Bravoman

$15.50 for avgas? I don't know how anyone can afford to fly with prices like that. We still have places here that it can be had for in the mid to high $4 dollar range. I guess when you adjust for the value of the dollar as compared to the late 80s when I learned to fly( and it was about $1.60), we are not doing too bad over here.

Beautiful plane. I'm sure it will go quickly. Do you by chance know James Wettermark? He is a lawyer friend of mine based at your field and has a Toga TC.

Go Gators!(the academic powerhouse of the SEC, save perhaps Vandy). And highly recommend Joey Cole.

The moral of the story is that's what you get when you let a German do an Americans job!

All except plane & pilot and mapa log.

Thanks to all for the helpful replies. I am going to have the work done by Sarasota. The only bummer is having to bring plane so far, leave it, and having to fly commercial back and forth.

My uncle used to like to say that the last time he flew in Germany was in a B-17, and he didn't land...

No, it is my understanding that is accomplished by GDL 88 in conjunction with 327, but I will double check.

Im biting the bullet and upgrading the panel in my 98 bravo. Putting in gtn 650 that will drive the Aspen pro I already have. Also adding 106a CDI for 430w that is already there. Also adding gtx 327 transponder and GDL 88 for traffic and wx which will be displayed on 650 and 430. Taking out old mx 20 mfd, king nav-com, CDI, and transponder which were original to aircraft. Thinking of Having Sarasota avionics do work. The previous owner had work done there(aspen, 430w, etc) and speaks highly of them. I personally have not had installs done there but have purchased stuff from them and they seem top notch. Their pricing seems very competitive also. Thought about having my shop here in Atl. Area do work, but they are only a Garmin dealer and because of proprietary matters cannot do the install such that the 650 talks to the aspen, which is obviously important. Sarasota can get this done because they are Garmin and Aspen dealer. I wanted to get input on Sarasota avionics and perhaps other good shops in the S.E. which can get this job done. Btw, my local shop is Avionics West at kryy which ihas done excellent work for me in the past and are really good guys. Thanks and best regards to all. Frank

Agree with Dave and got my Bravo(my first Mooney and the only one I have ever flown) at same time as he got his. Absolutely love it. Actually, because I also fly a fixed gear Toga( we can't always get everything we need to take into Mooney) I don't think fuel burn too bad. At the power setting I typically use fuel burn about same as Toga and perhaps slightly less. However, Mooney gets you down the road a heck of a lot faster! Regards, Frank

Couldn't agree more. These birds are definitely not for weekend around the pattern type of flying. The training for the rating and what it takes to stay current and more importantly proficient also makes for better overall skills. Personally--and others may and probably do have different opinions--I would not recommend a Mooney to a non instrument rated pilot. There are better and more forgiving platforms on which to train for the rating, i.e. a 172 or Cherokee. Speaking for myself(because the only Mooney I have ever flown is my Bravo), I feel that there is too many ways to get behind the curve if a very high level of proficiency is not maintained.

Not so much smoother but quieter. You will note that 22 is the lowest allowable rpm setting. I have always likened lower rpm settings in cruise to be analogous to driving a car in the higher gears(i.e. lower rpms) on the highway. The engine works less hard and the gas consumption is less. At 30/22 I am typically burning 15.5 to 16 gph as well. Regards, Frank

I too run at about 30/22. I figure this about 75%. I am also curious as to Don's thoughts about this setting.

Hank, my son is starting at the engineering school at Auburn in the fall. I will be over there a good bit and will hopefully run into you. Btw, he already has his PPL and will be in the flight program as well. Auburn is a nice field and is towered for home games. Regards, Frank

That is my understanding as well

Earl, I'm at kryy also. I think you and I have met when you were rolling your plane into hangar. Good luck on your trip.

Kryy is Cobb county airport just north of Atlanta. Close to where your'e moving

I was wondering what y'all thought about the best thing to do in the climb so far as leaning goes. After takeoff and getting configured, I am leaning to about 1480 tit and this yields about 25gph. My chts stay below 400, with the hottest usually about 385-390. I figure based on the chts that is not a bad set up(cowl flaps open of course). I haven't seen a post on this and thought it might be interesting to see how some of the other bravo drivers on this board managed the engine while climbing. Thanks, Frank

I have also noticed that the rate of consumption increases as more hours go on the oil. This has been my experience with both aircraft I own. There isn't a huge increase, but it is something I have noticed. I am also at a loss as to the reason.

Wow, I see that oil consumption really varies, but I guess that is pretty typical for any make and model of plane. My compressions are all well into 70s and I have heard that consumption levels can improve if a plane that was not flown enough is used more regularly, so i am hoping to see a positive trend. These engines were designed for way more use than most of them get, and with a lot of birds flying only 30-50 hrs per yr it is amazing if it makes TBO. On a side note gjkirsch mentioned that his engine was overhauled by Penn Yan. I think they turn out a first rate product. My toga was done by them back in 01 and has about 900 hrs on it smoh. It is a smooth running and really flawless engine. Everybody I know who has experience with them feels the same way. I have no doubt that my bravo engine will go to them when it comes time. My confidence level is much higher with a shop of this caliber vs a lycoming overhaul(although I understand that a factory reman is a much different product than an overhaul, but more expensive).

I am seeing oil consumption of about 1qt/5hrs. I run Aeroshell 15-50 with Camguard. My Bravo is a 98 with about 950 tt af & e. I know my plane, although very well kept and maintained, went through some periods of lower than optimal usage prior to my ownership. I am no mechanic, but assume that these engines burn a bit more oil on average than their normally aspirated cousins. I am curious as to what you all are experiencing In this regard and what you think is "normal". Thanks, Frank

Thanks all for the warm welcome! One of the many differences transitioning from normally aspirated Piper is managing the turbo charged engine. My plane has the older style JPI(non-color display--the piper has a newer 730 which really is a lot nicer) and I can't even imagine flying one of these birds without 6 cyl monitoring. One of the things I learned here is to lean principally to TIT, which is something obviously not done with NA. With the Mooney I find that this is the best way to find the spot where CHTs are happiest and fuel flow is optimized. Also, one of the big things in my transition is having to even worry about CHTs as I can't get over about 330(hottest cyl)in my piper if I try. I have yet to fly over about 11k, so I don't think I have had the full Bravo experience, but that will change soon. I will probably keep it conservative and try not to exceed 1650 TIT, but assume that with these engines CHTS are the best indication of wthether the engine is being managed correctly. I am trying never to exceed 400 in hottest cyl. I am also finding that at somewhat conservative settings, such as 30/22 the bravo can be halfway economical without sacrificing too much performance. I'll be interested to see if the performance delta is much greater between the lower and higher settings at the higher altitudes, where I know the Bravo was designed to be.

I am a brand new Mooney owner having recently purchased a 98 bravo. What a great plane! I have already learned much from reading many posts on this forum. This is my first Mooney, and although I have historically been a piper guy and still own a fixed gear toga, I am thoroughly impressed with all aspects of the Mooney from the looks to the fit and finish to the incredible performance. Anyway, I look forward to being part of this group and sharing information and insight