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My upgrade should be completed tomorrow, and flighted tested in the afternoon. Juuuust in time for Oshkosh. Final picture when completed. Old and new shown. SVT when the airplane can be pulled out tomorrow for GPS position that is needed for the SVT.

My now-16 yo son has gone since 2006, and his now-19 yo sis since 2008. They're far from the only kids who've "grown up" in the Caravan and at OSH. My daughter did Women Soar, an amazing program for high school girls, and there is the museum, seaplane base, KidVenture, the drone, ultralight, and college recruiting areas...as long as they have a phone and a charger (gotta learn the places to recharge), I honestly cannot think of a safer place for teens to hang out in America today than AirVenture. And if they self-identify and leave their Caravan nameplates on, they'll have friends wherever they go.

We have carefully vetted the above dates for our Mooney Summit VII to avoid conflict with MAPA, the Caravan, MAPA safety foundation etc. We will have CAMI provide hypoxia training in the Prote reduce O chamber for us and we needed to confirm dates for their and our planning. Mark it on your calendar! We will open registration in late March once again.

Bought this J in March, but didn't get a chance to go on a trip until a couple of weeks ago due to work commitments. Flew a triangle in the Southwest: San Diego - Las Vegas - Bryce Canyon - Santa Fe, NM - Sedona, AZ - San Diego. Mod. turbulence on each leg, gusty winds and density altitude landings and departures had me worried that the wife would never want to go on another trip. Fortunately she's now hopelessly addicted to airplane ownership and is itching to go on another trip. Neither of us had been to Bryce Canyon before; jaw dropping views, pictures don't do it justice, and we were both very taken with Santa Fe, and will definitely visit again. Landing in Sedona is a blast, and was my first time landing there in 16 years. Fun route as the longest leg is only about 2 hours. Here are a couple of pictures of our 201 parked up at BCE and SEZ.

@skydvrboy, I shared your concern last year with my then 14yr old daughter, I was worried that she'd want to leave half way through the week. She likes aviation, but she doesn't "LIKE" aviation. She made it 7 days until we left on Sunday and she actually shed a few tears as we took off. She has been planning this year's return since that day and has a couple of friends from last year meeting her again this year, she is also communicating regularly with KP's daughter who will be attending for the first time this year. She was allowed to venture off on her own with strict times and places to meet after we had the lay of the land. He'll do just fine, there will be enough distractions around to keep him entertained. Ron

It’s fun. I always had a good time growing up. My parents met at OSH in the early 70’s. Just tell him there will be other girls there, and it’s summertime!! ;-) -Matt

The obvious fact is that your oil change is overdue!

Well and I expect that there are few if any people at the factory with a 40 year span of Being immersed in everything Mooney, so I expect that he does have unique knowledge that is useful to the factory from time to time. I expect that there are a few other folks in the world that get similar calls.

Don made a comment in the course of conversation, and not in a bragging way at all, that all Mooney wants to do now is sell new airplanes, with no interest in supporting the old ones. Again, not in a bragidocius form, but said that they call him for information about the old ones. Hmmm..... I wonder why? He may very well know more about Mooney’s than anyone on Earth, and he may be the best at repairing, maintaining and restoring them, but he is something beyond that. He is just an easy going, easy to talk to, trustworthy guy. Hard to imagine how anyone could not like him. In rural Texas, we call our friends that are down the road five or ten miles our neighbors. He is about 50 miles from here, but definitely the good neighbor kind of East Texas guy. Around here someone like him is commonly called a “Good ol’ Boy.” In Texas parlance that is a complement.

Good news. Sabremech has offered to help by becoming sponsor for the event through his company: GDS Aero, manufacturers of the Mooney Sabre Cowl. This will ensure we end-up in the green for expenses for the event. More to follow. Thanks David and Cindi. Yves

Just like I thought. You’re a youngster. You ain’t computing unless you have had the privilege of creating punch cards. What’s all this floppy disc talk about?

I've had that fruit since 1984. Thank goodness I also bought stock in it--helping to fuel the aviation habit into retirement .

I'm bringing a couple of nephews... 15 y/o twin boys.

I heard about that and plan to send him to get one as soon as we land. I hear the good ones go fast.

I'm assuming that they attached a tow bar to your nose gear. I'm of the opinion that if the FBO uses a cradle that the tire rests on, one that lifts the entire front end, damage to the steering strut isn't an issue. Can a more knowledgeable MSer please confirm if this is indeed the case. Stephen - Consider a lock or locking cable thru the nose gear tow bar barrel as a more positive prevention of damage. For the line crew that hasn't yet learned how to read...

Had one complete engine failure while flying. 70 Hours on a new engine and fuel pressure line from the distributor to a bulkhead fitting on the firewall came off. Went from rough to nothing in maybe 15 seconds. The previous week was a trip to Pittstown Point. Mechanic shot. Twice. Early morning, dark, I had a magneto that was not tight, slip causing some funky timing. Did this 2-300 feet off the runway. Must have either looked or sounded pretty intense as CLT tower cleared me to land any runway without my saying a word. Engine just had magnetos timed. Mechanic beaten. Had a cylinder remove itself from the crankcase one night between the runway and hangar after a trip to and from MGM. A few hundred hours before, the same cylinder was removed to replace a broken exhaust stud. No other cylinder was ever off that engine. Wonder if that was more than coincidence. About 1950 hours on that engine. Had a valve stick and bend a pushrod bad enough the pushrod tube broke and was dumping oil. Pushing the plane back after a trip home from LAL I looked down and wondered who spilled a quart of oil in front of my hangar. Oh, it's me. It was down to 5 quarts from 12. About 800 hours on that engine. Sometimes stuff just happens. So, I have become a little suspicious of work done on my airplanes.

We had Hailey’s cousin last year and he enjoyed himself after a few days of getting acclimated. It was also his first time as well. The big thing he wanted to do is ride bicycles, and the Goodwill store has some pretty cheap. Just can’t ride them inside the core zone, but you can all around the North 40.

We will have our 14 year old daughter and two friends (14 & 15) that she recruited because she loves it so much. She can’t wait to get back after her first year in 2017. He’ll have a good time. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks Scott! Odd that I did not see them. I have an auto search running. I’ll take a look!

Thank you for the welcome back... had a few life changes that made me have to sell 88V . Dabbled with a tri-pacer for a couple years and was miserable. They're fun to fly but not the greatest traveling machine. Once back on my feet got into an '82 J with updated avionics, full autopilot, etc..... Gotta love these machines . Been poking around here the last couple of months just to see what's going on. Glad to be back here.

Any mods which would make it go fast?

I've crossed Lake Michigan more times than I can count, once at 4K feet. I still feel a bit guilty about that, it was suggested to me by my pilot-rated passenger and was a good workaround the weather. That said, I don't really think he understood the ramifications of ditching in Lake Michigan. The one good thing about the Mooney is if I fly high I don't think I'm beyond gliding distance form the shore for more than a few minutes, meaning I'm within swimming distance of shore nearly the whole time.

I suspect that if you traverse the North 40 during the morning or evening you'll find plenty of willing Mooney pilots happy to show off their aircraft. Flying one is a bit more of a deal during the show.

My engine runs rough every time I do that. Must be the extra humidity.

If you need/want a wingman on this trip and a 231 won't make your 252 look too bad, just say the word, I'm your huckleberry! Ron

Awesome Don. One of the more “affordable” TXi upgrades I’m guessing - meaning, you were able to leave your AHRS + ADC computers, and your engine monitor. You beat me to it. My plans are to get the GFC600 done when the Ovation is added to the list of approved aircraft, and do the TXi at the same time. So probably a year or more away. Again, congrats and please do post some additional shots when you get her in the air once ready. Steve

In 2001 I looked at an M10 that was for sale nearby at Winterhaven. The bucket seats on that particular airplane felt like they had no support at all. I felt like I was sitting on a concrete block. Killed my interest real quick. Not sure if that is a common issue or not as I have never sat in another one. It looks like it could be a fairly economic airplane for local flights and $100 hamburger runs. Yes, it has a 90hp Continental. A fairly inexpensive entry price with low times and decent paint are plus factors. The lack of tinted glass with UV would be an issue for me in Florida. Additionally, the ADS-B bill is coming due as well. This Saturday, weather permitting, I am scheduled to take some dual in a Mooney A2-A Cadet. I am really looking forward to it as the Ercoupe officionados claim that the A2-A was the best of the breed. Only about 59 of them were built by Alon and Mooney combined before Mooney switched from the split tail to the conventional tail configuration. This will be a rare treat...a true bucket list event!

Such a strapping young Lad......

Yes, he might have been shocked by that possibility. There's also the possibility you misunderstood the reason behind the look.. He might have been thinking, "Of course I'm doing a good job, I'm a professional who's proud of his work. I can't believe this guy is calling me a shitty mechanic. Maybe I'll come to your place of business and call you a shitty lawyer/doctor/whatever." That would explain a shocked look on his face, too.

Mark, If you have a 'bank' of temperatures that drift in unison, I suspect an instrument problem. Can you send me a data file please? We should try verify the problem, then just send it in for repair. Aerodon supercub180@gmail.com

Yep, just sitting and talking with him is an education. I mostly only open my mouth to ask a question.

IPad mini 2 or earlier have a tough time keeping up with the cpu load from a modern EFB.

If anything could make Apple come out with a mini 5 its a competing product.

How about BASIC and FORTRAN? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Haven’t seen @georgeb around in a while... Just noticed how time really flys... MooneySpace 10 year anniversary is coming up. George was one of the really early adopters! Go MS! And good luck George getting around in and near the SFRA. Best regards, -a-

Liar. Unless you’re also too young to remember Vista...hah.

Somebody mentioned the challenge of getting the nuts started in the hard to reach areas - this time saver tool, a screw driver with a brazed on dowel, makes it easy to hold it in place over the stud and spin it with a finger. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If all is in spec, I would not worry too much. I agree with what has been said to add: The aileron link AD mentioned has to do with cracks in the weld...... different SB. SB mentioned is for rubbing. Not applicable to your manual gear F. On my E I just dropped the belly pan and moved the ailerons as well as inspected rods for signs of rubbing.... no rubbing, no problem. I had my left nose gear door rod end fail. The rod end is captured so as not to allow the door to fall free, and to open and close with the gear..... it will however be extremely loose, and cause accelerated wear to the door hinge if left for too long. Easy and fast to replace. I changed both lower rod ends on mine, as the uppers where still very tight.

You have the choice of 4 props Thick, thin, and composite, or the mt 4 blade. Youre govornor goes from 2400 to 2700rpm. Hp is increased from 244 to 310 hp. Takeoff fuelflow is changed from 23gph to 31gph. Gross takeoff increases 168 lbs, which usually gives a useful load of 1150lbs. so you practically have a true 4 seater mooney that can seat 4 people,bags, and get some actual distance.

^^This. Even at the most reputable shops there are sometimes new or insufficiently supervised guys in the shop, or just things changing. Going to a reputable shop helps your chances, but you still need to be vigilant, and I think your questions bear that out. I'll +1 that a tire should probably be changed on actual condition issues rather than speculation. You can certainly keep an eye on it from here for cracking or chunking or bulges or if it starts to have trouble holding air. Most of the things you list aren't airworthiness issues and you can take the time to research them further later and/or get a second opinion with somebody else if you're not confident the work needs to be done now. If you decide later that they're legitimate issues, you can always take it back there to have the work done.

A few pictures from Mackinac Island. Absolutely a gorgeous day. Unfortunately another white and blue M20K 252 landed gear up on the 4th of July. It's sitting on the ramp on it's wheels with curled tips on the prop.

@gsxrpilot and his wife stopped by during their North American tour after their visit to Churchill Manitoba. It was really nice to have a face to face meeting with one of our popular posters (and he's clearly a Mooney Addict!). We did lunch outside (yes, we can do that a few months of the year up here) and while our wives visited, we took a little spin in the turbine Lancair. As promised, Paul was given the controls for a while and, in no more than 5 minutes, was flying it like it was on rails. He's a pretty GOOD STICK! Looking forward to seeing him and his wife again. We may meet up in Texas this fall, if the stars align for them, when Beth and I attend the LOBO Convention down in San Marcos. I did get one shot of him just before we launched, sitting in the left seat where I think he looked mighty comfortable. :>) He's the second Mooney Spacer to get a ride ( @tigers2007 was the first) , but the first since new paint. I still owe a ride to @xcrmckenna . Thanks for stopping Paul! (And yes, I did close the fuel cap before we launched, as well as removed the nose gear lock) Tom

The turbine Lancair has been on my bucket list of airplanes since I first heard about it in probably 2008 or 2009. It has got to be the ultimate high performance personal pilot's airplane. But along with some other airplanes on my bucket list, P51, Spitfire, etc. I didn't think I'd ever get to sit in one, much less fly one. So it was an amazing 51st birthday gift to actually get to fly @Yooper Rocketman's absolutely perfect example of the type. The workmanship, the fit and finish, the attention to detail, on this airplane is just unbelievable. Tom has not cut any corners in the building of this bird. And it flies as good as it looks. It starts with the engine startup. You'll want to leave the headsets off just to enjoy the sound of that turbine coming to life. Then during the taxi, the prop going in and out of beta just to keep from running away on the taxi. I think Tom said 150hp at idle power! Then pull on to the runway and let it go! The acceleration is something that must be experienced. I recently test drove a friends Tesla P100D. My wife said the acceleration of the Tesla made her just a little queasy. The acceleration in the Lancair is vary similar. It pins you to the seat and doesn't let up. Tom said not to worry about the steep angle of attack on take off. He has to pitch up hard to keep the airspeed from out racing his ability to get the gear stowed. But it was even more extreme than I anticipated. Eventually we settled into a "cruise climb" that from the Mooney perspective would have been steeper than Vx. We were just going up to play around a bit. In the turbine Lancair... the practice altitude is 15,500. And why not? It seemed like it took a couple of minutes. And of course, this is all with the air conditioning running! Tom got her trimmed out and stressed the need to keep the ball centered. Then it was my turn. I immediately realized Tom was just making it LOOK easy. This plane is a handful. The high wing loading and immense power on the nose keeps your attention. But with some expert coaching from Tom, I eventually was able to get the ball in it's place and keep it there. It's certainly more responsive than our Mooneys. But like driving a Ferrari, there is a sense that it could get away from me at any moment. I was certainly a mile or two behind the airplane. But it's certainly the airplane you want to learn to fly well. Downwind at 150, base at 130 and over the numbers at 105 knots will keep your attention. But again, Tom made it seem easy. And of course, on touchdown, throw that prop into reverse and it slows immediately! What an amazing ride. So one of the benefits of owning and flying a Mooney, is that Iron Mountain or Spruce Creek are not that far from anywhere in the country. Don't pass up the chance to stop by and see this airplane. Chances are, you'll get a ride in it. Would I own and fly one if I could? In a second! It is a true pilot's airplane. @Yooper Rocketman thanks again for an amazing experience!

I've been on both sides of that fence and yes, they're both nuts about their aircraft.... Personally, anything that has wings and fly's is beautiful in my eyes. Brian

Well...my experience is different. Here is a pic of the Cessna I used to drive...can you tell me all of the mods?

This project was worse scope creep than anything I've ever seen as an engineering project manager. And the scope creep was on top of scope creep. It started out with an insurance settlement for hail damage. We were going to do a lot of the paint and body work ourselves rather than use a shop, and then we'd have $10,000 left over. Then we'd bring $10,000 of our money and upgrade to an IFR GPS. That was the only requirement for this project, IFR GPS approach capability. Nothing more, nothing less. However, after speed mods, checkerboards, paint masks, and who knows what else, we only had like $3,000 left over from insurance. But I'm game, let's keep the total budget to $20,000. Which, for the record, will meet the minimum requirements which as far as I was concerned was an IFR GPS unit (a G430 used was fine with me, or an Avidyne or whatever) and the accompanying indicateder ($2,000) or so. But, heck, I'll make some allowances for a cost overrun. But apparently, because we're tearing into the panel, we also couldn't live without an HSI, and ADSB that was compatible with the GPS that we purchased (which was double some of the more economical ADSB compliant options), a new intercomm, a new comm 2 radio (I am still not certain why except for ours was old), and a panel rearrangement. Bleeding our budget one finger prick at a time until we were almost 100% over budget. For the record, the autopilot worked just fine before this project. Also the hairy legs in the photos are Byron's not mine, rare time he's in the left seat.

I was at PAO about a year ago! It's packed! But we found space on the south side in the last row. All the google employees have figured out airplanes are cool! Many fly into work. -Matt

For the definitive description of the approach into BGBW ("Bluie West") check out Ernie Gann's Fate is the Hunter.

Yes they do - that's why engines sound funny when they are over water.