Joe Zuffoletto

BIG turbo... for the win!

I just joined Angel Flight West. Awaiting orientation. Hope to be flying missions soon!

I carry two cinder blocks in my baggage compartment.

Takeoff in the M20TN is always full rich (it's a turbo), but in my RV-8, which has a Lycoming O-360, I run it up to 2,000RPM, then lean until the RPM maxes out, then nudge it just a little bit rich of that point. We do the same thing in the Xtreme Decathlon, which has a Lycoming IO-390. This is operating out of Denver Centennial, which is 5,800' MSL.

I once had a pair of these and I put them in the garage to prevent my wife from pulling her car too far forward. She drove right over them and flattened them out. Wrong tool for the job. Doh!

DaV8or: I've flown all 3 K models: 231, 252 and Encore. Also the J and TN. Been getting TW instruction this summer in an Xtreme Decathlon to prepare myself for my RV-8. The XD is a blast! One more lesson and then I'll take the 8 up again. I've flown it before, and it's a blast, but my landings were so bad I scared the sh*t out of myself. Hence the XD time. TW is a blast. I wish I would have done it from the beginning of my flying career.

Supposedly they just need to touch up the rivets that get drilled out and replaced, but if I don't like the way that looks then we'll need to repaint the affected skins. Yeah, I hope they can match it too.

Mine goes in next week. The two pieces on the right side need replacing in my case.

I don't know how that happened. I didn't even think it was possible. I was posting from my iPhone and must have fat fingered it somehow.

The TN is truly an amazing airplane and something to be experienced. Come to Denver, Mooniacs, and I'll give you a ride.

bonal: They are 6-9-9-0-0-0.

I certainly enjoyed reading this! http://www.planeandpilotmag.com/aircraft/pilot-reports/mooney/more-than-simply-the-fastest.html#.VBIBlvldU3N

Funny, I struggled with the word "old" in the title but just couldn't think of anything better! I'm taking the Encore's new owner up in the Acclaim tomorrow morning, weather permitting, but he'll have to settle for right seat!

The current owner of the Encore I used to own lives nearby, so he stopped by my home field yesterday and we went up for a flight in it. But the cool thing is he let me fly it left seat! It was a short but very fun trip down memory lane and although I knew it was lighter in the controls than my Acclaim, I was surprised to rediscover just how much. Whereas the Acclaim kind of lumbers through the pattern, the Encore responds to control inputs crisply and easily. I love my TN, but I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for the K as well. It's a great airframe.

Do it if you want; don't do it if you don't.

I don't know what to say about this terrible month for GA except that I'm heartbroken. Heartbroken that an experienced Cirrus pilot apparently succumbed to hypoxia and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. Heartbroken that an experienced Malibu pilot and his extended family met their demise at his home airport here in my home state of Colorado. Heartbroken that the president of the TBM Owners and Pilots Association apparently succumbed to hypoxia, and now he and his wife lie on the floor of the Caribbean Sea. I'm just numb right now. And heartbroken.

Try again. I had to twiddle with the link a couple times to get it to work. The pilot never declared an emergency, so Atlanta Center took their time getting him lower. In hindsight he clearly should have declared.

This was posted on the Red Board. Pilot knew he had a problem and had to get down, but ATC couldn't get him down quickly enough. It's sad to hear his lucidity drop with every transmission. Click here for the ATC feed. Relevant portion begins at about 4:10. Around 8:30 he's clearly out of it.

Would love to share the wealth if I could. Apparently the eastern Pacific hurricanes are sending their moisture straight to us. If this persists into the winter we'll be up to our eyeballs in snow.

Wow, both sides. I was told by my shop that that's unusual. I won't be thrilled to see my beautiful paint job compromised. Thanks for the heads up.

That's crazy. Gotta love the US Gov't. Not. Sounds like you'll have your hands full when the snow flies. What then? "NOTAM: Runway may look whiter than usual and may be a bit slipperier too."

That's the norm. But this year we've been getting storms that last for hours, sometimes days. Cuts into flying, but better than a drought.

As it has been doing for most of the summer here in Denver, it's raining again. Not the short kind of shower to which we're accustomed, but a long, steady rain. In response to this, the FAA has issued a new flight rules designation for the state of Colorado: MFR. It stands for "More F**king Rain." I swear that when the Seahawks beat us in the Super Bowl they cursed us with their weather.

I went by Arapahoe Aero today and they were wrapping up the modifications required by SB M20-318 on an Acclaim Type S (not mine). I got a few photos for y'all to check out. This view is from the rear of the fuselage, showing the bulkhead and attach points on either side to which the empennage is attached. On this plane, as with mine, the two pieces that make up the left attach point were up to spec, but the two on the right were too thin and have been replaced: This photo shows the new parts next to one of the old ones that was replaced. You can see that the older part is noticeably thinner: Finally, this image shows the fuselage skins that had to be removed but have already been reinstalled on the aircraft: It's a substantial repair and I'm glad we don't have to pay for it. I think Mooney avoided some seriously negative PR by picking up the tab... very smart at a time when they're trying to get production rolling again.

Yes and no. I've traded two away and in both cases my mission changed enough to make them obsolete (for me). But hell, I'd keep them all in a giant hangar if I could.