FlyinRhino

This is gold! Thanks @donkaye. Exactly what I was looking for. I'll email you for the spreadsheets will be fun to play around with them.

IrishPilot, Yes, I'm working on my IFR now. I'll likely fly just around 100 hours a year. I should clarify it will be 2 souls total (Me and a passenger). Yes, I plan on flying year round for both work and pleasure. When weather windows aren't permitting, I'll be able to fly commercial to avoid that pesky get there itis. I agree the safety and personal minimums are very important and warrant a whole separate discussion. In your Bravo in good conditions do you feel confident flying over the passes in Colorado or do you plan your flight path for lower altitude routes? I have heard climb is reduced significantly at 18k with a Bravo, does that realistically impact your flight planning in Colorado? Compared to an Acclaim what high altitude flying limitations do you find yourself seeing in regards to the performance characteristics (other than speed and weight) Basically, I'm trying to understand how will my flight planning and performance be impacted flying a Bravo vs an Acclaim in Colorado if I remove weight and speed from the equation. Would love to reach out and chat too- I'll reach out! Thanks for your responses.

Hi Fellow Mooniacs! I have scoured the forums and other publications trying to narrow down my plane search. And figured going to the source would be the most helpful in narrowing down my plane search. I am a low time pilot and trying to learn as much as I can about getting into the plane that will be best for me when I'm ready. My mission will be flying from GUC to SMF with 2 pax plus light luggage. The route is 700nm. GUC is at 9,000 + High DA in summer. The minimum VFR alt for the section is 14.7K, but there are several routes at a lower altitude possible. Plane needs to be IFR & FIKI certified. The easy answer here is the Acclaim would be best suited to my mission with the turbo and higher service ceiling. The harder question is which other models would safely execute the mission as well. Questions: Thoughts on being able to make this mission in an Encore, Bravo, or 252? Are there any other modified Mooney's that would fit my mission? Any experience flying around GUN to DEN- Is it feasible to take longer tracks and avoiding the high elevation passes and be ok with a non-turbo? Thanks in advance for sharing your experience! P.S. Absolutely have many hours of training (including mountain flying course) ahead of me before jumping into mountain flying in this plane but wanting to put a plan together now to work towards.