Joe Zuffoletto

Kansas, Nebraska and eastern Colorado can definitely get windy. Most Kansas airports with one runway are oriented north-south because the prevailing winds often come from those directions. I don't think you'll have any more trouble than you'd have in Ohio... just keep an eye on the forecast winds and try to fly in the mornings. Where do you plan to land in Denver?

Congratulations! Enjoy!

Dave, I visited the airport in person today and met Bob Patterson. I added my name to the waiting list and paid the deposit. He allowed me to drive out on the ramp and check out all the hangars. It's exactly what I want. I hope we'll be neighbors soon. Joe

Was flooding ever an issue? Maybe I'll reconsider. I definitely like the location!

Not a fan of Gnoss. It floods sometimes and they have to relocate their planes.

I'll look into KSTS too. My second home is in Sausalito so I'm trying to stay as close to that as possible.

If I can find a good hangar at one of these airports I'm going to move my Mooney out here. Anyone have any leads? Thanks,

Not really. I bought them for completely different reasons. I fly the TN to go long distances and over mountains. It's our traveling machine and much more comfortable for long flights. The 8 is my day VFR, light acro fun flier. I take it on short cross countries sometimes, but I really prefer to just yank and bank with it.

I've cracked my head on the ceiling in both of my Mooneys. The lap belts don't always hold. The Hooker Harness in my RV-8, however, holds me tight as hell with no give at all.

The photo in this news story seems to show he landed with the gear down. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-plane-crash-whiteman-airport-20160222-story.html

I posted the full, unedited video of my recent ultralight flight over Cabo. It came out great, but just skip over the stuff that bores you.

Hey, Tocayo, you're just not flying early enough in the morning. Joe

This is a major mission that should not be contemplated without seeing pictures of the owner and dog first.

This is just a wild a55 guess, but I'll bet the fuel capacities were dictated by the aircraft's total useful load.

I commandeered a 747 36,000' over Reno and safely landed it at SFO with minimal guidance from a 747 pilot. Nothing difficult about it at all. BTW, this was in United's Denver simulator facility before 9/11.

Only how to operate Otto Pilot.

My plane holds 102, but only 100 is usable. Maybe the confusion starts there.

Still air range in my plane with 102 gallons onboard, FL180 and 70LOP: Denver to Puerto Vallarta, with a little bit to spare. Observed this on my G1000 range display on a recent trip from Denver to Cabo. With 30 more gallons you could probably just make it to Acapulco.

Yes, I know of a couple Acclaims that are boosted to 132 gallons. Great long-distance machines for flying solo!

My Acclaim holds 102 gallons. 89 is standard; 102 was a factory option. There's a supplemental section in the POH for the larger tanks.

The real question is: Even if the website was perfect, how will Mooney compete against Cirrus? Disclaimer: No one has drank the Mooney Kool-Aid more than I have. Those of you who know me know the details. Mooneys are in my blood. I ask this question as a businessman. I just checked Controller.com and a fully loaded 2013 FIKI Cirrus SR-22 G5 with low time can be had for $689,500. This plane has the same panel as the Acclaim V and more or less the same engine, plus BRS and twice the useful load. I'm no Cirrus fan, but that's a formidable competitor for a company that's trying to sell M20V seats to pilots in the market for these kind of aircraft. I remember back in the early 1990's Mooney's advertising tagline was, "Your personal airliner." I thought that was very cool, very accurate and certainly unique to Mooney based on their performance vs. the competition at that time. But times have changed and they don't hold the performance differential they used to. What should their new message be? It's a tough question. I hope for all of our sake as Mooney owners and pilots that they find the answer.

My Mooney is also in the shop for its annual. My bride and I are in Cabo celebrating our anniversary. But I like the way you think, Jolie!

As a longtime Acclaim owner, my thoughts are these: Pilot side door, longer doors: YES! FMS Keypad: YES! Backup instruments between PFD and MFD: YES! Electronic backup instruments: YES! Cupholders: Have these in the TN; they're very shallow and marginally useful. These are less so being located under the center console. I'm also glad they finally flattened the glare shield. The Acclaim has the legacy bump over the old annunciator panels that isn't necessary. I have the 310hp upgrade on mine. IT ROCKS. I'm disappointed the V doesn't have it. Mooney owns the STC so there's no excuse. The new window line is reminiscent of the C... nice nod to the past.

Looks great, but I'm disappointed they haven't applied the 310hp STC, which they now own.

Oscar, what's your new home base?