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Been there many times and should have planned it since KLAL controller wouldn't give us the ILS (even though not one aircraft arrived or departed in the 30 minutes we were there). Had to go to KGNV to get my ILS in. It was pretty late and IMC, so KORL would have been just fine. The glide slope was NOTAMed in-op at the home field.

Wow, dude I get the Zika concern but an invitation to experience a launch is an awesome opportunity. I just left a conference where there were at least 4 expecting mothers and I don't think Zika was on anyone's mind. The chance of your wife contracting Zika in Florida is much less than getting struck by lightning in Florida or for that matter getting run over by an idiot that is texting while driving. Oh and the beaches are still here to enjoy. No rise in sea level due to global warming that I have seen as of yet.

Don't forget about the snow tires or chains.

Dang, my A&P/IA did mine as part of the annual. No extra cost.

Pirep for Florida flyers... re: Sharkey's on the Pier at KVNC. Great location right on the beach and adjacent to the airport. Food was excellent (had the swordfish tacos and sweet potato fries". You can walk it, but the FBO (Suncoast Air Center) is at the east end of the field so it's a long walk. They charge a $10 tie down fee which is waived if you purchase fuel. Uber is not allowed to operate on the island so you have to mark your location off island and text the driver where you are. The ride was $5. Also, the restaurant will pick you up and return you if they have someone available. The southwest coast truly has some of the best beaches in FL.

Except the 1976 model I presume. I don't think mine have been changed out from original.

I purchased my wife a Clarity Aloft headset while at Sun N Fun this year. I'll admit I was a bit skeptical, but she truly finds them much more comfortable than the Lightspeeds. She was getting headaches from the pressure of the headset "clamping" around her head. The rep gave me multiple sizes of the ear inserts, my wife uses the smallest ones as she is petit. http://www.sportys.com/pilotshop/clarity-aloft-headset.html?utm_source=google_shopping&m=simple&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Headsets&adpos=1o2&creative=74939016862&device=t&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=CKz6q5X-mc8CFUovgQod6icIPA Steve

Kpaul, Florala looks like a cool place to fly in. I will certainly put that on a must do trip list, maybe even on the return from the Mooney Summit. It looks like I'm going to go south tomorrow, possible Venice and a quick trip to Sharky's. Then over to the east coast and back. Lots of approaches available. Are you going to be at the Summit? Steve

Alex, Thanks for the heads up about the food (lack of) situation. I was thinking south as well. By the way, sorry that I was unable to make the pig roast. It sounds like if was a success though. Steve

Hey Florida MS'ers I need your suggestions. I'm doing my instrument cross country tomorrow evening and would like some recommendations on where to fly. I'll need to do an ILS, RNav and localizer approach. One of my legs needs to be somewhere where my instructor and I can get some dinner (preferably on the field). Departing Ocala and 250 nm plan. Tell me about your instrument cross country experiences and what to expect. Looking forward to your stories and suggestions. Thanks, Steve

Byron, Can magnesium be powder coated? Seems it would hold up better than paint if so. Steve

Welcome SantosDumont. Beautiful "F" you have there. Enjoy!

I remember the shopping process when searching for my plane. My mission was 660 NM (central FL to central OH). Best aircraft for that mission was a Citation jet, but budget wouldn't allow that, so looked at all the popular brands, C, P, B and Mooney. Narrowed it down to B and Mooney, Mooney won because of fuel efficiency (guess I'm a CB). Next was what model to buy that fit my budget and my family. In retrospect, I would tell you that the research and search were half the fun of the whole experience. Enjoy your quest and don't be in too much of a hurry to fill the hangar. Like TWinter I also got lucky with my purchase. The value of the knowledge base here on MS is tremendous, so you've already got a leg up on most other buyers. Thanks for sharing in your quest for your perfect Mooney and I am looking forward to seeing pics when you do find her.

Congrats Turtle! I'm a fairly new "F" owner also. Best wishes. Now you need to change your handle, "Turtle" is just not appropriate for a Mooney flyer.

Can the owner make the logbook entry? What else is required for legal IFR use?

She's a beauty!

I know it's a long way, but I have a friend in the San Diego area that runs a flight school. I'm sure he could get you hooked up with an examiner there. You could use one of his planes as well and just fly commercial. I'll PM his info. if you think it might be feasible.

Hi Sam, Get a new examiner. This guy is a total dick and has done an incredible disservice to you. Has your instructor had any previous issues with this guy with other students?

Can anyone guess which intersection always makes me think of Maurauder.

There is a great book by Cleon Skousen, written around 1950 that I had my kids read before they went to college. Mr. Skousen was an FBI agent assigned to keep tabs on the American communist party. He wrote the book after retireing as a warning to the American people of what was coming. My kids were educated about "education" before the professors could get in their heads. I have two in college currently, the oldest will be out in December. The youngest just started Monday. I actually bought the Mooney to travel from FL to OH to visit my daughter. Made the first trip last week and the old "F" performed better than expected! I love my Mooney!

Alex, I'll try to be there. Got a couple of things pending right now. steve

...Oh and Kristy Brinkley. Always liked that scene.

Vacation with Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn?

Hi Pritch, Congrats on the 231! I am using an 89B for instrument training. It is a very capable unit. I purchased 6 updates for somewhere around $500-$600. They send me an actual card and a return envelope for the old card since the cards are in short supply. If you have a data port you can download and install the updates for a little less money. Here is a link. You will need to register and choose the region. https://wingmanservices.bendixking.com/wingman/pages/wingmanLoginPage.jsp

They opened the 4th hangar Last month. This museum is amazing, plan to spend at least a couple of days. Check out the link below. Landed at I19 just moments before "1964-M20E". Unfortunately didn't get to visit the museum this trip as we were getting our daughter set up for college at Wright State U. However, will be back in October. Shout out to "1964-M20E"! How cool is it to fly five states away and meet a fellow MSer. Here is a pic , 1967 and 1976 F model sisters. http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/air-force-museum-to-open-new-408m-building/nrcLJ/