MyNameIsNobody

Nevermind, false alarm, not a foot, might be a tuft of Col. Sanders hair there peeking out....

I would be surprised if there wasn't a flap hinge or two as well as a stringer for belly skins that needed repair. Springs in the bungee can also be impacted. The belly strobe can be your friend in a GU taking one for the team (lens) as are the nose gear doors and relatively inexpensive flap hinges. Three blade prop also helps keep cowl flaps/lower cowl off of runway.

I think I see a foot peeking out of a skin fold...

We all love our Mooney's. Some just feel the need to justify their decision...I mean love more than others. I enjoy every mine is better "because" second of it. I personally could not afford an F at the time of my purchase. My penalty is going faster. I try not to cry myself to sleep at night.

Yours will be less with fewer bays, but still sobering for sure on price...I split mine by having one tank completed, each year, over two years. Travel is a hassle, but your flying your Mooney and Minnesota is a beautiful state to explore.

Nailed it. Load hauling to the max with removable back seats and already completed speed mods to maximize efficient speed. E gives you more speed...F gives you more hauling capacity (for a Mooney)...J is two...two...two awesome in one. E fits his mission and price. Get the E. I will always be seduced by Roy's wonder kinder, the Uber F... The "J"

Many self-depricating jokes....must resist.... Good one

+2

Load hauling (especially backseaters) are over-rated in a Mooney. It's all about the speed. E wins that fight.

I prefer a J.

Humour. Nector to a heavy heart.

I believe it is human nature to want to know: "Why"? That said, what do others feel is the way to express grief/respond to a loss? Is there a "right" way? Is there a "Don't go there" criteria? Timeframe? It certainly appears to vary from person to person. What is the consensus MS way? -Should names be stated? within <24 hours of an event? Should they be stated at all? -Should N-Numbers be communicated <24 hours from event? At all? -Should there be conjecture on How, Why it occured? -Should we state our opinions on what we would have done? -Or should we just state, pilot to pilot, our true sadness in the loss of a "brother-in passion" for our Mooney's? I too want to know WHY? I don't want to be the source for discussion for having done or not done something "right". THAT is a HUGE benefit to "learn" lessons of others based on their decision-making, the accident chain etc. I don't know the answers to the above questions, but do understand why those ask why and try and answer "their questions"...and the need to know/reach out to others... Nothing worse than a loss of life. We ALL want to know, but I personally would prefer at an early stage to just let facts come in from media to be shared and express sadness in the loss of a fellow Mooney driver. There will be time to answer the whys and discuss/celebrate their life and passion.

Super sorry to hear of this loss...

Awesome, The guy wants help/input on why a C or E and the thread devolves into a manual hater vs. electric hater thread...and a "My panel is more awesome...er" than yours thread. For the record I have ZERO confirmation that the manual gear thread failure was as a result of the gear "popping out" of the gear block...vs. pilot error (pulling down on bar after "locked" to confirm AND confirming the green down light is lit. With regard to geear ups and "forgetting the gear"...I loved in another thread when I stated that having an audible gear and stall nanny is a no-brainer positive...That the guy "pulled it out" as unnecessary from his plane. Different strokes... On second thought why get a great deal on a J when it had a gear up 25 years in the past? Even if logbooks are there and inspection "pre-buy" could easily be completed. Different strokes... Good luck in your search. (Mechanical failure is MUCH more likely in an electric gear plane) Repair/replacement and upkeep of an electric gear is significantly higher than a manual gear plane. Pilots of both electric and manual gear planes are both adept at inadvertantly shining their bellies...Statistically higher percentage from vintage because there are more of them and more low time transitioning pilots fly them...

J priced to sell with low time airframe and 225 since major on prop and engine...Estate plane...Just Up on Ebay. In Twin Cities... $30k right now. A lot of boxes checked with that one. Worth a look/call?

Buy the best J you can afford. You will like the room and not having to "do" speed mods. Buyers market. Can't buy one for 60AMU's that has an updated panel....Probably can for $80. An E is just a slightly faster C. An F is a slightly slower E with more room and more fuel. Buy the best model you can afford for what you value most and you will likely be happy. An auto-pilot and 430W as well as engine monitor (4-probe) are better bought WITH then added. Sorry paint and interior with well-maintained engine that has flown are keys to happiness.

It must be tough living your life in fear that you didn't mitigate some random/unknown bit of risk out of your life...

Hank, That was my tongue in cheek point. You have discression as PIC. There are a lot of different AND acceptable ways to operate your vintage Mooney safely. Experience DOES count and gives options. Engineers and aircraft designers continue to learn and implemented changes. Superior ways to operate and maintain your aircraft. I celebrate your "right" to operate your plane as you wish. I live in realsville where making decisions on how you fly your plane taking into account your POH as well as lessons learned makes you a better pilot/owner and decision-maker. I am the last person to call you out as unsafe.

I enjoy the "I do it because the POH says so" crowd. Never-mind that experience and trial over decades determines that change is not only warranted, but done. You all need to ask "why this way"...at least once and a while. Get out of the missionary position once a week. You might not just find that something is not only safe, but practical and dare I say it...fun.

Quick, don't look now but someone on another thread is advocating landing with flaps as desired...NOT FULL FLAPS! Get the torch's! Storm the castle! Stop the heretic!

Cause and effect. Set 'em up, knock 'em down. Call me out as unsafe back it up with mumbo jumbo...Cause. Expect response, generally sarcastic, requesting clarification. Effect. Some "throw stuff out" as absolute fact. Others challenge. Some, like me, do it in a different way. To some that is challenged as being "harsh", "critical", "sophomoric". I enjoy this thread except for those that wish to applaud those with one rigid mindset without "proof"...and call those that challenge heretics. Burn me at the stake...

I couldn't sleep last night due to guilt and visual of Peter diving to his demise...and the hundreds...maybe thousands of fuel tank changes sans boost pump. I now live in a world of dread. The horror...

Exciting, while exiting...the runway

Flew up to PVB with my wife and dog yesterday. My son is in his final year of Engineering and we went up to have pizza (at our favorite spot) and then watch Bucky get his arse handed to him by a solid Crimson Tide squad. Oh well. My 85 year old mom came out for game. She is in process of packing for a move south from her long time Platteville home. Coming full circle with Wisconsin's new coach returning to Wisconsin by way of a state championship (as a then QB) for Hillmen. Good for Paul in achieving his dream of coaching the Badgers. His dad was AD of local college (George) and instrumental in bringing the Bears to P-ville in '85 fwhen a then punky QB (Jim McMahan) took them to a super bowl win. I remember running into Jim (who played barefoot) while with my dad. My son and I enjoyed a nice round before pizza on my old home course. Groundspeed on way up was 160 knots. Decent from 5500 into Platteville was uneventful at 170ish knots. Talking to a young Cherokee driver on a straight in for 15. I did left turn to downwind flying pattern midfield. Fun to watch him land from that perspective. Nice squeeker and a smile from my wife for the effort. New replacement ear seals for my Bose and new i-pad air worked great on the yoke mount giving winds/runway and nice runway extension with barber poles (in Garmin Pilot). Mom let me take a nice cast tiffany style lamp...that I used to enjoy in my Grandmother's house...just down the street from my home. Very fragile so Kelly thought flying it home was "ill-advised". Bag in baggage, golf clubs in back seat behind me. Dog in rest of backseat. Lamp stand in baggage. Blanket in baggage. Lampshade in. Ezzy-peaszy. Enjoyed a 113 ground speed return at 4500. 13 with a nice squeeker. 10 gusting to 20, but was close enough down runway to be another easy landing. I love GA. I love my Mooney. Life is Good.