PMcClure

Hahahahah - this made me laugh. So many openings here for zingers. Alas, I think you have suffered enough. I'll just let it lie.

I have a 19 year old who is a work horse. I am amazed at how much work we can get done with my "wisdom" and his back. All it takes is a little boat gas money and food to get him to take a challenge.

Ah - A/C and back up alternators just take up too much useful load. And all that gas you can fit in your 89.5 gallon tanks just means you can't take any passengers. And don't get me started on WAAS and the STEC G1000 planes. Who would want an Ovations or Acclaim, all those new gadgets just make the plane useless? Better stick with the F model or earlier. Electric gears can fail too, better consider an earlier model with the Johnson bar!

I have a Zulu 2 headset, Bose and the Halos and a set of DC's in my Mooney. Everyone seems to like a different set. The kids like the DC's the best as they are most comfortable. I typically fly with the Zulu's. The Bose and a set of DC's sit in the back as spares. I recently bought a set of Halo's and tried them out for the first time on set of flights over 2 days totaling 7 hours. I found them much more comfortable but not nearly blocking as much of the low freq. noise as any of the other sets, especially the Bose and Zulu's. I will try them again but think I will keep both set's handy for me and trade them out on longer flights. My co-pilot this week was brand new to GA and decided on the DC's as most comfortable.

Looks like a fair price to me, perhaps even a very good deal. Missing WAAS, which I think has to be added. Also, you may need to consider a top to the engine sooner than TBO. Those two items could run you $15-20k. But even then, you have a plane with WAAS, O2, TKS, new jugs, etc for less then $215k. I don't have the 310hp upgrade on mine and I can't say I am missing anything. I do have the 3 blade prop and find take off and climb is very impressive. I also have the original Mortiz gauges and so far so good. I also have the KFC225 autopilot which I think is an outstanding piece of equipment. It flies like it is on rails. My roll servo has been replaced once, since 2002. That was about $2000. no other issues.

You can rent the tool from Laser for $50. FYI

Yes it sucks, and even more so because the plane is in excellent shape. I try to give everyone I work with the chance to do the right thing, even if they didn't do it the first time. Usually I am not disappointed. Thanks for all the suggestions. I plan on calling a Mooney Service Center and asking them for a quote and advice. The avionics shop is looking into it as well and we will then try to agree on next steps. Any other suggestions are welcome. I think this is good advice. Do you have the contact in Tennessee?

I am leaning this direction as well (but with current 530w/430). Let us know how the GTX345 works when you get a chance .

The partner in our F once encountered a hoard of locusts at 7,000 ft. He said the only thing he could think to do was close the filter bypass, report to ATC and hope nothing happened. No damage but lots of cleaning.

I had to replace the roll servo on my KFC225. Nothing unusual about that. But after the repair, I found this damage on the wing above the outboard inspection plate. After discussing the damage with the avionic shop that did the work, they agree that they likely did it and are willing to do whatever is needed to make it right. But, how do you fix it and who to do it? At first the idea of just tapping it out would be OK, but after some consideration the concern of paint damage or worse, aluminum cracking could happen. Then we discussed using dry ice to shrink it, but no one has experience doing this. Any suggestions? I don't want to cause a bigger problem by trying to fix a small problem. But can't really come to terms to just live with it. PS - the picture makes it look worse than it really is, but it is noticeable.

I have seen a bald eagle fill the windscreen at 3500'. Not sure how I missed him. Seen lots of red tailed hawks here in Alabama from AGL up to 3000'

Will the Lynx 9000+ get you above 18,000?

I got to tell you that I would have jumped all over this plane when I was buying a few years ago. Lowering the price will sell it. But I think the number of people who are going to realistically buy a $200k plane are few and far between. It may just come down to when the right guy comes along. Best of luck.

nice!

Agree 100%. And glass instruments fail too. Perhaps as often os the analog stuff in my experience. And you can replace and upgrade as new things come out. Your not stuck with one supplier or upgrade path. I don't understand all the fuss about any of these systems.

I am 75% in at this point.

The F's have a filter by pass. Most of the time the plane in clean air, not down dirt roads. I would think the demands of filtration are less for cars than autos.

+1 on JKA

nice! and a good price too for all those options.

I am a maybe on the 21st. (family). May is booked up pretty full for me. I'll join on the 21st if I can. Eufaula is a great spot. I have never been to 54J, sounds fun too.

That would be great, but I'll be joining 400 of my closest friends on a Boeing both days!

I try not to cancel on forecast, usually they are wrong. But it depends on how much flexibility I have in my travels.

Dare I ask the investment for this work?

Been there, done that Jeff! Sounds like you are overthinking it. When I was struggling with landings, a CFI told me not to sweat it. The gear can take a lot more abuse that we like to think and sometimes winds just don't cooperate. And a quartering tail wind is always a fun experience in the Ovation. It feels like a giant hand has ahold of my tail feathers and pushes me around. I suggest you relax, get in some solo practice on a nice day and get some friends or CFR to ride a long if you still have trouble. Come to PLR and we can have some fun. If landing was easy, everyone would do it!!

PIREP - KFFA first flight, Wright Memorial. So today, I had a planned business trip to Edenton, NC from Pell City. I canceled my Southwest flight to Norfolk 1 hour before departure and filed my IFR flight plan. Once the package I was waiting on arrived, I left the office and arrived at the airport about 11:00 am. Departing direct to destination, I never needed to activate my flight plan. VFR all the way. Skirting ATL and CLT Bravo airspace, thankful I didn't have to file IFR, I land in KEDE almost exactly 3 hours after departure. I collected the rental car and head for a cup of coffee and a bite to eat. returning to the airport about 5:30pm. This is my 10th visit to the area but I have never had the chance to attempt KFFA due to weather or schedule. The winds today are howling out of the NE but I figure they will be more subdued as the evening sets in. 30 minutes enroute and I am calling into KFFA. After announcing the turn to downwind, I can see the wind is still intense, a 30 knot push at 1000'. ATIS announces winds from 70 degrees at 12 gusts to 24, winds variable from 340 to 070. Believe it or not, this is the best I have seen it. KFFA's 3000 foot runway is shorter than I am used to and will call for good control on speed in the Ovation. But I am light, and the headwinds should help. Turning final for 02, I get a sense of how gusty conditions are, looking at the runway out the side window and seeing the airspeed indicator bouncing between 65 knots and 85 knots. Things settle down below the tree line and I flare over the grass, coming to a stop about half way down the runway. Circling back, my heart beat is still elevated. Not sure if it is the challenging landing or the realization of 2 bucket items (Outerbanks and First Flight airport). I pull up to the ramp, snap a few photos, head to the pilot lounge to register then head up the short hike to the top of Kill Devil Hill. I can see why Wilbur and Orville chose this spot -steady winds out of the North! Not much else to do, so I return to N1051K to find a cub scout peeking into the window. We chat a while about planes and all the buttons and instruments then I need to get going as the field closes 30 minutes after sunset. The scout records every second of departure with his iPhone as I leave the earth again, circling up to 1000 agl. A brief tour of the beach and sound and then back to KEDE for a sunset landing. Did I mention it was a good day flying?!!