DXB

Many of these older planes have the bare aluminum and are fine. My '68 C has the yellow zinc chromate

Not that close, but Joey Cole (Cole Aviation) in Dalton GA (240sm south) did mine. I would recommend him.

It's a fantastic plane, and it's definitely possible do PPL in one, with the right instructor and some extra hours. BUT it would be a lot simpler in most people's circumstances to do PPL in a more standard trainer while also taking time to learn about the buying process (which is complex and full of pitfalls). Do yourself a favor and keep the training phase simple. There will be still be other good Mooneys to buy later. If you insist on going forward with purchase now, at least make sure you have the right instructor lined up and work well with him/her. My experience with finding one for transition training is that here are a more instructors who claim the experience to train you in one than should train you in one.

Agree on not getting too fixated on a single plane until having checked out a few. But from what I've seen the inventory is low turnover for the old Mooneys, but there's also not many excellent planes to be had. Good planes can be for sale by less than rational owners. Making the effort to understand the seller is worth it- makes everything else go more smoothly. Hope it works out.

Wow looks like actual wood from an actual tree. Innovative design

while we're on the topic, can someone explain what makes the A1D and A1As distinctive from other O-360s?

Sounds promising. In that case, the owner should have much less concern about getting an independent set of expert eyes on the plane. It could be (1) the seller is being irrational and just needs some gentle convincing that it's in his interest (2) he has something major to hide if (1) is not possible. Others have made savvy suggestions on here on structuring purchase agreements that serve both parties well - i was too naive on this when I bought my plane. I've heard it said that gear up prop strike planes might be great bargains IF repaired meticulously, since they take a hit on value while also ending up much better planes after the work.

That explains the new prop and overhaul...did a reputable Mooney shop do the recent airframe repair? You definitely want the critical eye of a Mooney specialist on it either way for the prebuy. If the owner was planning on selling shortly after the insurance covered a large part of the repair, he may not have cared much about the details in getting a complex job right. Potential liabilities to you are big in this case.

Prop log doesn't matter- plane doesn't have the same prop now as back then?. Engine log does not matter at all, assuming a different serial number engine has gone in the plane after the logs were lost. If it currently has an overhaul of the same serial number, then it might be a consideration- could be hard to tell age of some components, particularly if it was overhauled or had major work during those 4 years. But if it's had another overhaul in subsequent years, this issue seems minor too. The airframe log does matter, particularly for checking damage history and its repair. But an attentive pre-buy from a Mooney expert can generally sleuth out this stuff pretty easily anyway by looking at the plane. I'd try to inquire why the logs are missing and any damage that might have happened during those 4 years. Then if still feeling optimistic, I'd find a good pre-buy. Also, when I was first looking, I found it useful to get an experienced owner of the same model to look the plane over once as a favor. I was lucky to find another local M20C owner who was very happy to do it, and it gave me more confidence in talking further with the seller and deciding to spend my money on the prebuy. There may be someone on here who could help you out...

Very nice!

Congrats! Hope it treats you well!

Regarding above, I have no real engine expertise, just a sordid history of obsessive Mike Busch webinar watching. So someone please correct me on my present understanding of the following points if necessary: - Corrosion related pits on cam lobes alone do not explain visible ferrous metal in the filter. - Extensive pitting can create uneven loads at the cam-lifter interface that slowly wear away the hard exterior of the cam lobe around the pits. This progresses to spalling of the softer metal inside the lobe, which is the visible ferrous metal in the filter. - The rough interface also spalls the softer metal of the lifters, which contributes visible metal to the filter. - On lycomings this is likely to happen on the cam lobes and lifters driving the intake valves because those lobes work twice as much- opening 2 valves per lobe. - As this cam lobe loses height from spalling, there is a gradual decrease in engine power from incomplete intake valve opening. - Though the spalling happens fast once it starts, it does not produce catastrophic engine failure. So unless someone chooses to ignore obvious, large amounts of ferrous metal in the filter and then also an anemic engine, the only danger from cam/lifter spalling is to one's pocketbook. Again note disclaimer, and folks with real expertise please correct me. And my sympathies to the poster. I'm certain the time for my O-360 will come one day too.

I do the same- view it as a convenience and safety feature to turn off the coding for ease of access. It's a flight planning and cockpit tool only so no need for security.

Well, this is a cool first flight, assuming that flying a whimsical piece of 1930's art deco design suits your fancy: http://www.popsci.com/watch-only-airplane-ettore-bugatti-ever-designed-fly Just overlook the runway excursion, nose-over, prop strike at the end. Apparently an unexpectedly long float and a brake failure contributed. Design is jaw dropping gorgeous but entirely untested - better to look good than feel safe...right?

For selling a plane, I certainly support employing a bikini'd female in stilettos for the photos. In this case however, she may have gotten distracted from her assigned task of polishing the plane. "Almost ready to paint" may be a more apt description of this bird.

Don't know if it's the closest, but I had a good prebuy experience with Cole Aviation in Dalton GA (240 miles south of Louisville)

It ain't over until the fat lady finds metal in the filter.

That's more jarring than the first 10amu repair bill. So much for a honeymoon period for this hapless new owner...

Will do this eventually when mine burns out. I've heard there's landing and taxi versions? Which one do folks get?

Congrats! I think my "initiation ritual" as a total newbie was pulling MAP back to 18" while holding altitude to get to Vlo and wondering what magical power was keeping the plane from slowing down.

Wow-I think Jose has the definitive linguistic analysis on this issue here. It will use it make me better at piloting Mooney aircraft(s).

In addition to detailed Lycoming recommendations cited above, latter portion of this webinar is a great guide on how to triage metal in the filter: http://www.eaavideo.org/video.aspx?v=2149054014001 Hopefully the conclusion that you need overhaul is premature? May be worth sending out to identify source of metal. Per Mike Busch the content of the filter on visual inspection is often misinterpreted.

If I'm not mistaken the mini 3 is the same as the mini 2 except addition of the fingerprint reader, which has no utility in the cockpit. Could save a couple bucks and just get the mini 2.

I've gotten pretty decent "practice" on bounced landings without trying to necessarily...

Wow talk about thread drift...but based on OP I certainly hope for a prompt and attentive response from the authorities on stuff like this. Regardless of race, it's likely some clueless RC pilot who needs an unpleasant, publicized law enforcement encounter to help get his hobby back on track. Of course the possibility that it's a "dark skinned" person with Mohammed Atta ideology or a "light skinned" person with Timothy McVeigh or James Holmes-type thinking does give the response extra urgency. On domestic soil, it's hard to say which of the two scenarios is more likely. Of course as a dark skinned person, I hope not to be viewed in the former light when stepping into a flight school