BKlott

Thank you so much! I really appreciate that.

The W Flying Club is in Sarasota. It has a 1964 C model Mooney that we have crossed paths with down at Sebring on occasion. That one has a special meaning for me as it was my Dad’s Mooney from 1970 to 1971. We flew it from Torrance, CA (TOA) to Philadelphia, PA and back for our summer vacation in 1970. I’ve never run across any contact information for that Club but would be interested in trying to purchase a dual flight in it for sentimental reasons if that was ever a possibility. I know that is not a J model but could possibly get you some Mooney time sooner.

Sorry to hear that. Try the steak sandwich at Sebring if you get the chance. Winterhaven has typically really good food as well.

Did you enjoy C. J. Cannon’s?

Winter Haven (Flightline Cafe), Bartow (Nini’s Landings), Sebring (Runway Cafe), Albert Whitted (The Hangar)all have good restaurants on the field. Very Beach (C. J. Cannon’s) is another good choice. Pyper Kub at Williston where they usually have great self serve fuel prices is another, more modest option. There is also the Tailwind Cafe at Ocala in the terminal building.

I normally have used Enterprise when they are available but had problems with two rentals during last years summer vacation. Two car rentals generated three billing errors all of which were resolved by contacting the appropriate Regional Manager. Does take some of the fun out of it when you have to deal with this stuff!

Get my Medical back.

It is from Aviation DB or Aviation Database. Do a query on the Registration number and you can find this info.

Like this.... http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N6250U.html

Some additional info: Number: 676N Last Action Date 2014-08-21 Airworthiness Date 1968-02-05 Expiration Date 2018-01-31 Manufacturer_Name MOONEY Model Name M20C Registrant Name QUARLES JAMES T Street 5443 HULSEY CIR Registrant City GAINESVILLE Registrant State GA Registrant Zip Code 305045105 Country UNITED STATES Region Southern Registrant Type Individual Fract Owner Certificate Issue Date 1992-08-20 Status Second Notice for Registration Renewal Serial Number 680032 Aircraft Type Fixed wing single engine Mode S Code 52171456 Year Mfr 1968 Aircraft Category Land Builder Certification Type Certificated Number Engines 1 Number Seats 4 Aircraft Weight CLASS 1 Aircraft Cruising Speed 127 Airworthiness Classification Standard Approved Operation Codes Normal Engine Manufacturer LYCOMING Engine Model Name O&VO-360 SER Engine Type Reciprocating Engine Horsepower/Thrust 0 Fuel Consumed 0.00 ------- History 1 ------- Last Action Date 2012-01-23 Registrant Name QUARLES JAMES T Street 5443 HULSEY CIR Registrant City GAINESVILLE Registrant State GA Registrant Zip Code 305045105 Country UNITED STATES Region Southern Registrant Type Individual Fract Owner Certificate Issue Date 1992-08-20 Status First Notice for Registration Renewal ------- History 2 ------- Last Action Date 2007-10-25 Registrant Name QUARLES JAMES T Street 5443 HULSEY CIR Registrant City GAINESVILLE Registrant State GA Registrant Zip Code 30504-5105 Country UNITED STATES Region Southern Registrant Type Individual Fract Owner Certificate Issue Date 1992-08-20 Status First Notice for Re- Registration/Renewal ------- History 3 ------- Last Action Date 2007-07-17 Registrant Name QUARLES JAMES T Street 380 JUNCTION TRACK Registrant City ROSWELL Registrant State GA Registrant Zip Code 30075 Country UNITED STATES Region Southern Registrant Type Individual Fract Owner Certificate Issue Date 1992-08-20 Status The Triennial Aircraft Registration form was mailed and has not been returned by the Post Office ------- History 4 ------- Last Action Date 2004-07-20 Registrant Name QUARLES JAMES T Street 380 JUNCTION TRACK Registrant City ROSWELL Registrant State GA Registrant Zip Code 30075 Country UNITED STATES Region Southern Registrant Type Individual Fract Owner Certificate Issue Date 1992-08-20 Status The Triennial Aircraft Registration form was mailed and has not been returned by the Post Office ------- History 5 ------- Last Action Date 2001-07-17 Registrant Name QUARLES JAMES T Street 380 JUNCTION TRACK Registrant City ROSWELL Registrant State GA Registrant Zip Code 30075 Country UNITED STATES Region Southern Registrant Type Individual Fract Owner Certificate Issue Date 1992-08-20 Status The Triennial Aircraft Registration form was mailed and has not been returned by the Post Office ------- History 6 ------- Last Action Date 1998-07-15 Registrant Name QUARLES JAMES T Street 380 JUNCTION TRACK Registrant City ROSWELL Registrant State GA Registrant Zip Code 30075 Country UNITED STATES Region Southern Registrant Type Individual Fract Owner Certificate Issue Date 1992-08-20 Status The Triennial Aircraft Registration form was mailed and has not been returned by the Post Office ***** No Deregistered Data Found ***** ***** No Reserved Data Found ***** ------- FAA Accident/Incident 1 ------- Occurrence Date 2002-11-28 Aircraft Make MOONEY Aircraft Model M20C Damage Document Last Modified 2012-08-08 Narrative (-23) AIRCRAFT WAS STOPPING AT FLEMING-MASON AIRPORT LOCATED AT FLEMINGSBURG, KY AS A FUELING STOP. ATC CLEARED THE AIRCRAFT FOR AN APPROACH. THE PILOT STATED THAT AFTER LANDING THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED. HE ALSO STATED THAT THE LANDING GEAR INDICATOR SHOWED THAT THE LANDING GEAR WAS DOWN. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST APPROXIMATELY 250 FEET AFTER THE 1000' MARKER. MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL JACKED THE AIRCRAFT AND OPERATED THE LANDING GEAR SEVERAL TIMES AND FOUND IT TO BE FUNCTIONING NORMALLY. IN ADDITION THE PILOT STATED HE MADE TWO PRIOR LANDINGS AND THE GEAR PERFORMED NORMALLY. NEITHER THE PILOT OR MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL COULD EXPLAIN WHY THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED ON LANDING. THERE WAS NO STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. THE PROPELLER AND ENGINE WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED DUE TO THE PROPELLER STRIKING THE RUNWAY SEVERAL TIMES AND THE SUDDEN STOPPAGE OF THE ENGINE. ***** No NTBS Accidents Found ***** ***** No NTBS Pre 1982 Accidents Found ***** ------- SDR 1 ------- Date Of Report 1977-05-16 Operator Control Number Z197713600042 Date Of Occurrence Aircraft Registration 676N Aircraft Manufacturer MOONEY Aircraft Group Code M20 Aircraft Manufacturer Model M20G Aircraft Make Model Sequence 5870216 Air Carrier Name Unknown Air Carrier Operation Code Operation Type Stage Of Operation INSP/MAINT Severity Factor OVER 24 MO Air Transport Association Code Landing Gear Brake System Precautionary Procedures NONE Nature Of Condition OTHER Segment AIRFRAME Descriptive Name Of Part LINE Defective Location On Aircraft LT & RT WHEEL Failed Part Condition CRACKING Part Total Time 1,168 Part Total Time Since Overhaul 1,168 Component Manufacturer Component Manufacturer Model Component Manufacturer Number Manufacturer Part Number Ata Code Remarks LT & RT FLEX BRAKE LINES FROM WHEEL CYL TO WHEEL WELL DRIED & CRACKING

I would worry less about the stated price and be more concerned with the quality of work that they actually do.

First of all let me say how very sorry I am for your loss, Stacey. I do have a suggestion to offer. You may consider contacting some local people who actually reside in the vicinity of your high probability search areas to see if the conditions on the ground are likely to improve between now and the summer months. That may help to improve your chances for success.

Congrats on passing your written. Good luck with the oral and practical! Flying instruments well is a very rewarding experience...

I’m on my second starter for this airplane which I have owned for sixteen years and counting. Like everyone has suggested, there are a number of other components which could be the cause of your issue other than the condition of the starter itself. My last starter gave no indication that it was about to go and I got stranded on a $100 hamburger run. “Honey, can you come get me?” Boy did that turn out to be an expensive hamburger! Short of picking some arbitrary replacement interval like 8 to 10 years or a certain number of starts / flights, I don’t know how else you could do it. There is some advantage to building in reliability to try to avoid inconveniences but that can get real expensive too.

OIL SUMP CAPACITY All Models (Except AIO-360 Series, O-360-J2A) ................................................8 U.S. Quarts Minimum Safe Quantity in Sump (Except – IO-360-M1A, -M1B; HIO-360-G1A) ................................................2 U.S. Quarts IO-360-M1A, -M1B; HIO-360-G1A ..................................................................4 U.S. Quarts AIO-360 Series ........................................................................................................... Dry Sump O-360-J2A..............................................................................................................6 U.S. Quarts

That is great news. What a very special achievement! Congratulations, Jolie.

You ask a great question here. I think that most buyers would naturally assume that with a 2,000 engine they are facing a major overhaul in their near future. Then it isn’t just the cost of the overhaul quoted by the engine shop. There are the “incedental” expenses as well. These include things like removal, shipping and installation costs, the overhaul or replacement of accessories like your carburetor. Your engine mount should be removed and sent out for a dye penetrant / x-ray type inspection to look for any stress cracks or internal rust inside the steel tubes. What about the baffles? Will they need to be repaired or replaced? How old is your oil cooler? That is another single point failure item that can ruin your whole day. (I had one blow on my airplane while checking for leaks during a ground run-up following an oil change. I was lucky! Couldn’t have happened at a better time!) So the true cost of an engine job involves more than what price the engine shop quotes. What does their quote include versus what all really needs to be done to do the job right? Then to take your question one step further with regards to the purchase price of a C model...or any airplane...needing an overhaul, what is the condition of the rest of the airplane? Looking at the “big bills”, avionics, paint and interior, what will it take financially to make the airplane the way you want it? If the plane needs everything done to it, the seller could literally hand you the plane for free (he won’t) and you will still end up putting more money it than you are ever likely to get out of it. As a potential buyer, you are asking the right kinds of questions. Take your time shopping, be patient and think it through carefully.

I think there are advantages to paying cash for your airplane and having a minimum of $30,000 in liquid reserves available so that if you get caught with the engine job right off the bat, you can afford to get it and done properly. That is about the worse case scenario for a new owner. I have seen people buy airplanes that they really cannot afford to own, operate and maintain. One example stands out with a guy who needed to finance the purchase of his airplane. He has a loan payment, hangar rent and insurance bill before he even gets off the couch at home. One of his wing tanks started leaking so he just stopped using that one as he couldn’t afford to get it fixed properly. Later on the other tank started leaking which led to a very expensive repair bill. He ended up financing those repairs. Not long after that was done, he had a bad vibration in his engine. After inspection, it was overhaul time. That plane has not flown for more than a year while he is scrounging for dollars to pay for the overhaul job. It is a sad and expensive cycle to witness. Others will disagree, but for the average guy, I think that if you cannot afford to pay cash for the airplane, you probably cannot afford the airplane in the first place. The sad truth is that you would be better off renting and walking away from the problems and costs of ownership. There are also owners that don’t spend a nickel on the airplane that will tell you how affordable it is to own one. Their plane will have a thirty to forty year old faded and chipped paint job on it, a ragged out interior, crazed glass and avionics that the Smithsonian is looking for. They don’t stop to realize that the airplane’s value has diminished beyond the point of economic repair. Unfortunately, our airports are littered with examples of this type of ownership. Owning an airplane is one thing, operating and maintaining it are a whole different story.

Congratulations! What a special day for both of you.

Local news reported the following: Witnesses to Tuesday's crash described the plane flying low. "From my house to the top of the trees, (the plane) went past a little ways over the trees, hung a left and then tilted to the left into the water," Michael Lennon said. Leslie Southard said smoke was coming from the engine. "(It was) flying really low, and you could just tell it was going down," she said of the plane.

As a suggestion, you should have it pulled and sent off for an x-ray type inspection. This way any cracks or other issues can be identified and properly repaired. My IA told me that all but one of the mounts that he has sent off for inspection over the course of his career needed some repairs. Remember, that mount has been supporting that engine weight for some 52 years and some 2,600 hours of flying time, during which it was exposed to heat, vibration and G forces along with some significant temperature changes. How confident are you that the structure has no cracks in it? Something to consider.

You have legacy avionics in your airplane like I have in mine. Two years ago I was trying to figure out what I should do with ADS-B and everything else. I ended up going with the Lynx 9000 NGT and really love the unit. The avionics upgrade issue came down to a major bill for my situation. In order for me to upgrade to a big box WAAS GPS/NAV/COM, I would have to replace my existing switch panel as it would not properly interface with the GPS. Same thing with my VOR Indicator. One of them would need to be upgraded / replaced as well. Additionally, I too have a separate 3LMB like yours. The new switch panel would incorporate that so my separate unit would need to be removed at that point. Also, the new big box unit would eliminate the need for the ADF, it’s Indicator and antennae. So all that and the associated wiring can be removed. Now the panel covers would have all these holes in them so...time for new metal panel covers? To further complicate my situation, there would not be sufficient remaining space in my stack for my existing #2 NAV/COM. I would need to replace that perfectly good radio with a slimline type NAV/COM. Finally, it would be time for a new Weight & Balance. Figure out what all the above would cost and that is why I went with the Lynx unit providing ADS-B In & Out to use with my iFly 740 for navigation. These upgrade projects can become a classic case of one thing leads to another and another... Great job convincing your Wife that buying the airplane is a less expensive solution! Not sure you’ll be able to pull that one off again but I am proud of you!!

It is always a treat to see these classic aircraft flying. Once had the opportunity to fly the pattern behind a Ford Trimotor. That was fun!

Salty, are you going to pull the engine mount and send it out for inspection?

The posts were in response to someone who wrote that “...engines don’t just suddenly quit.”