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Honey, I put the plane up for sale. See??

What’s even worse, is that even with that criminal mark up for a $1.00 part, they won’t stock the damn things!

I, too, haven't kept up with the entire thread, but it sounds like you feel like you would be 'overpaying'? Let's say you are...what are we talking, worst case, $10K? Over ten years, that's $1K per year. In the scheme of aviation that's not much especially weighed against not having to worry about housing your plane for a decade. JMHO.

Check for cracks in exhaust, pressure test it.

@AndreiC I didn’t read the entire thread….so may have missed this. One consideration might be pure emotional, but aircraft ownership is often that way. What would happen if you didn’t buy the hangar, someone else did, and you lost your hangar space? Would you regret it? I’ve had many regrets like that….i always seem to be just behind the going rate for a hangar. If you can pull it off and there are no other options, it may be reasonable enough. Hangar space seems to be at a premium throughout the country. I’ve been hoping for a turnaround for almost 30 years…the prices just keep going up and availability goes down.

If you think buying a plane is bad, wait until you have to sell one. Jon

Good news. We messed with a few settings but immediately found pitch reverse was set to N when it should have been Y. Switched that and it holds heading, gpss, and alt dead on. Loving this thing now!! thanks for the suggestion on the pitch reverse @cliffy

Anyone else see a problem here? Not impressed, Flying …

Aside from the fact that it’s a photo of an F-22?

I did 4.5 hrs on Wednesday, wife said I was getting lazy ;o) I said I had more time to get ahead of things — all IFR (flew AP approach in VFR weather and very windy…) -Don

LASAR sells them. Three (3) years ago this was discussed. The MSC owner Clarence/M20Doc said they cost $5,000 plus 40-70 hours labor at the time. LASAR is charging more now.(surprise…). They want $7,250 plus $200 to crate it plus shipping cost. I bet shipping an ~ 7ft long crate will cost at least $500. So that’s about $8,000 for the belly panel. Maybe another $7,000 labor (brackets, relocating antenna, etc.) and you still need to pay to paint it. Call it a $16,000 mod…. https://lasar.com/stc-kits/laskit129a-smooth-long-belly-kit

Is this a Mooney factory one-piece belly conversion kit? Mine was converted at the Mooney Factory Service Center decades ago so I didn’t witness everything that they did. Here is the KNR description of how to do it. https://www.knr-inc.com/shoptalk-articles.html?view=article&id=27&catid=25

Locally, it is near impossible to find a hangar to own. I bought a hangar a few years ago at a local airport with a month to month lease. A neighbor is putting up a new hangar (guessing $150k) under the same rules. The situation has been like this for over 20 years….maybe 30. There just aren’t too many options. The general feeling is that as long as the airport is making money, they are not motivated to tear them down. In fact, they don’t even invoice us, but we all pay just to keep on good terms. Is it perfect? No…..but I’ve been hangared for 5 years where otherwise I would not be. No indication that they will change. I’ve just gotten a rental at an airport closer to me, but will hold on to my owned hangar. The rentals around here seem to be equally precarious. You are at the mercy of the owner, and that depends on the owner…..and they too are at the mercy of the airport. I hope the OP is able to pull this off.

Not this STC. The 835 spinner is too small in diameter. The ARI enclosure STC requires a spinner with a 14 inch base diameter which is the A-2295-5 or 5P. Had this on my C model and modified my cowling and got rid of the ARI enclosure. David

I’ve seen the STC installation drawings for my M20J, and they allow reuse of the BK mounting brackets - at least for the aileron servo. I don’t recall about the other servos, but they look different than the BK brackets so I kind of doubt it. Evidently, Garmin copied the more difficult to install BK aileron servo bracket. My understanding is that reusing the bracket will only save you time and busted knuckles because Garmin only sells the complete kit. I’m not sure how you get the STC paperwork or buy the kit as I believe Garmin will only sell it to dealers for dealer installation for certified airplanes.

This happened to me too. I was interested in a plane and the guy simply would not answer my emails. Found his number and called him, he was delighted that someone finally called about his plane. I'm not sure if the emails were going to spam, but at any rate... OP should find alternate means of contact if he can't get in touch!

Proof of funding helps to differentiate over tire kickers

Well, while I agree that it's less common, that's how I bought my plane 8 years ago. Agreed on price, small down to hold it, shook hands; no written anything. Imagine that. Know your seller; frankly, more important than the pre-buy.

Unfortunately, people with the dignity and honor for handshake deals is becoming non existent.

Let's chat privately. I don't know for sure when I'll be down there, but as soon as I know I'll let you know so we can coordinate times.

As someone who is 6’2” I find my Mooney very comfortable once seated but it is tight and a bit awkward getting in and out. That’s typically about 30 seconds per flight combined, so not a big deal. It’s about the same though as getting into a piper. I do find Cessna aircraft easier to get in and out of but can’t seem to motivate myself to upgrade to a Centurion which is pretty much the only Cessna model that interests me. A recent insurance quote that was 3x what I pay for the Mooney kicked that idea down the road a ways. It would also be tough to part with my Mooney after 4-5 years of ownership. It’s a nice plane that I enjoy flying quite a bit.

@JHillier if the KAP150 will not track the desired heading and has a lateral parallel in NAV or APR mode you can adjust the RN pot that is behind the front bezel. You need a long tiny flat blade screwdriver to reach the pot. Also, be very careful to not damage the pot. If it is the old green and white pots they can break at the solder connection or you can wear out the groove for the flat head on the pot. NOTE: only adjust this pot if both heading and lateral track are off. The pot is roll null adjustment that will affect all lateral control modes. If the autopilot just tracks poorly have the roll servo looked at for start-up voltage.

Which means they had a good laugh about it in the pilot lounge.

Great deal

I have two planes, M20R and a M20C

Now it’s official . . lol