gsxrpilot

Mike Elliott just brought a Bravo from Tampa to Austin so JD could do the pre-buy. It's typically just a matter of being far enough into the sales cycle that the only thing left between you and a successful sale is the pre-buy. Put down a deposit sizable enough protect the seller. Arrange for a pilot and cover all the costs of moving the plane to the pre-buy. As a seller, I'd not have a problem with my plane going anywhere at the buyers expense, for a pre-buy. BUT... I would want to have a signed purchase contract, and a deposit sufficient to cover any expenses I might incur if the sale falls through and also sufficient enough to show the seriousness of the buyer to follow through on the sale.

Maybe a bit of heresy here... First of all, I find that the instrument I use the most when I'm flying... is the engine monitor. I fly most flights over an hour or several hours and usually let the autopilot fly the plane. But I'm constantly monitoring the engine and making sure I'm getting the best performance/efficiency/etc out of my engine. Since I'm so proactive with the engine monitor, I like to have it on the left side and in my line of view. Secondly I don't see the ROI of having a backup VOR head. I have so many GPS options in the cockpit that in the unlikely event the Aspen goes dark, I've got a secondary AI which is the most important backup. Navigation can be provided by any of the GPS's in the cockpit. And in the very unlikely event that I have to shoot an approach without the Aspen, autopilot, etc. and can't divert to someplace with better weather, the nav sources such as the panel mounted GPS, IFD540, my iPad with ForeFlight, etc. will be more than enough to get me down. In fact, I'd probably do that instead of using the backup VOR head, even if I had it. It just seems like such an unlikely event, and the VOR head would be my third or forth backup option... not the first or even second. Therefore there's not enough ROI to give it space in the panel.

This is about as good as I could get in my M20C O360. I know E drivers who fly in the 6 - 7 gph range deep LOP.

Yep, I'd remove the VOR CDI's. Both of them can be displayed on the Aspen anyway. Then since I'm spending your money... I'd move the autopilot one spot to the right, move the storm scope up, and put in the EDM-900 across the spots vacated by the storm scope and the lower CDI. I don't see much benefit in the 930 over the 900. It's just a larger screen. If I was having to mount the engine monitor on the far right side... then I'd maybe go 930. But if I can mount it close to me, on the left side, then 900 seems to me to be a better choice. I won't post another pic of my panel here

Lean Of Peak - a method of engine management that typically results in a significant reduction in fuel burn for a corresponding minor reduction in speed. This is easier to do with some engines than others. It's difficult/impossible with a carburetor (M20C O360) but quite easy with a fuel injected (M20E and others using the IO360).

I would have installed an EI product if they made one to match the EDM-900. I would certainly choose the MVP-50 over the EDM-930, but just didn't have the real estate. And the CGR-P and C seems silly in that it takes two of them to fully replace all the gauges the EDM-900 replaces in a smaller footprint. I've always liked the EI stuff. I just wish they made a small screen version of the MVP-50... maybe an MVP-40 ;-)

I'm a definite maybe. But I'm trying to make it happen.

Personally I always retract the flaps after the nose wheel settles down and before using the brakes.

The secret to a good landing is to LET it float... as long as it wants to float. If it want's another 100', try to get it to float 200. The time to shorten the floating distance is before you get over the runway. Once crossing the numbers, the best option is to keep it floating as long as you can. You'll have the smoothest landings ever.

We should fly together some... come ride along in my K and I'll ride with you in your F. They're both mid-bodies and should land basically the same way.

Did they give a location?

If this is EXACTLY the E one is looking for, then the price would be close to right. I'm sure you can't upgrade it to this level for the asking price. But for that asking price, it would have to be EXACTLY what I was looking for. And while it's nice, there are too many things I'd do just a little differently.

Insurance will typically cover the cost of moving/relocating the plane including return commercial flights. Hopefully you get your airplanes moved. I wish I could help but won't be available until Friday and it might be too late by then.

Excellent! I'm glad you took the time to go meet up with Don and Jan. An M20C is hard to beat for cheap A to B travel by private airplane. I'd recommend two things... Create a wish list for everything you'd want in the perfect C or E. Sort the list in order from most important to least important. Reorder the list often, as you learn until you get to the order of importance that makes sense for you and your mission. Then find the Mooney that gets you as far down the list as far as possible. Create a spreadsheet listing every M20C for sale along with the items from the above list that it meets or doesn't meet. Include engine hours and asking price. Pretty soon you'll be an expert on current values. You'll also know how realistic your wish list is and what the various options will affect the price. Places to find Mooneys... here, Controller, Barnstormers, TAP, Don Maxwell, AllAmerican, LASAR... Best of luck, and happy to talk through options, priorities, prices, specific planes, etc.

My thought exactly. It must be for candy crush or netflix. He's already got 3x redundancy before he turns on the iPad.

What's obvious to me is that being "Director of Maintenance for a very high end corporate flight department" doesn't translate to knowing anything about how to care for and maintain an aging fleet of vintage airplanes. But then I wouldn't take my vintage BMW to the dealership for service either. Nobody's perfect, and mistakes can be made. But the accusations made against Don in this thread just don't hold any water for those of us who've known him and have had our planes maintained by him for years.

And with our undersized engines, altitude is much quicker with the gear stowed. I'll take altitude over useable runway every time.

I didn't realize anyone still followed the "no useable runway" method.

From where?

Yep, I believe we're thinking the same way. When people ask me about the upgrading of my plane, I say I've started with what's right in front of me in the left seat and work my way out... paint and interior will be the very last thing. I agree there's no need for a glass panel... but he does need an autopilot, engine monitor, WAAS GPS. I just think that if he sold this F for say $50K (it might not bring that with an inoperable Brittain). and put the $35K with it, he's within striking distance of a J that would have all that stuff already.

You're at $25K and haven't installed it yet.

The Mooney is only tight when comparing to your land vehicle. It's wider than all the Cessna's below the 210 and wider than the Bonanza's. Ask Don when you see him about Paul and Ziggy. We flew out of there on Tuesday in my M20K (all Mooney cockpit's are essentially the same size in the front seats). I'm 5'10" 250 and Ziggy comes in at 6"3 285. We each had plenty of room. No rubbing shoulders or anything. Compared to piston singles... the Mooney cockpit is very respectable.

Oh... you have no idea!

I don't know anything about Trident. But I do know that I'd rather a pre-buy be done by a shop that specializes in Mooneys. They'll know what to look for that might be unique to Mooneys. In that part of the country, Air-Mods in Robbinsville, NJ is a well known Mooney shop.

She considers the airplane a necessary evil that enables her to go places that would be otherwise difficult. This is Mackinac Island, MI... which from Austin, TX is not the easiest place to get to.