orangemtl

What a SHARP looking aircraft! I fly periodically to Santa Rosa; is it located at Chas Schultz? I'd like to see it in person, before it gets purchased and relocated. Amazing to see a 45 year old aircraft that looks so very current. Most impressive.

Quote: Jay22 Hope to fly down to Llano, Texas for some good BBQ.

Tejas Aero did my paint, but I don't know whether they do touchups. In this economy, I'm sure they can fit it into their offerings. Very good quality work.

I dunno. Perhaps it's useful for them; perhaps not. Better to provide the info, IMO; hardly an additional effort. I tend to follow the original recommendations of my instructor. I see no downside.

"Mike 20 Tango Slant Golf" is what my instructor recommended for the Acclaim. Better slightly more info than less for ATC, I'm presuming. If they want to simply enter 'Mooney' into their system, so be it.

I recall that a bench seat option was provided for the Acclaim/Ovations. That said: you might just as well put a bench seat for three in the back of a Porsche 911.

Thank you for the gracious compliment. 730ML is not everyone's visual cup o'joe: but, I chose to paint it to the likings of the guy signing the check. I rejoice in my aircraft, and I marvel at my good fortune. I think you're right that posters, and participants in a sense 'preselect' themselves as lower risk pilots. If half of success is just showing up, at least a proportion of it in the air consists of being attentive to safety in the first place.

When I talk to patients about treatment options, I tell them: "Some people refuse to drive on the interstate because it's dangerous. Some people race motorcycles, because it's perfectly safe. Both are correct within their own frame of reference. Where you lie on that spectrum is a personal decision, and given sufficient information to make decisions, wherever you choose to be on that spectrum is fine." SO: Some of us will fly a lot at night. Others will avoid it like the plague. And, about 2/3 of us will do so when necessary, but avoid it more often than not. I completely believe Aviatoreb's suggestion that forum participation is associated with better event statistics. It is, however to some degree a selection bias: You're more likely, for example to be run over by a Bentley in Beverly Hills than in Hastings, NE. Doesn't make California Bentleys more dangerous. I've doubtless committed a statistical faux pas of some sort with that comparison, but you get the idea.

You're right about the bang:buck ratio. I hope to attend the next get-together in the Western states. PilotDerek? You coming?

Quote: fantom Plane & Pilot just voted Marchetti ONE OF THE TEN SEXIEST PLANES EVER...Nice.

Picky, picky, picky. Everything is eventually vintage. I'm just getting ahead of the crowd. Sorry I missed the get-together at Waldo's; OOT the last few weekends. Won't happen again.

One guy flies F18's for a living; another flies F15s on weekends..... Lucky b---------ds... Thanks to both of you, and to your colleagues. My respect exceeds (barely) my envy!

BBQ place is pretty good. I'll PM the details, and hope to see you soon in Havasu. Nice airport; just watch for the crosswinds landing on 14!

Love the paint scheme. We'll have to get a photo of 2930L and 730ML side by side one of these days, in 29P or at KHII. Let me know if you're working on the plane in the next few weekends, and I'll take a hop over to say 'hi'.

Just a cautionary tale for any and all VFR fliers on this site: PLEASE, please use Flight Following and respect the weather! I'm a rank amateur. Chose not to fly this past weekend to Las Vegas to connect with my commercial flight; some spotty weather forecast for my area. Driving back from Vegas 150 miles, I noted the atypically low ceilings, and rain for >70 miles. The local newspaper today carried the story of a local family that crashed their 182 en route back to my town that same evening. No flight plan filed; no tower communication; no Flight Following. Storms en route. It might have been equipment failure, or wind shear, or get-there-itis: but one thing's for sure, a couple and their adolescent son are gone, and possibly could've either made it or scrubbed the flight with some outside input. A tragic shame made worse by potential avoidability. Most of the pilots on Mooneyspace vastly exceed my experience, and hardly need my advice nor oversight. I really felt the need to share this, however. Their loss is irreparable. Our losses are avoidable. Use the supports at hand, and don't gamble on questionable conditions. Bold, & Old don't mix.

My father told me when I was 10, "Never buy the first puppy you see: they're all cute, but some are a little more so than the others." Look at some planes, and then some more, and then some more. Doesn't matter if you're buying an aircraft, or a car, or a couch. Exposure produces product knowledge that no pamphlet or checklist can match. Good luck!

Quote: flyboy0681 I bet, and just like the desert now idea where you could safely put it down if you had too. At least we do have a road or two, if you are in the right area, and someone is driving on it to light it up for you.

"....if you are uncomfortable flying at night or with VFR (1000 foot) ceilings, I suppose you should restrict your flying to Arizona." Gosh, in all this time I've lived in Arizona, I'd never noticed until now that it's NEVER nighttime here! Can't figure out how I've somehow missed that. Your point is a perfectly good one, in all honesty---for those who are IFR rated. Hardly worth having an instrument rating if you cannot/chose not to fly at night, yes? In VFR, life is still a bit more restricted. PilotDerek makes a good point; I'm based maybe 100 miles from him, and let me tell you, there's not much in this world darker than the Mojave desert on a moonless night. First time I chose to do some night work alone a few months ago, I chose a moonless night. Wow. You can stare at that MFD all you want, and see that the peaks are well below you, but: well, let's just add another 1000 feet of altitude, juuuuussst to make sure.... Perhaps it's just the lowtimer in me, but it's somehow more nerve racking to fly at night in a mountainous area. It is, however fun. It's also, at least for me, less distressing to fly home in the dark than to fly somewhere relatively new. I'm trying to do some night work no less than once per month, whether actual 'going somewhere' flight, or simply local pattern and maneuver work. Permanent or handheld glass panel maps certainly take some of the scare factor out of it, at least for me.

Quote: PilotDerek Ok, it seems nearly everyone uses it on a regular basis. Now here is another question. Would you still use it if they (Government) attach a user fee? Just for the record I do NOT support a user fees and have made my feelings known to my Senator and Congressmen. Again curious who would stop using it, or reduce the amount they use it.

Put me in the "Usually use it" pile. It's reassuring in VFR, particularly when they notify me of traffic. Most of it shows up on the G1000, most of the time, at most altitudes. Except when it doesn't. Returning from SanDiego to AZ last weekend, LA Center notified me of a KingAir coming at me from 11o'clock, 1000 feet above me. Looked; looked some more; finally saw it, perhaps a half mile away with a closing speed of--what, 300 knots? The King Air was onscreen, then not, then it was; why, I don't know. I tell myself on shorter flights "Nahh....don't need it this time." Then I reach altitude and course: and, I call them anyway. Good practice for lowtimers, and in my opinion a good habit to establish. Plus, if you have the feeling that someone is watching you, it serves to make you more cognizant of your actions. Weather info is nice as well, if only to correlate what they see/what they're hearing, with what you're seeing on the weather screen. I've had no bad experiences with them.

Quote: Piloto Of all the models the Ovation is my favorite. Reliable, economical and long range. I have ferry four of them to Europe and South America and found them very comfortable for the trips with no need for ferry tanks when equiped with the Monroy LR tanks (130 gallons). I have flown them over 200 pounds overgross up to FL 180 with no significant degradation on peformance, specially those with the 310HP conversion. You can easily get over 1800nm with plenty of reserve. The 310HP conversion will give you turbo performance without the maintenance and fuel burn drawbacks (money). You can easily fly to Europe without the need to stop at Nasarsuaq, (very expensive) (see attached pictures) with no ferry tanks (Monroy Equipped) and no HF (above FL 170) required. Or NY to Miami at 190kts with plenty of reserve. Jose