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Showing content with the highest reputation since 02/28/2024 in all areas

  1. Here's what me and Mrs. OTreeLemur did last weekend. When we bought our J in late '22, I thought the tail number looked naked. We fixed that. It was a long, fun weekend!
    13 points
  2. Okey Dokey. The front seats are done. I think they turned out well. Copy of an Audi seat…..maybe Porsche….can’t remember. All leather. I used the old Mooney Logo as that’s what was on the yokes. And i like it better. The foam is the three layer memory stuff from Spruce. Stripped then repainted the baffles in high temp/ hot rod red before reattaching the silicone. The new IO-550 is in.
    12 points
  3. The benefit to be gained is the full picture of what took place. One cannot simply divorce the pilot from the outcome. Pilots are way more than just a few links in the accident chain that lead up to an incident. I don't need to know everything about every incident, but when it bears looking into, it bears looking into. Again, it is not out of malice. I also appreciate seeing how these airframes fair in all manner of crash scenarios. I deeply appreciate the many times I have seen a Mooney with bent and crumpled extremities surrounding a well intact steel cabin structure. Perhaps gear ups are different and there is nothing to learn from seeing them or probing a little deeper into the back story. I personally think that all public incidents are fair to examine, but not all are interesting enough to warrant it. As to your story with an instructor on board, there but by the grace of god go I... I have done some boneheaded things with instructors on board and I've seen high time pilots do dumb things when they are being critiqued. I was once riding shotgun with a 6000hr ATP in a Baron who was getting back into GA airplanes (I am not a CFI, just flying with a friend). There was ILS traffic that prompted tower to ask us to extend downwind, between that, talking to tower, talking to me and looking for traffic, he failed to drop the gear as he normally would. I waited until we were on about 2 mile final and then casually said "this looks like as good a place as any to drop the gear". He went white and mumbled some sort of excuse. He later owned it and thanked me catching it. I explained that he probably would have caught it before TD. I knew how he felt and described how I had once made it to short final with the gear still up. I think that the pilots who gear up feel personal shame after the incident. I think the pilots reading about it feel both empathy and sympathy. If they don't, it's likely they don't have enough flight time to have witnessed their own shortcomings.
    10 points
  4. I want to share my experience with Bevan Aviation, specifically with Jake. Long story short: I was having issues with my AP (KFC 150) altitulde hold and alt preselect. It was randomly failing. This has been a long standing issue, dating back to the previous owner who try to fix this several times, with no success. I did some diagnostic myself, trying to narrow down when the issue was happening. All this troubleshooting was done with the selfless help of Jake. Who at some poitn suggested me to send the flight computer to a shop near my location. So, up to this point, already amazing service. A ton of help, without any commercial interest. As I could never get a hold of the the shop he recommended, I asked Jake if I could ship my flight computer to him to take a look. He was not only able to reproduce the issue, but also fix it. I flew a couple of times after getting back the KC 192 and the AP is working to perfection. I cannot say enough good things about Jake and Bevan: He helped me troubleshoot the issue without any intention on selling me any service. He was able to fix an issue that many other shop tried and couldn´t. Communicaiton was super easy, he kept me updated through the repair process. I would 100% recommend them!
    9 points
  5. Thank you guys for all the kind words, I greatly appreciate them. If you or a friend need any help in the future just let me know. Also, I will say that Mooneyspace is an amazing community that is very helpful and responsive. I truly enjoy being able to add to it with autopilot help.
    9 points
  6. Today I received the paperwork that officially gives me ownership! Time to bring it back to life.
    8 points
  7. I’m going to treat this with respect it deserves and ignore it. [emoji6]
    8 points
  8. I’m about to board a MAX9 without a parachute. It was nice knowing you all.
    8 points
  9. Option one will never happen. Your lender will insist on being paid in full if the airplane is a total loss. They sell loans in a package and couldn't sell that one without adequate coverage. Also if you disclose that you fly it for business your rates will be much higher than you were quoted. If you don't disclose that you may not be covered. People who fly single engine airplanes who have to be somewhere on schedule tend to become victims of got-to-get-there-itis and fly in situations where they shouldn't. The accident records bear that out. I would really re-think option two. The reason insurance rates are so high for new pilots and those new in-type is not some random reason. These categories of pilots bend up and total the airplane at an exponentially higher rate. That's just the hull portion of the policy. If your company has any sense they will demand that you carry enough liability to protect them. In addition to that you are exposing your survivors to your estate being sued and having no insurance company to defend those suits. What if you just lose an engine, land it in a field and walk away without a scratch? Without hull coverage, it will still cost you perhaps $50,000 to take it apart and get it out of someone else's property and hauled to a shop. Plus any damage to their property. Any guess what a field of corn is worth? You will then be paying out of pocket to repair the airplane and then still be paying off your HELOC. Or worst case you total it and still owe $200,000 on the HELOC. Not a good situation. We all should have coverage not only for ourselves for innocent victims who fly with us or those on the ground. You would be at the very top of that list that needs coverage. I wouldn't let reimbursement factor into your decision even 1%. What if next week they decide you don't need to travel or they have downsized and eliminated your position. If you are in a position to purchase, hangar, maintain, upgrade and insure an airplane without any reimbursement then get your Private license and work on your IFR rating while considering it.
    8 points
  10. I thought this was an auction for oxygen equipment and was wondering why it was so expensive.
    7 points
  11. I have owned my Mooney since 2019 and every year have tried to upgrade or improve on everything. Airframe has 2910.7 hours with no gear up damage history. Engine has 1134.2 TSO. Compressions 3/18/24 #1-76, #2-74, #3-71, #4-73. New (12/20) MT 3 blade Propeller has 71.7. Garmin Dual G5s Garmin GNX 375 GPS/Transponder Garmin GNC 255 Garmin GTR 225 Garmin GMA 345 Garmin GFC 500 Autopilot JPI 900 Primary Engine Analyzer Whelen LED Orion 650 Nav and Strobes CIES Digital fuel probes Mid-Continent digital clock/timer and USB charger Garmin GSB 15 charger ACK ELT Model E-04 Aircraft BEW 1702.0 lbs Arm 44.06 Useful Load 1038 lbs Main landing gear shock discs replaced 06/21 New Sky-Tec 149NL starter 04/22 RH Magneto overhauled 04/22 Main Door seal replaced 05/21 New Prestolite Alternator and Zeftronics regulator 07/19 Replaced NLG Steering horn 06/19 Bruce custom fuselage cover Aircraft is currently in maintenance at KIND (March 18) and will be returned to service with fresh Annual, 91.411 (Altimeter IFR) and 91.143 (Transponder) checks. Also installing Microkit Solutions Landing Height and Gear Warning System LHS-200-C. All Garmin software (G5s, GFC and GNX) will be updated to the latest versions. This was to be my “forever plane” and I have treated her as such. She has taken my wife and I all over the Midwest, the Southeast and to the Bahamas. I have upgraded everything I could and next on the list was to be an updated interior. Nothing wrong with the current interior but it is a bit dated looking. I am only selling since I don’t have the opportunity to fly her as much anymore and my wife and I have changed our long term plans. I will also provide manuals and Mooney specific tools if you want them. Offering her for $124,900 OBO
    7 points
  12. We went down to Spain to chill and eat some paella Found it, it’s the new clouds factory over the Loire river !
    7 points
  13. My son and I just started the journey of updating the panel on my 1970 C! I'm super excited to do this with him as he has been working for the last 18 months at my local airport as an apprentice to gain his A&P cert. We're both going to learn a lot. His boss, the local IA, has agreed to oversee, and sign off on the project. Going in: Dual G5's GNC255A GMA345 GI106A (backup-only for Nav2) JPI900 Cies fuel senders Aera 760 Going Out: Vac system Century HSI Intercom Original Engine gauges KI214 KX175B The KX165, the STEC30 and the GNX375 will stay. The pics will give you all an idea of where the panel was, where it's at, and where it's headed. This is the progress we made just this past weekend. Best, Tcal
    7 points
  14. The old intake plenum. (Rebuilt in fiberglass and carbon fibre)
    7 points
  15. One thing not mentioned, or may have been but was embedded within a reply, is that aircraft owners need to have the stomach for unforeseen, expensive repairs. Just last year, my 83 J needed the landing gear relay replaced, both tanks resealed and exhaust valves lapped. All told, the repairs came out to $23k. While this was not a "typical" year, there have been other unexpected, expensive repairs along the way. So if you don't have the ability to tolerate these unforeseen (but inevitable) situations, then I recommend that you stay away or take on partners. Other than that, aircraft ownership is a great privilege and experience. Just my 2¢
    7 points
  16. Helicopter flight: "A bunch of spare parts flying in close formation." "Anything that screws its way into the sky flies according to unnatural principals." You never want to sneak up behind an old high-time helicopter pilot and clap your hands. He will instantly dive for cover and most likely whimper...then get up and smack the crap out of you. There are no old helicopters laying around airports like you see old airplanes. There is a reason for this. Come to think of it, there are not many old high-time helicopter pilots hanging around airports either so the first issue is mute. You can always tell a helicopter pilot in anything moving: a train, an airplane, a car or a boat. They never smile, they are always listening to the machine and they always hear something they think is not right. Helicopter pilots fly in a mode of intensity, actually more like "spring loaded" while waiting for pieces of their ship to fall off. Flying a helicopter at any altitude over 500 feet is considered reckless and should be avoided. Flying a helicopter at any altitude or condition that precludes a landing in less than 20 seconds is considered outright foolhardy. Remember in a helicopter you have about one second to lower the collective in an engine failure before the craft becomes unrecoverable. Once you've failed this maneuver the machine flies about as well as a 2 ton meat locker. Even a perfectly executed autorotation only gives you a glide ratio slightly better than that of a brick. A corollary to this: H-53 Pilots are taught autorotation procedures so that they will have something to do with their hands and feet while they plummet to the death. When your wings are leading, lagging, flapping, precessing and moving faster than your fuselage there's something unnatural going on. Is this the way men were meant to fly? While hovering, if you start to sink a bit, you pull up on the collective while twisting the throttle, push with your left foot (more torque) and move the stick left (more translating tendency) to hold your spot. If you now need to stop rising, you do the opposite in that order. Sometimes in wind you do this many times each second. Great fun is letting a fighter pilot go for a ride and try this. Yes it is! For Helicopters: You never want to feel a sinking feeling in your gut (low "g" pushover) while flying a two bladed under slung teetering rotor system. You are about to do a snap-roll to the right and crash. For that matter, any remotely aerobatic maneuver should be avoided in a Huey. Don't push your luck. It will run out soon enough anyway. If everything is working fine on your helicopter consider yourself temporarily lucky. Something is about to break. There are two types of helicopter pilots: Those that have crashed, and those that are going to. Harry Reasoner once wrote the following about helicopter pilots: "The thing is, helicopters are different from planes. An airplane by its nature wants to fly, and if not interfered with too strongly by unusual events or by an incompetent pilot, it will fly. A helicopter does not want to fly. It is maintained in the air by a variety of forces and controls working in opposition to each other, and if there is any disturbance in this delicate balance the helicopter stops flying; immediately and disastrously. There is no such thing as a gliding helicopter. This is why being a helicopter pilot is so different from being an airplane pilot, and why in generality, airplane pilots are open, clear-eyed, buoyant extroverts and helicopter pilots are brooding introspective anticipators of trouble. They know if something bad has not happened it is about to." Having said all this, I must admit that flying in a helicopter is one of the most satisfying and exhilarating experiences I have ever enjoyed: skimming over the tops of trees at 100 knots is something we should all be able to do at least once.
    7 points
  17. I think most of us try to avoid writing anything down OP's chart is mildly terrifying, not because of the numbers but because they're all in one place. We have to compartmentalize to keep this hobby.
    7 points
  18. Thank you for your feedback and concern. It's worth noting that the original design for the E/F models does not incorporate any wire in the ribs. To address potential concerns about the induction coupler collapsing, I've conducted a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) study and subsequent Finite Element Analysis (FEA) at twice the expected volumetric flow rate. This allowed me to estimate the aerodynamic loads and predict a maximum deflection of approximately 1 mm for the chosen material. Additionally, in the event of inadvertent flight into icing conditions, the air filter bypass valve is designed to automatically open, preventing engine starvation. I also plan to monitor the part's deflection during ground operations, particularly during full power run-ups, to ensure structural integrity.
    6 points
  19. I've made some progress, and the urethane part is slightly stiffer than the original using a shore 90A material. I am considering switching to shore 80A as might be a closer match. Currently I'm using amber urethane to spot air bubbles. Once bubble elimination method is sorted, transitioning to black. Seeking feedback on this progress.
    6 points
  20. First power up of the new panel. Still about a month from flying.
    6 points
  21. Don’t confuse the Steep Spiral with the Emergency Descent. They are different Tasks in the ACS.
    6 points
  22. Back to the OP's question. The two or three times I got myself in *big* trouble (things that could have ended up really bad) over the ~1200 hours I have flown were every single one of them at the end of a long day, under pressure to get home. Think wanting to get home for Thanksgiving dinner, after a day working somewhere 400 miles away, and taking off in freezing rain over one of the Great Lakes, hoping to get ahead of a snowstorm. Or, after a full day of skiing, landing to refuel with what I discovered were 2 gallons of fuel on board. At that time I was thinking I have over one hour's worth of fuel, and was debating whether to proceed to my home airport without refueling, 15 minutes away. This one at night over hilly terrain. The more you fly the more cautious you get. I live in the Midwest just like you, and as a 1200 hours private pilot who has had an instrument rating for close to 20 years I would be very hesitant to think of using my plane for regular commuting the way you want to. Even with an IR, the weather in the Midwest will be trouble frequently -- thunderstorms in the summer and icing in the winter. My job is reasonably flexible, and nevertheless probably one out of every three or four trips I took for work with my plane ended up with me returning by commercial flight and having to go back to fetch the plane later. Not fun. When I was younger and much more gung-ho I used to think of my plane as a mode of transportation. I still think of it that way when I plan a vacation where nothing happens if I have to wait somewhere for a day or two. But work is a completely different animal. You tell yourself that you'll book a commercial flight three days in advance if the weather does not look good. What will actually happen is that the weather will look ok-ish three days out (or look that way to you because you want to fly yourself, and boy are we good at deceiving ourselves). When the weather looks marginal on the day of your flight the go/no-go decision will be much much less clear cut than you think, and it only takes one time to get in trouble. Just my two cents.
    6 points
  23. A low(ish) pattern, overshooting final, heavyweight, unexpected return, new owner, distraction from wind/noise… there are lots of things stacked against them. None of them should be fatal by themselves or even together, but they do increase the risk.
    5 points
  24. Most of the capabilities are driven by software and Garmin has more software updates than Microsoft or Apple . The only way to be sure is to get with your avionics shop and carefully review the frequently updated proprietary installation manuals which should describe the limitations. The current version 6 of the G3X AFMS still says that the GI 275 will not drive the GFC 500 If the G3X or GSU 25D fails (the G5 will), and the G3X will not display comparison alerts from between the GSU 25D and the GI 275. The G5 is cheaper, better integrated with the G3X, and has a longer battery run time than the GI 275. Personally, I would still choose it if I were designing a G3X panel today.
    5 points
  25. I could be wrong, but I don’t think the mesh in the original part adds any rigidity. As far as I can tell, it’s cotton or a similar material. It certainly adds shear and tensile reinforcement. I think those that are focusing on the mesh as a component of rigidity that prevents collapse have not fully examined a failed boot in a while. They tend to tear from the shear stresses that come with start up and shut down. They tend to fail in same place and the resulting tear tends to look like rubber coated denim that has a hole in it with frayed and soft fabric at the edge of the tear.
    5 points
  26. After paint, fuel tanks and a new deltahawk engine, i don't want to hear anyone complain about me selling my E for 300k
    5 points
  27. Here's my technique for a positive visual check that the mag switches are off. These are simple white labels I made with my label maker and trimmed to fit the top of each switch. When the mag is ON the labels disappear into the switch housing. It works really well with my visual post-shutdown flow check. I can easily see them from outside the pilot's side window, and I check them every time before I approach the prop. I can reach through the IFR window (assuming I remembered to leave it open) to turn them off from the outside if necessary. Cheers, Junkman
    5 points
  28. One of the first things I do when I buy an airplane is buy new stainless screws for the inspection panels. On some of the old screws (with paint on) the heads strip out easily and have to be removed with an ez-out. After the first annual I have all new screws so taking off the inspection panels for the next annual goes much easier. In years after that, if a screw head looks questionable I never put it back in - it'll look worse by the time I get it out the next year. Also I never "remove" the panel for the annual. I leave one screw on the end of the panel and loosen it so I can pivot it out of the way for the inspection. No lost panels during the annual.
    5 points
  29. Whilst upgrading the Rocket to led lights, I decided that paying $260 for a piece of plastic was not smart. Instead, I made my own retainers for each wing. They turned out pretty nice. 1/16 abs vacuum formed goodness. Made them a little longer than stock one to cover up the wiring on the back side. Optional recog lights only take a little trimming. I'm $25 all in and very happy.
    5 points
  30. So I built something myself for about $200 in parts. I may have to drop the tire down or make a handle extension to get the geometry right, I'll find out when I try it tomorrow. The little C seems to gain weight every time I push it back into the hangar. Plus, it's hard to steer and get enough momentum to get over the lip. Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk
    5 points
  31. My favorite Mooney photo all time. I look forward to someone beating "it". I nominate
    5 points
  32. I disagree. I (and I think many others) would continue to pay the relatively small amount of dues to get any additional source of information about Mooneys and Mooney people. The only reason I don't "belong" to MAPA is that when I tried to renew, they were no longer around to take my money. I think that is a good thing financially, as there has been virtually no benefit from MAPA for quite some time. As others have stated, the magazine turned almost worthless quite some time ago. When the annual MAPA get-togethers ceased, I think we were all very fortunate that the Maxwells stepped forward with MooneyMax. Also thank goodness for the Mooney Summit, Mooneyspace and the Mooney Flyer.
    5 points
  33. Flew to Duxford museum in UK, Which fast aircraft don’t have trim tab and whole tail rotates? Blackbird and Mooney they had an interesting pink Spitfire, she is gorgeous or he is handsome (I checked under the pants, I know what I saw and I won’t disclose any gender) While pink painting is “à la mode” these days, these Spitfires were actually pink in 1940, they flew at dawns and dusks, like pink USS Winslow, Pink Panther and Pink Sherman (not obvious from Black/White WW2 pictures) https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/why-this-world-war-ii-british-fighter-was-painted-pink/
    5 points
  34. Well, I fixed it. The problem was me. And a few unexpected limitations of the electric trim and the autopilot. The power to the electric pitch trim servo is routed through the Garmin G500. (Not a GFC 500, just a G500) The G500 must be powered on for about 22 to 28 seconds before it closes the relay for the electric trim. Additionally, the autopilot itself must be powered on for about 3 to 8 seconds before the electric trim will work or you can successfully initiate an autopilot test. I didn't expect this. The problem started when I picked the plane up from annual. The plane is still fairly new to me, even though I've got 90+ hours in it, so when picking it up from annual, I thoroughly reviewed my checklists before doing anything. And after getting the engine started, before doing anything else, I reviewed the checklist. Then I immediately turned the avionics power on, the electric trim, and hit the autopilot test button. The autopilot test failed. So leaving the engine running, I turned electric trim off, avionics off, and master power off, then turned them all back on. And the electric trim didn't work, and the autopilot self-test failed. So I flew home, and spent a dozen hours testing what was going wrong. But since I was always just testing the electric trim and autopilot, I would turn the master power on, turn the avionics on, turn the electric trim on, and then hit the AP test button. A lot of times, because I didn't need the G500, I'd pull the breaker for that before testing. Which, unknown to me, would ensure that the pitch trim servo would never get power. After talking to Steve at Autopilots Central, he told me what voltages I should expect to see on each of the wires going in and out of the yoke, and where that power was coming from. It all 'clicked' for me when I was testing the voltage on the 4 wires to the AP disconnect switch with the power on. All four should have about 14V. One going into to the AP disconnect has power from the autopilot circuit breaker. The other power in comes from the electric trim switch. (And unknown to me, through the G500!!!). The power out from the first input goes to the sonalert and the flight computer, the power out from the second goes to the electric pitch trim servo. I didn't know which wire was which switch or if the wire was input or output. Just that pins 3 and 6 went across one switch, and 4 and 8 went across the other. Since the sonalert was working when the AP would fail its self test, that meant I should expect to see +14V on the first one, both input and output. When I measured it, I did find +14V. That was pins 3 and 6. On the second one, I found no voltage on either of them. So while I'm sitting there staring at the multimeter, I hear a tiny 'click' and the voltage goes to 14V. I reach up and try the electric trim and I hear the servo spin. I press the autopilot test button and it completes successfully. So I turn the avionics and master power off, and immediately turn them back on. No voltage. So as I'm staring at the multimeter again, I hear a tiny 'click' and voltage goes to 14V again. So after about another 30 minutes of turning stuff off and then back on again, and pulling breakers, I finally come to the conclusion that after the electric trim switch, power goes to a latching relay on the G500 and from there to the AP disconnect. Until the G500 has been powered on for about 30 seconds, that switch will never get power. Once it has gotten power, I can pull the G500's circuit breaker and it will maintain power though. So ends the saga of the electric trim that wouldn't. Just need to get the servo re-installed and I'm back to 100% functionality!
    5 points
  35. Just do it as described in the Airplane Flying Handbook - that’s what the examiner expects. Idle power, best glide speed, steep bank not to exceed 60 deg. You won’t need gear or flaps.
    5 points
  36. Is there a spec for rudder play for the C? On the J, the only spec I can find is for vertical movement (jack screw, trim link wear check). I cannot imagine that a little play in the rudder would affect flight characteristics -- it will only increase the dead zone where the rudder floats and pilot rudder inputs are not nearly as precise aileron or elevator inputs, so it would have to be really sloppy before you'd feel it. I would make sure that it is really out of some published limit before going to all the trouble to replace the rod end unless the rod end is so sloppy that it is in danger of failing. Because of all the play in the linkages, they all have some play at the rudder. If you are trying to measure it, be sure to clamp a bar across the rudder pedals to eliminate the play in the steering linkages.
    5 points
  37. The reason that the GFC 500 does not go into NAV mode when TOGA is activated is that it has no idea what your missed approach clearance is. In a radar environment, it is common to get missed approach instructions from ATC which differ from the published procedure. Also, missed approach procedures that are based on ground based navaids will have an alternate procedure designed for the case where a ground based navaid is OTS and these alternate procedures are not in the navigator database. https://aerospace.honeywell.com/us/en/about-us/news/2023/05/alternate-missed-approach-procedures#:~:text=If a navaid used on,primary navaid is still available.
    5 points
  38. Hey Tyler, best of luck on the final lap with the certificate. I'm in CT too and a DINK like you with a dog. Always had my eye on a Mooney for the speed and economy and was fortunate enough to acquire a J model last year. We are loving it, but certainly some additional expenses I incurred by being a freshly minutes pilot with 0 retreat when I bought the plane. Would I change things knowing what I know now.... probably not (I'm stubborn!) but if you ever want to check out a Mooney or chat about my experience just message me, I'm based out of HFD. I think @Skates97alluded to it, when you're ready to purchase, buy the "nicest" plane you can afford. Upgrading a steal of a plane will be more expensive than paying for a solid, well cared for platform. Happy flying and looking forward to the improving weather too!
    5 points
  39. Some may disagree, but I think there are benefits to learning in a clapped out rental 152. They can safely perform spins, aggressive departure stalls, accelerated stalls, cross controlled accelerated stalls, full forward slips, full side slips, slips to landing...and more with little propensity to bite the student. Clapped out trainers are designed to tolerate the abuse from both the overly confident and the overly timid...And if one destroys one, it's not a huge loss to the fleet. I do not understand the desire to prolong primary flight training by doing it in a high performance aircraft. I took my intro lesson in a 1966 C150F on July 29, 1998, I soloed on August 12th, 1998 with 12.5hrs. (we had to break for three days to change a cracked cylinder). My next flight after solo was on the same day. I did 2.1hrs alone with the aircraft with 16 landings. The following day I did 1.4 and 5 landings before lunch and 1.4 and 6 landings after lunch…all solo. I came back and finished up the following summer break, taking my ride on August 8th, 1999 with just under 46hrs TT, 22 of which were solo. The point is, a lot of learning and skill honing takes place when it's just student and machine. Training in a complex aircraft robs the student of the opportunity to get that first license to learn early in their training. Everyone is different I suppose, but I felt like having a plane that was simple enough to solo early on really accelerated my confidence and skill acquisition. When I returned to college after getting my ticket, I met a guy who was training at a local flight school. He was training in C172s. He had 20hrs more flight time than me but it was spread out over long period. He had yet to solo because his training was so spread out that each additional lesson was half review. Soloing is as much a license to learn as getting the ticket, if not more so. If one is aggressive in their training, one could have a PPL finished faster than one could find and buy the right Mooney. If you have the time and money to shop for a Mooney, you have the time and money to devote to primary training. There is little practical reason to complete training in an HP/complex aircraft other than bragging rights. Which to use an archaic fighter pilot phrase, strikes me as "all balls, >ick and no forehead"...
    5 points
  40. First year you are catching up on deferred maintenance. Anything less than $10,000 would be a pleasant surprise the first year of ownership. If K model Mooneys were sold new today they would be at least $800,000, probably more. So if it was new it would be maintaining a nearly million dollar piece of equipment. Add to the equation that the last K was made 26 years ago (Encore) and the oldest 252 was made almost 40 years ago. Now you're maintaining a roughly 30+ year old piece of equipment whose replacement parts are very expensive and sometimes hard to find. It can be challenging. If the mission means that dispatch reliability is the highest priority, getting an airplane that's still in production might make the most sense (Cessna 182, Cirrus, etc)
    5 points
  41. Or, always popular on the old Mooney mailing list, get a hangar wench. -dan
    5 points
  42. Is there one that sits negative 6” off the ground? Because that’s the one I want under my Mooney.
    5 points
  43. Here's the real scoop: "Despite false rumors and misinformation that the hugely popular Garmin GNS-series navigators are at the end of their service life, Garmin says that 99 percent of GNS users can keep using their units. Moreover, the Garmin factory will still continue to support common repairs and refurbishments as it has for the past 25 years."
    4 points
  44. I do. Even so, I’m still puking fuel through the engine, just not as much as I would at full rich.
    4 points
  45. That's not per the drawing. I suspect that the spring broke and someone jury rigged this to make a shorter spring fit. _ 000S001D_Rev B_Drawing Package_08_14_2014.pdf
    4 points
  46. If those Mooneys are hooked up does that mean that there might be a mite in about 9 monthes :-)
    4 points
  47. To give credit to @Skates97 I think buying the nicest regularly flying one you can find is the best airplane buying advice you are ever going to get! 1) Nicest: Buy with what you want already in the plane. Yes, there'll be some compromise but outfitting with new avionics, or new paint, or even new interior is going to be very costly. Money spent will only return 50 cents on the dollar when you sell, and the downtime is often longer than expected/quoted. 2) Regularly flying: IMHO, this is the most important and key to having a minimal number of post purchase issues. A plane that is regularly flying and seeing 100 hours a year is very likely going to have a high dispatch rate with systems that are working properly. As a first time buyer don't buy a hangar queen for a 'good price' and think you can 'get it running like a top' with just a little TLC! Enjoy the journey!
    4 points
  48. I still can't quite process the word "available" next to the word "hangar" .. are these doll hangars or something? If 1-30 are teeny tiny hangars, you should get the width measurements. Small T-Hangars can be a little bit uncomfortable with a 36' Mooney wingspan.
    4 points
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