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I have a 65 as well and while the space is limited it is usable. @Bob_Belville posts a pic every now and then of four adults in his "E". My wife and I are both 5' 10" and we made a trip from Salt Lake home to Southern CA last summer with my 13yo (average size) and her 17 yo 5' 8" in the back seat. They didn't complain at all, I did have to go with only 40 gallons of fuel after you added bodies and bags to the plane, but a short fuel stop in St George for everyone to stretch their legs was appreciated. Grainy picture, not enough light taking off just before sunrise.

Finished the panel. It’s been about a year of planning and probably 200 hours of work. First flight yesterday was true gratification. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

As a public service to all those owners with capacitive fuel sensors, I am willing to take the quarantined fuel for use in my float sensor equipped plane. Just to show how generous I am to help out, I won't charge the fuel companies to accept the flawed product. I'll accept the fuel "as is" for no additional disposal fee.

Robert, Thanks for sharing. I think that kiddie is great protection, I wish I had that last year. But being a home detector it is limited to being a catastrophic alarm. In it's description it states, " it is designed to sound at 85 decibels at 10 feet when it detects 70 ppm (parts per million) of CO for 60 to 240 minutes, 150 ppm for 10 to 50 minutes, or 400 ppm for 4 to 15 minutes.: I'm positive that would have would have saved me. But one nice feature of a high resolution detector (Sensorcon or similar) is detecting a problem well before it's an emergency. Many exhaust failures happen slowly, over many hours. It would be nice finding out early on. Not long after the Sensorcon discount went into effect a gentleman on beechtalk posted what he found on the first flight with the Sensorcon. It was a 2008 G36 with 1100hrs TT. He noticed a rise of 4-7ppm when the heater was on. The highest reading he saw was 13ppm. He pulled the muffler and found this. These detectors are a great tool. Cheers, Dan

I have no idea what this pilot had on board regarding equipment, but most everyone has a GPS that shows terrain. At night I always have terrain enabled. If it wasn't a mechanical issue, that could have saved his life.

Gear up Lycoming inspection can be as little as remove the rear case and inspect the crank drive gear and replace its locking tab OR it can mean a complete teardown and reassemble. Only the later would suffice for me given the age of the engine and as little flying it has done. Low time isn't always a plus. With a complete tear down given that it is being sold by a reputable firm makes the issues less BUT any airplane can and will have issues not found until ownership. A lot of flying can be done with the panel it has even if the "glass panel snobs" :-) think otherwise. Lots of US have them. Corrosion is always the issue. Many here have been caught by its insidious nature. My rule for buying airplanes- NEVER BUY THE FIRST ONE YOU LOOK AT NO MATTER HOW GOOD IT LOOKS, you don't know enough yet.

I know its only the masking tape, but that shade of yellow looks stunning with the silver. Reminds me of the carbon cub.

First of all, any Mooney model C through V will fit your mission. I currently fly a 252, but previously had an M20C and flew it across the Cascades a couple of times and into Colorado many times without any issues. If the backseat is always full, the short bodies C,E might not be as comfortable, but they will easily handle flights with four when needed. Now to your real questions... how do you do vintage airplane ownership without getting upside down. The first thing I'd do... and I did... was to start tracking every Mooney listed for sale anywhere by model. I think you'll find the ceiling for an M20C is about $50K, an M20E is about $65K and an F is about $80K. For that money you want a currently airworthy airplane, clean airframe, mid-time (500-1000 hour) engine, WAAS GPS and autopilot and regularly/currently flying. The best "deal" on any of these airplanes will be to buy at the top of the price range. The owner will undoubtedly have $10K to $50K over the asking price, invested and you the buyer takes advantage of that. You'll also note by running the numbers, that a C that is in cherry condition, good avionics and autopilot, but with a runout engine, and an asking price over $25K, will likely put you upside down by the time you do the engine. With the E and F you have more room to work without going upside down economically. As the size of the vintage fleet goes down, examples that are still good deals, get more and more rare. A neglected C that's been sitting for a few years with original avionics, leaky tanks, and either an engine that's runout or has just been sitting for some time, is really worth no more than it's weight in scrap aluminum. But if you find that good M20C, E, or F, like many on this forum, that is flying regularly and has been kept somewhat up to date, buy it. You'll love it. BUT... even this is no guarantee of ownership success... as @Marauder said, you need to be able to handle the worst case scenario. You really need to have the cash to be able to drop $10K immediately after purchase, and $5K per year above and beyond normal and expected expenses. And be able to locate funds equal to the cost of an engine in the worst case scenario (credit, home equity, etc.) And in the very worst case, write off the value of the airplane and walk away. (I almost had to do this with my M20K 252). In spite of all this... we here at MooneySpace, wouldn't do any differently. I've been a Mooney owner since March 2014 and my ONLY regret is all the years prior that I didn't own a Mooney.

... and most of all. CONGRATS ON PASSING YOUR CHECK RIDE!!!

I value using correct terminology. For example, I make the effort to say 5 thousand descending 3 thousand when I begin my descent. But this is a learned behavior. Certainly in the past I said "going down" without thinking about it. Interestingly, it never elicited a comment from ATC, so it likely happens a lot. @kortopates and I know of a situation with 2 pilots, one casually said "let ATC know we are going down" and that planted the seed and the other [capable and experienced] pilot called out to ATC "SoCal Appch, Mooney XXXX, we are going down". It happens -dan

My advice with spending your money:. Get one that already has an autopilot and certified GPS. They cost a ton but can be bought already installed for 30% of the original owner's cost. It makes long cross country flights easier. Make sure it's on a good frame. All the avionics in the world can't save a corroded plane. Check tanks for leaks. Bladders and reseals are options but cost $$. BTW, I have a '65. It's a great plane for me and the wife, but rear space is limited.

I also fly an F and have the Sensorcon. The only time I have ever seen numbers like you is while taxiing in formation with the door open and the cool scoop out the window. On a normal day I see 2-4 while taxiing and 0-1 while inflight. I would check for gaps in the firewall and the tape along the floor in the foot wells.

Profile updated... Thanks for replies - we will give it a try to clean hoses, open dipstick after flight etc. If no success, we try remove the separator as I understand many does. Best Regards Jacob

Ill bet it was when it was geared up.

Airmods is a good shop. if they fixed it, it is fixed. http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2017/07/mooney-m20c-n2596w-incident-occurred.html

To get rid of the condensation in your fill tube you should loosen up your dipstick and pull out a couple of inches after each flight. Tighten the dipstick down once the engine cools off and this will get rid of your condensation. This may be causing a problem with condensation in the hose leading to your oil separator and clogging it up.

My diesel Jetta gets over 50 mpg. (It was even better before the "fix".) Makes the hybrids look pretty crappy, I think.

He knows whereof he speaks! If Craig had listened, there would be no MooneySpace . . . .

Come see me at #SNF18. I will be presenting on Saturday April 14th @ 3:00 p.m. at the AOPA Pavilion. "Exiting the Hold: Reaching Your Aviation Goals" This will be a great chance for you to learn about what might be holding you back. Plus it is always fun to see friendly faces in the audience. Mooney Girls/Mooney Ambassadors will be on display at the Mooney International area. Sun n Fun is a blast. Can't wait to see you there. Who is coming??

I'll take a leap and put this out there. Would anyone like to form a group that pushes our Mooney planes forward into new technology? Maybe we could meet in the Midwest at some fly-in diner and brainstorm and see what materializes. Nothing like bucking the system and forcing change.

That headset getup looks interesting, but isn't comoatible with my Halos. I've been debating between the front of my quadrant where yours is, just below it and to the right.

I’m planning on being there.

As a new member of Silverwings, I expect I'll be at the Silverwings Cabin as well. Might be around for the entire week, if they don;t get tired of me sooner.

Of course Ill be there Jolie, probably all week, most likely buzzing around on a golf cart, at the Mooney Display or at Silverwings cabin, right behind the AOPA tent. Stop on in!

I wish I was.

My ex resembled those remarks... (sorry)

If you’re planning on flying in the Caravan, please determine how you’ll demonstrate proficiency and currency to flight Ops and Lead. For East Coast folks, that’s Jim Rigoulot and Adam Carney, who are the Board members from that region. Jim is MAG leader and ultimately responsible for assembling elements from his region. Adam is Deputy Lead this year and will support Lead in assembling those elements into sections for the Caravan flight. FFI, FAST, et al are a great way to obtain and maintain proficiency (just passed a FAST check ride myself) but ultimately the individual officers responsible for executing the Caravan flight are also responsible for confirming each individual pilot is proficient and current. And yes Captain Gravel, we have phone number for you to copy. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Electric!

No TSIO-550 for me. I was just posting that as a reference point for performance numbers as that is what is used on the Velocity. I am eagerly watching the diesel market as I expect it to revolutionize GA from the standpoint of reliability and efficiency.

Can you post the spec sheet here? That will allow for a more accurate assessment. If there's no autopilot, I'd keep looking. Although $45K for an airworthy E with a mid time engine would be a good price. I'm not saying this on is... we don't have enough info.

Bought mine 63c from Idaho and flew it back to Lancaster pa. I took a chance and brought a mechanic with me close the deal and fly away within 3 hr.

I just noticed this... Paul might need to win a CB award. If I'm not mistaken his "GoPro mount" is actually the top of the display box the GoPro comes in. I may or may not have duct taped one of those to my step once. Cheers, Dan

I am on my 3rd or 4th web based angular package.... I think this one will work. Currently still learning on the front end.

I saw it in the flesh today, it is even nicer than it looks in the pictures. Someone is going to wind up with a really nice F that will probably take down an average J any day.

Until you have whatever equipment you end up choosing, you don't know how you will use it. I chose to go with one vendor so the interface would be easier and that proved to be the correct decision. So I recommend that which ever products you choose, Garmin or Avidyne, go all in with that one vendor to save yourself a lot of interface headaches that many who mixed their products have had. I've got all the interface goodies, FS 210 and FS 510, and this is what I have found. I rarely open the iPad in flight unless I'm going on a long cross country and want to keep myself occupied looking at "stuff". With local flying or trips up to about 2 hours, I get all the information I need from the panel mounts and Aera 796 ((weather, XM or FIS-B), XM radio, Stormscope). In an emergency situation where I lost both the G500 and ESI 500 (an unheard of situation) the FS 210 AHRS provides attitude to both the 796 and iPad. So the 210 is a nice backup gadget. The 510 is useful mostly for database concierge. I still have to take one card home from the G500 because database sync of flightcharts to it from the 750 is so slow. For VFR only pilots the iPad and an external source of ADS-B IN with bluetooth, and a panel mounted ADS-B Out source is probably adequate. For the instrument pilot a WAAS GPS, an external source of ADS-B IN with bluetooth, a panel mounted ADS-B OUT source, and a backup AI would be the minimum equipment avionics required. There probably is no justification for any of the new super boxes other than they certainly make flying a lot more enjoyable. So if you want your flying to be more enjoyable then you can trade your money for that benefit.

Interesting observations about wear on the bolts. Completely agree that bolts are prone to wear in fittings where the bushing rotates around the bolt. But when the bushing is supposed to be held captive by the bolt and nut - which I believe to be the case on the landing gear links - wear on the bolt suggests the bolt and nut were not properly tightened in the first place. Might have worked loose or might not have been tightened properly by a mechanic who mis-understood which surface was the bearing surface. What is true is that if the bolt rotates at all, it's likely to wear quickly. There is no hole in these bushings for grease to pass through from the outer to inner diameter of the bushings, and the ends of the bushings are covered by the bolt and nut. So there's really no way to get any kind of lubricant between the bolt and bushing.

A few years ago there was a proposal for a "primary non-commercial" category under part 23 that would do wonders to revitalize our fleet. It would allow owners like most of us to modify and maintain our planes ourselves, so long as they're not used in commercial ops. We would be free to install the experimental avionics, autopilots, etc as well as do our own inspections and maintenance. I think we need to keep pushing for this! Sent from my LG-US996 using Tapatalk

Honest opinion... It's upside down.

FAST! Sent from my LG-US996 using Tapatalk

Who is greedy? If you want to develop a new engine, get it certified and STCd for hundreds of different airplanes. Nobody is going to stop you. Or do you think someone else should do this for you so you can have your cool new engine? Ive been in the R&D business about as long as I've been in aviation. I can't tell you how many people have come to me with great ideas. They say that if I design it, produce it, distribute it and market it we could all get rich! I ask them what they are going to do in this enterprise and they don't think they should have to do anything, after all they had a great idea!

Yep- I’d check the pin out on the KFC150- you’ll find that there’s a pin for the director bars- those pins or the wire between are probably broken. It runs from pin-16 on the back of the KFC 150 out to pin-P on the back of the Ki-256. Good luck!

After! It was a loooong weekend. Not quite done- need placards. Anyone have ideas on where to get those? Does some company sell placards for a '67 M20C? I have a label maker but don't want to do that if I don't have to... Big ugly EGT switch gone. TSO'd EI VA gauge installed above ignition switch. Waiting on JPI 900 that will go over in place of MP/FP and tach. Standard six-pack plus backup AHRS.

That's pretty deep... Maybe next time try a "Garfield" or "Calvin and Hobbes" reference...

In the book “1984” they would constantly change who they were at war with, then claim that they had always been at war with that country, ignoring and destroying evidence to the contrary. I thought it was interesting that they claimed this had always been their policy, despite evidence to the contrary.

So, SkyTec adopted automotive starters to aircraft engines and now our planes are lighter and start better. Plane power adopted automotive alternators to aircraft engines and now we have lighter weight alternators. If the FAA would allow it we would have Electronic ignition and Electronic fuel injection almost overnight. The electronic systems already developed don't sell well because they offer very little as far as improved efficiency is concerned. They probably are easier to start and I would like that although I don't have any trouble starting it now.

MooneySpace is not the place to propose anything optimistic or disruptive unless you want to hear all about how it won't work. It's the industries most ingrained in their ways that are the most ripe for disruption.

I disagree with both of the above statements. About the shortest A&P program I've heard of is 16 months. How many people will really want to go to night school for 8 straight months, pay probably $10,000+ dollars, and not be allowed to charge for their services? Those people will continue to argue that they don't really need that much training until they are convinced that a weekend distance learning course is all that they REALLY need to work on airplanes- and some will say even THAT is too much. And as for owners working on their airplanes not falling from the sky- if that were true, then why are Homebuilt/Experimental accidents due to mechanical failure around double the rate of certificated airplanes? It would seem the "stats" do not prove your point. I would not be against expanding the FAA's judgement of what constituted Preventative Maintnenance to include some things like landing gear biscuits, but I think there are simply too many variables to ignore. I know some guys who've been overhauling VW engines for decades. Overhauling a Lycoming would be child's play to them. On the other hand, I also know airplane owners who don't know what a box end wrench is. I know another guy who has built 3 airplanes but doesn't know how his alternator works. So I think it should stay like it is. Owners work on their airplanes and either don't tell anyone or they call over a guy like me, an A&P who will check over your work and IF you're a nice guy and a decent human being, I sign off your simple repair. We don't have to waste a big shop's time, everything is legal, and my refrigerator gets restocked without my wife seeing the credit card bill.

Welcome aboard! There are both maintenance and parts manuals available from your local Mooney Service Center (MSC) or Mooney International. There is a small charge for them, but they come on a thumb drive and are extremely useful. The J model is what I have and the manuals cover all year of production. When you get some time, fill out your avatar some more and let us know some more about you and your plane. @carusoam should be along shortly to do the semi-official welcome.