Looking hard at the Ovations..

[Shadrach]

15 hours ago, Alan Maurer said:

I have had my 2008 Ovation 2 for two years. It has had few issues and is a fantastic airplane. Since I have had the airplane the gear donuts were timed out

and I had a crack in the muffler. These were the two expensive items. The G1000 is very capable and the 100+ fuel tanks make longer range possible.

With full fuel that allows 450 pounds in the cabin which is fine. I don't have AC, FIKI or O2 so more useful load. For summertime I use a portable AC

parked on the rear seats which works better than factory air. Airplane is ,of course, very speedy. The Mooney is not the most forgiving single and 

should be flown by the numbers. Very solid , well built airplane!

That's not bad for two years.  I sense that your definition of expensive may "evolve" in the coming years...!

[Schllc]

On 7/30/2021 at 6:31 PM, SalMCFI said:

We just bought a '97 Ovation and passed on a couple of G1000 birds.  Basically, because I would have been stuck in the G1000 "eco system".  The plane I bought has an Aspen PFD Max, G5 backup, and GTN650.  All more modern and capable then the G1000.  I'm going to be able to upgrade the AP to the GFC500 relatively "cheaply" and will have a nice panel, albeit not as clean as the G1000, but faster, WAAS, and great AP.  

 

I don't think I would argue against the fact that new toys are more modern, but it is inaccurate to say they are more capable. They have more menu's, may be more intuitive, and process a bit faster, but they are no more capable.   The G1000 is an incredible platform, even for its age and limitations.  I have yet to meet someone that owns the system, that wishes they didn't.

Once you own and fly it regularly, it becomes second nature and you miss it sorely when you fly without.  To each their own but, most of the people that rag on it, have never owned a plane with the system. 

 

[EarthboundMisfit]

2 hours ago, Schllc said:

I don't think I would argue against the fact that new toys are more modern, but it is inaccurate to say they are more capable. They have more menu's, may be more intuitive, and process a bit faster, but they are no more capable.   The G1000 is an incredible platform, even for its age and limitations.  I have yet to meet someone that owns the system, that wishes they didn't.

Once you own and fly it regularly, it becomes second nature and you miss it sorely when you fly without.  To each their own but, most of the people that rag on it, have never owned a plane with the system. 

 

Agree.  TCAS and Stormscope also invaluable on our Ovation 2GX. 

[Bentonck]

I am going to second what Schllc says....the G1000 is a very capable platform indeed.  I think the issue for most everyone is not the platform itself or it's limitations but rather the fact that it has become a legacy system with little/no potential upgrade paths.  A '97 you can gut and put in any different number of systems, while the later model long bodys from the mid/late 2000's are stuck with the G1000 unless another potential upgrade path is offered.  The new owners (of Mooney) have been adament that they are going to provide a path to NXi which would be great, but to be honest today for what I'm doing the G1000 with GFC700 AP is about as great a platform as I could imagine.  We had to carry more stuff further and ended up buying a King Air and we got G600s with G750's in it which is also a great, great platform to fly behind but I know there are people taking the (more expensive) route and putting G1000's in King Airs (albeit a later version, but it's still a G1000...)

 

Anyway, I've never been flying my Mooney thinking "If only I had a different panel in here"...

Edited August 26, 2021 by Bentonck

[carusoam]

Great pirep Denton!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Go MS!

Best regards,

-a-