T. Peterson

Wellll…….sort of…….

It’s just a bummer that Mooney didn’t survive and bring this airplane to market.

I can’t explain it either. I can only be grateful for it.

Ouch! Sorry about that! 3.74 at KRFI, 3.99 at KRWV and 3.90 at 4F2. A plethora of gas stops sub 5.00.

Looking at the Foreflight map it does look to me that avgas is trending down. There are even some airports that show less than 4.00 a gallon.

Hi Don, I would be very interested in what Don and Paul Maxwell think about you using Camguard. They are both mechanics and operators and have been for a very long time. They also do all my maintenance and have never mentioned Camguard to me one way or another. I never thought to ask about it, and it may be a moot point as my engine is a Continental? I don’t know. I have been told that the Continental cam sits in the oil and Lycoming does not, so that may be why no one has recommended the additive to me.

Very nice!! Thanks for responding! I could have used anti-ice/de-ice today! Fortunately I was able to climb above it, but that sure would be a nice little feature to have in my back pocket!!

I really like your simple approach. A lot on this thread just makes me dizzy! I very interested in the Ovations and am about to put up my 231 for sale, however I am very curious about the speed/efficiency gains and losses I can expect from such a move. What is your TAS at 13 to 13.5 gph? And at what altitude? One of the reasons I want a normally aspirated engine is because I never fly above 12000 feet, but I do want speed and efficiency (who doesn’t!) I think the IO 550 will give me the best performance compromises, but I assumed that it would cost me 15 to 16 gph to get 175 kts vs the 12.5 to 13.0 I currently spend to achieve 160 kts.

I don’t want to prejudice anyone against the shop, because the fault could very well be in my airplane.

Good point. I will email the shop tomorrow and query them.

Makes sense, but I never had a vacuum failure.

I’m at the mercy of the mechanic. Hopefully they know that, but I will make a point to remind them. I didn’t know about the filters you mention. I will ask if they were replaced. Makes me wonder if dirty air is exactly what has caused three failures in a row!

A wealth of wonderful information from you gentlemen! Thank you all. I have already ordered the rebuilt EDO and Maxwell will install it while I wait. I want to FLY my airplane, not have it sit for weeks on a maintenance ramp! So I really hope this one works well. If not, I’ll then be pretty much forced to go a different route. A great take away from your discussion is that I CAN install certain electric AI’s that will drive my autopilot! If push comes to shove I am leaning strongly toward the Garmin 275. Thanks again fellas for your time and excellent insights!

Thanks to all of you for your input. Hopefully this 3rd AI will be the charm. I am willing to pay for an AI upgrade to electric, but not at the expense of also putting in a whole new autopilot. My Century 41 works perfectly. I think @1980Mooney is correct in his assessment, and if this next one fails I will just eat the cost of sending it to a different overhauler. I knew airplane ownership was going to be costly, but I didn’t know the aggravation factor was going to be this high. Same niggly gripes over and over again. I don’t have the skills to maintain my own airplane and I may not have the personality to own one either!!

Typical -a- post: insightful, well written, informative and interesting. Glad I came across it. Not as many as there used to be.