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I like to climb and maintain 50 or less. Air flow in the C isn't near as good as the later models though. I used a B-Kool for a couple of years and it worked well if your expectations are realistic. I tinted the windows on my plane and that helped it significantly. In the cooler, I use frozen water bottles of freezer packs, preferably from a deep freezer that'll reach -10F. The solid ice like that lasts a lot longer than cubed ice, the air isn't as cold coming out but, I don't need it 30° to be comfortable, 50° is just fine when you blow it right on you. That gives me 2-3 hours of cooling from it, which is enough for ground ops, takeoff/climb and descent/landing, even if ATC brings me down earlier than I'd like. Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

That's interesting, Avemco was happy to quote me last year with 150 hours and a PPL. Granted, 130 of those hours were in the Mooney but, they still weren't anywhere near 700 PIC. I took a different route and just paid cash for my C and flew it uninsured until I got my private, then carried liability only for a year while finishing my instrument. It's only been 10 days now that I've had full coverage on it and my insurance this year with 350 hours, instrument rating and about 320 hours in the Mooney was right around $2600. I didn't think that was terrible. I'm only carrying $100k for the hull though, I'm sure it would be higher if I was flying an Ovation. Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

Another reason it was the last test print... Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

If you can't get it worked out, I can help you. I recently made a new step crank trim plate for a guy with a B. Picture is the last test print, I fixed the arrows and cleaned up the curves for the final. I have a filament changer on my printer so I can put any placards in as it prints instead of having to add it afterwards. Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

If you're who I think you are, given all the issues you've had, you're doing great to have averaged 10 hours a month. Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

I messed around with some ideas today to see if they were going to work. First was using an old antenna hole to route a condensate drain out so I wouldn't have the condensate being evaporated into the cabin. I also hooked up the 270CFM blower motor in the vent and while it definitely increased the output temp a few degrees, it made the overall cabin feel cooler. I think once I get the vents worked out, the blower will be really nice. The biggest thing though is that I tried connecting a 12v to 48v step up transformer in for charging and got the input very close to what the AC uses on Max, which should make it so we can run it non-stop. The downside is that it draws 40A so I'm going to have to run some larger wires for it. I'll do that at annual and live with the 100W charging from straight 12v for now. My daughter and I are heading to Colorado this weekend, I'm looking forward to seeing how this works in flight. Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

I could be wrong but, I don't think you need a DER for an OPP. I think OPP is fine as long as it is functionally equivalent to the part it's replacing. If I needed some unobtanium part to get my plane back in the air, I would absolutely OPP it. No individual parts in these airplanes is all that complicated to manufacture. It might be expensive as a one off but, it's better than a plane that can't fly. So yeah, I agree, the only thing stopping any part from being made is money. The 5th and most important force of flight.

Be prepared to walk A LOT, I mean really a lot. I went last year and averaged 8+ miles per day. Even being there all week, I didn't see it all so don't expect to it's much bigger than you realize, the scale can't really be described. If there's any way you can get a bike or a scooter to use there, do it.

LOL, I think they all would... I definitely would have a lot of wire lying on the floor of my cabin.

Just in general on zip ties, get yourself a pair of flush cutters to cut the tag end off. Regular diagonal cutters leave a very sharp end sticking out, I've been cut by a lot of them over the years. These are cheap and work really well. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B087P191LP I have a pair that are only ever used on zip ties and other plastic. I've found that if you use them on other stuff they deform a little and don't cut as flush anymore.

I think this turned out pretty clean. I've got a round cover plate that will screw onto the inside piece to cover the hole up when I take the AC out. I'm still working on the plenum and ducts. My daughter and I are going to Durango for Father's Day though, so I wanted to get it into the plane for the trip, we'll just use the included hose this time. Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

I'm still waiting on my battery because the first on got lost in shipping. In the meantime, I think I've worked out how I'm going to get the hose through the baggage compartment bulkhead. I'm going to make a piece that's flat in the baggage compartment and protrudes into the empennage that the exhaust hose can be pulled through. In the empennage, I'll have a backer plate that's got 4 holes in it threaded for #8 course wood screws so you can just screw the pieces together instead of through bolting them. This will allow one person to install this alone from the baggage compartment by reaching through the exhaust hose hole and holding the backing plate in place. Then just to make it easy, I'm going to make a cover plate that will screw directly into the piece inside the baggage compartment so when you pull the AC out, you can easily close the hole up. First picture shows all 3 pieces together, next 2 show the penetration and the backer plate. Now I've got to figure out a plenum and vent solution that will be unobtrusive.

It was a G200 that rolled into a Challenger. From what I understand, both are repairable. Both line guys checked that the pin was in the tug, it looked like it was but wasn't just enough to come loose. I talked to one of the line guys involved a few days after it happened and he was still not sleeping well. He's a good guy that's been there a while and very conscientious, stuff just happens sometimes. Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

If finding the kit is the main reason you haven't done it, you might want to give Dugosh a call about the kit. I've seen David install at least 2 of these in the last year, he's got to be getting that kit from somewhere. He put one into an E in the last 2-3 months.

That's the SB I was referring to, thanks. I've seen a few of those installed in Cs and Es, it is really labor intensive, I want to say about a 40 hour job, most of which is spent on disassembly and assembly. The repair itself is probably only 4 or 5 hours of work, just because access is tight even with the floor out.

It's easy to be fearless when you're doing the work in Dugosh's hangar. The stuff isn't actually all that complicated but, I knew if I did get completely lost I had the resources I needed to get it out back together. Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

I redid my panel at my last annual, it was a huge job. I've got a great relationship with my A&P/IA and they were willing to sign it off. It's really not all that complicated once you understand how it all interconnects, assuming you've got good technical aptitude. I'm mostly retired and like doing my own work mostly because it usually gets done faster than if I have to schedule someone else to do it and when scope creep pops up, and it always does with me, it's not really affecting someone else's schedule. It's also nice to know how everything works, I trust the airplane more now because I understand it all. There are 2 issues though, the first is obviously finding someone willing to sign it off. The other issue though, is that some avionics are only available to authorized dealers. I put G5s and an GPS 175 in my plane, if I'd wanted to do GI275 or G500 and a GTN, it would have been more difficult to get the equipment and STCs. Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

Short answer, FAA. Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

If anything happened, it's in the belly where the flaps attach. There's an AD or an SB to reinforce that area, I think it was an AD but could be wrong. If it's been done like it should've been, then you're probably OK. If not, you've probably cracked the mount. Either way, I'd have it looked at by someone that knows what they're looking for, you can see if it's been done or if it's damaged by removing a panel and using a flashlight but you need to know what you're looking for. Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

I took pictures of my gauges when I got my JPI. It's got most of the markings on it. All they needed from me was the front cover of the owner's manual and the pictures. Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

They didn't come with a POH back then, just an Owner's Manual that was about 6 pages and lacked anything of any real substance. I think most of us with older Mooney's have printed off the material C POH from the 70's models, it's much more complete. Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

I took off from Carizzozo, NM last summer with a DA of 9k in my C. We were 400 below gross with a 5500ish foot runway. I took off about half way down and stayed in ground effect to the end of the runway to build speed, climb out was about 200FPM after I left ground effect. I had a big, wide valley to climb in and everything went as I expect/planned, it still gives you a little pucker though. I flew over towards the upwind side of the mountains surrounding the valley and caught an updraft that took my climb to 1500FPM. If you've got a good plan and enough room to climb, you can make it work. You can go up in the airplane to a DA that matches what you expect at the field to determine what your climb performance is like. My 1963 Operator's Manual is pretty thin on stuff like that. Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

Thank you, that's who I was thinking of.

If it's convenient, stop at KMEI Key Field in Meridian, Ms. The Navy uses it for fuel and there's an ANG wing there so you're likely to see at least a T45 and probably an F18 on the ramp, I once got parked between the 2. KC135s are there often and there are some ANG cargo jets based there, I think C5s but I could be wrong. Add to all that, the FBO is awesome with a soft serve ice cream machine, popcorn and lunch all for free plus reasonably priced fuel. I always try to stop there on a long XC if I can. KMLU in Monroe is a good one along that route as well. It's used by Air Force and Army, I've seen Apaches and some of the USAF twin training jets there. Again, free ice cream and sodas, a great FBO with very nice crew cars and some really good food very close by. I don't remember what fuel prices were like there. I like the airports used by the military for training stops and fuel, they always have lots of nice extras so they can keep that government contract. Our tax dollars are paying for it all so, we might as well use it when we can. There's one in West Texas also, I think it has tacos, I can't remember which one it is though. Maybe someone else here knows.

I just bent a small piece of scrap aluminum that my IA had in the shop on the brake and drilled some holes in it. I had to play with the angle a little to get it level. I don't think it took me more than an hour to work it all out, there's really not much to it. Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk