exM20K

manufactured in 2019, so not likely "Airman" Save! -dan

Remember: it’s not just rain and dew intrusion that can get the insulation wet. Especially for the turbos, a couple hours in the mid to high teens will cold soak the whole airframe pretty well. If landing in a high dew point environment, stuff will get wet from condensation. I see it on the bottom of the wing where the cold fuel is just about every time I land in Florida. -dan

@Ibra that is the right question. looks good:

It’s all splitting hairs regarding performance in the big picture… I balanced the prop at 2400, and it runs acceptably smooth and cool. 2550 runs the TIT significantly higher, so I avoid that. On the other hand, spinning the engine faster should effectively retard the timing a bit, so more efficient work? it is fun to experiment, especially with the capability to record data.

Interesting, Paul... So why do the power charts limit me to 65% ISH power at 2300 RPM and quite a bit less at 2200? I’ve never really experimented in that RPM range. If 2300x30.5 at 16.5 GPH operates smoothly, why not operate there? -dan

It may not be cheaper. CMI or whatever they’re called now got very aggressive in the overhaul market. The factory engines include new exhaust and turbos, plus all the other accessories if I recall correctly. That’s not to say a quality field overhaul isn’t a better build of course. -dan

Actually, believe it or not, there is! my fill tube had a droop in it, which trapped fluid just downstream of the filler. In flight, the avionics bay develops sufficient low pressure relative to the vent-pressurized tank that fluid was drawn back up and out the pin hole on the filler neck. There may also have been tank venting issues, but since that is a big pain to get at, we stopped work after removing the undesired p-trap with some zip ties cured the problem. My cap is snug but doesn’t bind. @Rmnpilot I’d suggest you reach out to Mooney or CAV Aero. -dan

The best takeaway for me from the cirrus crash rate improvement is that training matters. The Nall report records year after year that some mid70’s percent of mishaps have pilot-involved causes. If mishaps are the result of the holes in the stack of Swiss cheese slices aligning, it seems a large majority of mishaps have a pilot-shaped hole in the first slice. I wouldn’t hesitate to fly any of the production singles because of a safety concern regarding the aircraft itself. But I do know I’m probably safer in my Mooney, which I fly 200ish hours per year than in something I haven’t flown regularly or recently. I applaud the Cirrus company and community for emphasizing training at the expense of ego. I still don’t like their planes, though :-) mishap vs accident is a pet peeve of mine from the motorcycle safety and training world. These aren’t accidents. -dan

Present! Simply the finest-handling plane in the air I’ve flown. Ground handling with the cantering nose wheel is fine once you’re used to it. as mentioned above, a demonstration we used was full flaps, idle throttle, and full nose up trim. The plane simply wouldn’t break into a stall. It just bobs nose up and down in a 6-800 FPM descent rate. There is something about a stick that is more intuitive than a yoke, especially the side yoke, which I don’t like at all. Elevator and ailerons are moving in concert with one motion of the control, not pul and turn, for example. Tons of passive safety backed into the cake: flail space no fuel lines in the cockpit braided steel fuel lines Tank between the two spars Seats engineered to dissipate vertical force airbags in front outstanding visibility with a very low sill. Still a big fan, but the company just doesn’t make anything suitable for my mission. -dan

https://www.aviationconsumer.com/safety/cirrus-at-25-a-safer-airplane/ https://www.cirruspilots.org/Safety/CAPS-Event-History

Thanks, this is good to know. Mine was replaced with an off -the-shelf from a major MSC last Spring. The whole actuator was rebuilt as it was grinding. -dan

I have mine on the non-microphone side, mic on the left, boom on the right. O2 in my plane comes from the center, so this lets me trim the tubes quite a bit. Quick disconnect is nice to have. getting the aluminum ball mount to adhere to the Bose A20 was a challenge. I wound up using some JB Weld plastic product, so I’m now fully committed to the air boom. I rationalized the expense of all this stuff as being quite a bit less than buying a pressurized plane. That was four or five years ago, and I’m still here, so…. Count me as a satisfied O2D2 / boom cannula customer. -dan

Mountain High sells flare-tip cannula which definitely improve the flow. https://www.mhoxygen.com/what-is-the-difference-between-standard-and-flare-tip-cannulas/ -dan

@Seth congrats on completing a hat trick of kids. Before abandoning the Mooney, you might consider exactly how many full-family trips you will make as the kids grow up in the next few years. With our 2, once they were into middle school, the activities started to collide with our travel plans- think travel sports, gymnastics, ballet etc. we found it impossible to make the quick trips that we used to when they were younger. We wound up with one or two big trips a year, usually in the RV. The six seaters you mentioned will probably be insufficient at the outset or very soon. Kids, diaper bags, strollers, etc and later they just keep getting bigger. So at first, you cube out, and later you weight out. Depending on you range requirements, a big twin like a Navajo would work, but if your trip is long, it’s too slow and burns too much gas to have a lot of range. I meandered into the pressurized twin Cessna cult for a bit, did a prebuy on a RAM VII 340, and then flew it. I know, not the right orderin which to do things. After the flight, I ran away. The plane was so inferior to my acclaim that it wasn’t even close. If you do go down the twin Cessna route, I can report a very good experience with TAS Aviation in Defiance, OH. They are expensive but also knowledgeable and comprehensive in the scope of what you need for a successful ownership experience. Good luck. -dan

Ditto. Learned quickly not to use block ice in the b-cool. Block slides around and dislodges the bilge pump. also wired a breaker’d outlet to the #1 battery. 80% solution for 1% cost. -dan

Both of my spawn used the Sporty’s PP course and did very well with it. It is multi platform and well produced. However, the teenage mind may absorb information differently. I was impressed with what I saw and the results. Private and instrument are courses where you want to master the materials and not just the test. I did Sheppard for ATP because that was a master-the-test situation. I’d not go that route for the foundational stuff. Good luck and enjoy the journey. Instrument rating will transform you flying so much. -dan

if your Colorado destination is east of the front range, the Ovation would be a good choice. The Kelly aerospace A/C is preferable to the factory unit because it is A little lighter positioned aft (better for CG) can be run via external power when you’re on the ground is not driven off the fragile and expensive starter adapter has the potential for very little net weight increase if you can get approval to replace the two AGM batteries back there with lithium. The Bravo that you found is interesting. The DX Bravo’s had the GX low panel, IIRC, which is great for forward visibility. I can’t tell from the photos if that is the case here. If you want to undertake a project, you could craft a really clean panel with all the new stuff. What’s the current UL? I have just under 900#, and that is mostly adequate for two people and bags for our 90% trip of 735 NM. That price, however, is getting pretty close to an Acclaim. -dan

I don’t know about that. They have been sending me AOPA Pilot for years after I let my membership lapse. No doubt their advertising rate card is influenced by how many copies go out. I recently listened to a very interesting podcast from Sporty’s with the new owner of flying magazine. His business model is interesting as explained…. Big content library, which is worth something for sure, but also a focus on subscription revenue rather than advertising. He intends to do this with more expensive subscriptions in return for high quality content. I hope he succeeds. I will update with a link if I can find it.. edit: https://www.sportys.com/blog/episode-42-why-ga-is-experiencing-a-renaissance-with-flying-magazines-craig-fuller/ -dan

Regarding Scott's Miracle-Gro... The former owner of the company owned a Bravo that I frequently saw at KBED when I worked up that way in the early 2000's. It was painted Miracle Gro yellow and had a tail number ending in MG. (there: Mooney Content!)

truly. it appears this organization has become a vehicle for enriching the top employees. mark Baker's bio from AOPA website: Prior to his appointment at AOPA, Baker served in numerous senior executive roles, including chief operating officer at Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, president and CEO of outdoor outfitter Gander Mountain Company, and chief merchandizing officer and executive vice president for The Home Depot. Most recently, he served as CEO of Orchard Supply Hardware Stores Corp., a leading retailer of home improvement and garden products. Ok, fine. these are for-profit companies with, i'm sure, well-established performance metrics. Quite a bit different from AOPA. He uses his extensive business experience to help AOPA build value for its members, with a special emphasis on aligning association resources with member priorities. Uh Huh. Show your work. This is NRA-level astonishing. I serve as president of our State dealer association with my compensation approximately $1,628,359 less than Mr. Baker's. I must be doing it wrong. Thanks for posting. -dan

“Bravo” spans a lot of cost and capability. Maybe narrowing it down in terms of budget Glass Panel must have, nice to have, don’t care TKS/FIKI AC you just might find a suitable plane quietly for sale here. the received wisdom around here is that it’s generally when considering cost and downtime to purchase a plane with the equipment you want rather than doing the upgrades post purchase Enjoy the search, and +1 on pros like Jimmy garrison (all American aircraft) or Richard simile (thunderbird.) they will know of good planes coming up for sale before they hit controller. -dan

There was an A* flying a similar route 2000 higher than me today. He was a solid 20 knots faster than me (10%), though I dunno what sort of power setting he was using. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N702EL Having convenient specialists to maintain these legacy twins is probably the difference between a good experience and bad. Being a hands on kind of owner, if you have the skills, is also a good thing. I wandered into the pressurized twin Cessna cult recently, spent some money evaluating a plane, and elected to stay with the devil I know. Enjoy the A*. They are awesome.

Aerostar. Just don't plan on operating out of short fields, and prepare to put your maintenance technician's kids through college. Purchase price for some of the turbine twins is low, but if you're being honest with yourself, the total cost of ownership is going to be a big multiple of the Mooney TCO. -dan

That sounds high for SVT but serves as a reminder: don’t lose your SVT unlock card! you have %power via fuel flow multiplier if you’re flying LOP, which of course all the cool kids do. I don’t remember what it is for higher compression engines, but it’s better than the 13.7 we use for the turbos. -dan

My engine eats EGT probes like they’re free. TIT probe is the same, just 1/6 as often. What you describe is typical of the failure mode I’ve experienced. They start out reading low, then they wig out, then they “X” out. Probably a good idea to have a spare. In the PA46 world, I believe they are 500 hour replacement items. Dunno if that is in the MX manual or received wisdom within the tribe. -dan