Joe Zuffoletto

I agree!

So, gsxrpilot, have you relocated to the Denver area as well?

I flew my Acclaim Type S stock for 4 years before installing the 310 upgrade. I went for the upgrade because I lived in CO at the time and did a lot of mountain flying. The improvements in takeoff and climb performance were noticeable and impressive. I was very glad I did it. Cruise settings and performance remained the same. The mod didn't hurt me when I sold the plane as I received a full price offer for it. Good luck! I loved my Acclaim!

This is great news for all pilots: https://enewspaper.latimes.com/infinity/article_share.aspx?guid=89a77e59-3554-4a9c-873d-d9854f8a468f

Boy, that's a new one on me. Amateur wing walking for a rap video. Tragic outcome for the rapper, but I'm glad the pilot was able to land safely.

You could get an excellent used TKS Acclaim Type S for $400K or so with one other partner and have a much easier partnership situation to deal with. Your insurance will be cheaper, your annuals a bit more, but it won't lose nearly as much value in the first 3-5 years.

Yes, I forgot about that. But it is a fine FBO. One time I left my iPad there and they mailed it back to me long after I went home.

I used to fly into KSNA about 4-6 times a year and found Signature to be more GA friendly than Atlantic. Closer to the midfield runup area and runways, too.

smccray, first of all, congratulations on the impending arrival of your second child. Choose the airplane that makes the most sense for you and your family.

Maybe that look was a marketing decision, then. To differentiate it from the Ovation? I don’t know.

I don’t know if the Ovation had cowl flaps or not, but the Acclaim didn’t, probabably due to those big openings. That was a plus in my book.

Has anyone read my post besides gsengle? 102 gallons is an option, not a requirement. Believe it or not, the plane will fly with much less fuel, depending on your mission.

Nice successor to the Acclaim Type S. Here are my comments as a former Acclaim owner: I'm disappointed they didn't bump the engine to 310hp. I had that mod on my Acclaim and it made an incredible difference in takeoff and climb performance. Not to mention it would give them another box to tick against Cirrus. I chafe a little bit at the useful load criticism this plane always gets. I had 102 gallon tanks and never had a useful load problem. Why? Because these planes are so fuel efficient in the flight levels, especially LOP, that you rarely need to haul 102 or even 90 gallons of gas. I was able to get safely and comfortably from Napa to Orange County with just 60 gallons on board, and I'd still have an hour of fuel in the tanks when I landed. This allowed me to carry more people or more stuff if I wanted. The only times I topped off were for flights to/from Denver and the West Coast, or to/from Denver and Cabo. Even then I could still bring my wife and two carry-on sized rollie bags. The lack of a pilot's side door never bothered me. It made the business side of the cockpit much quieter and less drafty than the passenger side when cruising high and fast in cold air. However, adding the door allowed them to add the FMS keypad, which is a big plus. No need to trim the nose up in the flare - it's already there! The Acclaim is so nose-heavy at approach speeds that the elevator trim is nearly full aft at touchdown. This means you'd better be very careful in a go-around, or you'll enter a departure stall with the nose WAY up. My technique was to dial throttle in gradually until positive rate of climb was achieved, then raise the gear, slowly add more throttle and crank the trim wheel forward like a mad man until the plane is properly set up for climb-out. The trim wheel motor isn't nearly fast enough to keep up. I've never owned a turbo Mooney without TKS, and after some of the icing encounters I've had over the Western US and mainland Mexico over the years, I never would. It adds tremendous dispatch flexibility and safety margin to the airplane. I sometimes miss my Acclaim, but I'm grateful for the 7 fantastic years I got to fly it.

Arapahoe Aero worked on my Mooneys for 12 years and my RV for 5. Never had a bad experience with them. Scott Utz and his crew are top notch. Now that I've sold my Mooneys and moved my RV to CA, I'm really going to miss working with them.

I've owned an RV-8 for 5 years and absolutely love it. I've never traveled in it but that will change soon when I ferry it from Denver to Northern CA next month. I always fly it solo and have never had a passenger in the back seat. It's the plane I bought for myself to enjoy the thrill of flying a sporty, aerobatic plane on nice days. I don't think it would be a great traveling machine for two people because of the size and the tandem seating,. The -6 and -7 would be much better for that.

I had speed brakes on both of my turbo Mooneys. They came in handy when ATC gave me ridiculous crossing altiitudes in short distances, but other than that I didn’t use them much. But they are nice to have.

1. Buy a house in CA 21 years ago. 2. Rent house until mortgage is paid off. 3. Sell Mooney. 4. Sell business.

Bonal, Thank you for the "one last look" photo. That's probably the last time I'll see it. The closing will take place in CA but I'm stuck in CO for very good reasons. What a beautiful airplane! Here's my RV-8. I hope we meet someday.

Fellow Mooniacs, I’m retiring this summer and decided to sell my Acclaim. The buyer and I close on Friday. It’s been a great run over the past 33 years. 100 hours in the J, 850 in the K, and 310 in the TN. What a great ride it has been! My wife and I have flown through snow, ice (thank you, TKS), rain, hail and everything between. Lots of turbulence, mountain waves and rotors, too. But our Mooneys always delivered us safely to our destinations, which are too many to count. I owned the Acclaim for 7 years. During that time it was based in Denver. From there it took us to Kansas City, Arkansas, Dallas, Austin, El Paso, Albuquerque, Minneapolis, Salt Lake, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Vegas, and many others. It also carried us round trip from Denver to Cabo 6 times. There’s nothing sad about this; my wife and I have just decided to move on. We have both lost our taste for making long cross-country flights in the Mooney, and I’ve lost my taste for anything but short flights in day VFR in perfect conditions, after flying IFR for 25 years. To that end, I have a beautiful RV-8 that I’ll be moving to Northern California to fly on beautiful days. The Mooney community has always been amazing. That includes all of you. But I would like to give a special shout out to a few people: First, to Don Kaye, who made me a very competent Mooney pilot, IFR or VFR. Second, to Bruce Jaeger, for the very same reason; he also made me more competent than most in the Acclaim, and I flew that plane with a lot of confidence thanks to him. Jolie Lucas also deserves mention; she’s the greatest Mooney ambassador of all. I had the privilege of meeting her at Oshkosh. And, finally, Carusoam, Dave Norinsky, gsxr and Mr. Muncie, who are fantastic contributors to MS. There are obviously many more and I’m grateful to you all. My Acclaim is going to a great home and I hope the new owner will become a valued member of this community. As for me, I will continue to lurk, and if I can offer any information of value I will gladly do so. Keep the blue side up! Thank you all. Joe Zuffoletto, Jr. 303-330-9199 mobile jj@zzmail.me

I don't know the answer to your question, but I've spent hundreds of hours in the flight levels with my Acclaim with the heat on and have never had a detector or any problems. Of course, I'm wearing an oxygen mask, which I'm guessing would afford some protection.

That's pretty funny right there! This guy has you beat, though: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/11998155/Joseph-Griffin-Irishman-in-Las-Vegas-records-trip-in-selfie-Go-Pro-mode.html

I'm posting for a friend who is upgrading from a Diamond DA-20 to a Mooney Acclaim. He has extensive G1000 and GFC700 experience from his Diamond, but needs to get his complex, high-performance and general checkout in the Acclaim. Can anyone recommend a qualified Mooney instructor in or near Seattle that can help him out?

Weather in early June is usually quite nice in the mornings. Afternoons can bring turbulence and thunderstorms. Our mantra around here is "up and down before noon."

I'd recommend Lasar or Topgun, in that order. Both are Mooney Service Centers.

This response nails it in every respect.