Joe Zuffoletto

It already has it - all you need to do is change out the prop governer to increase the redline from 2,500 rpm to 2,700. There's an STC'd kit for it. I have the kit but haven't installed it yet.

Unfortunately he died last year of cancer. His Acclaim was recently sold.

The number 1 killer in aviation is sleep apnea. Just ask the FAA. Avoid that and you'll be fine.

Doug, congratulations on your new Mooney! You might want to start a new thread around your IFR GPS question to ensure you get plenty of responses. I can't wait to hear what people say myself.

Just crossed 1,400 total, with 135 in my Acclaim and 705 in my Encore before that.

Expensive. But amazing bang for the bucks. All kidding aside, I call it "The Beast." Stole it from a Type S driver down in South America who actually has it placarded on his panel, just like an N-number. It's a name that fits. I love "Luna C." Can't think of anything remotely as clever incorporating "TN."

FWIW, I fly almost exclusively in the flight levels and have never used a mic'd mask. You're communicating with ATC so infrequently up there that it's not really an issue. I prefer the lighter weight, non-mic'd masks. Having said that, when my current masks wear out I'll probably try a mic'd mask to see what I've been missing.

Found a YouTube video of a beautiful DC-3 taking flight in Florida. At the beginning of the video the DC-3 is parked next to a Mooney Acclaim, N632PA. Just thought I'd share in case the owner is here on MooneySpace. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evSgvRxv0Ro

It's been maybe a decade or more but I've stayed at KBFI twice and liked it very much both times. It's a great location.

Yeah, that was like our ugly losses of yore. Very disappointing but the Seahawks were the much better team.

Well, they're rooting for the wrong team, but this is still pretty cool: http://flightaware.com/live/flight/BOE12 http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2014/01/boeing-747-8-tracing-giant-no-12-across-eastern-washington/ Meanwhile, Lockheed Space Systems here in Denver is about to launch a missile to shoot that plane down! GO BRONCOS!!

I'm sure he could be... he does a lot of aviation events.

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. The photographer sent me several more images but none show the plane with the gear up. I plan to hire an air-to-air photographer this summer to get some in-flight shots.

That's funny, I just had it waxed three weeks ago, when it came out of annual, and it really does pop!

There's a gentleman who hangs out at my home airport who takes great telephoto shots of arriving and departing aircraft. He got some really good images of my Mooney this past Sunday morning. First one is at wheels up, with Pike's Peak in the background: Second one is coming in to land a short time later:

This Acclaim guy agrees; I've been above 220 a couple times to outclimb some enroute weather, but I never flight plan above 220.

Excellent post, thank you for taking the time to write it. My own minimal $0.02: I wear a mask at any O2 altitude because cannulae dry out my nostrils and give me nosebleeds. Even though I have a goatee I've never had a problem with the seal, which I confirm on a regular basis with my pulse oxymeter.

Very cool! And only $83,000 at today's exchange rate! Real catchy name, too. Slides off the tongue.

Another funny one!

Yes and no. If I need to carry people or cargo I fill the Acclaim to 30 gallons per side, which gives me 524 lbs. to spread around the cabin and a range of 660nm. I've flown 3 grown men from Denver to Albuquerque in the flight levels, so the Acclaim will carry a decent load of humans a fair distance if you really need it to. Having said that, that's not my normal mission. 95% of my flights are me, my petite wife and two carry-on bags. With this load I can fill the tanks and go anywhere we want really fast, which is why I chose the Acclaim. The climb performance you cite in Santa Fe at near gross is about what I would expect from a normally-aspirated engine at that altitude. The Acclaim will climb Vy at about 1000fpm fully loaded out of Santa Fe, then about 700fpm once I reach 10,000' MSL. But that's obviously with a turbo and a few more horses.

Sorry, messed up measuring in Google Earth. 1100nm was the range (with IFR reserves) painted on the G1000 on my last trip from Denver to Cabo. FL180, 70LOP, 195KTAS, no wind. On that day, according to the G1000, the tanks would have run dry just south of Puerto Vallarta, roughly 1200nm from Denver. Fixed these figures in my original post.

2008 M20TN Useful load: 896 lbs. Fuel capacity: 102 (612 lbs.) FF payload: 284 lbs. Range, LOP, with IFR reserves: 1100nm

Flew the Mooney to Cheyenne, WY and back today. Snapped this shot of Denver on the way home. Perfect weather; supposed to be even better for the AFC Championship tomorrow. You can see Sports Authority Field out there by itself off my wingtip. GO BRONCOS!!

Damn! You beat me to it! Every year when we return from Cabo I'm hauling a case of V-8 juice (cans) and two giant cans of tomato sauce, all purchased at the Cabo Costco. For some reason the Mexican versions of these products taste better to us.