Ed de C.

I've recently joined the club of stall strips departing the airplane. I noticed on a preflight away from home that "crap, it's gone. When did that happen?" I immediately suspected line boy abuse (since the plane had been moved) and gently asked the FBO if anyone had found a foot-long piece of triangular metal lying on the tarmac. No joy. I knew it was going to hurt. One thing I did not worry about was aerodynamics. That stall strip is there to induce a buffet that the tail feels before the wing tips stall, so that we have some warning through the yoke on incipient stall. One strip missing out of 4 isn't going to going to change anything in the normal flight regime, and hasn't changed anything on my landings (before I noticed it was missing...) In fact, my best landing ever was a squeaker that could not be felt (blind squirrels and all that) possibly with the missing strip. CAV has quoted me a $1,700 price to get a new one in a few weeks. They try to keep them in stock and if not, it's 2 to 4 weeks to get one. Mine will be probably 3 weeks to arrive. Then a few hours of A/P work. The CAV guys have been responsive and helpful. My concern is that the feed tube to that stall strip is now exposed (about 2 inches) and does not flow TKS fluid during ground test. Critical is that the tube does not break off close to the panel or you have to pull the entire panel to fix. We'll see how this repair goes. In retrospect, I'm surprised CAV didn't simply screw these things into the underlying panels and negate the reliance on adhesive. Ed

I've had similar downtimes due to maintenance (the last annual and other times). Each time I made sure battery charge was good, tire pressures good, and did a particularly thorough preflight. Since the downtimes were maintenance related, I would orbit the field for 15 minutes or so to make sure all was OK before venturing off. Since I was rusty, I followed the checklists extra carefully and made sure weather conditions were very favorable. Needless to say, these were solo flights without passengers. I live in Michigan where humidity and salt are low concerns (the downtimes tended to be not summer), so additional engine precautions were not necessary. Ed

I have a story about not using a checklist properly. This was about 20 years ago in my Lancair 360 (that I built). The air induction system was up to the builder, and I constructed a pilot-controlled ram air and filtered air setup. My checklist called for taxiing with filtered air and switching to ram air at the end of the runway. For some reason, on one flight I skipped that step and took off on filtered air into rain at 40 F in Philadelphia. The cloud deck was several thousand feet thick with tops at about 8,000 feet. As I was seeing the sun peaking through the last of the layer, I noticed my fuel flow dropping (I should have also noticed my manifold pressure dropping but that's not what I remember). The engine started popping (since it was being motored) and power was about gone. I declared an emergency, got it turned around and back to the field. As I descended through around 4,000 feet the power came roaring back. It turned out to be a frozen air filter that blocked flow, and I had no automatic alternate air (as we do in the Mooneys). All I had to do was switch to ram air... I've done plenty of other dumb things: forgot to latch the baggage door (having it pop open in flight), take off with mixture not full in, not had barf bags on board, forgot to put the engine data card back into the MFD, etc. All of these are now checklist items. I've never landed gear up and never had a prop strike. Some of that is learning from people on this site. I never leave a tow bar or sidewinder attached to the plane when not in use. GUMP(F) is a religion (F for flaps). The checklist is a complex subject. Perhaps a few other useful thoughts: It's a living document for at least the first 2 years: I started with the Mooney POH and created a MS Word checklist in trifold format. I tuned it for goofs and circumstances so that now there's very little that can happen that isn't covered. My checklist covers from days before the flight (e.g. call ahead to FBO and check passenger airsickness risk) thru shutdown. I have telephone numbers for popular FBOs, and short procedures for steps I have trouble remembering (e.g. VNAV, Icing considerations, temperature lapse rates, etc.) At this point (about 2-years into Ovation ownership) the checklist comprises 2 pages (front and back) in landscape trifold format, plus one piece of a 3rd sheet. I periodically try to whittle it down by removing unused steps and combining some. Every "aw shucks" becomes a checklist review to see if a change is needed. I've had instructors advise following a FLOW model. I've not found that to be intuitive for me. Instead, I try a pneumonic (like GUMP) or add it to the checklist (such as various types of instrument approaches along with speeds). For takeoff, I listed the important before-take off items, and gave the first letter of each to my daughter with the challenge of coming up with a pneumonic. She did: FLAPPERMAT: Flaps, Landing lights, Pilot's window, Propeller, Elevator trim, Rudder trim, Mixture, Traffic Alert breaker pushed in. The key takeoff killers are there on the G1000 engine page: both trims. Then the 3 engine controls full forward. Some things really need to be memory items because there's not time to consult a checklist. Missed approach and Clean, Climb, Cram is a case in point (plus hit the go-around button). Sure, I've climbed up to altitude for another approach, wondering why my trim and airspeed feel funny, only to see that I forgot to raise gear and flaps, or I didn't notice the speed brakes were deployed due to a view-limiting device. A checklist review at level off will catch these things. Best, Ed

I've got the Ovation 3 with 2,700 rpm STC. I fly using the APC suggestions (the GAMI guys) of everything forward, climb with WOT all the way to cruise level (and then it's usually still WOT), progressively leaning to keep the EGTs in the G1000 white bar range of 1,450 F. Achieving cruise level, I pull back the rpm as described below and do the "big mixture pull" to set mixture. My engine climbs with cool cylinders and never threatens the 380 F line. I make a point to cruise climb at 120 KIAS (or faster in winter) to keep good cooling airflow. I normally cruise high enough (7000 feet and above) that I use RPM as a power lever (the throttle is at WOT). At these altitudes, all we have left is RPM and mixture (when flying LOP). With my particular prop dynamic balance, I find that 2400 is a bit smoother than 2300, so I don't cruise below 2400. The higher my cruising level, the higher I'll set rpm. I use 2400 up to maybe 12k feet, 2500 rpm up to 16k, and 2600 for the rare times I try for higher. At the high altitudes, I'll go to the effort to fly closer to peak rather than 50 LOP. I'll also lean to best power when climbing at very high altitudes to eek out as much climb rate up there as possible. I can keep 500 fpm going all the way up to around 19k feet by pulling back on airspeed from 120 KIAS to 105 KIAS (best rate). I find I can get 170 TAS at any altitude over 8,000 feet with reasonable power settings, (FF between 12 and 13.5 depending on altitude) and at mid-high teens I get that 170 knots at the higher rpm but FF is down to 11 gph plus or minus. I'm finding I really like to cruise my Ovation between 10k and 16k in terms of performance (and how long it takes me to get to altitude). Weather is another matter of course, but as long as the plane is ice-free, we have a lot of altitude flexibility (for a non-turbo airplane). Best, Ed

Hello Billy - What are you looking for? A lot of us love our Ovations, but wonder if we should switch. Some long for turbos, some for pressurization, etc. If I knew you wanted my exact airplane and were willing to pay, I might do a deal. But if you want a different airplane... Do you want TKS, AC, G1000, fresh paint and interior, etc. and what's your budget? OK to be unsure, but put it out there if you want some engagement. Best, Ed

I purchased my 2008 O3 nearly 2 years ago and did a few things useful to note. First, I cleaned it thoroughly, inside and out. I had the pre-buy inspection guys go around the entire exterior with touch up paint which improved the look significantly. Probably pushed off the need for a fresh paint job by 5 years. I had a guy put a ceramic coating on it for 1 AMU, but can't say if that was smart or not. I had a couple of new bottom seat cushions made (pilot and copilot) by Hector down in Texas. People here know him and that was a satisfying experience. I also had him make up new floor mats front and back to replace the worn-out ones. I went with chocolate brown with Mooney logos to replace the beige ones. I went around the interior with leather dye to clean up sidewall and seat scratches. Passenger confidence goes up a lot if they see a nice-looking airplane. LED landing and taxi light replacements (WAT Prometheus G3) were a nice add. Others have noted that replacement is a pain with bloody knuckles a good possibility. An addition that I love Every.Single.Time. is the LHS (Landing height system). It sounds cooler to call it a "Laser Altimeter". It was one of my cheaper visits to the shop (maybe 5 hours of install time). There are good threads here on the system. I love my SwitchOn cellular switch to remotely turn on the engine pre-heater and Tanis cabin heater 5 hours before I arrive at the hangar (Michigan winter cold). I'm happy with my Foreflight/Sentry/Jeppesen chart setup on the iPad mini. I have Garmin flight charts on the G1000, but never use it (backup). I'm not super-thrilled with mounting the iPad on the yoke (have to look over it to see the landing gear switch and TKS display), but I haven't found a better place. I tried the left side window by the A-pillar, but that blocked the master warning light and switches. I have a couple cheap stick-on sunshades (the kind that adhere to the window via static electricity). In the northern climes it seems the sun is always low and in your eyes. Apparently the nice $500 Rosen sun visors don't fit late model Ovations. What I would not do again: I switched from factory fuel senders to CIES digital when one of the factory sensors acted up. That was an $8k goof (reasonable cost for the 4 sendors but enormous install headaches and 2 bites at the calibration apple). They are within 2 gallons accurate now (compared to the totalizer and wing indicators) but I was getting at least that with the factory senders. Best, Ed.

+1 on the new car's worth of business this year. Plenty of doughnuts during the projects, life coaching for the young A/P asking about 529's (I hang out in the shop a lot when my plane is in), pointed out to the owner he forgot to invoice me for a load of fuel for the CIES calibration... Nonetheless, this thread reminds me I should send well-wishes to the shop (and the SAVVY account manager). God has blessed me and this community with the resources to have and maintain our planes. In the end, it's about people and relationships. In that spirit, Merry Christmas everyone Ed

I dug up my notes from last year's trip to the flight levels. Niko182 made it higher than I did (I went to FL220). My results were 200 fpm arriving at that altitude at 105 IAS at 2,700 rpm. I was light, probably around 3,000 lbs (me and middle fuel level). My guess is that if I had pulled it back to Niko182's 100 IAS, I might have seen his 300 fpm given the lightness. Vy is 105, but that's presumably at gross. I leveled off at FL220 and saw 164 KTAS (117 KIAS) on 10.5 gph, 12.3 MAP, 2,700rpm. Temp was -25C. Bood Ox through FL210 was 92 on the canula. The results in climb were a bit better than book (book is M20R 2GX). 310hp and Acclaim Type S prop. I was seeing 500fpm through 19,000 @ 105 KIAS. Even the naturally aspirated Ovation has very good altitude flexibility with a little patience. It would be interesting to see if we can duplicate the IAS performance (but do it down low) by matching the MAP and OAT. Ed

I have a vernier throttle on my Ovation. All of my prior flying was with push/pull. At first, I didn't like the vernier throttle. But as I got used to it, I'd say it's OK. I like the precision of dialing back MAP to set numbers on approach simply with a few twists. The downside is having to push the button to retard in the flair, or for WOT on the go-around. So, at this point, I wouldn't go to any effort/expense to change what's in the plane. Ed

My temps have always run low. CHTs on the above trip were something like 280F max (in cruise). My oil was running around 155F in cruise. Evidently the baffling and sealing are excellent, and all that without cowl flaps on the O. The oil temp is too low (I have installed a non-factory small oil cooler plate). I need to install the large (standard) plate, but even then, oil won't get much over 170 in cruise. We've checked the sensor accuracy and vernatherm. Highest I ever see is 200F right after runup. I have 250 hours on an overhauled engine. Even in summer, most I've ever seen is 380F max in climb out and that was only because I forgot to put the mixture all the way in prior to takeoff (grumble). Usually, this engine is maxing out in the mid-300s during summer climb (full rich on takeoff, followed by leaning to the white bar on the G1000 engine page, as I pass 1,000 AGL). That's a good point about % power and running a bit more fuel through the engine. I would definitely pick up a few knots. I, too, notice a noticeable surge of power when advancing the mixture from 50 LOP. So far, this engine seems to be a textbook example of George Braly's and Mike Busch's applied engine theory. Ed

I guess my O3 is porky. My useful load is <cough> 933 lbs. TKS, O2 (77 cu ft), G1000/GFC700 (no vacuum) Stormscope, Avidyne traffic, Amsafe belts, Hartzell 3-blade prop. I don't have my weight/balance in front of me, but I think it came out of the factory heavy and the few add-ons since eroded it further. I have no idea how you guys are getting those 1,000+ useful loads with similar equipment. Should I figure my plane has charlie weights in the tail and if so, roughly how much might they be? Ed

Recently, at 15,000 feet: 163 kts @ 2,500 rpm, 16.6 MP, 10.8 LOP (about 50 degrees LOP), Temp -19C. 3,100 lbs (2008 O3, 310 hp, TKS, 3-blade Hartzell with the newer blades). A little lower (9k - 12k) I can get 170 kts reliably at WOT, 2,400 rpm and 50 LOP (12 - 12.5 gph). I've run it flat out at 8k (WOT, 2,700) leaned to best power. Best I get is 185 kts. Book says 197 kts. I'm a good 10 kts off book at cruise settings. Probably all due to TKS. I've noticed some recent Mooneys have the TKS installed with black silicone edging that smooths the airflow (like all Cirrus). Planning to contact CAV to see if adding that would make a difference. Also wondering about flap gap seals (I believe the Acclaim has these). I was curious how loud the cabin is in cruise. The cruise conditions above measure 89 decibels on my I-phone app. I have nothing to compare that too yet. Ed

Great seeing what others are doing and why. My travel kit still evolving. I've had near disastrous experiences with passengers in turbulence, averted with a good barf bag. So, those are stashed at every seat along with wipe up microfiber towels and water at each seat. Dramamine is also in my bag and works well for my sensitive passengers (I don't need it). I now interview each passenger to check for sensitive stomachs. I experimented with a travel john recently on a Michigan to Florida (panhandle) non-stop flight and found the travel john midway down to be great (relief). It does not convert to a gel, it's still definitely liquid and the bag filled completely. Good seal. The flight back (5 hours both ways) I made with no travel john usage due to very light fluids before the flight. The travel john is a great range extender (inverse of a refueling tanker, I suppose), as this plane will make it from Detroit to Miami in one shot. I found the 5 hours in the seat to Florida to be very comfortable (more comfortable than a 5-hour drive somewhere), so a long trip is attractive (if it weren't for the bladder). I would not try this with my wife on board or passengers; I'll plan on no longer than 3-hour legs with them. A Mooney-experienced A/P commented once that drinks in the back seat spill and wind up in belly areas, leading to corrosion. He singled out sodas as particularly problematic and suggested only allowing water back there. I have on-board Oxygen which I use over 5,000 feet with the MH pulse controllers. My family has been fine with canulas. Spare AA batteries, blood oxygen tester, no food for me (I typically eat one meal a day). I have a tool kit, can or two of oil with filler spout, and for winter, just added a pump sprayer of TKS, snow brush, plenty of TKS in the on-board tank, plus a 100-foot extension cord for plugging in the engine heater. I've learned to cover the speedbrakes with 2-inch wide red plastic tape (have scissors) to keep the rainwater out of the units. My previous speedbrake intermittent inop problems have disappeared. Cowl covers, tow bar, wheel chock, Ipad, Sentry, spare battery to power ipad and phone, and device cables, headsets for all, flashlights, fuel sampler, handheld radio, tie down rings and rope, spare pen, reading glasses, gloves, are all checklist items either before I leave the house or at the hangar. I've experimented with podcasts on the i-phone but find the ATC muting of the i-phone feed makes podcast listening not really worth it (the iphone does not pause the podcast). In the northern latitudes, especially in winter, the sun stays low on the horizon, and some sort of sunshade is necessary. I use green patches from Sporty's that stick on the windows with static electricity. They work well and are dirt cheap, and better for me than the suction cup plastic shades that articulate. I almost never wear sunglasses, since I find the G1000 display is too dim with glasses (non-polarized). Most of these things were added as I realized I needed/wanted them on a flight. You'll build your kit thru the same process, I expect. On my to-do list is investigating some sort of over-water precaution kit (life vests, etc.) or simply plan on crossing the Great Lakes at a high enough altitude to glide to shore (generally glideable at 15,000). Also, some sort of survival kit for an off-field landing. I'm still weighing the probabilities and what makes sense for my trip profile. Ed

Good evening folks - I thought I would share some interesting points about my flight today from Pontiac, Michigan (KPTK) to Philadelphia (KPNE). The weather brief was consistent for the prior few days: A strong low pressure above Maine with dense isobars promising a powerful tailwind for the trip. The specific forecast was about 75 knot tailwind at 15,000. Surface winds were gusty at both departure and arrival. The morning low temperature caught me a little by surprise (12 degrees F), as we had enjoyed milder temperatures so far this winter. Fortunately, the night before I set the SwitchOn to give me 5 hours of engine and cabin pre-heat prior to my planned 9am departure from Pontiac. By now, I've figured out the clothing needed to manage the in-hangar pre-flight and only open the hangar door when the plane is ready to drag outside. (This is my second winter season, but much of last winter had the airplane in the shop for one thing or another.) The arrival at the airport hangar was in bright (cold) sunshine with scattered clouds at 4,000 MSL. Gusty winds were nearly down the east/west runway. I packed the plane with gear I might need in Philadelphia (TKS hand sprayer, 100 foot extension cord for engine heater, tools, etc.) and pulled the plane out with my Sidewinder tug. Or tried to. There was a light coating of snow on the pavement outside the hangar, maybe half an inch, but a dry area for about 10 feet outside the door before the snow layer started. As I pull the plane out, I wait for wing to clear the door then turn the tug to the left to angle towards the taxiway. I got the plane partially out, cleared the wing and started the turn. When the nose wheel hit the snow, I noticed the sidewinder having trouble getting purchase on the snowy nose tire. Then, when the mains hit the snow, enough resistance built up that the sidewinder simply slipped on the nosewheel. Luckily, the tail was clear of the door so that it could be closed. The plane was at a 45-degree angle, so some prop blast would be towards the door, but seemed (and turned out to be) fine. If snow had piled up against the door, obviously I'd be doing some snow shoveling while guessing how the tires would track so that I'd only need to clear the track for the tires. I have a shovel in the hangar and all this dawned on me as I looked at the airplane sitting there at the 45-degree angle. The pavement slopes downward away from the hangar door, so gravity was working for me. Putting the plane back in, up the slope, in snow, may not be possible with the Sidewinder. I remember pulling a club Mooney a long time ago into a hangar with a winch at the back of the hangar. I need to figure this out. The runup, clearance, and take off were normal, albeit "sporty". Once the power was in, I glanced at the airspeed tape on the G1000 and saw 45 knots really quick. Cold and headwind. This plane has the 310hp STC. I push the go-around button before takeoff to set the flight director and prepare for AP engagement at 400 feet AGL. Tower was a little slow to pass me off to Detroit Departure, so I was able to engage AP at 400 feet and was about to select heading when Tower passed me over to Departure. As I was reaching to select Com 2, there was a massive jolt, as if the Fist of God had hammered the top of the airplane. My head (more accurately my Bose headset) hit the ceiling and I was momentarily stunned. Not physiologically, but mentally. You've experienced it: an event that shocks your system and takes a couple of beats for your brain to check in with body systems to assess damage. The Bose crackled a bit, seemingly unhappy with the ceiling impact, but I felt no pain. By the time I wondered about the airplane (a second or two later), my brain registered that the engine had not missed a beat and nothing abnormal was felt in the controls. Before I could think to worry about the structure, the plane was saying "don't worry about me". A few seconds later, I got it together and switched to Departure. Interestingly, other than that jolt, the rest of the climb through 4,000 MSL was fairly mild bumps up to the glass smooth air above the scattered layer. As I climbed, I looked at the seatbelt to cinch it tighter but realized that with the 3-point design, there's not a great way to get much more vertical restraint. Perhaps I can get the lap belt portion tighter. The rest of the climb out to the southeast was uneventful, other than the promising ground speeds that were developing. I filed for 15,000 to get the optimum tailwinds (about 75 knots according to Foreflight) but ATC held me at 9,000 until I cleared Detroit's airspace. Tailwinds were 24 knots at 9,000 feet, but Foreflight said the tailwinds jumped fast a little higher. Sure enough, as I continued the climb tailwinds exploded. By the time I got to 15,000, which happened at about 500 fpm at 120 knots indicated (FLC set to 120) I saw a max of 87 knots of tailwind. Ground speed maxed out at 254 knots. For much of the flight, there was an undercast broken layer and snow showed on the Nexrad display on the MFD. The descent started around Harrisburg and as I headed down at 1,000 fpm the top of the green arc came up and I pegged it there by varying the descent rate. Ground Speed hit 270 knots. The undercast disappeared toward Philadelphia, causing me to forget that there was probably a thermal layer nonetheless where turbulence would start. That happened as I descended through 7,000 feet, and it was pretty rough. ATC wanted expedited descent which I translated to 1200 fpm and speed builds quick into the yellow band. Speed brakes will quickly shave off 10 - 15 knots at a given power and descent rate, and the rest is done with power reductions. Turbulence seemed to exacerbate the tendency to creep into the yellow arc and once I saw the over-speed warning that seems to be triggered about halfway into the yellow arc. Speedbrakes and power management need to be jumped on early. I noticed the left speedbrake would not retract fully (about 1 inch proud of the wing surface) so it would seem some lube is needed. When I looked after landing, it was fully retracted. The arrival into Philadelphia (KPNE) was looking good with one of two crossing runways pretty well lined up with the gusty winds. The Tower cleared me to land from outside of the downwind on the visual approach. Then on the frequency, "Tower, this is Vision Jet XXX, we seem to have had a blowout or something." Tower asked if they could clear the runway and they couldn't. I knew what was coming and it wasn't going to be fun. I was rerouted to the crossing runway and I offered that I'd give it a go. It was a 60-degree crosswind at 17 knots, gusting higher. One of those where your base to final turn overshoots final by a lot. The landing was miserable, the crab and kick out worked OK, but gusts resulted in me plopping it down on the mains, in one of those sinking sensations where the runway is further away from your wheels than you thought when the wing stops flying. The LHS system didn't help much because the gusts interfered with how my mind processed the varying aural heights. The wide runway helped keep the plane from being blown off the downwind side. So, the tailwinds were wonderful, the fastest numbers I've even seen in a plane I've flown. But, there's likely going to be a price to pay at either end of the journey. Ed

When I decided to buy my first airplane a year ago, the first thing I did was sign up with SAVVY's free program to advise you how to make a purchase. I believe they looked over the logs of the candidate and gave me a thumbs up (or down) at no charge. They had advice on how to make an offer. After I decided to make an offer and got that accepted, I signed up for SAVVY's pre-purchase inspection program ($750 I think). This program helped arrange the pre-buy and disposition of findings and who should pay for what. Once we got through the pre-buy and the plane became mine, I signed up with SAVVY's maintenance management program to continue the service. If you like the idea of some hand-holding through the process, check out SAVVY's website for yourself. If you've done this several times, you don't need much outside help. My purchase was an import from Canada. Luckily, I was buying from a seller's broker in Canada who was very familiar with the export process to the US, and we negotiated that he would do all that work (customs, getting US airworthiness, etc.) Even then, I did a lot of research to figure out what had to happen. Your situation is easier (a domestic purchase). The nice thing about working with a broker of some sort is that you don't deal directly with the seller. The broker screens both seller and buyer to make sure both are serious. Of course, someone is paying for that benefit in the form of the broker's fee. It worked well for me. As others have said, a call into Jimmy Garrison is well worth it. I made such a call when I was thinking about buying an Acclaim. He said, "So, if flying in the flight levels frequently is you, then go for it. If that's not you, let me suggest you look at an Ovation. If you ever want to sell, the market is 3x larger." He knows things that you may not think about, and he's very easy to talk to. If he had the right plane at the time, I would have bought from him. Setting up an escrow account with one of the several firms out there is easy. You call them and they tell you what to do and they handle it. In my case, the selling broker gave me the contact info at an escrow company in Oklahoma which worked flawlessly. They even knew the rules about import. It'll be several hundred dollars depending on aircraft value (I think). Ed