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Mooney Pilots Are Cheap

201er

By 201er
in General Mooney Talk

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Cheap Mooney Pilots  

45 members have voted

  1. 1. Do you find that Mooney Pilots tend to be the more frugal of airmen?

    • Yes
      25
    • No
      20

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201er Grand Master

201er

Posted
Posted

Do you find that Mooney Pilots are cheap? How far will you go to save a bit on gas? What other cost saving tips do you have? Anyone that splurges on their plane and guzzles gas without second thought (like flying firewalled down low all the time)?

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yvesg Mentor

yvesg

Posted
Posted

My opinion is that some service providers think pilots are rich and have no budget limits which is not true. When you have $100 available, when you spent it all, there is no more. This means you have to make choices. By seeking lower rates for anything, you increase your options. Sometimes you can make savings without much effort... here is an example: Last year on our way to Oshkosh, we decided to stop in Sarnia Ontario for the night. As we arrive to a Motel at the counter the motel rep gave us the pricing for the night... I think it was $109 or so. I then ask, can I get a discount? He sais... are you CAA? I said no... but I said I am a pilot... he looked in his book and then said... would this been considered hospitality? I SAID YES Of course... this gave us a 20% discount on the room.

If you just pay without asking questions, they have no incentive to lower the rates. My wife is all the opposite. She always pays without asking any questions. I kind of feel like I need to compensate for that behavior somehow so we get even...

Yves

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AmigOne Proficient

AmigOne

Posted
Posted

I certainly agree with Ives comments.  Today the internet offers you the power to search for information on just about any subject with incredible ease.  Example: a friend in South America asked me a couple of days ago to buy him 2 sets of ear cups for his Bose X, Sporty's has them for $27.95 plus $7.95 shipping, My Pilot store $19.95 plus $4.95 shipping and both take exactly the same effort to buy.  A no-brainer that will save him $14.00.  Agree that it will not be the same with everything that we need but there is money to be saved by doing a little homework.  Same and more with fuel stops where proper planning can save you hundreds of dollars in a long x-country trip.  My airport just went to $6.05/gal and I am so glad that I was able to sell my twin Comanche while I could still get a good price for it.

 

PS: one reason I never buy anything from Sporty's is their high shipping charges.

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rbridges Grand Master

rbridges

Posted
Posted

I find that we call ahead more to find out the tie down fee / ramp fee / fuel price of destination airports over other types of aircraft.

However that could be because we fly more cross country.

-Seth

 

I do this.  it's crazy how much prices fluctuate b/t airports and even between FBOs at the same airport.

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FlyWalt Proficient

FlyWalt

Posted
Posted

My opinion is that some service providers think pilots are rich and have no budget limits 

 

It is not merely an opinion. It is the truth. And it is not just with pilots. Service providers look at your house, your car, your gated neighborhood, your job and make an assessment on how much they can extract from the "Cash Cow". And the stupid ones make it obvious as they are checking you out.

 

The marine industry is especially bad about this.

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201er Grand Master

201er

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I do this.  it's crazy how much prices fluctuate b/t airports and even between FBOs at the same airport.

One FBO has higher ramp, parking, sevice fees. The other has lower fees but more expensive gas. Who here does a calculation which has the overall lowest cost?

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pinerunner Proficient

pinerunner

Posted
Posted

I'm a frugal person by nature. Perhaps that was part of my attraction to Mooney? Besides, I'm a mechanical engineer, and the design and efficiency also appeal to me.

I'm with Hank on this. It was reading about Mooney's great glide ratio that got me looking at "those funny tailed planes" and I was quickly hooked. I'll fly full throttle 2600 rpm once or twice with my 63' E model to see how high an indicated airspeed I can get. But usually its a little bumpy so I pull back into the green (less than 150 mph indicated). I like that if I want to take advantage of higher altitude it doesn't take long to get there. I also like that at lower speeds I can skip a pit stop and come out ahead. I'm sure a Mooney is more expensive to maintain than a C-172 but for a complex aircraft I think its reasonable and I like the choices. I honestly wanted the extra complexity.

 

For an older, classic, lead-in to the Mooneys, an old A/P mechanic/inspector friend of the family was just showing me his Swift.

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NotarPilot Veteran

NotarPilot

Posted
Posted

I'm an unabashed cheapskate when it comes to my plane. I have only purchased fuel once at my home airport due to the high prices they charge. I happily fly to another airport about 15 minutes away to purchase avgas at $4.95 a gallon and I take cash now in order to get a 10 cent per gallon discount.

I do my own oil changes and as much maintenance as I can legally do.

However, I have no problem forking over the dough to fix anything that breaks or needs replacing on my plane, i.e. new tires, battery, brake pads, etc. I really like having a reliable and safe airplane.

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John Pleisse Grand Master

John Pleisse

Posted
Posted

Yes.... it starts with acquisition price, then later manifests in fuel savings and airframe and power plant maintenance simplicity. I bought my 201 for safety reasons. All medium and short body Mooneys with Lycoming 4-bangers are much safer than their nearest competitors. That's a powerful set of values. Safety and efficiency.

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Mooneymite Grand Master

Mooneymite

Posted
Posted

"Cheap" is the preferred word. 5 characters, cheaper than "frugal" which has 6 and definitely cheaper than "economically efficient". :)

 

 

True.

 

However, Economically Efficient (EE) is more euphonic than "Cheap" and is not normally attached to "Bastard".

 

Give a little, get a little!  ;)

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carusoam Grand Master

carusoam

Posted
Posted

I'm saving money, just not on the airframe or training...

Typical flight includes

- high altitude for increased no-power options...

- LOP for increased efficiency...

The most challenging part of flying a Mooney is breaking in a new engine...

- ROP

- low altitude

- full and high power settings

It's just unusual....

Best regards,

-a-

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