1980Mooney

Right. FAA Stall Speeds at any given weight in the POH including MGW are determined with POWER OFF "For both Part 25 and Part 23, the stall speed is measured with power off (or at zero thrust) to ensure the result reflects the aircraft’s aerodynamic limits without engine thrust effects "

The certification of one particular M20J to safely takeoff and fly at 2,740 pounds MGW vs another M20J certified to take off and fly at 2,900 pounds MGW is just a paper exercise. It is a distinction without a difference. They are the same planes, same aerodynamics, same engine, wing, etc. Mooney certified all M20J's rolling out the door starting in 1991 (starting with Ser. No. 24-3218) at 2,900 pounds MGW (up from 2,740 pounds). Then they said "Hold on - Everyone with a M20J built from 1988 on (starting with Ser. No. 24-1686) can also safely takeoff and fly with 2,900 pounds MGW if: You send some money for Some new AFM supplement pages Check rudder balance per the Drawing 940071 Adhere to Specific Balance Limits: For 2900-pound aircraft: Use gauge weight distance limits of +6.69 in. to +10.68 in..For 2740-pound aircraft: The previous limits of +3.37 in. to +10.68 in. remain in effect. Remark the little green mark on the ASI to reflect higher stall speed in the Landing Configuration at 2,900 lbs.

Not exactly. The accident Mooney was a 1981 M20J Ser. No. 24-1221. In the M20J series the landing gear below Ser. No. 24-765 were a limitation to 2,740 lbs. The Rocket Engineering STC for the M20J conversion to Missile 300 allowed all J's above 24-0764 to Takeoff and fly at 3,200 lbs. (NO LANDING GEAR MODIFICATION). Mooney allowed all J's above 24-1685 to increase MGW to 2,900 lbs. (Unrelated to landing gear). Although M20J N1151H had a "regulatory" MGW of 2,740 lbs. it had the same flight characteristics of a "2,900 lbs" M20J - it just lacked a piece of paper.... Missile owners have a different piece of paper that raises the same exact (unmodified) landing gear to 3,200 lbs.

As @AndreiC and @dkkim73 asked, “What exactly is your mission?” When you said that you can live with steam gauges and NOT ADSB compliant for “the kind of flying that you’ll be doing”, that sounds like you will be puttering around rural small airports for fun. (Are you planning to operate out of grass or dirt strips?) As @AndreiC also pointed out, a Mooney is known to be an efficient traveling machine. That is its strength - freedom to fly anywhere - into towered airports and above 10,000 ft. Etc. As a result it is more complex - retractable landing gear, CS prop. And it has an empennage which the entire structure articulates - not just the elevators. If you just want rural fun and/or stay in the pattern, a 172 or Cherokee will do just fine. And the fixed landing gear and prop will do it with way less insurance and Annual cost. I didn’t understand your comment about the cost of repair for 60 year-old 172 ‘s and Cherokee’s versus 60 year old Mooney’s. Parts for Cessna 172‘s and Piper Cherokee‘s are actually easier to find because so what is many more were made. (44,000 172’s built - 4X the entire original Mooney fleet). Engine cost is basically the same w/ Carb vs injection on some comparisons. Fixed prop on 172 and Cherokee cheaper. Retractable gear on Mooneys more expensive to repair than fixed. The Mooney articulated empennage needs more maintenance. Aluminum skin basically the same. Cessna uses cable/pulley mechanism on its controls. Mooney uses push/pull rods/tubes. More A&P mechanics have more experience fixing Cessnas and Cherokees. Sure they can do the routine on Mooney’s but many struggle with proper adjustments of landing gear, flight control rigging and major repairs You will see many comments here looking for “Mooney specific” mechanics. If you are rural or at a small airport it might be more difficult to- of course not impossible.

Per AOPA Finance: ”Yes, banks can and do finance aircraft with engines past Time Between Overhaul (TBO) calendar limits, but it is often more difficult and comes with stricter terms, such as lower loan-to-value (LTV) ratios or higher down payments. Lenders often view such aircraft as "runout" or high-risk assets, requiring potential overhauls to be accounted for in the loan structure.”

The Airport Authority/Manager. That is who is responsible for dealing with any incident/accident that interferes with the safe operation of the runway. The more I think about this, it sounds like a story that has been embellished for click-bait. Police looking for him? - sounds like BS. More likely he talked to the airport manager and his insurance company before jumping into his Mooney and leaving. The Airport Authority is responsible for shutting down the airport runway when it is unsafe and responsible for getting it back into operation. The pilot of any plane in distress on an active runway may or may not be the owner. It could be in an LLC and the pilot is not a managing partner. It could be a foreign registry. Or a rental. Or loaned to a pilot. The Airport Authority/Manager is not going to waste time searching for the legal owner of a plane before taking action. And the owner of the plane cannot take over and block the runway while trying to hire lift services - nor can outside services enter the airport without the consent/direction of the Airport Manager.

Are you planning to finance the purchase of this aircraft? If so, most banks will not finance if the engine is beyond TBO.

Nope. He owns three (3) planes - the Bonanza, a Mooney M20C and a Cessna 150. After the incident he hopped into his Mooney and took off. Adam's Report: Beechcraft F33A Bonanza, N3688R, incident occurred on May 7, 2026, at Red Bluff Airport (RBL/KRBL), Red Bluff, California, and Mooney M20C Ranger, N3492X, with a three-star GTA wanted level. ADS-B Exchange - track aircraft live N3688R Flight Tracking and History - FlightAware N3492X Flight Tracking and History - FlightAware

What exactly is "overweight" in an M20J? The exact same airframe can "legally" takeoff with 2,740, 2,900 or 3,200 lbs depending on the paperwork or STC. Darwin Conrad hung an extra 100 HP on the M20J airframe and convinced the FAA that it was safe to fly at 3,200 lbs. Truth be known, I have probably taken off above 3,200 lbs. Ferry pilots legally take off with 130% of MGW all the time on long distance flights.

Nationwide 100LL is up 25 cents to $6.78. Jet-A is up 15 cents to $7.25.

Last prior flight that I see on ADSB is back in August 2025. Rusty pilot, rusty plane....

@Adrian C You have missed another BIG cost category. Wentworth has stripped the avionics out of the plane. "YOU WILL NOTE THAT WE HAVE REMOVED A COUPLE OF THE ITEMS FROM THE DASH AND THEY ARE NOT INCLUDED HERE. BUT IN CASE YOU WANT TO GO BACK TO THE EQUIPMENT THAT HAD BEEN INSTALLED, WE HAVE LEFT THE TRAYS AND CONNECTORS FOR ALL THE REMOVED ITEMS FULLY WIRED." A COUPLE??? They gutted it. As @LANCECASPER highlights, Wentworth has been at this a long time and generally don't leave any money on the table (granted, you had a good experience with them previously). Wentworth is sketchy on details in the description and not generous on panel pictures on eBay (intentionally??), but that plane previously also had JPI fuel flow and EGT displays which seem to be missing (the last Aircraft.com ad shows them). No radios, no NAV. They even took the transponder. And look at the primary engine instruments - they are missing meaning the plane had been converted to electronic Engine Monitoring Display - WHICH IS ALSO GONE. Wentworth magnanimously did leave the (near worthless) Collins AMR 350 Audio Panel.... And the autopilot.... Add another $60-70K to your estimate. Your profile shows you are in WI and the plane is grounded in NY. Does your plan/est. include moving it to your location?...more $$$? Granted the structure looks pretty good. But the stripped panel is a real downer in my opinion. I don't see how anyone could break even on this. @KSMooniac has experience at this and has posted before regarding bringing a salvage/auction Mooney back to airworthiness.

This is a bit surprising and troubling considering the parties involved. Registration shows that GMax (dba Integrity Aero LLC - Boerne, TX) acquired the plane at the beginning of August 2025 and sold it to the Santa Fe, NM owner at the end of September 2025. ADSBExchange shows that it flew from Longview to Santa Fe on September 4, 2025. It does not seem plausible that the discrepancies and corrosion occurred in the few months that it has been owned in dry New Mexico. The current owner apparently only owned it about 6-7 months before deciding to put it up for sale (that is a red flag too). I think most would conclude the poor condition of the plane seems to be the way Maxwell "Annualed" it and GMax sold it.

Continuing sign of the times. They were just at Sun 'n Fun two weeks ago displaying a plane and gave no indication of imminent shutdown. Waco Aircraft Ceases Operations - AvBrief.com Per AvBrief: "Waco Aircraft Corporation has ceased operations and terminated most, if not all, of its employees. About 60 people worked at the plant in Battle Creek, Michigan. Employees left work as usual on Tuesday and shortly afterward received an email telling them not to report for work on Wednesday. A sign was posted on the front door on Wednesday confirming the bad news. " "The company was sold by its American owners to a German company in 2020 who invested heavily in new facilities at Battle Creek. The company recently displayed at Sun ‘n Fun and there was no indication it was on the brink of closing."

Would you care to share what you think was a “good price” for a Short Body paint job? Some have discussed Mid Body paint prices at or near the cost of a field overhaul.