AOPA's grand prize Millennium Mooney on display at Oshkosh July 26-August 1

AOPA's grand prize Millennium Mooney on display at Oshkosh July 26-August 1

Pilots attending the big Oshkosh fly-in this July will see this year's AOPA sweepstakes grand prize plane—the AOPA Millennium Mooney.

And some lucky pilot will be flying fast while laughing at fuel prices after this economical and well-equipped speedster is awarded in late January 2001.

This year's edition of AOPA's dream plane is a Mooney 201, formerly one of the "Lean Machine" models from the 1980s. It won't be lean for long after AOPA gets done with it. The 1987 airframe has been enhanced with a new Oregon Aero custom interior and ergonomic rate-sensitive seats, a fresh Mattituck Red Gold engine overhaul, and a complete remake of its instrument panel.

UPS Avionics Technologies was selected for this year's grand prize project, and the Millennium Mooney boasts a complete avionics suite highlighted by the UPSAT MX20 multifunction display. The six-inch (diagonal), 640 x 480 pixel, 65,000-color display electronically shows a collection of sectional-style VFR charts and IFR en route maps, front and center. Also displayed are GPS-driven position information, flight plans, airport diagrams, and other information.

The unit's database contains a terrain map. When compared to present position, the MX20 terrain function can issue a CFIT (controlled flight into terrain) warning if within two minutes of terrain at or above current altitude.

The panel's dual nav/com installation includes the UPSAT SL30 nav/com and the approach-approved GX60 GPS/com boasting eight watts of transmitter power. The versatile GX60 presents flight plan, route, and frequency data and remembers the last 10 frequencies for your return trip. It can monitor any of seven Weather Service broadcast frequencies in the 162-MHz band. Its stuck mic protection kicks in after 35 seconds. And a unique feature allows monitoring a standby frequency (such as ATIS) anytime the active frequency is silent.

It's all enhanced by the SL15 audio panel with split com capabilities. The Millennium Mooney's four-position intercom is wired for stereo.

Traditional Mooney horizontal-row engine gauges have been replaced with a Vision Microsystems VM 1000 engine management instrumentation system. The large, square liquid crystal display serves up electronic dials and digital readouts for manifold pressure, rpm, fuel, oil, and electrical status, plus vertical tapes and digital values for EGT and CHT, all in one. The unit has short-term data-logging of high and low values for all parameters, retained until the next flight.

The VM1000 offers fuel computer operations including fuel used, fuel remaining, and time to empty. Its lean-find mode facilitates engine leaning.

A Vision Microsystems EC100 annunciator responds to exceedances in VM1000-monitored systems with a headphone beep and text message on its readout. The unit can also be set up for checklists and systems status display.

Rounding out the panel are a Century electric HSI and Insight Strikefinder. A new Century Triden Series "position + rate" autopilot with voice prompter and vertical speed select will soon be installed.

New LP Aeroplastics windows, halogen recognition lights, and LoPresti Speed Merchants "Boom Beam" xenon landing light round out the package of improvements.

The winner of the AOPA 2000 Millennium Mooney will also win a free Pilot Proficiency Program from the Mooney Aircraft Pilots Association.

Anyone who joins AOPA or renews their membership during calendar year 2000 is automatically entered in the AOPA Millennium Mooney 2000 Sweepstakes.

The sweepstakes grand prize winner (or spouse, son, daughter, mother, or father) must be certified as a student, recreational, private, commercial, or airline transport pilot as of December 31, 2000. The winner (or relative above) need not hold a current FAA medical.

The sweepstakes is open to U.S. and Canadian residents 21 years of age or older but is void in Quebec and Puerto Rico.

CFIs participating in the AOPA Flight Training Instructor Program, mentors in the AOPA Project Pilot Program, and participants in AOPA's Member-Get-A-Member Program can earn additional entries.

For full details, including alternate entry method, see contest rules in AOPA Pilot magazine, on AOPA Online, or write: AOPA's Millennium Mooney, P.O. Box 972, Frederick, MD 21701.

Contributing to the Millennium Mooney grand prize project are:

00-2-098

June 28, 2000