N5810T is a 1985 Mooney M20K 231 and one of the last five made. It’s a proven platform for a round-the-world flight, with Brian Lloyd completing his 2017 RTW flight in the same model aircraft. Brian was part of the inspiration for my flight since he did my transition training onto the Mooney, and I had the chance to sit in his Mooney 231 and look at the systems he installed for this flight. My HF radio installation is also primarily a copy of Brian’s – the antenna specifically. But let me run through the basics of the aircraft and its modifications.
Firstly, it doesn’t have a name. Pilots generally use their “tail numbers”—the registration number—to refer to their planes. This is how all radio communications work. In the US, the tail number gets shortened after first contact with ATC, so instead of “Mooney, November five eight one zero tango,” you end up referring to yourself as “Mooney one zero tango.” So “one zero tango” had stuck, and that’s what it’s called.
Mooney sadly no longer manufactures new aircraft, but it was the fastest single-engine piston for the longest time. It’s a fast, efficient, and robust airframe. Mine has a 210 horsepower, six-cylinder, turbocharged Continental engine. Turbocharging is very useful as it allows me to fly much higher than aircraft with normally aspirated engines. (For example, when crossing the Rockies, I had to go up to 17,000 feet).
Extra fuel is one of the first things you’ll need to do for ocean crossings. N5810T takes 75 gallons in the wing tanks standardly, and I have an extra 100gal Turtlepac ferry tank installed where the back seats usually are. (All seats except for the pilot seat have been removed temporarily). This gives me 170 gallons of usable fuel. The ferry system was installed by Air-Mods in New Jersey, who are experts at doing this and who also happens to be the Mooney Service Center maintenance facility for N5810T. Dave and Lisa at Air-Mods have been doing excellent work since I bought N5810T.
You also need additional communication equipment for ocean crossings. For the Pacific, South China Sea, and most of the North Atlantic routes, you need an HF (high-frequency) radio to communicate with Oceanic Air Traffic Control. This is not standard equipment on any small aircraft. Many ferry pilots use temporary HF systems, which can be very janky. I wanted a reliable system and elected to install it permanently in N5810T. Here, Lancaster Avionics did a great job. I have a Yaesu 857D installed as COM3 and connected to a PMA-8000C audio panel. I copied the thorough work done by Brian Lloyd, who designed an antenna system that will work with the Mooney. To match the Yaesu unit to the aircraft avionics, you need an AE34-300 universal interface. For an antenna tuner, I used the MAT-40. This radio gives me access to all aeronautical HF frequencies AND all amateur HF bands. I also have an extra VHF antenna installed, which provides me access to all marine channels (helpful to talk to ships) and amateur 2m bands. I carry an Iridium Go Exec device, which allows phone calls and internet access. The internet access is used over the ocean for weather – I use the ADL satellite weather app. (Starlink is probably not far off from being available to be mounted in small aircraft – but it’s not quite there yet). Finally, tracking is done via a Garmin Inreach Mini.
N5180T is also standardly fitted with a built-in oxygen system. For altitudes higher than 12,000 feet, I use a cannula mounted to my headset, with oxygen delivered by a Mountain High Equipment O2D1 electronic delivery system.
So, that just about rounds out the equipment and significant modifications on N5810T. I haven’t gotten to the safety equipment, but that’s for another post.
1 Comment
Thank you for sharing your epic journey and the wealth of knowledge that you share. Good luck. Baie dankie Uli.