MikeOH

Hmm, I'm not one to believe a car salesman, but if he tells me it's used, I really don't need him to Certify it

No argument with those points. But, if the parachute is the reason for the weight increase, that is a sad and bad decision, IMHO. And, with the same power, you're still going to take the performance hit.

I think Chino airport hit 118 yesterday...today's shaping up for more of the same. Ruined my flying this weekend...no way I'm going up in this heat.

I'm not sure I understand the attractiveness of the gross weight increase without a concomitant POWER increase. At my M20F's current gross weight on what is typically, here in southern California, above standard atmospheric conditions, it is not a stellar performer. I just don't see myself wanting to takeoff with another 150 pounds on-board! I like some safety margin in my performance. YMMV, I suppose.

@Patrick Horan Check your PMs

Yup! That's why they strip out so damn easy

OMG! I missed that!! If true, buying that B would be HUGE mistake.

I spoke with David when I was having a problem with my STEC-30 after another shop had messed it up....based on the symptom he told me there was a high chance it was just a bent pin on a connector...he was right! Five minutes and fixed it myself. If I have another AP problem that's where I'm taking it.

For this small amount of money it won't matter if it's prepared by Thurgood Marshall on parchment with a gold seal and notarized signatures, or an unsigned napkin with notes in felt pen....there's no way it would be worth going to court over.

On the one hand, $3,200 is a pretty cheap buy-in. If you can't live with that kind of loss, then ownership, even 10%, is probably not for you. On the other, this 'deal' seems a little to convoluted and a bit hinky, to me....be careful, this whole thing could unravel in a year or so and you'll be out $3,200. But, if you fly it a lot in the meantime, while he's deployed, and just put in gas an oil that's not too bad!.

Be aware that with the carbureted engine in a M20B you may not be able to run LOP, but worth a try. I'm coming up on 2400 hours SMOH, crossing my fingers! I bought as a run-out (2100 SMOH), so I'm not too worried about the cost of an OH. I think 3500 or more is bit unrealistic, however! Read some of Mike Busch's stuff; I believe he went 3300 hours on his engines.

You need to find better CFIs! To be fair, they usually don't reside at your typical flight school; a good one is worth a damn sight more than Ramen wages! You WILL pay more, but you need to seek out a seasoned CFI. Further, you'll probably have to; most flight schools won't train you in your own plane. Typically, this is due to their insurance requirements. First year, you're going to be looking at several thousand a year for insurance. I fly a little under 100 hours per year in my M20F and I'm running right around $15K per year, ALL in. And, I mean EVERYTHING: I track shop towels and spark plug washer costs! I'm sure maintenance would go up a bit if I flew 500 hours per year, but a good estimate would be to just add in fuel and oil. Running LOP I can dial back to 8 gph. Good luck!

Given your clearly stated goal of building time in your own plane since your business won't allow for the CFI route, I think your choice of a short body Mooney is a good one. While I don't have personal experience, I did consider buying a Mooney from a guy that had done EXACTLY what you propose: he bought a short body Mooney and flew the Hell out of it to build his time. He was selling since he had just landed his first airline job (RJs, of course). IIRC, he took 2-3 years to do it (had a family and decent job, so the CFI route wasn't for him, either. 10-15 hours a week will do it. Personally, if I was young and wanting to gain experience for a pilot career, I think this is a far, far better way than being a CFI doing the same thing over and over. This guy flew that Mooney all over the country, and looked for flyable IMC (no TS or icing). Heck, I quit using CFIs at flight schools for my IPCs since most of them will NOT fly in IMC; heck, some won't even file IFR! Seems to me he had far better and broader experience than any 1500 hour CFI coming from a flight school (especially those in southern California or Arizona!)

Holy crap that's HOT! I just got back from the hangar and it was around 105 in the plane...I'm not going to ask for sympathy after seeing that!!!

Well....this was a bit of a 'you get what you didn't pay for" kind of thing. IIRC, it was a "training" exercise for the Marines & Seabees...a bargain, if you will.

It was an attempt at humor...your missing that is why I don't quit my day job

Here ya go! https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/109149996/earl-a_-scheib Tell him Mike sent ya

Nah, just go in with some buddies and buy your oil in 55 gallon barrels and reuse the bottles

Yeah, I have the two blade prop. Is yours electric gear like mine? No idea how much that adds. I have an STEC-30 AP with altitude hold. Speed brakes. Still, seems like close to 100 lbs if you take out the 3 blade prop. I guess I should spend some quality time with the W&B...

1035 lbs!! Dang, Rags I'm jealous. I've only 970 in my F...time for a diet, I guess.

Doing your best to drive up your Garmin stock, eh?

Also, be aware that a BSV will burn a tad more than 9 gph

Be careful with thinking purchase price is what makes it 'affordable.' That's just the ante...the $30-$40K plane could easily cost just as much to own and operate as the $70K one. My rule of thumb: one best be comfortable spending $15K-$20K per year to own and operate a single engine Mooney type aircraft.

Sadly, judging by the number of planes rotting away on ramps all over the country, I suspect it's more common than we would like to believe.

Truer words have never been written. Those are the EXACT reasons I waited until the kids were through college and the house paid off before I bought my own plane. If the plane will sit because it needs to wait for the owner to get an AMU or two scraped up before a repair then, IMHO, ownership should not be in the cards.