Dreamscape

This is projected for phase 2 of the project. I think I would use FlyTBM as here looking there the TBM (has Mooney genetics) is the best bird for the job.

Wow. I'm really leaning toward the Acclaim now. A 6 figure Lycoming AF1B overhaul? Could you please verify this? I will try to verify this as well. Thanks @DCarlton

Thank you David. Your comments were very precise and very appreciated. I am once again leaning toward the Acclaim. About your unsolicited advice. I definitely forgive you, because, God forbid, we all desperately need to discuss what is happening today. I have absolutely no fear of Covid. None. I had Covid at the very start of it all. I was a little sick for 3 days and lost my sense of taste for about 2 months. My Son who lives with us (a healthy 27 year old man), had it 1 day and my wife about a week. Two years before that, I was sick with a flue for a week and bed ridden 2 days. I was really sick with that. I believe in the US that flue killed 80,000 people in 2018, but remember, millions elsewhere died of malaria and no one said anything. Our panic in 2020 did not make any sense to the rest of the world, a world of which I am a part of. As a geologist, I travel to the not so travelled areas and meet all types of people and I must concur with them. This was a non-event and made no sense. The rest of the world could smell a rat and that rat had been there before. Do you understand this David? Look at what you are part of: the AMA, a private corporation who dictates all interactions with medical practitioner and patient. Really?? A private corporation? There were many things in this event that disturbed me. One was they forced pilots to take an unapproved, experimental drug, when a commercial pilot is grounded if he takes an approved drug that has not been in the general public for at least 12 months. My "risk calculus" (as you referred to it as) and the "synthesis" is that a majority of commercial pilots took the injection. Ok. Now look at the professional athletes dropping dead or teenagers with myocarditis. What is this "risk calculus"? Would you like me to show you this data? There is a 2005 video of Fauci saying "Calm down. There is no need to take a flue vaccine if you already had the flue. You have the necessary protection." As I said above, I had covid. I had natures protection, but in Canada, I could not fly, take a train, go to my church, a restaurant, my gym or my swimming pool because of a 1.5% death rate for a 60 year old. Really? You remove my free choice for 1.5%? What about experimenting with any of the many safe, effective and approved repurposed viral drugs for this new sickness? Ivermectin became illegal for humans in Canada. Ivermectin, a 2015 Nobel Prize drug the World Health Organization said all countries should stockpile, was off limits to Canadians. You can die of a Tylenol overdose but ivermectin, that has no known lethal limit, was out. Nothing made any sense. This is something you don't forget. Not only was I grounded in every sense of the word, it was tearing up families, my family, our society, our Western Society. There is no logic anywhere. Look around. Things have only gotten worse. Do you think this current US administration will relinquish power if they lose in November? I will organize myself, keep a low profile and do what I have to do thank you. I don’t trust anyone, anywhere, anymore. Period. My deepest apologies for all this non-aviation rant. These things still motivate me very much. I will fly myself around, thank you very much.

Thanks for your 2 cents Dan. Very appreciated. My mechanic is type certified on several Cessna's and Mooney's but probably not on the Bravo. He had a few IO-550's in his shop when he was telling me about the wet head. The retired airline pilot in my group is Colombian and will fly whatever I bring. His experience in flying South America is invaluable. You should see the beautiful coffee plantations I visited with him. The mid 90's was tough in Colombia but now things are much better. As a geologist I visited many far away places in Colombia. The most important thing is to have a local as part of the team. About turbine. I will do it when I become insurable, but it won't be in a Silver Eagle. It's a good machine but it cant fly high, far or fast. I need high, far and fast so I think the TBM (Tabre Mooney) is a good choice. About putting a plane in Colombia. That is an excellent idea and being considered. We will see what is needed when things get going. A 185 is tough and gets to a lot of places, but the Peterson Katmai, gets to a lot more. In another life, I flew floats in the bush. As a geologist/prospector, I made a lot of money selling claims and ended up with a float plane as my taxi. I'm not nervous about going down in the trees. They are better than buildings. There are small roads everywhere in most places in South America and I have a habit of flying IFR (I Fly Rivers/Roads). I was always leaning toward the Acclaim. It was my mechanic who suggested the Bravo, because of his frustrated Continental customers. Even though there are many reasons to like the Bravo, I'm once again leaning toward the Acclaim. The logistics of ownership and operation, make things obvious. Again, thanks a million.

My information comes from my mechanic. I was considering only the Acclaim, but he told me the Lycoming engine was more reliable. I would preferer to be finding parts for a TSIO-550 Continental than the TIO-540 Lycoming wet head, 25 hr oil changes and all that. A great bird by any measure, but more difficult to maintain.

Maintenance in Montreal will be with my mechanic who is a Mooney owner, but South America will be difficult. I am a geologist and will be travelling from the top of Colombia to the bottom of Peru. We are starting a large project and the head office will be either in Medellin or Lima or both, so I suppose I can stock common parts there. I didn't consider parts over there. That's a good point. Though I want a Mooney, I might be better off with a P210N Vitatoe conversion or the P210R. Cessna parts are everywhere and my associate there had a 210 before. He was also an Air France captain, chopper operator then had his 210. His knowledge of flying in South America is very deep. The planned route, here looking there, will be Montreal to Florida'ish, weather depending, then sort of island hop to Venezuela'ish or direct to Colombia once I can trust the engine. I will need to do lots of test runs and instruction before undertaking anything.

I need to fly from Southern Quebec to Northern South America 6-8 times a year, so high, far and fast is what's needed (don't trust commercial since C19). I can't go turbine just yet and it seems to me Mooney is the one for the job, but which engine? A Lycoming that flies rich but can make overhaul or a Continental that easily flies LOP, but doesn't make overhaul even at ROP. Before Acclaim came, Bravo was speed king in the sky, so, that's pretty good, even now. Apparently the Acclaim is a very smooth running engine, so fatigue levels after 6 hrs are not that bad. Or should I get an Ovation that has the longest legs but you bounce around lower down. What about pressurized and going up? It sounds good in theory, but that seems like a lot to ask from that same engine. The same engine that makes you move forward, over large expanses of water, or snowy mountains. I don't want to ask too much from that engine and if something has to give, I don't want it to be the engine. I would love to hear any and all opinions or stories. This site has a million hours of flying experience and at least half a million Mooney hours. Even though I read all I can, it's not enough. Experience is King. Words from guys like Don Kaye on the M20M are worth 100 engineers with no flying experience on type. Sites like this, keep people alive. Would really appreciate some feedback. My time line to buy is about 2-3 months or more if needed. Thanks.