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I have to agree Chris. I owned my J for 3 years and roughly 300 hours and believe it or not I did it without an IFR GPS. I know they're nice to have but I bet for the majority of folks out there they won't increase the utility one bit. Most will use them to shoot an IFR approach on a VFR day for practice. My GTN-mini (iPad) took me everywhere. :-) (I'm gonna take heat for those statements.............commencing ducking posture) That being said, I still wouldn't go after this J even at that price. In order to bring it up to where a comparable airplane is selling for with everything already done would not make financial sense.

Brett - I found this new avatar, it was on the Beech site. Like it? What do you think it means?

Those who couldn't make the Mooney Summit need to stat lining up for next year! I've been to a fair number of Oshkosh, SNF, AOPA, PPP, MAPA and other aviation seminars and events over the last 20 years and this initial happening is as good or better than any of them. I counted 24 Mooney's on the ramp, the briefings have been outstanding, everyone is friendly and helpful, the Mooney spirit is everywhere. Dr. Dubin + sponsors threw a heck of a reception; presentations have been top notch; pro bono BFR's and IPC's by cream of the crop instructors; a free dinner tonight sponsored by Continental Motors Group....and it continues tomorrow! Even the WX has been great. IMO this is what Mooney fellowship is all about, or should be. Basically no charge for anything but fuel. I'm amazed. Mike Elliott has exceeded all expectations. Extremely well done, Mike.

Now this could turn out to be a great project. Very interesting and long over due for our Mooneys. No reason why it can't work and work well. Good luck to you!

I have a 1981 231/253 conversion, which I've owned for 7 years. It a great airplane. The one problem I have always had and never taken care of is the gear indicator on the floor. I always need a flashlight to see the green line. Now that I'm in annual, I told my mechanic that this MUST be resolved. Either the bulb is out, or the glass is so dirty that I can't see anything. I stopped by the shop the other day, and they told me the problem was solved. They found out that the bulb was 24 volts in my 12 volts system Unbelievable. Simple fix. They just installed a 12 volt bulb, and now as you can see, I can see:)

LOL!!! Things are happening on that front. Hopefully won't be too long. However looking at pictures of Doug's new airplane isn't helping me get any closure!!!

And poor, poor Brett! Making the movie "Planeless in Latrobe".

Watching this trek is probably harder than a 10 year old waiting for santa!

Doug - 62G is in Casper, WY for the evening. Flew her up at 14,000 for a bit this morning to remain clear of clouds & ice (29 minutes ...the Mooney wing performs noticeably better at that altitude than the shorter Bonanza wing. I've flown a pretty zany route to get the airplane to you but not a speck of ice observed yet. Looks like you've still got some nasty showery precip tonight and tomorrow morning in UT - I'll enjoy Casper this afternoon and plan to fly the last 2 hours tomorrow to arrive early afternoon if the weather holds! You are going to love 62G!

Hopefully there will be a turning point in this market when it does make sense to get run-out airframes without upgrades that are otherwise structurally sound and corrosion-free and bring them back to life without being upside down by a large margin before all of these are gone...

I've always heard the best way to obtain parts is from an MSC. I never tried to call the Honda plant in Ohio when I needed parts for my Accord, nor will I look up where Ford makes trucks when my current ride needs parts--that's what dealers, parts places and salvage yards are for. Same for my Mooney. But I am excited to see the factory running again. New planes rolling out means that I will continue to have options to move up in the coming years. Right now, though, my C is doing well, even though I am temporarily separated from her.

Caveat Emptor: Planes, tires, batteries and women. As the old philosopher once said, "You only get what you pay for".

"Those who have, and Those who will." The loudest critics among us have a short memory of their close calls and mistakes. Or they don't yet have enough experience/knowledge to know that they are one minor distraction away from a gotcha moment building up to an accident/incident.

I think if they actually do that they are doing a huge disservice to the seller and prospective buyers. So they are essentially increasing the cost of the airplane by $10K which may be enough to take a prospective buyer over his budgeted amount and would not be buying an otherwise possibly great airplane that "may" have fit his mission profile. I say let the buyer decide if they want to put that extra money into the airplane. If the airplane is really a solid machine it will sell regardless.

I flew my F under IFR with only a dual ILS capability for 22 out of the 23 years I owned it (yeah, I know, I had a LORAN and ADF on board -- but they were for ballast). And like Chris above, I got a fair number of direct routing with the "VFR GPS" in the remarks section (I don't think ever without being in radar coverage though). The only thing I would consider an upgrade that I did during that timeframe was to add a capable autopilot during the 90s. Not that I needed it, but I felt with 2 small kids in the plane, I wanted to give them a chance if I became incapacitated. My wife learned the basics of how to engage it and how to talk on the radio. Fast forward to December 2012. I added the PFD/MFD and a WAAS GPS. I would never go back! The decrease in workload (after the initial learning curve) and the integration with the AP makes this a completely different plane to own and fly. Sent using Tapatalk

Without question, use Don Maxwell. He's out lo longview but I'm sure you can work out having it flown there. Also, I'd contact Jerry Johnson. He keeps it M20C on that field. He'll likely know that plane pretty well and can provide some insight. PM me if you need his contact information.

My point was: at the price point of this plane, there are plenty of older Mooneys (C,E,F) that sell. I suspect most don't have a WAAS GPS and half probably have had the Brittan auto pilot removed. These are nice to have items, but not essential. You can fly IFR with a VOR and ILS. And I have even gotten direct routing from controllers by asking for it and mentioning I have a handheld GPS for situational awareness. It's not that no one wants a plane with this equipment. But it is probably fair to say most J's have better equipment and this one. And if your looking for a J, this might be low on the list. Having said that, my plane has both a WAAS GPS and an autopilot. For me, they were either in the plane when I bought it, or it was factored into the price (at install price). And it is why I didn't buy a plane for $35K.

I tried calling the factory last week to ask about parts and only got a voicemail option for technical support and technical publications. Does anyone have a phone contact that'll yield me a warm body to speak with?

Tacoma Narrows is pretty far from Seattle, and it's on the opposite side of Tacoma. It's an hour away from downtown Seattle by car, longer if there's traffic. It's as far as Paine Field in Everett. Assuming you're not actually going to Tacoma, you would be better off with Renton for sure. It's a fun airport to fly into, though. The Tacoma Narrows bridge is right there (assuming it doesn't fall down again), and the runway is practically sticking out into Puget Sound. Not recommended for Asiana pilots.

it's been great. the weather was nothing like the forecast earlier in the week. I'll definitely be there next year, too.

I like it. I think by just looking at the attention to detail and the amount of money that the owner put into it is a good indication of the condition of the plane. As far as the amount, I never like to squeeze the last nickel out of a deal. If you like it and it checks out...buy it!

Good to see all the vintage Mooney owners! All with their hands solidly on their Johnson bars.

While we don't know what caused the crash we should all remember the old advice that in the case of a lost engine after take off, fly straight ahead into the wind at slowest controllable airspeed to reduce ground speed and make only shallow turns to right or left for best landing location. Twice the speed results in four times the force. If the pilot chooses to make the U-turn and the aircraft fails to make it back to the airport, and headwinds become tailwinds, hitting a stand of trees is the last mistake you'll make.

Back in the day, I built a cowling for my WAR P47D experimental so it's not that difficult. Mine was done by blocking foam around the engine and carving it to shape. Then laying fiberglass over the plug and let it cure. Then it's a matter of cutting it off, finishing it out and then fitting it back to the engine. But the real work is convincing the FAA to allow you to use it on your type certificated aircraft. The late great Tony Bingelis has two of the best books out there called "Sportplane Construction Techniques" and "Firewall Forward." Anyone wishing to tackle this type of work these two books are must have's. They go into detail on creating the cowling as well as baffle theory and construction. Actually, everyone on Mooneyspace should have these two books in their library.

I've made the decision to go ahead with my cowling mod. I'm starting with a front section from James Aircraft and his Holy Cowl. It's going to take probably a good years time to get this to an approved STC with other projects I have to complete. David

The wing from the Vintage Mooney's up to present production, believe it or not, is the same wing but for the fuel tank configurations and the wing tips. If you are interested, I have a very clean wing from a 67 F model available as well. You can e-mail me at johnabreda@yahoo.com or call me at (617) 877-0025. Thanks, John Breda

I (well my mechanic) ended up painting my yokes with black "texture paint" (inside of a tiny paint tent with the yokes still installed in the airplane) Why paint them in the plane? They come off easily.

I agree 100% with Marks. There is no need to bend any of the control surfaces (ailerons or rudder) to rig your plane. See attached picture for the rudder adjustment. Remove the bolt, loosen the nut and turn the rod end to adjust rudder deflection. On mine I have it adjusted for centered ball at 140Kts IAS. José

I had mine ('66E) in and out several times last years redoing the interior. Then the avionics shop removed it again for new panel. You should have no problem with the bottom seat, it lifts up from the back and the front is held down by clips behind the screwed on panel behind the back seat passenger's heels. The back rest is held by 4 bolts on the ends. The 2 upper ones will be simple enough, the bottom ones are a little mean to get out, take note of washers and spacers and that the outside ends of the seatbelts are on the same bolt. If you can get at the snap on clip it might help to remove belts first. You'll need sockets and wrenches. I suppose 7/16" or 3/8", I don't remember, there's nothing metric on our old Mooneys. After you've removed the bolts it's a matter of maneuvering the seat out without the allowing the upper clips to scratch the side panels. It's a tight fit.