Seth

Bader would have been the field, but as mentioned is closed. KACY gives good service and it's the closest airport. It's open 24-7. Ocean City NJ, 26N, is just to the South of ACY, but you'll need to rent a car. Great place to fly to if you are walking to the beach, but I'm not sure how they work rental car wise. -Seth

I transported wine in the Mooney and didn't have an issue (I even flew as high as 17,000 feet during the trip. I admit I was worried, but more about the wine getting hot or "cooking" on the ramp rather than the pressure (stopped in wine country in CA last year during my round the country flight). I flew up to Seattle, then across to Minnesota, then back to DC in the mid teens. Most of the ground time was at night. For cans and pressure. I know there are is an anti bear spray that is not allowed to be put onboard aircraft, and that some Alaskan pilots strap to struts to carry with them outside the cabin. I'm guessing as long as the containers are sealed properly and have been proven through engineering tests to withhold the pressure change, then it should be okay. I too, would not want a spill/explosive decompressing in my aircraft. -Seth

Thank you. Will check next time I'm at the hanger. -Seth

This fixed fluctuations in my voltage regulator almost two years ago. The voltage would flux up and down, and my panel lights would brighten and dim as a result. A little contact cleaner at the master switch, and ta-da stable voltage. -Seth

Does it have a web browser portion to it for when you are on a PC vs a MAC? My office is PC, my home computer is PC, my Ipad and Iphone are of course apple. -Seth

I've been thinking of switching or at least using an Electric Flight Book application of some sort for a long time and the "Dogfight" section of AOPA magazine highlighted that very topic this month. I think I'll always keep my paper logs for nostalgic purposes, but I am going to transition all my data to an app that syncs with an online source, iphone app, and such. I want to easily add up the different times that insurance companies request without going back through my logbooks. One suggestion for free is www.myflightbook.com thoughts? So, look a the poll, answer, and than let me know what app you are using, what you suggest and why. Thanks -Seth

Any other good apps? I'm thinking of using a myflightbook.com for loggin time, but now I'm looking at those suggested. Will start a different thread. -Seth

11% of my time or just over 100 hours of actual followed up by 50-70 hours of hood time (don't know that stat off the top of my head - but I know I just crossed 100 hours of actual). So, if you are using your Mooney to go places, 10% sounds about right. I agree that if flying more for pleasure around the pattern/hamburger run and only in good weather, you'll get less actual. About half of that was in my former F model which had a wing leveler but was all hand flown. My Missile has an AP and I admit, flying with an AP allows you to manage the airplane as opposed to work and manage the airplane. I'm based on the East Coast in the Mid Atlantic - different areas have different "normal" weather which will affect your IMC totals. -Seth

Fascinating stats: After a week of responses and polling by 78 MooneySpacers: Just over 81% of us Mooney pilots flying with only 1 or 2 people in the plane the majority of the time (70%). 65% have filled their seats less than 6 days (with nearly 25% never filling 4 seats) Yet 73% have filled 4 seats at least once and 94% have had at least 3 people in the plane 3 pilots here fly with 4 people on 70% of their flights So, we are using the utility of our Mooney's, and a few members may be ready to jump up in class or use the utility to the max, but for most of us, we've found the sweet spot of having a fast airplane for one or two travelers, and 94% have flown with three or four seats occupied at least once using the flexibility of our aircraft. Just fascinating to look at the stats. Thanks for participating. -Seth

Congrats Gary! Glad you got it back - now get up in the air! -Seth

Here's to a quick sale John. Stay on MooneySpace even after selling and when flying your Classic E series Bo! -Seth

I'm 5'6" and similar to mentioned

Is it 1500 Total Time or 1500 PIC time? For the ATP? Just doing math and seeing if I can get there in 24 months. This includes getting 50 hours of MULTI. Separately, thanks to those pointing out the single vs multi approach. I'd probably go for the Multi to keep future costs down. From my calculations so far, it'll cost me around 15,000 to 17,000 to get the hours/training to get the ATP done in 24 months as is (and that includes flying as CFI and CFII at the local flight school on average of four hours per week starting about 12 months from now - of course I wouldn't be paying for those hours, but I didn't at all consider the fact that I'd get paid for those hours - I figure that's a wash against my normal aircraft costs - just going with expenses here). So, spend 15,000 to 17,000 to get 500 hours and an ATP or don't do it, and then later in life if I want to, be ready to fork over an additional $10,000-$15,000 to get the ATP, plus the cost of getting to 1500 hours over time (vs condensed). I'm just about to break 1000 now. -Seth

Sorry about the "no dog" option

787 . . . if Lithium Ion batteries are exposed to the normal earth atmosphere and not sealed - sparks and fire usually erupts. (787/tesla/other examples?) However, I think it would be cool to harness this power and save weight. Sadly, just like Erik, it won't benefit me as I have two batteries in the rack on pushed down the tailcone for the Missile conversion for weight (instead of Charlie weights). Get use out of the weight instead of dead weight. -Seth

He's decided on bladders but I like this - I have 98 gallon capacity in my airplane thanks to Monroy.

After hearing another post, I became curious so it's poll time: How often do you fly alone? How often have you filled all four seats? I have more questions but am curious as to this initial response. Please share: I personally have only filled all four seats in my Mooney on four separate occasions. Once in the F model, and three separate days in the Missile. The reason I said "Days" was because if you have multiple stops back and forth with the same group on a same day trip, that could be "I filled it up four times, so that's four flights" where really it was one trip. I realize a trip can be multiple days, but just stick to days for the poll. In the end however, I'd have to add it up but I can safely say that 70+ percent of my flying time is just me. -Seth

This is another neat concept. Downtown Manhattan to DC(IAD) and Boston (BOS) using Cessna Caravan seaplanes. In the end they'll try to land on the waterways of DC and Boston. -Seth http://www.flytailwind.com/ Tailwind Air Service (New York) has announced is launching passenger flights this summer, offering weekday seaplane service between Manhattan’s East River at 23rd Street, Boston Logan and Washington Dulles. Flights will depart Manhattan in the mornings, offering same-day returns from Boston and DC in the evenings. Tailwinds’ seaplanes will ultimately land in the downtown waterfronts in both Boston and Washington, D.C., but in early stages the flights will land at private terminals in Boston (Logan) and Washington (Dulles). Tailwind, a new venture, has aligned with Fly The Whale, an established seaplane and private charter operator most popular for its weekend shuttles to the Hamptons and Nantucket. The two companies will utilize each other’s aircraft for increased and efficient service. Flight times between 23rd Street and Boston Logan or Washington Dulles is approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. Passengers only need to arrive at 23rd Street and the private terminals at Logan and Dulles 20 minutes prior to take-off, shaving hours off the normal air commute. Single tickets will range from $450-$650 each way. The carrier defines its operations as: “Tailwind is a FAA Certified Air Carrier operating amphibious Cessna Caravans in the Northeast United States. We operate shared charter flights between major cities and are also available for charter to countless destinations. All Tailwind flights are operated by Lima NY Corp., FAA Certificate No. L87A495L.”

CEO Replaced - Curious what's next for Surf Air - evidently they are up to 430 members http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/27/surf-air-eyerly-potter/ Surf Air Founder Wade Eyerly Steps Down, Replaced By Former Frontier Airlines CEO Jeff Potter The Surf Air management team has hit a bit of turbulence, with founder and CEO Wade Eyerly officially stepping down, according to an email sent out to members. He’s being replaced by someone who has had experience both in the membership and airline industries — former Exclusive Resorts and Frontier Airlines CEO Jeff Potter. Founded in 2011, Surf Air provides a membership-based private jet service between Palo Alto, Monterey, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles. The idea was that members would pay a monthly fee for an all-you-can-fly service between any of those points. In 2012, the company raised $7 million in funding from investors like Anthem Venture Partners, and saw participation from NEA, TriplePoint Capital, Siemer Ventures, Baroda Ventures, Gilad and Eytan Elbaz, Rick Caruso, Jeffrey Stibel, Mike Walsh, Paige Craig, Aviv Grill, and Bill Woodward. We had heard rumors that the management shakeup was taking place a few weeks ago, but the membership-only airline officially acknowledged the change to its members in an email earlier this week. Despite having 430 paying members, the company was having trouble raising a new round of funding, according to a source. That might have been due to problems in the company’s operations. One member we talked to said that some of the airline’s scheduled flights were regularly overbooked, while other legs ended up running empty. The management change is apparently being made to improve that, with the help of Potter and some folks who better understand the logistics of air travel. In addition to the new CEO, the airline announced that Anthem Ventures EIR Sudhin Shahani is taking over the role of executive chairman. Jim Sullivan, who had previously served as VP of Flight Operations for Frontier, has joined Surf Air as SVP of Operations. The shift also comes as Surf Air is adding new stops for its flights, including Las Vegas and Truckee, Calif. For what it’s worth, Surf Air isn’t the only startup in the airline industry to have run into hard times. BlackJet, the so-called Uber for private jets, has also had problems raising more funding. UPDATE: I’ve just spoken with Potter, who’s given me his view on Surf Air and his new role there. He compares his joining Surf Air to the time in which he joined Frontier. At the time, it was an incredibly small, one year-old company that ended up growing to reach about 80 destinations throughout the U.S. when he left. That experience will be useful not just from an operational standpoint, but in helping Surf Air to expand into new territories. “On the operational side, it’s not only that Jim [sullivan] and I have spent our careers in aviation,” Potter said. “Both Jim and I were at Frontier at a very similar stage to where I’m joining Surf Air. I helped support that growth from an operational perspective.” He said that the business and the model are both sound, and that he’s excited about the membership component as well as the aviation component, based on his previous experience. He also said he’s confident that Surf Air will be able to complete its next round of fundraising and move forward from there. “I joined a company at a time where we are going through a round of fundraising,” he said, but added, “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have confidence that we would fulfill that. We’ve met with various parties and believe those conversations are going very well.” UPDATE #2: And I just got off the phone with Eyerly, who confirmed that he handed in his resignation from the company and the board this morning. “If you can get a guy like Jeff to run an airline with three aircraft then you have to do that,” Eyerly said. He added that after three weeks of trying to figure out what his role would be, he ultimately decided to step down. He’ll still have his ownership in the company, but will no longer have a day-to-day role. “After some reflection, I discovered that I liked being a builder,” he told me, and that he was looking to start something new. But for Eyerly, after taking the company through three rounds of funding and growing it to have more than 65 employees, he said it was a “bittersweet moment” to leave the company which is growing up fast and ready to scale up even faster. The email sent to Surf Air members is below: Dear Surf Air Members, Surf Air began the journey to revolutionize air travel in 2011, just three short years ago. Since that time, not only has Surf Air exceeded all expectations in disrupting the travel experience, it has resonated with you as members, which is reflective of the high renewal rate we’ve seen since inception. Wade Eyerly created a vision that, along with his leadership and passion, has evolved into the innovative company that now serves over 430 members. We want to personally thank Wade for his tireless efforts to bring us to this point. With a solid foundation now created, as is the case with many companies during the early chapters of their inception and growth, the time has come for us to take the next step in the evolution of Surf Air. We are pleased to announce that along with upcoming funding, there are some key management additions with deep experience that will drive the next stage of our development. To help lead this transition, Sudhin Shahani is taking the role of Executive Chairman. Sudhin will initially be focused on the investor and funding aspects of the company but he will also play an integral role in the long-term strategic direction of Surf Air. In addition, we are pleased to announce that Jeff Potter has become our CEO. Jeff’s experience both in the membership club sector as well as the aviation sector fits the characteristics we need to scale Surf Air profitably and continue to improve the member experience. Jeff was CEO of Exclusive Resorts, the world’s largest luxury membership vacation club, and also served as CEO of Frontier Airlines, a major airline. Finally, Jim Sullivan has joined the company as SVP of Operations. Jim has a long, storied history in aviation and at one point was VP of Flight Operations for Frontier Airlines. Prior to that, he held management positions as Director of Flight Training and Director of Process and Procedures. During his career as a pilot, he has achieved more than 18,000 flight hours. We want to again thank Wade for all he has done to make Surf Air what it is today. We are extremely excited for the future and welcome the new leadership team as we begin the next step to grow Surf Air into the company we all know it can become. We thank you for your ongoing support to our services – we commit ourselves every day to ensure that we are delivering you the best air travel experience possible. We look forward to continuing to lead the evolution of air travel and enhancing our services to continually meet your needs. Along those lines, tomorrow, we are thrilled to be announcing some great news that we are confident will create a lot of energy and excitement! Please look for the news early in the morning and we hope you’ll be as excited as we are at the beginning of this next chapter! Regards, – Surf Air Member Care

Take a look at Surf Air - Perfect example of how GA can trump the airlines. Subscription based all you can fly service connecting San Francisco to Lost Angles, and a few other destinations. -Seth

64 - adds versatility. It's the number one speed mod - make the stop or fly on. If it's just you and one other passenger (usually 90% of flights in Mooney's) then it won't be a useful load issue if you find a place with cheap fuel and tank up. Not having to make a stop because you have the extra fuel on board or sweating into headwinds, the 10 extra gallons makes a difference. Even if your personal bladder is an issue, for the cost of the extra 10 gallons while in there putting in the 54 bladders, just add the extra and get 64. It may not "help" the resale but, the 54 may "hurt" the resale. -Seth

John - I think, but I'm not sure, that if you don't have an ATP at all, you'll have to take the 30 hours of ground and 10 hours of Sim. However, if you hold your ATP Multi, then there's just some sort of additional something to get the single, but I could be wrong. So the solution is to pass your ATP Test prior to Aug 1, 2014, and then opt to take the Multi Oral and Practical prior to 24 months from then. You can then add the single at any time. However, I can be completely wrong, and instead you'll still have to do the ground and sim for the single, but you'll have a Multi ATP, which is a good thing. -Seth

I stopped by there for the first time last week. The Aerostar is pressurized. Makes you think . . . -Seth

ATP School's has a course for $295 that is a one day shot. You show up in the morning. Get on a computer console, and later that day you take the real test. 96% score on average. That includes the cost of the test and proctor, but you get no study material beforehand. I'm going to try to study for it on my own and if I fail the test when I take it, I'll then go do the ATP thing. If things get in the way and I haven't even started studying prior to about July 10th, I'll just do the ATP thing instead. -Seth

And I need to stop helping my clients invest, protect, retire well and set up legacies for their families for generations to come!! Independent Financial Advosor. I just have this aviation obsession