Joe Zuffoletto

I think the Acclaim rides pretty rough in turbulence. Lots of abrupt, sharp jolts. The spar runs right under your arse, which seems to amplify the effect. Slowing down obviously helps, but it's still a rough ride. My wife hates it. I recently took a pilot friend for a ride because he was looking to upgrade from his Piper Arrow and had never ridden in a Mooney. We went up on a bumpy day in Phoenix. He didn't like the way my Mooney rode in the bumps at all compared to his Arrow and he ended up buying a share of a Saratoga.

That was probably me. I posted that saying on this site some time ago. My wife said it, not me. But I certainly agree. If the Acclaim suits your mission, there's nothing better at that price point.

I have a cloth cover like you describe and it's definitely worthwhile. I always use it when traveling.

I voted against, and would likely leave MooneySpace if such a change were made, just as I did POA. It's nice to have a refuge from all the political BS and name calling that go on in bulletin boards, newspaper comment sections, Facebook, etc. And, after all, this site is called MooneySpace. The Vans Air Force site has a strict policy prohibiting any posts that are non-RV related, and those that turn up are unceremoniously removed by the moderator. It keeps the site focused and valuable, in my opinion.

Welcome to MS, Doc! Remember me from POA? Good luck as you investigate your C!

I encountered the so-called "slam ice" once near the very top of a cumulus cloud on a spring morning over the Continental Divide. Went through the cloud in less than 3 seconds and the entire plane was instantly coated like a glazed donut. Fortunately I broke out into the sun and stayed there, so the glazing melted.

True, but it does have an ice light that illuminates the entire leading edge of the wing.

I downloaded the LiveATC recording of my flight and found the surveillance plane. It's a Twin Otter. Here's a photo of the actual plane, apparently taken before they installed the FLIR unit on the nose.

Thanks, Paul. That's a good point, but I've since decided to shoot from inside the plane.

Pilot's name was Frederick Espiau. Tail number N6201N, based at Tehachapi. http://bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/plane-crash-victim-identified-as-army-veteran

I saw that video. Just goes to show that the leading airplane doesn't have to be that big to wreak havoc.

Was finally able to get my Acclaim back in the air for the first time this year. Departing ahead of me was a government surveillance plane. It was painted drab gray with no markings except the registration number. It was a high wing, pressurized twin turboprop and had a FLIR camera hanging below the nose. It was butt ugly. I've tried to find pictures of one on Google to no avail. Always mindful of wake turbulence, I watched its takeoff roll and noted that it lifted off quite a ways down the runway, so I figured I'd be airborne long before crossing its wake. Winds were calm. Wrong. Right as I retracted the landing gear I fought a slow but persistent and strong uncommanded roll to the left. I didn't roll more than 20 degrees, but I couldn't correct it. After a few seconds it relented and I realized I hit the ugly plane's wake. A few minutes later, leveled off at about 1,500' AGL, I turned about 20 degrees to the right to join my on course heading. Then the exact same thing happened, except this time it was stronger and rolled me about 30 degrees to the right. In a few seconds it was over. Haven't encountered wake turbulence in a long time. Even though this encounter was mild, I still don't miss it!

It was a 737....

In 2016 I flew 44 hours in my Acclaim and 23 in my RV. I also logged 6 hours right seat in a Pilatus PC-12 on a flight from Denver to Portland, Maine. Reached 1,500 hours total time back in October and my logbook shows that I've made exactly 900 flights as PIC. Made it to the top of the hangar waiting list in Petaluma, CA and am looking forward to moving my Acclaim out there this spring!

The day after Christmas I had the good fortune to go up in FlyDave's Bravo on an absolutely perfect Bay Area day. We did a short Bay Tour from Petaluma and for the first time I got to play photographer instead of pilot. So now I finally have some great aerial photos of SF and the surrounding area. Here's Dave's Bravo on the ramp before departure. Lots of rain lately, so everything is green and lush. The Petaluma River snaking its way towards the San Francisco Bay. You can see San Francisco in the distance. San Quentin Prison, home of California's (nominal) death row. View showing San Quentin's proximity to San Francisco and a lot of very pricey real estate. Beautiful Marin County. Hillside homes in Sausalito. My house is circled in red. Next we headed towards the Golden Gate and the Pacific beyond. The Marin Headlands, looking northwest. Turned around to get some shots of the City. Here we are approaching it from the northwest. Ocean Beach, Golden Gate Park and the western neighborhoods are in view. Approaching San Francisco. Even closer. You can see Salesforce Tower under construction, the first building in SF that will be taller than the Pyramid. Another prison: Alcatraz. It's shrouded in white tarps while extensive renovations proceed beneath. The new section of the Oakland Bay Bridge, with downtown Oakland as a backdrop. UC Berkeley in the foreground with Mount Diablo in the distance. Heading back to the airport over pastoral Sonoma County. Short final, runway 11 at O69. Dave, thanks for the amazing flight! It was a perfect way to close out another year of flying Mooneys.

Been there, done that. You can read about my adventure here.

I've had the Clarity for a couple years and the jury is still out with me. They seem to be quite a bit louder than my Lightspeed and the sound quality isn't as good. Haven't tried the Halos. I go back and forth between the CA and the Lightspeed but still lean towards the Lightspeed.

One of my most common missions is Denver Centennial to Petaluma, CA (KAPA-O69). Assume zero wind for the below calculations. In my M20K Encore this trip took 5.1 hours of flight time, plus a 45-minute fuel stop. Always had to fly ROP with that engine. Total fuel used: 76.5 gallons. In my M20TN (LOP) this trip takes 4.2 hours of flight time, nonstop. Total fuel used: 63 gallons. If I go ROP it takes 3.8 hours nonstop, burning 68 gallons. The difference in my total annual operating costs for these two airplanes has proven to be negligible. That, too.

I'm sure that the market for it is quite small, which likely contributes. I've been flying with TKS for 17 years now and find the cost of the fluid to be cheap insurance.

It's possible. There's a pilot at my home drome who is a wealthy hedge fund manager. He got his PPL and Instrument in less than a year, then he flew a Cirrus SR-22T for two years, then he upgraded to a Citation Mustang with less than 500 hours total time. Fortunately, he's still kicking.

So did Sophia! This photo from that evening is even more famous.

My wife and I went to Colombia almost two years ago and I was surprised by the large number of 727 cargo planes down there.

I've put 1000+ hours combined on a K and a TN and I have never done a turbo cool-down, and I never had problems with either turbo.

Whether I'm in my Mooney, my RV or the Big Can, I'm always happy to be in the air. It just depends on the weather and the mission which one I choose. I'm glad that I'm fortunate enough to be going places, and I never take that for granted.

Due to weather and travel, it's been well over a month since I've flown and it's beginning to drive me crazy. I'm in Cabo this week so maybe I'll book another flight with Briggs and Stratton Airlines, like I did back in February, just to get my butt back in the air!