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Hi, everyone! I'm a new Mooney owner -- I recently bought and ferried N201XG, a 1978 201, from its last owner in Texas to my base in Seattle. I decided to buy a plane back in September of last year and settled pretty quickly on an M20J. I did a little bit of looking at Bonanzas and Super Vikings but, as I'm sure you know, the M20 (and in particular the J model) had a really attractive mix of efficiency and speed and features. It also fit my mission profile pretty well, which was generally 0-2 passengers for quick flights within a 400nm radius. The fact that the M20 isn't immensely popular also appealed to me. I daily drove a Porsche 914 for years and I like something that's a little quirky and unusual. I was really methodical about selecting a 201, and have a spreadsheet filled with details on every M20J I found on the market in the last few months, organized by a scale of 1-3: "1" planes were exactly what I was looking for, "2" planes would do if I couldn't find a suitable "1" plane, and "3" planes you probably couldn't pay me to take. I did pricing workups on most and ended up with analyses of varying levels of 68 aircraft in all. N201XG was one of 8 aircraft I took a really close look at, and after spending a lot of time with remarkably patient and helpful selling broker, I bought the plane and moved it from its last base in Texas to its current home in Seattle. It turns out that N201XG spent 16 years in the Puget Sound area, from 1983 through 1999. Some of the maintenance logs show entries from Galvin Flying, the local flight school (and MSC before they got out of the repair business) where I met my insurance minimums in a rental M20J, N161MP. After that, N201XG spent 17 years in new England and 2 in Texas. This plane has a recently overhauled engine with the Firewall Forward 225hp STC, which was previously installed in the plane in 1987, then removed in 1999, before being reinstalled in 2017. It's an amazing plane and I've had a blast on local flights. I'm looking forward to expanding my radius as the weather warms and I work through the small list of remaining minor maintenance issues. Feels pretty neat to have an aircraft that has such a long history in my neighborhood.

Just a follow-up since I originally posted and had the loss of power event. I received the order from Amazon and even ordered some Prist from Spruce. After a sudden power loss and you have had time to reflect you are willing to try any and ALL suggestions. To say I over ordered and took everyone's advice is a understatement. Neil is fairly local and gave me a call the day I posted this and gave me his reasoning and background about the water in the fuel theory. I bought some of the ISO-HEET the next day and put a bottle in each tank. I also did a very thorough pre-flight fuel test and drain..much more than I normally do. Everything appeared good. I'm happy to report I've had about five separate 1/2 hour to a full hour of flights with no engine issues and all gauges are reading correct. Hopefully that was a once a lifetime event, but at least I now know what that type of situation feels like and I feel slightly more confident knowing under a minor emergency I remembered procedure...for the most part anyway. The landing leaved a lot to be desired. I was just glad to be on the ground. Thanks for all the info and input. -Tom

Hell I'm 40 and it hasn't been fun in years.

Foremost, because I am not an expert on the sealant, the prohibition on Prist pertains to the current production aircraft - so its just as applicable to modern sealant. My limited understanding is that the non-modern sealant is the dating back to the vintage Mooney's. I believe all the mid-body's such as our K's since the 80's were sealed with "modern" sealant or material which is equivalent to todays but I can't factually say, except that is also about when the prohibition on Prist began by the factory as far as I know and continues in today's production aircraft. I personally have never used it, and I've only very seldom used IPA, but I am also anal about keeping the cap o-rings in good shape and use the more modern longer lasting material. But I know I have gotten a little water into the fuel system every time I remove the caps when they are soaked despite trying to mop up the water first with a towel. But I have never experienced the condensation issue flying in the flight levels for past 15+ years either. But through Savvy I see a lot of fuel contamination issues, so I am certainly not implying aircraft shouldn't need it. Many clearly do on occasion, especially since our fuel system is particularly vulnerable to it, but luckily I have managed to avoid any.

And I don't hate my job I hate what my company has turned it into. I still enjoy what is my real reason for being there. To serve my customers both internal and external. In all the years there are almost no two jobs with the same solution. The work can be very challenging and often very gratifying when the work is done. Regardless I am looking forward to the future and even though it's just around the corner I don't know how many months weeks and days it will be but that knowledge will be soon in coming.

Fun? I have always worked to Iive NOT lived to work. Good for those of you that are in a career/profession that you are passionate about and enjoy. For me, NEVER have I identified my “self” with my employment...

I love MooneySpace. In the end we found two smoking guns, and fixing both together solved the problem. Long writeup below for future searches. My A&P and I pulled off the cowling last weekend and found major problem #1. There was a fairly major leak at the intake flange for the right front cylinder. Blue 100LL dye was all over the intake, cylinder, and had even sprayed onto the inside of the cowling. Closer inspection found that one of the bolts securing the intake flange had backed out, and contributing to the problem was a cracked gasket. My A&P says a leak like this will cause the cylinder in question to run excessively lean, which likely explains the majority of the engine roughness. @kortopates gets credit for that one. What was interesting is that this was not the cylinder with the single EGT probe, and a subsequent test flight showed a smoother engine but still high temperatures. So we pulled the cowling again and focused on the cylinder with the probe, the left rear. As many of you suggested, we found significant lead deposits on the bottom plug. We elected to pull all eight plugs for a very thorough cleaning and gapping. The following test flight showed the temperatures were back to normal and the engine felt better than before. A few lessons learned- Next time I'll at least pull the cowling off before spooling up the experts at MooneySpace. It didn't take a rocket scientist to find the intake leak. My A&P suggests I clean/gap the plugs at each oil change, rather than at each annual. I'm in talks with my local avionics shop to install a used EDM-700. The quote I got for install was more reasonable than I expected and it is worth the piece of mind. It would have really helped in this situation.

Congrats on your purchase!! Would love to see more pics when you can post them. Also, I am curious to hear your opinion on the 225HP STC.

Congratulations!

Bennett, You and I think so much alike. I bought 133DB for $95k almost 5 years ago. First I started working on the airframe to make sure it was perfect. I then added a GTN 750, 1 tube aspen, and a JPI830 (this was a mistake on my part as I ended up wanting primary and had to put in the JPI900). Then I zero timed my engine at Airmark in Ft. Lauderdale. Now I bought the plane with really nice interior (no quite as nice as yours, but for sure 8 or 9 out of 10). Then came a 1 piece belly, new landing gear pucks, new glass throughout. The. I had a new panel designed 3 tube aspen, JPI900, G5 so the vacuum system is gone. ADSB in and out, LED all around. Then off to Hawk for a tremendous paint job. Mine is probably a step below yours but it is one of the nicest I have ever seen. I probably have $200k in it. Will I ever get that back? No, but I have basically a brand new Mooney that I can fly for many years (I am 56). I am going to add more. A Garmin GFC500 or 600 when I can. Speed brakes and passenger side brakes this annual. Point is, for let’s say $225 you can have every bit as much Plane as what would cost $500 or $600 to build new Today. We need to take our planes to the same place someday just to see how they compare

I think it’s a great program. There are many young kids who drive by the airport in their parents car, with noses stuck to the glass just itching to get on the other side of the fence( I was one of those Kids). I had the opportunity to participate in a YE event a few yrs back, an it was very rewarding. I have not had the opportunity to volunteer lately, so I haven’t had to deal with the background check. But, its to be expected. Just look at what goes on in this world these days With Children, you can’t ever be to safe. so a little extra paperwork won’t make leave a sour taste in my mouth.

Some years ago I was landing at -32C in Iqaluit on a ferry flight. The aircraft was parked outside that night. At departure next morning the temperature was -35C. The Mooney M20E started fine after 30 min preheating of engine and cockpit. I remember the AI needed some time to stop tumbling after engine start. The cockpit warmed up quickly after takeoff. I felt the limitation was more the pilot's performance at that temperatures and not the technology...

I added them to my F model about 5 years ago. The kit is expensive if purchased new. I was able to find used parts for under $500. I have the drawings and install instructions that I can email to you.

My company has lost its way and each day it becomes more clear it's time to retire. Sadly I dont work for the govt so do not have a crazy pension that promises to bankrupt the city county or state. What I do have is a resonable pension but will still see a big drop in income. Life is funny most things are time and money and we have one or the other. Soon I will have the time. The good news is there will be no debt and our Mooney has been given lots of attention making it very reliable. I think keeping it and continuing to fly will be in the cards and I am planning on other things that will with luck make me say god I wish I would have retired sooner. Carusoam mentioned it might be a good line of discussion what thoughts and experience folks have had when life changes the status quo. obvious change would be to take on a partnership but I would rather be a greeter at Wally World than let someone fly my plane without me in it. This thread could be about what you have experienced or what measures you are taking to allow you to continue this wonderfully expensive hobby. I know there are those with so much financial means that there really isnt a worry but for many it's a real concern.

Not too much time at cruise at the moment. Ask me in a few more months.

Congrats on the plane! It was also nice to meet you two weeks ago at BFI. Cant wait to do some flying soon!

I am approaching the end of my second career. I have what should be one of the best jobs on the face of the planet for an aviator. And up until about 10 years ago, it was, for me and most of the folks I work with. "I can't believe they pay us to do this!" was a common refrain. That's when the insidious creep of modern day management-in-lieu-of-leadership started having a real impact on our department. Now, I keep going to work because of the people I get to work with, and a small part of the work is still "oh my God!" fun and rewarding. I am definitely in the camp of working to live, and am looking forward to claiming all of my time to devote to the things I choose to, without giving 8 hours a day, and usually more, to someone else. But in the mean time, my coworkers are some of my best friends, and we occasionally get to do some great work together. I've been blessed with a job I love working with people I like, but it is still a job. I'll never stop contributing in some way, especially to aviation, it will just be on my schedule and according to my priorities. I know that will be somewhat limiting and confine me to pursuits over which I have the illusion of control, but isn't that the point? A friend who just retired put it best - "We are dinosaurs here, nobody cares about what we've done or that we know how to do it better." A sad fact of where we are at our age in corporate life. Time to move to a different environment. I didn't get hit with Marauder's ton of bricks, but they've been piling on top of me brick by brick to where the ton is finally there. Cheers, Rick UPDATE! 2/19/18 My company's leadership has taken a most definite turn to the positive! My greatest fear at the moment is that when I reach my predetermined criteria for departure, the decision to leave will be a difficult one. Not just because of the great people that I get to work with, but because of the positive direction that the company is headed in and the fact that it will indeed be exciting to go in to work every day again! What a wonderful problem to have. I'm very blessed.

When I was at my last duty station, I had enough time in the military to retire. I sat down and wrote this list of all my options. (Obviously, B and beyond is "Retire and ...") A. Take the next assignment I am offered. B. Obtain venture capital, develop engine patents. C. Get my PhD in Dust Combustion. D. Become mercenary pilot. E. Teach JROTC in Pago Pago. F. Go fishing. G. Go hunting. H. Star as the pilot in the reality show "Air Faire America". I. Write Just War Theory book. J. Finish writing SciFi novel. K. Get my CFI-I and teach flying. L. Teach online. M. Become an ABIMU. (Angry Blogger In My Underwear.) N. Patent suppressor design, start suppressor company. O. Start laser machining business. P. Farm woody florals. Q. Build a Kit Plane. R. Build furniture. S. Train hunting dogs. T. Write historical book about American Indians. U. Fix all the crap wrong with the house. As it turned out, the next assignment offered was not desirable, mercenary pay started to fall, my wife said that if we move to Pago Pago she gets to retire, (While I am still working? BS!), and "Air Faire America" never got back to me about an interview, (I presume it was never made), so A, D, E, and H were out. I do F, G, M, and U as often as possible, but my main focus is on N and O. I also plan to do at least the first half of K using my GI Bill. I got my MEL ATP and SEL Comm ratings since retiring and will continue to add ratings. As my example shows, I would suggest you create your own list, (A might be to stay at your job), and decide what would be the most rewarding in the near- and long-term. Always have goals and plans!

When we spent our summers at our lake house, we had an acquaintance who would stop by our dock about once a week to chat. Each visit, he would tell us how many years, days, hours he had until he retired. I always thought it so sad that a person would spend his entire life at a job he hated. We only have one lifetime to learn to be happy.

Some added thought on the subject. My career has been 35 years and during that time many changes have taken place with the increase in technology my company has become more interested in data management than serving our customers. I would have to say I spend close to 50% of my time providing reports and updating constant status requirements than I do designing and engineering for compliance work and new business customers. In other words extreme frustration. Also with an ever increasing work load and a reduction in staff I'm losing my mind. Time to get out. Initially the reduction of income will be a challenge but I intend to get back into my fine art illustration looking to market my work which is primarily motor sports and aviation. Perhaps I will be doing a beautiful painting of someone's Mooney to hang in their office or den. With the ability to market world wide I hope to generate a fair amount of business but not so much that it becomes a job or more importantly I have to rush the work causing a lowering of my standards. I am really looking forward to getting back to doing what I love rather than being a cog in a wheel that has come off its axle. As for flying I have no plans of turning in my wings any time soon.

I did the background check and training on EAA.org and sent an email to the EAA chapter 1300 YE coordinator. Only took a few minutes.

I’m with Bennet on this. You spend the coin to make your old airframe better than new. No, you’ll never recoup you costs, but I bet you still won’t loose as much as you will in the depreciation of a new aircraft. Had I the money that’s the way I’d go.

I'm going to disagree with you on that point. I'm an APS acolyte, having drunk from the LOP cup many years ago when I owned a 231. If they are correct, then detonation is the primary operating wear factor. Full rich, high RPM, provided that the fuel flow is set properly, offers huge detonation margins. Further, they will tell you that "pulling it back" to a cruise climb power settings typically yields higher CHT's and internal cylinder pressures. Ditto 50* ROP, which is Mooney's recommended Best Power setting. Most continentals will require a mid-life top overhaul. You just bake that into the financial cake, and if yours doesn't: bonus! Go buy a bass boat. Mine made it to 850, though there was some early valve work by CMI. Since I've owned the plane for only 150 hours, I don't know much about how it was operated for most of its life. However, I plan to keep this plane (PA46 is too slow in climb and too big for what I have in my hangar), and the tuned induction TSIO550 runs beautifully as lean as you'd like. Interestingly, my top overhaul was done because of high oil consumption turns out the engine must have sat somewhere wet, as all six jugs were corroded Thankfully, the corrosion was limited to cylinders, and they were reusable. When we had it apart, the shop noticed wrist pins out of spec, and the con rod bushings had been pounded out of shape too. I'm glad we did the top. If I do overhaul at TBO 2200, and between now and then, it will be run 60-100* LOP and probably full power climb. I'll have a single datapoint to support or not th APS way -dan

It will hit you like a ton of bricks. One day you’ll wake up and say to yourself, “why am I doing this for a bunch of ___________”. Fill in the blanks. If you are fortunate, it won’t happen. Most of us who don’t work for ourselves find a point that the fun just isn’t there anymore. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

. . . with an in-flight photo of your high-powered ASI. Wish they could give my O-360 more ponies, higher VSI and longer range on less fuel!

@xcrmckenna nah, I flew with Kory. 1021K was down for an engine overhaul while I was getting my hours in. 161MP may actually be down for long-term repairs now that 1021K is back in the air. @Hank beat me by mere seconds

Google knows all, and it is only for Js . . . . http://thenewfirewallforward.com/tnfwf_2012-2013_new_006.htm

That is awesome. Glad to see another Mooney in the PNW. Your story is almost exactly like mine. I live in eastern Oregon and drove 16 hours round trip to get checked out in one of Galvin 201’s. Any chance Jim or Dave was your CFII? I was flying N1021K. It took me just about two years to find N201NU, and I found it in Texas as well. It was a blast flying it back. If you are on Facebook and if you haven’t found the page check out FATPNW. Flights Above The Pacific North West. Great group of aviation fans.... Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Did I read that right? 225hp in a J model? What engine? I need more details! Welcome to the forum!

When you get a chance... update your avatar info. BugSmasher beat me to the Welcome! Best regards, -a-

If memory serves, those guys were hunting the Alaska backcountry. Left something in the plane and a bear decided he wanted it. Tore the hell out of it and they were able to patch it up with duct tape to get out and home. edit. Yup. Damage was way worse than I remembered. Bear even ate the tires! http://www.viralforest.com/this-pilots-airplane-was-attacked-by-a-bear-but-he-repaired-the-whole-thing-with-duct-tape/

I’m quite bewildered by the several of you retiring in your early 50s. I’m still surprised that I just turned 50! I still sort of think I’m still getting started. The thought of retiring hasn’t really crossed my mind yet. Maybe the desire to retire will hit me like a ton of bricks sooner than I think but I sort of figure I should go another 30 years so I can enjoy another 30 years of retirement in good health before I slow down after that. Hah!

J.D. and Laura are the greatest. Please say hi for me. He has helped me so much. Can’t wait to see your prototype!

It was a dark and windy night... ok, it was a sunny and windy day on the coast. So I decided to go inland to a few new(to me) airports I had wanted to check out. I even brought along my video camera, which didn't get any useful audio, and stopped recording several times and needed to be restarted. I headed from Newport(KONP) to Sisters Eagle Airport(6K5) which has a camping area I wanted to see. Then I headed to Lake Billy Chinook State(5S5) which is really more of an airpark, but I did manage to get the camera working: Arrival and Departure from 5S5. Lake Billy Chinook State Airport Oregon Then I headed to Prineville(S39) where every plane in the area was apparently flying and breaking off the 45 a couple times for traffic I couldn't spot and realizing that there were 2 similar sounding red and white skywagons on frequency(at least I think there were, we have proper callsigns for a reason folks). I said screw it and continued to Bend(KBDN) where I had planned to get fuel. After I had worked out my whole 'left vs right' and 'east vs west' problem someone ended up on the runway with a flat. So I headed over to Albany(S12) to get fuel, and managed to actually land there. Then I headed back to Newport where the winds were favoring runway 02 at a sporting 060 18G24 or so(peak gusts were 26 I think) Arrival to Newport Municipal Airport, Oregon, Runway 02 If you look carefully in the video you can see my house, you can also see why I live where I do. Oh well, 3 hours, 2 new airports at least(and really the more interesting ones).

@Bennett and @82Mike This is exactly what I'm planning with my 252. Before I retire, I'd like to get my 252 back to a fully restored, as close to brand new as possible condition. Then retire and fly it as much as possible until I can no longer hold a medical. JD at SWTA and I are currently working on an interesting upgrade... I can't speak about it yet as it is a prototype. But hope to get clearance to post some pictures in the near future.

You know what. I heard the same thing! I never heard of that book! Yes! And you will need a new tail number too - ...how about....N1618J

Just remember Prist is prohibited from being used in our Mooney's; its not compatible with our sealant. (I don't know about bladders compatibility). I would only use it in an emergency and after very carefully diluting with avgas before adding it to the fuel tank. Its probably safe enough after diluting it if you really needed it and it was the only thing available. Only isopropyl Alcohol is approved.

I need more pictures......

I have stopped browsing Planeboard for this reason. When I was searching for an airplane I called and emailed on two different airplanes for sale. No responses from either. I also have noticed that there were always "too good to be true pricing" on the avionics listed. A friend of mine tried to buy a 530W that was listed, he bugged out when the seller claimed he was shipping it from the middle east. Cheers, Dan

Don, I'm sure you realize that your micro climate real estate market is not what most investors in rental property around the country experience. Were you living in Flint Michigan for the last 50 years your ROI would be very different. OTOH, my ongoing investment in AAPL in September 2000 is independent of where I live. And when I pick a stock that doesn't return 90:1 as the AAPL has, unlike real estate, I can sell it on my Android phone in a millisecond and move on.

180 KTAS on 21 GPH.

I am a math professor. But Pi is not specifically the most important number for me, but I teach and there is "Pi Day" which is fun. And it is a very recognizable number that has a bit of a math flare. Actually my VERY favorite number is the Golden Mean, which is (1+Sqrt(5))/2=1.61803398874989484820458... but it shows up in amazing places in topics that I study. First note it has a beautiful continued fraction expansion as, (1+Sqrt(5))/2= It shows up in really amazing ways in various topics relating to resonance such as the rings of Saturn or plasma confinement. KAM theory is the topic.

Is the adapter required for the KI-300 to talk to a King KFC autopilot?

Sorry but I just can't grit my teeth any longer- If one doesn't know how many tools are needed to check the gear rigging or that electric and manual gears have different checking procedures then one obviously hasn't read or even own the proper maintenance manual. WITHOUT THE MAINTENANCE MANUAL YOU AREN'T EVEN LEGAL TOUCHING THE GEAR! A&P OR NOT! Read the damn book before you mess around with the gear. You can google them for free for God's sake! Sorry for the rant. Too many years seeing, watching needless accidents.

When I woke up this morning, the OAT was at -30 C. Too cold for flying. I put some wood in the fireplace, light it up and did nothing else than warm up all day! Yves

So whats too cold for the plan? Screw the plane, I call no joy way before it would

I have a dozen EFBs divided more or less evenly between iOS and Android. Here's the scoop from my perspective: 85-90% of what they do is the same. Most the differences are about how they do the 85-90%. In both cases, it's about us, not the app. That 10-15%? ForeFlight's route advisor is just one example. If you want to plan an IFR route, FF will let you pull up recent ATC clearances which increase the likelihood the route you file is the route you get. FlyQ still doesn't do that. Some people don't care. Some do. Some live where the never get what they expect. And there's a workaround if you do care. There are plenty of other examples. The how? That's really dependent on both how you use and how long you have used an app. I'll use myself as the example. If I were in the market today or a casual user who relied primarily on the moving map and not much, it probably would make no difference to me which one I used. But January will mark 7 years I've been using ForeFlight. I know my way around it I am very, very comfortable with the way it does things, how to get to the essential (to) me functions and I have even used some of its more esoteric capabilities. I go into one of the others and end up finding out it just doesn't do what I want or how I want it to. Not because one is better or worse, but because I am used to the way I've done it for years. ForeFlight is the most expensive EFB I have. As a CFI, many are free to me and the rest (except Garmin Pilot which I don't have) deeply discounted. But, even though I have a very close second choice, I don't see leaving ForeFlight so long as I am flying IFR (although that might depend a lot on the direction that second choice takes).

I was going to stay out of this but I can't resist. I have owned a Bravo for 14 yrs. and find it to be comparable to the Acclaim in most respects. The salesman says the Acclaim goes 240Kts but if you do that regularly you are going to top the engine about every 300hrs. The Acclaim goes a little faster than a Bravo but not much at reasonable power settings. If you have a need for a weather capable airplane and have the skills to manage the equipment either the Acclaim or Bravo will work equally well. My Bravo has a KFC 150 and steam gauges. Goes about 185Kts on 16 gallons an hours. Equipped with FIKI, stormscope, and NEXRAD, I am comfortable in most weather. Turbos help when you get into serious ice. The cost of maintaining the airframe and all the avionics and other systems is mind boggling especially if you do not have use for the equipment. If you have a need they are great airplanes but they keep you checking account at near minimum balance. BTW my insurance this year for a smooth policy was $2400.

Hello Everyone I told the guys at the Mooney Service Center that I didn’t want the external tach that it was a deal breaker for me. At my request, they figured out a way to manipulate the G1000 to display to 2700 redline start to 2800 redline end. They mentioned that when I ever sell the plane there might be a issue and I may have to add a tach. For now I am very happy with this MSC. My feedback on the 310 HP stc: Positives Wow! Take off and climb are a massive improvement, mine is heavy with air conditioning, not much useful load. You can really feel pushing in the last inch. Negatives My fuel burn on take off was 27gph, now 33gph. More power more fuel, I get it. I expected the previous power settings of 25-27 inches to 2300rpm that I used to run 13ish gph is now 15ish gph 50 LOP. The fact is the Acclaim is an awesome machine with 280hp. When I first flew one, I couldn’t imagine anything better. Overall I don’t regret the decision. I think mooney must have weighed all the variables when they decided not to roll the Acclaim out with 310hp, or maybe they are saving that card until the competition catches up.

One concerning thing is the only nav source is the GTN650. If it quits, such as by water getting the avionics access panels, you have no nav capability.