BrianWilkins

I went through your exact scenario a few months back. You can use your PAI compass but will need to do a couple of things. First, Spruce sells sheets of anti-interference material. You can get two sheets of this and apply it to the underside of the top of your panel. https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/inpages/magneticcompassshield.php. Spruce also sells these magnetic "balancing balls" that help offset the problem of steel in your cockpit. https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/inpages/compensator.php. When I first installed the PAI compass, mine was reading off by more than 90 degrees, so I was about to give up on it as well. After using the two above fixes, it works great now and is very reliable.

My local shop used clear silicon to seal the access panels. The only downside is having to reseal it any time I open the panel up.

I use a different method than what you're going to make, but if it will help you calculate what you need; I found that approximately 200 lbs of weight on the tail held my E model just about right. If you take that number and figure out the volume of quickcrete needed, you should have the info you need.

Sarasota quoted me $25k to install an Aspen E5. I told them to go pound sand. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Mine (69 E) is a green and white indicator that says "DOWN" when the gear is down. You can get to it for cleaning, etc by removing the belly pan.

I just recently got a new set of these to replace mine from Southwest Texas Aviation. Does anyone have any advice on trimming and drilling them?

Maybe he's going for "gallons used" instead of "gallons remaining"?? IDK.

I have a '69E. I'm running the same compass as Janat83 and it's pretty close now.

I just went through the pain of installing a new vertical compass so I feel your pain. I have an E with a one piece windshield also. I tried using a magnet to determine whether that center post was steel and, at least on mine, it isn't (magnet wouldn't stick). So, I ended up getting two sheets of the magnetic shielding material from Spruce and putting them on the underside of my dash. Then I also used the magnetic correcting balance balls on the compass itself. And FINALLY, I was able to get the compass to read properly. Prior to all of these gymnastics, it was reading between. 30 and 90 degrees off. Pretty crazy.

Dude, that's your gascolator. You need to get familiarized with it for safety reasons.

I've been doing similar research for mine. What I've found so far is that PlanePlastics (now called Vantage) makes decent plastic parts, but they can be difficult to trim and fit properly (rumor is they made molds from previous parts and thus the new parts they are making are a tad oversized and must be trimmed, use a heat-gun on, etc.). The other issue that I've run into with PlanePlastics/Vantage is that their website doesn't always align with my airplane. They show my serial number as the wrong year, side panel pictures that should be one piece, they show as two piece, etc. which is confusing. Airtex interiors seems to have a good reputation for DIY as well. Also checkout Jaeger Aviation. He can send you a kit, do it for you, or a combination thereof. Seems to have a good reputation. There are also lots of options for repairing existing plastics using fiberglass repair and other methods. Good luck, and if you find other sources for these parts and/or services, I'd appreciate a heads up so that I can consider them as well!

Yes, unless they can show that there are no leaks. While you might be willing to live with a slight leak for awhile, if you decide to fix it, it can be very expensive (I think I recall the cost being around $25k to have bladders installed).

My advice: Check the VREF value on AOPA's website. That will get you a good ballpark of the value. Assuming the VREF is in the neighborhood of the asking price (and I'm guessing it will be), get a good pre-buy inspection, preferably from a local A&P who has Mooney experience, but who has NOT worked on that specific aircraft before. Be sure to have the fuel tanks checked for leaks (common Mooney thing), check the condition and dates on the donuts on the landing gear, check the positive control system (both wing leveling and autopilot functionality) and for any corrosion. Read the aircraft logbooks carefully and get an idea of how well it has been maintained (are they just doing the minimum required to keep it flying or staying ahead of things and making improvements over time?). On the engine, check the logs or any other documentation available for how often they are adding oil. Just because the compressions look really good, that does not necessarily mean the engine is in good condition. Trust me, I had to learn all about glazed cylinders recently. Have the A&P check it with a borescope during prebuy. Assuming the prebuy, logbook review, etc. turns out ok, I would make sure you have about $10k in the bank to cover any repairs after purchase. It is not unusual for the first annual to run $10k or even more, with subsequent ones running considerably less. For some reason, that's just the way it seems to work, so be prepared. Personally, I would also add in some future expense to upgrade the navigation system, especially if you plan on flying IFR with it. I'm sure others will have opinions on it, but those are my thoughts based on having bought a Mooney last year. Good luck!

I have an M20E with the PC system and no AP. I've got mixed feeling on PC. It's nice on long, straight flights, especially if you run into turbulence. It's also nice when flying in IMC (keeping the wings level while you're looking at charts, setting radios, etc.). I don't care for it as much when flying in the pattern or maneuvering, but of course you can just disable it by holding the button down or putting something over the button to hold it down. If mine ever stopped working, I probably wouldn't spend much to get it fixed. I am hoping TruTrak gets certified for Mooney soon and will probably put one of those in when that happens. Bottom line: it's okay but I would definitely not make it a major consideration, either positive or negative, when deciding whether or not to purchase a Mooney.

I'm not an A&P and relatively new to Mooneys, but I purchased a '69 E last year as my first plane. So far, I am very happy with the decision. I had a prebuy inspection done near the airport where I purchased the plane and, having done quite a bit of reading, also gave the mechanic some specific items that I wanted them to check including fuel tanks/bladders, the landing gear pucks, any signs of corrosion, oil analysis, complete logbook review, etc. It took them about 3 days and cost just under $1k. Because I was several hundred miles away, I also had them send me pictures as they were doing the work, which they were happy to do. Then, as a final stipulation for the purchase, I also had the owner take me for a flight in it (I also did some flying from the right seat) and used a title company to ensure all was ok on that. What I like: It's an absolute blast to fly! Very fast (mine has several speed mods that I'm very glad were installed prior to my purchase). It's MINE. I can leave it in the hangar with my headsets and iPad in place, full of fuel, and it's ready to go whenever I want to go. Ownership is pretty great in that regard. Contrary to what many will say about Mooney's, the room inside isn't terrible. In fact, I'm 6'1" and have to put my seat pretty far forward to reach the pedals. So, lots of legroom in the front. Width-wise though, it's not as comfortable as Piper Archer / Arrow. What I dislike: It's a 50 year old airplane and thus requires some care and attention (duh!). I have quite a bit of cracking on the interior plastics which obviously don't affect the airworthiness, but does bug me, so I'll probably work on it at some point. The original Mooney / Brittain AccuTrak autopilot / wing-leveler is a bit of an enigma. Mine only has the wing-leveler portion operational and I wish the failed autopilot portion had been discovered during the pre-buy. Sometimes, like when I'm flying in really gust winds, I like the wing leveler. Other times, I don't like it as much and I find myself wondering whether it's the wing-leveler or my feet on the rudder causing me to be slightly off my track occasionally. It's wonderful for single pilot IFR though. I am patiently waiting on the TruTrak to get certified and will likely replace mine with that eventually. Hope that helps some. Feel free to PM or email me if you'd like any additional thoughts on it.

Ok. Well, you do you and I'll do me. Have a nice day.

Salt. Corrosion. Walk onto the ramp at FXE, PMP, or BCT and run your fingers across the wing of any airplane that's been sitting outside.

I lived in Coral Springs and bought an M20E last year. Before I bought it, I put myself on literally every waiting list from West Palm Beach to Homestead (so, KPMP, KFXE, KBCT, etc.) LITERALLY A YEAR before I bought my plane and still couldn't get a hangar. In fact, when I bought the plane, I was only able to find 2 tiedowns in the entire area that anyone would rent on a monthly basis and the tiedown was $350/mo. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but there's just nothing available anywhere unless you're willing to go out to someplace like KPHK. That was as of December when my wife and I moved back to the midwest. If you're willing to settle for a tiedown at KPMP, call Dan at SheltAir 954.943.6050 x2144 and he might be willing to let you use a spot in transient parking like he did for me. Otherwise, North Perry might have a tiedown. Supposedly they are also looking to build some new hangars at KPMP in the next couple of years, so it might be worth seeing if you can get on a list for one of those if they aren't already spoken for. If you're looking for any additional info on the area there, A&P's, CFI's, clubs, avionics shops, or whatever, feel free to contact me. Best of luck!!