rbuck

Welcome Tyler, A few years ago, I lived in Olympia and flew my plane out of OLM. I used Vertex Aviation at Skagit (BVS) for my maintenance. They were great and work on quite a few Mooneys. Rob

Welcome! I also left active duty from the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg about a year and a half ago. Actually, if you are interested in Mooneys at all, there is a pilot at an airport nearby who can answer any questions you have. The Harnett Regional Jetport is in Lillington, and it's the airport I flew my C model out of when I was stationed there. Ask for the manager, Josh. He is a good friend of mine.

I'm rbuck, and I dug my C's hangar out of the snow for 1 hour today in sub-zero temperatures so I could fly tomorrow. I guess I'm afflicted, too.

Hey Jeff, I was the opposite. I flew a Cherokee for a while and got to like the quadrant. When I bought my plane, I only considered planes with a quadrant. Mooney did quadrants starting in 1969 and stopped later into the 70s (I believe?). Mine looks like the one above. I don't know if it's that much less precise than a Vernier. I'll take it over the push-pull rods any day.

I'm with you Andy! It was a fun game! Go Army! (USMA 2010)

Just use this link: http://visitedstatesmap.com. Once you're there, click the states you've been to, download the map (I do a small size), and add it to your signature block in your MooneySpace settings.

Mooney owner for 3 years. I am not an IFR pilot but will be this summer. I was in the military, so I have flown my C from Olympia, Washington to the South-east and everywhere in between. It was fun to fly from one coast to the other in my Mooney within the first year of ownership.

Well, it looks like I am to be moving to Colorado this coming summer. I am looking to move my plane to Centennial Airport (KAPA), and I looked online at getting a hangar. It looks like there are quite a few different companies that have hangars on the field for rent. Does anyone have any experience with any of them? What are the hangars like? What kind of prices? Any company that you recommend?

I need to get a new dipstick for my M20C's O-360. I have three potential part numbers, though, for the dipstick (one for short, medium, and long). Does anyone know which of those the M20C uses?

I have flown out of a number of airports in Colorado on hot days in my C. I have not had issues. I have not, however, had the opportunity to venture into the mountains. It seems to me that the worry there is the climb after leaving the pavement more than getting off the runway itself.

When I was doing my Mooney checkout with a flight instructor, he said that you need to at least spin the prop a few times if you can't fly it at least once every couple of weeks. I admit, though, he was not a Mooney-specific instructor or anything. All of my mechanics have recommended pulling the prop through as well-so I always have.

Absolutely! Stay safe down South!

Ah, thanks for clarifying! I didn't know that there was a difference

Definitely do-able. I think mine was redone 10-15 years ago. I haven't looked to see who did it (LASAR or Great Lakes I believe), but I love it. I think it makes the C model look so much better. I think it also helps with performance. This is the only plane I've ever owned, so I can't compare appropriately, but I don't seem to have some of the climb issues other M20C pilots sometimes talk about. Not sure if the cowl helps that, but I have heard it does.

That's a great looking plane! Congrats! I didn't realize you were a ND fan, Brian! I am currently a Notre Dame grad student. (Makes for a lot less flying than I was doing before.)

Army: 2010-present. 1 tour in Afghanistan. Thanks to everyone else on here for your service to this great Nation Beat Navy!!

Thanks!

I have a 70C, and I have a dorsal fin. I have never notice any tail waggle in my plane. I also have a curved piece in there so that it's not a 90 degree angle from the back of the plane to the front of the horizontal stabilizer. I have the full tail rudder, too. Maybe that makes up for the rudder authority if it really is an issue.

It took me forever to get used to the Southern accents. By the time I got it down, I was back in the North!

Two things that I would have changed: 1) Plane for the mission. I actually did a great job of getting the plane I needed for my mission at the time. The trouble is, the mission changed when I added family, new job, etc. It won't be too long before I need to upgrade from my C (which I love). Some of this you don't know until you start, but I wish I would have thought a couple of years down the line. (You don't want to overdo this, either, though, or you get stuck paying for a plane that you really don't need to afford.) 2) Better pre-purchase inspection. I was in Afghanistan when mine was performed, and this was the first plane that I had purchased. I didn't know exactly how the pre-purchase worked. I ended up paying for more of it than I should have (seller should pay for airworthy items, you should pay for additions/nice to haves) and from a shop that wasn't too reputable. A year later, I had a separate big bill due at my first annual inspection. (Fortunately, after that, my plane's been in fantastic shape!)

Thank you all for your comments and votes! I really appreciate them. You bring up a good point with mechanics having a say in this, too, and there is another side to this that we are exploring with a couple of mechanics here. We are trying to see if a site like this would be a way for mechanics to put their name out there, too-particularly for mechanics who are local and don't have another good way to get their name out there. I like the idea of mechanics potentially placing feedback on pilots who have reviewed them, too. May be something to incorporate. The idea came from this summer, when I had to have a repair done on my plane while I was out of town and in an area I was unfamiliar with as far as mechanics are concerned. I went to an MSC, and they didn't know how to solve it and charged me many times more than my local mechanic (who is not an MSC but did a fantastic job) to simply put the plane back together. I wish that I had a good way to know that type of thing before (aside from MS! I do get lots of great feedback here).

Definitely north up, whether it's paper or a digital format. I still use both in the cockpit, and I think it's easier to keep things in one perspective throughout a flight.

Hey everyone, I am currently working on a project for grad school at Notre Dame. We are trying to determine if private pilots would utilize a website that allows pilots to review mechanics that they have used in the past. I have certainly had surprises in quality and price when I have been getting repairs away from my home field or moving and looking for a new mechanic. Have you? Would you be willing to review and reference a website, similar to Yelp, for airplane mechanics? If you have any additional comments beyond the questions here, please let me know! The poll only let me ask a few questions. We are also interested in what your primary criteria are for choosing a mechanic! Thanks!

Congratulations! Looks like a great plane! Have fun

That's beautiful! Made me homesick!