PMcClure

All this discussion is lost on me. I know why I didn't buy a new Mooney when I could have. The real question is why Cirrus won the biggest share of new sales and Mooney lost. Economics, cultural shifts, whatever can explain some of the decline in the number of pilots. But Cirrus and Diamond didn't even exist when Al made his first plane. The question any owner will have to ask is why/how can they can gain enough share of the current and potential market to restart building planes. The answer to why Mooney shut down is simple economics. They didn't sell enough planes to cover their overhead and owners expectation for return on investment. Large new owners may be able to float the overhead while they figure out how to recapture the hearts and minds of potential new owners, or they may wrap the overhead costs into other product lines and keep going. Hopefully they take a storied brand and put some hearty R&D into it. Or a least keep parts alive for all of us Pilot decline was happening long before millennials were even dreaming about flying or playing video games. However, one source I found shows the number of GA planes in the USA steady for the last 20 years at about 220,000 and not much different than 1990 (198,000). I don't blame the culture as much as the business execution of previous Mooney owners (lump Cessna and Beech in with that?) that let a new competitor(s) take share in a declining market. The competitors did it by understanding or changing what the customer valued while Mooney keep making more expensive iterations of what worked for the last 40 years. From Cirrus' website: Cirrus Aircraft’s first high-performance SR Series airplane – the SR20 – was delivered in 1999 and transformed general aviation with intuitive avionics, game-changing performance and revolutionary safety systems, including the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System® (CAPS®). Today’s SR Series portfolio includes the SR20, SR22 and the turbocharged SR22T. Last year, the company celebrated the milestone of the delivery of its 7,000th SR Series aircraft and over 10.5 million flight hours in 60 countries around the world. In the same time period, it looks like Mooney sold less than 500 planes. Could that be right? It doesn't look like the problem is the number of planes sold in the market, but Mooney's ability to capture the interest of the 7,000 owners Cirrus found. What if...... More imagination, more research and development, more everything.... otherwise, we may have seen our last new Mooney. Just my 2 cents.

If I want to get somewhere fast, I cruise at 2500. With pax on board I may fly 2300. It’s quieter And smoother at 2300. But 2500 is in the green so I see no reason you couldn’t fly there all day if you wanted. The difference in fuel efficiency isn’t enough to concern me. I have never had anyone complain about noise and vibration at 2500 but have had several comments about how smooth it is at 2300. Mine is limited to 2500, some ovations can go up to 2700.

Agree and gave the shop the go ahead today and also adding the gma 35c remote integrated audio panel. Below is a pretty good video on a similar set up in an RV.

Another question for you guys - how many of you use both XM and ADSB weather? Not sure I need to keep the XM weather services when I have ADSB and iPad connected to phone (for ground information).

I had to sell the turbo bo because it was consuming the children’s college fund in fuel and maintenance cost!

Cheapest flying i ever did was in my 69F model. It took a lot of hands on maintenance time but most fixes were in the hundreds of dollars. That said, the maintenance cost of the ovation isn't that much different, not counting new avionics. The engine replacement fund will need to be higher.

Budget is kinda broke now anyway! Looking for some PIREPS from folks who have migrated from GNS to GTN series.

Considering adding a GTN750, Flight Stream 510 (connects iPad to 750) and removing my 530w. That is some serious project creep. Any thoughts from users of the 750 and flight stream? Any experience selling 530w? Seems like they have been going from $7500 - $10k on ebay. Another question - keep the OEM clock/timer?

Not exactly sure, but assume this is still in the tear down phase of the project. I believe a lot of these wires will be removed.

Thankfully way off!

Congrats on the Ovation! You have a great bird! More than 10 years of ownership and I have never drained fuel to add passengers. If I had to, I would plan a flight to burn off excess fuel. Draining and storing fuel seems like an unnecessary risk. And how to dispose of it? Or would you plan on reusing it? A little planning and regular use should avoid the need to take this risk. I only fill my tanks before long trips and typically fly around with 50-60 gals.

Checking during the upgrade is never comforting......

I fly into EQY regularly but my plane is down until mid March with some avionics upgrades. If you have not pulled the trigger by then, you are welcome to meet up with me on my next trip up there. I have an Ovation 2 - newer but not the newest but a long body.

Google has the RR at 788.6 meters. Don't see me landing my Ovation there any day soon, although it would be an epic approach. IMG_1765.mov

Not in a Mooney but a memorable flight to Milford Sound, NZ (NZMF).. When I asked about RR length, our pilot calmly stated "bout a k or k and a half.half" Not a Mooney in sight, but several 182's and Caravans and a couple strange other things. Our ship was a Airbus H125. I could still smell the new car smell.

Training at MAPA PPP this weekend: IMG_1430.MOV

I usually have a longer final than this landing, but that is not what I meant. It looked like you never quite made it to center line on final and kept trying to "reach" over. Anyway, you can tell there was a lot of crosswind and you did good to bring it home.

Was expecting a lot worse! Looks like you never were established on final. Looks like an acceptable landing and a terrible approach. But you waked away with no bent metal, so not all bad. Thanks for sharing. This weekend, at MAPA PPP, I did a greaser for my 1st landing. The instructor went on and on about how good that was. Each landing got progressively worse.

Moonshine helps me look for bogeys and slow Cessnas. She hates the gyro noise but doesn’t seem to kind the rest.

Who is going this weekend? I hope to be there, if this front will ever pass!

There is a movie, though!

Not trying to BS here. Thought most ovations are about the same. I just went back and looked at a recent flight to dallas: 182-184 TAS at 8500 with 3c OAT and about 650lbs payload, 2500 rpm 14.7 gph WOT. Realize i may be closer to peak than -20 at that fuel flow but still lop and cht’s were 350 max. 175 for 50 lop with 12.5- 13 gph would yield me about 175 TAS. Sorry to hijack thi thread , but i don't think the scoop costs you much. The loss of useful load is a more important consideration.

8-9k 14-15 gph Usually me an 50-60gal of fuel.

No - ROP I can get closer to 190 TAS. I usually run 20 LOP as long as the CHT's look good. 182 TAS is typical. Before the 3 blade prop, I saw a magazine write up on my plane with 192 TAS (ROP). I am pretty disappointed if I see a 170 something. True 50 LOP would have me down at 175.

I would rather leave someone at home than fly in Alabama summers with the 4 adults and no A/C! With the 3 blade prop and A/C I cruise 180-185 knots at 9k. Never flew my plane without them, so I don't know what I am missing.