Joe Zuffoletto

My wife loved Mooney trips when we were based in Northern CA and we had 99% silky smooth flights up and down the West Coast, sometimes even in rain. Moved to Denver 6 years ago and now not so much. Turbulence is common here and she absolutely hates it. (I'm pretty sick of it too!) Hope to retire to a place with smoother air someday!

I just applied for mine for an upcoming trip to Mexico. Expensive little bugger... $160. But it's good for life. Here's the link to the appropriate FCC page to obtain one online: http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/index.htm?job=home You'll also need a U.S. Customs decal for your plane ($27.50 per year) and an eAPIS account to notify Homeland Security when you'll be crossing the border both outbound and inbound. There are links to all these sites on the Caribbean Sky Tours website: http://www.caribbeanskytours.com/links.html Timely question... I just went through all these applications this morning.

This is my favorite zero-G video. I'm sure many of you have seen it:

Here's some cool Acclaim Type S footage shot with a GoPro mounted on the radio antenna near the top of the vertical stabilizer. I bought a GoPro because of this and plan to try it myself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utQ_tXNegs0

I'll chime in with another recommendation for All American, specifically Jimmy Garrison, who I worked with last summer when I traded my Encore for my Acclaim. He's a first class individual.

I owned a 1998 M20K Encore from May, 2000 until September, 2011, when I traded it for the 2009 Acclaim Type S I now own.

Oooh, PilotDerek asks the Million Dollar Question! I also don't support user fees but I guess it would depend on how much it was. Even in the $50-$100 range per flight it would definitely have an impact on my flying habits... when VFR I would probably just rely on the TCAS. If the flight called for IFR there might be cases where I'd punt and go commercial.

I normally file IFR so the point is moot for me. However, I'm based at Denver Centennial, an extremely busy airport, and sometimes getting out of there on an IFR clearance means a lengthy wait. Also, the DP's can get complicated, especially if you're headed SW or NW. Under these circumstances, if the weather is VFR, I'll launch VFR and get a pop-up IFR clearance over the rocks. My philosophy is to always be talking to ATC on a cross-country flight, whether IFR or VFR.

Just posting to turn off notifications....

Quote: jetdriven I think this issue has been discussed quite enough already, and the documents you reference have already been posted.

Kromer's article is the one I was thinking of. I successfully slipped my K model a few times. I definitely won't try it in my Acclaim! Thanks, Mike. You out-Googled me!

Quote: gregwatts You can slip, but you want the nose pointed way down.

If you're looking for Avidyne or Garmin glass cockpit training in the Denver area, Independence Aviation at Denver Centennial (KAPA) is an excellent resource. I've received instructions from 3 of their CFII's and they've all been outstanding with their knowledge of the glass. They're not Mooney-specific; in fact, they tilt towards Cirrus, but their glass cockpit transition training warrants my endorsement. http://www.ia-kapa.com/

Don't do any slips with full flaps. I've read articles about Mooneys that have crashed in this configuration because the horizontal stabilizer stalled (the flaps blocked airflow to the stabilizer).

Thanks, brother Dave! Arapahoe Aero is on top of it and performed the required inspection during my last oil change. Hey, that's a nice new plane you got there!

I have SVT on my G1000 and I find it most useful while flying approaches in IMC because of the airport/runway depiction. Pretty slick, in my opinion, to actually "see" the runway while you're flying the approach. En route I'm usually so high that it adds no value. I think the price is in the $10-$15K range.

Daniel, Thank you for your extensive reply. I also had a phone conversation with Bruce Jaeger who's also a LOP proponent at conservative power settings so I have a lot more to go by now. Tried his suggestions (which are similar to yours) during a 2-hour flight early this morning and really liked what I saw. I'll keep an eye on those speedbrakes. My Encore had them as well and I was lucky enough to suffer only one failure in 11 years. Keep the blue side up! Joe

After flying it for 11 years and 800 hours, greasing landings in my 1998 Encore had become very routine. So I thought I'd have no problem with the longbody Acclaim I just traded the Encore for. Wrong! Much more weight on the nose and much more drag from the 3-bladed prop means the Acclaim behaves completely differently over the fence and into the flare. After two pretty good landings I did a bounce-bounce-go-around, the first I've ever done in any Mooney. The longbodies are completely different beasts and I need to relearn my landing technique accordingly.

George: As it turns out, the seller and I live across town from each other here in Denver. I flew my Encore to his airport to meet for a showing and we hammered out a deal to trade airplanes on the spot... turns out he was in the market for an Encore! We're both happy with the deal and our brokers were barely involved (mine was Jimmie Garrison, All American Aircraft). The stars were truly aligned.

Seth, That's great information! Willmar Air Service told me Bruce retired when I called a couple months ago. I'm glad to hear he's become a full-time Mooney instructor. He did the pre-buy on my 1998 Encore and is indeed a very sharp Mooney guy. I'll definitely contact him. Many thanks.

Thanks to everyone for your feedback and comments. Has anyone taken the APS online course, or is it essential to go in person? jlunseth, you're right... I picked up the BMW Acclaim that has been on Controller the past few weeks. I was initially skeptical about the "bandit" paint scheme but that all went away when I saw the plane in person. The colors, both the blue and gray, are truly unique and look great together. And the shade of blue is very rich and unlike any I have ever seen.

Greetings, After flying a beautiful 1998 Encore for the past 11 years I decided it was time to trade up, so I'm now the proud owner of a 2008 Acclaim Type S. Wow, what a fire breather! I'm looking for advice on cruise power settings, both best power and best economy, from more experienced Acclaim owners. Or should I just fly it by the numbers on the visor? LOP or ROP? The only advice I've received so far is to power back to 30.5", leave the prop full forward and let 'er rip, and dial in LOP or ROP as preferred. Not sure about that and I'd like to hear more opinions from real-world Acclaim drivers. Thanks in advance, Joe

I just upgraded to a PMA8000BT and LOVE it. The stereo sound through my Lightspeed Zulu headset is nothing short of spectacular, and being able to stream music from my iPhone over Bluetooth is way too cool. I listen to music when VFR or IFR in VFR conditions, depending on the amount of radio chatter going on. I never listen to music when IFR in IMC.

Yes, I just installed a G500 and connected the GAD 43 to the KFC-150 in my 1998 Encore. Works like a charm. You can see photos of my complete panel overhaul at www.zuffoletto.com.