What to buy: Bravo or Acclaim

[Dreamscape]

I need to fly from Southern Quebec to Northern South America 6-8 times a year, so high, far and fast is what's needed (don't trust commercial since C19).  I can't go turbine just yet and it seems to me Mooney is the one for the job, but which engine?  A Lycoming that flies rich but can make overhaul or a Continental that easily flies LOP, but doesn't make overhaul even at ROP. Before Acclaim came, Bravo was speed king in the sky, so, that's pretty good, even now.  Apparently the Acclaim is a very smooth running engine, so fatigue levels after 6 hrs are not that bad.  Or should I get an Ovation that has the longest legs but you bounce around lower down. 

What about pressurized and going up?  It sounds good in theory, but that seems like a lot to ask from that same engine.  The same engine that makes you move forward, over large expanses of water, or snowy mountains.  I don't want to ask too much from that engine and if something has to give, I don't want it to be the engine.

I would love to hear any and all opinions or stories.  This site has a million hours of flying experience and at least half a million Mooney hours.  Even though I read all I can, it's not enough.  Experience is King.  Words from guys like Don Kaye on the M20M are worth 100 engineers with no flying experience on type.  Sites like this, keep people alive.

Would really appreciate some feedback.  My time line to buy is about 2-3 months or more if needed.

Thanks.

 

[alextstone]

Have you considered what your plan will be for maintenance at these two locations?  Are you willing to stock some parts at each as well?  I've owned and flown both aircraft.  You're absolutely right, the Acclaim engine runs very smoothly.  The Bravo's Lycoming is more reliable, IMO, but parts can be difficult to get at times. 

 

I'm very curious about your planned route on this flight you describe.  Would you mind elaborating? 

 

Alex

[Schllc]

You have bad information if you think the continental cannot make it to tbo. 
it most certainly can if operated properly. 

[Dreamscape]

2 hours ago, alextstone said:

Have you considered what your plan will be for maintenance at these two locations?  Are you willing to stock some parts at each as well?  I've owned and flown both aircraft.  You're absolutely right, the Acclaim engine runs very smoothly.  The Bravo's Lycoming is more reliable, IMO, but parts can be difficult to get at times. 

 

I'm very curious about your planned route on this flight you describe.  Would you mind elaborating? 

 

Alex

Maintenance in Montreal will be with my mechanic who is a Mooney owner, but South America will be difficult.  I am a geologist and will be travelling from the top of Colombia to the bottom of Peru.  We are starting a large project and the head office will be either in Medellin or Lima or both, so I suppose I can stock common parts there.  I didn't consider parts over there.  That's a good point.  Though I want a Mooney, I might be better off with a P210N Vitatoe conversion or the P210R.  Cessna parts are everywhere and my associate there had a 210 before.  He was also an Air France captain, chopper operator then had his 210.  His knowledge of flying in South America is very deep.

The planned route, here looking there, will be Montreal to Florida'ish, weather depending, then sort of island hop to Venezuela'ish or direct to Colombia once I can trust the engine.  I will need to do lots of test runs and instruction before undertaking anything.

Edited Saturday at 02:15 PM by Dreamscape

[Dreamscape]

1 hour ago, Schllc said:

You have bad information if you think the continental cannot make it to tbo. 
it most certainly can if operated properly. 

My information comes from my mechanic.  I was considering only the Acclaim, but he told me the Lycoming engine was more reliable.  I would preferer to be finding parts for a TSIO-550 Continental than the TIO-540 Lycoming wet head, 25 hr oil changes and all that.  A great bird by any measure, but more difficult to maintain.

[exM20K]

31 minutes ago, Dreamscape said:

My information comes from my mechanic.  I was considering only the Acclaim, but he told me the Lycoming engine was more reliable.  I would preferer to be finding parts for a TSIO-550 Continental than the TIO-540 Lycoming wet head, 25 hr oil changes and all that.  A great bird by any measure, but more difficult to maintain.

Mechanics who are not type experts and retired airline pilots are, in my experience, a very poor source of objective guidance.  Their experience is limited in  both breadth and depth, and their opinions lie somewhere between the received wisdom of old wive’s tales and untutored prejudice.

You did come to the right place to learn about Mooney operations from Mooney operators.

My $0.02 follows, and it is based on 4000 Mooney hours, 1200 Acclaim hours, and 0 Bravo hours PIC.

1. Both are good engines. The O/H cost is similar.
2. You may or may not have to top the Continental or the Lycoming.
3. A top overhaul is neither life-changing money nor horrific downtime (CMI cylinders are available. Dunno about Lyc.)
4. CapEx lower for Bravo.
5. Bravo isn’t (generally) locked in to G1000. Acclaim is.  Doesn’t bother me at all, but opinions differ.
6. Climb, Cruise, Range are better for Acclaim, which runs very well LOP

If you can afford an Acclaim, get the Acclaim.

Now, about your proposed mission….

This is not a realistic, reliable, or economic plan. I’m based in Chicago or the Florida panhandle.  I will take the acclaim pretty much anywhere east of the Rockies, but beyond that, I’ll probably be on the germ tube.  There was a member here who had a new Acclaim that he ran back and forth between Miami and Puerto Rico.  The plane could do it, but it was a drag, so he went turbine.  That is maybe one third of the distance and one tenth of the hassle of what you’re proposing.

In a previous life, I was a coffee trader and spent a great deal of time in South America on crop tours, though none of it was in Columbia as that place was a bit spicy for North Americans in the mid 90’s. But having flown over a lot of it, I have zero desire to fly a piston single down there. Maybe where you’re going is more arid than what I was in, but even so, airports can be few and far between for someone with 90% experience east of the Mississippi. @Oscar Avalle can probably elaborate more on the nature of flying in South America. It is a big, diverse place.

But if I had to do what you’re proposing, I’d base a Baron in Columbia and suck it up on the germ tube for the long leg.

-dan

[Shadrach]

1 hour ago, Schllc said:

You have bad information if you think the continental cannot make it to tbo. 
it most certainly can if operated properly. 

So you don’t think that the rash of rotocoil issues with Continental cylinders is significant? Certainly “proper or improper” engine operations are not related to garter spring issues? 

[dkkim73]

Greetings @Dreamscape and welcome to Mooneyspace! I've been on here for about a year, bought an Acclaim Type S shortly thereafter. Your aircraft questions feel familiar to me. You may find a couple of overlapping discussions in the archive, too; there was a related engine discussion a while back. 

Dan @exM20K brought up some concerns about the route(s), which occurred to me as well (though with much less knowledge than he [coffee trader, that's cool! I envision a Banana Republic ad from the 80's]). That idea of having a GA aircraft locally on the continent makes a lot of sense as a "split solution". 

Pressurization would help with comfort and fatigue on a long trip. My own look into this question (specifically with Malibus and P210's) kind of led to the same conclusion; it was asking a lot of the engine and adds a lot of systems reliability and maintenance concerns. On a tangent, the T210 might be a consideration though I am not really sure the 210's engine parts availability would be much better. Airframe parts, maybe, easier than Mooney. 

Anyhow, on your primary questions, Dan already made several main points, I would add: 

- to support your intuition, yes, I think both of these planes are in the "top band" of efficient, cost-effective commuting type GA solutions for regional travel in their price band (piston). At least in my experience, you can travel flexibly in the high teens or low FL's with pretty good speed and comfort. On well-known person in the community said "it's almost turboprop performance for piston prices" (he is a salesman, but a good one). If you're going alone, the range is shocking with even "standard" 100 gal tanks. 

- my discussions with owners and reading has led me to conclude that the TSIO-550G can achieve long service life with appropriate management (lower power settings, LOP). Surveillance (eg. checking monitor data, borescope, etc) will help a lot to prevent surprises. On the oil change question, several mechanics have advised me to do 50 hr intervals rather than 25 hrs. Again with keeping an eye on things. @Schllc has a lot of experience in this aspect, with several different Acclaims. 

- rotocoils are inexpensive to replace and not in short supply; AFAICT it's not like they fail that often, either

- I am finally changing my two original cylinders at around 1480 hrs. The indication is "soft" and I had also addressed some problems with valve lapping/coil replacement previously. A couple of very experienced Mooney and 550 mechanics said it really was elective at this point. Not horrible service life. 

- random parts can be an issue but, talking to shops, the same thing is partly true for much more common aircraft when it comes to engines, common sensors, etc. I would think logistics and supply chain would be the issue in S.A., you could establish some relationships and possibly maintain local spares. 

 

- there are several folks here who've owned and flown both, they may weigh in shortly. 

- G1000 or no has been mentioned. Lots of discussion there, possibly a secondary question at this point unless you demand a six-pack. FWIW it is a very capable system that is thoughtfully integrated and is an easy point of display/integration for FIS-B, XM, and/or stormscope data. 

- I can't imagine you won't want TKS

Lastly, if you'll forgive another unsolicited piece of advice (your intro implies you are seeking experience-based advice and what I would call "synthesis"): I would suggest you reconsider your risk calculus with regard to (A) significant negative effects of potential COVID-19 (SARS-nCov-2, specifically *current* variants) exposure on commercial flights vs. (B) composite risk of the GA mission you are proposing. I'm saying this as a physician who's practiced in different phases of the COVID experience, in terms of acuities, systemic approaches, etc, and with some knowledge of operational risk management in aviation operations. And with the caveat that I don't know you as a patient. It's probably not in scope for a longer discussion on this thread, but the low virulence makes individual health factors a dominant factor, just as with so many other diseases. I understand risk and fear are personal, I know people in the Midwest who are terrified of earthquakes and won't travel west, though they're more likely to die by slipping on the ice. And I'll never criticize you for flying because "it's dangerous", I'm just suggesting that if that's truly a major determinant, you might revisit it with a trusted physician advisor (not someone who will simply parrot CDC or Health Canada guidelines from 2 yrs ago). As a practical matter, if you're willing to fly the big iron down to S.A. you could use the suggested strategy of having a Baron down there. 

Respectfully, 

David

 

 

 

 

[dkkim73]

Thinking about Dan's comments, when I was looking at planes, I was shocked how little it took to get into a nice Baron with low-time engines. Now, ongoing expenses, that's another question...

[Fritz1]

both are excellent planes, the Acclaim is faster and newer, much better cowl, the Lycoming wet head may be more rugged and have more thermal reserves, going down to South America on business several times a a year, however, is asking a lot from either one, sounds more like a turbine mission

[Brandt]

If you can’t afford a turbine, an Aerostar might be a good option for you to look at as well. 

[Schllc]

5 hours ago, Shadrach said:

So you don’t think that the rash of rotocoil issues with Continental cylinders is significant? Certainly “proper or improper” engine operations are not related to garter spring issues? 

I guess I would ask you to define “rash”. Is there data to back that up, or is it anecdotal like mine?  
I have had several acclaims and have flown them and ovations for almost 10 years now, and I’ve never had to touch a cylinder. 
I do not believe either manufacturer is “better” than the other, they both have their issues and weak points. 
I’ve read about the rotocoils, but neither myself, nor anyone I know personally have had to address that issue, and that’s bonanza, and cirrus owners as well. 
Im not saying it isn’t true, but I don’t know how prevalent the problem is, and would like to see some data if it exists. 

[Shadrach]

46 minutes ago, Schllc said:

I guess I would ask you to define “rash”. Is there data to back that up, or is it anecdotal like mine?  
I have had several acclaims and have flown them and ovations for almost 10 years now, and I’ve never had to touch a cylinder. 
I do not believe either manufacturer is “better” than the other, they both have their issues and weak points. 
I’ve read about the rotocoils, but neither myself, nor anyone I know personally have had to address that issue, and that’s bonanza, and cirrus owners as well. 
Im not saying it isn’t true, but I don’t know how prevalent the problem is, and would like to see some data if it exists. 

I haven’t collected any data, but there have been a number of threads on BT about the problem. Seems to be a known problem. Mike Busch discussed it in detail in 2022. Seems to be a known problem.

Continental seems to have other cylinder issues as well. 

https://resources.savvyaviation.com/wp-content/uploads/articles_aopa/AOPA_2022-05_failure-to-rotate.pdf

[IvanP]

Bravo is a very capable machine, but as much as I love flying my Bravo, I would probably not consider it suitable for the mission you describe. I did take my prior Mooney (E) to Cabo San Lucas few years back and it was a nice trip, but there were no time contraints or work schedules involved. While none of us probably enjoy flying commercial, I have to admit that for fligths of this length to countries with questionable availability of parts and reliable services I would go commercial, especially if any kind of scheduling pressures are involved. At my age, I am not too eager doing 5+ hour legs in a Mooney. If you can swing first class, it is tolerable on most airlines and faster than Bravo or Acclaim.   

[Schllc]

29 minutes ago, Shadrach said:

I haven’t collected any data, but there have been a number of threads on BT about the problem. Seems to be a known problem. Mike Busch discussed it in detail in 2022. Seems to be a known problem.

Continental seems to have other cylinder issues as well. 

https://resources.savvyaviation.com/wp-content/uploads/articles_aopa/AOPA_2022-05_failure-to-rotate.pdf

That’s a good article.  I guess what I wonder is “what constitutes a problem”?

I will create an example purely to illustrate the point, the values are arbitrary. 
so let’s say continental built 1000 engines and no one really followed the trend until savvy started. but it was something people saw occasionally. 
now it’s being “followed”, and they say it’s happening “more frequently”. 
does this mean they used to see one or two a year and now they are seeing 1 in 4, is it 10%, 30%?  
Without some real data, it sounds more like hangar talk to me. 
That doesn’t mean I’m saying it isn’t true, just that if haven’t seen it in my years, on my planes or anyone I know, it doesn’t get elevated to “problem”.   
Sounds like the same type of chatter I heard about io and tsio-550 cylinders before I started flying them. 
btw, my first ovation which I bought with 900 hours and put close to 700 on when I owned it, is almost to 2400 hours since major overhaul and has only had cylinder work on one cylinder and the owner isn’t planning of overhauling any time soon. 
 

My skepticism primarily comes from my experience with most of the mechanics I’ve encountered.  
They all seem to be all too eager to just change parts without really digging into the root causes. Perhaps savvy will save all this data and in a few years have some actual trends they can identify.  The only other caveat is how owners treat their machines. The permutations are endless…

[alextstone]

1 hour ago, Schllc said:

I guess I would ask you to define “rash”. Is there data to back that up, or is it anecdotal like mine?  
I have had several acclaims and have flown them and ovations for almost 10 years now, and I’ve never had to touch a cylinder. 
I do not believe either manufacturer is “better” than the other, they both have their issues and weak points. 
I’ve read about the rotocoils, but neither myself, nor anyone I know personally have had to address that issue, and that’s bonanza, and cirrus owners as well. 
Im not saying it isn’t true, but I don’t know how prevalent the problem is, and would like to see some data if it exists. 

Well stated, sir

[NickG]

2 hours ago, IvanP said:

Bravo is a very capable machine, but as much as I love flying my Bravo, I would probably not consider it suitable for the mission you describe. I did take my prior Mooney (E) to Cabo San Lucas few years back and it was a nice trip, but there were no time contraints or work schedules involved. While none of us probably enjoy flying commercial, I have to admit that for fligths of this length to countries with questionable availability of parts and reliable services I would go commercial, especially if any kind of scheduling pressures are involved. At my age, I am not too eager doing 5+ hour legs in a Mooney. If you can swing first class, it is tolerable on most airlines and faster than Bravo or Acclaim.   

I completely agree with this. I have been doing a fair amount of X-C flying in the last month or so, including two round trips from Las Vegas to Houston. The max i can handle is about a 4.5 hour leg although I prefer to break the flight up into 2 x 3 hour legs. I fly an Ovation 3 so I'm flying between 11k and 16k so have cannula stuffed in nostrils. I couldn't imagine regularly flying the OP's mission - I think Turbine (although still a long flight) or commercial with a nice bird situated locally for use would be ideal.

[Dreamscape]

14 hours ago, exM20K said:

Mechanics who are not type experts and retired airline pilots are, in my experience, a very poor source of objective guidance.  Their experience is limited in  both breadth and depth, and their opinions lie somewhere between the received wisdom of old wive’s tales and untutored prejudice.

You did come to the right place to learn about Mooney operations from Mooney operators.

My $0.02 follows, and it is based on 4000 Mooney hours, 1200 Acclaim hours, and 0 Bravo hours PIC.

1. Both are good engines. The O/H cost is similar.
2. You may or may not have to top the Continental or the Lycoming.
3. A top overhaul is neither life-changing money nor horrific downtime (CMI cylinders are available. Dunno about Lyc.)
4. CapEx lower for Bravo.
5. Bravo isn’t (generally) locked in to G1000. Acclaim is.  Doesn’t bother me at all, but opinions differ.
6. Climb, Cruise, Range are better for Acclaim, which runs very well LOP

If you can afford an Acclaim, get the Acclaim.

Now, about your proposed mission….

This is not a realistic, reliable, or economic plan. I’m based in Chicago or the Florida panhandle.  I will take the acclaim pretty much anywhere east of the Rockies, but beyond that, I’ll probably be on the germ tube.  There was a member here who had a new Acclaim that he ran back and forth between Miami and Puerto Rico.  The plane could do it, but it was a drag, so he went turbine.  That is maybe one third of the distance and one tenth of the hassle of what you’re proposing.

In a previous life, I was a coffee trader and spent a great deal of time in South America on crop tours, though none of it was in Columbia as that place was a bit spicy for North Americans in the mid 90’s. But having flown over a lot of it, I have zero desire to fly a piston single down there. Maybe where you’re going is more arid than what I was in, but even so, airports can be few and far between for someone with 90% experience east of the Mississippi. @Oscar Avalle can probably elaborate more on the nature of flying in South America. It is a big, diverse place.

But if I had to do what you’re proposing, I’d base a Baron in Columbia and suck it up on the germ tube for the long leg.

-dan

Thanks for your 2 cents Dan.  Very appreciated.

My mechanic is type certified on several Cessna's and Mooney's but probably not on the Bravo.  He had a few IO-550's in his shop when he was telling me about the wet head.  The retired airline pilot in my group is Colombian and  will fly whatever I bring.  His experience in flying South America is invaluable.  You should see the beautiful coffee plantations I visited with him.  The mid 90's was tough in Colombia but now things are much better.  As a geologist I visited many far away places in Colombia.  The most important thing is to have a local as part of the team.

About turbine.  I will do it when I become insurable, but it won't be in a Silver Eagle.  It's a good machine but it cant fly high, far or fast.  I need high, far and fast so I think the TBM (Tabre Mooney) is a good choice.

About putting a plane in Colombia.  That is an excellent idea and being considered.  We will see what is needed when things get going.  A 185 is tough and gets to a lot of places, but the Peterson Katmai, gets to a lot more.

In another life, I flew floats in the bush.  As a geologist/prospector, I made a lot of money selling claims and ended up with a float plane as my taxi.  I'm not nervous about going down in the trees.  They are better than buildings.  There are small roads everywhere in most places in South America and I have a habit of flying IFR (I Fly Rivers/Roads).

I was always leaning toward the Acclaim.  It was my mechanic who suggested the Bravo, because of his frustrated Continental customers.  Even though there are many reasons to like the Bravo, I'm once again leaning toward the Acclaim.  The logistics of ownership and operation, make things obvious.

Again, thanks a million.

Edited Sunday at 05:29 AM by Dreamscape

[DCarlton]

If I remember correctly there is someone on MS that’s been waiting 14 months for a six figure AF1B Lycoming Engine overhaul and they still don’t know when it will be completed due to parts issues.  

[Dreamscape]

12 hours ago, dkkim73 said:

Greetings @Dreamscape and welcome to Mooneyspace! I've been on here for about a year, bought an Acclaim Type S shortly thereafter. Your aircraft questions feel familiar to me. You may find a couple of overlapping discussions in the archive, too; there was a related engine discussion a while back. 

Dan @exM20K brought up some concerns about the route(s), which occurred to me as well (though with much less knowledge than he [coffee trader, that's cool! I envision a Banana Republic ad from the 80's]). That idea of having a GA aircraft locally on the continent makes a lot of sense as a "split solution". 

Pressurization would help with comfort and fatigue on a long trip. My own look into this question (specifically with Malibus and P210's) kind of led to the same conclusion; it was asking a lot of the engine and adds a lot of systems reliability and maintenance concerns. On a tangent, the T210 might be a consideration though I am not really sure the 210's engine parts availability would be much better. Airframe parts, maybe, easier than Mooney. 

Anyhow, on your primary questions, Dan already made several main points, I would add: 

- to support your intuition, yes, I think both of these planes are in the "top band" of efficient, cost-effective commuting type GA solutions for regional travel in their price band (piston). At least in my experience, you can travel flexibly in the high teens or low FL's with pretty good speed and comfort. On well-known person in the community said "it's almost turboprop performance for piston prices" (he is a salesman, but a good one). If you're going alone, the range is shocking with even "standard" 100 gal tanks. 

- my discussions with owners and reading has led me to conclude that the TSIO-550G can achieve long service life with appropriate management (lower power settings, LOP). Surveillance (eg. checking monitor data, borescope, etc) will help a lot to prevent surprises. On the oil change question, several mechanics have advised me to do 50 hr intervals rather than 25 hrs. Again with keeping an eye on things. @Schllc has a lot of experience in this aspect, with several different Acclaims. 

- rotocoils are inexpensive to replace and not in short supply; AFAICT it's not like they fail that often, either

- I am finally changing my two original cylinders at around 1480 hrs. The indication is "soft" and I had also addressed some problems with valve lapping/coil replacement previously. A couple of very experienced Mooney and 550 mechanics said it really was elective at this point. Not horrible service life. 

- random parts can be an issue but, talking to shops, the same thing is partly true for much more common aircraft when it comes to engines, common sensors, etc. I would think logistics and supply chain would be the issue in S.A., you could establish some relationships and possibly maintain local spares. 

 

- there are several folks here who've owned and flown both, they may weigh in shortly. 

- G1000 or no has been mentioned. Lots of discussion there, possibly a secondary question at this point unless you demand a six-pack. FWIW it is a very capable system that is thoughtfully integrated and is an easy point of display/integration for FIS-B, XM, and/or stormscope data. 

- I can't imagine you won't want TKS

Lastly, if you'll forgive another unsolicited piece of advice (your intro implies you are seeking experience-based advice and what I would call "synthesis"): I would suggest you reconsider your risk calculus with regard to (A) significant negative effects of potential COVID-19 (SARS-nCov-2, specifically *current* variants) exposure on commercial flights vs. (B) composite risk of the GA mission you are proposing. I'm saying this as a physician who's practiced in different phases of the COVID experience, in terms of acuities, systemic approaches, etc, and with some knowledge of operational risk management in aviation operations. And with the caveat that I don't know you as a patient. It's probably not in scope for a longer discussion on this thread, but the low virulence makes individual health factors a dominant factor, just as with so many other diseases. I understand risk and fear are personal, I know people in the Midwest who are terrified of earthquakes and won't travel west, though they're more likely to die by slipping on the ice. And I'll never criticize you for flying because "it's dangerous", I'm just suggesting that if that's truly a major determinant, you might revisit it with a trusted physician advisor (not someone who will simply parrot CDC or Health Canada guidelines from 2 yrs ago). As a practical matter, if you're willing to fly the big iron down to S.A. you could use the suggested strategy of having a Baron down there. 

Respectfully, 

David

 

 

 

 

Thank you David.  Your comments were very precise and very appreciated.  I am once again leaning toward the Acclaim.

About your unsolicited advice.  I definitely forgive you, because, God forbid, we all desperately need to discuss what is happening today. 

I have absolutely no fear of Covid.  None.  I had Covid at the very start of it all.  I was a little sick for 3 days and lost my sense of taste for about 2 months.  My Son who lives with us (a healthy 27 year old man), had it 1 day and my wife about a week.  Two years before that, I was sick with a flue for a week and bed ridden 2 days.  I was really sick with that.  I believe in the US that flue killed 80,000 people in 2018, but remember, millions elsewhere died of malaria and no one said anything.  Our panic in 2020 did not make any sense to the rest of the world, a world of which I am a part of.  As a geologist, I travel to the not so travelled areas and meet all types of people and I must concur with them.  This was a non-event and made no sense.  The rest of the world could smell a rat and that rat had been there before.  Do you understand this David?  Look at what you are part of:  the AMA, a private corporation who dictates all interactions with medical practitioner and patient.  Really??  A private corporation?

There were many things in this event that disturbed me.  One was they forced pilots to take an unapproved, experimental drug, when a commercial pilot is grounded if he takes an approved drug that has not been in the general public for at least 12 months.  My "risk calculus" (as you referred to it as) and the "synthesis" is that a majority of commercial pilots took the injection.  Ok.  Now look at the professional athletes dropping dead or teenagers with myocarditis.  What is this "risk calculus"? Would you like me to show you this data?

There is a 2005 video of Fauci saying "Calm down.  There is no need to take a flue vaccine if you already had the flue.  You have the necessary protection."  As I said above, I had covid.  I had natures protection, but in Canada, I could not fly, take a train, go to my church, a restaurant, my gym or my swimming pool because of a 1.5% death rate for a 60 year old.  Really?  You remove my free choice for 1.5%?  What about experimenting with any of the many safe, effective and approved repurposed viral drugs for this new sickness?  Ivermectin became illegal for humans in Canada.  Ivermectin, a 2015 Nobel Prize drug the World Health Organization said all countries should stockpile, was off limits to Canadians.  You can die of a Tylenol overdose but ivermectin, that has no known lethal limit, was out.  Nothing made any sense.  

This is something you don't forget.  Not only was I grounded in every sense of the word, it was tearing up families, my family, our society, our Western Society.  There is no logic anywhere.  Look around.  Things have only gotten worse. Do you think this current US administration will relinquish power if they lose in November?

I will organize myself, keep a low profile and do what I have to do thank you.  I don’t trust anyone, anywhere, anymore.  Period. 

My deepest apologies for all this non-aviation rant.  These things still motivate me very much.  I will fly myself around, thank you very much.

 

Edited Sunday at 06:36 AM by Dreamscape

[Dreamscape]

2 hours ago, DCarlton said:

If I remember correctly there is someone on MS that’s been waiting 14 months for a six figure AF1B Lycoming Engine overhaul and they still don’t know when it will be completed due to parts issues.  

Wow.  I'm really leaning toward the Acclaim now.  A 6 figure Lycoming AF1B overhaul?  Could you please verify this?  I will try to verify this as well.  Thanks @DCarlton

Edited Sunday at 06:40 AM by Dreamscape

[affricate]

22 hours ago, Dreamscape said:

My information comes from my mechanic.  I was considering only the Acclaim, but he told me the Lycoming engine was more reliable.  I would preferer to be finding parts for a TSIO-550 Continental than the TIO-540 Lycoming wet head, 25 hr oil changes and all that.  A great bird by any measure, but more difficult to maintain.

Agree, those oil changes every 25 are important!

[Schllc]

8 hours ago, DCarlton said:

If I remember correctly there is someone on MS that’s been waiting 14 months for a six figure AF1B Lycoming Engine overhaul and they still don’t know when it will be completed due to parts issues.  

I solicited a quote for a bravo engine factory overhaul a few weeks ago and was quoted “18-24 months”. I don’t even understand how this is possible. Who waits 2 years for an engine?  Who waits two years for anything outside of building a house?

that long a lead time defies any logical explanation. 

[Schllc]

7 hours ago, Dreamscape said:

Wow.  I'm really leaning toward the Acclaim now.  A 6 figure Lycoming AF1B overhaul?  Could you please verify this?  I will try to verify this as well.  Thanks @DCarlton

To be fair, the acclaim overhaul price is not much different, but continental lead times may be better since the engine is so widely used. 

[exM20K]

@Dreamscape how about this for a plan “c” if you have the means:

buy the turboprop now, and hire a mentor pilot to ride along for the required hours?

it’s been done before, and you’d be piling up the hours quickly with your mission.

-dan