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Yeah that's a total loss. If I was the owner and I walked away from that I would hope the insurance company wouldn't want to rebuild it. Walking away alive they hit the jackpot.

Look at the logs; the seller should be able to send pdfs to you. JMO, but recent and continuous usage was just about the most important factor when I was shopping. It showed that the owner not only used and maintained the aircraft but that it was reliable and TRUSTWORTHY. Meeting and sizing up the seller was equally, if not more important.

Happy 4th!

Perhaps it was Mooney personnel that kept insisting on referring to the tubular frame as a roll cage: Or maybe Flying Magazine picked up the idea of a roll frame when they toured the factory: https://www.flyingmag.com/photos-mooney-factory-tour/ Or maybe Mooneyspace has been the culprit in the 300 times it's been mentioned on here: https://mooneyspace.com/search/?q="roll cage"&quick=1&updated_after=any&sortby=relevancy Or heaven forbid . . . maybe it was Al Mooney himself:

The Cirrus is a plastic clown plane. Not every clown has a Cirrus but every clown at the airport does. Property tax is the reason I have a 67’ F. The property tax I was being charged for my 77’ B55 drove me to sell it. My vote is for the nicest well kept old airframe you can find. IE the evil you know is better than the one you don’t.

Point of reference: I spend between $14K and $20K per year for around 75 hours of operation on my M20F. So, your total without financing is probably a good starting point. But @Fly Boomer is correct, your insurance (as a low time pilot) is low, and annuals are going to run closer to $3,000 just for the INSPECTION; needed repairs (there will be) is going to add to that. IMHO, your premise that you will come out ahead of renting is likely false. If you can afford to own, it beats the hell out of renting but I don't think you are going to save money. If you've been out of flying for a bit I'd recommend renting, at least until your landings are decent. Again, insurance may be eye-watering...best to check FIRST. Contact @Parker_Woodruff

As a Mooney specific instructor not that many DPE’s will do a checkride without right hand brakes or the Piper parking hand brake; especially for a Private. My favorite DPE, that owned a Mooney, won’t even fly without the brakes for a CPL ride! Some will though. Regardless it’s usually faster to get your private in a fixed gear trainer and then Transition to Mooney after; especially if you’re not real young. Age really matters here. Sorry but middle aged pilots are not nearly as fast learners as they were 20 years younger and personally this would be a big mistake for most anyone in their 60’s and later. Don’t even start the training till you can fly at least twice a week to get this done. Recommend completing your written before starting training to save time and $. Just my opinions as an experienced Mooney trainer. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

MT Propeller bragged about this too, but it turns out that their props are infinitely repairable as long as you bring infinite amounts of money to completely replace anything that might look like it is thinking of wearing out. Aerodon

Perhaps not purposefully designed with the intent to provide roll protection (who knows what Al was thinking at the time), certainly the attributes of the steel tube fuselage structure results in providing protection to occupants in the unfortunate circumstance that aircraft goes inverted. Or penetrates trees or other obstacles on the way down. Like a roll cage. I don’t know what else they ‘get’ incorrect, but can’t you give them a pass on this one?

I tend to agree on the financial point, but there can be other benefits. I’ve had two friends who bought their own airplane when student pilots. In the first, the impetus was maintenance and scheduling issues with the large, busy flight schools at the airport. So he bought what he wanted to fly (in that case a 182). What he also got was more in-depth systems knowledge and more freedom for solo flights. The second wanted to start with glass but also recognized the scheduling issues (and didn’t like the available school choices). But he also understood the freedom my first friend found. So he bought a modern LSA.

Yep. I’ll be out there Tuesday to help attach my “new” starter adapter and ill try to get a picture.

One point to check is that many/most Mooneys do not have brakes on the right side and many instructors especially for primary training, won't instruct without brakes on their side.

You never mentioned the three most important numbers for the plane you are looking at: SMOH, TTAF, and how many hours it was flown per year in the last 4-5 years. Any of these can change substantially the estimates for yearly expenses. I would support @MikeOH's assessment from above. You are probably best off either renting a basic trainer or becoming a member in a club with some basic trainers available. Get to the point where you fly the C172 with no surprises. Then move up to a complex aircraft. Otherwise you'll certainly pay a boatload in insurance, possibly gear it up (main reason insurance will be expensive) and/or do many beginner's mistakes in managing the plane, both from a flying and a maintenance perspective. I have a friend who is in a club in the Bay Area, do you want me to ask for details for you? If you fly a lot, membership in a club is the cheapest way to fly without owning.

I think these are low: Pre-buy Inspection: $1,500 Insurance: $5,000 Annual Inspection: $2,500

Cassity still appears as the owner in the FAA Registry. He has not been on MS since June of last year. About that time the Registry shows that he also purchased N693BS, a 2021 SUPER PETREL LS (amphibious). ADSB-Exchange shows that it showed up at Henderson on September 19, 2024. It appears to fly fairly regularly from Henderson to Lake Mead. Per ADSB-Exchange the Rocket didn't fly much - last flight in 2024 was November 29 around Henderson, then on February 15-16, 2025 to Buckeye, AZ and back, and then on June 28, 2025 a few short flights around Las Vegas. On July 2 it flew to Provo. This happened the next day on the return. Per FlightAware and ADSB-Exchange it looks like he landed at a high rate of descent, pushed it into the runway about 1/4-1/3 down the 5,000 ft, runway and porpoised extremely hard. As noted above look at how the tail section rear of the steel fuselage frame is buckled downward. That took a high downward force while on the main landing gear. It is hard to tell from the pic but the spinner looks like it is crushed in and one blade is completely bent under the lower cowling. It looks like all the landing gear are sheared off/collapsed In addition to @LANCECASPER comment about the fuselage frame, this Rocket has an STC bespoke engine mount that may also be damaged adding to the cost. Per ADSB-Exchange, he came in way too high. At about 1.5 nm from the threshold, he was about 1,000 ft AGL and descending at -2,000 fpm. That is about a 6 degree glide slope. His rate of descent reduced to about -450 fpm as he crossed the airport fence but increased to about -770 fpm as he crossed the runway threshold which makes it look like he forced it into the runway. (Note - ADSB shows he was about 150 AGL when crossing the threshold. Also 35R is a shorter runway and set back from taxiway A - the threshold is at taxiway C) https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a8b2af&lat=35.968&lon=-115.124&zoom=15.1&showTrace=2025-07-03&trackLabels&timestamp=1751562032 N66JG Flight Tracking and History 03-Jul-2025 (KPVU-KHND) - FlightAware N693BS Flight Tracking and History 06-Jun-2025 (KHND-KVGT) - FlightAware

Update - I hear all occupants are OK.

As those of us who installed the early GFC500 autopilot know, there was a batch of servos that were defective. After numerous servo failures were experienced, Garmin solved the problem and gave owners of the bad batch 5 years of extended warranty to get them replaced. I decided to wait until one of mine went bad before having them all changed. Well, the roll servo went bad last December. Since my installation occurred not near my home airport, I had a local shop do the replacements. They spent a lot more time than Garmin had allowed so I got charged for the difference that amounted to over $1,300. I was not very happy, but all of the servos worked so I begrudgingly let it go. Following the issue on Beechtalk and maybe here on Mooneyspace, I discovered that I was one of the only ones who had been charged. I wrote a letter to Garmin describing the situation. About a month later I unexpectedly got a call from Ryan Owens from Garmin asking me about my situation. He said he would look in it. Several months went by and I heard nothing. Memory dimmed and I let it go by the wayside. I got a call from him today. He said he had been thinking about my problem and he wasn't comfortable with the outcome. He asked me if I would be satisfied to have a full year Onepak database subscription to satisfy the situation. I said, "Yes, and thank you". This isn't the first time Garmin has come through for me. I had an out of warranty Aera 760 have an issue and they did an exchange for no cost. Many have asked why I am such a Garmin supporter. In addition to liking the way their products work, I have had this kind of support throughout my dealings with them and I will continue to support them as they introduce new products that I didn't even know I wanted.

Speed brakes fit? Sure in at least any C and up? Yes same wing not including wing tips. The speed brakes you describe with a flat plate on the top of the wing sounds like the very rare hydraulic brake. The vast majority of Speed Brakes are Precise speed brakes that sit inside the wing till extended from several systems over the years from manual, to vacuum to electric. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Both airports are under the busiest Bravo in the world. MYF is a very busy airport with expensive fuel yet at a more central location. SEE is a quieter but still a busy airport with cheaper fuel but usually a bit farther out of the way for most destinations. Both have restaurants. If coming in IFR both will be easy. If coming in VFR be sure to be on flight following so you can get a Bravo clearance. Our controllers are very friendly, but if VFR know how you’ll transit over/around the LAX, ONT and/or SNA airspace, depending on your route in before you arrive. One possible easy option is just stay above 10K above the LA Basin till descending into San Diego’s airspace. Another is to stay east of ONT and fly a route like KCNO-F70-KRNM-KSEE-KMYF. Regardless of which airport you choose both have excellent FAA videos on arriving and what to expect with traffic patterns and runway hotspots that are very helpful to pilots new to the area. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The edm900 and 930 are great products. It’s a lot of work to install but it has a lot of useful features. Lee

Here's how mine is done.

It might be that on Thursday Las Vegas had a large weather event (Huge down burst winds) so bad that 2 Allegiant Airlines Airbus airplanes diverted to here in St George UT. Looking at the wet ground - in the summer- in Las Vegas- leads me to wonder if the weather at that exact time was a probable cause.

Dogs rule, love that picture

For pre-autopilot aircraft, previous owner’s avionics shop made a bracket attached at the bottom of the yoke AN3 bolt, and tapped a hole they drilled in the backside of the yoke for a support clamp. A coil cord runs to the ptt switch.

Exactly the route i went eventually till i could no longer maintain the vacuum speed brakes due to the vacuum canister. Cost several AMU’s but since brakes are standard equipment for both our Turbo’s it’s either pay now and enjoy them or pay later when you sell it in the form of a discount. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No… he’s coming in over the Ridge 35R. Winds at HND can change from one end of the runway to the other. But he’s definitely high and fast.

Turbo or not, a ‘64C priced at $115K better be the best, most pristine, vintage C on (perhaps) the entire planet. The turbo system certainly would warrant extra scrutiny during inspection. I don’t have any idea about parts support for that system, but if I were buying, I’d find out and be ready to factor that knowledge into the purchase price. What were you training in? The transition to a Mooney from a PA-28 is going to easier than from a C-152 or C-172. In my opinion. It’d be a nice airplane for commuting between NORCAL and SOCAL…. really nice. Good luck.

Hollow inside, no issues with wires.

Web browser version, not iPad app not even close to FlySto, but maybe I’m saving my track logs wrong. -dan

Nope, my fault. Didn’t notice the original subject line. All good.

It works! A little inconsistent, I'm not sure what a normal functioning PC system is like though. Sometimes it will return to level but overshoot, then come back. At least once or twice in the short time I was up today, it would overshoot but not come back. Maybe something sticking in the gyro? The roll trim on the yoke is not super responsive, is it supposed to be a fairly faint trim adjustment? The Accutrak still gets off course a little then starts overcorrecting hard. I haven't tried making any adjustments to it yet since the PC system still isn't 100%.

HND is my home base. We have a lot of landing accidents here - coming into HND from the south there’s a ridge of mountains you have to come over and if you’re not careful or get distracted can find yourself high, fast and a lot closer to the threshold than you want to be. It’s why there’s no precision approach into HND - the glideslope is 6.5 degrees from KATYU - which is only 3 miles from the threshold. Need to decide to go around early if not stabilized. It seems like he tried to wrestle it down - which I could have done in my Cherokee 235 but would never do in my Ovation. I wonder if he had too many recent hours flying the amphib. Just glad everyone’s OK.

Maybe, but Rocket’s hanger at KSFF looks deserted and has a for sale sign on the front.

Finish private cert prior to buying Mooney (for a lot of reasons). Insurance for a student pilot in a Mooney is almost impossible in California.

I had my 155 refurbished a few years ago; new display; new lenses; new knobs (the internal plastic parts that create the detents for the frequencies). It's a great #2 radio now. And there's NO software. :>

I don't think that will ever fly again.

Did a trip recently that was a 3.2 hour flight but would have been an 11 hour drive. By airline, it would have been 5 hours gate to date, plus 1 hour to airport on my end, plus arriving 2 hours ahead of time then car rental, then 1+20 drive to actual destination. Total almost 10 hours, like driving. I am 7 minutes from my hangar and it takes maybe 30 minutes to pull airplane out, load, preflight and get moving. At other end, rental car was brought to the airplane. Less than 30 minutes from landing was at lunch.

No airplane makes economic sense for anyone to own. But isn’t that why we work? First to provide for our needs and family, but then to spend the money that’s left on our desires? Some people buy cars, boats, golf memberships, second/third homes… You could get run over by a vitamin truck tomorrow, enjoy the fruits of your efforts.

I think having a Mooney solely as a toy is fine. 50% of the "defined mission requirements" are just people talking themselves into buying the toy to begin with Life is short!

I've struggled with this on a much smaller (dollar) scale (I have a 1970 M20F with six-pack/GNS430W/STEC30) The conclusion I've come to is that I love to FLY; the toys in the panel are distant to mechanical condition. Could I afford to upgrade? Yes, but the 'value' just isn't there for me. I'll put the money into the engine overhaul, but I don't see myself spending the coin on the avionics or fancy interior. Honestly, what I have is really all I need; and I don't really want the 'glass'. YOLO most certainly applies, but I'd rather spend on other entertainment (e.g. sailing yacht) Neither hobby is financially prudent! Realistically, I ask myself how much longer will I be flying? Maybe 10 or 15 years...sure, we all like to think we will be flying octogenarians, but even so, it may be in a Cub...mission will likely change. For me, the pleasure is in the flying itself, if the machine is safe the rest is not that important. Sorry for the ramblings...if you can afford it and it brings you pleasure, then go for it!

Wow, 2-3 days? I call my guy and we decide when to meet at the hangar. 1/2 hour later we are done.

ARI cowl Mod gave my Mooney a modern look and about 5 MPH. Here’s the breakdown: Used (like new) Polished 201 spinner with 5 hrs on it from eBay, listed $2k. Got it for $1032 shipped Top Gun labor: 11.5 hours, 135/hr: $1587.72 Finishing and painting: 7.5 hours/$60 in materials: $1103 Total: $5035 I also went with the single tinted piece rear windows, all side windows were about $1500 plus another 12 hours install. No speed gain, but it looks very close to a J and the view is fantastic from the back seat. I wanted to do the single piece sloped windshield, but you’re looking at $10k between parts and labor.

Fortunately for you this is a standard part and available from non-aviation sources. Mouser has both in stock today. That said, the flap relays are problematic and could also be the source of your problem. limit switch Honeywell V3-1 https://www.alliedelec.com/honeywell-v3-1/70119063/ https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Honeywell/V3-1?qs=0x4sLrpp94JcOlsy%2BnfV2g%3D%3D roller lever: Honeywell JV-5 https://www.alliedelec.com/honeywell-jv-5/70120150/ https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Honeywell/JV-5?qs=%2Fha2pyFaduhUkHaxgJoyblOS5GVPIsARlMPyyFAJ6M4%3D

That's a Honeywell V3L-3 microswitch which is the integrated switch and lever, or you can buy the V3-1 switch and JV-5 roller lever separately, which are often cheaper and easier to find than the full switch. I've also recently sorted out that the V3L-3 is identical (in essentially all specs, dimensional, electrical, and mechanical), to an Eaton SS12ET10-102L3, which Lasar sells (for a lot of money for a switch). My IPC and SMM spec the V3-1/JV-5 combo some places (like the flap limits) and the SS12ET10-102L3 in others, (like the throttle safety switch for the landing gear horn). It's evidently the same switch, just the supplier part numbers are different. Places like DigiKey often have these switches or just search for the part numbers online. Something that often works as a temporary fix is to spray the crap out of it with contact cleaner. That will often rehab them for a time, but perhaps not permanently.

Any pics Before and After up on jacks?

So this happened at KHND today. I hope everyone is OK.

There has been terrible flash floods in Kerrville, TX, home of Mooney. There are at current count about 27 dead, including 9 children at a camp who were tragically swept away out of their bed in the middle of the night. We should all hope and pray our friends at the Mooney factory are safe and if anyone has a good connection reach out and let us know how they are doing. I hear the airport at Kerrville is the center for helicopter rescue. https://www.nbcnews.com/video/drone-video-shows-deadly-flooding-in-kerrville-texas-242745413785