IndyFlyer Posted February 22, 2016 Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 I currently own a Cherokee 180 and am looking to upgrade in the near future. Looking to acquire a much better cross-country traveling airplane, and the Mooney Ovation is one of the three airplanes I'm considering. My short list of airplanes is Mooney Ovation, Piper Saratoga, or newer Cessna Skylane. I love the speed of the Ovation, but not sure about the interior space. I need a comfortable traveling airplane for me, my wife, and daughter; however, we are not small people - I'm 6'3", my daugher is 5'10', etc... I've had the opportunity to fly in the Saratoga and Skylane and they both have adequate space (the Saratoga is huge), but I've never had the opportunity to sit in or fly the Ovation. My question is, how would you compare the interior space of the Ovation to a Cherokee or Skylane? Is it adequate size to be a comfortable traveling platform for 3 larger people? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M20F Posted February 22, 2016 Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 Less than the Saratoga or 182 but comfortable enough, the best thing to do is look around for one to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyFlyer Posted February 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 Would love to have the opportunity to try an Ovation on for size if anyone on this forum knows of an Ovation in the southwest Indiana, Southeast Illinois, or Northern Kentucky area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsengle Posted February 22, 2016 Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 Of course as far as sizing goes any long body mooney will do, ovation, bravo, acclaim... I will say the ovation will get you there the fastest of the three. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonal Posted February 22, 2016 Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 You did not mention how tall is your better half I think any of the long body Mooney's would be the same for space analysis. An Ovation is going to spank the 182 on speed. And welcome to Mooneyspace. Carusoam I am 3 for 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slowflyin Posted February 22, 2016 Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 Best I can recall the later model Skylanes have a 42" wide cabin and the Ovation is 44". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Posted February 22, 2016 Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 The big difference will be the seating position. In Cessnas, you sito like in a chair. Mooneys sit like a sports car, with your legs out in front rather than under your. There's no "under seat" storage, either. That said, my wife and I travel in a,short body with no trouble. Three are comfortable. You shouldn't have a problem with a long body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LANCECASPER Posted February 22, 2016 Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 If you come down to TX, I'll give you a ride in an Ovation. If you like it I'll make you a good deal on it, since I own 2 Mooneys - 1 too many. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M20F Posted February 22, 2016 Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 1 hour ago, slowflyin said: Best I can recall the later model Skylanes have a 42" wide cabin and the Ovation is 44". They both measure that differently though and the 182 is wider over the entirety of the cabin. I have been in all three models and own a Mooney. It isn't uncomfortable but it certainly isn't as roomy as a 182. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted February 22, 2016 Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 Go,O! The adjustability of the seats allows for the comfort settings to allow for your particular height and eye placement. 6' 3" doesn't tell how tall your torso is or how long your legs are. Your Levis will tell the rest of the story... The O's seats can be moved up or down and reclined back if you are all torso. O seats can be moved back into the spacious back seat if you are all leg. O rudder pedals have adjustments too. In the event you are all torso and no legs, add the Mooney pedal extensions. Getting fit for your new Mooney may take a few minutes. My young Prince and princess enjoy the luxury of their O reclining back seats... Keep in mind I selected the Mooney based upon its performance specs first. The family's growth needed to fit inside the available space. If speed is important, Go Mooney. If space is important, Go Long Body Mooney. If speed, efficiency and space is your thing, Go O! See if the Piper forum is as welcoming to this question. Lance's O is PrimO! Best regards, -a- 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbridges Posted February 22, 2016 Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 I think shoulder room is pretty close with cherokee. The mooney begins to taper in above the shoulders, so it may give a feeling of being tighter. The three planes you picked are pretty different from each other. If you want speed, the mooney hands down, but the Saratoga carries more load. The skylane is a great all around plane, but lacks of the speed of the ovation (or any other mooney). But it's not always about speed. Figure out how much you need to carry, how far you need to go, and see which of these 3 planes fits your mission. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff_S Posted February 22, 2016 Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 I'm 6'3" and my wife is 5'8". I can tell you that with the adjustability of the seats, you can easily make an Ovation fit for just about any body type. I never bump shoulders with anybody, and I have plenty of head room. The back seats are spacious (for a Mooney) and as noted, they recline, so they can be pretty darn comfortable. It will be a bit more difficult to load up the people in the back, but if they are reasonably athletic it shouldn't matter. That last point is not a joke, unfortunately. Because of the way Mooney sits you down low to the floor, it does require a decent amount of agility and strength to be able to get in and out of the cabin. I have a good buddy with bad knees, and getting him to the co-pilot seat is pretty easy, but getting him out is a bit comical. The only other drawback you may have is useful load. Depending on what add-ons your plane has (e.g. A/C or ice protection or built-in O2) you may need to think about your load a bit.Mine has A/C, which chews into that by 60 lbs (might even be 80, can't remember). So that when I have myself at 180, my wife at (ha! I'm not an idiot so I won't tell you) and 70 gallons of gas, I only have 190 lbs left over for passengers and luggage. I think both the 182 and the 'Toga will let you haul way more stuff. On the other hand, on 70 gallons of gas going 175 KTAS on 13.5 GPH, I can go 700 NMs in four hours with legal reserves. Try that in a Piper or Cessna! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenL757 Posted February 22, 2016 Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 Indy, I've flown everything you're currently looking at, and settled on the Ovation for every reason listed above, and then some...too much to list. The Ovation is by far the best cross-country IFR platform ever, in my opinion. For speed and range capability, none of your other choices will beat it. As far as comfort, I'm 6'4" (depending on which convenience store I'm leaving...), and need to move the seat up nearly 9 inches to be properly-positioned. I have TONS of room, and my moving forward gives the back seat passengers a bunch of leg and head room. My wife is about 5'1", and has plenty of shoulder room as well. The seat heights, lumbar, etc. are easily-adjusted to get comfy on long trips, and as mentioned above, the rear seats slightly recline. The long-body design makes that possible in large part, so I certainly agree you need to fly in one first. If you want to meet up somewhere mid-way between Long Island, NY and your home (or even closer to your home), I'll fly out. A ride in my Ovation and lunch are on me. Regards, Steve 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godfather Posted February 22, 2016 Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 I find with two 200 lb people in the front it helps to stagger the seats for more shoulder room. Because of this having one vs two extra passengers in the back is nice as they can sit behind the forward seat or sit sideways for even more room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlthig Posted February 22, 2016 Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 I've never flown an O, but I can comment on the Saratoga. I had a good friend allow me to fly his Turbo-Saratoga for a while. It was very plush with a/c and full glass. It had plenty of room in the back and my family thoroughly enjoyed it. Now my wife and kids have a fairly high bar for their comfort. The down side, it never saw a gas station that it didn't like and the useful load was only a little over 1000 pounds. I was shocked when he showed me in the logbooks. Older Saratogas/Lances have better useful load, some are around 1400. I suppose my point is make sure you get into the details for each airplane before you go too far down the road. Good luck. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVIDWH Posted February 22, 2016 Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 You will spend so little time in the Ovation, comfort is never an issue. In mine I just push the throttle forward and almost immediately am requested to report a 3 mile base for landing. Enjoy, and in the words of Yogi Berra, "Don't make too many wrong mistakes." Ie. Piper, Cessna?? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triple8s Posted February 22, 2016 Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 FYI, a more efficient plane needs less fuel which is weight. A faster plane gets from a to b in less time, less time is less fuel required. Do your homework. What's more useful weight when you have a less efficient aircraft you trade passenger/baggage weight for fuel you are going to have to carry. "Choose wisely" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsengle Posted February 22, 2016 Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 Personally I may have to downgrade from an Ovation to a Saratoga one day because I have twins and they will one day be too big for the plane. But I don't look forward to that day. I had an 81' Arrow previously that I really enjoyed, but there is no comparison with my Ovation. Build quality, control feel, speed, precision, capability... It's a whole 'nother league... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlunseth Posted February 22, 2016 Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 Because of the seating configuration of the Mooney's, height is just not an issue. Lots of very tall pilots fly them without trouble, and some people report flying with their cowboy hats on although I don't see how you can do that and use the headset. Personally, I can't wear any hat in the cockpit, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the cabin height, which is ample, but with the fact that headsets don't fit very well over any hat. You can have an issue with width in a Mooney, so if any of the front seat passengers really like the "extra-wide" reclining chairs that you can buy nowadays for TV watching, the one's that are about two people wide, the Mooney cockpit might be a little scrunchy. If you are of normal weight and not Arnold you will fit just fine regardless of height. Don't worry about height. Mooney seats are configured like a sports car, like my old MGA. The seat was just a couple of inches off the floor and legs went forward quite far into the footwells. Same with the Mooney's. There is quite alot of adjustment available in the seat to accommodate short or long legs very comfortably once you are in the seat. Getting in and out of the cabin door can be a little bit of an exercise if you are tall, but anyone of normal limberness can do it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyFlyer Posted February 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 1 hour ago, StevenL757 said: Indy, I've flown everything you're currently looking at, and settled on the Ovation for every reason listed above, and then some...too much to list. The Ovation is by far the best cross-country IFR platform ever, in my opinion. For speed and range capability, none of your other choices will beat it. As far as comfort, I'm 6'4" (depending on which convenience store I'm leaving...), and need to move the seat up nearly 9 inches to be properly-positioned. I have TONS of room, and my moving forward gives the back seat passengers a bunch of leg and head room. My wife is about 5'1", and has plenty of shoulder room as well. The seat heights, lumbar, etc. are easily-adjusted to get comfy on long trips, and as mentioned above, the rear seats slightly recline. The long-body design makes that possible in large part, so I certainly agree you need to fly in one first. If you want to meet up somewhere mid-way between Long Island, NY and your home (or even closer to your home), I'll fly out. A ride in my Ovation and lunch are on me. Regards, Steve Thanks for the offer... We were in NY city this last year on vacation. In hindsight, I wish I would have made the connection with you earlier because it would have been the perfect time to see your Ovation. If I am not able to locate an Ovation closer, we might try to work something out. Thanks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyFlyer Posted February 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 3 hours ago, LANCECASPER said: If you come down to TX, I'll give you a ride in an Ovation. If you like it I'll make you a good deal on it, since I own 2 Mooneys - 1 too many. Looks like you have a VERY nice Ovation for sale... Just curious what your useful load is since it has air conditioning? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roglaws Posted February 22, 2016 Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 Is the ovation wider than a 252? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbridges Posted February 22, 2016 Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 24 minutes ago, roglaws said: Is the ovation wider than a 252? all mooneys are the same width. fuselage gets longer with newer models. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsengle Posted February 22, 2016 Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 Except the newest Mooneys side panels are sculpted in such a way as to add a little extra width near the elbows... Not sure when that started but all ovations have em Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Trotter Posted February 22, 2016 Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 I will be at the Jasper Co. (KRZL- Rensselaer, Indiana) on Monday (Feb 29) late am. Would be happy to provide a test flight etc. in an Ovation 2-3 conversion (310HP mod). If your interested send me a Message. I just went through the same process just 3 months ago. I have absolutely NO regrets in selection the Ovation. As in life there are always trade offs. All things considered (economy, fit/finish, IFR platform, Speed, comfort, safety), there was little doubt the Ovation was the right choice for me. There is plenty of room inside for the typical person (1-2 std deviations from average). Useful load is certainly something to be aware of, but for single piston planes your going to be in the same neighborhood after considering speed/efficiency for most plane choices. I might suggest you list of what is most important to you in a plane. Fly in each with your priorities in mind and I suspect the proper decision will be very evident. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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