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My advice would be to chalk it up to experience and never go back, and explain to them exactly why you won’t be back. No need to raise voices or argue just let them know that you expect a good job and they are apparently unable to deliver that, so you will be taking your business somewhere else.

The Government of El Salvador has made aviation and general aviation in particular a policy priority. As part of that effort it has repopened and opened several airports. This is a video about a flight to one of these new airports. Hope you enjoy.

You are very right. I believe the vast majority of IFR accidents are exactly those pilots that take such a casual attitude towards their training and currency claiming they only need to be able to fly in "light IFR". Of course there is no such thing. The bottom line is that pilot that isn't current and proficient has no business filing IFR and launching on an IMC flight. They should get with an instructor (or safety pilot if able) and get IFR proficient before flying in IMC. What we see is that they are often only one unexpected event away from having an accident. Many of the accidents we see are pilots that are far from being IFR legally current and of course no where near IFR Proficient. Doing 6 approaches in the last 6 months, despite being IFR legally current, its no where near enough to be IFR proficient; especially for a low time IFR pilot. But we see instrument rated pilots try to keep their head in the game by filing IFR as much as they can - which is great practice but no where near enough. They may feel they can rely on their autopilot for some "light IFR" if needed but then for whatever reason the pilots finds conditions more challenging than expected, fall behind and have a loss of control. Take this twin accident for example which happened in my local area. The pilot was so confused by the circling maneuver at MYF, which is a common occurrence anytime a low moves through giving us a good surface wind out of the south. It really makes you wonder if he ever circled to 23 as a VFR maneuver without a ceiling before the tragic flight. Its clear though on the radio that his anxiety of how to circle to 23 and expecting he needed a clearance to land on 23 before he started the approach distracted him from getting established on the ILS for 28R. (only the tower can clear you to land after you've crossed the FAF and talking to them - not the controller). I have essentially the same panel he did and it should have been easy to get all that set up on the AP. It was after all an approach he had done many many times - but per his logbook he had never practiced a circling approach with his equipment even though its an IPC requirement. But the distraction allowed him to fall behind the aircraft. You'd think the conditions shouldn't have been that challenging because it was mostly broken ceilings in the accident area, (he had already done the hard flying over the mountains). But going in and out of the clouds and be very distracting and allow a low time pilot to forget the need to go back to basics and focus on the instruments to level wings and hold heading. It can sucker you into looking out the window wondering if you might be able to get down VFR. While he was losing control unable to heed the controller instructions he never thought to use his Blue Level button on his Garmin AP to level the wings; especially right after the controller just instructed to level the wings and climb (he had terrain higher than him very close). The more recent accident in Simi Valley is an example of an another pilot that appears wasn't even IFR legally current from reviewing his flight aware history. Since January, the pilot had done 7 IFR flights but only 2 of them included approaches, with two each totaling 4 approaches in the last 5 months. But we have no idea if any actually counted or whether they involved any actual past the FAF or if he was under the hood with a safety pilot. Of course we don't know if he may have logged some approaches on a sim to be legal, all we know is that he wasn't proficient enough to get established on the approach; somewhat similar to the Doctor flying the twin. Instrument flying is the fastest pilot skill to perish. The shorter the experience level of the pilot the faster the skills are lost and harder it is to get them back since the basic instrument skills are not as well engrained. Getting an instrument rating is very large undertaking, but its just a license to learn since keeping current is then a life long endeavor of constant practice. The FAA places virtually all of the requirements for maintaining currency on the honor system. No one will care or even notice if a pilot is not maintaining currency until the accident investigation, and then it will mean nothing if the pilot perished except for your heirs being sued. If we're going to fly in IMC conditions we need to take our proficiency seriously; not just currency.

Finally got home from work and spanked all these spammers.

I just had my tanks done at wetWingologist at KFXE. he told me he needed four weeks and that’s exactly how long it took. there was another plane in process when I dropped off so it was easy to see exactly what they are going to do. he redid my wing walk, changed both sump assemblies and it was exactly the amount he told me it would be. this was hands down, the best service/upgrade experience I have ever had in aviation. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

The Dynon HDX supports multiple navigation sources beyond just GPS. It integrates with VOR, ILS, and other traditional navigation systems. You just need to include a GPS with NAV/COM or another NAV/COM radio. You won't need the display heads. Although its legal to fly IFR only with GPS, i personally things its nuts! The GPS signal is very weak and easily jammed. I may laugh at losing GPS signal from someone jamming while VFR but when it happens in IMC its a very serious matter, No way am I launching without it. Only my opinion but it seems careless and reckless to place such confidence in GPS always being there for you.

"Trust is earned in drops and lost in buckets." -Kevin Kelly. Unless you are retired and have nothing better to do, I'd cut your losses and move on. Maybe spend the extra effort on building a relationship with a new shop you can trust. Sadly, your story is not uncommon. My previous trusted shop had done reliable and sometimes exceptional quality work for me for years. Then came the year of the ADSB mandate. An excellent younger A&P had just left, and the capable senior IA in the shop was instructed to rake in as much $$$ as possible by doing one ads-b install after another. That IA, who I had known for years and trusted, went out of his way to emphasize me when I brought in the plane that he wouldn't be signing off my annual this year - I later understood why and wished that I had taken his subtle hint to turn around and run. My annual was signed off by another IA I'd never met, and the work was complete garbage - worse than that described in this thread. The shop owner acted indifferent to the situation - I coerced whatever remediation I could out of him (which was painfully little), paid my bill, and moved on. You can forgive a shop that screws up but not an owner without integity.

In an effort to mitigate the ever increasing pressure on insurance rates, we at Mooney Pros, Inc. have partnered with the FAA to provide FITS based scenario transition training and IPC's Mooney Pros, Inc. Named FAA Training Provider, Offering Enhanced Mooney Pilot Training Programs [Tampa, FL] – May 6, 2025 – Mooney Pros, Inc., the leader in Mooney specific aviation training, is proud to announce its designation as an FAA Training Provider. This prestigious recognition underscores the company’s commitment to excellence in pilot education and safety. Effective immediately, pilots completing transition training with Mooney Pros, Inc. will earn credits toward the FAA WINGS Program, including Basic, Advanced, and Master phases. Additionally, clients who complete an Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC) with Mooney Pros, Inc. will achieve the Basic WINGS phase. Both programs also fulfill the requirements for a Flight Review, streamlining the currency process for pilots and enabling lucrative insurance underwriting rates “We are thrilled to partner with the FAA to offer these enhanced training opportunities,” said Mike Elliott, CEO at Mooney Pros, Inc. “Our programs are designed to elevate Mooney pilot skills and safety while providing clear pathways to FAA WINGS recognition.” For more information about Mooney Pros, Inc.’s training programs, visit www.mooneypros.com or contact Mike Elliott, mike@mooneypros.com for a custom program tailored to your needs. About Mooney Pros, Inc. Mooney Pros, Inc. specializes in high-quality Mooney aircraft aviation training, focusing on safety, proficiency, and personalized instruction for pilots of all levels.

This is a no-no for me. Never ever leave something halfway done. Period. Hand-tightening things that are supposed to be torqued, whether it is an oil filter, nut, or whatever, and leaving it like this, is asking for disaster.

I just wish I had a DME to go with the VOR for approaches. Actually, long term, I wish Garmin would come out with a DME module that gave DME capability to the 650/750 PLUS could hop channels and do DME/DME or DME/DME/DME nav in case of GPS outage, spooking or jamming.

I think one thing poorly understood in these debates is how likely your airplane is to lose GPS signal, vs. availability of the GPS network overall. The reliability of GPS as a system is very good, legitimate stories about jamming and spoofing not withstanding. There are many redundant satellites, the receivers have excellent discrimination, and overall hardware and software availability is very reliable. Widespread outages are essentially unheard of - any such thing would immediately make national news as shipping deliveries were disrupted, Uber drivers didn't arrive, etc. Because of this, there's an understandable tendency to think a GPS-nav-only airplane isn't a big deal. But GPS nav failure in an individual airplane is a different analysis. Antennas and cabling break, faulty COM radios generate harmonics that disrupt GPS receivers, etc. You also get the occasional, rogue interference in a small local area (sometimes near your airport) from some moron trying to disrupt tracking by his employer or parole officer, or whatever. I won't say these sorts of problems are frequent, but they're not unheard of. Most of us that have used panel-mounted GPS in a variety of airplanes for many years have seen an incident or two. When it happens, you can ask ATC or the CTAF or whoever, "Hey, what's going on with GPS?", but all you get is the verbal equivalent of a shoulder shrug, and reports that it's working for others. That's a pretty lonely feeling in VMC, can't imagine what it would feel like in IMC.

The footwell damage normal. Only for idiots that don't know what they are doing. My right side is damaged from before i bought mine, just haven't fixed yet. Any mechanic that says something damaged is normal, run, because they will eventually kill you.

We actually are talking about two different things here although both have to do with the safety of the flight. The safety pilot announcing he is taking the controls to avoid traffic or the gourd, or directing the pilot to maneuver the aircraft to avoid traffic or the ground is both the job of the safety and expected role of the safety pilot as a crew member. Surreptitously failing systems such as the autopilot or flight instruments when not expected or briefed, especially when performed by someone other than a trained instructor can result in undesired aircraft states which may result in the loss of the aircraft or life. I have seen several instructors and line check airman lose their positions because of such actions. These actions have no real training value without proper briefing. They may have value in checking and testing but under such circumstances the pilot being checked knows the rules of engagement and expects a failure, just not when which is how we should aviate anyway. Simply put, pulling the A/P c/b as a safety pilot is a checking function of which most safety pilots are not prepared to deal with the adverse consequences since restoration of control would be beyond the expected portfolio of a safety pilot and could result in control confusion.

Although I realize your response is focused on not enabling your safety pilot to get creative while your flying - I get that. But your prohibition of the safety pilot manipulating the controls is way over zealous and perhaps overly discouraging a safety pilot from performing their most important duty. Remember even when your safety pilot may have suggested you turn a bit right or left for traffic (so far meeting your rules) but then all this fails (maybe traffic turns towards you) its vital that the safety pilot grabs the controls to evade collision. Their responsibility is to monitor the surroundings, maintain situational awareness, and intervene when necessary to prevent accidents. We just had midair at DCA and many people blame the instructor for not taking the controls and the pilot flying for not moving left as suggested by the instructor - but I don't think we know for sure if the instructor saw the airliner till it was too late.

I beg to disagree. A go around is not an automatic reflex and the scraping noise of the prop and belly on the runway are unmistakable. Another reason i wouldn’t attempt a go around is for not having enough runway left. That has also proven to be a killer. I’d rather take my chance with a slower slide into a fence or barrier. If we’re talking about a prop strike from a bounce on the runway- many won’t realize till after they land. But not the scraping on the runway. If this discussion changes one pilots mind that wanted to save their aircraft then it was worth it. After all If they have insurance they should be able to buy another aircraft with the same hull value. If they can’t that’s a whole other issue. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well! My kids mother wanted to go to the hangar tonight. Man!! Life is good!! Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there!

Quoting from the Plane & Pilot article above: We do know for a fact that performance can be really bad when you have a damaged prop. A survivor of a prop strike accident told us so. A Cessna 172RG was on an instructional flight out of the Washington Memorial Airport in Marthasville, Missouri, on April 23, 2002. The private pilot was killed, and the instructor received serious injuries. During a touch-and-go, as the plane was in ground effect, the nose suddenly pitched down, and the prop hit the runway. The airplane started vibrating badly, and the flying pilot turned the plane over to the instructor, who was unable to control it. The instructor told investigators that the airplane made a sharp turn to the left and went nose down into the ground. On May 19, 2016, the propeller of a Beech D35 that was landing struck Runway 10 at the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport in Sevierville, Tennessee. A witness said the landing gear had been up and, after the propeller blades struck the runway numerous times, the airplane skidded along until the engine speed increased and the airplane lifted off. The witness said the airplane appeared to be very unstable in ground effect, its performance dramatically deteriorated. It was observed to pitch up, roll to the left, and crash to the ground. The pilot, who was the only occupant, was killed. ******** Please don't try to "save" an already damaged airplane. Ride the slide and live to tell the tale, even if you don't fly again afterwards. How damaged is the propeller? What was damaged in the engine? Did your flaps drag down the runway, more on one wing than the other? How much power will the engine produce? What is your new propeller efficiency? You don't know. Maybe your controllable pitch propeller won't fully adjust, because the impact changed it's angle; maybe a tip broke off of one blade; maybe the crank shaft is cracked, and going for full power may break it. Land the plane and live.

It seems pretty common for big bore Continentals to need cylinder work around mid-TBO. I don't know if Continental has improved its valve alignment issues or not. But a few calls to overhaulers should let you know. Sure, if you are on a budget, you can replace them on condition one at a time, but that's going to be playing a game of whack a mole and end up costing more in the long run. If you want to fly more than be in the shop, once and done is not a terrible idea. The problem with magazine articles and forums like this one is that they can cause us to worry about stuff that's not worth worrying about. Aircraft engine cylinders were designed to be replaced in the field. Done correctly by a competent shop it shouldn't be a big deal. Pick a good shop and don't lose sleep over it.

So folks have probably seen articles about random people looking up contact information on FAA aircraft registry after tracking them via ADS-B aggregators. AOPA worked with FAA to provide a way for owners to request opting out of showing the owner information on the aircraft registry. Just went through it and submitted my request - takes about 2 weeks apparently for the review to be completed. Site: https://cares.faa.gov/home The process was a bit confusing as trying to login to "Aircraft Services" takes you to the FAA MyAccess sign on page which folks may already have accounts on for their "Airmen Services" portal. I had to sign up again using the red "Don't have an account? Sign up" which then connected my previous account and verified my address. Once you are in - you may or may not see your aircraft listed. I didn't. But I followed the steps that appears on a yellow banner on the top of the site (good ux there...), here it is again broken down neatly: To submit a request through CARES, Log into your CARES account Select Get Started Select Aircraft Services Select Submit Other Aircraft Documents For Request Type choose Other Supporting Documents For Document Type choose Other Upload File (see template below) Select Continue Complete Attestation and Submit. I asked my AI friend to generate a template, it looks sufficient and drives the point home. I filled in the right information including the [Insert N-Number(s)] and [Insert Full Name as Registered] in the middle of the document, then saved as PDF and uploaded it to the portal where it requested to upload file in step 7. ---------- [Your Full Name] [Your Address] [City, State ZIP Code] [Phone Number] [Email Address] [Date] Federal Aviation Administration Aircraft Registration Branch, AFS-750 P.O. Box 25504 Oklahoma City, OK 73125 Subject: Request for Withholding of Owner Information from Public Dissemination Reference: 49 U.S.C. § 44114(b) To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to formally request that my name and address, as a registered owner of aircraft, be withheld from public dissemination in accordance with 49 U.S.C. § 44114(b). I understand that the FAA permits private individuals to voluntarily opt out of having their ownership information made available to the public, and I wish to exercise this right. Please consider this letter my official request to have my personally identifiable information—including my name and address—removed from all publicly accessible databases and records related to aircraft registration, to the fullest extent allowed under applicable law. Aircraft Registration Number(s): [Insert N-Number(s)] Registered Owner Name: [Insert Full Name as Registered] If additional documentation or verification is required to process this request, please contact me at the phone number or email address provided above. I appreciate your assistance and attention to this matter. Sincerely, [Your Signature (if mailing a hard copy)] [Your Printed Name] ---------- I hope this helps some folks. Good luck! And yes, I am still giggling at the title... Shawn

Heck, that's just the new 'scimitar' prop

I don't know, what could possible go wrong trying to power up and lift off after the prop has been digging holes into the runway? Pretty much no body gets hurt in a gear up landing, but a great many have died trying to go around after a prop strike, here is an article that discusses a few: https://www.planeandpilotmag.com/article/go-around-didnt-go-well/

I mean, he’s also pretty far down the runway …. If there was really inhospitable terrain right off the departure end and he would go sliding off a cliff or something on the belly, I guess maybe I could see someone arguing that it’s safer to go around. But imo unless the floor is lava right off the departure end, you’re always better off to slide it in, call the insurance company and hit the pub. This guy was in reptilian brain mode.

I wouldn’t like to be judgmental. But I guess I am. I imagine the decision to open the throttle was reactionary and instinctive. I imagine I would do the same. However, thinking about it over a cuppa, best to close the throttle.

I wanted to share a positive experience I have received from MooneyMover.com I received a flyer in the mail for a lower cost powered tow bar starting at $650. I was able to convince the wife to let me order one. What impressed me is the battery selection for the powered tow bar. These are built to order, so if you have tools of Dewalt, Milwaukee, Makita, Ryobi, ect you can order a towbar that will fit your existing batteries. I ordered the 40volt Ryobi version (they also have an 18volt version). You can also order the towbar with a battery and charger if needed. It took a little longer than I expected to receive the towbar because the parts were on backorder. However, I received constant communication from Bernie about the status of my order the entire time. The towbar is well built and seems very solid and it has some significant torque to it. I did have an issue with the handle being a little short and hitting my spinner. (When you have a G model its almost expected) and not fully seating on my nose wheel. I explained the situation and provided some pictures and Bernie took care of the problem immediately and sent me a longer handle section. I am extremely pleased with the quality of the towbar. If your looking for a reasonably priced powered Towbar, take a look at MooneyMover.com

Since you have different Keys for the baggage and door, that's something your locksmith can fix for you by re-keying one them so both baggage and door use the same key. I should add a cautionary reminder for all on their ignition key. Folks need to be careful duplicating their ignition key. Its not legal or airworthy to use a generic HomeDepot/Lowes/Etc key blank, it should be done only with a Bendix key blank for a Bendix ignition lock. This has actually led to some fatal accidents over the years including one at my home field with a flight school, which is how I learned about this. The issue is that some of these duplicated keys may allow removing the key without it being in the Off/Locked position. If so, eventually the key will be removed without turning the ignition off and then you or someone moves to the nose and moves the prop before pushing or pulling the plane with the p-leads still ungrounded and the engine fires with prop causing lethal injuries. Be sure to check your duplicated keys for this danger and discard any that allow that.

Had any experience with courts? The judge probably has nil experience with mechanics, so you have to explain it to him like he/she is a small child. And you aren't an expert opinion, so you'll need to find an authority to write a report and pay for that. You'll need proof that nothing was damaged before. Then prove it was the shop etc. Not defending the damage, just strongly not advocating courts

Nice thing about a Continental is you can pull a lifter and look at the cam without pulling a cylinder. If you are concerned about corrosion, start with a borescope of the cylinders then look at the cam from the lifter holes.

Just to update this story, we ordered and received the LW-15473 pump, and our mechanic installed it today. Ground ops are normal, fuel pressure gauge shows 25 psi with just the engine driven pump, increases to about 27 with the boost pump on, all looks good. Test flight will have to wait for better weather, but I don't anticipate any problems. At the (small) risk of affecting my core trade-in, I disassembled the old pump to look at the diaphragms. Comments from @cliffy and @N201MKTurbo seem spot on - it would not be difficult to self-overhaul the pump if we could get a kit to do so, but the combination of market and paperwork makes that a hassle. Anyway, while I was not able to actually find a breach in the main diaphragm, it was clearly on its last legs - the outer edges of the diaphragm were brittle, with a consistency more like cardboard than rubber. Lousy piece of junk only lasted 31 years, guess they just don't make things like they used to.

Mine shipped from airpower today! I ordered in January, and they estimated end of year at first, but then updated to end of may. There’s light at the end of this tunnel!

While the training value of the unexpected "failure" of the AP during the practice flight cannot be denied, I believe that safety pilot should not interfere with the aircraft systems without prior consent of the pilot. Your intentions to enhance the training experience of your colleague may have been good, but your actions agruably crossed the line if you have not discussed with the pilot in advance that you would engage in such simulations. Unless I am on a training or proficiency check flight with an instructor or examination with DPE, the person in the right seat is a passenger, no matter how experienced they may be and how many rating they may hold. Part of my pre-flight passenger briefing is - "Do not touch any controls or switches unless I tell you to or become incapacitated" and I expect my passengers to follow this to the letter.

I received an email from John (COO) at LASAR last week, they receive the first quote back from the gear manufacturer and awaiting a secondary quote as the first manufacturer's lead time is considered excessive (didn't say how long). Will keep everyone posted. V/r Matt

Has to be one of the nicest C models out there. Thanks for the nice flight O.

The "sacrificial blocl" is made from bakelite type material and is quite abrasive in and of itself. When I rebuilt my plane I made new nylon blocks with DER signoff. Much less abrasive and have not had issues. John Breda

Exactly right and improper torquing, the real concern, comes from not lubricating the threads/nut for a wet torque, not torquing in stages , not the correct order as outlined by TCM, not using new nuts to get proper torque, not cleaning the mating surface to be free of paint, sealant, dirt etc (that might have been used to treat a leaky bolt), and a big one is not torquing thru-bolts from both sides which is often missed because it requires a lot more disassembly from the opposite side to gain access. This is why Mike says Be Afraid, paying attention to the details is critical but when a mechanic who’s boss tells him he only has X hours to complete the job can have him/her hurrying to get it done. Me on the other hand i could never afford because i am slowest mechanic ever, triple checking because i have no one to do so for me. but I’ve never had an issue or failure to start right up because i can afford to take my time before i am ready for that return to service flight to verify all is good. But time is a luxury in the real world and virtually every one is over $100 an hour yet the vast majority are still under what a car dealership charges. And try finding a dealership that can actually fix a broken part that easily fixable but is only willing to replace it! It’s pretty amazing what a good GA mechanic can do. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Alternatively you can route it along the existing bundle and ty-wrap your new 4-wire to the existing bundle along the run. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I recently removed and reinstalled a cylinder to repair a broken cylinder hold down stud. When the mechanic and I reinstalled the cylinder we applied torque seal to each nut as it was torqued to spec. Now whenever I have a part of the cowl off I can visually inspect the hardware to confirm nothing has lost torque. The hardware loosing torque is the big risk in doing cylinder work so this seems like extremely cheap insurance. I’d imagine lots of others are doing this already but thought I’d mention it because it is great for piece of mind. Without torque seal that nut that should be at 50 ft lbs looks exactly the same at 50 ft lbs as it does 10 ft lbs.

Not to increase anxiety, but if I had new Continental cylinders to install, I'd send them to Powermasters in Tulsa to get the valves fixed. Sent from my motorola edge plus 2023 using Tapatalk

As you say, I doubt the engine is going to fail on the subsequent trip around the pattern. The PROP, on the other hand!!! On what argument do you base your life on that the prop isn't going to shed pieces on that same trip?

Thats why a prebuy and an annual are not the same. You should spend more time looking for corrosion and damage and skip the servicing. Since most people are not following the factory checklist, and not looking at it too in depth, this stuff gets missed.

I would document the changes you want to do. Most likely using the parts from a later model Mooney. And have your IA send them to his principal inspector for their opinion. Send a cover letter stating why you want to make the change and your basis for approval is the design changes Mooney made in later models. And see what they say. The inspectors here have stated that they hate it when somebody does a mod, then sends in the paperwork for approval. They would much rather you talked about it before you do anything.

Quick update: although I didn't receive any email from FAA, I decided to randomly check this evening and my aircraft ownership information was hidden on the FAA N-Number registry site. Small victory.

The irony is flying an airplane that’s older than floppy disks. Who would have thought they would still be great airplanes …

Not true! The F-15E does everything better! Well, ok, except landing on a ship.

Well, Napoleon stayed there just before Waterloo in 1815. He must’ve trashed the place.

We had the Colorado Springs Caravan Clinic 2 weeks ago and wound up with more experienced pilots than newbies. Plus we had Lu and Dusty as our visiting photographers that got to capture a lot of the cool flights we had over the weekend. Regardless if you would never fly formation, you have to agree that Mooneys in flight are just amazing! Figured I'd post a few cool photos from the weekend. Thanks to Lu Chandler, luchandler097@gmail.com for the photo session!! Great clinic and thanks to SAR for organizing it!

I think we can all agree that single pilot IFR in IMC is a challenge, and it takes more than a casual approach to be actually proficient. Given the equipment can vary from one aircraft to another, proficiency definitely isn't universal either. I know that the CFII's on the forum have their typical flow, and an IPC has criteria. But curious to see everyone's "list" of the tasks and proficiency items they routinely train... Hand flying: if you're not good at handflying, then IFR (especially without an autopilot) will be difficult even on a good day. Exercising your ability to hold heading and altitudes with precision is a foundation of flight and basic requirement of IFR. Automation: knobology and fluid use of the equipment in your aircraft using GPS with autopilot; understanding "gotchas" and quick recognition of issues; understanding failure points and what those do/look like. Navigation: knobology and fluid use of the GPS to load approaches, sequence flight director, and ensure your GPS is directing what you think it should. Communication: frequent flights utilizing ATC efficiently; filing IFR routinely, getting flight following; following ATC direction quickly and efficiently, and developing the language/vocabulary to communicate effectively. Approaches: not all approaches are the same and it's easy to be lulled into a common flow that doesn't reflect approaches seen IRL. HILPT, procedure turns, short FAF segments, high angles of descent required, TAAs...lots of "quirks" that may not be found at your 'home drome'. Weather: HUGE aspect of IFR is the potential for icing, convection, unforecast deterioration, delays, etc. all the way to the big "Go-No Go" question at the beginning of the flight; how to effectively use inflight resources for weather, ABS-b, XM, ATC input; formulating contingency plans and strategies for success. Emergency procedures: having a firm grasp of what systems can fail, what that effects, and how it appears to the pilot; having effective contingency plans when equipment fails or issues arise. Safety practices: learning from the mistakes of others; rehearsing procedures (both routine and emergency) frequently to minimize hesitation, maximize outcome, and work effectively. Deliberate practice: excellence in aviation isn't a mistake and doesn't occur casually. Flight "muscles" atrophy with disuse, whether this is a maintenance downtime vs you've flown enough you don't "train" with the same intent and intensity that you once did... I don't think you can even come close to "working" all of these with just a simple IPC, and we all could probably benefit from working the groups that we don't work routinely. It also makes me realize the HUGE potential for working these through SIMULATION that emulates real world flying. ESPECIALLY when it comes to emergency procedures. There are many failures that you shouldn't perform in a real aircraft that would be super helpful to perform with simulation! I'd love to see a simulation center for GA that could be set up to mirror different aircraft both in flight profile as well as equipment, that would allow a more realistic experience for sim training. I'm surprised that some of the companies like Real Sim Gear don't have a demo center where they can set up modular examples of your aircraft, sell you training and sim time, and offer a discount to encourage you to take their equipment home with you. Garmin has their own OnSite training as well as online modules. For me, this is one of the "fun" aspects of flying...training the mental just as much as the tactile.

I stopped by today to see the plane in person, at the famed Maxwell shop. After seeing more Mooneys in one place than I've ever seen before, and seeing the Maxwell shop, I asked them if they could do the Pre-buy. I'm no expert, and have not seen everything, but after meeting Don and Paul and seeing the planes in their shop, and just the general atmosphere.. I think I would be nuts to take it anywhere else!

Approach vectored me for a right base to Rwy 3, which meant keeping me at 10,000’ until he called my base which put me about 4,700’ AGL on right base. A bit higher than I am accustomed to, and I couldn’t have done it a couple of years ago, but I threw out the speed brakes dropped the gear and some flaps and intercepted the glide path on a 2 mile final on speed. Those MAPA classes have really paid off. BTW - I highly recommend Aero Center Casper. Rock star line crews and service.

In my view, this is all about context. If I am flying a few approaches for currency and I need a safety pilot, I expect you to keep your hands off of everything unless we are fixing to bend metal. If you are preparing me for an IPC or my CFII then I would expect you to throw in a few curves. Just my .02

Foreflight takes a guess at the altitude where I would find the best speed, but I would rather have a few extra thousand feet between me and the rocks and lose 5 knots.