Jeff_S

I fly a 310hp Ovation as well and I tried to copy the performance data in FltPlan and it never seemed to work. I'd enter the username and C-number and it would just take me back to the home screen. Any ideas what might be going on?

Wow, that's Kelly McGillis? I looked at some other photos, and that's certainly not one of her better recent ones, but even in the better pics she hardly looks like the same person. Most of the time even with aging you can see the same basic face, but hers looks like it's been sculpted in a few ways. But I guess age captures us all at some point.

HIWAS recordings, better local Flight Service Centers that you could actually call up from the air, interactions with ATC, StormScopes...all the stuff you no doubt learned about in your PPL training. But I have to agree that with the advantage of cockpit weather it does take some of the risk out of it. But I've also known a few (and read about more) thrill seekers that tried to use this advanced technology to their detriment...it's a warm security blanket that can overheat and burn you if you get too complacent. Congrats on the great trip, though. You will learn more about flying by doing a few of those than by hanging out in the local area.

On the G-1000 models, there is an EI digital tach added to the lowest-left portion of the panel. Supposedly this is the primary tach and the G-1000 tach is "informational" but I seldom pay attention to the EI tach except that it captures flight time, so I use that for logging flights.

I admit I didn't get the joke, but I'm still using the Little Orphan Annie decoder ring I got from Ovaltine way back in the day. Mooney hasn't sent my new one yet. (Now let's see who gets THAT reference!)

Well, it could be any or all of the above. As one who recently transitioned to a long body, I can attest that you have to pay much more attention to caressing the nose down to earth than with a J. If you relax back pressure or try to plant the nose it WILL bounce on you...there's a lot of extra force with that increased engine weight. As memory serves, there was also an issue with some nose gear where a bushing could get loose and cause a runaway on takeoff or landing. I don't remember whether this was only on the long-bodies or across all the models. Not sure if this is also contributing to what you see in the for sale listings.

In the "small world" category, I was flying from Atlanta to Denver a few years ago, and right around Memphis I heard another Mooney come on the line and realized it was the guy who sold me the J, flying in his newly-renovated Encore from Nebraska to his home in Florida. We got off freq and talked for a few minutes. But dang if four days later, back in Memphis airspace, we came across each other again and had a good chat. That was quite a fun coincidence.

I haven't had a good laugh like that in a while...the surprise on that pilot's face was priceless. Although in the end, I do think the cat was starting to enjoy himself.

I'll tell you, wearable computers are going to be a big thing. Yet another example that the older we get, the closer we get to the technologies that Gene Roddenberry envisioned in Star Trek. But I see two problems with all this, only one of which will probably be fixed. 1) Battery life. Most people don't expect a watch to have to get charged up every day, although I'm sure batteries will improve, and people will adapt. 2) My eyes and hesitation to wear glasses constantly. I'm at that wonderful phase where I do wear drugstore readers only for close-in work, but otherwise I'm fine. So I would hate having to put on glasses just to work my watch. I like my nice big Breitling AOPA Navitimer with the analog dials that I can see just fine. Luckily, I'm not relying on the E-6B functions in the bezel for any reason, or it would violate my rules above (although I do futz with it from time to time, and it is generally amazing how much computing power they figured out how to put into an E-6B).

Hi Byron, Becca et al, I dusted off this old thread to help me prepare for the AirExpo race coming up in two weeks: http://sportairrace.org/sarl/node/2201. I've been wanting to do this for a while, and an event came up that is close enough to Atlanta to make it reasonable. I've read through all the tips, but having surveyed the race course there are several turn angles that are quite acute (or oblique...can't remember my HS geometry, all I know is they are way more than 90 degrees!). Are there any other recommendations besides what's already been said to handle these types of turns. As luck would have it, I have been practicing my steep turns lately and don't have any problem cranking it over to 50+ degrees, but that's in level flight. I'll have to go practice some 60 degree descending turns. Thanks!

As others have said, you seem to have the right attitude and approach. Just take things one flight at a time. Actually, in the summer months for those of us with normally aspirated engines, I think VFR w/Flight Following is the best way to go. This gives you a lot more flexibility to pick your routes but also keep ATC as your ace in the hole. Just be advised that there are some parts of the country where if you're too low (or they're too busy) you may not be able to get FF. Even if they kick you out of the system, just ask them for the frequency to use in the next sector and you can try to set it up again. My strategy depends on the type of weather in front of me. If they are isolated cells, I'll stay as high as I can and steer around them. However, if the clouds have all coalesced at normal altitudes but otherwise there are still open spaces (meaning no heavy precip), I'll stay low and fly beneath them and avoid the angry rain shafts. This is where your ADS-B can be helpful, but just remember that picture is 10-15 minutes old, so your Mark One Eyeball is the better judge. Of course, cells that have coalesced into a squall line or a gust front with no breaks are to be avoided in our little planes. Best turn away from them if you can't give them a wide berth by circumnavigating. The good news is they generally pass quickly, so you could even just wait it out at the nearest airport and take off again. There is nothing more fun than taking off into the crystal clear air that follows a squall line and flying off into the sunset!

I've got nothing on the fuel pump switch, but I had a similar experience with another electronics part that (wonderfully) fixed itself. The range/joystick knob on the MFD of my G1000 wasn't working after I bought the plane last summer. I could push and get the joystick and move the cursor around, but when twisting to control the range view nothing happened. I consulted Garmin and several avionics guys, and the consensus was I would have to pull the MFD and send it to Garmin for a flat $1000 repair (plus the cost of pulling/replacing the unit of course). Given that the automatic range adjustment feature worked fine, I just decided to let it ride. Lo and behold, in April I was futzing with the knob on a long flight to KC and it magically started working again. I had been both pushing and twisting at the same time for some reason that eludes me at the moment, but I theorize that since the plane had been living in Florida prior to my ownership (and not flown often) that corrosion had built up on the contacts, and after some drier Atlanta air and more usage that corrosion finally cleaned off. That was the first time in my life that an airplane problem fixed itself. I'm happy to have saved the AMUs, but not counting on too many more such instances!

This looks like a much bigger event than I expected it to be. Who is bringing the Acclaim...Premier? I'll probably try to sneak up there for one of the days, sounds like fun. But I don't want to put my plane on static display this time around...I'll need more flexibility on schedule.

RDU is easy, and TAC Air will treat you right with friendly service. I don't recall their gas prices...I'm sure they are higher than at outlying airports, but I remember them as being fairly economical all things considered.

Fox plays them about a week or so after the event, but if you have the ability to set up a Season Pass (I think that's the DirecTV lingo) they will automatically record for you as soon as they air. This assumes you have a DVR, I guess. If not, you're SOL on this one, as I have yet to find a reliable source for them on the Internet.

+1 on what everyone has said regarding mechanic choice. I have a local guy for the general stuff, and go to Cole Aviation in Rome for Mooney-specific things. For example, I needed to have my speed brakes sent to Precise Flight for maintenance, and Joey had fabricated a set of aluminum inserts that we could put in their place so the plane was still flyable while the brakes were in the shop. If I had used my local guy the plane would have been AOG for 10 days. But an engine is an engine, tires are tires, etc., so what's more important is that you trust who is working on your plane...they literally have your life in their hands (which is kinda' scary if you think about it too much). As to Premiere, Richard is a friend and a good guy, and my current plane was originally sold through them (although not to me). I actually looked at Robert's N446PC Ovation with Richard but Premiere wouldn't give me the deal I wanted to trade in my J, and then I found 34S for a steal. I would say if you are buying, Premiere is as good as any of them. If you are selling, they tend to give less on trade-ins and they want higher commissions and marketing fees than others out there. If you want a recommendation on a broker with lower commission expenses, shoot me a PM and I'll tell you who I used...they were very helpful in selling the J.

I think this is a valiant attempt at simplifying a complex situation. I'm sure AOPA will tweak it as needed with feedback that comes in. As AOPA notes on their chart (and has been discussed here in the M-space) those of us with integrated glass are more at the mercy of the avionics and airframe manufacturers. I'm cautiously hopeful that Garmin and Mooney will get their act together sometime in the next year with a solution, so we have time to get the necessary work done.

I live in Atlanta now, but growing up in Andover I actually lived about two miles from 3AU in Augusta. Our farm was right on the southeast corner of Harry and Andover Road. Harry was a dirt road back then, and we used to ride horses down to 3AU and watch planes take off and land. Small world! That whole section is a housing development now, sad to say.

Yes, KSMooniac is in Wichita so you could send him a PM. He flies a J as I recall. I grew up in Wichita (out in Andover, actually) but I haven't lived there since I left after high school. What part of town do you live in?

+1 on Bruce's but I'm sure Kennon's are good too. They are both reputable companies with good product. My buddy has a cover for his J from Kennon's and it works well. I've had Bruce's covers on all three of my planes and they are great too. Take your pick.

Nice video Bob! Thanks for the great cameo appearance for 34 Sierra!

I've not spent any time looking up my exhaust pipes, but I do get the whitish residue on the belly, especially toward the rear of the empennage. Seems pretty normal to me...I had the same thing on my J, which I also flew LOP.

That was a blast from the past. I didn't realize I had started that first thread. Not sure whether I'm glad or lucky that I hadn't reviewed this in awhile. I went through a three month period early this year where my speed brakes were inop, and I was happily slipping my long-body down out of altitude and to reduce speed for final. However, I don't recall ever using the slip ON final, so I was probably not in any danger. And I can tell you that even after prolonged slips I don't recall ever feeling like the plane was losing control...probably because I was still well above danger speeds. Thanks for the reminder!

25 to 30 hours and no more than 4 months. Filter change every time. Some folks would wonder why you change the oil but leave a dirty filter. I suppose the argument is that the filter is dirty, thus doing its job. I look at it from a different viewpoint...we're already in there with the cowl off and doing the work (realize that to change the oil in an Ovation the full cowl does come off) so replacing the filter only costs $20 more and this way you can check for metal...extra safety. I suppose when I had the J with the exposed quick-drain, there's an argument to leave the filter on every other change, but I still never minded the visual check for particles in the filter. Just good peace of mind.

Well, the J is a good choice for your first airplane to own. The best tradeoff between speed and efficiency, reasonable load, and fairly simple to maintain. If you search these forums there are MANY threads that will help to answer your questions. I'm sure, being the pontificators that we are, this group will be happy to lay them all out there again for you. The short version of things to look for would include: 1) Firewall forward. Exhaustive review of logbooks to really get to know how it was treated. 2) Corrosion in the wings and airframe, especially around the wing roots if it's been kept outside. 3) Landing gear biscuits. Make sure they are not too old (7 years max). 4) Wing tank leaks...check for history and current status. 5) Avionics to your liking. If you join MAPA they have a pre-buy checklist that you can use as you are investigating. Probably most of us have a copy, but it defeats the purpose of MAPA if we give it away. Good luck and have fun...searching for an airplane is one of the most enjoyable parts of the process. You get to see a lot of different options and ultimately decide what you want.