Anybody with an Ovation in central Germany?

[David_S]

Having sold my M20J when I left the US a few years ago, I'm now trying to buy another Mooney. I've narrowed the selection down to either another M20J or possibly a steam-gauge Ovation. However, I've never even sat in an Ovation I'm worried that the high instrument panel may be too high for me to comfortably see over. It has a reputation for feeling a little claustrophobic with the restricted view ahead.

 

Here's the problem - all the Ovations currently for sale are really difficult for me to reach. It seems stupid to take a commercial flight to Italy and hire a car to drive to the airfield where the aircraft is, just so I can sit in it and discover it's not a good fit for me. So I was wondering if there were any Ovation owners within a few hours' drive of Frankfurt who may be willing to let me take a look at their aircraft. At the same time, any advice on owning and running the aircraft would be greatly appreciated.

 

Many thanks,

David

[shorrick mk2]

Hi David - you may want to contact Fritz Kaiser on this forum who drives a Bayern-based Ovation. Otherwise I can fly up some day some place nice close to Frankfurt. I'm not too tall and I don't feel claustrophobic in it. The view isn't helicopter like but not tank-slit like either. It has a lower tail stance on the ground so maybe that's where the restricted view comes from. In flight I can't complain.

[carusoam]

Go O1!

The seats are adjustable in the vertical plane, to put your eyes as high as possible, and keep your head off the ceiling.

Good luck in your search.

To increase the strength of your search, it is possible to ferry Os from the states without much technical effort.

Best regards,

-a-

[Fritz Kaiser]

Hi David,

Yes i'm willing you looking at my O1... and you can have a ride with N831T.

I'm based in Regensburg ( EDNR )

Let me know where we can meet and we will make an appoinment .

...and as Antony wrote: the seats are adjustable and for me the seat Position is very comfortable.

Greeting from Bavaria

Fritz

[David_S]

Excellent, thank you for all the replies everyone.

Fritz - that's very kind of you, I'd love to take you up on your offer.

I can easily drive down to Regensburg to meet you there. A flight would be wonderful, that's a very generous offer, but I must insist on reinbursing you for the cost.

I'll send you a message with my contact details and availability.

Thanks again to all,
David
 

[David_S]

Just to update everyone on this, Fritz and I met up yesterday at Regensburg. He spent a lot of time showing me around the aircraft and talking about his experiences running and maintaining it compared to his previous F-model. We then went for a flight in the local area so I could experience the handling and control forces and see how the view over the cowling worked out in flight and landing.

 

It was very kind of Fritz to spend so much of his time helping me out. It has helped a great deal in my choice of aircraft. As I discovered, the instrument panel is higher than the J, but it's not really a problem. So it looks like the Ovation is on the shopping list.

 

Many thanks to Fritz for his help and generosity. Despite my best efforts, he steadfastly refused to let me pay towards the flight and to my shame he even paid for the beers afterwards!