THill182

Didn't know about these resources; very valuable! And cheap (not often I use that term in aviation related postings....). Thanks!!

@Christian: Thank you for the detailed routing and departure info; extremely useful info! @Warren: I sort of "missed" V8; that is a lot lower than V108; clearly the better way to go it seems. PS: I have flown in/out of high density situations many times, and learned that my Ovation performs pretty much exactly as advertised in the POH (modified 310HP performance charts). So flying strictly by the numbers and indicated airspeed gives very predictable results. But I know from my mountain flying course that there is a lot of regional knowledge about weather, passes, routing, etc. that is really good to know and consider in planning. So again, really appreciate the practical info! This is a great forum!

Beautiful pictures; now I am really excited -- and hoping for good weather! Also, @N201MKTurbo, really appreciate the detailed advice; precisely what I was looking for!

Thanks for the input. My wife will be with me, and with luggage it might be a bit cramped in the Mooney with another flight instructor. Anyway, if the weather is good, just flying the Victor Airway on O2 seems the easiest and quickest way to get there -- about 100 nm over high terrain is all. I suppose what I am looking for are insights from experienced high-country flyers who have gone to Aspen a number of time, ideally in a non-turbo Mooney: What are the key limits (winds aloft), METAR locations you check (micro-weather, where different airports have very different pressures, temps), what's the right technique to fly out of Aspen and join the Victor airway East at 17,000. Frankly, may main concern is weather... Will report back how it turns out. Just FYI, I fly for fun (used to fly a lot for business; that was different), so if it doesn't feel right or I don't know for sure -- I'm driving...

I am considering (probably won't do it) to fly to Aspen this Spring in my Mooney Ovation, 310HP in "good health". I have done that before in the Winter with a mountain-flying instructor and my then C182RG (also non-turbo), and it was pretty enjoyable and straightforward. However, the weather was great,the air cold, and the instructor kept me below 14kft almost all the time, winding us through beautiful passes. This time I am thinking to just go up to 16.5K ft (17.5k coming back) and use V108 (over BRK, Colorado Springs). I have flow my Ovation to that altitude before a few times, so I know I can get there (and if not, I'll turn around before I hit the high country and land in Colorado Springs. My questions are: Anybody have experience and advice from experience, re: - What's are the go/nogo parameters (winds aloft mostly; of course IFR+IMC at that altitude over mountains is a nonstarter for me). - Any recommendations on performance on takeoff, and how /where to circle/climb to 17.5K feet coming back? Looks like Aspen is surrounded by high mountains and likely lots of traffic. Aspen's (ASE) Obstacle Departure procedure calls for 460' per NM to 14,000 -- I probably cannot make that (800ft per minute or so) but don't intend to depart anyway in IMC; I assume I can get to LINDZ intersection and just circle there in the hold until I get to 16k ft? - Any other tips/recommendations re. operations? My plan is to climb to 16.5K ft (or even 18ft if I can, flying under IFR rules). I have flown over/into mountains quite a bit and have a very healthy respect for downdrafts and mechanical turbulence. Going West from the flatlands I almost always take the Victor airway through Albuquerque, flying at 13K ft coming back. On that route, 40kts wind at altitude is my absolute limit; I have experienced pretty unpleasant downdrafts and turbulence at less than that. In fact, I have experienced mountain waves with downdrafts that made it hard to even stay at 12k ft. I imagine that the weather and turbulence over the really high peaks going into Aspen can get a lot crazier than that, even. Thanks for any pointers; if it's not a good place to go without a Turbo I'll rent a car and drive from the West side of the mountains.... But 35 to 40 mins at high altitude to get directly to Aspen from Colorado Springs is attractive (rather than drive for 3.5 hours; I won't need a rental in Aspen anyway; actually, the drive from Colorado Springs will take as long or longer than the entire flight directly to Aspen; so if the weather is agreeable....)

This has worked well for me: http://www.sportys.com/pilotshop/slap-on-sun-visor-extra-large.html I also have some small expandable (spring-loaded/folded) automotive windshield shades they gave away a while back at Braums; they are similar to this: https://www.amazon.com/Basix-Magic-Shade-Jumbo-Styles/dp/B015GC1KDW/ref=pd_bxgy_263_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B015GC1KDW&pd_rd_r=690DRNCRYXCNY0J2W0GQ&pd_rd_w=s5ICl&pd_rd_wg=L1Hpl&psc=1&refRID=690DRNCRYXCNY0J2W0GQ. They fold nicely for storage, and when flying head-on into the setting sun (under IFR of course), they'll prevent blindness nicely; also work well on the ground / ramp.

Thanks for the info all; my mechanic located a serviceable replacement unit for <$100; in addition through his contacts he also got a great deal on an Appareo Stratus Power dual USB port (http://www.appareo.com/stratus-power/); so hopefully within a few days it's all back to normal again, plus I have a USB port that can charge my cell phone and my wife's Ipad during long flights (she likes to read, play games, watch movies). Still surprised that it's so hard to figure out what the draw is on that unit.

This is perhaps a minor issue but we (mechanic and I) now have been messing with it for over a week: The cable had detached for some reason from the cigarette lighter (the accessory 14V power source/receptacle) in my 2000 M20R, and then the loose cable hit the ground and shortened out the step-down adapter (28V>14V). Anyway, after putting it all together, the lighter still wouldn't produce any power. Next we looked for the step-down adapter and "found it" in the tail area. Turns out that it appears there is no fuse on the 14V side, and the short had fried the insides of it. My question now is: I have the opportunity to put a 5A (total) 2-USB-Port much simpler power plug into the place in the panel, instead of replacing the step-down adapter (the maker of that apparently has gone out of business). But I have a Garmin 695 that I have mounted to the yoke where I have my maps, weather, and so on. Can I use a USB-to-Cigarette-charger converter/adapter cable to drive my 695 while flying? I have been unable to figure out the power draw of that GPS while flying and while running it (with weather) on the highest brightness. Turns out neither the manuals nor the technical descriptions of the cigarette lighter charger for the 695 tells me anything about the power draw. I know the adapter for the USB-to-Cigarette adapter can put out 12V and 1A (since each USB output port puts out 5V and 2.1 A). Does anyone with "electrical expertise" have any insights here? Thanks!

That is why I love this forum: Always learn something new. Will try this....

First, how do you determine KTAS? While just flying around for fun or practicing I perform speed tests at regular intervals (fly N/E/S/W at specific power setting, then average speed); I have found that the KTAS measured that way is usually 3 to 5 Kts faster than using the simple "calculator" method on the air speed indicator (by selecting a specific altitude and OAT, and reading off the adjusted KTAS; I suppose that doesn't take humidity into account? Not sure). I have done that before and after adding TKS, and before and after converting to 310 HP and 3-blade, and before and after an engine overhaul. Note that I also have air conditioning which shaves off presumably 2 kts or so My basic results: - Weight makes a big difference; fly light and add 3 kts easily; fly at gross weight and lose 3 kts easily - The standard 2000 O2 with the two-blade would make pretty much book numbers -- so I could get to near / at 190 Kts at wide open and ROP, and at/around 8,000 ft - TKS shaved off 8-10 Kts -- no question about that - 310 conversion and 3-blade changed-my-world on take-off (in particular from high-density airports) and climb. Now I get at wide-open and ROP and at/around 8,000 ft about 192 KTas at mid-weight; but that is burning tons of fuel and I don't fly that way other than to test speeds... - Finally, real-world x-country speed with a new motor, flying wide-open and LOP 13.1 Gph at/above 10,000 ft at 2550 RPM: 170-175 KTAS. I might be able to go maybe 3-5 Kts faster but the hottest cylinder (#3 CHT) prevents me from doing that except on very cold days (I keep temps below 370F CHT). Anyway, that's the summary after 15 years of ownership and flying.... (and trying to "speed-her-up" with careful rigging etc.).

Got it; thanks; I think I knew that (but wasn't there also some confusion about specific cylinders for N and G? Doesn't matter; 30 to 31 GPH is what I had prior to the overhaul and it worked well on takeoff on cold days, and it is easy enough to lean on taxi so as to not drown the engine).

Hmm; I cannot see the IO550G with 2700RPM on that table; only the TIO550G with 2700RPM. But that is ok; I think I know what to work on, i.e., I really want at least 28.3 or even 30gph on takeoff (I can always lean a bit). Thanks!

Thanks everyone; as I said I had a shop set up my engine to the 280HP specs, and it was impossible to keep CHT's to <400F on climbout. Don Maxwell corrected that at an annual and in fact made it all run perfectly (about 850 RPM on idle, slight rise of RPM on shutdown, never had engine die on roll-out after landing; when the engine was set up but inexperienced shop none of this was the case). Anyway, I have SID97-3E which is I understand obsolete (shows the IO550G Fuel Flow at 2500 RPM way too low). I also have an old version of of ML20-107 here http://www.mooney.com/en/si/M20-107.pdf ; but again, that is old and for the Ovation II setup. I will start calling around for someone who has experience with this engine when it is set up for >300 HP. PS: If anyone has the fuel flow charts and setup instructions for the Ovation III -- that would be helpful.

I followed the recommendation from my last annual and am in the process of having my fuel system overhauled (310HP Ovation, 2000). Does anyone have the Service instructions from Continental for the 310HP IO550G used in the 310 conversion? Last time a local mechanic used the 280 HP instructions and I ended up with way too little fuel flow on takeoff. I want to provide the right instructions to the local shop - just in case... THANK!

Our messages overlapped; that makes sense and what I was wondering about. I also suspect that the ADSB traffic is more accurate than the Skywatch system where you cannot be sure at what rate and specific intercept traffic is closing in.

True; but I greatly appreciate all responses. I actually searched/googled for two evenings to get the full picture, and between 2-3 year old articles and lots of advertisements there was no clear dedicated discussion to this particular topic I could find. So thanks for all responses which provide the cheap-and-get-it-done option as well as the top-drawer (and not-so-cheap) avionics option. I'll have to think about it a bit. I am using an Ipad occasionally while flying, mostly while on the ground and figuring out clearances and fixes. While flying, my Garmin 695 portable system does everything I need it to do in the air, and the Skywatch system has been very dependable (I don't recall ever running into traffic that didn't show up on Skywatch, and displayed on the 530). So if you have XM weather and Skywatch active traffic avoidance, what other specific new information would the not-so-cheap L3 system provide? As I said, I have redundant (2) XM receivers in the plane. Frankly, I have been thinking about spending some money on upgrading to a more reliable and smaller portable (Iridium) Satellite phone from my very old Globalstar phone, and wire it into the headset more smartly (very useful to have my wife arrange for a hotel and rental car when we need to divert and need to find a place to put down for the night while airborne).

That is a compelling option! I looked at the web site and - It will support Active Traffic/TAS/TCAS, right? (I didn't see that on the web site; I would want an active system that interrogates; I had a passive old-style system in a former plane, and having a system that won't pick up traffic low in the traffic pattern in remote places defeats the main purpose for such systems). - How does it connect to the Ipad? Can it use Bluetooth? That would be a very attractive option. Also, what's the reliability of the system so far. Does anyone have bad experiences? (I had on an older plane a transponder that was unpredictably intermittent -- nothing is more frustrating than non-reproducible problems in complex avionics) What is the approximate installed cost for this system (with replacement of old skywatch)?

Thanks for all the suggestions; I will research them all. I should have said that I have XM weather in my plane (actually twice; one handheld Garmin 695; the other displayed on G5/430; two independent systems just-in-case.). I also have active Skywatch displaying traffic on the G530 -- which I assume will continue to work as is, right? I.e., the standard old transponder signals are still being sent out, or not? If so, then I don't see too much value in another traffic system other than the-more-and-redundant-info-the-better. Definitely go over 18K ft occasionally. But not sure if the "In-option" adds value.

I know that this topic has been discussed in various places, but I have been trying to find a concise and updated summary of what my options are (in prep for an annual and downtime when installing the ADS-B option might be convenient). Mine is a traditional steam-gauge panel in a M20R, with Garmin WAAS enabled radios/GPS. I am very rarely flying above FL180 but when I do I have to to get over some weather -- so I would like to keep the option. What are the easiest (least downtime) and cheapest options to achieve ADS-B compliance given current or likely very-soon-to-be-available equipment? Does someone have a concise summary from recent research/work?

That is exactly my take. I looked from time to time to other options, but there are none, other than a Pilatus or TBM. I have 120gallons fuel, AC, and inadvertent TKS. I cannot use all of that with any passengers, but I can fly myself nonstop on 1500nm trips if I want (LOP at 12.4 GPH) or with passengers on shorter trips. I can fly at 20k ft in the flight levels, or usually at 12k ft where there is little traffic, at 175kts LOP and 12GPH. VERY hard to beat. .. I DO wish I had a parachute -- just in case..... I DO wish the IO550G would get to TBO without any work ...

Well, certainly sometimes feels that way (PITA); all things considered (after owing a few Cessna's, (C172, C182RG), the biggest pain in my case has been the engine which lasts about 1000 hours between TOP's instead of the advertised 2000 (which was no problem for Lyc O320 and O540). That is expensive, but the rest I would say is normal stuff that breaks and in line with published average maintenance estimates.

As an Ovation driver I sometimes look at what the used market is doing. Is it just me or does it seem like there are very few used Ovations for sale these days? A quick-and-dirty scan yielded about 410 registered M20R's; there are 6 for sale at ASO, 9 at the Controller, and 3 at Trade-a-Plane (all on-line). That is less than 5% of the fleet. There are about twice as many Cirri on the registry (non-turbo; best I can figure); but there are tons of used ones for sale. Just wondering if anyone else has this impression. And if that is the case, why? (GREAT planes maybe?)

Which is why I don't fly when there is a chance of icing -- but frankly, if it's FIKI or not is probably the least of your problems after you come down (inadvertently) in icing. For me, my (non-FIKI) TKS system is nothing else but a backup/redundant system after all flight planning has failed (the only time I got scared flying was 15 years ago when I got surprised by icing in a 182 without any TKS defense). But I have the luxury of flying for fun mostly and always with enough flexibility to come-and-go with a few days margins.

Does anyone know of a case where an enforcement action was brought related to flight-into-known-icing, when no emergency or other notable event occurred during the flight? It has been my impression over the years that nobody will bother you unless things go south.

Preferred part number according to parts manual (2000 M20R) is 86255, and at Aircraft Spruce is available here: http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/inpages/alcor_probes.php