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Early Ovation


Skipilot

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Hello all, I have just begun a search for an early Ovation. I have about 300 hours in New Mooney’s back in the late 90’s, but don’t recall everything I should about the Ovation...that said, what should I be looking for in a good solid Ovation?  Do’s? Do not’s? Thank you in advance. 

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Skipilot-

I just bought a new Ovation last June (2018).  Love it.

I would highly recommend low time, 310hp conversion and G1000 avionics suite.  If it doesn't have ADS-B, walk away.

I am based at a high altitude airport and did the 310HP conversion at the recommendation of Don Kaye.  Well worth it.  You won't get any meaningful additional cruise speed out of it, but it will get you off the ground faster in high density altitude environments.  it's really a different airplane with the 310HP conversion.  I flew mine about 6 weeks +/- before I did the conversion and would never go back.

I don't have TKS or air conditioning, nor do I want either.  TKS slows you down.  A/C is worthless.  I have been in aircraft equipped with A/C, total waste of $$$, doesn't work well.

The only unexpected issue I had was the starter adapter beginning to fail, and I had it replaced immediately.

I am overly pleased with the Ovation, and I have flown a Mooney for 20 years.  The Ovation has been referred to as the "Queen of the Fleet".  I'd agree.  Best bird they have made.  You really don't need the Acclaim unless you regularly fly up in the flight levels.  At 14,000', the Ovation does great.

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My suggestion is read "Joe Frisolone Mooney Ovation Pre-Purchase Inspection" article.  It helped me during my learning and searching for my Ovation. 

I Want to Buy a Mooney Ovation

What Should I Do?

 

frisolone.jpg
By Joe Frisolone
East Coast Aviation
   

{Originally printed in the August/September 1999 Issue of the MAPA LOG, Mooney Aircraft Pilots Association's monthly magazine.}

The Mooney Ovation model M20R first took flight in 1994. From the beginning this phenomenal aircraft has been the leading model sold by the highly skilled craftsman of Mooney Aircraft Corporation. By the time you read this article Mooney will have manufactured and delivered serial number 191, proudly sold by East Coast Aviation. Sorry, had to get that in!

If you are not familiar with the Ovation then you may be wondering why this speed demon has even surpassed the venerable Mooney MSE in units manufactured since it was first introduced. Well, it is simple, really. The Mooney Ovation is the fastest single engine normally aspirated aircraft ever produced. Take that Beech Bonanza, had to get that in too! Anyway, once again the superior engineers at Mooney Aircraft Corporation came up with the optimal combination of airframe and powerplant to deliver an incredible combination of efficiency and speeeeeed.
T he Mooney Ovation combines the "long body" fuselage first introduced with the Mooney Porsche and then perfected with the Mooney TLS/Bravo with the Teledyne Continental Motors 10550G engine. The engine horsepower is derated to 280 turning at 2500 RPM. While the TLS/Bravo is the fastest Mooney built thus far, this distinction is based on high altitude flying. In fact, the Ovation is a tad faster than the TLS/Bravo at or below 8000 ft MSL.

So, you want to purchase a used Ovation and want to know what you should took for. Well, I will get to that, but first the disclaimers. In my first article regarding pre-purchase inspections which debuted in the June issue of the MAPA Log I told you that I intended to run a series of three articles regarding pre-purchase inspections of all the different models of Mooney Aircraft. When I sat down to write article #2, I realized that I could fill the space allotted in the MAPA Log just on the TLS/Bravo alone. So I decided to concentrate' on individual models as well as grouping certain models as I go. My goal and intentions are to provide you with the "inside" information you need to achieve your goal of purchasing a good safe used Mooney aircraft. Now, having said that; disclaimer #2: There are several redundancies from one model to another, especially between the Ovation and the TLS/Bravo. Therefore, you will notice some of the same things stated in this article as the previous article I wrote regarding pre-purchase inspections of the TLS/Bravo. Simply put, both aircraft have basically the same airframe with different engines. And, rather than have you refer to a previous article for a specific point, I believe it will be more beneficial for the reader if I include pertinent information even if it is redundant to a previous article.

Let's get started. After the flight test, we need to perform the differential compression test. For those of you converting from Lycoming powered Mooneys to a Continental powered Mooney, this may be the biggest adjustment you will make. The acceptable compression readings of a Continental engine will typically be much lower than those of Lycoming engines. Teledyne Continental has printed Service Bulletin M84-15 which dictates the approved procedure and acceptable compression readings for their engines.

In this Service Bulletin they discuss the difference between "static leakage" and "dynamic leakage." Static leakage is air leakage past the valves and dynamic leakage is air leakage past the compression rings. In Service Bulletin M84-15, Continental states that zero static air leakage is acceptable. However, dynamic air leakage is another story. Teledyne Continental will allow incredibly low differential compression readings if the low reading is due to a dynamic air leakage How low is acceptable? Well that varies depending on the tester you are using. Let me try to explain this to you. In the afore-mentioned Service Bulletin, Continental specifies a special tool (p/n646953) that must be used to calibrate the differential compression tester the Technician uses to perform the differential compression tests. Upon application of the special tool with the differential compression testor, a technician will then know the lowest acceptable value for differential compression tests performed on Continental engines. For example, at East Coast Aviation both of our calibrated differential compression testers are at or about 48/80 P.S.I. Thus, according to Teledyne Continental Motors, differential compression readings as low as 48/80 PS.I. are acceptable so long as the air leakage is past the compression rings and not the valves.

Now, after that long winded explanation on what Continental considers acceptable, let me explain what our standards are at East Coast Aviation. First of all, if performing an Annual Inspection we wouldn't return to service any engine that had a cylinder or cylinders with differential compression reading of 48/80 PS.I. How low is too low depends on several factors. The total time of the cylinders. The relationship of all cylinder compression readings compared to each other and what the compression readings were the last time a differential compression check was performed. Also, when comparing the differential compression readings subsequent to the current readings, the amount of flight time that has elapsed has relevance.

  • Given our current experience with the Ovation engine, our personal minimum is 60/80 P.S.I. However, if one cylinder is 60/80 while all the others are 68/80 to 74/80 for example, I would suspect a problem with the one cylinder that was 60/80. Typically, when one cylinder is substantially lower than the others, suspect a problem.
  • For engines that are less than 500 hours since new, you should expect to see compression readings around and about 68/80.
  • For engines between 500 hours and TBO expect the mid-sixties for compression readings.

Another indication of the health of a cylinder is what the firing end of the spark plugs look like. It's an old cliche but spark plugs do tell a story. For example, if they are damp with oil you can assume that cylinder they came out of has worn oil control rings. Also, if your maintenance facility owns a borescope, the cylinders can be examined for rust or pitting as well as excessive carbon build-up. In the end, experienced maintenance personnel should know how to interpolate the differential compression readings and examine the spark plugs and cylinders to determine the health of the cylinders. If the technicians you choose to perform the pre-purchase inspection are not familiar with Teledyne Continental Motors Service Bulletin M84-15 and have not calibrated their differential compression tester, choose another shop.

OK, enough already about differential compression tests. What else should we pay attention to inside the cowlings. In case you haven't noticed, I like to use bullet points on a regular basis, so here we go:

  • While performing the pre-purchase inspection, insist that an oil and filter change be accomplished. Make sure the oil filter cartridge is examined for metal contamination. Also, if maintenance personnel find tiny orange rubber slivers in the filter cartridge tell them to suspect the alternator drive clutch is coming apart. We have seen this four or five times thus far so I wouldn't call it a chronic problem, however, it can and does occur. And when it does expect a repair bill somewhere in the neighborhood of $1,500 parts and labor!
  • Make sure the alternator cooling air shroud has a rubber grommet at the A+ or main power wire lead. If not, inspect the metal stud at the A+ lead for excessive chaffing. The cooling air shroud is made of fiberglass and is sharp enough to chafe a slice into the metal A+ lead if not properly isolated with the rubber grommet. Also, there is a small metal bracket at the base of the cooling air shroud that helps to secure the shroud, it tends to crack if the rubber grommet is missing.
  • On the forward side of the engine there is a metal bracket that secures the two front metal cooling air baffles. It attaches via two oil sump bolts and secures to the metal cooling air baffle with #10 machine screws. Mooney Aircraft went through three generations of brackets before they manufactured a bracket that can hold up to every day stress and strain. If you have the generation 1 or 2 bracket you will know it because it will be cracked.
  • Inspect the metal engine mount in the vicinity of the forward left engine isolator mount. There is an aluminum cover/heat shield that protects the rubber lord mount from heat deterioration. In some cases, this shroud will chafe a slice into the metal engine mount. If the chafe mark exceeds more than 10% of the wall thickness of the metal engine mount, repair is required. Nasty stuff! P.S. We remove the shroud and router the edge sufficiently enough to eliminate the problem. Newer Ovations come with the proper clearance between the shroud and metal engine mount.
  • There are two orange ducts that run above and below the left side exhaust collector. One is cold air into the heater shroud and the other is hot air coming out of the heater shroud. Both of these ducts are highly susceptible to heat erosion from their close proximity to the exhaust collector. Also, the Adel clamps that secure them take a beating. Don't overlook these ducts, they are expensive to replace.
  • Speaking of the exhaust system, I will use this segue to mention the two exhaust system slip joints. They are located at the middle cylinders one each on either side. These slip joints can tend to be too big and therefore leak exhaust gases profusely on to the flanges of the two middle cylinders eroding the attaching hardware and causing a general mess.
  • If the aircraft does not have the optional stand-by alternator. Make sure the stand-by vacuum pump drive inspection has been performed within the preceding 200 flight hours. We have seen some drives that arc rounded off and will not pass the special inspection. I believe the cost of replacement exceeds $2,400.00.
  • If either or both magnetos have more than 500 hours since new, ensure that they have received a 500 hour inspection since new or the preceding 500 hour inspection.
  • Inspect the flexible orange duct/hose that transitions the fiberglass wye induction air system to the metal throttle air metering unit. Often this duct is chaffing on the engine and sometimes the chafe mark is all the way through the duct.
  • Review the mainteriance records to determine when the engine fuel system set-up procedure was most recently performed. If it has never been performed or has not been performed within several years or 300 hours or so it needs to be done. In the early days of the Ovation we had many customers who experienced clogged fuel injection nozzles as well as rough running engines due to clogged fuel injection nozzlcs or maladjusted fuel injection system. When the fuel injection system is properly adjusted and the fuel nozzles are clean, the Ovation engine is one of the smoothest running engines that I have experienced in the industry!
  • Ensure that the firewall attach points for the metal engine mount do not contain rust. This area is susceptible to rusting.
  • Carefully inspect the oil cooler mounting flanges for cracks, especially in the lower left flange area.
  • Check the baffle inside the induction air filter canister for cracks.

What should you took for on the airframe? If the aircraft is equipped with a TKS system, ensure all airframe and windshield pumps are in good working order. We have experienced pump failuresw in the field. We believe the primary reason for failure is the lack of usage by the owner/operator! Also, because fluid comes out doesn't necessarily mean the pumps are operating properly, the operating pressure is critical. If an owner/operator is a heavy TKS user, inspect the bellcrank needle bearings in the empennage for rust. The TKS fluid seems to displace the lubricant applied to these components during service, allowing rust to occur. Carefully inspect the fuel tank area for leakage.

Inspect the tall for excess play at the tail trim link mechanism. Also, check for excess play at the two hinge bolts. The two elevators and rudder utilize several rivets called, "Cherry Max" rivets. Inspect these rivets for signs of loosening. Occasionally, we have seen these rivets start to loosen or "work" as technicians call it in the field. You can identify this by a trail of black soot aft of the rivets. Technicians in the field call this, "smoking rivets".

Check the top sides of the wing flaps for excess chaffing. All Mooney wing flaps will chafe to a certain degree. However, if the flap attaching and actuating hardware is not maintained to near new tolerances, excess wing flap chaffing will occur.

Check the landing gear shock discs for excess compression. The maximum allowable compression is 5/8". Also, if you jack the aircraft and can rotate the shock disc's one half hour later, the shock discs require replacement.

Check the landing gear rigging and play amongst all of the actuating rod ends. If the aircraft was maintained by well meaning technicians that are not very familiar with the Ovation landing gear system, there may be problems. Pay particular attention to the roll pins that are used to secure each rod end to its respective push pull tube. We note play in this area from time to time. A nuisance, however a common problem, the arm rest attached to the pilot's seat is commonly broken.

Check the electric fuel pump low output regulator for proper operation. We have seen many instances where this function was inoperative or not properly adjusted in the field.

As mentioned previously, there are many similarities between the TLS/Bravo airframe and the Ovation airframe. Also, keep in mind I have not mentioned airworthiness directives or manufacturers service bulletins. I believe that AD's & SBs are routine easy items to research and verify, therefore assume that any competent maintenance facility you contract with will utilize current data to verify compliance. If you focus on the items I have mentioned, you will employ years of experience encompassing several Annual and pre-purchase inspections of Mooney Ovation's. This information coupled with diligent maintenance personnel will provide you with one of the greatest aircraft ever built... The Mooney Ovation!

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26 minutes ago, Mooney217RN said:

I would highly recommend low time, 310hp conversion and G1000 avionics suite.  If it doesn't have ADS-B, walk away.

++ on the 310hp or an Eagle with the 310 hp is equivalent. But I wouldn't walk away from lack of Ads-B since its easily solvable with a GTN-345R but I would be discouraged if it didn't have WAAS already just because its doesn't look like its possible to add it now since its out of production, leaving you with scrounging for a salvage GIA-63W's.

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Two other matters.

Go with a more recent Ovation, like an Ovation 2GX or Ovation 3 if it is within your budget.  The panel on the "vintage" Ovations is 2" higher than the more recent Ovations.  Ergo, you have less visibility out the windscreen.  It may even be 3" of difference, I forget, but it is significant and noticeable.

Contrary to Paul's comment above, I respectfully disagree on the ADS-B.  If it is not equipped, it can be a significant expense to equip.  I would walk away or factor it into the price.  If it doesn't have WAAS, well, it doesn't have WAAS.  I didn't care about that because to date I still haven't found a WAAS approach in my region.

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My opinion only, based on my own experiences......

The 280 HP/3 blade McCauley stock set up was quite capable.  It is certainly not under powered, nor is it an under performing airplane.

Travels included several cross countries.  I never landed or departed from Leadville (sp?) however!! :lol:

Again, if you discover an Ovation in excellent condition that meets your criteria, I certainly would not bypass it simply because it’s not converted to 310HP..... you can add that after the fact if you wish.

My opinion only please :)

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I recently purchased a 1997 Ovation 1 and love it. The engine was just overhauled and is the 280HP version and I am plenty happy with the performance. I fly mostly on the East Coast. The  glare shield doesn't bother me at all, and am used to the visibility. Mine has TKS and I couldn't be happier with the purchase. Where are you located?

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I’ve owned two with a/c.
I have heard people talk about the ac not working, but that has not been my experience and I live in south Florida. 
What I have found is that some  people forget to turn the vent off. 
If you forget this, the ac works well on the ground but as soon as you start moving it mixes with outside air and doesn’t work at all, but to say it’s worthless isn’t accurate. 
That being said, it costs you three knots and 100+ lbs of useful. 
If you’re  training or doing air work in a hot climate I wouldn’t buy one without it, otherwise...

I love the g1000 and have a hard time imagining owning one without it, but have heard good things about the 750 and g3 and wouldn’t be averse to trying them. 
The non waas g1000 is going to be somewhat of an issue eventually because it’s tied to the airframe, but adding a 100 or so feet to a minimum really isn’t an issue for the majority of people. 
 

If I had any suggestions, (not sure I’m qualified to give advice), I’d say find the cleanest, most frequently flown version, and tidiest logs of what you can afford. 
Fly with the owner and see how they treat the plane, and do a prebuy with someone good. 

 

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19 minutes ago, Mooney217RN said:

I am based out of TRK.  For the life of me, I cannot find a WAAS approach.

How about the TRK RNAV Y 20 - the LP min's require WAAS plus you'll get +V (advisory glide slope)

same for TRK RNAV Z 20 - the LP min's require WAAS plus it also has the +V

Also consider that even RNAV 11 approach that only has LNAV minimums, that with a WAAS GPS you will get +V advisory glide slope on it as well. 

So all of the TRK approaches, except the circling only GPS-A approach are benefited with WAAS

There is a lot more to WAAS than just WAAS approaches, such as airway routing, better VNAV and lots lots more.

And of course your likely to travel to many destinations that will utilize even better WAAS approaches with LPV. 

But even if ones personal minimums prevented ever utilizing the lower minimums of WAAS approaches, the benefits of WAAS are so pervasive and numerous in our flying that I would never want to go back to pre-WAAS days. The advisory glideslope alone on otherwise LNAV only approaches is a big improvement alone. 

Edited by kortopates
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I am a firm believer in the Pre G1000 Ovations. yes the G1000's are nice, but it isnt hard to put 2 G500's in your panel and end up with the same result. The cowling covers the visibility that you would gain from the 2 inch lower dash, so the only difference is that you can see the cowl. Check the donuts and lord mounts too. The Screaming Eagle aka 310hp conversion really makes it a different beast. it won't increase cruise by much, but it is way more capable when it comes to climb and takeoff. the moritz gauges work great when they do work, but are garbage when broken and are very expensive to repair. stay away from them and if you buy an aircraft with them, be prepared to but a Primary replacement such as a JPI900, 930, EI MRP 50, or the G3X TXI EIS.I'd also recommend LED's if you can find a plane with them already installed. Fuel tanks should also be checked and long range tanks are a plus. The mooney ovation in my opinion is such a simple airplane. no cowl flaps to deal with, and no heating issues. plenty of range, and great economy, while still being very comfy. If you want a g1000 aircraft, I'd make sure it has waas. a GTX345R can be installed easily for about 6 to 8k, but waas is a 30 to 45K upgrade. Personally I'd stay away from the G1000, since it doesn't seem like mooney is doing anything to keep it updated. an NXI upgrade isn't available? and by the looks of it, it doesn't look like it ever will be. I wouldn't want to be locked into the g1000, when I can create a panel just as capable for a lot less.

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Welcome aboard, ski

I just bought an Old O1... about a decade ago... seems like only yesterday. :)


Early O1’s are legendary...

See what they got for options...

  • MSE package is the usual Mooney Luxury version... lots of modern little tidbits...
  • O2
  • Fiki
  • A/C
  • Updates: 310hp, TopProp, GTNs, Aspens, G-screens... G-AP...
  • Look for added skills... WAAS, ADSB, weather, traffic....

Don’t pay any more than 700 for an old O1... when you can buy a new Ovation Ultra for around 800...  :)

Ask questions like...

why do I want a PPI...?

why should I go through TT...?

Go Mooney!

Best regards,

-a-

 

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I looked at 2000ish Ovations and came to the same conclusion Paul did about the WAAS being a must. The ADS-B upgrades are nothing in comparison to turning a non-WAAS G1000 into WAAS (>$25k when I was pricing them and that was back when the parts were still available).

G500, GTN 750/650, Aera 696. My plane does pretty much anything that the G1000 does (and some things it doesn’t). Look up the specs on the G1000 on Garmin’s page and compare it to the G500txi and the GTN 750/650 to prove this to yourself.

I’m also going to disagree about the TKS. I would never buy a plane without ice protection. I don’t care about a couple of knots because I cruise at 55-60% power anyway but there have definitely been times when I was glad I had TKS. 

These are minor points, though. The Ovations are wonderful planes and it’s hard to go wrong. If you haven’t looked at the 252 Encore, those are great planes as well (like all Mooneys). If I were buying a plane now these are ones I would look at.

And +1 on the 310 HP STC. Puts a smile on my face every time.

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The early Ovations and early Bravos are some of the best Mooney deals around and good platforms to make your "forever" airplane.

All Ovations (and Bravos from 1994 on) came with the newer fiberglass interior side panels covered in ultraleather, so even if it's time to reupholster the seats, an interior refurbish is going to be roughly half what it would cost to refurbish one with the older side panels.

The airframes are still new enough that it's not like starting with a 1970's or early 80's airframe.

Early Ovations and Bravos all had King 150 autopilots and generally unless you've had someone working on it that shouldn't be touching it, they are good solid autopilots.

With Dynon HDX approved for Mooneys (autopilots should be approved in 2020) and G3x certified you can do a dream panel for a lot less in real dollars than you ever could.

With most of these there is going to be some deferred maintenance that you'll need to catch up on in the first year or two of ownership, but if you buy it right you have a great traveling machine.

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I totally disagree with those saying go with a factory equipped g1000 ovation. The early ovations are steals. And often an awesome blank slate for panel upgrades. I added a top prop to my 1996 R and am very happy. I’m not locked in in any way avionics wise, and still waiting for that dust to settle. It’s a great pick, here is my current panel, I have the taller one and don’t mind it at all, just gives you more room for avionics. Still see fine.

02b32f993c81175dead7111f428f3a1d.jpg


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Mooney217RN the best was to get the juices flowing on this forum is mention you like or would want a G1000, you should know it totally makes your plane useless, undesirable and unsalable. 


The OP said he wanted an early ovation. The ones who jumped in were those advocating g1000 not the other way around. And there are undeniable gotchas with the factory installed g1000s that you have to know about...


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Thanks all....I am indeed looking for an early Ovation. I am very familiar with most of the avionics that you all have mentioned, having recently sold a Garmin GTN/G5 equipped 182. I’m just trying find the hidden gremlins that live within an early Ovation. That said, if someone knows of one...please let me know. 
 

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Thanks all....I am indeed looking for an early Ovation. I am very familiar with most of the avionics that you all have mentioned, having recently sold a Garmin GTN/G5 equipped 182. I’m just trying find the hidden gremlins that live within an early Ovation. That said, if someone knows of one...please let me know. 
 


I have a 96. Haven’t found a single gremlin. They are older so be aware of fuel tank sealant state, gear shocks, and know that the original prop is inferior to the later ones... Also the king stuff is great and mine works fine, but eventually it will have to be replaced... I’d love to ditch the vacuum system.


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1 hour ago, Skipilot said:

Thanks all....I am indeed looking for an early Ovation. I am very familiar with most of the avionics that you all have mentioned, having recently sold a Garmin GTN/G5 equipped 182. I’m just trying find the hidden gremlins that live within an early Ovation. That said, if someone knows of one...please let me know. 
 

Not that this is a huge thing, but big Continental starter adaptors like the Energizer starter, not the lightweight Iskra starters that were put in for awhile. The starter adaptor is an expensive rebuild ($1500 - $3000).

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