Matt Michael

Anyone know of a Mooney expert mechanic, shop, or IA in the Destin/Ft Walton/Pensacola, Florida area to assist in a pre purchase inspection? Thanks MM

DA was minus 5000 ft here in central Iowa this morning. Temp about -20.

I'm looking at a an E model with O&N bladders that were installed in 2007. According to O&Ns website AD 2004-25-04 applies to bladders installed before Feb. 1998. My advising I.A. says, "NEVER make the assumption that what a business entity says trumps an AD note. It certainly doesn't. The only thing that matters is what the FAA says. I mention this for future reference. In this case, all seems well. Except......did anybody sign off AD 25-24-04? Check the logs and AD listings. Whether or not an AD is considered accomplished does not obviate the need to have it listed and signed. It must be listed and signed off for the annual to be legal" Opinions? Thanks, MM

Damn you Mooney. Damn you! LOL Actually, my first love is gliders. There is nothing to compare with flying a couple hundred miles or climbing at 1500 fpm powered by the atmosphere and your wits. But it's not particularly good transportation.

My C150 is 20 mph faster than my first airplane. (I flew it to DC and back from Central Iowa!) But after a couple years of speeding around even the Cessna became too slow. It took one 4 hour trip in a Mooney to ruin me completely. Must have now. Still, the Cessna was a great learning machine not only for basic flying but for long cross countries too. I regularly did 300 mile legs. The slower speed gave me time to figure things out and the ability to drop it in anywhere (including unimproved) in all kinds of winds was great experience. So was planning and flying to minimize headwinds and maximize tailwinds. Burning mostly auto fuel saved me a bundle over 200 hrs. Took a lot of fun trips for about the cost of driving in half the drive time.

Comparable C model? I don't know. The 6 or so Mooneys I've seen in the last few months in the $23-$40K price range were pretty rough. They were either projects or bad risks. Personally, I believe one could safely and successfully train in a Mooney. But, factoring in operating costs and maintenance costs along with inarguably easier training and lower insurance makes something like a 150 very attractive.

Starting at $24k. 700smoh, basic no GPS IFR, all logs, hangared, auto fuel STC, not your typical beater 150.

If you decide you want to buy a plane ping me. I'm closing in on a Mooney and hopefully will be looking for a home for my very nice well cared for C150. Yes, it's a buyers market but its more of a buyers beware market. See the Junk thread in General Mooney discussion. My motto has become "if its for sale I don't want it!" Better to find something not actively being "sold" is my experience. No substitute for word of mouth and referral. That goes for instructors too. Especially for instructors!

"Lower Alabama". Pretty funny.

My girlfriend says, "lets GO! We'll get a room on the beach for a few nights AND check out the Mooney." Room booked. Happy Xmas!

For a while, it seemed like every plane I looked at had been geared-up, at LEAST once. My friends started to wonder what the deal was with Mooney pilots always forgetting the gear! In some ways it seemed like a good thing because it meant that the prop was a new scimitar and the engine had recently been gone through (eliminating likely cam issues among other things).

Thanks to a forum member I may have finally found my ride. Seller has sent loads of hi res pics and about 40 logbook scans. Everything looks real good. Taking a 15 hour drive (one way) for Xmas tire kicking!

Do you know where this one is listed? I've probably seen it but rejected due to the distance. Probably should reconsider

The EBay bird doesn't have an autopilot sadly.

Light IFR with option to upgrade, AP, E or F model. Either a nice flyable plane under $45K or a project under $25K. Must have tires too so I can kick them

I remember seeing that one earlier. It looks really nice. I'd limited my search to ones that were within a certain distance so hadn't followed up. With a friend in the neighborhood it might be worth a closer look. I don't see an auto pilot and I do want one, even if only 1 axis. I'll put this one on my list and let you know if I need a closer look. THANK YOU for your offer to help! Awesome! MM Matt, This E model is in the hangar next to mine. I have only seen it twice, but it presented as-advertised as an "always hangared" bird. When he was asking 44K I heard that he would take 38K. Now he is asking 40K. I hear he is very motivated. Very low time engine. Might be worth a look. If you are seriously interested in it and want to set it up with the owner I would be happy to give it a closer look for you. The link will just show you the pictures but there is also a description that you can find if you search for it. Jim https://www.barnstormers.com/listing_images.php?id=653271

The plane in question, the one that I just looked at and rejected was being offered for $44.5K with annual (at his shop) or $40K as is. It had a lot going for it really, relatively fresh engine, new prop, 430... But overall it was really rough. Obviously sat outside a lot, interior pretty much shot. It did not look like a well taken care of machine. I'm willing to work for what I want but this one wasn't the one to work with. There was a missed AD in the last annual. The fuel "seep" was a river. One starts to be suspicious of everything and you'd be a fool not to be. If the guy had been straight with me from the start and was willing to take $30K I might have taken it. But, he had stated several times that 40 was his bottom dollar and he'd just keep it. There are more fish in the sea and I've already got another one on the line that is much more realistically priced. It will need an engine overhaul soon but I can deal with that. The rest of it looks pretty good. Best part is that the owner is willing to trade and I have something he is interested in that I need to move. Cautiously optimistic...

Well guys, I'm not quite as dumb as you may think. I have done a lot research to know what I'm looking for and what I'm looking at. I ask LOTS of questions of experienced owners, pilots, mechanics, and inspectors that I'm acquainted with and I pay attention. I consider this forum only one of a great bunch of resources at my disposal. I'm able and willing to work on a project airplane and so actually looking at substandard stuff is required. It can be one way to get a killer deal and I like killer deals. Yeah, it was a long drive but actually, I thoroughly enjoyed it because I got to spend hours with one of my favorite pals. When we weren't talking flying it was music, women, books... We never got bored! For me it was a 2 day vacation. It's just mind boggling to me that knowing how far I was traveling, the seller would so seriously misrepresent and make us wait around so much. If I hadn't had such a great time and learned so much I would have been incensed! One of the reasons I had such a good time was that while waiting for the seller my pal and I visited a local aviation museum on the field. While touring through hangers with a volunteer guide we came to what was described as a replica Jenny. Then my pal spoke up and said, "no, I built that airplane". The tour guide said, "you mean you built one of this type?" "No, I built THIS airplane. Actually, I DESIGNED and built this airplane when I was 18". The guide and I just stood there with out mouths hanging open not knowing what to say. Turned out that my buddy had sold this plane 30 years ago! It was the second (of over 20) that he built. Until we saw it there languishing in the dusty museum hanger he'd had no idea what had become of it. It was a pretty amazing moment and we knew right there that the entire trip was worth it.

And I AM willing to repair "a minor leak" but that ship was a sieve! Worst one I've seen. And with an outstanding AD too!

My venting is meant in a light hearted and humorous vein. It's been absolutely fascinating to learn about this great design and I enjoy meeting pilots. But it is surprising sometimes what apparently reasonable people will grow accustomed to and consider acceptable, safe, or airworthy. And, it's not just fuel leaks. One decent looking E model on TAP turned out to have a warped aileron. When asked, the seller said that his buddy had recently reskinned the bottom to repair some hangar resh. The whole thing was completely warped out of true more than an inch and lovingly repainted and pinstriped! It looked like it was manufactured that way! The engine missed badly, almost died on final, some gauges that are supposed to work didn't. I never heard anything about a Mooney crash landing so I guess he made it home. ;-)

I just returned from a 16 hour roundtrip drive to look at yet another wonderfully described piece of crap for sale. In the last couple months I've seen about 6 different planes and the 4 that were actively on the market were not even close to what they were being sold as. My motto now is "if it's for sale I'm not interested". You've got to have a sense of humor if you're going to waste 2 days driving 16 hours. My I.A. buddy mocking the FBO secretary says, "the Mooney? Oh yes, just follow the river of avgas over there on the ramp. You cant miss it" Yes, fuel leaks are the norm but the latest really surprised me. It was sold as, "yes, it does have a small fuel leak on the top side of one tank but as long as you burn that tank down first and park without refueling it's not an issue" Viewing the plane in person after an 8 hour drive reveled the worst fuel staining I've yet seen under a Mooney. I swear there was a 2 inch wide blue and brown coating 1/16th inch thick along the bottom of the spar the entire length of both fuel tanks. This is a plane being offered as turn key! After my mechanic buddy discovered and corrected an outstanding AD that the last annual had missed and the demo pilot showed up (3 hours late) the plane was fueled and pushed out of the giant beautifully lit heated shop. When we opened the cockpit to climb in I was almost thrown off the wing by the force of the fuel vapors roiling out. My mechanic said it looked like I was hit in the forehead by a baseball bat. We walked past he seller and his demo pilot shaking our heads. They seemed like really nice people but either they were trying to pull one over on us or they are just stupid. Or maybe I'm just stupid to expect that somewhere out there is a decent Mooney, in my price range, that has really been taken care of and is ready for a new home. It's supposedly a buyers market but I think that perhaps the market, and the general economy, has been so down for so long that people have been deferring maintenance. I'm here to tell you, it's a Buyer Beware Market. Matt Michael, Ames Iowa

On the same trip I met a guy in OK with an absolutely gorgeous C model with updated panel, 430, autopilot, just sealed tanks... I asked if it was for sale and he replied that he was just this day retiring (from FBI) and that yes, he was thinking of getting something a bit bigger like a Cirrus. I've looked at something like 8 Mooneys in the last couple months and this was hands down the best one by a mile. A bit out if my price range and I want an E. If someone wants a great C I still have his contact number

Cowl and belly skin not installed. The plane is at K81 Miami County. Great little BBQ restaurant there! I cant find my contact for the shop but will keep looking for the card I took. If you call the airport manager he'll give you the number. The guy seemed like a decent straight shooter. His shop was clean and there was a lot going on. It's a very tempting project.

I recently saw an F model sitting at a little airport south of KC and inquired. It was ferried in with a replacement prop after a gear up landing. Now owned by local maintenance shop. He showed me the logs and filled me in. Crank dialed good, put some patches on the belly, flew it from TX. Doesn't have time to deal with it and judging by all the major projects going in his shop I believe it. Engine is less than 300 SMOH but will need prop strike inspection. All logs avail, 201 cowling and 1 piece belly skin included. Ferry-able. Exterior paint rough, old panel with some empty slots. No visible fuel leaks or corrosion. I think he was asking $23K firm. I'd say its the perfect project. Someone should get it before he parts it out. I'm going for an E with a 430, my project days are over I think