petegaz40

I was having the same issue and had my fuel injectors cleaned and that pretty much cleared it up.

It’s been some years so I don’t remember the hours. I didn’t do the maintenance but it was cheap to own and operate. It was enjoyable and I did quite a few cross country flights in it for minimal cost.

I’m currently on my second E model. I have owned a Thorp T-18 with 180 hp and a c/s prop. It’s a tight fit but the performance it pretty incredible. It will climb 1000 fpm at 10,000 ft. I use to easily cruise 160 kts and burn 9 gph. It was an easy tail wheel plane to fly but you need to keep your speed up to make that happen. It’s definitely worth looking at them. With that being said, there have been some structural failures so for me I wouldn’t fly them anymore. I’m anal about structural failures.

If it was me I’d go for the one piece windshield (inexpensive mod). As far as big money mods the engine analyzer would be at the top of my list. With that being said, more fuel is by far the best speed mod you can get but if you aren’t flying 600+nm trips they will do you no good.

Have you checked your gear doors?

Why not run more MP pressure??

I am having some radio issues that need some attention. If you know of someone or a good shop close to phx please let me know. Thanks!

The Mooney wing seems to really be at home between 8-12K. One advantage of flying that high is that there isn't much traffic up there unless you are in the mountain west.

I have a '64 model and the side windows need replacing. I priced the windows and now I am wondering what a rough cost to have them changed out would be. Any ideas.?

I have read all the posts especially the ones that were someone posted the amount of hours their CFI had. There is a difference in logged hours..... You can log 100 hours, or you can log 1 hour 100 times... It's the experience that counts... I wouldn't fly into a remote strip with a airline pilot with 15,000 hours vs a tailwheel pilot that has been flying in the back country and has 750 hours. There are a lot of CFI's that don't have a lot of cross country time or if they do it was flying someone else's airplane (such as the military, charter). It's easy to make recommendations when you aren't paying the bills. "if I was getting a plane, I would buy brand X"..... Everyone has a different mission: Some people never fly more than 200 nautical miles from home, some people just go to breakfast on the weekends or give friends rides etc, some people use it for business. You have to try to define your "mission" and go from there... Can a low time pilot fly a high performance plane?? Yes! My dad deployed to the South Pacific in World War Two in Corsairs with 278 logged hours..... It can be done. Is it a good idea? Not sure, just glad he didn't get tested when he first got there or maybe I wouldn't be typing this. Mooney's are amazing airplanes for strength, safety and reliability but they aren't for everybody..

I would learn to fly first and then decide what kind of plane fits you best. You can learn in a Mooney but it isn't the best trainer for a beginner. I think you could probably buy a Cherokee 140 or Cessna 150, fly it for a year or so and get all your money back when you are done with it. You might buy a Mooney and decide its not the type of flying you want to do.

The twins are cheap to buy but once you own them............

The turbine singles are MUCH more reliable than any piston twin out there... If I had the bucks I would be looking at TBM-700's, PC-12's and maybe the Piper Meridian.

What is your budget??

Sometimes Banning is calm, but not often.

If the wind is blowing at Banning you can always cross over the Thermal airport and take V64 into the valley. You will probably need to be at 12,500 for terrain clearance but should be a better ride.. I have done that a few times and at seems to work. You can usually see the wind turbines at Banning when you are 30 or so miles east to judge the wind. That gives you time to make your best plan.

I am not a lawyer but I would think removed things such as radios is not a good idea. If you figured that item into the value of the airplane that you had insured could probably get you in hot water..

Fly it by the numbers and you wont have any problems. You will enjoy the much improved climb rate vs a C172 to get over those tall mountains in northern cal.

I know the feeling. I have been looking since last summer and have seen a ton of junk airplanes. I think its because its a buyers market. The sellers overstate their plane for two reasons. 1. They think you wont spot the problems 2. They think that you will feel the need to buy since you have already invested in the trip to look at the plane. The sad fact is that general aviation is hurting right now and the Vref value is much higher than planes are selling for or even truly worth. Keep looking and you will find a clean one.

My dad used to own a Turbo 337... Nice plane but a maintenance hog..

Why buy someone else's fixer upper??? Don't you have enough to do already?? Keep looking and find a clean one with only a few issues to address.....

I wouldn't recommend a pilot without mountain or high altitude airport experience to try to fly into the Grand Canyon airport in the summer time. It can be a tricky airport with high density altitudes in the summer and high elevation. The best route from Albq would be to over fly St Johns and stay just north of Phoenix heading west and enter the So Cal basin thru Banning Pass. You would want to get over the Mogollon rim in Arizona before late morning for the smoothest ride. I have been flying in Arizona for 25 years and this is the route I would take.