Flyphilly

Assuming 28 volts for Ovation, correct?

Hi All! This thread is timely, my wing strobes just went out, power pack must have bit the dust. Tail still functional. Can someone tell me which Whelen LED models I need for a 2004 Ovation 2, enclosed wingtips? I am going to leave the tail alone until it dies, unless there are efficiencies that justify doing it all at once. Thanks a million!

Did you end up selling this? Also - can anyone answer this question? Are these two different parts (-1 and -3) substitutable?

I didn’t see any feedback to this question stating it was a terrible idea so I am going to try it! thanks all!

Thanks for the feedback this is helpful

Hi All - Does anyone fly an ovation and use an A20 with the coiled plug? I was wondering if it is more or less convenient than the straight plug. Any feedback is welcome! Thanks!

Howdy - I have had my Ovation for a year - it flies about 3 hours per week so i have not been too concerned with tending to the batteries. However I have a period of inactivity coming up and want to be ready. My plane is equipped with what the logs describe as: "Fabricated & installed 2-wire battery charger connection harness using MIL-W-22759/16 wire with 10A inline circuit protection fuse. Attached to battery relay and airframe ground with ring terminals. Terminated opposite end with Anderson SB50 plug with protective cover and mounted on provided aircraft rack. All work IAW AC43.13/1B. Verified continuity, polarity, tested with charger and for proper aircraft electrical system operation. No defects noted." This kit has been ran two both batteries, and two SAE wire connectors were ran to the auxiliary power receptacle on the side of the aircraft (a hole was drilled through the housing of the piper style power connector to allow the two SAE plugs to be pulled through. Does anyone have a similar setup? If so can you advise which battery minder would be adequate to use on this system with my Concorde batteries. Are any battery minders designed to charge/maintain two batteries at the same time? Any input would be appreciated - cheers! Update: looks like I may have answered my own question. This device seems to be the one I need. If anyone out there uses this with a Y connector - please advise. Thanks! https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/elpages/batteryminder11-14352.php

This is helpful - I’ll give that a shot. I do have the 310hp increase and I typically climb at constant speed of 115, or 120 if CHT’s start creeping up. The scream of WOT/2700 rpm is just too jarring to sustain for a long period to me. I feel like something is going to shoot out of the cowling at any moment. But then again, I come from a Diamond with io360 Do a lot of you fly WOT/2700 all the way up? Do any of you fly 2700 in cruise?

I can try but it’s subtle. I am not sure the video would show anything. What CHT’s are you guys comfortable with on the climb? I do what I can to keep them under 400- is that too conservative?

I take it easy on the old girl I am just a lone SOB must days never short climb rate. love this plane.

I have treated it as such so far but it is strange. I have though perhaps a gear door is held slightly open and vibrates itself closed once pitch decreases.. but the blade tracking described above makes way more sense. will Investigate all of the tips above and see where this leads. Thank you for sharing your experiences. Much appreciated!

@Cody Stallings This is very helpful- I will fool with it and provide feedback. Getting an oil change this week so I can have the guys at the shop help me with this. I acquired the plane in December and it received a heavy prebuy/annual. Prop was overhauled but no other engine or airframe work. The engine got new hoses but I don’t see how that would be relevant. the issue occurs at 2500rpm and the manifold pressure depends on the altitude at which I level off - I climb at 25 square until unachievable. Level off is anywhere from 4000 to 12000 and altitude has no impact on this phenomenon. What Cody is describing is most plausible. When this occurs, what is required to correct it, and is it causing faster wear or deterioration? Or does it not matter? I can live with it if it isn’t going to reduce prop life and would be costly or time consuming to resolve. thanks again-

It’s a 3 bladed hartzell - are you saying it would naturally adjust pitch based on aoa change with no change in RPM?

Anyone ever experience a shimmy or vibration when leveling off? My O2 recently started producing a shimmy at the top of the climb through the level off. It subsides once the aircraft settles into it’s level pitch attitude - lasts no more than a few seconds. It feels like very light chop or riding a boat through another’s dying wake on an otherwise flat lake. The prop was overhauled at annual about 6 months ago, I thought maybe prop needs to be balanced but then why wouldn’t it give me the same vibration in other situations. Any insight?

Does anyone know if there is a service bulletin that addresses gluing the actual stall strip back on, instead of the temporary one? Or is there information in the maintenance manual for this procedure? I am trying to confirm that the sealant to be used on the TKS strips is the same that is used on the temporary stall strips per the service bulletin - CS3204B2

Hey Mitch- @williamrchilds is a friend of mine. I thought you might have a few ideas. Any other recommendations, perhaps closer to Southern California?

I am curious about this- do you think any avionics shop can put one in? What was the approximate cost all in?

Thank you!

Panthera stopped by PDK the other day - got some pics. It’s definitely sexy. But a lot of new expensive things are

Hi all- I am very fortunate to be purchasing an Ovation, but I am eager to get some solid training. Does anyone have first hand flight training experience with a Mooney instructor based in the Atlanta area who could provide transition training? I would be seeking instruction out of LZU or PDK. Please ping me privately if you have a recommendation! Thanks!

I agree with this assessment. I came to the same conclusions in my search. I found that most of the GX Ovations on the market either are the non-waas unit with Stec55x or have waas and GFC700 retrofit. The non-waas/stec55x are currently retailing in the low to mid 200's depending on time /HVAC/FIKI. Purchasing a plane with this setup makes sense if this capability fits your wallet or your mission and you absolutely want a G1000. Adding WAAS to this setup is doable for $28k with Maxwell as @MooneyMitch stated. However if you are hunting a GFC700 or think it is something you would want in the future, it makes sense to buy a plane that has it. The O's that received the GFC700 retrofit typically have WAAS and have SVT which I understand is a $13K item are currently going in the high 200's. If you want those features best to budget for this because there is more value there. Clean DX models can be had for around 200 and typically already have WAAS upgrades and other cool piecemeal bells and whistles. There is a lot of value there if you can live without the G1000. So my perception is the best value is found at both ends of the spectrum. But there is a lot to be said for an impeccably well maintained aircraft like 98GA... I went to Texas to see it, if you are considering it I can ask the owner if he would let me talk to you about it, it's beautiful and impeccably maintained. It was very hard to walk away from it, but I made a decision based on the analysis above. I state this leaving alone all considerations relating the validity of wanting any of these systems on your aircraft, as these are personal and somewhat irrational.. As @Niko182 stated, you have to do what you want. None of it is really justifiable :D

Good point.

curious about this: Does the plane have a third set of audio jacks in the back for a third headset?

Someone above mentioned TKS fluid goes bad- is this something you have to be mindful of? ie- in the summer, only put enough in the tanks each month to push through the following month and so on? Or not that sensitive?

I have a heater on my diamond and I use it several of the winter months in Atlanta. It’s incredibly practical to enable swift early departures on cold mornings. Thanks for your input!