NJMac

Thanks y'all's. It's a very personal decision. I definitely wasn't trying to kick the best. And yes, I'm as independent of a thinker as they come. When I started flying, it was just me. I had a wife, we had a so so marriage. If I died in a plane twice my age,she got a life insurance and probably found a better husband. Fast forward a number of years and she's now the woman of my dreams. We have a 1 year old and another mite (like that Mooney reference?) on the assembly line awaiting delivery. Ive grown less comfortable taking my family in such a vintage plane. We tried fitting 2 car seats in and it won't work for our desired configuration. I've posted briefly here about wanting a long body. Ice protection is a must. The options in that world are few and far between. So, looking at less attractive planes has become a thing. Paul, I too hate that they fly with their gear out. A big thing for me is easy access to maintenance. Steel is not even 5 minute flight from home base. While I love going to AGL, it's not an insignificant trip. None of that mentioned the perceived safety a chute provides.

I do try to keep it as un serious as possible.

I really don't care. But there's a lot of knowledge here and I was wondering if there is a valid reason to not to make the change

One of my aviation mentors is pushing me into a Cirrus. He had 2 mooney's and then 2 Cirrus's. Being a 5 min flight from Steel also helps with any mx and annuals. One I'm looking at has TKS and 1080 useful. It's a pretty compelling value proposition IMO.

Don, thanks for the detailed reply. Sounds almost like it could work. Yes, the early log books are missing in hard form but I believe present digitally. I don't know if the dealer doesn't want to sell it or what. I reached out via email and haven't heard back. I guess planes sell themselves in this market but I'd be upset if I was the owner and the broker wasn't acting on all leads. I think I'm going to buy a Cirrus for the next plane here shortly. It's somewhat a long story but the stars are aligning and it makes a fair amount of sense and simplicity

Good point about the failure mode. If the factory can get the nxi upgrade AND the 400lb gross weight increase both done, that would be fantastic value add to the existing fleet. You have me thinking now.

Not currently but Jimmy mentioned maxwell could upgrade it

I want a long body but really have my mind made up for KI TKS on my next plane. Id love an SE but don't want to be the one to pay for the panel AND ice protection knowing this is a step towards a cabin class 6er.

I had resolve that too. But it's getting so thin in options, I had considered settling for an Ovation with the g1000/55x Jimmy hasn't even emailed out to his list yet.

I recall that there was a preference for the GFC 700 of course. But would I be happy with the stec 55x and a g1000? Anything to be aware of for this setup?

Should I email thread this link to the seller and invite them to partake? Lol

What's fun is seeing 3 year old Cirrus planes sell used with a few hundred hours for same price they were new. The Ovations are now in spitting distance of similar vintage Cirrus planes.

There has been an obvious increase in pricing, that's for sure. What I'd like to know is if this is the "new normal" or if there will be a future, downward adjustment? Personally, I believe the cheap financing and helicopter money is causing this. Takeaway: helicopter money is bad for airplane purchasing.

Share your thoughts, I'm interested in this plane too. Probably makes more sense for you to buy this one since you'll keep it in Canada.

My google-fu is failing me. Do you have a link handy for that? Thanks for the AOE guidance too

Wondering if I can just simply fly over the border? Lol

Anyone familiar with bringing a Canadian plane into the USA? How about now, in the middle of Covid? There has been a really nice Ovation in Canada that I presume isn't selling because of the Covid and import process. I'm just about dumb enough to try it if there are some pointers to follow. https://www.controller.com/listing/for-sale/196508717/1996-mooney-m20r-ovation-piston-single-aircraft

Im a proud member of that club holding out hope Garmin pulls off the 64 and older certification this year

Need a 3rd option for question 3. I run QT Halos 95% of the time, my pax have premium anr lightspeeds.

Don't get me wrong, I like the Aspen E5 unit. But when making my initial purchase, I simply missed the value proposition that comes from the redundancy of the 2nd G5. Thats not insignificant IMO. And the reality is that if you want a new autopilot, most sensible roads lead to the GFC 500

I'm in ohio with one. You can see mine, then buy it. I'd rather have dual G5s.

Sure, I would be glad to upgrade a J but I happen to own my E.

I'm working on an STC to teach chimps how to manipulate my flight controls for me. I truly believe I'll get my approval before BK does.

It's pretty mind blowing to think we have to compete price wise with 172s in this market. I know which way my money votes.

Yeah, I've put a ton of time into sorting this one out. Immediately upon owning it into a 6 month annual. Now flying very regularly. I think when we decide to move to a larger plane, having this one top of market may present some opportunities. Thanks for confirming y'all's. The wife doesn't watch our bank accounts but also didn't give me grief when I told her I was going to book Hawk in December.