Jpflysdfw

Wow, thanks so much for all the great input and insights. So to answer some of the questions, this is the “ close to retirement” phase so no anticipation of upsizing or downsizing in the future. This is expected to be my first and last Mooney. The Tiger is about 1400 empty and 2400 gross (52gal tanks). So realistically, when I’m flying local and solo am probably partial gas and closer to 1800+#. The Tiger has many great advantages which is what drew me in in the first place. Two seconds to open the cowl and have full access to the engine compartment for pre-flight, dead simple easy maintenance, quick/agile handling, easy ingress/egress and as @glafaille pointed out insane visibility and fold down seats in the back offers huge utility. The downside for me is in order to have the airplane I’d be happy ( or happier) with will require an IFR capable GPS (GTN or similar), ADSB, a decent Eng Monitor and AP (Stec 30/50/60). Depending on how crazy one goes, that’s $25-50k and downtime. I’ve concluded that buying something with some/many of those features is a better plan for me. Add to that more stable and faster just seems to be win/win (yes higher annuals and insurance) @Bob_Belville thanks for the input. Also, that E is absolutely stunning! Btw, how extensive of a mod is it to go from 52g to 64g bladders? @Guitarmaster getting insight from a current F owner is much appreciated. What timeline on selling your F? @carusoam in a perfect world, I’d go for the J too but just can’t justify tieing that much cash up in a non-essential toy. I am, however envious of the modest bump up to an R. Also, I have been in touch with All American about helping me find a plane that fits my mission, Jimmy has been very helpful/accommodating.. @Marauder agree, I absolutely will be looking for transitionraining and hopefully can find someone here local to DFW. If anyone has a good recommendation, I’m all ears. @gsxrpilot Paul, as you Bob both point out, buy the best airplane you can. I made that mistake with my Tiger and regret not letting someone else foot the bill for an avionics upgrade. If I had, I likely wouldn’t be shopping for another airplane, and I’d like to not repeat that again. @Alan Fox I truly appreciate perspective from someone who has not just flown both but actually owned both. Sounds like ur nod goes to the F, but only slightly. I also understand you have quite a reputation for “saving Mooney’s that may have been written off” Good on you! @Hank hadn’t really considered the C, largely because of inability to lean lop and potential carb ice and +20hp is not a bad thing. Any icing issues since you’ve owned her? Last question, is there any known standard mods that allow folding down back seats or easily removing them for more storage (ie large dog crate) Thanks again for all the great feedback, Jeff

I’m looking to replace my current airplane with an M20F. The more I’ve contemplated the more I’m second guessing myself, regarding the F. My heart tells me the larger fuel tanks, useful load and more room in the backseat in the F is the right answer. My brain tells me the reality is the front left seat and occasionally the front right seat will constitute 95% of the missions. I’ve noticed the controls are quite heavy in a Mooney, relative to my Tiger, but actually see that as a positive thing in IMC and flight stability. I can literally breath on my yoke and find myself in a turn! A solid IFR platform is a must. My question is: from a handling, stability and IFR platform perspective, is there any appreciable difference between an E and an F? Secondarily, are there any significant upsides or downsides from one model versus the other? I’m looking for sage advise and experience, from this group, to help this Mooney newbie. Jeff

I can’t tell....is that a small tablet or a large phone?

We’re the new retractable shoulder harness/belts something that you got from Chino or purchased elsewhere?

I’ve tried a couple of different screen protectors and have been underwhelmed. They seemed to reduce The brightness with minimal glare reduction. Any recommendations on one that you’ve had good experience with? Btw, love the ruler idea..very clever! I think Velcro is the new duct tape. :)

Great event and thanks to Don for hosting and all for allowing a Tiger driver, (who also happens to be a wanna be Mooney owner) to yesterday . Also a special shout out to Don for hosting and Don M/Carl S for sponsoring. As a newcoming, what I was most taking back with was the great camaraderie and sense of family within the entire group. Also, special thanks to Scott and Paul for the great Mooney purchasing insights you shared and Don for the “tug demo” at his hanger! If anyone comes across really clean E, F or J with a relatively modern panel, please keep me in mind. Jeff

Awesome, thanks Don!

Wow! In retrospect that was an incredibly poor choice of words, on my part. Thanks for the hospitality and the gentle nudge on my unfortunate grammar choice.

I’m local to DFW and own a Tiger but have secretly longed for an M20.... I’m trying to decide whether to bite the bullet and upgrade my panel or just buy a Mooney with upgraded avionics already in place. If no objections, from those attending, I may crash your party and pick the brains of some seasoned Mooney drivers. Jeff

Wow, great input/feedback and thanks to all for sharing your perspective and experience. It sounds like I have been overly critical of something that appears to not be that big of a deal. This is very helpful and opens the door to planes that I had wholly discounted as viable candidates. Love all the great info here on MS...thanks all!!! Jeff

As I'm sifting through planes on trade-a-plane, barnstormers etc, I notice some have throttle quadrant type controls and some don't. Having not used one before, my intuition is they are not as precise when trying to lean to some specfic ROP/LOP position. Because of this view, I've been disregarding those planes as viable purchase candidates ( currently looking at C's, E's and F's). First question is whether there is some decoder ring regarding which models (or years) have one vs the other? Second question is whether or not my intuition is correct so I'm seeking insight from those with experience. Last question is how difficult and/or expensive is it to convent to push/pull/vernier type controls. Apologies for the newbie question but decided the voices of experience would be far better than what my gut tells me. Cheers, Jeff

Thanks guys, so far I've found all the info and responses have been very helpful here on MS. While I will mostly plan for VFR, I do want to have a decent IFR platform. Purchase cost is not my primary concern, I am more interested in recurring cost to own/operate. My range question was really less about range, as I expect most trips will be under 650nm each way and seldom in mountainous areas, though occasionally. It was more about the same fuel qty (64gal) yelding potentially +300nm which would equate to significantly better fuel economy. It sounds from this feedback that that is appreciably overstated and while there is slightly better fuel performance in J's, it is not nearly as drastic as the chart indicates. carusoam, great historical data, thanks! I actually had to Google Jim Cancil, now I have another resource for goodies!! Jeff

Very Helpful, thanks Hank. Jeff

So I've started researching across the various M20 models, as I comtemplate aircraft ownership at some point down the road. From most reading, it seems the general consensus is flying/handling characteristics are relatively consistent across the models, with speed and goodies being the biggest differentiators. I ran across this model comparison and was quite surprised at the range difference noted (300nm) between and F and a J. I know Roy L did a number of aero mods to the J but wanted to ask the experts whether this is real world for range b/t the two models? For equivalent range, it says the F would burn a bit over 23 gals of additional fuel with effectively the same GW and UL. Seems considerably higher than I would have imagined. Thoughts? http://www.lasar.com/userfiles/file/mooney-model-comparison.pdf

carusoam/Hank, Thanks for the quick responses. I typically use flanged silicone buds when I listen to music as they seem to work best for me. I actually tried those first on the Halo's. I must have an odd ear canal because on the Halo's they don't seal up and I get too much ambient noise to the point where I can't hear ATC well enough. They only seem to come I one size and I've contemplated buying an earbud style from Amazon and seeing if I could bond,rtv, or other the hole to the right size. I wish the OEM size worked b/c that would definitely be my go-to tip. Thanks again for the quick responses. Jeff

Have been sitting back watching, reading and learning Great site and just made my first donation. Thanks for making this available to us! Jeff

I have a set of Halo's and have been contemplating how to go about getting custom plugs. With the yellow foam, I actual seem to prefer them more than my Zulu2's and am hoping the custom route might be even better. Has anyone had success with the Radian kit with Halo's and if so, any tricks or suggestions?