Rich

Thank you so much Bob. I believe that I need to go with the cooler of the plugs- I think that's the 32S. Safe flying!

AHH. So I just have to remove it and measure. I still don't understand as the Tempest guide says the RHB's have 3/4" while the REB and REM have 5/8"

So, I assume that the 36S would be better?

I will be replacing my massive electrode plugs with fine wire plugs soon. I have the IO550 in my Ovation 2. I have been unable to find the difference between the Tempest URHB32S and URHB36S. Can anyone advise me on which would be best and why? Thank you in advance for any assistance.

Thank you carusoam!

JoeSpeed, do you still have the belt you advertised last year?

Daytona Aircraft Services at KDAB is a Mooney service facility has been a very good experience for me. Admittedly, it would be hard to beat the praise listed above, but I have been very satisfied.

Airplanes are a compromise of all factors. There is not one best prop, it has to do with what kind of flying you do most of the time and also what you may never do. I fly out of a 1,950' strip with trees at both ends. I need the three blade prop- it's not a choice. If you would never consider this and you would only fly out of a strip 3'K or more AND you don't care about the compromised climb of the two blade prop, that two blade may be a logical choice. I'll take the "compromise" of losing a few knots since I run my engine soft anyway.

I've seen it work on a Honda Goldwing too. BAD morning sickness that was cured with MMO- forever. "Snake oil" it might be, but it is a great top end lubricant.

I have two Concorde batteries and live in the deep south- where battery life isn't too good. I replaced both of my batteries after 7 years. Cranking was slightly better- but better do it before one cell goes belly up! My method, admittedly, was arbitrary but it worked.... this time.

I preheat even in the 50's. As I understand it, you should not leave the heater on 24/7 w/o humidity control in the engine.

Not that I've ever done it, but wouldn't MMO be good when running LOP since the naysayers state that it's the lack of Pb when running lean that provides inadequate lube to valves?

Years ago, I had a 1987 "J" lean machine that I was flying from Statesboro, Georgia to Milwaukee, WI. No fuel flow instruments and I'd made a similar trip multiple times. This time it was different and my fuel gauges were lower than normal. I was planning on flying over the Chicago airspace. Just before this area, I was advised to "turn right direct to Brave intersection"- this is well out over Lake Michigan. I was at 6K' and said I wasn't comfortable with this. They told me to climb to 8K' and they'll route me more westerly (which didn't happen). As I continued, it became evident that my fuel takes were far lower than they should have been for the flight. I decided to run one tank dry. The engine stopped immediately- 20 minutes before it 'should have" but came back to life almost as fast when tanks were switched. I gave a low fuel advisory at which time ATC cleared me direct to my destination. Incidentally, in a few minutes, ATC advised me that a TSM was over my intended airport and to "say intentions". I changed destinations to Kenosha and got the instructions to call the tower. That all being said, I landed uneventfully (with 4 gallons left- I likely wouldn't have made Milwaukee), tower called ME, and was concerned that I had a problem. As I understand it, the trash left in the bottom of the fuel tank can cause filter problems, so it might be best to avoid running dry intentially.

Ned, I crossed my first "weak" front a few years go. My daughter, a good passenger, thought we were going to die. I assure you that they are not all like what you experienced!

This sounds like wonderful news! Thank you very much for the straight talk!

I have twice flown at !7,000 in my Ovation 2. Once it gets up there, it uses 11 GPH (ROP) at 2,300 RPM and cruises 169-171 Kt. What fun!!

I am in the eastern area of the USA (GA). I just got my M20R back from Daytona Aircraft Services- a Mooney service facility. Their base price is $1,750 for the inspection. They found landing gear tension low and adjusted it ($85/hr. shop rate). I do much of my basic maintenance. I just replaced tires/tubes, brake linings, oil and filter. My annual was slightly less than $2,100 so $4K + sounds a little high, although I hear only good things about them.

I literally keep my plane jacked up when not in use. The donuts are still tight as when new even though my mechanic says they should be replaced as a "timed item" since you can't see when the rubber isn't good. My are 9 years old and still compliant.

I think we have to remember the likely reason for Mooney's continuing fiscal trouble. It is likely that their antiquated manufacturing contributed to it. There is no doubt that Mooneys are extremely well crafted, but perhaps the cost to do things the way they do it won't allow business success in this competitive world.

I have a 2004 Ovation 2. When I fly LOP (which is almost always) I slow down ~10Kt. My fuel mileage improves by 19%.

David, I agree with the throttle twiddlers. I land on a 1,950' strip over trees so I land slow (short final at 70 max.). Because our M20R is ~600 lbs. heavier than a 201 and with far heavier wing loading than a 172, they tend to carry further but also tend to drop faster than many lighter planes- ie. an object in motion tends to stay in motion especially with heavy wing loadings..Changes in wind direction, speed and thermals have significant effects esp. if you're slow.. If you can be sloppy (l o n g runways) it isn't so important as you can carry 75+ Kt over the fence and then chop power to land wherever it lands. If you have a limited landing zone, start with ~14" on final and see if the runway threshhold is rising or sinking and act accordingly.I'd practice several of these on very still mornings or late afternoons and vary m.p. and see what your plane does.

I recently purchased Aviation W&B for next to nothing. It allows you to input the specific data for your airplane(s) then input loads and locations. It seems to be a great and inexpensive app. If you carry an iPhone/iPad mini, and/or iPad- one download suffices for all your Apple products.

While I, too think it is an excessively expensive purchase, it is probably wise (from an insurance standpoint) to seriously consider this maintenance. After I had mine replaced in a 201 I once owned, the gears rattled (increasing the likelihood of a spring breaking) and it had t be "tweaked". When to old one came out, it looked just like to new one replacing it. But, I don't suppose that you will get any indication of a pending failure. I am told that If it fails, the gear will not move.

I have a Dragger. It is one that has a 12 V battery. That unit has been discontinued. It moves my Ovation ok, but it feels it. Overall a 24 V Dragger should work very well and is built stoutly.

Chris, I owned a 201 for about 10 years and then traded for a 2004 Ovation 2. I can't write the book that I have in my head right here, but while the 201 is cheaper to operate, the Ovation 2 can be flown LOP at ~11-12 gph block to block (vs. 10 gph for the 201). If flying by yourself, you can quite easily climb to 17,000', burn 10.8-11,1 gph and cruise at 168-171 Kt ROP at 2,400 rpm. I have A/C to slow me down a bit while it sounds like you'd need De-Ice to slow you down a bit. While every airplane is a compromise, you have greater capability due to the flexibility of the Ovation 2. You can pack in ~100 gallons of fuel or have more room for passengers. That all being said, if $$ are a significant concern, buy a well maintained 201. They are both great planes!