CCowboy

I'm at DVT, SE hangars. Have a 79' 231. Just came back for Colo where it is a lot cooler, but smoky. Happy to discuss Mooney aircraft any time.

The web site is being converted to another platform with the service provider. It should be up soon. The new site is in final stages of construction and will have some links not functioning properly. We know this and are finishing up the construction project. The site will have new content and the old content that is not valid removed. Please stand-by and we will have the project running shortly. We decided to clean up the site now as the traffic is low and not any formation groups are meeting until the social distancing is relaxed. Fly Safe/Be Safe Cowboy

Get the Windy.com app or check out their website. You can get the "meterogram" at each airfield (set up airfields on the map). It will give you MOS data in a graphic form-but better. See cloud bases/tops, temps, precip, wind, etc. Have used it for about half a year and it is very good product. There is a lot of Wx data with the website/app. Play with it for a while and the map version will layer cloud coverage, bases, wind, precip, etc at any point in the US. The map can be set to use NAM, GFS, ECMWF forecasts. You can run a forecast time on the lower sliding scare and see the Wx progress. www.windy.com

Registration for this years Mooney Caravan to Oshkosh is now open. This is the 22nd year of the event. All the details regarding schedule of events, qualifications, and fees are on the website www.mooneycaravan.com Also on the website are descriptions and dates for our formation training clinics. Now is the time to register and plan your training clinics. This event keeps getting better every year. Come join us arriving at the worlds largest aviation event.

9-3. Just east of Aerocare and with a view of the runway. Will be out there tomorrow afternoon returning from Proterville Ca mid afternoon.

Howdy neighbor, I am in hangar row 9 at DVT. I have used Westwind Avionics in the Cutter hangar a few times and am very pleased with their work. Their fees were reasonable. Doug is the shop manager.

I do have one. Sitting in my hanger, in working condition. I replaced it with the Red Baron LED light. Just email me if jbgood dosn't have one.

The Mooney Caravan/Red Star Pilots Assn Gunfighters Formation Clinic will be in Yuma AZ February 1-4, 2018. This is the premiere and longest running Mooney Caravan Formation Clinic. See the attached sheet for details. Come join us for intro/basic formation training and get qualified for the Mooney Caravan to Oshkosh this summer. For those who have the basics, get recurrent training or advance your skills into 4-ship formations. Again, we are partnering with the Red Star Pilots Assn. This brings in the option to train for a FAST card and fly with dissimilar aircraft. The clinic is well organized with a Air Boss to assign flight make up and airspace for deconflicting training sorties. Yuma is blessed with perfect weather in February. As this clinic is based on MCAS Yuma, you will get daily airshows with a variety of military aircraft. Meals are covered in the registration fee, will be based out of the Holiday Inn. Millionair FBO is our host, a superb facility. Review the attached info sheet and follow the instructions to sigh up, registration deadline is 02 JAN 2018. Please respect the deadline, we need time to plan for the swag, airspace, and training/safety personnel. This is a popular event, last year had 35 aircraft. They came from each coast and Canada. Get in position and sign up now. Gunfighters Yuma Clinic 2018.pdf

Back in 1978, mt first CFI job was with ERAU in Prescott where we used Grumman AA5-B's for primary training. Great primary training aircraft. Was able to function well at high DA airports, and carry 3 people with fuel. Now they have C-172-SP for primary training. Too bad they quit making the Tiger, much better performance than Cessnas and Pipers in the same class. If I wanted a fixed gear/fixed prop aircraft, this would be the first choice. I see your photo is a Yak-52. I also fly a Nanchang CJ-6. You in RPA?

I installed the 3 blade MT prop back in 2008 when I rebuilt the engine in my 79' M20K-231. Is is 17 lbs lighter than the McCaully prop it replaced. Positives: improved take off and climb performance ( I generally fly in the intermountain west). No decrease in cruise performance. Less vibration, smoother. Negatives, really need 2 persons to take off the lower cowl if you want to assure you don't have a chance of scraping the cowl flaps or back of the blades. The stainless steel leading edges have not acquired any stone nicks. There is some wrinkling of the outer material at the roots, the factory calls this "root shrinkage" and is cosmetic and not at risk of any damage or material failure. The cost in 2008 was around $10,000, but suspect more now. I am very happy with that investment.

I understand you desire to make a mega-Mooney event. Several issues to consider; 1. Time and employment considerations for the safety pilots and key personnel that set up the clinic-most have full time jobs and must travel to the clinic. Thus, best done over a long weekend and not during the work week. 2. Airspace around Panama City is quite limited for a clinic operations. We need blocks or airspace that are easy ingress/egress. Panama City is blocked in by active restricted and Special Use Airspace. 3. Most importantly, all Caravan pilots must demo proficiency in the calendar year that they fly the Caravan. So for 2018, the training and proficiency must be demonstrated in 2018. I am sure that Caravan pilots in attendance can be approached for some demo rides if time and availability allow such. If the attendees become interested in learning formation, then they can proceed to sign up for one of the regional clinics in 2018. This way they meet the recency of experience and proficiency that is outlined in our op specs.

For the record, Cowboy does not recommend a full formation training clinic that competes or coincides with any other ongoing event. The typical formation clinic is 3 full days of high intensity focus and skill building. Competing with other activities is not advisable as building formation skills and knowledge requires 100% dedication and focus during at least 3 days. The Mooney Caravan is well aware that a regional formation clinic is needed in the Southeast US. Steps are currently underway to plan and develop a Regional Formation clinic in the Southeast. Once the components are are assembled, we will post this on our website and Mooneyspace for all to see. Just as it is with the Mooney Summit, there are a lot of resource and personnel planning and dedication that goes into a successful formation clinic behind the scenes. We will announce this once the required planning and resources are in place. This will likely take place in early 2018 in order to train and qualify new formation pilots for next years Mooney Caravan XXI.

We drive to southern AZ a few times a year to check on our retired horses that are out to pasture. Just north of where the pasture is is a CBP checkpoint on I-19 about 20 miles north of the Mexico border. There is significant technology there, facial recognition cameras going both directions. You must stop, they do a brief interview while looking into your vehicle and the drug sniffing puppy dog checks out the car. It has never been an issue for us, but this shows the power of CBP to "search" you without probable cause. What happened to Paul is the air side analogy to this checkpoint. I am not saying this is right or wrong, just a sign of the times we live in.

Call Lynn Buell at Executive Aircraft in Glendale-623-414-4930. He fixed my autopilot where many could not and just installed my Lynx 9000. An excellent technician, great guy and reasonable priced. Even came out to Deer Valley to help me on several occasions. Would not go to anyone else here in PHX.