The call from my photographer friend Mike Straka came at the beginning of May and it was a fantastic idea—like years ago thinking about flying an airplane: It's something I've always wanted to do.

“My cousin works for A.J. Foyt and I was thinking about heading to Indianapolis for the race. You wanna go?”

Do I want to go? Please. Of course I want to go. No thought needed.

That's all it took and the ball was rolling fast. And thus begins the story within the story: The incredulous saga of Mike and Jeff's Indy Adventure.

I made a quick call to PilotMag publisher Gates Scott to ask if he wanted the story for the magazine. “Yes, of course,” he said. “And by the way, Mooney has really wanted to find some project we can work on together. Maybe this is it.” Not only was it, but it fit like a glove. Just a couple of weeks prior, at Sun ‘n Fun, Mooney displayed a brand new Acclaim Type S with a racing checkerboard motif and wondered if we would like to fly it from Denver to Indianapolis. Perfect. Mike and I had made previous arrangements to fly a Piper Warrior the 880-some nautical miles. At a cruising speed of about 100 knots. it would take us forever to get there. No complaining, mind you, we are talking about the Indianapolis 500, but still. The opportunity to fly in the new Acclaim was ideal. Once the decision was made, the rest of the month was spent researching and preparing for the trip. Part of that preparation included a request for credentials from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Having covered large events, especially motor sports, I knew we were behind the curve on this one. Because the Indianapolis 500 is the largest single sporting event in the world, typically, a request for credentials occurs many months earlier. IMS Media Relations Coordinator Jana Strange, while surprised and concerned about the last minute arrangements, accommodated in true “get it done” style. We were now ready for the trip. Mooney Director of Sales Wayne Fischer looked at our bags by the side of the airplane, asked each of us our weight and said, “Good. I have no problem getting close to gross with this airplane.” It looked as though we were going on a month-long trip, but most of the cargo was camera gear and computers. It was heavy, but that didn’t seem to bother Wayne. When we took off from Denver's Centennial Airport (KAPA) with a density altitude of 8,400 feet, I understood fully why it was “no worries” for Wayne.

The Mooney Acclaim Type S

The Mooney Acclaim Type S is a single engine, normalized dual turbo, Continental TSIO-550-G with 280 horsepower. Even considering that we “eased,” and albeit aggressively twisted to full power, takeoff roll was accomplished in just a bit more than the 2,100-foot rating at sea level and max weight. Very, very impressive. The Mooney line of aircraft has received criticism for its narrow fuselage, but I didn't notice it in the Acclaim. I’m no small person and neither is Wayne and we were perfectly comfortable, never feeling too shoulder-to-shoulder. What I did notice was the Garmin 1000 Integrated Avionics Suite. I don’t want to sound like a brochure and say things you could read on Mooney's Web site, but let me tell you: This system is all that it's cracked up to be ... and more. When it comes to the G1000, I’m a neophyte. But after brushing up with the King course and with help from Wayne, I became familiar fast. I will take this opportunity to acknowledge the difference between familiar and competent. Sun 'n Fun this year had a workshop entitled something like “Help, My GPS Has Sucked Out My Brains,” and I can verify that is exactly what happens when you are only familiar with a powerful device. Still, one has to be impressed with all the information the G1000 puts at your fingertips. For a second, on approach then landing in Indianapolis, it seemed as though the “fake"” runway stripes timed perfectly with the real runway. Spooky.

The other thing I noticed was the Acclaim's speed. A lot has been said about this topic, so to many it's nothing new. But darn it, for a single, this airplane is fast. We set a comfortable cruise at 13,500 feet and effortlessly reached 180 knots indicated, hitting a ground speed occasionally of 240 mph. The other thing I noticed about the Acclaim was its sensitive pitch control. It only takes very light control inputs to find yourself off altitude 100 feet. > Mooneys of the past had heavier controls and the reason for the change is the extra 14 inches of aft fuselage needed for the newer engine. I’ve been told, over time, this is something you get as used to as flying in a 172. I’ll be happy to put that one to the test. Flight time from KAPA to KEYE (Eagle Creek) was about four hours with a fuel stop in St. Joe, Missouri. Sure beats the eight-plus hours we would have had in the Warrior. Nice. What a thrill to fly the Acclaim over the Speedway. Just a simple clearance from Indianapolis approach control so they could divert traffic to the left runway and we were good to go.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway celebrated its centennial this year standing proud as the world’s largest spectator sporting facility. The track is a 2.5-mile, four-turn oval. The infield covers 253 acres and could fit Vatican City, Churchill Downs, Wimbledon Center Court Complex, the Roman Colosseum, Yankee Stadium, and the Rose Bowl all inside. Massive.The flight back was also fast and relatively uneventful, save for the fact we had to hang around the FBO in Indy for a full day and into the wee hours of the next morning due to an impenetrable wall of thunderstorms stretching from Texas to North Dakota. But, within 50 miles of Denver, as we zipped past a large band of stratocumulus clouds at about 230 mph, it occurred to me we were going as fast as the Indy Cars. With the clouds whizzing by, it was really an eye-opening perspective. The difference, of course, was that we were at about 6,000 feet, while the Indy Car drivers' hind ends are mere inches off the ground. All in all, it was a spectacular trip and a special opportunity. A fast trip, indeed, in a fast plane, to watch a fast race.

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