What do you get with the Midwest STC to Ovation 3?

[dico]

Hi All,

I've been looking and reading up on Mooneys and I notice many places have the MidWest STC that brings an Ovation 2 up to an Ovation 3.  I went to the Midwest site thinking I would just see a "Upgrade to Ovation 3 Mod", however I see they've got dozens of mods, but none jumped out at me as to what that upgrate might include.

Can someone please let me know what this upgrade/stc actually includes?

Thanks,

Dico

[carusoam]

Dico,

I think it goes something like this: 

3 blade prop + 2,700 rpm govenor = 310 hp.

Sometimes called the screamin eagle.

There are a couple on this board.....that can update this mild guess with actual facts.

Best regards,

-a-

 

[Cris]

Hi Dico - The Ovation 3 is in part a 310 HP STC licensed from Midwest Mooney M20 sales but installed by the Money factory. It changes the prop governor to allow the engine to turn to 2700 RPM & typically adjusts the fuel settings to represent the IO-550N as opposed to the IO-550G. There is a description/disclaimer of the STC on the Mooney Company site. I just had the 310 HP STC done on my M20S at Midwest Mooney & highly recommend them. There was an earlier version of this STC installed that increased the HP from the Eagle's 244 HP at 2400 rpm to the standard Ovation's 280 HP at 2600 rpm.  I had the earlier STC befeore I had it upgraded to the 310 HP @2700 RPM. What you get with the 310 Hp STC is a new prop governor, three bladed prop, tach, fuel system adjustments and the required paperwork & documentation. As a practical matter the T/O performance for my eagle is cut to less than half & the climb rate is dramatically improved. The gross weight is increased by 168 lbs to 3368 same as the Ovation 3. My current usefull load is 1124 lbs. In addition the Eagle was limited to a fuel load of 75 gals. It turns out that the fuel tanks are the same in the Ovation & Eagle but there is a baffle that makes fueling the Eagle difficult due to trapped air. The baffles have now been modified so that I can carry the full fuel load of 106 Gals. if I am so inclined. This A/C is now capable of 200 Kts. but the fuel burn will be 20 GPH leaned & 29 GPH in the initial climb. So for me I wanted better T/O performance similar to the J model I previously owned as well as increasd payload. All pilots want to climb faster, fly farther & carry more. This A/C now does all of that and I still get terrific speeds & economy at 2550 rpm. In fact on a recent flight from Biloxi Ms to Atlantic City NJ @11000 I was getting almost 20 miles per gal. according to the fuel computer. Of course it helped that I had a 30-45 Kt tailwind a good part of the time- LOL. This is an easy decision if you want speed safety & value for now & the future sale. Cris           

[docket]

Cris, welcome to the ownership of mooneys.

[Cris]

If interested you can go to the FAA site http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgSTC.nsf/MainFrame?OpenFrameSet & view the 310 HP STC from Midwest Modifications, LLC Flora Ill. as amended 1/28/11. You'll need to search under "STC Holder" 

[dico]

Quote: Cris

Hi Dico - The Ovation 3 is in part a 310 HP STC licensed from Midwest Mooney M20 sales but installed by the Money factory. It changes the prop governor to allow the engine to turn to 2700 RPM & typically adjusts the fuel settings to represent the IO-550N as opposed to the IO-550G. There is a description/disclaimer of the STC on the Mooney Company site. I just had the 310 HP STC done on my M20S at Midwest Mooney & highly recommend them. There was an earlier version of this STC installed that increased the HP from the Eagle's 244 HP at 2400 rpm to the standard Ovation's 280 HP at 2600 rpm.  I had the earlier STC befeore I had it upgraded to the 310 HP @2700 RPM. What you get with the 310 Hp STC is a new prop governor, three bladed prop, tach, fuel system adjustments and the required paperwork & documentation. As a practical matter the T/O performance for my eagle is cut to less than half & the climb rate is dramatically improved. The gross weight is increased by 168 lbs to 3368 same as the Ovation 3. My current usefull load is 1124 lbs. In addition the Eagle was limited to a fuel load of 75 gals. It turns out that the fuel tanks are the same in the Ovation & Eagle but there is a baffle that makes fueling the Eagle difficult due to trapped air. The baffles have now been modified so that I can carry the full fuel load of 106 Gals. if I am so inclined. This A/C is now capable of 200 Kts. but the fuel burn will be 20 GPH leaned & 29 GPH in the initial climb. So for me I wanted better T/O performance similar to the J model I previously owned as well as increasd payload. All pilots want to climb faster, fly farther & carry more. This A/C now does all of that and I still get terrific speeds & economy at 2550 rpm. In fact on a recent flight from Biloxi Ms to Atlantic City NJ @11000 I was getting almost 20 miles per gal. according to the fuel computer. Of course it helped that I had a 30-45 Kt tailwind a good part of the time- LOL. This is an easy decision if you want speed safety & value for now & the future sale. Cris           

[rbharvey]

If you dont need the three blade, the STC is  a little cheaper obviously but it has to be the Hartzell prop model as dictated by the STC. An addtionai item (the icing on the cake ) is there is a new designation plate rivated to your engine making it an N if I remember correctly. I dont think they replace the governor, it is just adjusted to 2700 RPM (at least mine wasnt). The only visually identifiable iteams are : prop (if u didnt have it), add tach in your dash, and engine nameplate change.

 

Bob

[Cris]

I'd suggest that you call Midwest Mooney M20 Sales directly to get specific questions answered. In my case I bought the A/C with the earlier 280 HP STC installed. It came with the correct three blade prop, tach, & gov. In upgrading to the 310 HP ie Ovation2-3, I was assured that it would require a differeant prop gov which was installed as I watched. In Bob's case he might have already had the correct gov. but I was not that fortunate. I also needed the tach changed to reflect the change to 2700 rpm. BTW VREF quotes a $20K add for an Ovation with this mod.   

[SpeedyJoe]

Looking at an Ovation 2 that is listed and thinking about the potential to upgrade it to a 3 at a later point. I googled what's involved with that and found this thread. Thanks for the good info as always. However, I also then looked up Midwest Mooney and found out on their home page that they are closing their doors on 4/30/15!

 

Anyone know any detail behind it? Furthermore, what about this STC? Will that be made available through another shop?

Thanks for any insights,

Joe.

[Guest]

Hi All,

I've been looking and reading up on Mooneys and I notice many places have the MidWest STC that brings an Ovation 2 up to an Ovation 3.  I went to the Midwest site thinking I would just see a "Upgrade to Ovation 3 Mod", however I see they've got dozens of mods, but none jumped out at me as to what that upgrate might include.

Can someone please let me know what this upgrade/stc actually includes?

Thanks,

Dico

Dico,

Are you from PEI? I have a beautiful Ovation 3 in my shop at the moment. We just finished the annual and it is about to go to market.

G1000, GFC 700, FIKI, ready to be imported.

Clarence

[carusoam]

http://www.midwestmooney.com

One line...As of May1, 2015...

-a-

[Joe Zuffoletto]

I left Matt from Midwest Mooney a VM a couple weeks ago asking what was going to happen to the STC. Also sent him an email. He responded to neither. Not cool, in my opinion.

[triple8s]

I have been struggling with whether or not to get the 310 HP STC for my Ovation as I have the 280 hp with the MacCauley 2 blade, now to hear that the STC maybe gone for good is very discouraging to say the least.

[PMcClure]

Sounds like a guy in bankruptcy. Probably cannot comment. I am in the same boat as triple 8s. Was hoping to upgrade my O2 at overhaul. What is the value of the STC? Can it be bought by anyone?

[M20S Driver]

Mooney now owns the whole STC and purchased it from Bob Minnis..   They are working on releasing the POH supplement  in the next couple of months.

[carusoam]

I sent Stacy Ellis a PM requesting an update if available...

I don't know if his PM is directly connected to his email.

Midwest Mooney is listed as a sales organization on the Mooney International web site. Not in Flora, IL

Best regards,

-a-

[StevenL757]

Mooney now owns the whole STC and purchased it from Bob Minnis.. They are working on releasing the POH supplement in the next couple of months.

Correct. Bob and I converse on a fairly frequent basis, and he encourages folks to reach out & is happy to discuss options with anyone, despite Mooney's new financial interests in the STC.

[StevenL757]

If you dont need the three blade, the STC is  a little cheaper obviously but it has to be the Hartzell prop model as dictated by the STC. An addtionai item (the icing on the cake ) is there is a new designation plate rivated to your engine making it an N if I remember correctly. I dont think they replace the governor, it is just adjusted to 2700 RPM (at least mine wasnt). The only visually identifiable iteams are : prop (if u didnt have it), add tach in your dash, and engine nameplate change.

 

Bob

Bob...slight correction if I may. An IO550G to 310BHP via this STC becomes an IO550G-AP (for "AvPower") and it receives a new engine placard. The IO550N-xx series engines (-8B or -16B, depending on whether you have air conditioning) are native 310HP "out of the box", and have their own placard. They're two different physical engine models entirely. You're correct in both cases, that a prop governor T20 update is required to run either engine at 2700RPM.

There are a couple of fringe benefits from installing an "N" vs. converting a "G". The "N" gets you 310HP "native - out of the box", which Bob Minnis claims was rated to ~ 334'ish HP in many tests before he released his STC...not something he saw with testing an upgraded "G". Another is the tapered cylinder fin design for better cooling. More details if needed... :-)

Regards, Steve

[StevenL757]

Sounds like a guy in bankruptcy. Probably cannot comment. I am in the same boat as triple 8s. Was hoping to upgrade my O2 at overhaul. What is the value of the STC? Can it be bought by anyone?

Bob Minnis' price for the STC was $6,750 before he sold to Mooney. He is still consulting and can offer to help if you're in the market or simply looking for more information or even a good discussion on the history behind the product / performance after the upgrade. PM me if I can facilitate an introduction if/when you're ready...happy to help.

[carusoam]

Mr. Minnis is a wealth of IO550 knowledge.

He really adds value to the hardware the customer is buying.

He took the time to lead me through all of the options and what made sense for my situation.

One of the best Mooney phone calls I've had...

Best regards,

-a-