FlyinGoon

I was considering uAvionix, and really I think it's between that and the GNX-375...both ends of the spectrum. I'm worried about spending the money on uAvionix just to end up pulling it out in the future. I agree though, it "seems" like a lot of plane for the $$.

Seems the market for mid-time or lower models has dried up in the past month. I spotted this one a couple weeks ago and things fell through with the initial buyer because he didn't like the paint condition. One issue is there is no ADSB. The seller seems to be a full-service place (broker, shop ,etc), so I asked them if they would be willing to increase the price and put a GNX-375 in, figuring they would make some extra money on the install too. They said they just want a simple cash sale as-is. What do you pros see here, good and bad? https://www.trade-a-plane.com/search?category_level1=Single+Engine+Piston&make=MOONEY&model=M20C&listing_id=2382873&s-type=aircraft#

I am currently in the same situation and have decided to buy. I am actually in a club now that is an EXCELLENT club, but it doesn't meet my needs. We have 3 aircraft, going on a 4th very soon. We have 30 members. Price is $1000 buy in (equity club), hourly price is around $120 wet, monthly dues are 120. First .2 hours of each rental are credited back. We have a 172, an Archer, an Arrow, and we are getting another Archer. We have not time restrictions on how many days we can have the plane out and no daily minimums for overnights. Overall, probably one of the best deals in terms of a club. Here are the reasons it doesn't work for me: I've been told to expect some maintenance every 10 hours of flight time from another owner. Whether this is true or not I don't know, but I can tell you that our planes are constantly down for some little maintenance item that takes 1 hour to fix, but 4 days to get the part. We put 10 hours on these planes every few days. My primary mission is to travel 250+ NM. Well if I have to contend with weather, maintenance (planned and unplanned), and 30 club members, it doesn't become realistic that I can comfortably rely on flying on these trips. Also, even though I can take the plane out for a week, doesn't mean I wouldn't feel guilty doing so. If I only wanted to go fly in circles in the metro area, it probably wouldn't matter. Similar reason as above, we want to take some longer trips 500+ NM. I won't do it in a 100kt or even a 120kt plane. I'm landlocked in Missouri. Nearest beach is Destin, FL. I could get there in a Mooney in the time it would take me to fly a 172 halfway through Arkansas. Owning in this case makes the following conversation a possibility (in Missouri) "Weather looks nice, want to go to the beach today and come back tomorrow?" I abhor spending large sums of money. I wouldn't do it on a car. I even hate doing it on a house, but if this is your passion, it may be something you can justify to yourself. If it helps, here is a Google Sheet I put together with two tabs. First tab is all the purchase related costs I could drum up. Change only cells in green. Second tab is my notes in recent conversations (last 2 weeks) with 6 lenders (hint: Dorr Aviation has the best deal right now and I found out in talking with Jimmy Garrison yesterday thats who they use). https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1H9PRIAo2EM9TbLFximREahscxit4wGy7Ppl8eR2NOmc/copy

I doubt this will be my forever plane (just knowing my habits with these types of purchases), but if I get invested enough it could be. It sounds like sticking to my guns with atleast a 2-axis autopilot makes sense, and perhaps setting the floor at 430W since they are so prevalent and would get me many years of use as well as my planned IR training. I see lots of options out there that fit this criteria when looking at C and E models, not many F. I was originally fixed on the E model anyway, and given I'm only 5'9, perhaps the backseat will be do-able for a longer-legged passenger.

Yeah, I keep doing this yo-yo justification thing as I search. I start at the "bottom" ($45k planes) and tell myself I don't need anything fancy. LET'S JUST GO FLY. Then I'll think "Well, it would be nice to have a WAAS GPS", then I think "You know, having a 2-axis autopilot makes sense just because if you ever want it, you know you won't pay to have a new one installed", and eventually I settle on. "I must have a "perfect" plane, full glass, AP, new paint and interior". I go look at the prices of said planes, and say to myself "You probably don't need full glass, maybe just a modern GPS and AP", then I say "Well, maybe a modern GPS, but only a wing leveler would work", and then I slowly end up back at the bottom again, just to start the process over.... Anyway, I don't have a date on the OH, but will get that today. As far as flying time, he lost his medical recently and had a surgery a few months back for said condition. Sounds like he hasn't flown it since fall. It was annualed in October.

Hey guys. I was last on here a year or so ago looking to get into a Mooney. For a few reasons I delayed that decision, but now am hot and heavy looking. Curious if those with experience could give me some feedback on the avionics in this 75 F I am looking at. The plane so far appears to be well kept and in excellent condition with about 500hr since OH. These avionics pre-date my flying a bit so I'm not sure how capable some of them are and what value to assign to them. In other words, what would I end up deciding was unsuitable. It has. Apollo GX60 nav and MX20 moving map (these two are my biggest concern). KX-155 and KN-64 DME (I have limited use on these, but they seemed capable and simple to use) GTX-327 (I've also used this extensively. I have no problems with this unit) So obviously the Apollo setup is out of production and non-WAAS, but after viewing some YouTube videos seems pretty capable. What are your thoughts on this setup? About my flying plans. This would be a leisure plane, local and longer trips. I would plan on getting my IR in whatever plane I purchase. EDITED TO ADD: The plane also has a STEC (not sure of model) single axis AP, but it follows heading bug only.

Great idea!. I just reached out to a place in Dallas that I think can handle transition and complex.

I thought about that as well. Knowing me, this would be a trap in never buying a plane. I'll always be looking to upgrade I think. Realistically, I don't think I'm going to find a J in my budget equipped the way I want. If I do, great, but I think I'd have better luck finding a pre-J with some quality speed mods and a suitable panel. Having flown half my time each with both injected and carbureted planes, I do like having one less thing to worry about with injected versions. If I were forced to spend $20k extra for 10 knots speed or more comfort/functionality in the cockpit, I'd choose comfort/functionality any day. I'm a flatlander, so altitude is of minimal concern as well.

Actually, yes, I'll take some free advice any day! Most flights would realistically be me and 1 other person and possibly 2 dogs within 300 miles. I would plan on maybe 4 couples trips a year. We are also feeling a little landlocked here in STL, so we were thinking it would be great to be able to take unplanned trips to the beach (basically panhandle of FL). I think this latter trip would run about 4 hours in a vintage so we may have to take a bio break. We are a quick hop from Gaston's and it's a bucket list item for me to fly in there, so to be able to land on Gaston's-grade turf is important. I do plan to get my instrument rating in this plane and I also place a high value on some minimal level of avionics (moving map, AP w/ alt hold). Ultimately I would plan for a step up in plane in a few years so I can't justify a ton of upgrades after purchase. I'm 5'9" so if anything, maybe a little on the short-side for a Mooney from what I've read. My primary passenger is 5'3". Perhaps this would make backseat bearable for passengers in a short body? At this time, I have no complex time or rating. I understand it shouldn't be a major obstacle to get that, but is of some importance obviously. Budget. It's sort of increasing every week, but let's start at $60k. If I needed to go to $75k, I could manage that too but I'd need to justify it. I don't really desire to go any higher though I could by stretching out the time-frame and justification. Shoot!

Hi all. This is actually my first post here and I apologize if this is against the rules or the wrong place. I'm a low-time PPL at 70 hours, but will be back in the air on the regular in a week or two (my access to a plane went away for quite a while). I'm in a position where I can purchase a plane in the next couple months and I'm trying to figure out what that plane should be. Looking at pictures, YouTube, and specs only does so much...I need to FEEL it. I've only recently decided on a 4 vs 2 seat plane, so my list is a "vintage" Mooney C, E, or F -OR- Grumman Tiger. How might I locate someone to take me for a quick spin in a C/E/F model near St. Louis? Btw. If it matters, most of my time is in a Diamond DA-20 with the remainder in a C172 and Piper Archer. Appreciate any advice you all can give me.