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She's never been in a GA aircraft, and today was her birthday, so i obliged! Just a short 1hr flight out of KFFZ up north and around some local lakes and mountains. She had a blast!

Nancy's 93 year old mother passed away 6 months ago. She would never fly in a Mooney... or a Boeing. But, as we'd reminded her would happen some day, we flew her urn back to MA for interment beside George. Her children, grands, and great grands were amused.

In the deep, dark recesses of a ramshackle aircraft housing structure a lone Aircraft Inspector searches for the...unknown. Will he succeed in his quest to discover that which no man has seen before? Join us for the next episode of “Adventures in Annuals”.

From Chief Avionics: new IFD540- 13795 new GTN750-14775 new flightstream 510- 1495 new flightstream 210- 999 so, for the same capability, you’re looking at ~$2-$2500 plus $200 a year extra subscription cost for the Garmin units for a clean install. Figure $3K delta if their is already a 430/530 installed and you’re looking at a 5K difference. If you find a used avidyne unit, you’re now looking at a 7K+ difference.... Here’s some irony for Garmin: they have worked so hard to encode their data streams and to make proprietary trays and wiring.... if they would have just kept their tray standard on the GTN with the 530, they would have put avidyne out of business... and if they would have used the same pin out as aspen for their 500TXi, they would probably put aspen out of business too.... I guess they just don’t realize or consider the extreme cost of installing Avionics... or thy don’t think they could use that to gain market share. Shrewd move on avidyne’s part to capitalize on installation.

Sage advice for those of us that see saving 10K for what it is- the price of a very functional car.... or years of Avgas! that comment about “avidyne building the GTN” is probably true, too- without the easy of the slide in replacement, it would have been a tough sell. Good On them for finding a chink in Garmin’s proverbial armor.

It's always nice to find a Smoking Gun, even if it may not be the only one. Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

I believe the cost of good maintenance is about the same for a 20 year old vs 50 year old airplane. Ditto for data subscription. The owner’s expectations are driven by hull value, perhaps, often to their dismay when the real cost comes due.

That's all a great rule of thumb - until it isn't.

My 93-year old MIL flew with me and another friend to Puerto Rico a few years ago. Had the time of her life, took us snorkeling, where she knew where to find the coolest underwater critters. When she embarked on her final adventure at 95.5, (of congestive heart failure) she still had wet ink in her passport. She would go anywhere at the drop of a hat. Similar enthusiasm on my side of the family: My mother’s final request (at 93, of Alzheimer’s, mostly) was a smiling and entirely lucid wish to go climb in my little airplane and go somewhere fun. I trust they’ve both found somewhere fun to go.

Here is my latest installment for AOPA Opinion Leaders on Amy Helm, a cool, fierce, and determined airport manager in Glenwood Springs Colorado. I am hoping to stop there on my way to OSH18 if the weather-Gods allow. https://blog.aopa.org/aopa/2018/02/18/if-you-build-it-they-will-come/

Someone owes me some royalties

I am going to wrap mine this year, at least a good part of it. I’m afraid to quote any kind of pricing right now, because I really don’t know how long it’s going to take. If I had to guess, it would be in the neighborhood of $5k

In the overall cost of airplane ownership, database costs and/or FS 510 or 210 costs, are minuscule and probably shouldn't even be factored into an avionics upgrade decision. OTOH compatibility of products definitely should be factored into the decision. Reading on here and on Beechtalk about all the issues people have by using products made by multiple vendors and their troubleshooting expenses, makes me very happy to have mostly one vendor associated with my upgrade. I never had ANY interface issues and got some pretty major discounts on the products themselves as the result of doing everything all at one. Makes the comparison of costs between GPS products not important at all. Read the manuals of functionality of all the products you are considering. If you like some functionality over the other, then that is the unit you should buy. At some point in a future update Garmin will probably add step-down altitudes. Until then, I can do without them in favor of some other capabilities the competition doesn't have like the VFR approaches and Telligence. Also, Garmin Pilot continues to be updated to have some pretty slick features.

Given your location I wouldn't consider anything less than the 231 with the preference being a 252. You definitely want the turbocharger. You are lucky to be close to Kerry McIntyre, a Mooney expert located in Evanston, Wyoming, just over the hill from you. Join MAPA. He writes often for them and in fact has an article in the January Log. If I were in the Salt Lake area, I'd have him work on my airplane. Welcome aboard.

I didnt say you can't fly your "home," I said you can't fly a "house." There's a difference, ask anyone towing a Tiny Home around the country; they're neat, and very hot right now, but they arent "houses" either.

Bump to the top. Looks like April 14th is in the lead...

Took a few minutes this morning after reading all the posts and suggestions. Decided to take a look at the ignition switch. What I found was interesting. The wire was attached to the broken side and it literally fell apart in my hand. Not sure if it's the culprit or just a part of the problem. It does show that I'll need to repair or replace the ignition switch. I also had one ring terminal wire very loose. -Tom

They don’t scale downward well. A 350hp turbine would burn a lot more fuel than a piston engine and cost far more.

I am happy with the OEM solution.... with the Mooney seal from lasar or your favorite MSC. Have done both door and baggage seals and they're holding up great. One word about the job: the most difficult part of the job, to get a good result, is the elbow grease to clean the old seal glue off before you put the new one on.

Beer, in Utah? Heresy. . (From a former Mormon)

Giving rides to very old folk is as much fun as providing rides for very young ones. Often they’ll talk about that little thrill for the rest of their lives. Several friends have approached me about taking Grammy or dear old Dad for a ride . It’s always a joy.

These are picture from previous work... Proper fix for that is toss the fitting and run pipe tap in the other threads. Has not leaked in 2 years. Servo Finger screen 10 hours after annual inspection 2 months after purchase.

So let's take these claims one at a time. "less power than a compact car" Most auto engines never make their rated power. The only way to do it would be to pull a heavy trailor up a steep hill at sea level. Full power requires full throttle at redline RPM at sea level barometric pressure. Most cars and trucks would overheat making 100% power for more than a short time. Most auto engines operate at about 10% power or less in normal operation. "Electronic fuel injection" what can this do other than change the fuel/air ratio? We have the ability to adjust that to a fine degree using the red knob. The only thing EFI would do is make it easier, not better. Making a car driveable and efficient is a very different task than operating an engine that runs at a constant high power setting in a very narrow range of RPMs and manifold pressures and has no requirement to accelerate rapidly. "Electronic ignition" this can only change the spark advance. Auto engines normally operate between 500 and 7000 RPM. With constant excursions through this range especially with lead footed drivers. The optimal spark advance is an ever changing value. An electronic ignition system does a great job of keeping the spark where it needs to be. We operate our aircraft engines between 2300 and 2700 RPM at a constant fuel air ratio. There is an optimal spark advance for those conditions and that is where our mags are set. Electronic ignition has very little to offer to improve the performance of our engines. "Air Cooling" air cooling is the lightest and most reliable method of cooling our engines. That was proven during WWII the water cooled aircraft engines were more susceptible to battle damage and other normal failures. Adding water cooling to our engines would make them heavier by adding the jackets around the cylinders, the coolant hoses, the water pump, thermostat, radiator, expansion tank and the coolant. It also adds a lot of failure points to the system. Can you say you have never had a blown or leaking radiator hose or had a water pump go out? Imagin that happening at night IFR over a huge area of icing. I'll stick with air cooling. "Direct injection turbo diesel" you can buy a certified one right now. The Continental Centurian Diesel engine. It has proven to be very expensive to maintain and people are removing them and replacing them with Lycomings. The bottom line is all these things you are talking about have been thought about and tried. Most decades ago. They offer very little advantage to our engines. If they did, they would have been incorporated a long time ago. Do you honestly think you are the first person to think of this?

I think he was talking about the $200 for FF ($150 for GP)...about the price of a fill up of avgas. I tried looking up the database costs for Avidyne boxes, they don’t list them, they require you to call them, what’s the big secret? From I gather from Internet forums, they are more expensive than Garmin.

Valid points- If you go all avidyne or all garmin, you probably won’t have interfacing issues. on the other hand: when you say that database and/or FS costs are minuscule- that is somewhat relative. For a 150K hull Bravo? Yes. For a 40K E? No. The recurring cost of databases and apps is relative to the hull value.

I dropped them a line and will post my findings.

For an example of a CB getting an engine OH... I recall Aaron posting a picture of his engine in the back of a VW golf(?) on its way to be OHed. See if that helps... Best regards, -a-

with a SoS one of the mags does get grounded out. sounds like the SoS is not working....

Try AS for rebuild kits for the start switch... http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/elpages/ignitionswitchkit.php?gclid=Cj0KCQiAwp_UBRD7ARIsAMie3Xbng0jSrc0QqlJjo5uWdbSXNqRA7SnHnaVFYH2gzC7pYoUSLbPuCn0aArpGEALw_wcB notice the note on the jumper on position #1? Do you have one there, does it belong there? Did you receive the correct mag? (Ordered the correct one, but got something different?) PP thoughts only. I didn’t do the needed research... Best regards, -a-

Sounds like the ignition switch has suddenly stopped operating properly... or it got re-wired along the way? That may require studying how the switch actually works. What makes it ground, and when.... could be how the new left mag is or isn’t wired properly? @M20Doc may have these kind of answers.... Best regards, -a-

For anyone not familiar... http://www.aviationconsumer.com/issues/49_7/accessories/Engine-Tough-To-Start-SlickStart-iStart-Help_7080-1.html -a-

All ovations have a 3368 takeoff weight. Its the eagles were you can get the bumb in useful load.

Does the low light come on when the engine is not running?

Just moved from Pittsburgh to NC last summer. @Piloto and @201er travel to the area on occasion. Rgards b

Use extreme caution with that plan.... Flying a Mooney can be incredibly addictive, I mean, satisfying! @bradp Brad, are you out in the Pittsburgh area? Best regards, -a-

... and most of all. CONGRATS ON PASSING YOUR CHECK RIDE!!!

I have a 65 as well and while the space is limited it is usable. @Bob_Belville posts a pic every now and then of four adults in his "E". My wife and I are both 5' 10" and we made a trip from Salt Lake home to Southern CA last summer with my 13yo (average size) and her 17 yo 5' 8" in the back seat. They didn't complain at all, I did have to go with only 40 gallons of fuel after you added bodies and bags to the plane, but a short fuel stop in St George for everyone to stretch their legs was appreciated. Grainy picture, not enough light taking off just before sunrise.

As a public service to all those owners with capacitive fuel sensors, I am willing to take the quarantined fuel for use in my float sensor equipped plane. Just to show how generous I am to help out, I won't charge the fuel companies to accept the flawed product. I'll accept the fuel "as is" for no additional disposal fee.

Good to be back, Aspen is aware, and will swap out the EA100 after the shop troubleshoots the connectors. I have never been an early adopter of avionics, tending to stay with mature systems to avoid this type of problem. Dumped the Vacuum system, got SV, AOA and ADSB on the PFD/MFD. More capability than I have on the jets I fly. I am enjoying the upgrade so much, I am sorry I waited so long.

@Dream to fly, Joe, You've already broken the first rule in sales...Never let 'em see you sweat! You had to know you may have entered into a room full of devil's advocates and you mentioned conceding. I think we may come from similar backgrounds, I don't mean to assume, but I relate to much that you have written here. When taking in the "Big Picture" I think more than just greed has kept us leashed to the technology of the 30's...it works! I've built no less than 50 "advanced engineered" engines for several forms of transportation and I see most of what you see in our struggle to advance the "certified" aviation engine. Greed, Liability fears, and as of yet, a solution that just overwhelms the old technology at a cost that makes sense even in aviation terms are just not able to be over come. I see and work with some folks in the experimental world and where I do see some of the benefits to economy and longevity, I also couldn't imagine what the cost would have to be to certify these, and then the end price to us on top of that. Now you may say that that is the "greed" you speak of, but the liability fear is created by us, the pilots and our families(for the most part). There is a thread here on MS covering some folk's entry into the prototype Raptor airframe and engine design. This could be the type of project that you could get behind as Peter Mueller and his team are trying to overcome many of the stigmas that you mention, albeit on the experimental side, but overcome none the less. Even when given the opportunity to stretch the envelope and build whatever combination Airframe/Engine?avionics package they want, most (that I've seen) home-builts show up with a version of a certified engine as opposed to any of a number of other options. This could be due to ease of integration or cost or proven reliability, whatever, but they tend to favor the known. Don't give up, keep hope alive! Where the walls seem to be tall on the certified side of aviation, the experimental side is wide open for people like you and I to prove the "nay-sayers" wrong... or right in some cases, but proven none the less. Go for it! Ron

This is the ride. Takes me to and from and makes the money picking up all the toys.

You can see an eyelash under a wrap. Ask me how I know. I would think corrosion would be easy to see. Actually, let me take a pic of my shop truck. It has really bad rust under the wrap.

190mph GS? Go M20C/D! Was the dog’s name TailWind? He’s a keeper! -a-

This was a week ago, we flew to AZ and then brought a Pilots n Paws dog back with us. I also took my dad flying in the Mooney for the first time. I have some video to edit of that flight and then will post that up separately. It was a fun flight back with ground speeds of 175-190 mph. Some bumps over Palm Springs as ATC routed us over KPSP for traffic pushing us closer to the mountains than if we had just stayed in the middle of the pass. The landing was probably my most challenging to date with the winds 050 12G28 on runway 07, at night, with no PAPI/VASI coming in over the trees, but I put it almost on the center line without a side load and felt really good about it. Jenny – PilotsnPaws – AZ to SoCal along with some bumpy air Here's a couple of pics, more on my blog.

My wife and I want to do a lighthouse tour also. Over 3K miles of shoreline though, it'll take awhile!

That’s a lot of light houses! I believe there are more than 100[emoji848] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm lost as soon as I lose sight of the magneta line... I just fly towards the first shiny thing I see.

Rate of climb depends on OAT. On a hot day, I climb at 120kts indicated, and on a cold day 105kts. Through 10000 on a hot day, about 800fpm, on a cool day about 1000fpm.

I washed my plane this afternoon. It was 76 degrees or so in Phoenix.