LongbowDriver

The FAA recognizes specific Military Occupational Specialties (MOS), and these Soldiers experience requirements are met and openly accepted nearly automatically. I however, am not in one of those accepted MOS codes. I am a Maintenance Test Pilot (MTP), Instructor Pilot, and Maintenance Examiner (ME), which allows and/or requires me to be a Technical Inspector. For 10years I've been doing this and I will do it for at least another 7 years before military retirement. I don't actually turn any wrenches, but I am required to supervise and inspect/sign-off work done on any/all areas of my aircraft. Engines, airframe, electronics, avionics, weapons systems. I've supervised inspected and signed off complete teardown and rebuilds of our turbine engines, even complete teardown and buildup of our entire aircraft during phase maintenance. Afterwards I then am in charge of completing any maintenance operational checks on the ground followed by a test flight to ensure the systems are functioning normally and ultimately verify the overall airworthiness of the aircraft. I have no practical experience in the GA world. Never torn down a Lycoming or worked on a piston powered aircraft, or any actual airplane at all. Only the Apache helicopter. So my question is, does any of my experience count towards the required 30months for A&P experience? How does this get documented?

Cool deal. $80/mo for covered parking is pretty good I think especially at Skylark.

Beautiful. That timing might work out. When able, can you pass the details on it? I also will be building an RV10 while owning a Mooney.

Thanks all for the offers to take rides. Seems this community is a busy and helpful community to be in. So this community is definitely part of the "Mooney Experience". Seems no matter where I am stationed next, there will be a Mooney owner willing to help out. Greatly appreciated. Though I am in South Korea now and will be for the next couple years, it is really hard not to pull the trigger and buy a plane now. There are so many nice planes forsale in my price range. I saw an F model with 100gal fuel tanks....wow 1400sm range. That's pretty impressive. A quick question which may be better posted in its own thread, whats the fuel burn differences between the C E & F models? All about the same?

I could end up at Hood next. Was there 6yrs ago. Definitely looking at C, E, & F models for sure. Nice to know I'm not alone in this idea. Just out of curiosity, where do you keep your plane? Skylark? Temple? Do you keep it in a hangar? What are your costs?

New to Forum. Army 2003-Present. Currently flying AH-64 Apaches Helos.

Awesome. Yea. Fort Rucker is my 1st pick, but unlikely to get that. We'll see. I do know for sure that I will end up there for 6 weeks at some point for a professional military educational course.....but that may be a couple years down the road. I'm 5'8" so I'm not worried about myself, mainly the rear passenger legroom......but like I said, they will mainly be two small kiddos so even that is not of concern. I do have a stepson that is pretty tall, but I figure when he rides, he'll be up front with me anyways. My ultimate goal is to build an RV10. Have dreamed about that for years. But that's a long and expensive project that I won't be ready for until retirement years most likely. We'll see. I will certainly post up when the time comes to visit Mother Rucker. Thanks for the hospitality.

Well I am originally from Abilene, TX but currently stationed in South Korea for two years. This gives me two years of planning and preparation for when I am ready to pull the trigger. Problem is I see what appears to be a couple of REALLY great deals on planes right now, but it would be so foolish to pull any triggers at this point. Anyhow. As far as where I'll be when I get back from SK, I have no idea where I'll end up next. All I know is it has to be in the lower 48 states. I'm hoping for Fort Rucker, Fort Hood, or Savannah, GA. We'll see. As for your questions.... #1. Who I will fly with most: just me 50%(to and from visiting kids), 30% with my two young kiddos, and 20% with a friend or two. #2. Primary mission: Being able to quickly get around from where ever I am stationed to my kids and visit often and build some time. #3. How far: Kids are in Kansas so that's fairly central to all potential Apache bases in the lower 48 with the exception of JBLM, Washington #4. Budget: I am looking at somewhere in the $30-45k range so M20C-F. I've read about the differences.....I think any of those should fit my mission and budget but the "F" model would be nice for the legroom. I'm just terrified of buying a plane that appears to be in good shape but beneath surface, will costs tens of thousands in repairs. I'll be hiring a solid Mooney Mechanic for a prebuy inspection.

First Post! Hello all. I am an Apache Helo pilot for the Army. I love flying. Last few years I have been fighting off an urge to start flying general aviation. I have decided to give up and give in because I see the urge is not going to go away anytime soon and is now becoming part of who I am. I want a plane that has the best bang for the buck when it comes to cost of ownership and performance. So, I've pretty much set my eyes exclusively on Mooney. I love the way they look and the numbers look pretty good too. I hold a commercial rotary wing with instrument license, and since I am an Army instructor pilot, I also am interested in completing a commercial fixed wing license and possibly get into the CFI and/or CFII world. I'd love to be able to teach my family and friends but that's about the extent....I'm not interested in teaching for hire anytime soon. Anyhow. I have read threads on this forum that talk about using a Mooney as a trainer and there are differing opinions. I feel I am in a much different situation than most beginner pilots having 2700hrs in the Apache (which is a beast of complexity). That being said, I know airplanes are way different and my control touch will not immediately transfer over to a Mooney. I think I'll beat on a Cessna with an instructor for about 2-5hrs before instruction in my "new to me" Mooney. Anyways, I'm new here. Feel free to tell me my plan is not a good one. I am open to suggestions.