Leaderboard

The elevator position varies with the position of the moon, and is always aligned with the stab at high tide. You will notice a higher TAS at high tide. This is why the Garmin 496 has a celestial tab, with sun/moon and tide sub-tabs.

I have done way to much cowling repair. Just make sure you use the right materials! The Mooney cowl is done with epoxy. A lot of people will try to repair it with polyester resin. This is a big mistake! Polyester will not bond to epoxy, it is stiffer then epoxy and will delaminate very soon. If you don't have ready access to a good selection of epoxy just use West Marine 5 to 1. it is excellent, but a bit expensive. Order the cloth from Aircraft Spruce get 3 OZ e glass. You will need a right angle air sander with the screw on pads. Get some 80 grit and some 200 grit. You will need an electric finish sander and a good collection of sanding blocks. If you don't have body working skills take it to someone who does. Grind the paint off for about two inches around the crack. Grind the fiberglass down till there is no crack don't worry about going through, that is Ok. taper the edges down for at least 1/2 inch around the crack. Buy a box of 1 inch paint brushes from Harbor Freight, you will be throwing them away after using them. Get a bunch of Dixie cups for mixing the epoxy. Get some graduated cups from a paint store. Get a box of rubber gloves. Don't mix more then 1/4 cup of epoxy at a time or it will catch fire. Put a drop cloth under your work area or you will be sanding epoxy off your floor. Cut your cloth into strips bigger than the ground out area. Have a bunch of the strips ready before you mix the epoxy. Be precise about mixing the epoxy. Mix the epoxy in one cup and then pour it into another cup and mix it again. Paint the whole area that was ground with epoxy, lay a strip of cloth over and paint that strip with epoxy. Lay another strip of cloth and paint with epoxy. Keep doing this until you run out of epoxy or you are higher than the top surface of the cowl. Let the epoxy harden, this will take anywhere from 5 minutes to two hours depending on the epoxy you used. Use the air sander to get it to about the top surface of the cowl, then use sanding blocks to work in the contour. If it is below the surface, repeat the following steps and build it up some more. For the final finish coat mix some Cab-O-Sil (fumed silica) into the epoxy and spread it on like bondo and sand. Use a sandable primer for the final surface finish. Take an inspection plate with the proper paint color to the local auto paint store and have them match the color. get a good two part urethane like Imron or Nason and paint it to the first stripe. Or just leave the crack alone, it will be OK for another 20 years.

The box cutters weren't the problem. For years the standard advice was to do whatever you were told by the hijackers to minimize your risk of being injured. Well, guess what... that doesn't work when the end goal of the hijacker IS death. Explain to me how someone is going to take over a plane with a knife having a blade length less than 2.5" and a width <= 0.5" unless everyone on the plane has been conditioned to faint dead away at the site of a pocket knife? We need less "zero tolerance" and more common sense. There was a time in this country when nearly every adult male carried a pocket knife and planes weren't dropping out of the sky.

Yep, I just can't bring myself to get rid of it. Have fond memories of my dad using the one in his Cherokee six back in the early 80's and I always thought it was the coolest thing!! SO, I just won't take mine out.

After all the research, it is Technically possible, engine, prop, TCs and cowling... But no STC is available for the Ovation, M20R. At least not yet... Thanks to the factory, the Acclaim is in it's own type bracket, M20TN. Keeping us from endlessly upgrading until we reach the top. The IO550 comes in a few varieties. The (g) is the original 280 HP power plant of the O1 and power plant of the TN Acclaim. The (n) is the 310 HP power plant of the 03. Small differences, but make sure you get the right one before committing... I am happy staying in the NA category on the East coast. The TN is probably nicer and easier choice near mountains. I went with the (n) after this thread... Big block, TN, speed brakes!, deice, and pressurization - that would be a nice Mooney... Best regards, -a-

Not possible unless someone makes an STC. I heard through the rumor mill that tornado alley was considering an STC of their system to the ovation. Give them a call and ask, but my guess is its a pipe dream. Seriously I wouldn't turn my nose up at a good ovation with good equipment and from a seller you know on your field. I sure love my rocket, but I probably would be flying an ovation if I were in that situation when I was buying.

No kidding. This guy just bought a 182, and his instructor said lean it until it stumbles, run the mixture knob in 3 full turns, and then leave the cowl flaps open at all times because "These 182's run hot". No mention of how % of power, mixture, altitude, OAT, RPM, or anything else affects this. No wonder they replaced 3 cylinders at the last annual. With a good EGT at minimum, and preferably a multi-cylinder CHT/EGT instrument, you can do way better. That's advanced stuff. For now, get the basic airmanship stuff out of the way and tackle LOP etc later on. Just don't climb 25 square. I cringe when I hear that. That old myth won't die. Learn the "target EGT" method for climb and leave those black and blue knobs full forward until cruise. That noisy thing under the cowling cost north of 30 grand to replace when it goes bad. Fly it often to prevent corrosion-related failures. Besides that, keep your CHT under 400 and, time permitting, learn how to operate it for maximum longevity.

I love the to and climb with the 310 hp and composite prop on mine. A real eye opener

I was under the (possibly mistaken) impression that it's a CG thing. And if Al Mooney was really trying to reduce drag, why didn't he opt for the ruddervator like the Bonanzas of the time? (I kid, I kid)

Stefan - Give Jerry Johnson a call. Not sure if he will do IFR training but he provided my transition training and did a great job. He has 5000+ hours in Mooney's. PM me if you need his number.

Mod Works (Tim Koons) and Mod Squad (coy) were, I believe, separate entities after they split. It was the now defunct Mod Works that owned those STC's, that are so tied up in litigation, the Mooney factory will be producing jets before they are available.

If 50 lbs makes a difference, you ought to think about how much margin you're operating with!

Thanks looks really great.

Based on cajun's profile pic I would be shocked if "he" does not have access to a pair of small hands

Nice professional input Parker. Also keep in mind that a simple mistake by a well intentioned, low experienced pilot in a C150 can ruin your plane and cost YOU allot! Insure the plane for what it costs to replace. It is relatively easy to total a perfectly good airplane... Yes, it may be a challenge to supply value documents to your insurance people, but it will be worth it in the end. Ovations have gone up in value since I bought mine. Adding new hardware, or paint or engine overhaul needs to be accounted for. The increased value doesn't bump up the cost of insurance in a linear way, that I can tell... Best regards, -a-

Yes that is basically what I did. I don't think that any of the stuff listed on E-bay now is approved for Mooneys. If you decide to go this route be sure to talk to Jerry at Brittain and make sure what you are buying is approved for a Mooney. What model is your plane? I think anothermember on Mooney Space has just removed a B6 from his E model. Send me a PM with your e-mail address and I will e-mail you copies of the install manual and the other persons contact info.