Dave Marten

Don Maxwell at KGGG.

If it were my bird I'd try to complete the sale stateside and recommend the new owner work with a professional aircraft ferry service to get his new Ovation across the North Atlantic in winter (a rather serious undertaking).

Chris, Follow up with the airport manager. If there is an issue with their PCL then you'll save the next pilot a lot of hassle. If there is an issue encourage them to issue a NOTAM. With KLEE's main runway closed there may indeed be an issue with the lights (same circuit?). Did construction take em all out? Clue to call ahead: primary runway closed, night arrival after tower closed, unfamiliar field. Reminder to all: review the lighting config of your landing runway. 03 at KLEE has no approach lights, no runway end lights, only edge lighting (ie, you may have to get within 2-3 miles to see the edge lights on low-med intensity). Know what you should expect to see when established on final/breaking out. BL: good call on diverting to the alternate.

Hank, Don't over think it. If you want 9000 and IFR then file it and file direct destination. Roll them dice and have your pencil ready to copy any revised routing. Jump in that big blue swimming pool that's depicted on the chart. You'll gain confidence. Besides your Mooney will be happier at 9k. Don't fear the Bravo!

Umm.. Fighting headwinds and deteriorating weather all day (huge artic air mass), racing sunset, pushing west at low altitude into harsh terrain. The dirt is at 7000' msl where he hit and not flat. He was just east of the Sandia Mtns. Once the sun dips down behind the Sandias it gets very dark out there. Poor decision making to keep pushing west. Got himself into a corner? You bet. Make an early divert decision. Unfortunately appears to be another case of VFR into IMC loss of control. Fly safe. Get-home-itis can be fatal. Travel safe this Thanksgiving. The goal is to eat turkey and not end up being the roasted turkey.

Nice work. Thanks for supporting Angel Flight.

Tie down facing north if able (into the wind) snug up the ropes and you'll be fine. BTW those winds are bringing in lows in the 20s hope you brought a warm coat along. Winds will drop off tonight. Enjoy.

Haven't flown out of Chicago Exec, but the above flight plan is a mostly a good route. Its almost the MONKZ2 departure with the ELANR transition. I'd expect that departure. Better yet file it. KPWK MONKZ2.ELANR KMIE. As always the standard disclaimer applies: be ready for vectors to get you out of the way of faster traffic. You'll most likely be held down at 3000' initially so enjoy the scenic view! Also, this route takes you through the Twelve Mile/Hill Top MOA complex. If it happens to be active at your altitude you'll get routing around, but I'd file through it and let ATC reroute if the MOA is 'hot'. Once south of Chicago chances are you'll be able to ask for 'direct destination' Thanks for supporting Angel Flight!

Surf around on Linked In and check out the solid engineering/leadership team that Mooney has assembled in Kerville and Chino. Yes, they have the experience and capability for such a project. Their engineering team has background from eclipse, kestrel, Columbia, beech, etc. Bold move!

Fantom, Ok, I'll modify my statement. Jonathan Paul wins for longest non-stop Mooney flight without ferry tanks. coast-coast on 74 gals with a stock plane. Actually surprised by the number of Mooney drivers who made the RTW flight. http://www.earthrounders.com/cgi/singles.php Let's not forget Jack Weigand, age 20, made the trip solo in an Ovation in 2013. Many talented/determined pilots in the group. Interesting note that the only single engine pilot to repeat the RTW flight 5 times flew all of them in a Mooney. Henning Huffer

The winner is.....Jonathan "Stretch" Paul. A good friend, outstanding aviator, and A founding Mooney Caravan pilot San Diego, CA to Savannah, GA non-stop. 12 hrs 55 min and 1810 NM in a 66 E model. Burned 74 gallons of Avgas. Here is his story: http://jonathanpaul.org/pdf/NonStop.pdf Now you know why we gave him the callsign "Stretch" Well done!

Great job by all the Caravan pilots! Well flown. Great video Buzz!

EWK and 3AU also good choices (rental cars available) and probably better chance of finding hangar space. PM me and we can talk off-line. All depends on how long/often you'll be visiting the "Air Capital of the World". Happy to help. Plenty of airplane nuts around here!

MOONEY OSHKOSH EVENTS ARE OPEN TO ALL! EVERYONE IS WELCOME. Attend all the week's events above. Only the mass arrival flight to Oshkosh is limited to Caravan Pilots, but you're welcome to fly with us next year. Only pre-registration requirement is the Tuesday BBQ: tickets here https://sites.google.com/site/mooneycaravan/2014-registration/registration-fees-and-bbq-tickets See you at the show!

Yves, Remember once configured on final for the element landing STACK LEVEL.. Put lead's cockpit on the horizon. You were way TOO low on short final. You looked good at 51 seconds, but dropped low and stagnated there. Potential setup for a premature touchdown. Nice job overall. Thanks for sharing. See you in Madison. Keep it up!

Philip, Thanks for your service. Stay safe out there and hopefully you'll have some time to enjoy your Mooney when you get back. If any of you guys have the parts he needs on-hand let's get 'em what he needs. If somebody has the parts step up and post your price. I'll kick in some $

If you can make it across the pond we'll work with you to get you trained up in order to make the flight. Stay in contact as we get closer. Last year we had a Aussie join us (kept his plane in the states). We got him up to speed and he had a blast!

GREAT JOB ALL! Congrats to all who flew in TX. Nice work Bucko, Cowboy, Joker, Pinky. The Newbies all flew well and we're looking forward to seeing you in Madison!

Congrats Paul! See you at the show!

Sunday: Mooney Caravan Mass arrival at 11am www.mooneycaravan.com Monday: Mooney Owners Forum: 10am -11:15am EAA Forum Pavillon 8 http://www.eaa.org/eaa/event/Mooney_Aircraft_Forum?id=D49B834F685447E4B8281FFE6A1D91E7 Tuesday: Mooney BBQ! 5pm - 8pm+ Hosted by the Mooney Caravan at the North 40 Mooney Tent. Open to ALL ! $25 includes adult beverages and chance at raffle/door prizes. Best grub on the field! Don't be shy come on over! Registration: https://sites.google.com/site/mooneycaravan/2014-registration/registration-fees-and-bbq-tickets Wednesday: Mooney Aircraft Wings Safety Seminar in the North 40 Mooney Chalet before the night airshow. Wings credit approx 6pm. MORE TO FOLLOW! As always the post airshow evening social headquarters is the Mooney North 40 Chalet. Relax and enjoy a beverage with your fellow Mooney pilots. How about a "Mooneyspace Monday" meet/greet at the Caravan North 40 Chalet? Appropriate beverages can be arranged.

Just to be clear: 21.3-23.0 gph is for 36" MAP and 2700RPM. Also, in the climb leave her throttled up at 36" MAP and 2700 RPM and set 120 KIAS for your climb to cruise altitude. I do not advocate partial power climbs, especially in turbos, you're not flying the airplane efficiently and you are likely encounter insufficient cooling. I suspect your issue was due to a combination of climbing at reduced power, low IAS (lack of sufficient cooling air), hot ambient temp, and low fuel flow. Most likely if your engine is acheieving the correct takeoff power settings (36"/2700RPM/21-23gph/1450-1500 TIT) then you should be dialed in. BL: Cruise at 2500RPM, but don't climb to altitude at 2500RPM. Climb Full throttle 36", 2700 RPM, target 1450 TIT (about 23 GPH), cowl flaps full open and 120 KIAS all the way up to the FLs. You'll run cool and optimize your performance.

Mooney Caravan to Oshkosh XVII: An Invitation to Participants The Mooney Caravan organization is pleased to announce that planning and preparations are well underway for the 17th annual Mooney Caravan to Oshkosh on Sunday July 27, 2014. The Mooney Caravan is a formation mass-arrival to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh each summer and first flew in 1998 as a means for fellow Mooney pilots to camp together in the North 40 (see history). This is absolutely the best and safest alternative to the Fisk arrival and is the only viable option if you want to camp beside your friends. This event grew over the years with a peak of 97 aircraft participating in 2000. In 2009, Caravan organizers made the decision to overhaul the organization and flight format in order to improve the safety and quality of the mass flight into Oshkosh. Our organization is dedicated to facilitating a safe and enjoyable mass arrival formation flight into EAA AirVenture Oshkosh each year, as well as developing opportunities throughout the year to get together and fly our fantastic airplanes. Our participants share a strong sense of camaraderie and the friendship’s borne via our common interests in aviation and Mooney aircraft span the continent and the entire year between Caravan flights. The Mooney Caravan is sponsored by Mooney International. Our organization has developed a great relationship with Mooney’s new management team, who will be participating in the Caravan flight and many of our events during EAA AirVenture. Check out Mooney’s new website www.mooney.com. Caravan 2014 Our twelve person volunteer team has been working very hard since last year’s very successful full formation 25-ship mission in preparation for this year’s flight. The 2014 Mooney Caravan is scheduled to leave Madison (KMSN) Sunday July 27 at 10:30 A.M. The Caravan 2014 flight will consist of 3-ship elements (per our LOA with the FAA). The flights will be separated slightly more than the inter-element spacing to absorb and correct for compression and expansion effects as the flight progresses from MSN to OSH. In order to participate in the Caravan flight, pilots will be required to have demonstrated formation flight proficiency preferably by prior formation clinic attendance (strongly recommended) and must attend the briefing at 8 A.M Sunday morning. Most pilots will arrive at Madison during the day on Saturday July 26. There will be opportunities to fly formation sorties for fun and practice during the day Saturday. Saturday evening festivities include the annual Mexican dinner, pilot's "roast" and "naming" ceremonies. The easiest way to demonstrate formation flight proficiency is to attend one of the many formation clinics across the nation organized by our team (see https://sites.google.com/site/mooneycaravan/training) as well as our very supportive colleagues in the Bonanzas to Oshkosh (B2OSH) and Cherokees to Oshkosh groups. With prior coordination, most B2OSH clinics are open to Mooney pilots and all who have participated in these clinics have been warmly welcomed and immediately made part of their community. The learning opportunities have been absolutely outstanding and the experience exceptional. The watershed realization for most participants with no prior formation experience is that it is so much easier being 50 feet away from another plane as compared to 500 or 1500 feet away in terms of station keeping. With basic exposure to the principles of station-keeping (no overlap, wingman never passes lead, establish and constantly reference a sightline on lead, utilize very small control inputs), the learning has been quick and in very short order, pilots were conducting 2-ship formation take-offs, executing a series of turns and returning to a formation landing after 30 – 40 minute sorties with relative ease – and a ton of fun! In one weekend, with a little classroom time and 3 - 4 sorties followed by thorough debriefs of every flight (SOP for formation flying!), pilots are comfortable and qualified to fly in simple formation manoeuvres (most of which are beyond the requirements for the Caravan flight!). At this time, many Caravan formation flight candidates have already attended a clinic. If not, we are offering two more clinics between now and late July as follows: NE clinic - May 31- June 1 Lancaster, PA TX clinic - June 21-23 San Marcos, TX There are also seven B2OSH regional clinics scheduled over the same time period (see http://www.b2osh.org). Please don't be deterred if you haven’t flown formation and can’t make it to a clinic but still want to fly the in Caravan this summer - contact us now! Someone may be able to fly with you to allow you to demonstrate proficiency as we have resources and pilots all over the country. Please visit our website https://sites.google.com/site/mooneycaravan/home to find out more and to register for the 2014 Mooney Caravan. For many photos and videos of recent events and clinics, please visit https://mooneycaravan.shutterfly.com/. Check out our Facebook page by searching Mooney Caravan! I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all past Caravan participants to return for 2014 and to invite all Mooney pilots considering a trip to AirVenture this year to join us in Madison this summer. Chris “Toro” Shopperly President, Mooney Caravan Educational and Safety Foundation www.mooneycaravan.com