Dan M20E '66

Sale closed today - many thanks to all those who expressed interest. It has been great being part of the Mooney community. I guess I'm an outsider now but will always have fond memories of my plane. Best of wishes to the Mooneyspace universe! Dan

Charheep, Thanks for the interest and question. One tracks to a DG bug, the other tracks to VOR/GPS.

It is with no small amount of melancholy that I offer my 1966 M20E for sale - I've had it since 2014; its the first and only plane I've owned but is time to move on. I bought it from Paul and Shery Loewen of LASAR, serial number 1000. TTAF is 5921; ESMOH 922, about 606 since top-end overhaul. I try to fly weekly, and have put nearly 400 hours on it. Most annuals have been performed by Top Gun in Stockton, California and the plane is hangered at O22 (Columbia, CA). I have extensive documentation and am pretty anal about taking care of my things. I'd like to get $89,900 for it. Serious inquiries only, please, and I can provide quite a bit of information electronically. I'm posting here first to the Mooneyspace community before considering other channels. Let me know if you're interested. Dan N267WS Flyer.pdf

When I bought my '66 E in 2014 - also as a low-hour pilot - I had all these grand plans too. I agree with other suggestions to just fly the plane to get familiar and comfortable in it. Figure on 10 hours for your complex, and do a ton of patterns and pattern entries at speed and altitude. Slowing down isn't a big deal as long as you plan for it (2 minutes for every 500 feet with extra time to slow to gear down speed after reaching pattern altitude). Approaching an airport high and fast isn't fun. Don't force the plane on the runway - practice go-arounds and don't hesitate to do them. Two priorities I'd suggest are a good engine monitor (I got an EI CGR-30P), and ADSB-out. Since your transponder is ancient (like mine was), the Garmin GTX335 is a good choice. Then run Pilot of Foreflight on your iPad Mini with a portable ADSB-in unit and you'll be set. Have fun and fly safe!...

I bought my '66 E from LASAR. They suggested a shop adjacent to them at Lakeport owned by a former staffer (don't remember the name), but I wanted an independent assessment. That might be a good option. Top Gun said their PPI was an annual - expensive. I ended up having Aero Resources at my home airport Columbia do the work. Paul and Sherrie retired from Lasar; I don't know how good the new owner is. I've since come to really appreciate Top Gun. Mark really knows his stuff and they're very thorough. My bird is there right now for its annual. If they don't do your PPI, use them for annuals. Dan

Last Summer I purposely flew over a nearby airport at about 5k' until my left tank went dry. Interestingly, it ran about 15 minutes after the needle pegged which is a good thing to know. And even though I knew the engine was going to stop and was ready to change tanks, I was terrified when it happened. My hands shook as I tried to change tanks. The engine started back up within a few seconds, but it seemed like an eternity. I flew back to my airport and marked up a fresh stick at 3 gallon increments. I now am pretty confident about measurement accuracy of fuel in the wings, and I always stick my tanks before flying. I'll probably do the right wing just to check for symmetry.

I just had a GTX335 installed in my '66 E, replacing the old KT76A. I've flown with it twice so far and it works great. I especially like the pressure altitude display which appears spot-on. It was about $4000 installed, and the FAA rebate was easy and painless. I use Garmin Pilot and have a GDL 39 3D, so I already had ADSB-In, but according to Garmin this combination should enhance traffic awareness although I'm not sure about this. Entering squawk codes sure is easy now. I recommend the GTX335...

Hey Fellow Mooney Owners, I have a 1966 M20E. The previous owner upgraded the left master cylinder to a Cleveland 10-49, but the OEM Paramount remains on the right. It's getting a little flaky and replacement poppets are scarce. Before I plop down big $$ for a new master cylinder, is there anyone out there with a decent used 10-49 they'd part with? No problem to fix up with a rebuild/repair kit if needed. Let me know if it includes the mounting bracket that's need to retrofit to my E. Let me know ASAP! Thanks, Dan

Thanks, Bob - brain fade! 25.7 gallons to the tabs on the left tank with hot fuel....

Just a few weeks ago I did exactly what Carusoam suggested, and for the same reasons. I also wanted to know how accurate my fuel gauges were so I can have corrolation between my stick, gauges, and the EI CGR-30P monitor. I knew my left tank had about 8 gallons and the right tank considerably more, so I cruised at 6k' over a nearby airport until the left tank ran dry. I kept my handy PVC tank selector tool ready in my lap. Even though mentally prepared for it, I still was surprised when the engine sputtered and quit. My hands were shaking as I switched tanks, but surely enough the engine started back up in a few seconds - although it seemed like an eternity! I headed back to my home airport and hangar, and filled the tank while stopping every 3 gallons to mark my homemade stick which was previously marked using info from another Mooneyspace post. I learned a few things: 1. My previous markings overstated actual fuel. 2. When I ran dry, the tank was virtually empty because I filled it to the tab with 51.7 gallons (capacity is specified at 52 gallons) 3. I filled with hot fuel, which was a mistake because the next morning it was sitting below the tab and would have probably taken the full 52 gallons. This also means that my new stick markings may slightly understate fuel level - not a particularly bad thing. 4. My left fuel gauge shows full when the tank is full, but was pegged at "E" about 20 minutes before the engine stopped. Good to know. I plan to repeat the exercise on the right tank, and hopefully I'll react more calmly this time! It was a worthwhile endeavor....

I'm looking to satisfy the ADSB-Out mandate in my '66 M20E. I already have ADSB-In courtesy of a Garmin GDL39-3D and Garmin Pilot. I like the idea of using this opportunity to upgrade my ancient KT76A transponder, so the all-in-one box concept is appealing. Garmin's GTX335/345 look good, as does the Lynx, but at $2995 the Stratus ESG (http://www.appareo.com/stratus-adsb-out/) appears to be the lowest-cost approach. A local avionics shop said to expect about a $500 install because he can re-purpose my existing GPS antenna (from a removed older GPS) and the ESG uses the existing transponder antenna and altitude encoder. Has anyone installed an ESG yet? Comments?....

Back to the battery charger - I also have a G-35 and found Hector in tech support at Gill extremely helpful. For the G-35, you need a Charge ("Bulk") range of 14.1V to 14.3V, and Maintenance ("Float") range of 13.1V to 13.5V. My concern is mainly maintenance, so I use an older Battery Tender model 022-0157-1 that floats at 13.5V. As long as it's powered up when connecting to the Gill, it stays in float mode.

I'll be manning the small CruzTOOLS stand at Aero Friedrichshafen in Germany next week, booth A5-513. Any other Mooney flyers are welcome to stop by to say hi!... Dan, '66 M20E

A recent panel cleanup on my '66 E opened up the perfect spot for an iPad. I had an Air, but it was too big so I got the new iPad Mini 4 that has the same anti-glare screen. Mounted with a RAM suction kit, it works great. I also RAM mount an iPhone 6 on my yoke. Combined with Garmin Pilot, a GDL39 3D, plus an EI USB hub on the panel where my old GEM was, I'm in great shape with redundancy and house power. I can't imagine needing a panel GPS unless I graduate to serious IFR. I'll take and post photos soon...

I'm a Mooney owner and 'Space member, so please forgive me for this shameless plug of my company's Pilot's Tool kits: http://www.cruztools.com/products/gatools.html