Schllc

wow! that is awesome!

I would suggest going to the pilot lounge and the public leasing office. There are many sublets, and guys between planes that have open hangars. I’m at KAPF which had a three year waiting list, now five… but my plane was on the ramp less than a week, I found a sublet until my number came up. Had to move a few times, but they are out there.

What kinda rates are going around now? I financed my first plane about 8 years ago and the rate was 5.5%, can’t even imagine what the rates are now.

You can create an LLC in Florida and name a registered agent who would appear as the manager with the Secretary of State, keeping you identity private. Usually this is an attorney and they serve no purpose other than being a name and address. If tou do this, you avoid the 6% sales tax but you do have to pay a usage sales tax based on the hours you are “renting the plane” from the entity that owns it. it it’s far cheaper than paying the straight sales tax on the purchase. I think my usage tax last year was a little over $500. I am not sure how the usage tax works if you do not depreciate and deduct the expenses of the plane. But you could have created a Florida LLC and shielded your identity. I know because I have done it before, several times. Speaking to an attorney or CPA who specializes in aircraft tax law is immensely helpful. The average attorney or accountant really doesn’t understand this narrow segment of the law.

It depends on how the asset is classified, if it is used for legal business travel, and it titled in an LLC, you will not pay sales tax, but you will pay a use tax on the “rental” of the plane to yourself based on the hours used. if it’s a personal sale for personal reasons, you pay the full applicable sales tax.

The continentals don’t seem to enjoy the low rpm’s like the lycoming.

Thanks!

I have been looking for days trying to find some pictures of an early long body with no interior, no avionics, just bare. I would like to see the structure, wire, firewall, pedals and vent routing etc. thanks in advance.

I agree with everything here. $5k annual average difference would be including fuel and maintenance. I have had an ovation and acclaim, and have flown the exact same mission with them for almost 8 years. 50-58 gallons of gas (depending on conditions) in the ovation and 55-63 gallons in the acclaim, but i get there almost an hour quicker. this is where it gets tricky because if you fly a 4 hour mission 20 times a year in the ovation, you are burning say 50 gallons per trip and putting 80 hours on the plane. But in the acclaim you are burning 58 gallons per trip but only putting 60 hours on the plane. Those extra 20 hours comes back to you in savings at some point, which is why I say the cost difference is irrelevant. I also agree with those who say you don't "need" a turbo, but having one gives you options, and the options a turbo provides are pretty nice anywhere, especially where altitude is needed.

Maintenance cost differences are irrelevant. 1000 hours in turbo mooney’s, and I have had one turbocharger to replace over six years of ownership. They use about 5-10% more fuel for the same mission but are generally faster. I would not own a plane in the mountains that didn’t have a turbo, unless it was a back country tail dragger. the purchase price is almost always irrelevant as well, because our planes value remains relatively static, so you will get it back when you sell it, unless you don’t maintain it properly or have damage history.

There are a few places that will review the log books for a nominal fee, and this would be probably the best investment in the prepurchase. If you have not owned a Mooney as well as the model, you will not know the real common things to look for like gear pucks, o2 bottles, magnetos, some of these interval items can really add up, there are also certain sb’s that are widely regarded as mandatory, or highly advisable. Each plane and model has their own idiosyncrasies and trades offs, and while not knowing them up front may not be dealbreakers, it would make the experience better, by setting proper expectations, which is key to a good transaction. Few planes out there are truly perfect, descriptions are wildly subjective, it’s not unusual to be looking at an ad using 10 year old pictures, and sellers typically not in duress, and sometimes have irrational ideas of valuation. Knowing what you are talking about will really make the purchase a better experience. I have never owned a M20J but there are lots of guys here with many years of ownership experience in that model. Good luck and hope you find one and stick around.

The only way either path is a “mistake”, is you don’t make yourself aware and respect the implications. Most people go the trainer route, that seems to be successful and tried and True, so can’t really go wrong. Some choose to go the path less traveled like @bcg, I did the same thing. Insurance was difficult and pricey for the first year, I mitigated that by going directly into my IR, and haven’t looked back. It was not a mistake for me. I saw the value in learning and building good habits in my long term plane. It worked out for me. Just be honest with yourself about pros and cons, consider all the good advice you’ve been given, and when you pick a path, commit. It’s a wonderful and fulfilling journey, regardless of how you get there. My only real advice is whatever you choose to fly, fly frequently, and go straight into your IR while you have the momentum. I flew three to four times a week until I finished my IR. Big gaps in training are really detrimental when you are starting out.

I’m betting that a ferry flight would be cheaper in the long run.

Same landing gear and same wing, more weight, I have never owned a mid or short body, so I’ll let the others opine. But like I said, it’s inertia, not the static gross weight. I don’t think it’s possible to answer your question “what is too hard”, in the way you are asking, if you stall too high you can do just as much damage when light. I guess damaging the plane is too hard, but it’s not difficult to land gently over weight. Like someone else already said, a smooth landing at max weight is probably easier than super light.

All I can say is this is a complete non issue all the way around. you’ll know hard bc you will bounce! And while it is certainly possible to damage the plane in landing, it’s inertia not simply gross weight.

Wow, got your money outa those!

Every single ga plane I have ever been in feels “stuffy” to a degree. I think I got used to that, what the Mooney had that none of them have, (for my preference), is the semi reclined position with the legs almost flat in front of you. Even if the Mooney is the tightest regarding width, the seating position outweighs everything. I have done 6+ hour in one leg in my ovation and it was more the sound and boredom than comfort that made me ready to stop. Two hours in a Cessna and I’m ready to land and walk around. I know most people must prefer that upright chair position, because all planes come that way, but I still prefer the Mooney.

What year was the overhaul? was this the Mooney that was on the ramp in fort Meyers FL? love that paint scheme though, very classy.

Subleases at most airports are pretty common, and if you haunt the pilot lounge, and the leasing office, if your airport had one, you can usually find a place to put your plane. A few months outside, while not ideal, isn’t going to hurt the plane. Put your name on a waiting list immediately , start looking for the right plane, and use this time to sort it out and get whatever work you want done. If I had waited for my name to come up on the waiting list at my home airport I would have been waiting three years, but I found sublets for those years and my planes have been in hangars almost all the time I owned them. Life is short, get the plane and the rest will work out.

Oh, our airport is on to this. They won’t allow fuel farms to be built, saying it’s for environmental reasons.. bs… the ones that are grandfathered still, pay more that $1 per gallon in flow fee, even though they have nothing to do with the purchase or dispensing, and the airport won’t allow any competition on the field to sell fuel. It’s the city or no fuel. All government entities grow to the point they are wild.y inefficient and abusive, it is the natural order when no stake holders get to sit at the table. When I was considering a board seat, I spoke to the manager and asked him about the fee. His response was really shocking. He said the airports budget is predicated on the gallons pumped. I said that is a specious method for the justification. I said that it was analogous to me owning a hamburger joint that needed to sell 100 burgers to break even, so one day I haven’t sold a single hamburger and I’m about to close when you walk in, and I tell you your burger will be 100x the cost of a normal burger bc I haven’t sold one yet today. he didn’t understand the analogy, and there in lies the problem…

I think you meant knobs, then no you don’t have to pull the screen. They pull off easily enough to replace. Just make sure the retainer ring comes off as well or you will wonder why you can’t get the new knob to seat.

I don’t disagree with what you said, but this quote I’m not sure about. do people want these things on WiFi or do the manufacturers assume we do? we did a house a while back and the electrician wanted to install these new breakers that he said I could monitor through an app. I said can I reset the breaker in the app? he said no. so what exactly is the point? I know technology is not going backward, but sometimes you have to wonder if these things that are supposed to enhance our lives is doing the opposite. Yet while our toasters are at the cutting edge of technology, the engines in our airplanes are relegated to 1920’s tech. This dichotomy in aviation innovation is what frustrates me so much about the FAA.

@Cody Stallings

Millions of tiny nuclear batteries made in china, floating around…. what could go wrong?

Google drive, Microsoft one drive, or apple icloud will do it for a pittance, or free if you already have Microsoft account. And it’s all available wherever you are with whatever device you have. I have every single document for every single plane I have ever looked at to buy, or owned. I have the logbooks, pics and equipment lists from probably 100 planes. while I don’t really have to keep them the storage is free and over the years I have accessed a few of them over the years.