TTaylor

Second generation, what is currently available.

Mountain High Pulse-Demand is the only system worth looking at. The other systems cost less money up front and then you spend more money and time in the long run.

I use a SPOT Gen 3 and you can register it with Flight Service. Mine runs in tracking mode so it sends out a location every 5 minutes. I place it on the glare shield during flights and it almost never misses a point (maybe 1 in 200), so very reliable. The nice thing is that if you crash and are incapacitated there is a bread crumb trail of where you have been. You can manually also hit the emergency button as well as just send updates to friends or family. If you register your spot with Flight Service they can check your trace if you are overdue.

After consulting with my mechanic we decided to go with a more modern sealant. We used Dow Corning 795 that others have used on MooneySpace. That was about seven years ago and has been good so far. This is not officially called out in the repair manuals, so work with your mechanic. The 795 comes in different colors so you can match it to your paint or window tint. It is single stage, so much easier to use.

Some critical questions include where is it located and how was stored? Southeast is high humidity and engine corrosion. Near an ocean can add air-frame corrosion. Why did it never come out of annual? Usually they are just left and go out of annual, not start one and never finish. That is a red flag in itself. Good points have already been made. Do you have the funds available to fix issues (easy 15 to 20 AMU) and rebuild an engine? Then add at least basic ADS-B out? Now you likely still have a panel from the 80's to upgrade. Does the price reflect this? Paying for a already flying airplane starts to look more reasonable.

LASAR, WagAero, Loree Air, Aerospace Welding Minneapolis, (AWI) are a few.

There is an optimum point, not just farther back is better. Too far forward CG and you are pushing the tail down, too far back and you are pushing the tail up, ideal is where the elevator does not have to do work. I was racing gliders this summer in France. One of the teams had a sensor on their elevators to detect where neutral was on the elevator position. They would use this to adjust the GC for optimum flight. Gliders have water ballast in the wings and tail. They would start out near aft CG and dump tail ballast until they got to optimum. Might be an opportunity to add a sensor to our planes.

I haven't had it in the Mooney, but have had the controls on my glider get sticky in conditions above the freezing point. Similar to what you experienced, if they have not been moved for a few minutes it can take force to break it free.

Does it have shoulder harnesses? If not, that would be my first upgrade.

Actually it was factory, but it did not match the bulb type called out in the parts list.

My 75 F had an odd base that was not standard. I could not find a matching bulb so the elves had to get involved.

Hangar elves have been known to replace the bulb with a high brightness LED and correct resistor for the voltage, soldered and glued into the original base. This Elf Incorporated upgrade is visible day and night.

I have images in my Photo Album from back in 2013 for the same subject. Quart Slider Zip-Lock bags with a Depends maximum pads. The pads absorb the liquid and make it solid so it does not spill. I use them in my glider, but carry a few in my flight bag as well.

It is between the Salt River Range and the Wyoming Range, 20 miles NE of Afton. It is about 4 years old and not on the sectionals. Definitely out of my price range. https://www.renegadewyoming.com/

Now you just need to get enough funds to buy over the mountain at Renegade Wyoming . A little out of my price range.

Congratulations. I will have to stop in someday . I fly over that way on most flights from Logan in gliders. Was last up there about two weeks ago. Afton was a little too far north for me to retire at, so I bought on Grassy Meadows Sky Ranch in Southern Utah (https://www.grassymeadows.org/default.php)

I think what most have been trying to say is to get good adhesion into the fiberglass you want a "wet" the contact area using epoxy resin rather than just a dry filler like Bondo. Actually looking at this any body filler would work. What RLCarter is suggesting would also work, but will be a little more difficult to paint because primer does not adhere to to straight epoxy as well as to a filler or a epoxy mixed with micro balloons or cotton flock. This is small enough that you are likely best to use any body filler. If you don't have supplies on your shelf, Bondo Glazing and Spot Putty would work. The polyester based products will work much quicker (30 minutes curing) than trying to use epoxy based products (24 hours curing time). I keep epoxy, micro balloons and flock on my shelf so that is what I would use, but they are not as easy to acquire as polyester body filler. Make sure you clean the area well, sand back on the edges slightly to feather the area. Wipe it with acetone or 91% isopropyl alcohol and let dry a few minutes before applying the filler. Make sure the filler goes on damp enough to "wet" into the fiberglass and make good contact and adhesion. Prime and paint after with touch up paint and you will never see it.

Go down and look at Marauder's 1975 F panel.

The wear on the gears and inspections are not the only reason to upgrade the gears. The force required on the small electric motor was one of the main reasons for the change. The higher gear ratio reduces the strain on the motor and increases the reliability. The price for the kit has increased to a point it discourages updates. It was about $800 a few years ago. Mooney should be selling this kit at near cost to encourage adaption and increase the saftey for the fleet.

I will add that it is time to understand your mission(s). The transition to flying the plane should be pretty easy. It looks like you have been mostly adding ratings so far. The next step with a fast cross-country plane is to understand about flights of 500 to 600 sm that include different air masses, locations, etc. Ease into that and take your time, the Mooney is a time (saving) machine that will allow you to get to places much faster than you are used to. It can also get you into trouble much faster until you get used to staying ahead of the airplane and the changing weather around you. Good luck

I get email and phone calls almost monthly asking if I want to sell my house on the airpark. Don't think I will have trouble selling if I ever wanted to. It is the only airpark in Southern Utah, so I guess there is no competition or alternatives. I like that the back door goes into my hangar and shop.

Sent a PM. I am looking for a project. I hope you will save it if the airframe is good. There are enough out there for the salvage guys. If it is at Hurricane, I have a hangar only a few miles away. Tim

That route should be good. Crossing over near south pass should be good. If you know how to read wave clouds you might be able to pick up speed flying in the upside of the wave. If you are uncomfortable with wave, just fly far enough east of the Wind River range to avoid the turbulence.

Doesn't look like any Pathfinder I have seen. Pathfinders were usually from the early 70's models.

Check your fuel selector valve as well. The fuel smell is likely in the entire belly of the plane and will be difficult to find just from smell. Look for the blue residue on and around fittings. With bladders it is usually the fuel gauge senders in the the side walls or the fuel selector valve under the pilot.