Joe Zuffoletto

Could someone out there who owns one of these birds please post the dimensions for me? I need wingspan, length and tail height. Thanks!

When I glassed my '98 Encore I had a 8000B put in. Only got to use it for a short time before selling the plane, but I absolutely loved it. Listening to the iPod app on my iPhone through Bluetooth was a great feature and it sounded better than my car stereos!

Quote: Showmethemooney Thanks Joe, I am glad to hear about Arapahoe. I had hoped to use them for airframe, glad to hear they know avionics too. I will call them about my PFD1 config error. Say, did you once glass an Encore? I thought about buying it, even went and saw it in the Denver area after you sold it. Jimmy Garrison was brokering it as I recall. I hope it foundation good home. Doug Moreland

Arapahoe Aero at Denver Centennial has a great avionics shop and are very knowledgeable about the G1000. They work on my Acclaim Type S and got my Garmins up to speed after I purchased it last year.

Flight logs on my Mac and iPhone; aircraft logs at my A&P's shop, which is conveniently at my home field.

About the only place I would stop between AR and ABQ is Austin, TX. A little out of the way but much more interesting than Amarillo!

Just got this month's Aviation Consumer magazine and they're calling for owner feedback on the M20C, E and F models. Their blurb reads as follows: "For the October 2012 issue of Aviation Consumer, our Used Aircraft Guide will be on the pre-201 Mooney series - the M20C, E and F. We want to know what it's like to own these retractables, how much they cost to operate, maintain and insure and what they're like to fly. If you'd like your airplane to appear in the magazine, send us any photographs you'd care to share. We accept digital photos e-mailed to the address below. Photos should be medium or high resolution. We can't publish low-resolution photos. "We welcome information on mods, support organizations or any other pertinent comments. Please send correspondence on the Mooneys by August 1, 2012, to: "Aviation Consumer avconsumer@comcast.net" I'll cross post this in the General Mooney Talk forum as well.

Just got this month's Aviation Consumer magazine and they're calling for owner feedback on the M20C, E and F models. Their blurb reads as follows: "For the October 2012 issue of Aviation Consumer, our Used Aircraft Guide will be on the pre-201 Mooney series - the M20C, E and F. We want to know what it's like to own these retractables, how much they cost to operate, maintain and insure and what they're like to fly. If you'd like your airplane to appear in the magazine, send us any photographs you'd care to share. We accept digital photos e-mailed to the address below. Photos should be medium or high resolution. We can't publish low-resolution photos. "We welcome information on mods, support organizations or any other pertinent comments. Please send correspondence on the Mooneys by August 1, 2012, to: "Aviation Consumer avconsumer@comcast.net" I'll cross post this in the Vintage Mooneys forum as well.

What an excellent write-up. Thank you!

Gaston's might surprise you if you've never been before. I took my son there when he was 8 and we both had an awesome time, except for the day I got chiggers.

Quote: flyboy0681 I hadn't thought of that. Maybe it should be relabeled "PFR" for Permanent Flight Restriction.

I got so sick of passengers slamming the door that the first thing I tell them upon boarding is that the door is to be operated only by me, except in an emergency. Another reason I adopted this practice is to ensure the door actually gets closed properly before takeoff. One time, back in the days when I let the passenger do it, my girlfriend did not close the door properly and it came open shortly after takeoff. Since I took over that duty 12 years ago it hasn't happened again.

Quote: The-sky-captain Brandon- I fly into Denver several times a year and have always used FTG. It's on the east side of Denver and located just off of I-70. Cheapest fuel in the area, nice, new FBO, nowhere near as congested as APA and wide open approaches and departures on all ends.

Quote: fluffysheap Hello all, I find myself unfortunately in need of recommendations for mechanics in the Denver area to work on my 1980 231. I was hoping I would not need one quite so soon after purchasing, but you play the hand you're dealt...

I've had a few minor incidents that all ended well. First was the passenger door on my Encore coming open shortly after takeoff from Telluride, CO. The sudden noise really panicked my passenger, so I had my hands full keeping that person calm while negotiating the pattern at a very challenging airport without being able to talk to the tower. Landed safely and explained myself to the tower after I cleared the runway. No harm, no foul. Had a similar situation a few years later when the baggage door came open shortly after takeoff. Figures that the ONE TIME I forgot to lock it during my preflight it came open in flight! Returned to the airport and landed uneventfully. Thought for sure the door would be damaged but it wasn't. The most unnerving was a complete loss of oil pressure at at 17,500' over the Palmdale, CA VOR. I was traveling to Scottsdale, AZ for a business meeting scheduled for the next morning. Fortunately, I had 4 airports well within gliding distance in crystal clear VFR conditions. I chose Palm Springs because I knew they would have a rental car and it was next to Interstate 10, which I knew I'd now be driving to Scottsdale. Pulled the power to idle, called Palm Springs tower and apprised them of my situation. Decided not to declare an emergency because the airport was easily makeable, but I did request priority in the pattern, which they gave me. I also requested a straight-in approach to runway 13R, even though winds favored 31L, so I wouldn't have to glide any further than necessary. I figured a little tailwind wouldn't hurt with 10,000' of runway. Landed safely and discovered that one of the alternators shook loose, sending pretty much all my oil overboard.

Flew upstairs on an Air France A380 today from Paris to NYC. First time I've seen one in the flesh, much less ridden in one. Wow, what a beast. Acceleration and climb rate were incredible. Cabin was very quiet. Definitely felt like the big plane that it is during taxi, takeoff and landing... but otherwise it was like floating on a cloud. What an experience.

Quote: jbs007 Sweet paint job! I'm guessing it's not original?

I have no kids of my own and never wanted any, but my wife's son from her first marriage lived with us from the time he was 6 until 16. I've been fortunate in my career so I was always able to support him and my flying habit. And it's probably no coincidence that I upgraded to my Acclaim about a year after he moved out. Neither he nor his mother share the wonder I always felt about flight. In fact, they both slept through most of our flights. Kinda bummed me out, but to each their own. My wife has no desire to learn to fly. That's fine with me because I wouldn't want her backseat driving to transfer to the cockpit! She's a bit of a scaredy-cat in the plane so I'm having a hard time convincing her to take a pinch-hitter course, which would make me feel better as the years keep piling on.

Just got a model of my plane back from Factory Direct Models (www.factorydirectmodels.com). They did a great job and it looks sweet on my credenza!

Quote: jetdriven Joe, how high are the mountains down in Mexico? How many miles over the water?

When I was based in Napa, CA, my farthest flights were to Vancouver, BC, Minneapolis and Little Rock. Now that I'm based in Denver my farthest flights have been to San Francisco, Cabo, Little Rock and Chicago.

Checked a big one off my bucket list by completing my round trip from Denver to Cabo yesterday. Enjoyed a gorgeous solo flight from Cabo to El Paso (3 hours), then El Paso to Denver (2 hours 40 minutes). Compare those times with 3.5 hours each leg going the other direction two weeks ago. Turns out the Westerlies in northwestern Mexico are pretty strong on a fairly continuous basis, but I also benefitted from unusually strong tailwinds on the El Paso to Denver leg yesterday. After a significant amount of planning and paperwork in advance of this trip, the trip itself was a breeze and I can't wait to do more flying in Mexico! One interesting note: My wife elected to fly commercial this trip because she wasnt keen on the overwater legs. I departed Cabo at 7am and her Frontier commercial flight departed at 12:30pm. This particular Frontier flight originates in Denver at 8:30am. It lands in Cabo at 11:30am then its back to Denver one hour later. As I was approaching El Paso, the Frontier flight from Denver checked in on the same frequency. I asked the captain if he would tell my wife I made it safely to El Paso, which he did. Pretty cool. (BTW, I ended up beating her flight to Denver by only 10 minutes after my 5.5 hour head start.) One more thing: Here's we made around Cabo during this trip.

Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. Both spectacular. I've also heard great things about Flathead lake in Montana (camping and fishing), but have never been. Sounds like a fun trip!

Randy, I'm flying to MMSL this Friday, 13 April. It will be my first personal flight to Mexico. I've done a lot of research, legwork and planning for this trip and will be glad to share what I've learned with everyone. Before I dive in, a few questions: 1) Have you flown to Mexico before and are you familiar with all the paperwork, etc.? 2) Where will your flight originate, and will MMSL be your first destination in Mexico? and 3) When do you plan to go? There's a G-20 summit in Cabo in June and you definitely don't want to go when that's underway as there will be airspace restrictions, etc. Bush Pilots International is a good resource but there aren't many recent posts about MMSL. I would HIGHLY recommend the book "2010 Pilot's Guide to Mexico," which you can order online from Caribbean Sky Tours. BTW, MMSL is definitely the airport of choice for GA in the Cabo area. MMSD (San Jose del Cabo, where the airlines go) is not GA-friendly at all. Joe

Breathing supplemental oxygen while flying is second nature to me as most of my trips are in the flight levels over the Rockies and Sierras. I've been up to FL250 with no problems, but most of my flights are in the high teens and low 20's. I've never suffered any ill effects. Even though it makes radio work a hassle, I always use a mask with a rebreather, regardless of altitude. Cannulas dry out my nose and waste oxygen.