debiassi

I have now just completed my trip which was an amazing experience. Feel free to view the video of the trip. Best level TAS was 215 at FL190. We had constant 10kth headwinds for the majority of the trip until Faroe then we picked up a 15kt tailwind. The longest leg was 3.50 which was Kulusuk to Eggilstadir

I tried a few different settings based on the POH and also tried a few based on extending range. I found 26/24 to be a very good compromise which gave a TAS of 180 on just under 17GPH at 19000ft. My next intention os to give the Gamis a go and see what kind of difference it makes. Regards. Dave

Hi all, just crossed the pond in a 98 Bravo. One of the biggest issues was wether to tank or not? I think the Bravo sometimes gets worse press than it deserves in relation to economy or the lack of it. If your prepared to go to altitude, it performs with very respectable true air speeds in the region of 16 gallons per hour. I decided to go the northern route via Iqaluit in the high teens to reduce the water distance and avoid the need to wire a HF radio to the airframe. It was possible to go out of Goose at 5000ft until clear of controlled and then climb but I didnt fancy that option. The crossing videos can be viewed by typing Mooney Bravo Atlantic Crossing into you tube. If you enjoy, please leave a response. Regards. Dave

Looks fantastic Jose, I would love to see some more details of your trip. Please feel free to email me or pm me.

Thanks for that info Jose, that is indeed very interesting and certainly worth bearing in mind.

The good thing I have on my side is that I wont be in a hurry to make a trip on any given Day. Its easy to check the winds aloft and pick a suitable day on which to make the trip. Also, the winds for this particular route are predominantly from west to east and are usually more favourable for an eastbound crossing but of course not always. I am aware of the fuel cost not just in Narsarsuaq but the whole of Greenland have extortionate prices but it doesnt warrant the cost of fitting either ferry tanks or Monroy tanks just for the purpose of making the crossing one way. I am assuming the G1000 in the picture may be from an acclaim but as you can see, at altitude, that still returns a healthy 197 ground speed eastbound. Even at 180kts ground speed, its still only a 3.5 hour crossing from Goose.

Hi there, I have read a lot of articles which seem to suggest Bravos are only good for 3.5 hours? I have just bought one and on the test flight, it was cruising at 13000ft showing a fuel burn of 16.7GPH leaned to just under 1600 and a TAS of 180kts. We climbed at 900ft per min so lets say 14 minutes at 28gph and 3 for taxi = 9.5gallons. 4 hours at 16.7GPH = 66.8gallons giving a total for 4 hours in the cruise of 76.3 gallons used of 89 usable. Surely when flown economically,(and the TAS is only a few knots difference anyway) this is closer to a 5 hour machine. Any Bravo owners having similar figures? That would suggest in 4.5 hours, you have time to try for your destination and divert if needed and still have 45 minutes in reserve.

Mountains can be very rewarding but on the other hand can aso be very dangerous. Do a mountain course with an instuctor. You will pick up some life saver tips. Things that you may not think of that dramatically affect performance. Things like leaning for takeoff when at altitude needs carefull attention. Approaching passes at a 45 degree angl so that if you experience updrafts you are already part way towards turning back as you can guarantee that strong updrafts will qiuckly turn into equally strong downdrafts on the other side. The eitiquette for flying in mountainous terrain also. But make no mistake, for overall scenery, it takes some beating. have a look at the second part of this video

Its easy Alun, 6lb of fuel is equal to 1US gallon so simply divide the number of LBs

Europe weather can actually be obtained via a sat phonea lot cheaper using the flymap system. I would also say 7kts is a small price o pay for having the peace of mind that you can safely escape icing and anyone who flies into known icing without it is an accident waiting to happen. listen carefully to this extract. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDnZD1J62Fc

Monroy tanks arent essential, only if you want to do the direct hop to Iceland thus bypassing Greenland. the crossing from Goose Bay to Narsarsuaq is 670 miles. Almost any Mooney can make that hop with legal reserves. Stringent flightplanning is of course essential. I am just planning a trip rom Willmar Minnesota to the UK via Goose Bay, Narsarsuaq, Keflavik, Vargar and Aahrus in Denmark before crossing direct to the UK. West to East crossings are generally assisted by favourable tailwinds and the anticipated leg times will be in the region of 3.5 hours which is well withhin the Bravo's capability with IFR reserves.

The owner actually says it was a mistake and that the advertisers put his diamond aircraft and the mooney prices the wrong way round. I actually looked through the logs and the repair does seem to be well documented.

Have the aircraft looked at just to be on the safe side