Tcraft938

My slider works okay if you don't open it too far, then it comes apart but quick to put back together. The issue I have is the slider pin that goes in the door sill comes out. Its just a straight shank, seems like there should be some way for it to stay in. One Mooney I looked at had the gas piston mod that his A&P did. Small piece of angle aluminum on door sill that stuck into cabin about 1/2" and similar mounted on side of door interior. It worked well

Go to a local sign shop that can make decal signs on a special computer/printer. I just took a picture of mine into them and they made it. After 2 hours drying it looks painted

Mine is a perfect 90 degree angle, so the handle in your hand is about six inches off the nosewheel centerline. I may try bending it a bit as you recommend and a wrap or two of duct tape. Thanks

Thank you very much, very useful info. I like simple effective fixes. The motorized tow he made looks interesting. I have a small tractor I could use, but I don't want to risk turning it too far.

I agree about the frequency of flight. The A&P told me, "airplanes cost $ no matter what and you have no choice in that. Your choice is do you want to put the $ into fuel or do you want to give the A&P the dollars? Fly it often and well and you will have a lot less maintenance issues." I will likely fly on average 8 hours a month maybe a little more in good weather. I'm located in Rochester, NY area so the temps vary drastically. Hangar in winter is kept at 48 degrees, so the O360 should be happy with that. He gets very annoyed with clients that say, "it only has 18 hours on the oil, then he checks the logs and the change was 9 months ago, which usually results in a long conversation about acidity. "25 hours or 2 years, whichever comes first is not a suitable oil change schedule". LOL

This is something I was wondering/worried about. Am I correct in assuming that if I'm manually using the towbar that came with the plane, unless I get stupid and put a lot of force on it I cannot likely over rotate the nose gear and damage something? My 15 year old son employed a creative idea. He gently moved the towbar from side to side until it stopped and put a small piece of black tape above the bar to use as a reference not to move the towbar beyond that point. Has anyone come up with a solution or modification so that the towbar that comes with the plane doesn't slide out of the nose gear fork while you're turning? That gets really annoying especially on an uneven surface and the bar slips away. I was wondering about a longer shaft that goes all the way through the nose gear barrel and putting a beefy cotter pin at the end for when using the bar.

First thank you for this group. Thanks to the voluminous information available, I'm the new owner of an M20C. So that means I have much to learn about these awesomely efficient machines. On the flight home this week, I was amazed that it was truing 172 mph on about 9.6 gph. Now for the questions...… What engine oil is recommended? My A&P likes Phillips X/C, however, he recommended I kick it around in here since there are a few engines or aircraft manufacturers where it is not recommended. I figure it would be a good idea for me to try to get a Maintenance Manual for the 20C. Any suggestions on other resources that would help me as well as an A&P. While I have an A&P close by with considerable older Mooney experience, something doesn't always break when you're near that person. Thank you for your patience and help everyone.

Very nice. Thank you very much for providing the costs to give perspective. I'm assuming labor/install was in addition to these costs?

You're right that's good access. Also not going to see those two additional cylinders and resultant fuel burn in a Mooney C, E or F either. Flying is all about what you want and what you're willing to trade to get it. The only constant in the formula is the trading of $. Some are worse than a unethical divorce attorney. :-)

What you have sounds impressive. We had a very nice 46 Taylorcraft for awhile and I found an A&P that had a ton of vintage experience and what a difference in cost and knowledge compared to the Cirrus shop. Stuff I was told couldn't be adjusted, he did in 10 minutes. He often allowed me to assist so I could learn and I did the research and parts finding and order. He's stocky, so he's not crazed about the Mooney idea but I'm tall and thin so he knows he can use me as a pipe cleaner if needed and I'll do it. LOL

Perhaps I should clarify. The first person I talked to was the avionics tech. He was inside a Sky Lane with the entire panel ripped out except for a lot of wires. He was the first to speak from his avionics perspective about the challenges of space. He also qualified his opinion with comments like, if you can get something that is already upgraded to a more recent avionics generation that's worth it, I've seen some shops that due to space challenge do a hap hazard wiring job which adds to the challenge. I can look in there pretty quick and tell if hack job or quality work, if quality work and access from in front of the windshield life just go much better." I think he was overrun with ADSB transponders and virtually no one asks him to simply install the transponder, but a bunch of other stuff too. We get along well and he misunderstood me at first thinking I said, I already had one and wanted ADSB, AP & GNS installed and he didn't want to tell me he was booked through June. The three A&P's overheard the conversation and were surprised I was considering a Mooney based on the plane I had previously and the type of flying I did, but they didn't realize our mission has changed some. The two more seasoned A&P's (one owner) finished the conversation with, "we could stand here all day and argue about the pros and cons of each plane and there would be varying opinions on it as well. They all have their ups and downs. With the way you care for a plane and fly it regularly, treating it well, I think a Mooney once we got it to par, if it needs it, will reward you with pretty good service better than a few I can think of. Certain things are tough to work on because it's tight, but you like to assist in annuals so I'll give you that tight grunt work to do and that way you're not paying me to do it, LOL Bottom-line, it's your $ get what you find you like and we'll help you be happy with your choice." My wife (not a pilot) walked away with a little different impression. She didn't hear as much negativity. What she heard was, "don't buy old and not flown for years so you can save a few $ on purchase because you'll more than make it up on restoration, if you want a garmin panel, find one that has most of what you're looking for, etc". Life and is full of fun or fund decisions. I'm fortunate she is supportive of my passion. The plane we just sold, she actually was the one who bought it. I didn't want to take $ from the family, she drove back out to the airport, negotiated and bought it.

So my wife and I talked with the three A&P's that I respect at my local shop as well as avionics tech today about what I'm considering for our next airplane. When they heard Mooney, particularly a late 60's vintage C, E or F they all had a negative response and eye roll. "They are fast/efficient and well made, but murder to work on due to nothing is easy to get at or work on", was the general gist of the conversation followed by advice like, "you'll spend more on everything because labor will be higher". Has anyone else encountered similar, or is this just lack of expertise with the type? Thanks Darrin & Trina

Sometimes doing your checkride in a plane that the DPE is not as experienced with either can be of help. If they are not as familiar as they are with say the C172, they will tailor the ride to the situation. I did my CFI checkride in a big ole Piper Lance and I feel he widened some margins in some areas and narrowed in others, adjusting for the plane. He admitted up front he was appropriately rated for the plane, but had no significant time in type especially recently. So if you feel competent and more comfortable in your Mooney you may want to go for it. There's a good chance you will be more comfortable and competent than the DPE. Go in a C172 and they may feel cocky and like they're going to show you something. Just a thought.

Just south of Pittsburgh, M20E. Thanks

Does anyone know of a knowledgeable/experienced A&P/IA or shop within a reasonable distance of Western PA? Thanks

@Drumstick my wife and I just this week decided we want a Mooney C or E, so I would we would be interested if you care to share. Sorry if this is the wrong place in the forum to inquire, but I wasn't sure of another way to reach out. Thanks

I'm curious if anyone has experience or knowledge of an auxiliary fuel tank in the baggage compartment. I recently saw an M20C that had STC for IO-360 so I guess in essence it's equivalent to an E model. Peculiar to me was a little fold down hatch under the baggage door that covered a filler cap. I have no idea how much it held, if still legal to use etc. However if usable, it could be a way to better balance a heavy nose if have a couple of big guts in the front seats. Thanks

Carusoam, thank you for the welcome. I'm looking forward to learning more about Mooneys. I'm commercial, IFR, CFI pilot but have not used the IFR or CFI ratings much in recent years. I'm looking forward to getting back to IFR flight. I recently sold the very nice Taylorcraft my wife and I had (she bought it) because while we enjoyed the heck out of it, it was very mission narrow, we are getting bigger and it wasn't . LOL So something that is a nice IFR platform, can haul two occasionally three people around 500 nm in reasonable time, not break the bank and also can do the $100 weekend hamburger run. It looks like J's are out of the price range but maybe a good E or F would do the job nicely. My concern is will a reliable E or F with descent IFR avionics (either on it or added after purchase) put me in the J price range anyway. The last comment on August 3, 2017 from Guest Paulie was "there's a reason I sold it". Anyone know why the comment or know anything about N9606V? It's up for sale again.

The last comment on August 3, 2017 from Guest Paulie was "there's a reason I sold it". Anyone know why the comment or know anything about N9606V? It's up for sale again.