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Update: I purchased an 1970 “F” model and brought it home last week! I couldn’t be happier with whole process. I purchased the aircraft from All American Aircraft, Jimmy and David were great to work with! Ron Fisher did the prebuy, he was very helpful in explaining the process, maintenance, and nuances of the aircraft to a newbie like me. And a “thank you” goes out to all of you who took the time to write a response to my questions! Happy flying!

Hook up with @Hyett6420 He’s a respected regular here with a beautiful J model and a ton of GA experience in Europe. He’ll point you in the right direction! Tom

Yep, definitely an engineer drove the train. My Dad was a Conductor on the railroad but he didn’t play a musical instrument

Worse, than that... you can have a Degree in Engineering.. but If you have not passed the state PE (Professional Engineering) test you can't call yourself an Engineer in that state. TX was notorious for this. Usually only Engineering disciplines that were required to sign government paperwork would get the PE... therefore almost all Electrical Engineers don't have it.. Some MechE and ChemE have it.. and Almost all Civil Engineers have one..

Humans. Never cease to amaze and confound me. Mooneyspace, a place where humans go out of their way to be friendly until they are not. I have to ask: (because no one else will) “Seller, you have a human interested in your plane and you completely ignore his query.” Why would you do that? You are looking to sell your plane and reach out. A human communicates he is an interested buyer and you ignore him. Face palm. Ya, A broker is definitely the way you should go Sam.

Some more color on this issue- I performed about 12 high speed taxis. Issue reproduced the first couple of taxis. Third time around, the engine stayed alive but was surging from 38"mp to about 33, and it seemed to need more throttle than usual. Fourth time around and now we're getting somewhere, I ran the high speed with the low boost on. fuel flow seemed a little low but the surging was gone. it seemed to almost hold 36 as per normal. Throughout all of this, the fuel flow seemed too low- about 18-19GPH whereas it's normally about 23 GPH at 36". So, I suspect it's the mechanical pump is going (or has gone) bad. It's going in to the shop tomorrow to find out for sure, I'll report back to hopefully help someone out in the future. Related, who runs their M20K's with the low boost on for TO and landing? The POH says not to, but this experience gives me pause during those critical phases of flight.

I concur that a Rocket is very likely too big of a jump right now... If you truly have a year off, I'd look for a nice J and fly it as much as you can, get the instrument rating, and take your bride on some fun trips after you get a bit more experience. You might find a J fits your needs just fine, or you could move up from there. Sent from my LG-US996 using Tapatalk

@SAMFOX, I think @MATTS875 is interested in talking to you about you plane

What if you pilot a train,I thought they were engineers

This is definitely the case in Canada. When Microsoft first came out with their 'Microsoft Systems Engineer' title, there was issues as they are not 'engineers' in the legal sense and do not have an engineering degree. Plus they didn't know the secret hand shake.... iain

Further update to keep you all in the loop. On replacing the pucks (if you recall i replaced them as part of the paint, but since we had had a heavy landing I was advised by Aeroskill to replace all the bolts in the landing gear, so took the opportunity to replace the pucks again as well. I will now know i have new bolts etc in the gear. On replacing the base plate in the pucks they removed the bushel and found a crack. So a quick phone call and order to our friends in Kerrville and the parts are already here. This was discovered on Thursday, Way to go Mooney. Speedy service. These are now being installed and apart form a new stall warner, she should be ready to fly tail end of next week. Obviously i will have to play politics a bit with the Engineers at Elstree but that's one of the hassles that I have had to deal with in this horrible saga of the prop strike. I was not allowed to have Aeroskill come across and inspect the plane and remove engine etc, so i was forced to use the only engineers on the airfield, who quoted at me regularly the famous line "you are not actually a customer of ours so you go to the back of the queue", hence it took til December 2017 for them to inspect the aircraft, and we lost three months. Now everything is being done sequentially, when to our mind, while the engine was being rebuilt, the landing gear could have been looked at, stall warner changed, then engine back on and ready to fly. Sorry just venting a little frustration... She is also out of Annual now so will have to be run in, flown to aeroskill for the annual and we waste a few more weeks. I might actually get to fly this year, but possible not! Good new is that i am writing an article for a flying magazine about how to choose a paint shop and what to make sure happens in a paint refresh. Andrew

manually follow a glide slope but its never been an issue as I rarely fly in low IMC if ever. The altitude hold is as good as anything I have flown in Boeings. It holds it to the foot smoothly.

And here I was being polite, sending your call out to Mikey so he'd see it and be able to answer with real information. To say nothin of my leaving out the adjective between "New York" and "City" . . . . . Those two cab rides convinced me that place ain't for me. Not that I had any doubt before that.

"I could have answered it for him"??? What I know about NYC could be written inside a matchbook with a grease pencil. Although last summer, I did take the airlines into LaGuardia and out of Kennedy, with non-terrifying cab rides over to the cruise ship pier. Why bkth airports? Ask Delta and the cruise line, the reservations were made for me . . . NYC ain't my style. Ask me about flying where you can file and receive Direct to Destination, and I can probably help. Where to base a plane around NYC? No freakin' idea . . . .

Thanks all for the comments and inputs...think I will make my way back to AAA at the EOM....just makes the most sense do to me having to travel, etc...

Update on the Mooney Book. Unfortunately, life intervened and my new job is eating up all my spare time. I am still working on it though and it will get done . . . eventually. Thanks and stay tuned, Tracy Ball

Its to bad a buyer does not care about this stuff.....unless of course he is selling an airplane...... You would think there is at least one buyer out there that understands how many months of downtime and labor time spent researching and $$ it takes to make a plane safe and sound. They all want the 30,000 dollar acclaim and then try to make you feel like they are doing you favor for buying it.

Steve, It isn’t the aircraft.... Mooney, Beech, or Cirri... Its the ability to cross multiple time zones in a single flight... using the flight levels The more powerful and complex the aircraft is, the more the pilot has to be experienced about sifting through the reams of data that are being thrown at you... continuously... The newbie pilot errors are typically VFR flight into IMC and running out of fuel... The experienced pilot runs into thunderstorms and icing conditions... Its the level of experience needed to avoid running into these situations. Read up on the accident reports to see where the pilots got into situations and became overwhelmed... The tragedies are usually a chain of events. The good news.... Breaking a single link, the chain stops... Examples of taking too many steps at one time... (are you familiar with baseball?) Catfish hunter, a low time pilot moved up to a private jet. Ended in tragedy... Cory Lidel, a low time pilot. Stalled a plane that had a safety parachute and flight instructor on board. Ended in tragedy... Roy Haladay, low time pilot. Crashed a plane that was designed to be stall resistant. Ended in tragedy... many accident reports have the last conversation with air traffic control recorded... you can literally hear the voice of the pilot in trouble. It takes more than following instructions. It takes Knowing when following instructions will lead to tragedy... a recent cirrus tragedy occurred when a Cirrus pilot followed the control tower’s advice to keep within a boundary... too much bank, too little speed... fatal accident... Around here, many people have reported starting with their private pilot license, near 100hrs experience, and then acquiring an M20C, F or J... then move up to their preferred next level... A few have purchased a Mooney to train in for their PPL. This skips some of the broader experience that is afforded by a trainer. At least one has purchased a Long body to train in... Everyone finds a level where the fun of flying gets removed... a powerful traveling machine can get you to that level quicker than anything else.... As a younger guy... I looked out with dissapointment... It looked like it would take ten years to get to the level I wanted to be at right then... Now, it’s been 20years... Went from renting Cessnas to owning an M20C for a decade... now an Ovation... To avoid getting overwhelmed... take it in steps... keep both eyes open... be ready to turn 180° Using a low bank angle, and get more fuel... check the weather again... practice telling people you are unable to be there until tomorrow... PP thoughts only. Sharing only a single life of experience. Not a CFI or statistician... Best regards, -a-

Summary... 1) A Rocket is a great Long distance, traveling, bird, in the right hands... 2) A PPI is the best protection for your wallet... writing a purchase agreement is a great way to organize the deal... 3A) With low time, the Transition Training is incredibly important... 3B) With High time, the Transition Training is very important... 4) Have you asked for an insurance quote yet? Insurance companies are notable for putting the kai-bosh on purchases like this. 5) We have seen a few accidents over the years... the most painful memories are the young guys that worked really hard, but didn’t fill the experience bucket before the luck bucket ran low... 6) Is this a pro-pilot familiar with Transition Training moving up the ladder stepwise to the next level...? 7) Familiar with the training required to get to this level? 8) Ever hand the keys of a Mustang 5.0 to a responsible 17yr old? 9) Buying a plane the first time... you can be 50 years old with a lot of life experience... and the behavior Of a 17yr old with the keys to a new mustang... will be on your back for some time... 10) Anything Worth Doing is Worth Doing right. 11) If money is important to you... To Skip half of the training time and money.... start with an entry level Mooney... 12) If your pockets are full up... expect the first year to include some heavy expensive training... 13) There isn’t much sense to have a 252 and no place to go... 14) There is plenty of sense to have a 252, an IR, be fully trained and fly internationally in the FLs 15) Doing it safely is going to take time, money, and training to get the experience... 16) Ask Andrew @Hyett6420 what it’s like flying a Mooney around the UK and the rest of Europe... he does it in a killer M20J! 17) Expect a very steep learning curve. Great, if you really like to learn.... This list was built from the people above.... a flight instructor, a military pilot, a plane builder, and few private pilots... Aside from all that....Now, go get the ball in motion.... proceed with caution. Get to know some Mooney people. Do some Mooney reading. How is that for motivation, with a side of seriousness? Best regards, -a-

Anyway here was the purpose of my night flying (this is two for two that was born while I was out of town and Dee Dee the Mooney was able to safely get me to be with...). I must confess I deviated from standard procedure and ran 75 ROP 162 ktas at 11.8 GPH and 8000ft.

Bravo is tough if both upper and lower cowls removed...leaving scat attached ncaa intercooler scoop w/duct unsupported,ft air filter intake scoop flopping arround...both are large and difficult to safety...total removal leaves Turbo intake completely open...

I'm not sure that would be a good idea. I took a Florida "F" model owner up for a ride in my Rocket, which will be on the market in the next 4 months, who wanted first purchase option on mine. He couldn't wait after the ride and is in the middle of a PPI right now on one. But.....he's up near or over (can't remember) 1,000 hours TT as a PP with an IFR rating. His transition will be much more comfortable. Tom

I don''t know, but they are incredibly detailed in the equipment list. Did you know the "D" rings in the cargo area weigh 0.16 lbs. and sit at an arm of 119"? Maybe one night when I can't sleep I will go through the list and see what is checked off and still in the plane. But I am reluctant to have it weighed until I get it painted and have the inside cleaned out well enough to eat off of.

Yep, no need to sell it to @MATTS875, who has expressed interest at least twice in this thread . . . . .

Or.... buy the rocket. Give it to me for 18 months.... I can let him fly my F to learn on and we swap back.

We are actually being quite nice to him at the moment as he is playing the good cop to my bad cop with the engineers. We are looking to get a permit to fly so we can run the engine in at least and then next day take her to Aeroskill for them to do the Annual. It is driving gently crazy, after all I've got a wedding to plan, as well as try to run a company. Once we get her out of these engineers hands ill be a lot happier and hopefully that is literally a few days away. Ive attached an image of the crack in the landing gear puck retaining plate. When did anyone last check theirs? I reckon there will be a few cracks out there.

.... and if you have any questions about your parrot... he is your man!

The STECs are solid autopilots. I have owned mine since 1998. If they had any issue, it was due to the VOR system. They built in a “soft” mode to help eliminate the VOR swag that you might see. When coupled to GPSS, it is just rock solid. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Don’t know. I will retake another look at the POH but there is definitely a checklist item to turn it off for TO. Next time I have a question to DMax, I will ask about this one.

sounds like a Goldilocks moment,

I removed the drain valves with the tanks full after taxing off the runway with the momentum to the taxiway. There was no engine sputtering and fuel pressure was normal. If you are parking your plane outside I would recommend that occasionally remove the drain valve and check for water if using the F391-53S drain valve. No need to remove it for F391-72 drain valve. José

I only looked at your last flight. I do not think #1 is too rich. All your cylinders peaked at almost the exact same time (very low GAMI spread) which is good. Both 3 & 4 are hotter than 1 & 2 which makes sense because they are at the back of your engine. It also looked like you found peak and then went quite a bit ROP. Depending on how ROP you went (in terms of degrees) that may actually heat up your engine. Here are a couple things to consider: 1. If it was only #3 that was too hot you could rig the right cowl flap open just a bit. You are allowed to rig the cowl flaps so that they are open just a little bit when the control is fully forward. We do that on the right side to keep our #3 cooler. However, just doing the right side won't help #4. You might choose to do both sides but I'm not sure what that will do to 1 & 2 CHT's. Probably make them even cooler. Don't know for sure though. 2. While I hesitate to bring up LOP vs ROP, you don't have to go very far LOP to get a significant drop in CHT. On the other hand, a little ROP makes it worse and a lot ROP helps but not as much as the same amount LOP. You might consider trying LOP next time. Find peak and then go about 30 LOP and let it stabilize to see what you get. During the summer at higher altitudes, our #3 flirts with 400. When it does, I go just a little further LOP (maybe 10 degrees) and it usually brings the CHT down to about 390. 3. It looks like you run at 2400 RPM. If you use 2500 or 2600 RPM, I think you'll find that also helps bring down the CHT because peak pressure will occur further after TDC.

Here is the flyer Pankey made for the picnic. Brian memorial day picnic.pdf

Allow me to add to my statement. I bought a 231 with 80 hours in Cessnas. But,... I did the transition training, asked lots of questions, was diligent about studying and educating myself on the airplane and did lots of landings and approaches. I only flew extreme VFR as a new Mooney pilot and did not attempt short runways. I very quickly started my IFR and basically learned a huge amount with lots of instruction and supervision while learning to fly IFR and learning to fly my plane. Now with my IFR rating and over 250 hours I am very comfortable with the plane. Still not super comfortable in IFR but that is another topic and I need a lot more experience. In the end, I had 60-70 hours of time flying with an instructor as I learned to fly the plane and went through the steep learning curve. I bought the plane with the intent of getting IFR rated in my own plane. It is a huge step up (yours will be bigger than mine). If you get lots of instruction and treat it with respect you can do it. Be ready to invest the time and the money to keep yourself safe. I like the above post about treating it like a job. I flew 2-3x per week with my instructor and this really helped me get comfortable with checklists and as well as the constant discussions about emergencies and “what if.” You have to judge if you have the discipline and caution to become a safe pilot in.a high performance airplane. It can very quickly get away from you as it is really fast and takes a lot more planning. It can also get you up high where you run into all kinds of new challenges. There are some 17 yr olds that shouldn’t ever get a Mustang at 17 or anytime in their life. However, there are some that are responsible and respect performance. It is a very person dependent thing. Be brutally honest with yourself about how you learn, your ability to be conservative and your reactions to unplanned excitement. Your life depends on your ability to keep yourself safe. Good luck with your decision and be safe.

Bill Wheat probably reads MS... he is looking over your shoulder right now! He signed my 65C’s AW line in the original log... as he did many others... Yes, there is a thread around here where people posted their Bill signature from their log books... Best regards, -a-

I had exactly the same experience. Suspecting water in the tanks I drained the tanks on the taxiway and found no water. Decided to remove the drain valve and plenty of water drained down. What happens is that when the drain holes on the valve adapter plate get clogged the drain valve then drains from the top of the stem leaving water below. But when the plane accelerates this water is displaced toward the tank fuel pick up getting it sucked by the engine. You can clean the drain holes on the valve adapter plate or switch to the F391-72 drain valve as I did. The F391-72 has the drain holes just above the adapter plate, so it will not get clogged by debris on the bottom of the tank. It is the same valve used on the long range tanks. Also drain the gascolator for possible accumulated water. After replacing the drain valves never had the problem after 33 years. The drain holes on the adapter plate get clogged with old sealant peeling off, resealing oversight or fuel residue. José

Might do better with a bore scope taking a look around.

So I stumbled across this thread about a month ago. I had a leak in a servo and Brittain has no closed its doors. I carefully measured and did some research on the Bellowfram website. I found the 3-350-212-DCJ to be the best match for the Mooney servo. I got the lady to send me a free sample. But she said that they are about $30 per normally. After winding it with about 3 layers of electrical tape, (which is what Jerry at Brittain did), its going to work great! So if you get a tear, order one of these and you'll be good! This is for a aileron or rudder servo. The step servo is a different part, but I'd be willing to bet that they have one that works. The ones in their catalog with an asterisks next to them are standard stock items. Others are custom order.. Brad

waving my hand here. I am interested in the plane.

I sure enjoyed the weekend and meeting some new friends! Thanks to@jasona900 for a great pic from our intro flight in the morning! Sent from my LG-US996 using Tapatalk

I’m betting you’re regretting starting this thread .

You guys are so critical. This is why when it comes time to sell I will never ever put this plane on mooneyspace. Whats next, telling me there is a paint chip on the fuel filler cap?

I few Chad, the owner of Kubick Aviation, down to Kenosha, WI (KENW) to purchase a car for his son and then drive it back. Very nice morning to fly and caught some tail winds on the way down. After a several hour delay dealing with a check engine light on the purchase vehicle, I flew out after lunch to Antigo (KAIG) to pick up another Mooney pilot to pick up his recently repaired 252 at Chad's shop. He needed to get it off our airport before it's closed for a couple weeks for runway resurfacing. I ended up buying airline tickets out of Green Bay to New Orleans for a Dealer Meeting Monday through Wednesday for the same reason, couldn't fly back into my home airport on Wednesday. Man I hate flying spam can!! Here's a few photos of the flight. First one is of the one of the 4 local power dams dumping energy over the spillway. I bet the power company cringes when they have to do that. The next one is West Bend on my way back from ENW. Third picture is Lake Winnebago with the ice gone, while the Bay of Green Bay further north is still ice covered. Fourth one is Fondulac Airport and the last one is Oshkosh, quietly waiting for the big July event! Tom

Hi Everyone, thank you for the comments. For those of you who don't know me, I am the proud new owner of several of the RAJAY STCs. I don't own the airframe STCs for the Mooneys, but I do own the engine STCs... I want to help out and offer new products to the existing RAJAY aircraft owners. If I understand the comments, the answer is yes, RAJAY owners have run into problems in the past when trying to upgrade to new prop designs. The good news is that I own the engine STCs and the prop is specified at the engine level! I *believe* there could be a market for new props that are customized with RAJAY altitudes in mind to get even better performance. RAJAY owners have not been supported with regards to enhancements for a long time and I want to change that.

Just a small jaunt down to southern Delaware for some, now in season, Maryland crab cakes. View of the Chesapeake Bay Ocean City Maryland off in the distance. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

A little late to post this from last Wednesday. A friend flew me down to Georgia to pick up my plane from the avionics shop. We flew back as a flight of two. It was a lot of fun seeing his sweet beech 35 along side. Not so great photos though. Some day, we will take pax along with good cameras. We stayed low at about 148ktas.. he had his pulled back just a little bit. We could have gone faster if I had stayed in is wake the whole way. It’s amazing how much the wake improves speed for the same power setting.

Last flight of the old year and first flight of the new year on New Year's Day. Flew to Arizona and before flying home gave 2 sisters, 1 brother-in-law, 6 nieces and nephews their first ride in a small plane and another brother-in-law his first ride in a small plane since he was a little kid. It was great fun! More pictures and the write-up on my blog. No Brake Lights at 8,500'

JPI 900, 930 or the EI MVP unit. I would spend the extra money on something that can act as a primary unit. Will allow you to either immediately remove factory installed factory gauges or remove them when they fail or keep them as redundant gauges.

Got the Dec Aviation Consumer today. The airplane review is the 201 and what do you know G-OBAL was the Scheme Designers line drawing.