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welcome and look forward to hearing more of your story. Where are you based?

I know I have to do some hours in the Mooney under IFR and also with my regular training. I have to see what it takes to do the full blown certification and check ride. You are probably right, if I want to fly high, I should have the sheepskin.

while you are probably technically correct, the funds they receive are more often than not fungible. I worked for an engineer who did all the electrical design for an airport while i was in college. We redesigned all the runway and exterior lighting 4 times in three years. Bureaucrats find a way....

Better yet, go directly into your IFR while you have the grasp of information and the momentum. nothing better than training for hard IFR in the plane you will be flying. All of that dual you are planning for could apply directly to your IFR requirements.

Welcome aboard! May you enjoy the new plane and your Mooney ownership for many years in good health.

As a brand new pilot, I'd suggest spending a year learning abiut flying, learning thenairplane, how it handles, what power settings to use and what to expect at given MP & RPMs. THEN segue into Instruments.

Do yourself a favor - once you get your ticket in that Warrior, fly a couple solo xc trips in it. Get familiar with being the true PIC. Maybe take a passenger up a few times. Flying alone is a huge part of the learning process and you should mix it in with your continued training.

That 40 hours training goes a long way toward an instrument rating...

I'm finalizing details on buying a M20C and insurance needs me to "receive a checkout in the make and model aircraft by a properly certificated flight instructor prior to sole PIC operations." Anyone in this area able to help out? Date trending toward 29-30 August. Open Pilot Warranty on the policy requires 500TT, 100 RG, 25 type. Thanks!

Not necessarily. The AD only requires inspection and replacement of a gear retainer in the accessory case, which can be done on at least some Mooneys without removing the engine. Insurance companies will often pay for a full IRAN, though, so that's what is often done.

Was the prop control pulled all the way back when you tried this?

This bill is progress. Call your senators and congressmen to support!! https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2025/june/26/bills-to-stop-ads-b-misuse-introduced-in-congress?fbclid=IwY2xjawMK06dleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHnnOSV5pS3uM9LHhixvFaLRjs5ZgI_E7gdVH9LYu0jUTX-Dci8HS-skGp8ps_aem_AkBJlEwvsOLt9AorOFeNwA

Good luck! At least you have the option to pay the $3k ransom and fly your plane if you get desperate. Maybe they will lower their price eventually since they might have gotten their hopes up when I was asking around at $3k for the Continental part only. I've been offering $3k each for the Continental ones since the RAM PMA doesn't cover the -GB engine variant and have gotten zero non-scam responses. I finally went out to the plane yesterday at the airport where its stuck on the ramp and pulled the battery out getting it ready for the long wait until April in the hopes that Continental has something available for when their AMOC expires. Though somehow Continental thinks they can sell me a new engine with two of the same clamps on it in 16 weeks...

Thank you all for the kind words and advice, much appreciated. Am happy to join the M club! I strive to learn from all angles and to advance to 110% proficient in everything I do , then hopefully I become 99%!!! I will be taking 40 hours of training, after my PPL, with a Mooney certified CFI at the airport that I keep the plane. This is required by the insurance company, as you all know, but I will most likely keep flying with the CFI, since he is a neighbor and his work in aviation takes him all over the place. I will be more than happy to taxi him around to build Mooney hours and keep the training going.

This is great advice!! Mooneys are precision airplanes and they respect precision flying, in exchange, you'll have a very capable rocket ship that handles like a sports car. As a CFI who does Mooney transition training, that learning curve feels a little tough in the beginning for new private pilots, but once you start it starts to click, you can't wipe the grin off your face . It'll feel like drinking from the fire hose again, but take your time with your CFI and enjoy the ride.

What a great first airplane. Congratulations!

If your plane is parked in the hangar and something runs into the building and hits your stopped prop, a teardown is required.

Yes, it was still amusing, though, and a bit emblematic, I thought.

If the engine is not producing power, but the prop is spinning, a prop strike calls for a teardown too? I guess so because of the transversal forces and sudden stop (high acceleration = high forces)

Yep, what Hank said. I know it's hard to do but the PPL experience, especially the end stage with your check ride coming up... It's just so great. Have to put the Mooney on pause until you get your ticket. Best feeling ever. I'm still freshly minted, did about 100 hours in the Warrior before flying an m20F for the first time. My reaction was the same as yours. The Mooney just does what you tell it to do, as long as you give her what she needs (air speed, fuel, a kiss on the nose cone). I have been flying a Warrior and Archer lately while waiting for the Mooney to get out of the shop and they just feel so mushy and delayed. Have to start preparing for your landing flare as soon as you take off

Very interesting info. Thank you!

Congratulations! I test-flew my Mooney at the XC stage of PPL training, and bought it right after my checkride. The important thing right now is to not let it distract you, and concentrate on learning and finishing your certificate. Then when you are done, start flying your Mooney with a Mooney-proficient CFI, andnstay in student mode for a while longer. You will need a Complex Endorsement and a High Performance Endorsement, then some additional time learning the basics of flying the Mooney properly, learning the appropriate power settings and expected performance, and with your turbo, something about highnaltitude flight. And the XCs in your Mooney will be more like your Student Long XC. Have fun, study hard and fly safe!

For the sake of posterity, I've got a reply from Hartzell with the IPC for the H-1 governor. Looks like Hartzell 2024 IPC calls for B1104, AKA MS9144-01.

A large portion of Ag plane accidents are from engine failures (They run them WAY past TBO) Anyway most it seems miss the point of intended landing and end up in the trees or fence at the end of the field, Most Turbines auto feather on oil pressure loss and it’s a big reduction in drag. On edit, I’ve climbed to altitude to practice stopping the prop, on my 201 with factory prop, it won’t stop until I bring it real close to stall, and even then it has to be bumped by the starter to get level, often of course flipping past compression and ending up where you started. I gave up on the idea of prop stopping on both engine failures at altitude and forced landing gear up. Any that think it’s a viable practice I encourage them to try at altitude within easy gliding distance of a runway, just in case. Maybe your airplane is different? I don’t think attempting something in an emergency that you haven’t practiced is a good idea myself. Ref it’s only $20K, no it’s a LOT more than $20K by the time you have to pay for engine R&R, tear down, inspection etc. depending on insurance limit it may push into being totaled, so I wanted to if possible save the prop

Congrats! Beautiful looking bird!