs. (That's what I did on my Mooney!) Maybe you could find a buyer in a bind that needs a running engine ASAP, but you would need to sell it for a price of core + overhaul cost, and you would not want to take a core back in exchange. To get maximum value out of it, you might want to find a test stand where you can run it and take a video, as well as provide some borescope pics inside each cylinder to show the walls and valves. My semi-local engine shop has a stand, so perhaps you could find one and pay a little money to get that done.

That's actually the town where the toothbrush was invented . . . had it been anywhere else it would have been called the teethbrush . . . lol

I use California Gold, the purple stuff. The green is for cleaning up if required, then follow with purple. It's so much better and easier than Mother's!

I like that extra swoosh in front of the numbers. Kinda different.

You cannot set the down limit switch correctly now if the gear motor has overrun. It needs to be set as part of the rigging check. I would just leave the whole thing as is for the mechanic to sort out.

I hope you’re still making the trip today, you got a beautiful day for it!

If it's not too much to ask (feel free to ignore) could you give us a PIREP on lead time, time it took to do the job (how long the plane was down) and how much it cost?

In my case I was always getting on the aircraft with the avionics overseas, never had a problem then from Central and South America, never an issue. It was the idiots in ATL that were the issue when I was getting off. Finally I had enough after trying more than once to explain what those radios in racks and all the wiring was and said Don’t all hijackers carry their own radios? She didn’t think that was funny, pretty sure I was put on some kind of list because for a couple of years I got “special attention” The worse abuse I saw though was years ago when the no liquids thing was instituted. People getting off the International flights would get their duty free bottles of liquor, then after getting through customs etc go onto their next flight, where of course no liquids are allowed, so the expensive bottles of liquor were confiscated, they had huge piles of confiscated liquor, had large containers filled with it at the security check points. Think just maybe they should have been advised when they were buying it that if they had a connecting flight that it would be confiscated? In Atl for some reason when you get in from an International flight you had to hand carry your checked bags from where it was dropped off across a room and put it on a conveyor belt for domestic flights. Apparently even though there were no signs saying you couldn’t but you’re not allowed to open the bags. I realized that stupidly I had left my truck keys in my checked bag and if they lost the bag of course I would be stuck, so I opened by bag and got the keys out, and they had a fit. So I threw it right back at them telling them that if they didn’t want me to open my bags, then why isn’t there a sign saying I can’t? I mean think about it, what idiot not only gave me access to the bags, but required me to drag them across a room? I realize that you’re allowed to ship a firearm in checked baggage and you could get to one that way, so why are you required to carry your bags across the room? Seems stupid to me for them to allow you access to your bags? The Atl Homeland security/ CBP were idiots, once they grounded every Delta regional jet, seems one of them used the angle of attack indicator to stand on so they could peer into the cockpit and look for contraband, well after a few failed the sensors on run up Delta grounded every one of course to investigate why suddenly there was a rash of angle of attack sensors. I had one of them unknowing to me open my life raft that was in checked baggage, it was returned to me in a taped ball, because they didn’t even try to put it back into its bag.

Wow, it is expensive but then it also have an "aviation" in description.

Given the unknown and variable costs associated with overhauling an engine I would say sell it as a core. If you have to repair the case and buy a new crank that isn’t going to increase the value of the engine to a buyer but could put you upside down in the deal.

A Navajo has a Lycoming with a diaphragm pump. I've ran Navajos dry too and you're right. Watch for the flutter in FF and you can do it. A Continental has a vane type pump. The vane and the vane drive shaft are fuel lubricated. Lack of fuel will cause pump failure fairly quickly. By the time you see flutter in FF, the pump is starving for lubrication. So if you're of a mind to do this with a Continental, make sure your High Boost Electric pump is working, because you're going to need it eventually.

Lots of good answers above. I would just add that you might want to give yourself a few extra minutes to get through TSA -- you might have some questions like "what is this, and what is it used for". Also, TSA says no lithium batteries in checked luggage, so you should keep batteries in your carry-on. I guess they figure if the battery bursts into flames, they can handle the emergency better if they can see it. If something bad happens in the baggage compartment...

When I ferried aircraft I carried my portable avionics, radio, transponder, PLB, couple of handheld GPS’s etc. Only problem I ever had was the homeland security idiots clearing customs in ATL, never had an issue getting on. Of course you can’t turn it on when you can’t your cell phone etc. You CANNOT carry an O2 bottle, not even in checked baggage, they stole mine, were supposed to ship it but never did. You can carry it if the valve is removed, which is easy on a SCUBA tank as they are machine thread, but our O2 tanks are pipe thread and your not getting that valve out without some kind of big vise or something and a really big wrench. In their defense you could hide a really powerful bomb in an O2 bottle.

With Continental fuel injection you are being really hard on the mechanical fuel pump by running it dry. Not something you want to make a habit.

Same here. I have carried my flight bag with the hand held radio in the side pocket on a commercial flight and TSA had no issue with it at all. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

I've carried on a Hand Held, nothing that says you can't. There are Regs that say you can not OPERATE a transceiver, but nothing that says you can have one in your bag.

sorry it’s at night, so harder to see how everything fits. I liked your key, master and autopilot positions!

Checked for sure. I can't see why not for carry-on.

@Yariv I’ve flown with my flight bag with pulse ox, handheld radio, backup battery, cords, iPad, headset. No issues. Denver, Austin, DFW. edit: I carried on and didn’t check.

Easier to just post here for everyone — too much on the eBay ad ;o)… -Don

1) GNX375 2) That's really good to know, I see a lot of different panels which have the G5s either slightly left or right of centre and I've always wondered how noticeable it is. 3) The radios in the picture are not exact representations of what we have in the plane, best we could find in that builder. But definitely as actual units get finalized we'll be measuring that out. 4) I'd really love an SL30, I have the SL40 in a different plane that's VFR only and it's great. They are worth a lot on the used market though. Maybe something to consider once the "ouch" of the autopilot bill fades. Another big consideration for us is what we want to add in the future, without cutting a new panel again in 2-3 years. But it's really hard to decide how to cut a panel within a budget, while also thinking what you want to put in that spot later! I guess that's the real challenge for everyone. I really like the 275 EIS in the future because it will fit into existing space. The PAR200B audio panel from PS Engineering also looks great by combining two units and relieving space issues in the centre stack. Regarding the AP on top of the stack, I also fly King Airs as a day job that have been retrofitted with the G1000 and all of them have their AP on top. I guess it's what I'm used to. The older, steam gauge planes had their AP down in between the seats on a pedestal and you always have to look down to change a setting.

#10

Yep, and I need one. Calling in the morning.

@Kerrville there are a few people on here that are well-qualified to work on the landing gear. Although I own 3 jacks and all of my annuals are done in my hangar, and I’ve owned Mooneys starting in 1993, I am not one of the people on here that is qualified to repair or even rig the landing gear. I wouldn’t trust my work. There are more people on here that are qualified to properly jack up a Mooney safely and do a gear retraction or do preventive maintenance under the airplane on jacks. I do feel I can do it, but only because I’ve helped many times under supervision. I still don’t do it if I am the only person in the hangar. If you have never used jacks on a Mooney, absolutely no offense intended, you’re not qualified to do what you are trying to do. You may be a good auto mechanic - but this is completely different. After working on it and not getting it right, you can’t pull over to the side of the road in your Mooney and figure it out. Since there is already something wrong, this does not fall under preventive maintenance in the FARS - so you are also not legally qualified to do what you are trying to do. I definitely wouldn’t be posting that you are doing it or planning on doing it on a public forum. The thread below on the first post used to show a video of a jack going through the wing of a Mooney - not a pretty sight. Someone on here probably still has a still shot of that. These accidents happen even at well-qualified shops;

Scottsdale has been evicting small airplanes to make room for jets and other turbines for several years. They probably made it impossible for these folks to sit on the airplane any more, so it's on the ramp with an ultimatum. Scottsdale is not very tolerant of derelicts, as there really aren't any places where you can leave things that aren't visible to the general public. So I'm guessing this just got forced out of wherever it had been kept and is now for sale since they don't have much choice. From that perspective, it's probably been in Scottsdale for a long time, so corrosion may be less of a concern than for other airplanes that have sat for a while. Southwest airplanes are good picks for restoration from that perspective. FWIW, CAP has a Scottsdale squadron, but they got evicted, too, and now keep their airplane at Falcon. They still have office space at Scottsdale, but the airplane got thrown out. It's an increasing trend in airports all over the country.

I think it just means it doesn't come off until it isn't needed any more, in wind, rain, etc.

It eats feeler gauges, so just use a sheet of paper as described above. You also need a tail weight to hold the tail down, and there are threads here on creative ways to make tail weights to use during gear swings. An easy way is to securely sink an anchor bolt in the hangar floor and run a chain to it to hold the tail down. YMMV. Others insist on a cherry picker or something else to hold the nose up. All of these methods are controversial and there are essentialy SBs on all of the various methods that say "don't do it that way", so pick your least abhorrent method and go with that. Probably most people use tail weights or chain the tail to the floor. BTW, be careful with the jacks, as many airplanes get damaged by jacks under the wings. The 24" Alpha Aviation jack is arguably the best choice, but even it is too tall if the tire is flat. If you borrow a set, check fit before you put it under the wing, and if it has a lock, use it. The Alpha Aviation jacks have good locks on them. They're good jacks. Jacks are a bit like tow bars; a good policy is that if it isn't in use right now, it shouldn't be under the wing. A couple of my instructors at A&P school had been career airline people and they said that was their policy even with airliners, as it wasn't unusual for somebody to drop an airliner on a jack and put it through the wing. My hangar neighbor was weighing his Comanche and had the jacks sitting under the wings, and a dust devil came along and applied just enough force to push the airplane off the scales and onto the jacks, which went through the bottoms of the wings.

ASSUMING no corrosion, there is a lot of value there for the right buyer. I wonder if it has been sitting outside for 20 years, or recently moved outside after grandfather passed away. Could be no corrosion if it has been living in AZ all this time. A lot of effort went into drag reduction on the airframe (201 windshield, late model over head vent and headliner retrofit, wingtips, etc.) and some other niceties like the 201 yokes and likely lots of other tidbits that aren't immediately obvious. For $20k, it would be a great start for a full cosmetic and panel overhaul, as well as an engine IRAN at a minimum, but likely overhaul as well. You're not overpaying for vintage equipment, so you can just plan on a full new panel to suit whatever goals you might have. You'd pay far more than $20k for a modern quick-build airframe kit these days, so if building/tinkering is your thing this is a jump-start. I'd truck it home, gut the interior, strip the paint, install new windows, etc. while the engine got inspected and a new panel built up.

Smart move. I lost a tks stall strip about four years ago and if I remember correctly the part cost about 3k.

Any temporary premium savings would probably be eaten up by the costs associated in at least three aircraft transactions (purchase of the beater, sale of the beater, purchase of his J). It may seem attractive to lower the premium on a short-term basis, but keep in mind it's not free to buy and sell airplanes, either, so he'll be paying the piper one way or another.

After some searching, we ended up using GRANITIZE™ Aviation X20-18 AECI 3 Colorless Brightwork Aircraft Exterior Protector. Not cheap but apparently it's been approved by several aircraft manufacturers. A local aircraft detail shop uses it on corporate jets. Looks great. Will be interesting to see how long it lasts before the spinner needs a polish and re-coat. https://skygeek.com/granitize-x-20-18-xzilon-3-brightwork-16oz.html

If i was landing i would say it is not that important. If i was 10 gallons away from landing i would say yes! Our Ovation 2 POH states: FUEL LIMITATIONS –WARNING– Takeoff maneuvers when the selected tank contains less than 12 gallons of fuel have not been demonstrated. So we’d want more than 12 gallons in the selected tank for landing in case we needed to go around.

I will fly any Mooney anyone will let me! I have time in over 30 of them so far!

I was going to say I've seen one recently, but it was this one! It's sitting on the ramp at Scottsdale, KSDL. I didn't go take a close look.

As a fairly recent owner of a 1970 E model, here are some things I've learned: -- Fuel injected (i.e., E or F versus C or G) is really nice; on top of the extra 20 hp, you don't need to worry about carb ice; hot starts were not an issue for me. -- My bird will do 150 kts if pushed hard, but more realistically it's around a 142 kts plane; with the fuel injection and a good engine monitor you can run LOP at around 8.5-9gph at altitude. -- The electric gear is ok, but many people swear by the manual one, which is lower maintenance. My plane had one gear up in the 90's because of a failed gear box for the electric gear mechanism (Dukes model). It was since replaced with a more reliable unit (Eaton). -- If you can get a plane with recently resealed fuel tanks or with bladders, it's really good. Otherwise prepare yourself for regular patching of the tanks. Mine has the bladders and I am really happy not to have to worry. -- A three-blade prop will slow you down 4-5 knots, lose you 15 lbs useful weight, and is a bit less smooth over a two blade. (Mine has the three blade.. I think many people consider it to look better, but I'd rather have the other advantages.) -- Check when the gear shock disks were replaced; they are good for about 15 years on a short body, not sure on a long body. Costs about $3000 to replace all. -- If your mission rarely involves 3 people in the plane (you + 2), then an E or a C is perfect; if you need to carry someone in the back frequently, I think an F or G is a must. Be wary of the useful load -- my E has a useful load of 897 lbs, which with full fuel means 3 people and no (or small) bags, or 2 people and plenty of baggage. -- For me engine and airframe health come way above fancy avionics. Many people will spend north of $40k on avionics; in my opinion this money is best spent on a solid airframe and a low-time engine from the factory or from a well-known shop. People have flown safely for 50+ years in these planes with steam gauges, I don't see why it should be a priority to change that. (Sure, it's nice to have the gizmos, but a 430W still seems perfectly adequate for my occasional IFR flight.) The only thing I do recommend is a solid autopilot, it can be very useful for long flights, and a life saver in IFR. Watching that AI for the slightest move for 3 hours in solid IFR is very trying. My plane has a good STEC 30 and I am grateful for it. If you plan to fly LOP a 4 cylinder engine monitor is also necessary. -- The one part that seems to be very hard to find if yours goes bad is the accordion adapter for the airbox. Mooney produces these in small batches of about 50-100 at a time, and these get sold almost immediately. If you are looking at a fuel injected Mooney inspect yours carefully before buying, as having a bad one seems to be a possible cause for grounding you for a while. Other people may want to comment more on this, as mine seems to be ok. -- It seems that after around 1968 there were some cost-cutting measures in producing these planes, which result in a 2-3 knot speed loss (more protruding screws and rivets instead of flush ones). So models before 1968 are better in this respect. But for every plane the biggest thing for me would be how well the plane was taken care of; being hangared most of its life, being flown regularly, being maintained by well-known shops or by a mechanic that shows care (these things can be seen from the log books) can make a huge difference in future maintenance costs, and this can trump almost anything else I wrote above. I would take a well-taken care of C model, at the same price, over a neglected F any day.

My little C-140 Cessna’s fuel vent system is two 1/8” holes drilled into each fuel cap, factory design, but that was when airplanes cost $5,000 too. Think if it rains water just might get into the tank? What I do on the Cessna is take the cheap as in about $3 toilet plungers and unscrew the stick, place the rubber cup part on the caps, it’s heavy enough so that wind wont blow it off and being soft rubber if I get stupid and forget them they wont hurt anything, and they cost about $3 so if I did no great loss. You might get an odd look for putting toilet plungers on your wing, but they do keep water out.

I have a One Wheel GT. It fits nicely in the Mooney. It takes up about as much space as one carry on bag. It goes a long way on a charge. The longest trip I have done on it was 18 miles. There is a learning curve to ride it and there is blood involved.

I would call around to Mooney Service Centers to see who offers the best price. The first callI would make would be JD at SW Texas Aviation in Smithville TX (https://www.swta.net/) I will say this though, having done the conversion on an Ovation back in 2014, if you are operating out of a runway of 3000 ft or more, and you already have the Top Prop, although the 2700 rpm is nice to have, for me I found out that it really wasn't necessary. The extra climb is nice, but the 280 hp is still impressive. However if I had a 244hp Eagle for sure I would do it.

Wow, what a great range of options you have! If I were in your position: I'd buy a couple of cheap KNS80s off eBay and use them as parts donors to keep one going. Disclosure: I'm a retired RF EE with knowledge & test gear to do so. Paying shop rates to do that would get expensive fast. Or you could mount an Aera 560 or 660 or 796 on the yoke and use it for enroute navigation, file /G (illegal but likely safe) and off you go. Or install a BNC connector so that if your unreliable comm radio flakes out you can connect your handheld VHF radio to an external antenna. That will work just fine. Or rip out everything now and put in one reliable GTN650 which will become your #2 unit sometime in the bright future. Who says you need dual Nav/com? That's 1960s era lore; the gear is far more reliable now. Should it happen to fail you can fly an approach just fine using your iPad / Foreflight in an emergency. (If you don't believe me hire a CFII and go try it) Or tell your kids they're going to inherit your fascinating log books (and perhaps little else) & put in a whole new panel. $100K would cover it. Ok, $125K. Have fun!

There are a lot of these (KNS80) in good shape for sale - it's an easy, cheap swap until you decide what you eventually want to do.