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Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and settled on Mooney ownership, trying to decide between a J or K (252). I have read many other old forum posts on this topic, but I want to hear from you all who have flown both the J and K out in the mountainous areas west of Denver. I'm leaning in the direction of the turbo, but justifying the purchase and maintenance costs is making the decision a bit challenging. Just to be clear, I can definitely afford the K, but a wider dollar cushion is always nice to have. For clarity, I'm only considering the 252 variant of the K because I don't want to worry about the financial or mental workload of those premature high-altitude systems in the 231. Background: ATP and lifelong involvement in GA to at least some extent. Living in Flagstaff, AZ and based in Salt Lake City for work. The mission for the airplane would involved recreational cross country flights of 300NM or greater between four times per year and once per month. Using the airplane for commuting to work would be a desirable option, but not essential by any means. On the weekend trips most of the time we would be hauling just two people plus light bags. Occasionally a friend or family may join us. The vast majority of flying we would be doing would also be the most important stuff, flying down to lower elevation fields within the state of Arizona. No matter which type, night flying and approaches with ceilings below 1000 feet are no-go territory. Long story short; the main mission would be bumming around the "local" area for fun with about 30-40% serious, mountain-topping cross-country flying being a highly desirable option. My concerns with the J are performance above 15,000 feet and dispatch reliability given weather conditions. I like the systems simplicity and the associated lower burden of cost while enjoying the relative simplicity on fun-flying days. My concerns with the K are reliability, maintenance cost, the effect complex systems have on "fun factor" when hanging flying around the local area, and whether you all feel those are justified by any increased dispatch reliability. Thank you all for your responses, and stay safe up there! -Rich

Scenarios: 1. We purchased the MLB100 with our Avidyne AXP 322 and IFD 540. 2. Also, we have a GDL39R being used with Garmin Pilot. 3. What we have noticed on the Garmin Pilot with a GDL-39 since around mid-2018, after the update, we now have access and can utilize the new FIS-B weather products are available such as the following: Lightning Turbulence Icing Cloud Tops Graphical AIRMET Center Weather Advisory 4. My question is since MLB unit is a NAVWORX unit and NAVWORX is out of business, will the MLB100 units receive any updates via Avidyne and/or any other 3rd party source that may take on these units. If no, then basically, we have invested into a product (that is only a couple of years old) that will not provide any current FIS-B functionality. OR 5. Will these new FIS-B WX products become available via a firmware update to the IFD 540? Now for another scenario 6. Will the Garmin GTX 345R work with the IFD540? This will allow us to remove both the AXP-322 and MLB100 and 1 unit in lieu of 2. 7. In addition to question #6 (if the 345R will work) will the newer ADS-B products be supported with the IFD unit? Overall it seems like the IFD unit will need a firmware update to support the newer ADS-B features since many of these features are consider map overlays that the end-user can toggle off and on. 8. Regardless if you fly with a Garmin GTN or Avidyne IFD series, why can't you have Winds aloft and FIS-B Radar displayed both at the same time? On the inexpensive Garmin Pilot app you can display both at the same time, but not on our $$,$$$ GPS units. 9. On the IFD100 will the newer FIS-B products be available? 10 What about the Skytrax 100? Is the the same operating system and different name? Is this a total different unit? and can any details be provided about the new ADS-B FIS-B products in regards of the Skytrax100 supporting these features? Sorry, I do not fly with Foreflight; although, I do have the Foreflight APP. Foreflight users are welcome to chime in just as long the points are related to this post. The same goes for Garmin GTN, Avidyne IFD users, and/or any other FIS-B equipment and application that is applicable. This posting is not about which unit is better or worst; however, the objective is to determine and/or gather information and functionality based on the details depicted within this posting. Thank you.

I was just checking out AWC, no gloating about our weather here - although I do that a lot with family members that don't live in California! The differences are huge between East and West. Just wondering if anyone has moved from one side of the country to the other and how that impacted your flying?

I'm sure most of you have seen this but for those that haven't : http://hint.fm/wind/index.html

I learned early in my flying experience that weather decision making is an integral part of flying. I also learned in the days before the Internet and online tools, if I relied solely on the briefer's recommendation, I'd probably fly a lot less. As more and more of these online tools became available, supplementing the formal weather briefing with accurate, current and predictive capability became a reality. I thought I would share the tools I am using in addition to the DUATS briefing. I woul love to see what others have found. First up. Skew-ts. If there is a tool that was made for aviation, it is the skew-t. The challenge with the skews is the amount of work required to understand what data it is presenting. It contains predictions of cloud layers, icing level and thunderstorm CAPE probabilities. One of the tools I have been using is SkewTLogPro. It was free when I signed up but I think I read that there will be a fee going forth. You can get the same information going to the website, but the app makes it much easier. http://rucsoundings.noaa.gov/ Next up. Quick and current radar. The radar that is presented in XM and FIS-B is a composite of several radar sweeps in a timeline. I found the app Storm provides access to real time radar to get an updated current radar view while on the ground. One nice feature of Storm in addition to getting "live" radar is the ability to move the tilt to help look and verify echo tops. Another couple of apps I find useful on the ground is Aviation Weather from NOAA. It has the charts in a quick and easy method to get them. And finally I use AeroWeather. This apps just gives you a quick access to the METARs. I like to load up airports along my route and have a quick access to the latest weather there. Helps me understand if things are acting as predicted. So what are others using?

Quick question for the Bahama flyers. My wife and I are scheduled to fly over to Eleuthera on 20 December. Forecast shows 2000 OVC for the entire day. Can anyone tell me what the MVA is? I'll be IFR and I don't have a clue how low they will let me go.

AREA FORECAST (FA) TO BE DISCONTINUED 12/31/2015 Taken from AOPA Pilot Magazine: "...advantages of area forecasts summarize weather by region with a quick overview fronts, lows, highs AND provide cloud layer and cloud top info, and summarize areas or precipitation both current and 6 hour forecast...." '''wants to move to more graphic breifings..." "....opponents of Area Forecast cite high metrorogist workload and other realignments...." I liked using the Area Forecast, particular the cloud layer, cloud ceiling, and top info. Where else can one find the cloud info forecast? example: NC MTNS...BKN050 LYRD FL280. OCNL VIS 3-5SM SCT -SHRA BR. OTLK...IFR CIG SHRA BR. PIEDMONT...BKN025 LYRD FL280. OCNL VIS 3-5SM SCT -SHRA BR. OTLK...IFR CIG SHRA BR. CSTL PLAIN...BKN050 LYRD FL280. ISOL -SHRA. BECMG 1417 BKN030. OCNL VIS 3-5SM WDLY SCT -SHRA BR. OTLK...MVFR CIG SHRA BR. . SC MTNS...BKN030 LYRD FL280. OCNL VIS 3-5SM SCT -SHRA BR/ISOL -TSRA. CB TOP FL350. OTLK...IFR CIG SHRA BR. PIEDMONT...BKN050 LYRD FL280. ISOL -SHRA. BECMG 1114 BKN030. OCNL VIS 3-5SM SCT -SHRA BR. OTLK...MVFR CIG SHRA BR. CSTL PLAIN...SCT050 BKN CI. BECMG 1215 BKN045 LYRD FL280. ISOL -SHRA. OTLK...VFR SHRA BECMG 2301 MVFR CIG SHRA BR.

With Florida's rainy season back upon us, I wanted to get some other opinions on what people use as their flying criteria in the summer. The vast majority of my travel is between Orlando and Miami, departing in the morning and coming back in the afternoon. Obviously this return trip puts me in the prime time for afternoon thunderstorms. My travel schedule is very flexible most of the time, so I can adjust my travel days to line up with what the weather is saying and avoid the known bad days. Lately I have developed a rather irrational fear of getting caught up in a thunderstorm and coming out the bottom as a non-flying hunk of metal. I think it really took hold when the PC-12 went down last year near Ocala with what was first attributed to an unsuccessful encounter with a thunderstorm (which has since been revised to bad flying when the autopilot disconnected for some reason - a topic unto itself). I say it is irrational because it becomes almost paralyzing (flying-wise) at times. I understand the importance of good risk management and use ADS-B weather enroute, so its not that I feel I'm flying by the seat of my pants. So my questions to others are: 1) How do you use the information available to you to determine the thunderstorm risks when you are 8-10 hours out of taking a flight (or a return flight). 2) Do you let the normal afternoon patterns in Florida deter you from flying in the summer? I am not talking about tropical disturbances or anything like that. I have found that over the past 3 years my summer flying drops off considerably and I think it is subconsciously (and now consciously) the thunderstorm issue. 3) Have you found yourself in a thunderstorm before? If so, how did you get yourself in it and what did you learn from the experience? 4) Do you feel confident that ATC in Florida has the understanding and equipment to keep you out of thunderstorms?

I removed the RCA RTA 1001 color radar display and radar assembly from my 1980 M20J. At the time of removal the unit would power up, paint color, and the assembly in the wing was fully functional in its rotation up and down and side to side. I know nothing about radar and do not make any representations as to whether is actually paints the weather accurately. What I will say, is that the former owner of the plane was a lawyer, my boss, and a friend who said he used it all of the time. We removed it to make way for a Garmin 396 with XM and shed 30 lbs.. With all of that said, I am looking to sell all or part of it. I have seen just the radar receiver antenna only on ebay for $800.00 and the display for $400. If you are interested, give me an offer. Pictures are posted. The yellow tag is from a previous shop in 1998.

I have a couple of questions for anyone that has Skyradar and use it with WingX. I just got the Skyradar DX Dual band receiver with the AHRS. I am using it for backup weather, traffic and attitude indicator. I already have an MX-20 with a GNS 480 and I get traffic and XM weather on those instruments. I used the Skyradar for the first time today and it appeared to work very well for traffic, weather and with the AHRS. I compared it to my current, attitude, traffic and weather on the MX-20 and 480 and it was pretty much the same except for a few minor differences and that was my question. I noticed that the traffic was a little different between what I saw on WingX, what I saw on the Radenna Skyradar software and what I saw on my MX-20.. Not a lot of difference but there was some. Does anyone know what causes that? Is there a distinction as to how the programs pick up the dual ADS traffic bands and then display them in WingX and the Radenna Skyradar software? As I was flying and using the Skyradar with the WingX it showed an aircraft at my position and altitude that did not show up on my mx-20. I made a turn to check for traffic and noticed that the WingX traffic icon turned with me. That's when I figured out that WingX was showing my plane as the traffic in addition to the WingX icon showing my position. Has anyone had this happen to them? Why would WingX show my plane as traffic on the ADS-B traffic system? I have a GTX-330 transponder with mode S installed. In addition to supplying TIS traffic to my mx-20, 480 and 430, I read in my manual that it transmits a coded response at 1090 MHz, the same frequency that is picked up by the Skyradar receiver. Is it possible I am receiving ABS-B traffic of my plane sent back from the ground stations because of the signal sent out by the GTX 330? On another note, does anyone know what happens when you turn on the "Filter ADS-B Traffic" in the settings section of WingX? Does it filter out the traffic or filter out traffic at certain distances. Thanks.

I would like to replace the Questair OAT in my window with something easier to read and more accurate. Any suggestions? Is there anything which is FFA-PMA approved?

For Sale: 1 AvMap EKP-IV Handheld GPS with panel mounting kit and all wiring/hardware for connection to aircraft power 1 WxWorx XM Weather Receiver All antenna and applicable cords/connections $1,200 New AvMaps are $1,300. New WxWorx XM Receivers are $600. (per Aircraft Spruce) These will also be listed on Ebay, so highest offer will get it.

One of the best tools I've ever found for planning cross country flights is one that it seems few people know about. Go to weather.aero, where you'll find an experimental adds site from faa / ncar (national center for atmospheric research). The site is good, but check out the flight path tool under desktop apps. It is a java app that works on mac or pc. The brilliance is that it gives you access to the 3 dimensional current/forecast model of the atmosphere. You put in a route of flight, and you can see VERTICAL cross sections as well as an area view for the weather aspect you choose. If you turn on relative humidity, for instance, you can see where the cloud layers and tops are forecast. It is brilliant. Anyone else been using this? it is the only way I've found to plan long trips particularly where there is imc with chances of icing I'd like to avoid... Greg