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Hello MS'ers, Wanted to take this time to commemorate the 1 year anniversary of my first flight in my Mooney. Picked up N231CK from the shop a year ago, after some post purchase work and upgrades, and have been flying every chance I get. I logged 276 hours with 160 landings in those 12 months and have enjoyed the heck out of it. I've learned that I don't like flying at night; it is really dark out there and any off airport landing will likely hit something very hard. And my night landings are usually my worst..but hey, I can usually get my night currency in one trip down the runway (3 bounces count, right?). Conversely, I got my IFR and really enjoy flying in IMC and the utility that it brings. It is still nerve racking and exciting. But, my actual IMC has all been departures and en route with no approaches yet. This past year, I traveled to Denver (~20x), Chicago Area (2x), Kansas (3x), Nebraska (2x), Arizona (3x), Nevada (4x), Texas (3x), and Utah (2x), as well as a host of other places across NM and CO too numerous to mention. I've scrubbed a couple flights, delayed a couple, but have benefited from a remarkably good dispatch record, considering. These Mooney's are travelling machines for sure. I have an opportunity to fly to Orlando (~1,400NM) for a conference in 2 weeks, but after my last trip back from Chicago where I was bucking headwinds the whole way, I'm rethinking that potential 10 hour (probably 2 day) return trip from Orlando. While I'd love to say I did it, I may sit in the back and have a drink for that trip. I've benefited tremendously from the knowledge and resources provided by the community here at MS and for that, I am very thankful. I hope to be able to collect enough in the experience bucket to be able to contribute meaningfully some day. Thanks again for everything! Vance ps. Attaching a photo of the panel and of the family. The family trip was last September on the way to Salt Lake City for labor day. My wife hates flying, but she was a trooper and the trip up was super smooth. Not so on the way back and it was the last time she's been in the plane. Glad a took a photo as proof.

OK, time to share the paint and interior. I picked it up from Airframes, Inc. down in Milan Tennessee (Gibson County / KTGC) on Wednesday. Steve (my hangar partner, best friend, and E Model Mooney owner) flew down with me in the Rocket, and flew the Rocket back for me to the U.P. He got off about an hour and 10 minutes before me, flying back at 13k. We agreed to talk on 122.75 once both in the air, but since I was quite a ways behind him, I waited until central Illinois before giving him a call. I asked his location and ETA to KIMT, and he said he was between Rockford, IL and Madison, WI, with 1:12 left to KIMT. I regrettably (well, not really) reported I was 1:07 from IMT and ended up passing him on descent into KIMT. We both had headwinds on the return; well more like serious crosswinds with a slight headwind component. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N1017L/history/20180523/2050Z/KTGC/KIMT https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N994PT/history/20180523/2215Z/KTGC/KIMT Anyway, back to the plane. The paint scheme is a warped / evolution of the Braveheart logo I've had on my truck for the last 5 years (and have always liked prior to that). Scheme Designers took a concept Steve and I had come up with after he mentioned how the design seemed to have elements of it that looked like the wing structure of the Wright flyer. I wanted a "discrete" design, one that was not real obvious, of this concept. So................this is best described as " A tribute and a Contrast". It's a tribute the first Experimental airplane with the contrast being it's on the side of a 300+ knot Experimental Airplane I built in my garage. It might be corny.....but I love it and my painter liked it as well. The first two pictures are of my truck where the idea came from. The rest are of the plane. These are the first public photos of the completed paint job. You guys are seeing this before my Lancair friends! Hope you like it. Tom

Good afternoon, My name is John Herman and I am VP Sales & Marketing with Tempest Aero Group. I apologize that you had an issue related to our fine wire plugs. I believe this to be an isolated case, however, we take all cases such as this very seriously. We strive to manufacture the highest quality products possible and therefore if there is an issue such as this we want to know about it and investigate to assure it never happens again. In cases like this, it can be one or several factors that caused the problem and to the best of our ability, we will examine the plug and operating environment to determine the root cause. Please contact me at john@tempestaero.com and we will discuss an arrangement to get the plug sent back to us, as well as send you a set of replacement plugs at no charge as a customer courtesy. Again, we are dedicated to manufacturing quality products and providing a great customer experience. I apologize that we have not met these standards in your eyes, but you have my word we will do everything possible to rectify the situation. Best regards, John

Well, I started this project off with just trying to get ADS-B compliant. Airplane is a 1963 C model. As they worked through my airplane they found so much wrong that I am surprised I could fly IFR at all. As you know a 1963 airplane probably has had a lot of work done to it and mine is no exception. But as things were removed and replaced over the years, the wiring was never removed. There were hot wires going nowhere. Other wires that should have been removed long ago that went nowhere. There was a static leak that I was unaware of...etc...etc... So I took the plunge and did quite the upgrade. Garmin G5 HSI, Garmin 530W, Garmin GTX 345 transponder, Garmin GMA 345 Audio panel, JPI EDM 900, new panel. The only unusual thing is that the Attitude Indicator is not centered over the yoke but that was due to the small area on the left side panel that you have to work with on the C-model and the number of instruments trying to pack in there. The panels were pre-made and available from LASAR if anyone is interested. Here are the pre and post photos for your amusement.

Hello Mooney friends, Last week the National Museum of the US Air Force had the public unveiling of the restored Memphis Belle B-17. As a part of the public spectacle three functional B-17s came in to town to land at the historic Wright Field next to the museum. The big fly-in was to be the 3 Fortresses escorted by 5 Mustangs. Of course there would be a lot of cameras on the ground but in order to get a unique vantage point I volunteered to fly a museum photographer in a formation with the warbirds. It was a good plan and I made it work. This was my second photo shoot with my new Mooney and I can say it did really good. It was everything my IO-360 had to form up with these guys but she did me proud. In order to set up my F model for photo work I installed a Great Lakes passenger window with the large vent opening. That combined with some strategic flying makes it so we can do some real good air-to-air photography. The airplane is very maneuverable and makes flying formation pretty easy. There are definitely limitations but I think it works out good. I am looking forward to doing more photo work like this. On Wednesday Bill (the photographer) and I escorted the formation of bombers and fighters into the show in less than ideal weather conditions. We were only able to make one pass by the crowd (I tried to stay away from the show line) and the planes did not land on the field. On Thursday we gave it another shot and I flew in with the Yankee Lady and a a group of three mustangs on my tail. After checking off from Yankee Lady I went south to try to join up with Aluminum Overcast but never saw her. I hung by the show to get some pictures of the ground activities. Just being able to fly with these guys was amazing but to get the great pictures we got was icing on the cake. The museum is very grateful and cited me along with Bill for the photos. I have included two shots here for you but there are more on the museum's Facebook page. The photographer is Bill McCuddy. Gerbil

I talked with DMAX after I bought her- he said I'm still allowed to come to longview as long as I park on the other side of the ramp. I'm sure he'll make sure KRS charges a Beech premium. I'll keep the photo for a while, but the new owner of my plane is here and I'm going to respect that change. You don't want mistress' ex constantly reminding everyone.. not fair to him. A couple photos attached. Bird wasn't cleaned up to show- plane is in better condition that the photos would indicate. She's a 1985 turbo normalized A36 with tip tanks, air conditioning, and oxygen. 1340 lbs of useful load, no damage history, 1950 hrs on the airframe but flying a lot recently. Same owner for the last 15 years in NJ.

The much anticipated prebuy guys Vintage Mooney episode feature our very own @Raptor05121.

I closed the deal on the 1966 Twin Comanche last Thursday. Today was the official first day of Multi-engine training. I've been up in the PA-30 Twin Comanche a few times lately with a fellow pilot , however, today was technically my first day with a CFI. Two hrs in 95 degree Tennessee heat made for a sweaty cockpit, but I still manage to learn between the sweat drops off my brow. Other than the simulated engine out, the strangest feeling after today's training was getting comfortable with the sight picture on landings. I would not have expected the sight picture to be that much different than the Mooney, but to me that was a challenge. After a few botched landings I finally got the hang of it on the third try. It's a much more aggressive nose down attitude compared to the Mooney approach. We also worked some slow flight, simulated engine out, simulated engine out with gradual turns. Lots to learn, but today was a awesome experience. Also had the pleasure of meeting a fellow Mooniac at Dewitt Spain Airport this afternoon, he was in his new to him 231K. Great looking Mooney. -Tom

A hangar wench to help you pull your planes in?

No I won't.

Well Mooneyspace I’ve been on this forum for well over a year now. I was fortune enough to join this community with the purchase of N5612Q from @DrBill late last month. I’m now the proud owner of a 1965 M20E! I know it was hard for Bill to sell this fine machine, but I promise it will continue to live a long and flightful life. @AGL Aviationwith Tamara and Lynn have been incredibly patient, understanding, and helpful to me as a first time owner. I cannot thank them enough and I look forward to future services with them, albeit once a year ideally . @Bob_Belville You are ultimately the one that tied me in with both of these parties, helping me purchase and relocate 5612Q to KMRN for a recommended MSC annual and helping me find a CFI to get my 5 hour check out. I am certainly in your debt for all of your help. Thank you again for everything. @LANCECASPERthanks for the deal on the shock discs those were the largest maintenance item I needed to address. What my annual included: Main shock discs replaced Oversized bushing + sanding and repaint for the nose gear (Looks GREAT) Complied with SB M20-289A Retract rods and idler arms had light corrosion (blasted and painted) New Down lock block UPGRADES: Gem602 upgraded to Insight G2 GPS breaker upped to allow for IFD 440 swap when ready (Avidyne is having a deal with purchase of a 440 you get a Zulu 3 headset included! ) Pictures to follow in ~3 weeks when I pick up the plane. –Jon.

Yes. I attended the little "airport Day" in Freemont last year in primer and thought it would be nice to return this year in new paint. I called Dan, the chapter member that was listed on the publications for the event, wanting to be sure they would reserve a spot for me in the more "restricted area" so I could control those wandering around the plane. Last year, unbelievably, an ATP flying for the majors with a really nice retract single engine Cessna was parked next to me and while viewing the plane broke one of my $85 static wicks (REALLY?). Anyway, when talking to Dan I mentioned it would be just under 40 minutes and he laughed (knowing it was true, but kind of not realistic). I met him during the event yesterday and he was flying in a 3 ship formation of Yaks. I always use Lancair 994PT as my call sign, not "Experimental 994PT" because a retired ATC controller and supervisor that spoke at a Lancair convention once stated that was a much more useful description for the controllers so they are prepared for the speeds. During my descent into Freemont, while talking with Muskegon Approach, the controller asked me if I had the "Walters engine" in my plane? I told the controller, yes it's a Walters and asked why he inquired. He said he saw my speed during my descent and knew it was likely not a piston. I was just hitting 10K about then (ground speed of 297 knots) and came back with "BTW, I'm at 248 knots indicated", concerned he might think I was busting the 250 knot reg. He came back saying no worry, but I saw your ground speed go over 330 knots on your initial descent just before Minneapolis turned you over to me. It's a really fun plane to fly!! Tom

It has been almost 10 years since my plane has held an IFR pitot static cert. Many a pilot had me scared. "You'll have a leak since it sat so long..." and "make sure to budget $1,000 when he needs to replace the lines". Took him 45 minutes and $295. Fresh IFR cert with some pretty good readings (+/-30ft was the highest I saw). Now its time to finish my ticket.

My bird is gone, but hangar wasn't empty for long. Mama is pregnant (our second) and she wants more room in an airplane. You know what they say- the best plane for any mission is the one your wife likes. The Tarbes Built Mooney (TBM) is still out of reach... 6 seat piston with some speed... pretty short list. Made the flight home in an A36 from NJ to Dallas in 6.5 hrs of flight time (one stop). I'll always be a Mooniac... I'm glad the new plane has air conditioning.

A longtime 201 owner with a wealth of Mooney knowledge, Yoda mentored many of us fortunate enough to call him a friend. I still wear the “West Coast Mooneys to OSH” t-shirts he would hand out in the North 40. This tragedy reminds us of the fragility of life, and underscores why we should appreciate every moment.

Hi guys! I wanted to thank you all for supporting me with making my t-shirts this last year. It is so much fun, and I love the community here that encouraged me. I have gotten literally hundreds of requests from all social media for custom t-shirts since I began and I wish I could get to them all! That being said, with the goal of owning my own airplane and being a true entrepreneur and supporting myself instead of working for others, I decided to re-invest in myself to get me closer to my goals. And thats what I've done! Over the last month I've been working on creating a simple and easy to use online marketplace to post classified listings and wanted ads for aircraft! The site is called WingSwap.com, and it went live about an hour ago! As for the goal of my new business, Think of it like a replacement for the old and outdated barnstormers. Barnstormers is the most widely used marketplace for GA aircraft, and it is stuck in 1999. It has a lot of problems on many browsers and I think you'll agree is clumsy and hard to navigate. Controller is aimed at a more executive level of aircraft, so I think there's a great opportunity in this GA niche for me to come in with something modern and simple to use It's free, easy to use, mobile friendly, and built to make listings aircraft for sale simple and easy. I am aiming to become the one stop venue everyone goes to for aircraft sales! http://www.wingswap.comI'm also happy to be able to support the forum here by becoming an official sponsor! So if you, or anyone you know, is selling an airplane, it would mean a lot if you could make a listing on my new website! Its totally free, and I think you guys will like it! I hope you do! *edit: I will manually verify all accounts for the time being if you do not get a verification email either in your inbox or spam folder. Thank you! *edit: FYI "popular brands" works by counting the top number of Brands posted on the site. Once Mooney's get posted, it will appear in the "most popular" section If this is in the wrong area, admins, please move it to a more appropriate area! Also I understand I'm a vendor for the website, but if that doesn't cover posts like these, I'd like to upgrade to the necessary status. Thanks guys!!

Flip flops are the pox. I know another guy that blew his out and then stepped on a pop top. He cut his heel and had to cruise on back home. Get better.

Thought @aviatoreb might like this

Ten Commandments of Cheap Bast$#ds 1) Thou shalt not spend more on anything than necessary (this includes spark plugs) 2) Thou shalt not covet another Mooney owner's paint job, interior or avionics 3) Thou shalt not pay retail when Lance's discount is available 4) Thou shalt not let your hangar fairies be found 5) Thou shalt run LOP except if your GAMI spread is bad 6) Thou shalt not land with an IAS over 70 knots unless thoust is in a heavily loaded long body 7) Thou shalt do a go around if thoust porpoised the landing 8) Thou shalt disagree vehemently with Peter "Bendix King" Garmin 9) Thou shalt not mention Timmy And the most important Cheap Bast$#d commandment of all: 10) Thou shalt not commit adultery with Marauder's girls

Back on topic, Mooney delivered this beauty today....

As of this morning, N205MH is sold. Congratulations to the new owner! She has taken good care of me during my term as her caretaker. I understand that the buyer is around here somewhere, but I don't know his screen name. I'm hope he'll introduce himself soon and his plans with the airplane.

On Thursday I flew across the Cascades to pick my daughter up for a Memorial Day visit. Landed at 2S5 (Waterville, WA), the closest airport to Daroga State Park where she works. Most of the traffic there is crop dusters. I took her back today. There was a sail plane sitting at the end of the runway waiting for a tow plane to take him back to Ephrata. @adverseyaw I heard you call Seattle Center for your clearance over Wenatchee to Boeing Field as I was about 10 miles out from Waterville. Recognized the 201XG callsign immediately.

Today was a great day. Started cloudy and low, but I took the convertible to meet the car club at an art show on the lake; before lunch, it was mostly blue skies and getting warm (mid 80s). Then I went to the airport for a quick flight and ended up taking a friend to ride--the joys of not having fuel at your home field. Despite multiple "VFR not recommended" cautions, no rain or TCs were visible from the ground or out the windows at 3000 msl (field elevation 326 msl), the air was smooth and temp was quite bearable. Returned home to a cookout at the neighborhood pool, with great pork loin, grilled chicken and cold beer. A really good day!!

Just to be absolutely clear, the oil analysis states that the metal in the oil is what would be found in a sample with 35 hours on it (i.e. a normal amount of metal for a 35 hour oil sample). Since the oil had 23 hours on it, the analysis states that it is a little higher than expected. It also states that if the engine has not been flown much lately (which is hasn't), that could be what is causing the elevated levels. The analysis firm in no way states that there is 'metal in the oil'. They advise the submitter to check the filter and if no metal in the filter, then just monitor going forward. I have a responsibility to the owner of the aircraft to sell the plane for him and I have no reason to believe that the engine is in any way unfit for flight. I have flown the plane several times and would not subject myself or anyone else to fly in a plane that was not safe. The engine is high time. It would be expected to need an overhaul at some time in the not-too-distant future. And that is the reason it is priced in the 80's and not in the mid to high 110's, as a mid 80's M20J would be priced with a low time engine. Jimmy

Seller’s remorse, grief, separation anxiety .... This comment hit me directly between the eyes this morning. I’ve been wrestling with selling my plane for a few months and have been putting together a website for that day. And, each morning I wake with the same arguments. For my situation it is time. But, does life really go on after an intimate relationship with a Mooney, my Mooney? (My grandkids call her Alana Charlotte.) So, shall I post her now? Here’s the site: http://m20f95v.com/ Reality check and comments welcome. ron