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My A/C failed on the Lancair and I found it to be the A/C drive unit shaft. After much searching I was given the name of a machine shop in a small town called Athens, WI, just west of Wausau. I was told the shop was owned by a Mennonite with exceptional machining skills and very fair pricing. During the work process the owner indicated a fascination in the fact I built my own plane and after talking about it with his kids, he mentioned they were excited as well and commented how much they desired to ride in a small airplane someday. I told him I would pick up the shaft when completed by flying my Mooney over to his local airport (3 hour drive, 35 minute flight) and would gladly give his kids an airplane ride. He had the shaft done in one day (Wednesday), and I had him make me a new pulley as well, which he completed this morning. Looking at weather, I asked if this evening would work to fly his kids and he stated that it did. He asked if a couple neighbor kids could get a ride too, and I said yes. I arrived at a local airport and had a greeting party waiting for me. The politeness (and curiosity) of everyone was simply amazing. I did two flights, with 3 kids each flight, flying over their houses and their small little town. On each flight the oldest boy in the front seat got to fly the plane for 5-10 minutes. Upon completing the second flight, I asked mom and dad if they wanted to go and they insisted I should get home before dark and they had flown before, but were amazingly grateful the kids were able to fly. Then one of the younger girls walked up and gave me a plate of some awesome brownies she made this afternoon for "their pilot". As I flew home I thought about the impact the flights had on these truly humble kids, who clearly live a lifestyle of a much more simple means (and I say that more out of respect and admiration than anything). Sometimes we get LUCKY, sharing what we love with others and then getting the rewarding, yet humble feeling I experienced during my flight home. Pretty COOL. Tom

I grew up a USAF brat surrounded by pilots and airplanes. My family history had me wanting to fly for as long as I can remember. Great Grandfather WWI Founding member of the CAP Grand Father WWII / Korea U.S.M.C Uncle VTANG Father USAF

I see you bought Kelly's airplane. He told me about it last week. I have a few hours in that airplane over the last 15 years. If you need Mooney specific training, let me know. I currently own a K model and have owned a C, F & M model Mooney in the past. I have about 1,000 hours in Mooneys and have CFI, CFII, MEI & ATP.

I don't remember the first time I flew, but I was a young pup. My grandpa had an Ercoupe before I was born. I do remember flying in that thing now and then, but man was it amazing when he upgraded to a Cherokee 140. We ruled the world in that thing. I flew all over Arizona and southern California with him. He was a professional hockey player in his younger days and unfortunately all the hits finally caught up with him. Concussion induced dementia. We knew he was going a little wonky, but not quite how bad until he landed on a taxiway 3 times at 3 different airports in one flight. My grandmother refused to fly with him anymore and he never flew again. This was back 10 years ago or so. He sold his Piper to a guy out in California. I had a ton of Cox models when I was a kid. Built a model of my Grandpa's cherokee out of balsa (still have it!), then I got into RC. Flew up to 1/4 scale acro and even all of that just wasn't enough. I always wanted to get my own PPL, but just could never swing it. Hell, a few years ago I was seriously considering buying one of those build it yourself scale WWI kits and just tooling around in that... I'm finally at a point in my life where I could make it happen and I did. Attached are a couple pics of my grandpa in his ercoupe, with his Cherokee, and one with me as "PIC" in the Cherokee sometime in the 80's. IIRC.

Operation Mother in law day a success. Pop to Sugarland. Slow up for a cessna landing. Pick her up. Chat with the Mooney C guy whose flat nose wheel reminded me that I need to put the old tubes into the plane. Run to Lake Jackson. Yummy food. Reverse procedure with a nice sunset flight.

Emory Peak (el. 7,825 msl) in Big Bend National Park 12 nm north of the US/Mexico border. Being within a US Defense Area and with no ATC coverage we were prepared for an F-16 identification encounter as we passed within 6 nm of the ADIZ but none occurred.[emoji846] Rio Grande valley (border) in the background. Beautiful, albeit bumpy flight. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I know we've all seen the video clips but here is a long beautiful video from the photographer. There are some beautiful views of the Ultra over Canyon Lake and the Texas hill country. This is our usual practice area when @bucko, @"Chocks", I and others get together to fly formation. Enjoy

I read this thread with some amusement. I have been fortunate enough to have flown the fully glass panels of today's upgrades and G1000s of olden days, and the all steam gauges of another millennium. The weight discussion is irrelevant. I maybe picked up 10 pound of useful load on my upgrade, but the capability improved in ways that, well, you'd have to fly to appreciate. For example, this past weekend I did a transition training in a very well equipped Bravo. It had a 530 and 430 and Sandel 3500. It came off the line with the B/K 225 autopilot. The Sandel is an advanced EFIS 40. The plane has not been upgraded to ADS-B. The beginning of the training comprised of a trip from KSLC to KIDA. The end of the training, the reverse. The lack of an air data computer, traffic and a large screen with both terrain and SVT for someone who has been used it for the past 3 years, especially in a Class B area like Salt Lake City, was really noticeable. If you can afford Glass, get it. The weight penalty, if any, is negligible. The safety benefit far outweighs any other consideration in my opinion.

Every 4 years the Navy ensured I got to practice egressing from the Helo dunker, they also made sure we could tread water in full flight gear with out inflating any flotation. we also had to do the pressure chamber and parachute simulators. The big thing it taught me was I didn't want to ditch, but if i did, I wanted to have the proper survival equipment in good working condition. to this day I do not mind flying over water, even in a single engine aircraft. but I do use all that the Navy taught me when I do. I carry survival equipment, calculate glide distance to land, make a note of the wind and swells in case I do have to ditch and identify ships to ditch near when I am outside the glide range for shore. Brian

And in case you're wondering... Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

It was long overdue, but I finally got my instrument rating yesterday. I had a flight scheduled for this morning for business. Without the rating, the flight would have been scrapped and I would have spent 8+ hours in the car today. With the rating, off we go. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Here's a condensed 10 min video of our flight from KACV Arcata, CA to L36 just under KSMF Sacramento airspace at night. Hope the links work. "Turbo 231 Mooney Sunset Departure over the Beach" https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0ahUKEwi7_Zuar-bTAhUDm5QKHeE2A0oQtwIIIzAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdYFA3Ew6fxo&usg=AFQjCNFWvWmG_I8f4ErYlkaiILsHCtyK2A&sig2=VOUzDmS-pVp9IgvBtOhLOg

Yep, completely electric. No 750 for me! I'm about to be thrown out of the house as it is. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Flew down to see my mother/brother and middle sister in Arkansas Saturday morning. Beautiful flight. Had a little indirect push that had me seeing 145-160 knots at 6500. 5-10LOP burning 9.8GPH flight was 2.3 and smooth as glass. Photo (sideways as posted-what's up with that?) had a low fog layer over a Missouri River. Could see it for miles. I don't know how you all get such beautiful photos from your plane, but this is lame in comparison. (Sorry). We played 27 and 45 holes Saturday and Sunday. Had a blast with my siblings enjoying some birdies, beers and bogeys Good to see my 86 year old mom on Mother's Day. Return flight was .1 longer with 2.4 vs. 2.3. One of those rare trips where winds were benign or helping a tad vs. slowing you down. My fuel up was just over .1 AMU's which I feel is a bargain. I love GA and I love my Mooney...

Indeed it was done based on personal preference. I have flown with this configuration since late 2012. One thing to keep in mind is if you need reversion, your backup AI (the MFD) will be even further right. If you want to see an extreme of this, take a look at a G1000 panel and locate the backup AI. I think Danb told me his backup AI is all the way on the right side. Even the G500 setups are usually offset to the left as well. My setup is a compromise. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Crystal Avionics in New Braunfels. The delay is really not due to the avionics shop but rather just a few different little things, but each seems to insert a week into the process. I'm confident my panel will be in the same class as @Marauder and @Bob_Belville when it's done.

I bet they all truely enjoyed the experience!..None of those kids have cell phones or video games in their pockets ,so you had their total respect and attention...all the fundamentalist children I have met have been this way...hats off to you

This is overflying the airport at Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) this morning on my way home from a Flying Samaritans trip. <http://www.flyingsamaritansaz.org/Tucson/index.html> This is another Fly360 video which means it works best in the Youtube app on the iPad (and I assume Android). It does not display properly in the Safari browser. Chrome is OK, but the iPad app is far superior. Using the Youtube app you hold the iPad in front of you and can pan 360º. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnyIzEMxP2U

If it is any help to you my panel changes in 2012 reduced empty weight by 20 pounds.

The 2xxx Al-Cu and 7xxx Al-Zn-Cu alloys are heat treatable and can develop high strength-to-weight ratios desirable for aviation. Alloy family 2xxx was once known as Duralumin and was developed early in the 20th century for rigid airship frames Alloy family 7xxx is stronger per unit weight than 2xxx and appeared in the Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero early in WW2 and in the B-29 late in the war. The relatively poor corrosion characteristics of 2xxx and 7xxx can be ameloriated by mechanically bonding a thin surface layer of high-purity aluminum to the strong alloy substrate in what is called the "Alclad" process The 6xxx Al-Mg-Si alloys are heat treatable but are not as strong as 2xxx and 7xxx. The 5xxx Al-Mg alloys are not heat-treatable but have better weldability than other alloys.

Check with Aerodon to see if he has any WX-500s available. I purchased a pre-owned one from him for a really decent price. The WX-500 is a great unit. The ability to switch between strike and cell mode, both with rate indicators really is light years ahead of the WX-8 I flew behind. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I admittedly got a good price on my WX 500 at $4,200 uninstalled. You shouldn't have to pay retail.

Go to the main office next to the restaurant. They will show you what is available on the airport and can give you the paperwork you will need to fill out. I was transferring my plane from KFFZ so they held the spot for me. The price for a covered tie down is $101.00 per month. You do need to watch a 10 minute video and take an exam so you can drive on the airport. It is a really easy process. Like me know if you need any info or help with anything.

The reason low wing aircraft have a boost pump is because the engine is higher than the fuel tank. The boost pump is at the lowest point in the fuel system. This insures there is a gravity feed to the pump and the boost pump lifts the gas to the engine. In most cases there is enough of a siphon to maintain pressure to the engine that the boost pump doesn't do anything. The POH has you turn on the boost pump at critical phases of flight (landing and take off) when the aircraft is experiencing maximum differential rate pressure changes to minimize the hazard, . In addition to checking your fuel pumps, I would check you fuel tank venting system.

It is these small gestures of kindness and integrity that bind our General Aviation community together. With few exceptions most pilots would bend over backwards to help another, selflessly as you did. Congrats to you. I know it feels good to you, but the memory for those kids will last a lifetime.

Brittian

In general , Estates and or terminal patients , are not trying to squeeze every penny out of a dime , They are trying to liquidate assets so their family's don't have to deal with these things... I have purchased from estates and terminal patients in the past ....My suggestion , is if you are not going to purchase the aircraft , do not get involved...

I always say, the only thing better than flying airplanes, is giving someone their first ride in a little plane and letting them do some of the flying.

I agree about keeping the panel a similar layout to what it has been the last 5 years. I really like the color/texture you used for it and where you allocated the funds to be spent.

All it takes is money, welcome to our little club.

PM sent on old panels

I'm not on Facebook. Right here is ~70% of my "social media."

I have a Mooney M20E based at Deer Valley as well. I am in the covered tie downs next to the Phoenix Police closest to taxiway C. It sounds like the four of us should touch base sometime. By the way, I met the previous owner of your airplane. He was very knowledgeable and took good care of it. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Talk planes, oggle planes, tell lies, eat, tell more tall stories, make new friends, oggle more planes, go to the bathroom, and fly away.... Come on out. You'll have a fine time!

While I have been known to instruct a lot of people in Mooney's, I don't have a Mooney you could train in, and haven't done any primary instruction for a number of years. You might try Sam Lindsey In Wauchula, Fl. nine four one 209 twenty three twenty two, or see if the flight school in Ocala will let a student rent and train in their J they have on the line. Ill be on the west coast for the 6-10 lunch, but there will be a good dozen or 2 people that would gladly take you for a lap around the patch and let you sit in their Mooney and make airplane noises! Good luck!

We have been working on closing a deal for a 68 M20F for about 5 weeks now. Mainly because of the remote location and lack of an A&P who keeps his commitment. She's been out of annual for 2 years, the previous owner had a sudden health issue 3 years ago, but with a thorough pre-buy, and thorough annual we are down to putting on new brake pads to be able to fly her off. This is my first mooney, and I bought it with a friend. We have been flying my 172 a lot lately, and I had a business opportunity that requires me to be in Stockton, CA 4 days a month. Flying from Eastern Washington to KSCK in a 172 teaches you patience. I hope to be able to make the trip a lot faster now... 5 hours with a CFI next week, and I'll be burning up the sky at almost twice my usual speeds... Rod 68 M20F 69 172K

Prisoner #25-0577-1079B

I don't think a checklist item is warranted. Sometimes shit happens and you just react to it. You reacted properly By the time you pull out a checklist on this one, you're several steps behind.

A beautiful day to fly to Galveston TX and visit my mother in law. The beauty of a Mooney is that this is only an afternoon, not an over night trip! Right above the clouds (mostly) on the way back.

When you live in an area with icing all winter and thunderstorms and ice in the summer it's a challenge in a non fiki airplane. Usually hood and simulator. We had some good IFR weather this week but the plane was down for MX.

For those of you whose primary care doc has signed off on BasicMed, congratulations. Mine has refused. I provided all of the supporting info from AOPA and tried to engage in a dialogue with said doc. He had a closed mind from the start and never gave it any real consideration. So, before I schedule a Class 3 exam with my AME I thought I would see if anyone on this forum was aware of any Docs in NE New York who are performing BasicMed exams. Thanks for any help.you can provide.

A long time friend (now deceased from a non aviation related illness) ditched his 231 into (onto) a lake. We talked about his experience at some length. This was a first flight after an annual, and the persons at the airport saw a trail of smoke coming from the airplane. One called him on the CTAF, and as he sought to return to the airport, the engine quit. There was a lake between his position and the airport, and he elected a water landing. Wheels up, as slow as possible, door cracked open, and in his words "the airplane skipped like a rock across the surface". He told me that at no time before the airplane stopped on the water did the nose dip down deeply. The passenger opened the door (this was her first flight in a GA aircraft), and they both stepped out on the wing. The 231 had the shoulder harnesses and neither had any injuries. A boat from the shore came out and picked them up right before the aircraft sank. He said they barely got their legs wet before they were rescued. He was a very experienced pilot, and I know he would not panic in this type of situation. Great combination of luck and skill. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks! The majority of my flights with everyone aboard would be well under 2 hours. We have a cabin in the KSOW area (under an hour flight) that we don't visit as often as we like, because it's a 5 hour + drive. That will be my primary mission. My wife has all of her family in San Antonio, so I imagine there would be a couple longer flights a year. But, I'm hard pressed to justify spending double the money for what would be the rarest occurrence.

Don't make the mistake many do thinking you can add things avionics/mods/etc cheaply because you know a guy. Buy the plane you want to fly. Older gx and mx20 unit are not worth anything to help recoup funds during panel work (~750 each). Try to find something with a 430, AP, reasonable paint, and good maintenance history. Stay away from eBay unless they state a full refund of deposit if you see the plane in person and decide it's not for you. Never buy a airplane unless you or a IA you trust fully (worked with in the past) has done at least a quick pre-buy.

You could sell the dream of a $100K aircraft, use investor funds to acquire the tooling, finish certification and get all set up for production, then wipe out the unsustainable debt load via Chapter 7 and begin anew. Examples abound: Think of the Motorola Iridium global satellite system, a $7B operating system acquired at bankruptcy for under $50M and fourishing today. Eclipse Jet erased close to a billion in venture funding (and buyer deposits) before it became at all viable. Closer to home: Think how many times Mooney assets have been acquired at fire-sale prices in the last half century. Don't let mere fiscal solvency stand in your way: Build that 21st century plane! Future pilots, if not today's investors, will hail you as the Al Mooney of their parents' generation.

I've always said that the airplane manufacturers M,B, P etc. need to get together and utilize a factory like that to make air frame parts. Reduced human labor in the riveting, painting, welding process and then assembly. Pipe dream I know but then maybe you could get the cost of a 4 place single down to the $250k range. Not saying they would sell like hot cakes but sales would increase. However it would take cooperation between the manufactures to utilize a factory to it fullest capacity to justify the investment and make it cost effective. A single manufacture cannot do it alone.

Gee, thanks....you just brought back some really bad memories from basic training. Couple hours in the pool until we were prunes, but very proficient at removing clothing while in the water and making our own flotation devices. That was a great workout though... Better yet, just carry life vests if going over water for extended periods and a life raft if over really big bodies of water. This one was close to shore, so thankfully a jet ski operator was close by to help. Going against the tide is bad stuff as a swimmer, even the strongest swimmers will fail that test eventually. Brian

"Central" means different things depending on your criteria..... Personally, I think Panama City (around the first of October) is pretty "central" since that's where a lot of Mooniacs will be.

There have been a couple of really nice "looking" Mooney's come up for sale lately on this site. This along with a number of users searching for months/years for a good bird without success. And other users who have purchased vintage Mooney's and then asking about how to upgrade certain expensive components has got me thinking about the best way to increase the value of our vintage birds. I used to own a C and now own a K which falls into the Modern Mooney forum on this site, but is quickly achieving vintage status as well. So here is my opinion on the subject. I'll start with the assumption that I have a 40 to 50 year old Mooney that is all original. Therefore it really needs everything. Here is my list of upgrades in chronological order. 1. Engine monitor - An engine monitor is the best way to maintain the health and longevity of the single most important/expensive piece of my airplane. An engine monitor can reduce maintenance costs. It can also reduce running costs by allowing proper LOP operations and better fuel economy. It increases the enjoyment of flying by taking away many of the questions around how the engine is running during flight. This can be a relatively inexpensive upgrade. 2. Autopilot - This would be my first big upgrade. It would certainly come before paint, interior, panel, etc. Hopefully the cost of these comes down as TrueTrax and others come to market. But Mooney's are made to travel and traveling is so much more enjoyable with a good autopilot. It should be at a minimum one with altitude hold. I believe the minimum here is an Stec 30/altitude. Personally, I wouldn't buy a vintage Mooney without this already installed as it's an expensive upgrade. And if I was trying to sell a vintage bird and thinking to spend some serious money to improve it, the autopilot would be the first item on the list. 3. Moving Map/WAAS GPS - After the autopilot, this is the most useful upgrade. And if you're flying further than a local $100 hamburger, it makes the flying much more enjoyable. This is also on my list of "must have" for any Mooney I would purchase as it's an expensive upgrade with installation costs. WAAS is not only useful for IFR flying but also ADSB. A minimum here is a 430W. This also provides a relatively modern Radio as well which my vintage Mooney would also desperately need. A unit like this coupled to a decent autopilot will make for a very capable cross country traveling machine. 4. Panel - As I start addressing the aesthetics of my vintage Mooney, I'd start with the panel. At minimum, I'd rearrange the instruments into a standard 6-pack. This is a relatively inexpensive upgrade that will certainly pay dividends when trying to sell. At this time I'd get rid of any legacy instruments such as ADF, Narco radios, etc. and make sure I have a decent audio panel and something like a KX-155 as the minimum for my secondary comm. 5. ADSB - By now you already have a WAAS GPS, so adding ADSB isn't an expensive upgrade. But the benefits of ADSB for traffic is huge. It will also make your bird stand out when up for sale. 6. Avionics - Steam or glass isn't as important as having the proper instrumentation for IFR flight. If the instruments are good, I might swap the DG for an HSI. If the instruments are crap, I might go with a G5 or even Aspen. The important thing is to have a good safe IFR panel. Even if you're not Instrument rated, the pilot you sell to will likely be. Mooney's are excellent IFR platforms, and should be equipped as such. 7. Interior - A new interior can make a huge difference in the overall enjoyability of a plane. But it's not nearly as important as the panel and avionics. Panel and Avionics are in your direct view during the entire flight and make a huge difference in the overall stress level of the flight. Interior is "nice to have" but certainly comes after. A full interior can be had for 10 AMU or so, but should certainly include leather covered yokes with proper PTT and other switches. Nothing is quite as ugly as a yoke with a home made bracket holding various buttons and switches. Nice yokes set off a nice panel perfectly. 8. Speed Mods - I personally don't know why anyone would paint a Mooney without first talking to LASAR to make sure all available Speed Mods have been installed. There is a Mooney for sale right now with a beautiful paint job, but without any of the bits that make it go fast. Speed Mods will need to be painted to match, so it only makes sense to do them prior to any paint job. The C that I owned looked like a short body, late model, J. And it out flew all C's, most E's and F's. Don't paint without first making it as slick as possible. 9. Paint - This is the very last upgrade I'd spend money on. The plane needs to be perfect in every other way. Many upgrades such as speed mods, interior, panel, etc. to say nothing of maintenance such as gear pucks, tank re-sealing, engine overhauls, can mar a paint job. Therefore it should be the very last upgrade done to a vintage Mooney. Once the plane is perfect in every other way, all maintenance is up to scratch, there is nothing left to do, but you've got 10 AMU's burning a hole in your pocket, get it painted. A beautifully painted bird, with a new leather interior, but old original yokes, no functioning autopilot, no WAAS GPS, old radios, and a shotgun panel is just a huge disappointment. Upgrade your vintage Mooney in the manner, and you might never put her up for sale. Every step in the process with be building on the upgrade before and will build the overall enjoyment of flying the plane. It will also increase the value of the plane and make it much easier to sell if that time ever comes. I haven't addressed maintenance here, but suffice it to say that corrosion, tanks, gear pucks, engine and prop, all must be addressed and maintained as required. In fact, if you can't maintain these items, you can't afford an airplane. These things are a given, and should be deal breakers for anyone buying a vintage Mooney. I'm aware that different people have different priorities. But I've organized this list not only based on my priorities but also those things that best maintain the value of the Mooney and will be of interest to the largest number of buyers. I'm interested in your opinions.