jelswick

Amen! I had the pleasure last weekend of taking my wife's sister up for a ride as something nice to do for her birthday. She'd dated someone very long ago (early 20s and now 50s) that had taken her flying and remembered loving it. Just received a thank you card from her saying how it turned an ordinary day into a fun-filled one and saying while not her first ride in a private plane, it was her first in a swanky private plane! Flying is great fun and a passion for me, but it's even more fun when you get to share the greatness of it with others.

If I remember the regs correctly we are responsible for visible separation/avoidance even if on an IFR flight plan while we're in visual conditions, right? I still prefer IFR for anything longer cross country than putting around Ohio just because it means another set of eyes looking, but when not in IMC, I believe we're still accountable for seeing and avoiding.

Thank you Hank and completely agree. Some of the stuff in these posts is a little scary as far as where we're headed. Maybe we humans just are not qualified to be in a work environment because I might say I'd like coffee and offend someone that likes tea by that statement, etc. People are wound way to tight and if they had their way, the only thing qualified to work would be robots programmed to state only completely PC things that have been preapproved by the programmers (might offend someone still though). Ridiculous. People need to quit trying to regulate what is in our minds and personalities. As people, we'll make mistakes. Look at the situation and whether there was really intent to offend anyone. Good grief...

You'll love them Brett. They do a great job and after you've paid for it, you'll like them enough you won't think about what you paid again. The great finished leather they do really dresses up the cockpit.

I've always tried to keep mine about 7 and add a qt when it gets down close to 6. It does seem to blow that out down to 6, pretty quickly, so I'm adding about every 4 hrs of use. I saw a number of you don't add until down to 5-5.5. I've never let it get that low thinking I needed to keep it between 6-7. I'm assuming with the number of you using that range, I'm keeping to much in my J and paying to just blow it out back to 6 where it seems to like to be.

On the gear actuator and emergency gear extension lever Jose mentioned, I just spent $206 only a month ago to learn more about that system (maintenance troubleshooting before determining that was the issue). I'd taken off with my son in the co-pilot seat and apparently he may have bumped it when fastening his seat belt, but it came loose and in troubleshooting why my gear would not come up, that was not included because I didn't realize the relationship I now know about between taking that cover out of the precariously locked position engages a clutch that will prevent the gear actuator from working and pops the circuit breaker if you try. Luckily, mine was a gear stuck down issue rather than stuck up, but either way, that was an expensive way to learn more about that system. Could have been worse, so no complaints, but that was a tank of fuel spent on the lesson.

That cooling vest looks like a great idea Jose! I'm thinking that might be a great thing to have walking around Oshkosh at end of July too.

Dang Ken! There went my business case for it!

Amen Scott. I'm thinking of trying to go for my commercial for the same reason whenever I can find the next available AMUs given the recent aircraft upgrades. What will it give me that I don't have today? Really nothing measurable. But, it's as you mentioned more time spent with an instructor learning about more flight regimes and hopefully improving my available skills in my Mooney. The rating if I go for it will feel good and maybe slightly lower my insurance premium, but the most important thing is just continued learning to add to our bag of tricks and skills to draw from.

I will add that I don't think there's much more fun than flying low over the overcast with the sense of speed that gives or popping in and out of broken cloud cover. Either it's really that much fun or maybe I'm just flying too high (but within legal limits) without supplemental O2!

I have both and don't feel either makes you a full or lesser pilot. In my humble opinion currency for your mission profile is what is needed. I do think the IFR ticket provides a measure of safety if you inadvertantly find yourself in diminishing conditions, but if you're smart enough to stay far away from that, you should be fine just VFR. I as a newly minted pilot stumbled into that trap using the aircraft for business transportation coming home from FL to OH (thought those talking to ATC saying marginal conditions were being honest and I just needed to get used to the same) and scared myself into starting training for the IFR ticket. Glad I have it, but it's because it allows me to do what I want to do with the aircraft. If your needs don't need the same, then there's nothing lesser or greater about the additional rating.

From the shop that was going to do mine and then the one that eventually did it, both say the install difference is more than just a little more for the G500. In fact, the reason I moved from the one that was originally going to do it was because the first (a very reputable shop I like) kept delaying mine getting into the shop because of the overrun on time on the G500 install that was being done before I could get in to install my Aspens. I hate to think what that guy ended up paying for the Garmin install because it was literally months. I ordered the Aspens at Oshkosh and was scheduled to go into this shop in late Aug/early Sept. By mid November they still couldn't give me a firm date because of the G500 install in front of me. I finally scheduled with Ron Collins in Henderson, KY, they gave me a firm date and price and hit both. Added is the fact that the G500 won't give redundancy in the event of failure. I went with the MFD500 so I didn't get that either, but with the MFD1000, you have failover capability. I don't mind it since I like the original gauges too, but my setup with the 500 and the G500's only option won't let you get rid of the old gauges.

Panel looks beautiful Dave! If the CDI is giving issues, you know it's just saying, hey, put an Aspen in on this side to replace the CDI, HI and AI! I spent my upgrade budget earlier this year on the Aspens, STec and panel clean up and once in the air to return it to Ohio from the install, ATC tells me my transponder is reporting intermittent. So, next was the GTX327 replacement. Always something... Anyway, 89M's looking great and good luck with the rest of the job!

I owe an update as well to let you know that as promised by Aspen, we tried another data card which didn't resolve the issue (troubleshoot that simple solution before replacement) and when that didn't resolve it, they had a replacement unit out to me very quickly and even the swap labor was covered under the warranty. I've flown with the replacement 500 unit multiple times now and love it. Great products serviced by a great company that knows how to provide exceptional customer service. Very happy with my decision to go with the Aspens...

Congratulations Vref! A Beautiful Mooney and hope she brings you many years of enjoyment!

I'm in again! It was a great time and really a wonderful event for the public as well as for me getting to meet and enjoy the company of Dave Keller and Peter Wei and his great family. Looking forward to next year's event!

Quote: Shadrach I have no dog in this hunt, as my turbo experience consists of about 5 hrs in a C421. However, the dudes at APS challenge the utility of this and do not reccomend it; nor do the TAT folks (TN systems for BOs, C177, SR22 etc). APS says they have analyzed the tempature of turbos in all phases of operations. They're claiming that the traditional "5 Min idle" is a bad idea as it serves no purpose and actually increases the temp of the turbo from its coolest point which is short final/flare. YMMV...

I had to send my Garmin 430 back to Garmin for it's overhaul. Not an issue and I'm very, very pleased with the results, but if that's what Narco was doing too as far as parts to vendors, I don't think that would be a reason for their downfall.

Thank you Carusoam! It's my fix when I can't be in 45T. Not quite the same as being in it, but close enough when I can't be. Have a great weekend!

The music covers up me telling 45T to "Whooooooaaaa girl!", the "what was that beeping coming from?" and all of those other things you really didn't want to hear.

Thank you Lew! I'm definitely in love with her!

Beautiful aircraft Gary. Looks like they did a great job and very nice for people to let others know when they have a great experience like that with a business. Sounds like that is common feedback for Aero Comfort. I'm not near needing a new interior, but based on all of the great reviews, when i do, that place would be first on my list. Enjoy!

Thank you Scott! These videos are my way to be able to replay and remember how wonderful it is behind the yoke the days I can't get out to the airport due to my day job. Wish I could do this every day! Had a truly wonderful time at the Mooney Ambassadors event at the Indy Air Show. Mooney people are the best! Had a great time meeting Dave Keller and Peter Wei and his family. Really great people and I look forward to the next one of these events I can participate in. The Indianapolis Air Show is a big one and they liked what we did well enough to invite us back again for next year, so a great job by all involved. Hope to see more of us there next year!

Instrument flight home yesterday from the Indy Air Show. Cathartic putting videos like this together after returning to the reality of a work day following the great weekend...

Gorgeous interior!