Real Commercial Instructor reviews the Carenado Mooney Ovation for FS2020!

In this video, we tasked former real-world airline Captain and current commercial instructor Jimbo with finding out all about the new Mooney Ovation add-on for Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Is it worth spending your hard-earned pennies on? Time to find out!
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DISCLAIMER
This footage was created by a real world commercial pilot, former airline captain and current commercial flight instructor. Although you may use this for learning purposes, it is recommended as guidance only and should not substitute any training from your ATO. It is intended to merely provide an insight into real world commercial training operations at a school we are familiar with and to enhance your desktop simulator experience. We are in no position to share or copy any company-specific data. If you are a trainee Private or Commercial Pilot, please refer to your approved training/company documentation ONLY.
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Software used:
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020

[@grahamhuff4564]

Very nice review, and you're the first reviewer to mention the right hand cylinder temperature gauge. Well done, you have my subscription.

[@FlyFromHome]

Thanks for the sub!

[@Jholladay10]

Note the cruise power chart on the back of the pilot's visor when you flip it down.

[@FlyFromHome]

Yep! Most aircraft have them, but in this test we were just going for all out speed! (That's what most simmers care for!)

[@artswri]

A great flying aircraft, my favorite GA single engine. Love the steam gauges, spoilers, plenty of speed, great flight model. It's a beautiful craft as well. Well worth the price!

[@FlyFromHome]

It’s a cool plane, wish I could fly one for real!

[@CCitis]

This is the kind of in depth AC review I was looking for, from someone who knows what they are talking about. Thanks! Perhaps I will buy this. Seems like the airplane is overpowered... 1200 FPM is typical at sea level for this airplane in real life.

[@StefBelgium]

You d reduce the power shortly after take off which he did not in this video. Similarly you d climb at around 120 KIAS rather than a full power and 90 KIAS which obviously increases the FPM so that s not really the conditions to compare actual data vs simulated. I d also use the digital engine monitoring gauge to lean the plane rather than the average EGT and CHT gauge. Air flow exposed cylinders will have lower temp than the cyliners behind.

[@ellonysman]

Im fighting between the JF Arrow, the Carenado Arrow and this lovely steam gauge special....Hmmm, which one will win???

[@CCitis]

@@ellonysman JustFlight is way ahead... I really like the Warrior as well.

[@mrjland1]

Great mooney. Quick note on the elec trim switch - if it's off, that not only engages the electric trim but the autopilot will not function without it. Part of the KAP (or KFC) 150 procedures is to engage and test the electric trim prior to flight, along with an autopilot self test in which you hear six loud "beeps" at the end. I found this out the hard way when mx returned my M20J with the elec trim off ( I always leave it on) and I failed the autopilot test without realizing the switch was off. Second, on the JPI 800, the "step" function will cycle through each cylinder so you can select, so you have EGT on the left and CHT on the right (not max/min). After a few seconds, it will resume auto-cycle through each cylinder. The lean find mode on the right will help you lean appropriately at altitude as it will find the peak EGT across all cylinders (which may not necessarily be the hottest!), and display that temperature so you can richen/lean the mixture accordingly (100 ROP is what I use on my M20J for best power). FInally, holding the up/down rocker on the KFC150 will establish a 500 ft/min climb/decent for those of us less fortunate with a KAP150 (which has no altitude select). In practice it's quite silly to hold it down for anything except small corrections. Anyway, looks a lot like my M20J, although flying with those CHTs are hotter than what I am comfortable with.

[@ellonysman]

Elec.trim...on the yoke? Mine was rolling left till I put autopilot on altitude mode..can I trim ailerons from rolling LEFT?

[@Avi8tor857]

The vent on the Mooneys can be fun IRL the knob moves a push/pull cable that will open the vent on the roof, these can break and you get a very loud thud when that little door flips all the way back... You will be looking for landing sites when you hear the bang but typically doesn't cause much damage. Also the Mooney/Beechcraft war has been brewing since the 70's each claim that in practice they are faster, wider, more LOL.

[@FlyFromHome]

That sounds like a laugh! Thanks for the comment ☺️

[@MidnightMechanic]

If the Ovation is a rocketship, the Acclaim Ultra is the Saturn V. The Acclaim Ultra twin turbo, with the G1000 NXi flight suite, is by far the best pairing of aviation technology ever made. 25,000 feet is nothing, the turbos do all the work, while you comfortably cruise at 12 gallons per. The only thing to make it better would be a turbo Diesel option.

[@dhblan8591]

Terrific, in depth review of this aircraft. I am a novice Flight simmer still in prop planes and have ‘graduated’ to the G36 Bonanza after figuring out basics of the autopilot setup. I like it because of the speed gain over the 172 or even the Carenado 182. So this plane is quite appealing to me and I appreciate your detailed video. I was looking for the Loch Ness Monster but didn’t see her ;-) I am by no means a KZbinr but I have a suggestion for presentation. It appears you (and other tubers) present all details in the cockpit from the pilot’s position by turning your mouse and scroll wheel (or using Track IR). So at 21:00 and 36:00 when trying to show the cylinder heat gauge, or when trying to show the auto pilot features, we get a skewed view. If they are still hooked up, why not use your keyboard’s left, right, up down arrows when trying to show these features so the view would be straight-on to what you are showing? Just a thought from a viewer. Thanks again and stay well.

[@FlyFromHome]

Thanks and thanks for your feedback! You're quite right. From my perspective I'm quite used to reading instruments from an angle (from instructing). It's called 'parallax error' and you start to add/subtract a little from the instrument you're reading to make up for it. I don't think my student would like me leaning in front of them! Not everyone is used to it though, so I'll try to approach the instruments head on to make it easier for our viewers, appreciate the keybinds too!

[@Paul9601EX]

Great review, I have it myself. Really enjoying it a lot. Think for GA it’s a must have.

[@bluesfool1]

Best plane in the simulator. The AP functions great you just have to get used to the systems. The documents that are included with it explain how it all works. Great review!

[@FlyFromHome]

100% this. Appreciate the info! I'll check it out. Thank you!

[@RBEmerson]

Um. Mooneys are sometimes called "Doctor Killers" because of the potential buyer and the laminar flow wing makes for high speed landings. A little discussion of "this ain't a plane for you if landings are a problem" would be helpful in assessing the a/c overall.

[@FlyFromHome]

That phrase was actually coined by Bonanzas, not Mooneys. Specifically the V tail variant.

[@scotlandteslatours]

best plane in sim in my opinion ive flown over 200 hours in the Mooney

[@CCitis]

Wow!

[@Mike-jq9jo]

Agreed!

[@845SiM]

This plane is a rocket. Very nice. Only thing I would like is a newer version of the gauges with the dual large display screens.also have there twin engine plane, similar level of awesomeness

[@karga2tilki]

great! Thank you. But have in mind you need a reasonable hardware. A bad yoke/stick as mine always causes frust... a 6-Cyl-Mooney is a rare gem..

[@FlyFromHome]

Thanks! Absolutely, I found it quite difficult at the beginning (without changing any settings) to fly the faster, more responsive light aircraft well. Very twitchy! But yes, much love for the 6-cylinder noises!

[@imellor711]

Nice review and one to pickup, once I manage to get MSFS 2020 working again. Either due to issue during the last upgrade or migrating/ cloning my content to a SSD at the same time....just beware it looks MSFS2020 doesn't like being cloned.....and it's a nightmare to re-install again.

[@FlyFromHome]

Thanks! I too have had issues with my install. Had to download it all again! Not ideal. Thanks for the comment 👍. Jimbo

[@Jetstreamsky]

Very nice comparative review with the stock Bonanza, but it’s missing anything about handling/feel with slow flight, stalls, slipping etc, what do think about that aspect?

[@FlyFromHome]

Thank you! Interesting observation, unfortunately very little conclusion can be drawn from a simulator because feel depends completely on the controls each person has! Good point about the stalls though, each aircraft tends to display stalling characteristics that differ. I wonder if MSFS and Carenado even include this level of detail?

[@onealpha710]

@@FlyFromHome Yeap, stalls is something (first thing) to test out when looking for flight model realisim. We all did that in the FSX/P3D days.

[@K0S0s]

You flew the Bonanza at 26in MP while the M20R was around 28in MP. I think there would have been closer performance when both engines are ran at the same MP.

[@FlyFromHome]

Where do you see this? All the way up there was no more than 1" difference between them, and with it firewalled, there's little change you can make to the power settings!

[@alexfarrell9746]

exhaust gas temperature in my opinion isn’t as important as cylinder head temperature when leaning the engine

[@FlyFromHome]

The CHT gauges are unfortunately quite rare in a lot of training aircraft. Being used to leaning using EGT (or even just RPM drop in the basics!), I can't say I have much experience with anything else. EGT gives a rough idea based on the fact you're looking at power 'lost' (as heat) in the exhaust stroke. CHT is much better as you're seeing the direct heat from the combustion, whilst also being able to keep it within acceptable limits. The easiest way to lean out an engine (as obviously you'll experience delay while the temperatures settle) is to find or work out a rough fuel flow (for a given altitude), lean to this and then wait for the CHT to stabilise. It's also more useful having individual CHT per cylinder, but again, something I haven't often had the pleasure of using for real.

[@TheFalconJetDriver]

@@FlyFromHome CHT is also used to monitor trends of the cylinders over time. An engine monitor is a must have tool to monitor trends on any big engine.

[@FlyFromHome]

This was mentioned in the video too. You could argue this particular machine is a bit overkill with both a single (hottest perhaps) CHT and EGT gauge at the top of the panel, as well as the individual cylinder gauge on the right hand side?

[@XCougar85X]

Very nice review. Really enjoyed the comparison. What i am curious about though, is if the Mooney is too powerfull compared to IRL or the Bonanza too slow or a mix. Would also love to see a comparison between the Just flight Arrow 3 vs the Bonanza.

[@Spartan536]

The Mooney M20R IRL flies circles around the Arrow III/IV and the IV has that T-Tail that can be problematic for some pilots, others don't mind it. I fly a Piper Archer II IRL which is almost identical to the Warrior II, which is just a fixed gear version of the Arrow III minus some performance and interior differences, and a different cowling. The Mooney M20R vs Arrow III has been stated by pilots that have flown both as the difference from driving a Porsche 911 (Mooney) to a Cadillac Escalade (Arrow III/IV). As for the Bonanza, its more competitive with the Arrow than the Mooney in terms of performance. Now if you Turbo the Arrow or the Bonanza they can be competitive performance wise to the M20R but that adds a whole new complexity to the aircraft. All that being said, I have flown a Cessna 172SP Nav II (1999) and a PA-28-181 Archer II IRL, and I would take the Archer II EVERY.....SINGLE.....TIME.

[@MrBrandonabc]

Great video, the alt hold kicjs in if you set rate of climb. Default us 500 ft min. Great vid lovely lovely plane very forgiven

[@747driver3]

No civilized territory uses millibars on an altimeter. The Ovation will be way into the 180’s for TAS if you are running that much power. Great airplane. Mine has TKS and all glass cockpit. Onboard O2 as well.

[@FlyFromHome]

‘Civilised territory’ huh? 🤣 They look like an awesome aircraft, I’d love a go in a real one!

[@747driver3]

@@FlyFromHome great airplane

[@ellonysman]

Yes sire, lovingitmore then big macs! 😀

[@SeeBread]

Nice vid, although it's generally agreed that the stock flight model of the Bonanza is pretty innacurate and very underpowered, there's a good community mod that addresses it.

[@FlyFromHome]

We’ll have to have a look at that! Thanks!

[@paulinhodoporto]

Muito esclarecedor! Obrigado! E um abraço.

[@evidenceplz]

Great video mate

[@mikecoffee100]

Absolutely fab video

[@FlyFromHome]

Thanks!

[@GrantOakley]

SU5 broke this aircraft, and a couple of months later it still hasn't been fixed. The fuel selector in inoperable, so you can't cold start. If you start placed on the runway with the engine running, you can take off an fly, but you can only draw from the left fuel tank, which significantly limits range. ADF and NAV2 tuning is also broken. I'm hoping this comment saves someone else from buying a non-working add-on.

[@FlyFromHome]

I think there’s a patch out now to fix it? There certainly was for the Seminole and Seneca.

[@GrantOakley]

@@FlyFromHome As of today there is still no patch for the Ovation. The other aircraft have been patched.

[@wrongwayfeldman5393]

It's nice but I have trouble using the AP

[@CJ-ip7sp]

Hi, this aircraft has been completely broken for me since patch 5. CTD within 5 minutes of loading into the sim. Any ideas?

[@Breezew1nd]

Carenado is aware of this and patching it up

[@CJ-ip7sp]

Cheers

[@Breezew1nd]

Carenado has posted in their FB page that they''ve sent the patch to Microsoft, and are waiting for MS to approve and distribute it.

[@mjc8281]

@@Breezew1nd The issue now is that....it would seem that, given as the last update broke parts of the PA-44 the patch sent is likely to now need patching(you really couldn't make it up!). All that being said I love this plane and miss using it within MSFS

[@Breezew1nd]

@@mjc8281 Yes, I'm aware. Hoped todays patch would have addressed the Mooney, but seems still to be broken. Might be that the marketplace isn''t updated yet, even if the game has.

[@haga2000]

How do you open the cowl flaps?

[@FlyFromHome]

Hi! Thanks for the message. The M20R Ovation doesn't have cowl flaps!

[@alejandrodelavega9336]

Thanks, gracias.

[@herogrootenhuis]

How realistic is the flight model?

[@FlyFromHome]

It isn’t bad as far as we can tell, but neither of us have ever flown a real Ovation so we can’t say for sure!

[@BHPilot82]

It's not far off if it's not dead on. My neighbor/friend owned one and I got to fly with him a few times in the Mooney Ovation before he died. It's been quite a few years since I last was in the plane but from what I remember with the speeds, power settings, etc this model feels very familiar if that helps anyone. I was ecstatic when I saw this Mooney was available and immediately bought it. It's my daily flyer and even have the tail number the same as what my friend had. Lots of great memories! 👍

[@arne1881]

Hello! I seem to have an issue where when i click some of the knobs, it crashes to desktop. To recreate: click the heading indicator knob, to rotate it, and it will crash. Anyone got any idea how to fix this? Is this the same for everyone? Really need help regarding this issue.

[@gunnarrohrscheib4660]

Same with me if I touch the altitude selector it crashes and turns me to windows

[@flyboy1273]

Yes same problem here

[@Mayhem6633]

Why didn't you tell us the mouse cursor is broken in VR? I purchased this based off your recommendation. Now I spent the money but have a broken aircraft. It's useless in VR because you can't properly adjust any of the stuff.

[@FlyFromHome]

Hi! Mostly because I haven't used VR myself. I'm working on getting my own setup though, hopefully this is something I'll be able to include in reviews soon too! 🤞

[@Mayhem6633]

For anyone else that has this mouse problem, I found a work-around. It seems we're getting 2 cursors, one for each eye. They're not aligned and seem to point in the middle of the cockpit dashboard, so they're impossible to use that way. But the work-around is that the cursor in your left eye is correct so you have to close your right eye when you want to interact with anything using the mouse. It works but what a pain this is. I contacted Carenado and they acted like they didn't know this was happening and said they'll look into it.

[@Mayhem6633]

@@FlyFromHome Thanks for responding. VR is amazing. The visuals are unreal. You'll need a lot of horsepower though. I had a 2070 super and that wasn't enough to run my reverb g2. Upgraded to a 6900 xt and am getting amazingly clear visuals. I can't run at ultra settings but the high settings work great. You'll struggle getting the right settings that work best for you but once you dial it in you're set and you'll never go back.

[@lknfly1166]

Hi! I was expecting a real and deep review, stall, engine failed T/O, landing engine off, comparison POH/mfs2020 etc but there is nothing about physics and flight model in this video? Your title is very attractive "real pilot stuff" etc but showing how do the flight model work with this addon should have been more judicious and instructive I guess, which is the most important thing to describe if this model is realistic or not. So why is there anything about it? On the other hand I don't really believe that Carenado is known to care about realism/dynamics/physics concerning their addon in general but obviously it is more eye-candy matters with some POH/perf coherence, at least in order to give a sort of illusion of realism imo... Anyway, Happy Landings! ;-)

[@buggerall]

Yeah, have to agree with this. There are quite a lot of reviews available but the title did draw my intention because of the "real pilot" part. For example, I was interested in his view on the not modeled, or insufficiently modeled adverse yaw effect. Nice video but maybe not exploiting the real pilot advantage that much.

[@Putti509]

ahhh good memories when this plane worked fine

[@Galf506]

is it already broken? GG Carenado. What's up with it?

[@Putti509]

@@Galf506 no no it's fixed

[@CptLee33]

I rather save my money. All Carenado cares about is textures. They don't care about systems, physics, etc... A real M20 pilot told me that the flap settings aren't correct, the physics aren't good, the speeds are not correct at all, etc...

[@FlyFromHome]

Which M20 does your friend fly? There’s a rather large performance variance between the 1955 models and this version which was released in 2016.

[@ZicajosProductions]

@@FlyFromHome this is true. M20C is leagues different than even the M20M

[@Boradumir]

@@FlyFromHome I would like to know if it is possible to flood the engine in this model, did you try that?

[@tompaulick812]

Sadly the autopilot is not working these days Don't recommend.

[@davido1953]

Why did you record this on a dreary, overcast day? FS2020 has the most spectacular lighting, yet you have failed to maximize your presentation by filming it under these awful conditions. Weird.

[@FlyFromHome]

Hi, thanks for the feedback! MSFS has a fantastic live weather system, which I tend to use as much as long as my flight detail will fit it. Considering this was Scotland, it was fantastic weather!

[@bumblewoot]

@@FlyFromHome flying in the live weather is the best. Good call.

[@falcon127]

caranado is REALLY REALLY POOR, VERY POOR SYSTEMS MODELING!

[@TheFalconJetDriver]

It is obvious that you are not a real pilot, cylinders in the rear are cooler not hotter.

[@FlyFromHome]

Interesting! Care to cite your sources? Most engines with airflow running front to rear tend to have better cooling on the front most cylinders and worse towards the back. Having only around 1500 hours on light pistons (before moving to turbine), and of which only a handful of these hours are ones equipped with individual CHT gauges, you can understand why it may not be my strongest topic! Thanks for subscribing!