BlueSky247

Right, and I for one sure wouldn't want to be barreling down some runways well over speed on mooney's donuts.

Funny timing. I just happened to catch an interesting YT last night where a Baron driver was making an excellent case for delaying rotation by five knots. His argument was that the extra speed not only dramatically improves the climb rate and subsequently, the engine out safety margin but also yields rudder authority should an engine die on rotation. I’m not suggesting we rotate at 90 knots at Leadville, but that certainly would be one way of staying in ground effect longer.

Thanks! I am ultimately hoping to have a hangar with wifi, so wouldn't need the cell portion. But it's good to hear there is at least something to make things more hands-off.

Thanks guys. I was hoping someone might have something like an onboard wifi bridge and a setup that automatically phones home. But I guess that’s reserved for the new seven digit planes for now.

How are those of you using Savvy doing the log uploads? Is this mostly a garmin pilot thing, or are folks using sd cards and/or usb cables? I'd like to make sure whichever EM I go with isn't going to require a bunch of work after every flight just to upload the logs. Looks like the JPI require a usb link?

Me three!

Dynon are apparently now offering a 12" Skyview screen. Hope they give the option to adjust font sizes on that. Would be great to not have to use reading glasses.

@Rogerg I had no idea it was in already in operation in other countries. That is awesome! Thanks for that.

@Pinecone you bring up a good point about hangar socializing. I have seen some of that happening at my local training field, but not the others.

I was just wandering around on the Dynon site and found this page: https://www.dynoncertified.com/upcoming-approvals.php So yea, maybe it's BS or will be years away, but the Mooneys being first in line and that progress bar sitting around 70% sure does look nice.

Aye, and the photos I see from the local Young Eagles events show quite a lot of kids lining up for first flight experiences. On the composites thing, I think it would be awesome if they could make replacement wings for the legacy models that are all composite and containing leak-proof fuel cells. Talk about a speed mod! Yes, it would be expensive and hugely impractical but hey, who thought new engine prices in this category would reach six figures?

Oh really???? (Puts on a ski mask and grabs a crowbar)

Something else to consider is the current astronomical backlog for new engines. As of May, Van’s builders are still waiting two years to get new lycomings. Be mighty hard to crank out new Mooneys with those kinds of shortages.

Right - sorry if I typed that wrong. My interest in the 530 cage was just to get the IDF that fits in it. I wasn't aware that Avidyne includes the cage. That's a great point about the Dynon. Maybe pigs will fly and that system gets approved by the time I'm ready.

@N201MKTurbo that's awesome! Thank you so much. Now I just need to find a nice budget altitude AP to complement the IIB the plane has and I'll be flying the budget-friendly skies!

@Falcon Man Much appreciated! Your timing is good. I just found a 530 cage at BAS and was thinking about ways to rearrange the panel in order to move up to an IFD5XX. IMO, one of the biggest things about the IFD's is how it does intuitive waypoint selections and helps you choose the comm and nav frequencies.

Completely agree. Even if I did have that kind of scratch, I look at that 1.5 price tag and the EXP options begin to look very appealing. Some people have mentioned that the FAA certificated rules need to be redone for GA to have any kind chance at resurgence, and IMO, this sure proves that point.

I recently joined via their webpage. One of the "spiffs" was a nice looking baseball cap. It arrived a week or so later and stays in the truck for those sunset flights since the trainer at my school doesn't have sunshades. Two more caps just showed up today. I reckon I'll leave them out at the school in case anyone wants one.

Grats! I am also working on the ppl and in the process of hopefully buying a J. Make sure you continue your training right on into the instrument rating. Gives you a lot more flight planning options and a nice insurance discount.

Okay, so it is possible in theory. I guess the real question is - what would it take for modern buyers to choose this brand over the "sexier" options? I don't think price alone would get it there unless we got into the fleet/trainer markets. What about a twin? It would be interesting to go after the Baron clientele, but I just don't see that working out. IMO, both engines would need to be stout performers and it would need to deliver actually usable single engine climb rates to be worth of carrying the badge. Ideally figure out an automatic trimming/feathering mechanism in the event of an engine out to improve the safety numbers and attract more buyers.

Heh. This topic just came up in my ground school review. “At higher DA, expect higher angle of attack and higher induced drag.”

Yes! An excellent trainer would be a great idea. I meant to include that I would absolutely be focused on an outstanding support team, as well as marketing. I have a friend in the bizjet world I'd tap to lead that effort and include an AOG response team for Acclaim owners.

Excellent point! And you are right. I think in general, we tend to get spoiled by the availability of cheap tech like phones and tablets that in reality have their development costs subsidized by external factors. And without getting political, I think most would agree that in general, income levels have not kept pace with inflation. With new Corollas starting at 22k, it's easy to see why 2-3 times that on a panel upgrade can seem like a needless extravagance.

Let's suppose you bought the company and assembled a good team to lead it. Let's ignore economic cycles and fluctuating market trends for the sake of discussion. What would it really take to bring the brand back and have it be profitable? Model thoughts: Pressurized Acclaim LSA/Mosiac two seater Tech thoughts: They were always about making the plane slick. They went with a composite fuselage at the end, but I think composite wings would be the next step. If Deltahawk continues to mature and are able to scale, that would be a nice powerplant option as well. Would certainly open up more global markets with that increased fuel availability. (edit: obviously, a team of top engineers would be hired as well.) What do you guys think? Would it be possible to save them, or have the likes of DA and Cirrus shut that door permanently?

I think the biggest objection most have to the big panel upgrades is just the sheer expense, and how long it takes the plane out of commission. I think we can all agree that if there was a 10-20k all-in option that could be done in a couple of weeks, we'd all have it. Personally, I'm finding the additional safety options, more and better data readouts and reducing busywork in modern avionics to be really compelling.