ragedracer1977

OK, is that something I can do myself or do I have to hire someone to do it?

OK, but what search?

FAA search?

I'll call AOPA tomorrow. This will be a cash deal, no financing, so I wasn't really sure who to even ask.

OK, so how do I go about the escrow thing? I read the AOPA checklists and it said "put the title and paperwork into escrow". I literally have no idea how to do that. I've bought and sold cars, houses, etc and with the houses had to deal with a title company, but that was just to sign paperwork. I didn't do any of the leg work.

I think I have a decent grasp, but it's the details I'm worried about. I think there's more to it than buying a car... So, I look at a plane. I like it. The seller and I sign a purchase contract. I give them a deposit. Then the plane goes to pre-buy. It passes to my satisfaction. Then what? I just hand them another stack of cash and they fill out a bill of sale? I keep reading about title and escrow services and such, but I have no idea how that works, if it even needs to be done. I just want to make sure I have my ducks in a row.

Amazing!

Savvy Aviation went over the logs for me. They said it looks like a very good plane and should pass pre-buy without issue - as long as there's no corrosion. Their only concern was time between oil changes. They suggest that, unless the prior owner wasn't logging his own oil changes, the oil was only changed at annual. They said that's not a big concern, just pointed out that it should be every 50 hours, not 60 or 70.

I was there too. They didn't let me in though. I talked to the guys at the desk about getting a tiedown. They said down by the washrack close to C was the best area, and available. They wouldn't let me 'get' one yet though, since I don't own a plane just yet.

I don't remember the first time I flew, but I was a young pup. My grandpa had an Ercoupe before I was born. I do remember flying in that thing now and then, but man was it amazing when he upgraded to a Cherokee 140. We ruled the world in that thing. I flew all over Arizona and southern California with him. He was a professional hockey player in his younger days and unfortunately all the hits finally caught up with him. Concussion induced dementia. We knew he was going a little wonky, but not quite how bad until he landed on a taxiway 3 times at 3 different airports in one flight. My grandmother refused to fly with him anymore and he never flew again. This was back 10 years ago or so. He sold his Piper to a guy out in California. I had a ton of Cox models when I was a kid. Built a model of my Grandpa's cherokee out of balsa (still have it!), then I got into RC. Flew up to 1/4 scale acro and even all of that just wasn't enough. I always wanted to get my own PPL, but just could never swing it. Hell, a few years ago I was seriously considering buying one of those build it yourself scale WWI kits and just tooling around in that... I'm finally at a point in my life where I could make it happen and I did. Attached are a couple pics of my grandpa in his ercoupe, with his Cherokee, and one with me as "PIC" in the Cherokee sometime in the 80's. IIRC.

On the sign up deal I've seen on the website for DVT it asks for your registration and says you're required to have temp registration at least. So, I'm not sure if I can start the ball rolling now or not.

Seeing as how I've never owned a plane before, what's the process to get a tiedown? Do you get any choices at DVT or is it just what they have? Do you have to already have your plane to start the process?

I had a very similar CFI. Pre-solo we spend 2.5 doing 15kt+ direct x-wind landings one day. I am not bothered with crosswind, basically at all. My first flight as a brand new PPL was to KSEZ. Near direct crosswind 18G27. I'm glad he really pushed me in my training.

Link Please!

The current owner bought it out of San Diego! Times show it's been flown pretty regularly, it has 1370 now

Tanks were resealed by Weep no more less than 2 years ago, so I hope those are still good. Dented nose truss? Can you elaborate? The prop serial number ends in "B" and the model number is HC-C2YK-1BF, so that means that AD is eliminated, correct? Overall, I am really excited about this plane. I'm trying NOT to be, so I really want to make sure I don't mentally ignore a warning sign. It has everything I could ever want, short of a true autopilot. It just has the Mooney ARC. Which, according to the owner, does still function fine.

Cool! I'll sure we'll end up running into each other some day. Did you use someone local to check out in your Mooney? Insurance is going to require 10 hours for me with a CFI. My regular guy has never flown a Mooney.

Already worked out. I already have a flight booked for next Saturday to go see it in person and look it over. So, the next question is.. What exactly should I be looking for? There's the obvious stuff off course, such as exterior corrosion, hangar rash, etc etc, but what can I look for as just a regular guy that would make you walk away?

When I'm finally able to close on an M20, that's where I'll be basing it. Do you have a hangar lined up? It looks like the small T wait list isn't too bad, but I'll probably be in the shades for 6+ months. Oh, and FYI, I eyeballed that plane pretty hard.

I can't get my photobucket to work. I have some more photos on my phone, but this should do for now.

The owner looks like he's turning my way. He knows I'm not a tire kicker. I'm flying out to look at it next Saturday.

It might be a time or other issue. He doesn't seem averse to the concept of getting it there, just doesn't seem to want to - or isn't capable - of doing it himself.

So, here's where we're at on a C I'm interested in. I have the logs at Savvy being looked at. SMOH 1300 +/- hours, but 340 since bottom OH (logs show an incorrect bearing or something was used and basically the entire bottom half, including case was replaced. New cylinders 40 hours ago. Plane looks in very nice shape. Leather interior. Looks like all the 201 speed mods. And here's where we're at an impasse. At least in my mind. I told him I like to come out and look at it (I'll fly commercial). If it's GTG, I'll put down a deposit and sign a contract contingent on a pre-buy. Plane is in NORCAL, close to both Top Gun and LASAR. I told him I would pay for the expenses of getting it to one of those places for a pre-buy. He said "I won't fly the plane there. Maybe my CFI would. You should just have your mechanic come to me." This being my first experience, I'm not sure what to take of that. I understand it can be a PITA, the plane was annualled 6 months ago before he bought it. He's not against a pre-buy at all, just not interested in taking it somewhere. Where to go from here? Any good Mooney mechanics that travel for this kind of thing? Any one you guys would recommend? Is even doing that a bad idea? I'm not emotionally attached, but for the price I think I can get it for, with the avionics and mods, it seems a good value.

The one I'm looking at had the tanks resealed by Weep No More in 2015. They seem to be the folks that know what they're doing, right?

Thanks! The majority of my flights with everyone aboard would be well under 2 hours. We have a cabin in the KSOW area (under an hour flight) that we don't visit as often as we like, because it's a 5 hour + drive. That will be my primary mission. My wife has all of her family in San Antonio, so I imagine there would be a couple longer flights a year. But, I'm hard pressed to justify spending double the money for what would be the rarest occurrence.