anthonydesmet

I actually did get a full binder of all the STC's, 262 mod, single belly, shading fuel, vacuum system, etc but did not see the brakes. I did call previous owner who owns a few flight schools in Florida but he could not recall anything he did not give me and the brakes were there when he bought it ten + years ago.

Thanks guys. Yes I also thought it was part of the 262 Trophy STC as well with the single piece belly, alternators, etc but they are not. Heard back from Mooney and not listed as original equipment, FYI in case you did't already know speed brakes did not become original equipment on the K until 1984. Talking to precise flight now and have the STC number just trying to track who did it. 262 mod was done by original MM ( ) back in the early days mod.

Hello Gents, Just making sure I am covering all my research bases. My 20K 231/262 Trophy is going in for an annual on the 29th and my mechanic and I sat down to go through AD's, gameplan, etc. Could not find an STC or ref for my speed brakes and also not listed in POH in the equipment list. I dropped a line to the Mooney folks with my a/c serial number to see if it is referenced as original equipment as well as contacted the Mod Squad for any 262 Trophy info from when it was done. I am currently in Thailand and also don't have logbooks in front of me so this is more of just throwing a question out there to help me when i get back. Thanks.

Just referenced the Mooney web site again to make sure but they also list a Mooney Service Center in Lynchburg (KLYH). I was going to do an annual there eventually but for now I am pretty comfortable with my mechanic in Virginia Beach VIRGINIA AVIATION Jason Moorefield (Maintenance) Tonya Gibson (Parts) PO Box 4209 970 Airport Road Lynchburg, VA 24502 434-237-8434 / 434-237-8427 vaavionics@aol.com / tonya@virginiaaviation.com www.virginiaaviation.com www.virginiaaviation.com

Just a thought....how about a removable flag/placard (similar to pitot tube flag and intake plug flags) that slides in the mechanical tow hole and says something like "warning, when towing keep nose wheel between red marks". And has to be removed by the line crew prior to connecting to a manual tow bar? p.s....Trademark..all rights reserved...blah blah blah...just kidding.....

I did my pre-buy at gulf coast aviation (actually in Alabama on the Alabama/Florida boarder, John Wimpie, last summer when i got my M20K 262. I was pleased, he has mooney experience, very conservative and cautious, will keep you informed step by step and if you decide to keep moving forward he will turn the pre-buy into an annual so you can start off fresh. There is also an avionics shop next door to him that can look into any avionics issues if they come up or an IFR cert. Also, if you need your CFI sign off before you head home I know a former Navy guy, CFI with a lot of Mooney time in all models in Pensacola. He drove over and did my post flight inspection as well before I closed. He also brought the airplane back to Pensacola where he and I logged 8 hours in a weekend before I flew home. If you need something more central there is also Florida Flight Maintenance in Venice, don't know too much about them other than they have mooney experience, do a lot of tank reseals and mooney annuals. Maybe someone here has used them.

Hi John, I have the same system and mine is a little slow on the right. Checks fine on deck but every once in awhile (not all the time) is slow to come down compared to left. Usually under circumstances like you just had. If I use them to slow down and hold altitude, not really an issue. If I use it to elevator down quick then that seems to be where I have the retract issue. Was REALLY slow last summer but mech went in and lubricated it and he could never duplicate it on deck so definitely under a load issue. I am currently in Thailand and my logbooks are back in Va Beach but I think they want you to use a certain type of lubricant and only in specific spots if I am not mistake). Its better now but still a little slower than the left. Also, in my precise flight owners manual it also talks about an overhaul. I don't think it is 1000, I want to say it is around 600 +/-. Hopefully someone here will chime in thats sitting with their owners manual and an answer. But just wanted to let you know....not uncommon.

Actually Hank brings up a great point that I failed to even think about - "momentum". As Hank mentioned he taps the brake (i.e. main wheel in direction of turn stops moving forward) while I am guessing at the same time he is coming up on the power to get into the turn. As you take your foot off the brake your momentum will actually make the main wheel in the turn roll backwards slightly causing your turn radius to reduce even further compared to standing on the brake and pivoting around the wheel. I would also agree with Hank that with the momentum and backwards rotation on the meanwhile you will also cause the nose wheel to skid, especially if you really hand fisting the throttle. If you want to see this play out on a macro scale youtube a video of Navy aircraft taxiing on a flight deck and watch the nose wheel. On the flight deck pilots have "nose wheel steering" which allows the nose wheel to be freely turned to its maximum limits without differential braking. You will see the main wheels roll backwards and nose wheels skidding across the flight deck (especially if the non-skid is worn off the flight deck) to make the turn happen....

Hi Bill, The nose wheel itself is still staying within the limits of the two red hash marks. However, the difference is that when you use the tow bar and you are pulling the aircraft to the left (or port for us Navy guys as if you were sitting in the left seat), the left wheel is still rolling forward slightly. As compared to when you are taxiing and you decide to turn left, your left foot is on the left brake, the left wheel is stopped and the aircraft pivots around the left wheel thus giving you a tighter turn radius. Also, my subjective part of this answer is that when taxiing the nose wheel also probably goes to the full stop of the limit as compared to when I am towing it I consciously do not like to take it to the limit. But the primary reason is the main wheel not rolling forward in the direction of the turn.

Hello MJP! Welcome to the Mooney mafia. I, like you, had been looking for about 5 years and finally went from a looker to an owner last July and I am loving every minute. I flew primarily Cessna 172/182 and Piper's and I will tell you has a much more honest feel compared to a cable controlled airplane. You point it where you want it to go and it goes. I however went the M20K 262 route. George Perry and I flew together in the Navy and I can vouch for Hank's comments that he would be worth a chat. Great guy! Also, if you need help looking and want to know all the pitfalls (and there are quite a few to watch out for when Mooney shopping) I can recommend the guy that helped me out. Also, I live in Virginia Beach so I am close. Your comments sound similar to the ones I heard when I first started airplane shopping and I will tell you what everyone (non Mooney owners) told me. First realistically figure out what your current mission is and as best you can, what your future mission might be (distance, payload, # or passengers routinely with you, pets?) and also research insurance. Not that its a show stopper but insurance companies may have some caveats until you add a few more 100 hours. Feel free to drop me a line. Regards, Smut