Joe Zuffoletto

Yes. The paint job and interior were designed by BMW... Mooney partnered with them on some of the Acclaim Type S's. The badge, however, was bootlegged onto the plane by a prior owner. BMW only badges their vehicles, and the badge sticks out into the slipstream so you know it wasn't blessed by Mooney!

Thanks, Marauder! I'm glad you fixed the glasses and not the girth of my lady friend!

This Saturday, August 29th, I will celebrate the 30th anniversary of earning my PPL. I passed my checkride at about 2pm on Thursday, August 29th, 1985 at Montgomery Field, San Diego (KMYF). I was 21 years old. Here's a photo of me right after the checkride with a family friend. You can see I still had my game face on! And here I am now, 30 years and 1,500 hours later: Aviation and the aviation community have been among the greatest joys of my life!

Fees have skyrocketed in the past couple of years. Mexico has apparently lost its taste for GA. I used to fly to Cabo every year, sometimes twice a year. No mas. It's become a big ripoff.

I live in a kinda nice little town along your route in eastern CO... it's called Denver.

Terrible tragedy. RIP to all involved. This is one of many aviation articles I've read lately where someone says "aircrafts" as the plural of "aircraft." According to my dictionary, the plural is still "aircraft." What the hell is happening to our language?

I started renting my Mooney to a friend this summer and my attorney strongly recommended that I put the plane into an LLC. You never know in the legal world, but he told me that having the plane in the LLC could help shield my other assets from tort action if injuries or death occur due to negligence on my friend's part while he's operating the aircraft. Fortunately, setting up an LLC in Colorado is easy and inexpensive. As part of this process, I also set up a bank account for the LLC, and my friend writes his rent checks to that account. I will also use this account to handle all the expenses for my Mooney going forward. My attorney tells me this is essential to strengthen the veil of protection the LLC provides. Other items to consider: You'll have to have your insurance policy redrawn for the LLC, and if you have a loan on the aircraft, you'll have to refinance it.

Nasty storm, lucky outcome! My home drome, Denver Centennial, was hit by a major thunderstorm on Monday. Over 2" of rain in one hour. Several hangars in a corporate row had their roofs collapse. This year's monsoon is a doozie. http://www.9news.com/story/news/local/2015/08/10/centennial-airport-hanger-collapse/31430269/

I can't think of anything on the approach path to any of KDEN's runways that's worth seeing from the air!

Anthony, I started with a structured program that packed 3 hours of ground instruction and 6 hours of flight instruction (all landings) into two days. Thought I had it nailed, but when I tried to land my RV-8 I nearly killed myself twice. So I added 10 more hours of flight instruction at my home airport over a period of 8 weeks and after that it finally clicked. I think the individual factor is for real. Joe

I got my endorsement two years ago and wish I would have done it decades ago... I was definitely missing out on a lot of fun! I enjoy doing touch-and-goes in my RV-8 just as much as I enjoy taking long trips in my Mooney. And yes, it did improve my Mooney landings as well.

The guy across the street has a boat that's twice the size behind his house. They need to leave this guy alone. I was pleasantly surprised by the comments accompanying the article. Just about everyone supports him.

Some hangars at my field have "Big Ass Fans" installed on the ceiling. No joke, that's what they're called. I have one that's 8' in diameter in the great room of my house. They are fantastic and move a lot of air. http://www.bigassfans.com/for-business/aviation/hangars/

Glad you had a great time, Striptease! I attended AirVenture for the first time this year as well and although I was only there for two days, it was an extraordinary and unforgettable experience! And, yes, it is amazing how flat the U.S. is, starting where I live in Denver and proceeding eastward to the Atlantic (except for the Appalachians). Always blows my mind when I head east. You probably also noticed the 1-mile by 1-mile grid laid out in the Midwest, an artifact of the Homestead Act.

Mine settles at just a hair above 6 quarts and stays there.

Be picky, be persistent, and be patient. I know it sucks to have been ground bound for almost a year but don't let that color your thinking (I don't think you have). Your next perfect Mooney is out there somewhere. Keep mining the ore; there's a nugget out there somewhere. If you think buying certified planes is bad, try homebuilts! I decided 4 years ago I wanted a Vans RV-8. I looked at 23 frogs before I finally found my princess 2 years ago. It was worth the wait. Hang in there.

Marauder, have you considered renting from him instead? I think this makes the most sense, given how little you'll be flying the plane. It's also a good way to "try before you buy" in case you decide to become partners later. I have a good friend with tons of M20K time who wants to fly my Acclaim. Neither of us was ready to jump into a partnership for various reasons so I'm renting it to him instead. It's working out well for both of us. One nice thing about the Baron is that it will better accommodate your girlfriends.

Came across this amazing video this morning. It's a time lapse simulation of 24 hours of air traffic at London's 5 major airports. It was put together by England's ATC. Pretty cool. See it here.

Salida's on my list. I've flown past it on a couple cross countries and it looks like a cool airport and town. I've not been there by ground or by air.

I hope you can make the trip. The weather in Colorado has been absolute crap all week, with lots of overcast, rain and smoke from the fires in Alberta. Jetstream is parked over us and is pulling it all in. Not forecast to clear up until Friday at the earliest. Here's a live webcam shot of Denver: http://apcd.state.co.us/live_image/chpark.jpg

Anthony: Jimmy Garrison leaves LBs out of his monthly report for the Mooney Flyer, too. Never understood why.

I've been grounded this past week because one of the springs on my manually operated port-a-port hangar door broke. Not even myself and two of my buddies can lift that damn door all the way. Heading to the airport right now to meet the repair man.

I'm flying into Appleton and staying with a friend who lives there. Not sure which days yet. Will be my first time at Oshkosh.