Bart Chilcott

Thanks Bluehighwayflyer. That's what I'm leaning toward too.

Yes, disassembly and lubrication are required but I'm told its not a big deal. I've talked to lots of people who have them but I'm still searching for the ones who have removed them. As of right now, I'm probably going to stay stock based on the advise of my shop.

I've only heard great things about the Condors and told they are built by Michelin. Never heard of patches inside though. Could they be there for balance? Where did you order them from?

D Max has informed me that my stock exhaust on my 65 M20E has passed away. In considering a replacement or repair, I've looked into a complete rebuild ($1800.00) or a Powerflow system ($4,000.00). I've been told by my shop that he has have removed as many of the Powerflow systems as he has installed (excessive noise seems to be a major complaint) I've read about the advantages of the Powerflow but I'd also like to hear from anyone who has had theirs removed and gone back to stock and why. I figure if the shops are removing 50% of the sysytems, someone will surely be able to chime in. Thanks in advance for your input!

D Max has informed me that my stock exhaust on my 65 M20E has passed away. In considering a replacement or repair, I've looked into a complete rebuild ($1800.00) or a Powerflow system ($4,000.00). I've been told by my shop that he has have removed as many of the Powerflow systems as he has installed (excessive noise seems to be a major complaint) I've read about the advantages of the Powerflow but I'd also like to hear from anyone who has had theirs removed and gone back to stock and why. I figure if the shops are removing 50% of the sysytems, someone will surely be able to chime in. Thanks in advance for your input!

I guess my point was I already have active traffic that shows tracking vectors. I'm just trying to avoid a lot of duplication.

So given that I already have active traffic (TCAS) with the Avidyne TAS605 that is displayed on my Aspens with voice warnings, would the L3 option be redundant? Like I mentioned, I won't give up my current active traffic system after I become ADSB complaint. Given the fact that the L3 plays well with the Aspens, it still may be a better choice than the 345 but thinking forward, and knowing I my someday change out the 430W for a gtn650 or 750, keeping things standardized might be in my best interest. Your thoughts? Bart

Marauder, What did you decide to do? Did you go with the L3 or the GTX345? I'm trying to decide between these two units as well. I currently have a GTX327, G430W, Aspen 2000 pro, and an active traffic system (Avidyne TAS605). I'm running XM weather on my Aspens and I probably will keep it as the quality of the free weather on ADSB that I've seen doesn't compare with the XM image. The Avidyne TCAS is great too and will remain regardless. Any suggestions you have or thoughts regarding what direction I should go would be appreciated. Plus, I'd really like to know what you decided and why. Thanks in advance! - Bart

Like everyone before me has said, get all the avionics you can that are already installed. I LOVE my E as it fits my mission perfectly. I looked long and hard at a J model but finally decided that I didn't want to spend more and get less. I too was plowing the sky in a 172 sixteen months ago. Any Mooney model will spoil you quickly on speed and economy. Good luck with your search!

You are most welcome. Enjoy your search, its a big part of the fun but DON'T settle for less than what you set out to find.

Jukelemon, Your mission requirements sound a lot like mine. I was going through the same decision process a year ago that you're going through right now. I ended up buying a highly modified E. My mission is 70% solo, 25% two aboard and 5% three or four. I'm 5'7" tall and I have as much leg room in the back seat as most commercial airliners and have never had a rear seat passenger complain about roominess. With that said, if you're over 6" tall, you're rear passengers may have different comments than mine. I looked for 9 months before deciding what to buy. I looked long and hard to buy a J but finding one with a lot of upgrades priced below $95,000 proved to be nearly impossible and the J's I did like were all over $110,000.00 . During my search I learned that avionics were the most expensive item that I could add and they also had the highest amount of depreciation. With that said, I made it a priority to find a Mooney with all the avionics upgrades I could get that were already done by the previous owner. I also decided that a fuel injected IO360 was a non negotiable item along with 500 hours or less SMOH. I still plan to do a few speed mods to my plane but I'm consistently seeing 155 KTS so those mods aren't a real priority. My recommendation to you is to list what your priorities are and don't settle for anything much short of that. For me, my list looked like this (and not necessarily in this order) : 1) IO360 with less than 500 SMOH 2) Upgraded panel (glass if possible, waas GPS, synthetic vision, active traffic, XM weather etc..) 3) Auto Pilot with Altitude Hold 3) Manual Gear 4) Hydraulic flaps 5) 1965 or newer 6) Long Range Bladder Tanks or at the very least, newly sealed tanks 7) Newer interior 8) Corrosion Free 9) Longevity of previous ownership 10) Complete logs My E has worked out wonderfully for my mission. I have put over 100 hours on her the first year and I'm very happy I didn't pay more for a J with far less equipment. If and When I do upgrade, it will be a giant leap to a newer J or an Ovation. But for now, that is not on my radar at all. From what I've read about your mission, I think you'd be very happy with any vintage Mooney with some nice upgrades. Welcome to the group and best of luck to you. Bart

I pay $135.00 per month for my newer private T-Hangar with electricity and a polished concrete floor at KEGT. The doors are bi-folding and operate with one hand. The airport has a very nice brick airport building and pilots lounge, free wifi, an aircraft repair facility on the field, fuel is only $3.65 per gallon. The runway is 5000' x 100'. The airport is 20 minutes from my house and only 20 minutes from Wichita. I was on a waiting list for three years before I got my hangar there.

Congratulations on your purchase! She's a real beauty!

I've noticed this in my 65 E. Mine isn't an issue but occasionally, during temps less than 30 F, its as if a very very light cold draft hits the back of my neck. My rear heat outlets work great and I've never had a rear passenger complain of being cold. On the contrary, they usually ask me to turn the heat down. But still, I can feel it like a very light draft. I always suspected it was air being forced in small openings and being forced to the rear of the plane by the front heat vents.

My M20E went from 52 gallon wet wing to 62 gallon with bladders. So yes, you can have larger bladders.

Congratulations and welcome to the E club. You'll LOVE it.

I love my second Aspen gsxrpilot. I have it coupled with the G430W, Autopilot, XM weather, synthetic vision and an Avidyne TAS605 active traffic system. I highly recommend the MFD. It opens up a lot more versatility with your panel. Aspen also makes a REALLY nice AOA for both the PFD and the MFD but it displays much nicer on the MFD. Just my two cents.

The JPI700 I have now does that as well. It tells me GPH, gallons remaining, gallons used and gallons required to reach destination. But like I mentioned, adding fuel is a bit clumsy.

Awesome! Thanks for the tip! I'll look into it! The JPI730 is clumsy to program when adding fuel and I don't like having to cycle through things on it.

Thanks Carusoam, My JPI730 is integrated. I'd just like a larger display that is easier to read and use. (I cant justify a panel mod for that reason though). Things on my list are primarily speed mods (flap gap seals etc..) although I already have the cowl closure and a few others. My speed and efficiency are already great so I have trouble justifying the down time for the mods.

November 6th was the one year anniversary of purchasing my M20E. In my first 12 months, I have logged a little over 100 hours and flown through 10 states. I absolutely love it and thank everyone for their help and advice while I was searching for the right Mooney. The things I have loved most are my updated panel, the STEC 30, the extended range (64 gallon) bladder tanks, and the updated leather interior. I still have some speed mods I'd like to do to it but I hate to stop flying to make the improvements. Things I wish were different? My only complaint about the plane is I wish it had a JPI 900 or 930 instead of the 730. Thanks again to everyone on this site who encouraged me to take the leap.

I have a 65 E with the O&N 10 gallon add-on bladders (64 gallon total). I love the bladders and extra 10 gallons. I've flown her on long distance cross country missions and love the greater range. Just my two cents.

I do love my Aspens and now have full subscription for weather. Having the ability to use the MFD (multi function display) for storm scope, maps, terrrain avoidance, synthetic vision and the ability to see other traffic via the Avidyne Traffic Avoidance (TAS605) has been great! The GPSS on the 430w is linked to my STEC and displays route of flight on the MFD. There is only one thing I would change if I could do it differently. I would have used a JPI 830 or 930 like Bob had instead of my JPI700. This fall, I will be adding a GTX345 to take the place of my GTX327 for ADSB. Garmin has informed me that they will be offering an unlock feature that will allow the 345 to display ADSB traffic just as my Avidyne system does now. However, I will keep my Avidyne TAS605 as well.

I have no issue with retracting or extending the gear with the johnson bar in my E. I recently broke the bicep in my right arm and subsiquently tore my rotator cuff. I had suregery to repair the rotator cuff but not the bicep. My ONLY issue with the manual gear is unlatching it from the socket. Like everyone else, I think its all about air speed and rigging.

These look great Bob! Thanks for posting the link. Definitely going to order a set of plugs from these people. They look like they're really nice quality.