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Today, Central Air Southwest celebrates 23 years of FAA certification for the installation of TKS Ice Protection for "flight into known icing conditions" on their fleet of Aero Commander 500's. TKS systems are an aftermarket option for the Mooney and other aircraft.Here is the video from the certification, which includes rare Beechcraft King Air 200 tanker footage.https://youtu.be/1OpNcv8QdIo

I thought it was very simple. Rocket is the fastest plane out there under $200K, therefore I wanted a Rocket. However, after reading some Bravo posts and talking to some self-proclaimed Mooney experts, I'm also considering the Bravo. The typical mission is 1-2 persons, little baggage, 400-1200nm flights, get there as fast as possible burning 20 gph or less, and not be afraid of ice in the winter. Here's how this judge's scoresheet looks so far: 1. Rocket seems to be 5-15 knots faster at typical cruise altitudes, and can be honestly said to cruise faster than 200 knots at 12,000 and above. 3 points to Rocket 2. Bravo has a longer cabin. 1 point to Bravo 3. Bravo has FIKI, Rocket only has non-FIKI TKS. 1 point to Bravo 4. Bravo is factory (so hopefully good support), Rocket is after-market. 1 point to Bravo 5. Bravo has newer airframes and often nicer panels. 1 point to Bravo 5. Bravo has 2000-hr TBO ($50K overhaul), Rocket has 1600-hr TBO ($42K overhaul). Tossup 6. Useful loads all seem to hover between 825 and 1000 lb. Tossup 7. Reliability and dispatchability (is that a word?). Tossup This gives an ever-so-slight edge to the Bravo, but I'm not sure I agree with my own scoring system. I'd like to hear from some of you who have flown both aircraft and can offer some additional deciding factors, or tell me I'm way off regarding my analysis so far.