gsxrpilot

I have experience with Ethiopian Airlines going back to 1976 and my family has ties to Ethiopian Airlines going back to when it was still on the drawing board in the 1940's.* I've flown Ethiopian Airlines several times every year for the last few years. On a recent flight I was seated next to the Boeing VP from Seattle who covers Africa. He said they were Boeing's best customer in Africa and second place wasn't even close. They also fly one of the most modern fleets anywhere in the world. I've flown lots of airlines around the world and around Africa. And Ethiopian Airlines is the premier Airline in Africa and actually a very nice airline to fly anywhere in the world. They are almost a 100% Boeing fleet, and is the largest airline in Africa. I've also done quite a bit of business with their Parent Corp, Ethiopia Group, which includes their training arm. While GA is virtually non-existent in this and many parts of the world, Ethiopian runs a very large and well respected Aviation Academy. I would not believe the reports you're seeing in the media of low hours and low experience. When I visited their training academy, I was shocked at how modern and extensive it was. They have huge classes that start every year and most are weeded out early leaving only the best and most talented. They also train pilots from all over Africa as well as Asia. There are also a very large number of female pilots flying for Ethiopian Airlines. Notably on the first Dreamliner flight from Addis (the capital) to Riyadh (capital of Saudi Arabia), Ethiopian Airlines sent it with an entire female crew. Captain, FO, Purser, and all flight attendants were female, just to make a point. Classes at the aviation academy are almost 50% female. It's still Africa, but Ethiopian Airlines is not some third world operation. But rather a proper modern airline with standards that would be considered rigorous anywhere in the world. *My grandfather, Dr. Claude Steen Jr. an American missionary, was the very first Chief Medical Officer and Flight Surgeon for Ethiopian Airlines and the first AME in Ethiopia. In 1945, Emperor Haile Selassie sent my Grandfather back to the US to interview HH Holloway to be the first GM of Ethiopian Airlines. --and now you know the rest of the story.

Where are you moving to in Texas? If so, I'd take it to SWTA for the annual this time. It's a nice flight and they are an excellent Mooney shop to work with and get to know. You can call Laura and ask what they get for an annual inspection.

Somewhat in agreement with @Ragsf15e. I wouldn't fly very far to save $$. I would definitely fly as far as I needed to go, to get the right shop to work on my Mooney. For example, I know Mooney owners on both coasts that take their Mooneys to Don Maxwell in Texas every year. I am about to relocate to Denver, but SWTA will continue to do my annuals and any major work on my Mooney. It will be about a 4 hour flight for me to get to SWTA in Smithville, TX.

I recently had SWTA weigh my 252. The number they came up with was 32 lbs lighter than what was in my log book. So we wrote up the new one and put it in the log. The empty weight of my 252 is 2058 and gross 2900, which gives me a UL of 842. The Encore conversion will raise the gross to 3100, I believe. A friend once told me that they fly just fine at 3100 gross. BTW... SWTA drained all the fuel, then added back the unusable amount, carefully measured. We had a fresh oil change. And the plane was carefully leveled. The scales used are the expensive one's but I can't say when they were calibrated.

The models with the best useful load are: M20F Encore (a 252 can be converted to an Encore) Eagle I've heard... most 252 owners, fly them using Encore W&B data.

It's a 252 Encore. Because if it isn't today... it will be soon.

I've taken to holding onto the center windshield bar with my right hand during takeoff. I move my right hand up there just prior to rotation and keep it there until either ready to switch to autopilot or leveling off a bit. I know the traditional position is hand on the black, blue, and red knobs. But no one can give me a good reason to keep it there once I've rotated. So I've adjusted my technique to keep a right hand on a firm hold. So if the seat let go, I can pull on that instead of the yoke or the throttle.

I'm in complete agreement here. But with Mooneys that are in the sub $50K range, it's too easy for a simple gear up, to total out the plane. So with good C's and E's becoming more and more rare, it's worth it to keep the good ones flying. N6XM is the poster plane for this issue.

Hartzell tells me that they are close to start testing on a composite prop for my 252. I'm hoping to provide the test platform for that prop. I'd love to take some pounds off the nose.

Hahahah... I'd love a J-bar 252! Since I'm moving to Denver, I've asked him to wrap up a few items that we've been putting off. There's a SB for the fuel diverter on the Conti engines, and he's installing an AV20S as well as a Guardian panel mount CO detector. Oh and my hangar is full of household stuff as we clean out the house and wait for the truck to load and send to Denver. So there's no room in my hangar for the airplane.

I'll certainly talk to them. Unfortunately my circle of ForeFlight friends doesn't include Tyson, the CEO. I know they don't have a lifetime subscription option. And it might be too late anyway. Now I probably have to talk to Dennis Muilenburg. Of course, I am in Seattle today, so maybe I'll pay him a visit.

The Eagle along with the M20F are the UL champions of the fleet. I looked very seriously at an Eagle before buying the 252. What was the main thing you did to increase your UL?

One of the reasons I bought a 252. It's the one Mooney in the fleet that can be converted/upgraded/manipulated to significantly improve the UL. I'm on a mission to match Paul's 252.

That hull value would surely keep them from totaling it for a simple gear up. That's a good number on a C.

With the budget stated, I think a G is a great option. You'll be most happy with a well maintained, regularly flown, and properly equipped Mooney, regardless of the model. When I was shopping for my first Mooney, I was looking for an E. I had the budget for a cheap and suspect E or a top of the line C. I really wanted the E but bought the C instead and it was the absolute correct decision. I put 400 trouble free hours on that C. So if the budget allows for a nice G or a low end C, you'll be much happier with the G.

All solved by the most minimal of basic inexpensive maintenance.

How many hours on your engine? Because the insurance will factor that in when deciding to repair a gear up or to total the airplane. I believe an M20C has to be insured at a minimum of $60K to survive a gear up. And if I were in your shoes, I'd try to get it insured for $65K. I did this with my C just by sending the company a list of every single upgrade to the plane. Not just what I'd done, but everything that was an upgrade over a factory stock M20C. They didn't blink at the request. The thing to remember is that there just aren't many top of the line M20C's available for purchase, and that number goes down every year. So even if your C could be purchased for $51K, you probably can't find one and upgrading a lesser one to your level will cost closer to $70K or more. So in other words, it can't be replaced for the purchase price. I believe it's less important with newer and more valuable models but nevertheless, I've raised the hull value on my 252 every year at my insurance renewal.

Can a 252 be converted to manual gear?

Ok, I'll disagree. I've only owned two airplanes. Both of them Mooneys. There is a cost associated with owning airplanes and I'm glad I didn't waste any of it on a 172 or a Cherokee. Those are good planes for someone else to own and me to rent. One only needs to get properly educated, which in the age of the Internet can be done for free. And have a realistic budget. Which will come as part of the aforementioned education. With those two done, a Mooney is an excellent first airplane. The one and only pet peeve I have is people who say Mooneys are too difficult/advanced for ____________ to fly. And likewise when people claim they're too advanced/complicated for __________ to own. In doing so, you're making judgements about people you know nothing about and are also making the assumption that you are superior to said person as well. We're not landing F35's on a carrier here. It's just a simple piston single. Easy to fly and easy to own. And everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy it as much as I do.

The correct direction to be converting.

Congrats!! Now go get it wet. And water it often.

It looks to me like you're about 45 Mooney minutes away from N87 where there is a very reputable and experienced Mooney shop. I'll bet it would be worth the fuel to take it to someone who knows what they're doing and have done it not just once, but many times. Call ahead, and get on the schedule. Have them order the parts ahead of time. Then fly in, get it done, and fly home.

This is what I did. I've still got the small engine driven pump but it's only hooked up to my speed brakes. We pulled all the other vacuum lines out as well. We also removed the standby vacuum pump from the tail. It's really heavy, like two hands heavy. If my engine pump fails, I only loose speed brakes. So no big deal.

The left side is thicker than the right. I don't know the exact thickness off the top of my head.

It's how I did mine. After coming off the water jet table, we cleaned up the edges with a file and some sanding. Then paint and laser engraving for the labels.