Andy95W

It is blasphemy, I know! I had a hard time typing it, especially because I've always wanted an Ovation. But a friend had a 2008 Ovation 3 that was awesome- but every time I stepped on his step to get in, I felt like I'd put the airplane on its tail. There's a reason the factory display at OSH had it up on blocks.

Installed Garmin GDL-82 IAW SA02573SE. ----------------------Nothing Follows----------------- That's all that is required for an STC'ed alteration. Everything else such as parts, approvals, and Instructions for Continued Airworthiness are included in the STC instructions. (I got the STC number above from the Aircraft Spruce website. You might want to double check it.)

With all due respect to long body owners around here, I've felt this way for years. It's not that they sit too low, it's that the tail low on the ground makes it look weird, like I wouldn't spend $800k for a weird looking airplane. Like, "don't touch the tail, you might make it tip over" weird. Flight performance is phenomenal, of course. And I really do love all Mooneys. But I'd still pick a 252/Encore.

I didn't realize the composite structure was so much heavier than the metal. It ought to reduce man hours, at least- but what a waste of useful load. My thoughts on speed had nothing to do with laminar flow, which is really nonexistent at the speeds our airplanes fly. It was all about how fast the wood wings were, which I would assume was because of the smoothness.

This is one of the reasons I'm hopeful Mooney can start manufacturing composite wings and tail for the M20 series. Our type certificate includes everything from the M20 through the M20V, which includes wood wings and tail all the way through metal everything with a dual turbo'ed 550. If they changed the wing and tail to glass composite, it shouldn't be any more involved than in 1961 when they made the M20B using the same type certificate! Imagine how fast our airplanes would be with a totally smooth wing and tail. And no corrosion to boot!

And a really good website. Unfortunately, I doubt either one will happen anytime soon.

I believe this was either DMax or Paul Loewen's recommendation as well.

^^^^ This thought is scary as crap.

20 years ago, one of my students bought a brand new A36. As his CFI, I got the factory training and got the owner his Instrument rating in the A36. I flew that airplane up and down the east coast and ultimately flew it with him from Williamsburg, VA to Cabo San Lucas for his Instrument cross country (no shit). I have nicely over 1,000 hours of Mooney time, and I love how Mooneys fly, but that A36 and the other Beechcraft I've flown are sweet to fly. That includes an N35 and a B58 Baron. For Mooney owners who've never flown a Beech, it's like comparing that girl-next-door first love you had to the woman you wound up with. You wouldn't consider trading, but you can't help thinking about it every now and then.

Thanks for the follow-up!

And the Trumps fly coach, of course, don't they?

"IDENT" is probably the most useful feature on your airplane at this point. If you can't get a word into the conversation but you're getting really close to the localizer/final approach course, hit the ident button. Your aircraft ID will flash on the radar screen and more often than not, the next transmission will be your instructions to join final and cleared for the approach. *Warning*- if you're being a Nervous Nellie when you hit Ident, you might get delay vectors as retribution.

That's a really great point. Why not have a fully composite wing and tail bolted to a conventional/standard Mooney fuselage? This way, you could even offer a mid-body fuselage available because everything else would be identical (the Mooney wing, from 1961 M20B to M20V, is 98% identical- the only differences are fuel tanks and wingtips). Same exact platform should make certification a cinch with the FAA (relatively speaking, at least.) Save a bunch of hours on manufacturing and go a little faster with a completely smooth wing.

Erik- You might be thinking of Peevee.

I like this one more than the other! Glad to see you enjoying your Instrument rating.