Turbonormalizing a Mooney Ovation

[Mark89114]

Since I bought the mountain place in Wyoming, still no home or hangar, but that is separate discussion, I have been contemplating how to get over the mountains on a regular basis.

My ovation sort of runs out of steam at 13K and was thinking turbo normalization would be the way to go.  I know there is a kit for beech products was just thinking there might be some demand for the Ovation?  I realize it will be expensive, but what isn't?  The acclaims, etc. all turbo charged, I realize the difference.  Just thinking/daydreaming.  

I send an email to the turbo alley folks, but no response.  Don't even know if they are still in business, web site looks like it hasn't been updated for 20 years. 

 

[ilovecornfields]

Let me know if you get them to do it. I wouldn’t mind a turbo either.

[Mark89114]

6 minutes ago, ilovecornfields said:

Let me know if you get them to do it. I wouldn’t mind a turbo either.

I will start taking deposits........ 

 

[aviatoreb]

I’ve long thought a turbo normalized ovation by tornado alley akin to the turbo normalize io550 bonanza would be the best Mooney by a wide margin. 

[Mark89114]

2 minutes ago, aviatoreb said:

I’ve long thought a turbo normalized ovation by tornado alley akin to the turbo normalize io550 bonanza would be the best Mooney by a wide margin. 

I sent an email last night....he responded this morning.  Told me Ovations were high on the list.  Needs 10 "straw" orders (don't know that expression) and cost would be $55K to $60K.

 

[hypertech]

I'm probably a number of years away from such an upgrade but I would be interested eventually.

[donkaye]

30 minutes ago, Mark89114 said:

I sent an email last night....he responded this morning.  Told me Ovations were high on the list.  Needs 10 "straw" orders (don't know that expression) and cost would be $55K to $60K.

 

Considering the price of an Acclaim, that sounds  pretty good.

[kortopates]

TAT does it now with Cirri and Bonanza's on the essentially the same IO-550, so they're already really close except for working out the installation details. 

But honestly, you would do MUCH better expense wise by just trading up to an Acclaim and probably save a lot of headaches. That is after all only a "straw" price estimate!

Edited August 19, 2022 by kortopates

[KSMooniac]

That is encouraging that they are considering it! Years ago I inquired about porting their a Cardinal kit to a J and they said it won't happen. I don't think they've sold many, and those of us flying 4 cyl models are too frugal.

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[hypertech]

10 minutes ago, kortopates said:

TAT does it now with Cirri and Bonanza's on the essentially the same IO-550, so they're already really close except for working out the installation details. 

But honestly, you would do MUCH better expense wise by just trading up to an Acclaim and probably save a lot of headaches. That is after all only a "straw" price estimate!

Not true at all.  I've spent a lot of time and money chasing the gremlins out of my plane and getting it exactly how I want it.  I will never sell it (here's hoping this post ages well).

[Ragsf15e]

1 hour ago, Mark89114 said:

Since I bought the mountain place in Wyoming, still no home or hangar, but that is separate discussion, I have been contemplating how to get over the mountains on a regular basis.

My ovation sort of runs out of steam at 13K and was thinking turbo normalization would be the way to go.  I know there is a kit for beech products was just thinking there might be some demand for the Ovation?  I realize it will be expensive, but what isn't?  The acclaims, etc. all turbo charged, I realize the difference.  Just thinking/daydreaming.  

I send an email to the turbo alley folks, but no response.  Don't even know if they are still in business, web site looks like it hasn't been updated for 20 years. 

 

Is your Ovation FIKI?  In my opinion icing has been a bigger obstacle for my flying in the northwest than the mtns.  If you’re flying west from Denver I can see the mtns being an issue though…

[Mark89114]

20 minutes ago, kortopates said:

TAT does it now with Cirri and Bonanza's on the essentially the same IO-550, so they're already really close except for working out the installation details. 

But honestly, you would do MUCH better expense wise by just trading up to an Acclaim and probably save a lot of headaches. That is after all only a "straw" price estimate!

on controller only 2 acclaims for sale, one was a 2016 for $625K and a 2007 with the G1000 and no WAAS for $430K. 

 

[ilovecornfields]

17 minutes ago, Ragsf15e said:

Is your Ovation FIKI?  In my opinion icing has been a bigger obstacle for my flying in the northwest than the mtns.  If you’re flying west from Denver I can see the mtns being an issue though…

Mine is FIKi. With a turbo, parachute and gross weight increase it’ll be perfect. That’s not too much to ask for, right?

[Ragsf15e]

19 minutes ago, ilovecornfields said:

Mine is FIKi. With a turbo, parachute and gross weight increase it’ll be perfect. That’s not too much to ask for, right?

Well if it’s already FIKI, then yeah, the turbo would be awesome!  In the nw, turbo is great, but I’d want fiki first.

[LANCECASPER]

1 hour ago, Mark89114 said:

on controller only 2 acclaims for sale, one was a 2016 for $625K and a 2007 with the G1000 and no WAAS for $430K. 

 

That number for sale changes all of the time. The problem with STCs is they get orphaned over the years as things change and you are left to figure it out. One major expense they are not counting on is that the cowling on the M20R would have to be completely changed out out for cooling purposes. To develop that and manufacture it for 10 initial orders isn’t going to happen. Buying the Carbon Fiber Acclaim cowling has a list price of close to $20,000. If they had ten orders today and began developing it, by the time they got the STC approved, it would be many years. If you’re interested in a turbo buy one that’s already in the field and has gone through the development and approval process and the initial problems have been worked out. Where the Tornado Alley, etc Turbo conversions have succeeded is for manufacturers that didn’t offer a Turbo

[ilovecornfields]

17 minutes ago, LANCECASPER said:

That number for sale changes all of the time. The problem with STCs is they get orphaned over the years as things change and you are left to figure it out. One major expense they are not counting on is that the cowling on the M20R would have to be completely changed out out for cooling purposes. To develop that and manufacture it for 10 initial orders isn’t going to happen. Buying the Carbon Fiber Acclaim cowling has a list price of close to $20,000. If they had ten orders today and began developing it, by the time they got the STC approved, it would be many years. If you’re interested in a turbo buy one that’s already in the field and has gone through the development and approval process and the initial problems have been worked out. Where the Tornado Alley, etc Turbo conversions have succeeded is for manufacturers that didn’t offer a Turbo

Your logic and sound advice has no place here. Move along now…

[LANCECASPER]

2 minutes ago, ilovecornfields said:

Your logic and sound advice has no place here. Move along now…

Don’t confuse me with the facts.

I’ve already told you more than I know

[kortopates]

one exception to your excellent points about TAT’s turbo’s is that probably there biggest successes have been with the Cirrus fleet, but uniquely here Cirrus, the OEM, offered TATs turbo initially as their first Turbo and then side by side along with the TCM turbo engine before going with just the TCM turbo more recently. As far as i know, you can’t get Cirrus or TAT to upgrade a SR22 to a TAT because of the Garmin avionics suite - the same problem you would run into trying to add it to a G1000 Ovation.


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[Guest]

6 hours ago, ilovecornfields said:

Mine is FIKi. With a turbo, parachute and gross weight increase it’ll be perfect. That’s not too much to ask for, right?

Sounds like you’re describing an SR22-G5/6.

 

[ilovecornfields]

58 minutes ago, M20Doc said:

Sounds like you’re describing an SR22-G5/6.

 

I wouldn’t mind one if you’re offering. I called a Cirrus dealer a couple of years ago to see about trading in my Mooney for an SR-22. His response was “why would you want to do that?!”  

[M20F]

The TN 400HP Comanche was back for sale again awhile ago.  Really would like to see performance numbers on that and what CHT is like in the FL’s.  

[StevenL757]

9 hours ago, LANCECASPER said:

Don’t confuse me with the facts.

I’ve already told you more than I know

Please don’t channel your inner Tommy.  :-)

[aviatoreb]

2 hours ago, M20F said:

The TN 400HP Comanche was back for sale again awhile ago.  Really would like to see performance numbers on that and what CHT is like in the FL’s.  

I read somewhere it could do 260tas knots at 25,000.  Not to shabby.

 

[Will.iam]

All i know is at 40gph on takeoff i could almost see the fuel tank gauges Moving!

[Schllc]

13 hours ago, M20Doc said:

Sounds like you’re describing an SR22-G5/6.

 

Blasphemy!