Bolter

How high do you need to climb to clear the mountains? Keep in mind some family members do not want to use O2 masks. An Ovation may meet your requirements, and broaden your options.

The GI275 in place of the AI will "feel" like your analog AI, and support your existing AP. And you may be able to remove your vacuum system at the same time since your AI may be the last sucker on the panel. When I priced things a few years ago, it was around $8k. Not sure the current market cost now but should be well under $15k. -dan

How did you identify a mechanic for the pre-buy? Was it someone the seller referred, or you found independently? I would expect that spark plug removal (and therefore inspection) would be part of the pre-buy. What was reported there? It was not clear to me, but did you fill the right tank before departing? I understand why it was dry when you got there, for tank patching.

Isn't there a common problem with using the wrong clamps and clamp location for the fuel delivery tubes that permitted a resonance? I think they need rubber to get some damping, as well.

At least the travel stop did its job, when it broke. It gave enough resistance to keep them from crushing the tubing. When I am flying the coastal route, I find that Santa Rosa (KSTS) is a good fueling point, expecially when weather and services are a factor. Big enough to have 2 significant FBO's and service options, small enough that self service fuel is offered and not ridiculously over-priced, and you can get in and out easily. Cannot gurantee they will not damage a plane, but I have never had to be towed when at either FBO.

Install a mount for an ipad (or something else) and use the opening instead of working hard to cover it. -dan

Great that this history is published somewhere. I found it interesting. I was rather surprised by how much was involved in the cowling, extending the prop out, and the complex flow of the cooling air. As a new manufacture, it seems it would be easy to implement, but making it fit an existing plane is a little more work. I wonder why there was not more trickle down of this cowling design to production planes. Several of the other bits seem to have made it to production (hinge fairings, gear doors...) If the current condition is no longer Experimental/Exhibition, this becomes a very usable plane. -dan

There is also an identical drain "button" under the pilot side wing, near the fuselage, for the pitot circuit.

@shawnd We meet up and practice when we can. I will let you know the next time we go, and you can get a ride and see what the Caravan expects you to do. None of us remaining in the PNW are approved for training or checkouts for the Caravan, but as @adverseyaw says, some of the Beech guys are. I am going to PM you my contact info. If you are available on Fridays, that would be convenient, as well. -dan

The TKS supplement states 90°F, which is pretty warm, the low pressure light may stay on. Their website says 65°F. In my own experience, 65°F is more realistic threshold. That is not the same as "not flowing" but I can see it being related.

Before Step 1, be sure you have documentation from the shop owner stating that you are square. I think a signed letter stating ALL items predating 1-March-2023 (or whatever date) are paid in full, would be useful. Or add that statement to the last receipt. They could start inventing open items in defense of any small claims or lawsuit. Just my 2 cents... Not a lawyer...

In your case, I recommend a good lecture on customer service... You can use this:

In my experience with Maxwell's (and other "good" shops), there was a clear list of issues before any work outside of the inspection was initiated. If there are items found, and a repair recommended, it should be authorized by the owner.

One check is to remove the whiskey compass from the steel bar, and you should only see a single 2-wire connector, and that is for the light.

In my Mooney experience with a mid-body, the factory (King) DG was slaved to a magnetometer in the pilot-side wing. The whiskey compass was just an independent whiskey compass.

I am based on KPAE (also an Ovation) and have one of the Vividia scopes (not the latest version). You are free to borrow it, as it spends most of its life on a shelf. I do not think it will help for morning sickness, but just for your future reference. PM me if you are interested. You asked about local A&P/IA options for your engine. I took my 201 to Advanced in Troutdale and now my Ovation is there, right now. They are the only shop I have used for annuals and engine work since I moved to this area in 2019. On a personal level, I do like Rachel's team at Crown/Regal. But I have only gone there for basic things so far. The big Continental is used in lots of other planes, so I would expect many shops can handle the engine work, regardless of Mooney experience. -dan

As your neighbor, I should come by and see the lube-in-place technique the next time you do it (I am at Paine). -dan

Always a complicated balance of using them enough so they keep exercised, and not so much that they wear out. Having flown a J without speed brakes for 1000 hours, I find I don't use them much, now that I have them on my newer Mooney. -dan

You would need to confirm with the POH for that plane, but 120 mph Gear Speed is the fastest indicated air speed that you can drop the gear. Retraction maximum speed may be lower. As a manual "johnson bar" landing gear, I am told that bringing it up as soon as possible is a good idea to keep lower aerodynamic loads that you need to overcome.

If in doubt, you can apply this value for your taxes: 1.74/mile per the GSA travel site (as of 1-Jan-2023). Good enough for government employees, good enough for me. Note that the car mileage rate matches the standard IRS rate. https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/transportation-airfare-pov-etc/privately-owned-vehicle-pov-mileage-reimbursement-rates -dan

In terms of similarly capable to several Mooney models (speed, range, useful load, 4 place) I think the RV-10 is a good candidate. It is cheaper than very new long bodies, but more expensive than most Mooney's. -dan

I found that once I had a good system that was easy to access and use in flight, I started using it more than I expected. Great for night flight, and keeping more fresh for long flight days. Another happy user of the Mountain High O2D2 to sip the O2 slowly. I got the tall skinny bottle that hangs on the back of my seat, but rests its weight on the floor. I can reach it from the pilot seat if I decide I want to use it, mid-flight. -dan

I am in the process of installing Artex 345 in my Ovation. Among other reasons, I was in a seminar on crash survival. Giving search and rescue the best chance of finding you is important. I no longer consider the PLB and 406ELT as redundant, but as complementary tools. I chose Artex 345 because my preferred shop has installed them before, and labor accounts for as much or more than the unit cost. I suggest you ask your shop what they like, and maybe save a few bucks in labor's learning curve. As background for the problems with the AmeriKing's (AK 450), see this article: FAA issues AD for Ameri-King ELTs - AOPA They had all of their approvals to manufacture yanked by the FAA. I do not know what their quality shortcomings were, but apparently there were numerous ELT failures. -dan

I think that my original post was incomplete/unclear. GPSS on the G5 with the HDG mode on the AP was ONLY for GPS navigation. VOR tracking was always NAV on the AP (VLOC on the 430W), which is to say no GPSS for VOR tracking.

Just some tidbit from a similar panel in my previous Mooney 201 (430W, KAP 150, G5 HSI). I just had to set the 430W to VLOC and then the G5 HSI displayed and fed the AP the VOR path instead of the GPS path. The AP was in NAV mode for both GPS and VOR tracking. For the G5 in GPSS mode, the AP had to be in HDG mode, not NAV. -dan