triple8s

Are you kidding?!!! I would rather ride commercial with the wife to visit her family in California and set around with them for a week!

I'm no aircraft expert that's for sure, but ponder on this. Diesel engines are low rpm high pressure engines. They have very substantial reciprocating components designed to handle very high cylinder pressures and vibrations (power stroke pulses) associated with low rpm applications. Aircraft engines aren't very meaty looking in the bottom end, I can tell you that. All that being said, I don't plan on using my engine as a test platform.

15 yrs ago I flew a 182 with a friend and he took me flying him lots because he couldn't move is plane back into the hangar alone so he bought a winch to pull it back in. Well........he was hesitant to yank around on the tie down ring so I made two hooks from nylon that hooked onto the main landing gear legs. I made a harness to pull evenly on each leg. It worked really good sort of...,,,he didn't take me flying NEAR as often. :-/

New antenna, new remote, and if you do it by the book they are supposed to check the mounting by loading it in four different direction. 450 newtons or 100 lbs ( I think) and the mounting location musn't flex more than 1/8 inch or something of the like. My old elt was mounted inside the baggage compartment on the interior panel.

There was an incident at our home field today also. Was a student pilot and my instructor and I were talking, there was a crowd gathered around there poor little C172 which had just had the nose gear drove up into the cowling. People were blaming the young girl who was terribly shaken up. My instructor said "The student was NOT at fault, the instructor is to blame, the instructor is the one who failed." At least in this case the instructor had the gnads to accept responsibility in the case of the mooney over run.

Seriously? Build time in entry level aircraft and then transition. Insurance companies are interested in their risks being low, say what you want, but the most widely used trainers in the world are NOT complex aircraft and this is for a reason. Yes a person can learn in a Mooney a Bo or any aircraft but some of these are not very forgiving. Get experience, build time and the rates will go down when youre ready to move up to a complex ship. There is another alterantive......buy a Mooney cash and dont have insurance, you only need it when you bend something anyway.

Are your NAV light switches to the left of where tube goes into the panel? (the tube the yoke is connected to) My old "C" had the switches there and my Boost pump switch started turning itself off. After some investigation I figured out that the instrument panel shock mounts were saggy and any little increase in "G's" or sudden vibration or movement in the instrument panel would touch the switch enough to cause it to turn off.

Is the idiot light (hi/low vac) all that Ovations came out with as original equipment? or was there a gauge?

One of my favorite pics is 42Q about 10ftAGL over a cow that is obviously excited about the low flyin Mooney. Better watch that stuff or you'll have PETA come down on ya! LMAO

Not grass but maybe relevant......

I learned on grass. Only had the Mooney on the grass once in a while but other than keeping the nose up or "light" till into ground effect it really was no big deal. I would suggest to keep things light if possible. I loved the feeling of landing on grass.

I worked on a homebuilt for several years and learned a little about woking with composites. My C model has a 201 cowling mod and had the cracking upper cowl so I added a layer of bi-directional inside the cowling on a 45 to the cracks as they ran longitudally along the top center of my cowl. I believe it was .58 S cloth, also put one layer of 45 cloth in the center part of the cowl where it arches in a point running back aft. I always had Aeropoxy 2032 and 3660 around for the kit so I used it. Repairs around the fasteners? I used a little cotton flox with the same. On the inside of the cowl I didnt but should've used peel-ply because it wouldve given a much smoother finish for the baffling to rub against. Engine baffling wears out faster on a rough finish. I ended up resanding all the areas the engine baffling fits against, then replacing all the rubber baffling. This greatly helped on engine cooling. Someone posted previously about using polyester resin..... no one uses it on aircraft. http://www.amtcomposites.co.za/sites/default/files/media/howto/Advantages%20of%20Epoxy%20over%20Polyester.pdf The resin/hardner must be mixed more accurately or you'll end up with either a gooie mess that will never cure or a part that turns brown and brittle, I've seen Vinylester mixed hot enough to spontaneously combust. Another thing resin has very little strength by itself and a layup that is too wet is heavy and brittle, its going to crack again. There are books on this. If you are going to take the time to make a repair take the time to read up on it, talk to folks in the know and make a proper repair.

Hey it's totally neccesary to have these TFR's in place and possibly even expanded. The Muslim Brotherhood has F-16s....

How much $ round trip in an Ovation? For fuel and fees not counting food and lodging? Wouldnt an Acclaim be better suited? Also how many days for the flight, barring weather delays?

I didnt ?????

Outside? Two blade horizontal because if it rains moisture is going to pool up in the clamp/seal area of the hub. Why not turn it horizontal so water doesnt even get in? Another reason is the bottom blade is low, a careless ramp person may be able to get into the low blade with a towbar/tug.

Whats the deal with ELT mounting. I at one time had an ELT mounted inside the baggage area and now getting a new ELT I hear of load testing the mount. I assume this is new ?

Congrats on your new plane! I know not your flying background, however if it is your first Mooney you are in for a learning experience as I surely was. The "C" was a money maker for the MAC and an extraordinary machine. Fast, economical,cheap to fly and maintain durable, can live on grass and is at home at big airports when you hear "Mooney _ _ _ keep your speed up for traffic" by golly you can do it. I absolutely LOVED my "C" soon after I got it I was also concerned about the EGTs so I bought a UBG-16. I owned the "C" for 4 years and the only time I EVER had any abnormal EGT readings was at low alt, WOT, and in a climb with mixture leaned a bit too much. I'd say if you lean till it stumbles a bit and then richen some you'll be fine but I personally like to see the temps CHT & EGT so I can get used to trends and whats normal and then catch things early on but you definately dont have to have a digital monitor. One thing you will find is the need to lean the engine while on the ground, was very important in my "C" I am by no stretch a Mooney exert or an expert pilot, I do know what my "C" wanted and leaning was on that list. I hope you have make many happy memories in your new vintage Mooney.

Whats the FAA? Government?

What are the most common mistakes or.....what are the biggest difference in making the transition to the long body? I have a couple of hours and the first thing that hit me is getting stopped. It feels lots heavier, I am shooting for 75 kias over the numbers.

Operating LOP will damage the ball and make it stick closed.

I had to tie down until I got in a hangar and was paranoid about moisture, so......I bought an RV dehumidifier and left it in the cabin plugged in. I was amazed at how much water that thing sucked out of the air. I had to empty the water everyday until I got tired of that and modified it so I could connect a small piece of aquarium tubing so it would self drain. I ran the small hose through a small opening in the floor back by the spar infront of the rear seat and out through the belly near the step. I dont know how much the moisture would damage things in the cockpit but you'd be very suprised at how much moisture is in the air down here in the south. I also made an engine dehumidifier too and that removed lots of moisture from the engine. I discussed my primitive dryer with "Rocketman" and he made a VERY nice one. Mine was constructed out of an aquarium airpump and plastic containers, while his was constructed from water removal systems for bodyshop air compressor equipment. His is the cats meow! Would be neat to get a hygrometer connected up to the exiting air to see just how much it lowers the humidity. Would be pretty easy to put a hygrometer in the cabin. I'll never forget the little cherokee 140 that looked llike a terrarium, parked next to my Mooney one time. Thank GOODNESS I am inside now.

Dont EVER just believe what a mechanic tells you, do your homework, if need be get a ferry permit and take it to someone who knows how to deal with the problem. Most importantly do your homework. I read and hear how "oh that plane has this wrong with it" or that plane cant be repaired. I have seen what can be done and if you've ever seen warbird restorations you'll realize that ANYthing can be fixed/repaired/rebuilt. One of my old pilot friends always asks, "Do ya know what makes a plane fly?" MONEY! So find someone good and who knows what they're doing, this isnt always the most expensive either. Like i said do your homework. http://www.p38assn.org/glacier-girl.htm http://www.airsceneuk.org.uk/hangar/museums/kissimee/kiss.htm