Johnnybgoode

Yes, Clarence. Dave Anders, in his beautiful and FAST RV-4 has been the impetus for my buying stock in 3M. My -4 has a couple of seams that are bare and my Mooney is beginning to look that way too. I'll tape and fly today and see if there are any noticable differences. I didn't know of the Piper mods. I am curious to know from a theoretical standpoint if the under surface is as important flow-wise as the upper wing surface. Patrick

...thought that the myriad under-wing inspection panels and their corresponding transitions add drag as the air flows under the wing? I just bought some 4" wide 3M471 tape and will smooth those transitions, first on the forward inspection panels, and see if there is a noticable difference in feel or smoothness of the airframe throughout the flight regime. I know that my C has 16-20 of those single-thickness panels - except at the wing root where there is one with a doubler that has much less indentation/drag. That one is put on with panhead screws though... Curious if 1) there are as many on the newer models and 2) if they are single thickness or double, so as to minimize the transition. Chime in if this is a silly project from a scientific perspective. I am not an aerodynamics-trained guy. Patrick

Let's just talk about Mooney airplanes. In the context of this forum I don't care what any of you you think about other topics.

No Mooney, I will agree. But in its role my RV-4 takes the Mooney hands down. Just one opinion though...

Thanks guys. And Yes, Bob, I would not have been pulling panels had the bladders not been in there. Interestingly I found a thread on here referring to red in-tank sealant that was used in the past that was then deemed un-airworthy. Several of the screws I pulled had red sealant on them... Maybe that's why I have bladders. They were installed before my tenure as owner. As a side note, one of the small panels I pulled was on the front row and there seemed to be a liner above that one. I'll have to check again.

Question for the bladder-wise ones out there - Mooney fuel bladders, that is. My '65C has them and the long way to this answer is to just begin pulling the covers. I need an inspection cover under the wing for an OAT probe installation. Anybody know which ones under the wing don't have a bladder on top of them? I pulled two today and guessed wrong each time. Rather than continue this trend I figured I'd ask for help. So, if you have bladders, where is your OAT probe? It's for the new AV-20-S. Thanks, Patrick

My C does the same thing. Battery tests okay. We once found a loose connection on the start solenoid and I figured I had found the culprit, but it still is a slow starter. Statts every time though... interested to hear other ideas.

Bought the Davitron probe today for about $90 shipped, from Spruce, for the record.

If he's only 17 I think the odds are slim that he will retire from the majors, as they exist today. With the coming of the unmanned sector I see lots changing in the industry. I'm 43, right seat of the Airbus 330 for a major and am not pushing my 12-year old towards it. We fly alot, don't get me wrong. But I encourage him to get an otherwise useful degree and then fly afterwards if the opportunity presents itself. Or at least have a plan for what to do when he turns 50 and is replaced by a computer. My 2 cents...

First Flight Airport, where the Wrights first flew, has a museum of their successes and wouldn't be too far from DC in a Mooney. He would remember that, I'd say. Patrick

My plane was initially around 25k - still needs paint, but not as bad as this one. I got away with limited unplanned expenses (I had planned for some minor fixes) for the first few years and then had to bite the 25k overhaul bullet. At my entry price I had room to do that - it's the unexpected that ruins your day. A basic annual (at a MSC) is right about 1500, give or take - my first couple were within 500 of that. Then I needed about 1600 worth of work for the cowl closure (optional) and new motor mounts (not optional). Last year it was landing gear donuts. Then I had the overhaul this past year. All have been reasonable work required to bring an underutilized plane back to where I want it to be and I now have a plane that still needs a paint job but is in significantly better shape than it was at time of purchase. Then there is ADSB, which I completed earlier this year. No getting around that one either. The real question many owners fail to ask is what is the expected ownership timeframe? Spreading these costs over the next 15 or 20 years of ownership makes them pretty bearable. Trying to get my money back out of the plane next week would keep me up at night. I plan to have mine for quite awhile and am making it the way I want it. Next is paint, but not on the immediate horizon. It is hangared, along with my RV4, and I agree with the above sentiment that planes should be in hangars, especially near the coast. PM me if you're ever over around CLT and we'll go for a ride - always looking for excuses to use that overhauled engine! I've flown with the Guard guys out of Savannah several times - great bunch! Good luck!

Do you need fancy instruments? What is the mission you plan to accomplish with the bird? Blue sky flying around NC/SC/GA/FL (we really do have lots of days for that - I live near Charlotte)? Continued training for IFR? Do you mind paint in that condition? Interior looks nice but the panel dated and the paint will be a minimum of 10k to replace. That's not a dealbreaker for me - I fly Airbus for a living but don't need my Mooney panel to look like one. This one looks like it could be a reasonable VFR machine to me and it does have plenty of time left on the engine, if it's not all crudded up from sitting for the past several years. I just had mine rebuilt by Triad, so I consider that a positive as far as the engine goes, again, assuming it hasn't sat for the past 3 years. Mine's a C with manual gear also. In my quick scan I don't see anything about bladders or a reseal of the fuel tanks - the reseal is another item that many guys face that is no small investment, but a required one when the time comes. Mine has bladders. A good prebuy inspection should be something you plan on obtaining before getting emotionally serious about the plane. I always recommend AGL Aviation, in Morganton, NC - not too far of a flight - maybe a couple of hours - and they worked hard a few years back to become an authorized Mooney Service Center. They've maintained mine since I've owned it and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Good luck, keep reading and keep us posted. Patrick

Consider this one only... 1 - if you are also an A&P looking for a project 2 - if your budget is multiples of the asking price Which really only makes number 1 a factor. If the budget is multiples of the asking price there are better offerings available. If your budget is 20k I'd save awhile or perhaps consider a less costly solution in which to train. just free thoughts, Patrick

And me, at KLKR, please. Thanks.

Same as the mighty Herk.

Please don't use this case as an example of anything but how not to fly.

Most interesting question yet in this thread.

Yeah, the rebuild has taken a little longer than I expected, honestly, but hopefully the results will be worth the wait.

Looking forward to seeing the same for many years to come when my fresh Triad rebuild gets delivered today to AGL!

I'm fortunate or foolish enough to have one each Mooney and RV. I love my C, but for your mission my RV-4 would be a much quicker and more efficient fit. My 160HP RV equipped with a Catto fixed-pitch prop pitched for cruise speed nets me 200mph groundspeeds regularly on my 230 mile commute. Can't touch that with my Mooney. If you're set on a Mooney I don't see much advantage to the newer birds - the distances traveled aren't going to add up to that much time difference. Just another 2 cents... Good luck!

Often internationally you hear "behind the arriving/departing (aircraft type), line up and wait, behind" First time I heard that I thought it a bad idea but it is a time saver - the tower controller can make the call when there is a break instead of waiting until after the plane lands/takes off and someone steps on him when he is ready to issue the clearance. Not hearing that in the US yet. Agree that it's been a long tome since I have heard "position and hold" anywhere. Patrick

Yeah, but yours are subjected to exceptional wear, judging by the photos of some of the "pax" you share. Right?

I represent that, and I am. The engine's out for rebuild now, so the sheepskin stays awhile longer... Patrick

Yoke, in an RV-7? Okay.

Fixed it for you.