Jetter2

The Carry-Through Spar has been already addressed pretty much fleet wide - it started with the 210 crash in Australia. To your other point though - a low wing frame like a Mooney or Arrow are about as simple as they come - and everyone knows how to work on them. If you walk into ownership with the same lens as owning a classic car - I think it makes the MX checks such less

It is very hard to watch - "Rube Goldberg Machine" comes to mind

Got it. Everyone saying their M20s do 155kts (all over these forums) is fake news I guess. C'mon man Here is the TN folks doing 177kts @ 17.5k on 11gph https://taturbo.com/177features.html

Gear door? The 177RG has no main gear doors. I do really like the big doors and how low it sits to the ground so you don't need to jump up into it like a 172/182. My first 100hrs post PPL was spent flying an Archer around - I never like crawling around on the ground for sumping fuel or tie-downs - YMMV.

I love the team pride - I feel like I am at Medieval Times! I was just curious what you guys were seeing. I have always been eyeballing Mooneys and this place is a WEALTH of knowledge - I just wanted to hear the drum beats FWIW - I give the Cardinals folks a rash of hell as well with the "Well the Mooney is faster.." stuff

Stiff-legged Cardinals have a 180hp motor - the RGs have the 200hp engine. Most the Cardinal RG folks I talk to are averaging 145-150 KTAS. Nobody denies how slippy the Mooney's and Commanches are - but the Cardinal is only 1 of 2 strutless models they made - I think it surprises people. There is a STC to put a IO-390 in the Cardinal but I'm not sure its really worth it. "Mr Cardinal" has a video here showing ~ 153KTAS @ 70% power. His mods = Powerflow, Champion air filter, Hartzell prop (and a cool day). The next guy is doing 147 KTAS @ 9GPH @ 50deg LOP / 66% Power @ 4500ft - he was having obvious Tach issues in this video. Here is the same guy doing 157 KTAS @ 11.5k

I just keep coming back to them no matter what else I look at. Any of the older folks in here ever tire of getting in and out of a low wing?

A Mirage is my lotto plane

I have 0hrs of complex time. I'm prepared to pay whatever the insurance rate is - everybody has to go through it. The entire flying 177 fleet has had the Wing Spar inspection complied with at this point.

I cant get over how pretty the Cardinal looks. The best part of the 177 is they moved the wing back, so if you lean forward a little bit - you can see into your turns. Couple that with a low ground stance and 4ft wide doors (cabin width is 48in as well) - and its just a big cabin that is easy to get in and out. It has the Stabilator so I feel like they did a LOT of things right with the Cardinal. The folks over at CFO have speed mods on their NA birds and are seeing 150kts KTAS on 10gph (IO360). I also really like the Commander - but they are kinda slow for what they are.

100% right - looks to use the same engine as well. I tend to avoid oxygen levels (the wife isn't a fan of nose-hoses) so it looks like I am leaning more towards the Ovation. The Cardinal is a 150kt airplane down low.

Hey Gang! I’m a 250hr IFR pilot that is looking to buy in the next year or so. I am looking for a stable XC machine that can tackle a 500nm trip in ~ 3hrs = a 160kt airplane. I am currently in a flying club that has 3 of the 180hp C172s and a pair of Archers. Overall - I love the 180hp C172s for regional trips. Bumping around ATL isn’t bad, but spending 5hrs to fly to Detroit, 4hrs to Pittsburg, 4hrs to south Florida - the ole backside starts to hurt! That being said, I am looking for something faster and I want to "buy my 2nd plane - first". I plan on flying back home to DFW once or twice a year and that is 650nm from ATL. For ~ $220k - I can get a 100% turnkey Cardinal RG. I love the high wing, the doors are 4ft wide, and the cabin is 48in wide. The Turnbonormalizer doesn't affect TBO - and folks are reporting 175kts @ 17k on 10gph. Can any Mooney really compete with this efficiency? I am not a fan of nose-hoses, but having a built in system is nice. I don't really do much high-altitude stuff being ATL based- but with winter time being here - my eyes turn to TKS setups as well. The Bravo looks really compelling - but man is it a thirsty plane! Being ATL based and never really needing to go over 8k (The Appalachian Mountains aren't very tall) - I really like the numbers of a TKS Ovation. Thoughts?