CaptainBen

Hello Ovation folks! I have recently learned that leaning to 50 ROP, as prescribed by the Ovation POH is actually a "red box" that I should not be operating in. So, my understanding is I should be leaning to 80-100 ROP or 20-30 LOP. Is that correct? I tried leaning to ~30 LOP, and the engine seemed smooth enough and CHTs were OK, but EGT was pegged right at max (almost 1,650). This was at a lower altitude (4,000 ft) at about 23" MP. Getting ready to do a trip to Texas from California this week, so curious about best practices and the implications of the EGT temp issue. Thank you!

Hi folks – thanks for the comments on this. I solved the mystery. The issue was that my rudder was out of alignment pretty badly. I had noticed this as a separate issue, but didn't connect it to the lower KIAS I as getting. I had the rudder re-rigged and that solved not only the coordination issue I was having, but now my KIAS is up to ~164 at the lower altitudes, which is what I remember. I think the mis-aligned rudder was creating a lot of drag. And, the airplane was effectively in a slip (rightward yaw), so the pitot tube wasn't getting the full intake of the relative wind. Both of those issues contributed to the lower indicated airspeed. Happy to have it all resolved!

Hello folks! I have a question about indicated airspeed in the Ovation. I just got an avionics upgrade (GI-275s) and the indicated airspeed I'm getting is right around 150 KIAS at 3,000 and 4,000 feet. That's at 23", 2,400 RPM, trimmed and leaned 50 ROP. I still have the old airspeed indicator, and it agrees with the new GI-275. I seem to recall getting a little better than that before the avionics change. But you know how memory is. Question is, what indicated airspeed do you normally see at the lower altitudes? I know KIAS bleeds off as you climb, but just curious if the ~150 KIAS is normal for the 3,000 to 4,000 ft altitude, or if I might have a pitot/static or instrument calibration issue. Thanks!

Hey all – circling back on this... thanks to everyone for your insights and suggestions. Turns out that the GPU is indeed working. I verified it by looking at the battery voltage on the EDM-700 and the battery power level on the GI-275. I was able to conclude that with the GPU on, the power stays stable (28.4 to 28.6 volts and 96% full), and The ALT VOLTS light stops flashing. Also, the GPU display shows increased amps flowing out as I increase the airplane electrical load. But when I turn the GPU off the battery voltage drops to 24V. The ammeter (still showing -11 with the avionics on) is just inaccurate for whatever reason (maybe it's wired incorrectly?). Appreciate all the good input! Now... time to go hangar fly my new avionics ;-)

Thanks for the responses thus far. The behavior I described above was all with BAT-1 selected. I can tell the GPU unit is working and sending amps to the airplane (when I turned on all the lights the unit display showed about 24 amps). But the airplane ammeter still shows a significant discharge (-11 with the avionics on and -42 when I added the landing / taxi lights). So the battery is still being drained even though the GPU unit is functioning and sending current to the airplane. Very puzzling. I was hoping there was some kind of switch that would allow me to bypass the battery and power the avionics directly with the GPU, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

Hi folks – I'm having trouble getting my external power (GPU) to work with my Ovation. I purchased a White Lightning 27-amp, 28-V unit (model M2827). When I hook it up to the external power plug on the airplane and turn it on, I hear a "clunk" sound, which I think indicates it's made a connection with the electrical system. After I power on the Master / Avionics, the unit display shows 10.8 amps, and the Ovation ammeter shows a discharge of -11 amps. That discharge shown on the ammeter is the same even if I shut down and disconnect the GPU. I talked to Gemini and ChatGPT about it and got conflicting suggestions, none of which worked. One suggestion was to find a knob or screw on the GPU that allows you to increase the voltage to 29V, but there is no such knob, dial, or screw on the unit. Another suggestion was to get a more powerful unit (50 amp), which I have not tried yet. I also tried turning the landing and taxi lights on to see if the increased load might help push the system to cut over from the battery to the GPU, but that didn't work either. It seems like the unit isn't having any effect at all and I'm just draining the battery. I just did an avionics upgrade (GTN 750xi, 650xi, and dual GI-275s), so these instruments are probably drawing more power than the original panel. But, I had not tried to use the GPU prior to the upgrade. Appreciate any thoughts or suggestions!

Thanks for all the good info, folks. It seems like the autopilot won't intercept the glideslope when in Nav mode (after activating the approach in my 430, I set the autopilot mode to NAV). It tracks to the waypoints and then turns and tracks the localizer perfectly, but after pressing APR it won't intercept the GS, even if I'm at level altitude below the GS. Also, as a couple of you pointed out, using VS to descend to step-down altitudes doesn't work either, even if I'm above the glideslope initially, then press APR after I'm below the GS (the autopilot just continues descending right through the GS). Seems like the autopilot prioritizes the VS setting over GS, and maybe it wasn't designed to use NAV on approaches. I was able to get the autopilot to capture the glideslope just by using HDG mode and ensuring I was leveled off below the glideslope when I turned onto the final approach course. I guess this is more realistic anyway, since I'll be getting vectors to the final approach course from ATC most of the time.

Yes I think this is what's happening... I'm in VS mode descending down to FAF altitude. Before reaching the FAF I see the glideslope come alive (above me) and press APR, but the plane continues to descend at the VS rate and doesn't capture the GS.

Hi folks. I posted this in the Avionics forum, but sharing here as well. I have a question about using the KFC225 autopilot (2004 Ovation) on instrument approaches. Everything seems to be working, except when I press the "APR" button, it's not capturing the glideslope (ILS or RNAV LPV). I'm sure it's user error and I'm probably just not using the right sequence. The KFC 225 user manual isn't very helpful, so reaching out here to see if I can get some insights from y'all. Here's the sequence I've been following: 1) With the flight plan and approach activated on my Garmin 430, press "FD", NAV", and "AP" on the autopilot and use altitude pre-select for IAF altitude. The autopilot tracks the GPS course to the IAF, levels off at altitude, and turns on the approach course. 2) Use altitude pre-select and VS/DOWN buttons to descend to step-down altitudes between fixes. The airplane descends and levels off as appropriate. 3) At last waypoint / fix BEFORE the FAF, use the VS/DOWN button to continue descent to FAF altitude 4) When I see the glideslope come alive above me, press "APR" When following the above sequence, the airplane just continues descending right through the glideslope after crossing the FAF. Any suggestions? Appreciate your help!

Hi folks. I have a question about using the KFC225 autopilot (2004 Ovation) on instrument approaches. Everything seems to be working, except when I press the "APR" button, it's not capturing the glideslope (ILS or RNAV LPV). I'm sure it's user error and I'm probably just not using the right sequence. The KFC 225 user manual isn't very helpful, so reaching out here to see if I can get some insights from y'all. Here's the sequence I've been following: 1) With the flight plan and approach activated on my Garmin 430, press "FD", NAV", and "AP" on the autopilot and use altitude pre-select for IAF altitude. The autopilot tracks the GPS course to the IAF, levels off at altitude, and turns on the approach course. 2) Use altitude pre-select and VS/DOWN buttons to descend to step-down altitudes between fixes. The airplane descends and levels off as appropriate. 3) At last waypoint / fix BEFORE the FAF, use the VS/DOWN button to continue descent to FAF altitude 4) When I see the glideslope come alive above me, press "APR" When following the above sequence, the airplane just continues descending right through the glideslope after crossing the FAF. Any suggestions? Appreciate your help!

Hi all – I'm new to Mooneyspace, and found this info about the Bravo operational costs very interesting and helpful. I'm about to purchase an airplane (my first) and have winnowed down the choices to an Ovation, Encore, or Bravo (T210 is wild card). Curious how the operational costs of the Ovation and Encore compare to the Bravo? Quick background on me: ~700+ hrs total time w/commercial + instrument, 250 retract, 50 multi, 40 hours in T210, most of my time is in Cessnas & Pipers and I'm new to Mooney. Live in southern CA. Mission is 100+ hours including multiple trips to Denver, Lake Tahoe area, Santa Fe, Austin, up and down the CA coast. I like the capability of the turbo but wonder if the Ovation would do it for me. Thanks for any info!

Hi all — I’m new to this space and narrowing down my choices for my first airplane purchase (Ovation vs Encore). Anybody know if the Ovation 310 HP upgrade increases useful load at all?