SkyTrekker

I used Turo a couple of times during a vacation to Napa and San Francisco the summer before last. Rented a Tesla Model S to drive through the wine country for a couple of days. Rented a nicely equipped VW something in San Francisco for an afternoon during the same trip. It all worked very well. Nice vehicles, and pleasant, professional owners. That said, it is a roll of the dice, and like has been mentioned, like AriBnB. I'm sure a person will encounter lemons from time to time. Of both the car and person variety :-).

I've always chosen the Wifi-only iPad models, and use a Stratus for GPS in the cockpit. But for the backup GPS reasons discussed here and elsewhere, when I replaced my iPad Mini 3 with a Mini 5 a couple of weeks ago (my fourth iPad Mini), I went with the cellular option. The 5 is so much more responsive than the 3, especially with various map layers turned on in Foreflight. Big difference! Now I guess it is time to shop for the best pencil/stylus option for use the cockpit with Foreflight.

I did the pre-buy for my E at Don's. Obviously Don is uber-knowledgeable, and he surfaced all of the relevant issues quickly and completely. I was very happy with that experience. I took it to SWTA for my first annual, and had a great experience working with JD and Laura. It is currently at SWTA again for my second annual. I've been super pleased with the level of service the JD and team have provided, and it is clear to me that SWTA is a top-notch shop with high standards and MSC-level Mooney know-how. I really enjoy the peace of mind that comes with doing annuals (and major Mooney-specific work) at MSCs. I expect to continue the practice.

FWIW, I found one of the many "cost of ownership" type spreadsheets out there about three years ago, when I started thinking about airplane ownership. Started mucking around with it and for my target flying scenario, came up with about $15K per year for expenses, including around 75 hours of flying per year. The number includes hangar fees, insurance, fuel, annuals/inspections, and oil changes. The number does not include any purchase costs. This is for a 1970 M20E. I'm about two years into it now, and that is right about what it is costing me, at roughly that number of flight hours per year. That figure does not include discretionary costs I've chosen to take on like an electric tug, new interior, Stratus, iPad mount, gopros, headsets, etc. Worth noting that hangar fees are some of the most widely ranging base costs of airplane ownership, with a range of next to nothing to several hundred dollars per month.

I bought a subscription to cloud ahoy when I was working on my PPL. Like @elimansour, I would overlay actual over planned routes to gauge accuracy as well as analyze how consistent I was in terms of speed and altitude changes during multiple passes in the pattern. I didn’t have as much a need for it once I completed my private, but I’m about to start working on my instrument rating, and plan to renew my subscription again when I start IR flight training, for the same use case. The YouTube video integration/sync is a cool feature, and I’ve used that a number of times, together with the glass cockpit features to do deep post flight analysis for insights and continued learning. Here is a video i made during soon after my first solo that shows a few of the features:

Makes sense. However I'm not aware of any specific ADs or service manual specs that that speak to it. In fact, that's the sort of information I posted here to learn. Are you aware of any?

Good points, @bradp . I just read the TCDS doc, and we are good there. And leaving the strobes off during ground ops is permitted. The system redundancy point might need addressing, though, as you suggest.

Slightly off-topic, but if I understand @bradp , given my 1970 E with protruding (not enclosed) wingtip nav/strobes and rear nav, I could remove my coffee grinder rotating red beacon on the belly and still be compliant, given the rest of my setup? Seems like removing that large protrusion would improve airflow/speed a bit.

Hi Paul. Just discovered this. Good idea. Updated my sig to show home field. Pls add me when it’s convenient. -Sia

I'm 6' and my wife is not skinny. We fit in our E with our 16 year old son in the back and no one has ever complained about space or comfort. I'm partial to Es, so take it with a grain of salt, but unless you are flying with all four seats filled, you can't beat an E for the price/performance/comfort ratio. We bought ours a year and a half ago and I would do it all over again.

I purchased Sporty's IFR course a few months ago and have been working my way through it, a few videos at a time. I think it is a pretty good value. Would buy it again and would recommend it to others. Have not tried any other providers' courses, so not sure how well it compares. After I start IFR flight instruction and when I'm closer to the written test date, I may buy a different course, perhaps King, to augment my training.

I took my first lesson at 49. 10 hours in my instructor's Cub, 10 hours in the C-172 rental, and then bought my Mooney and completed my training in that. Finished up my PPL a few months ago. This approach has worked really well for me.

I'm sorry for your loss, Don. -Sia