1980Mooney

Only one of the 2 MLG tubes is bent? Everything is linked together. If it bent (buckled) because the Dukes actuator over- extended (due to lack of microswitch stop) then everything was overextended. Every tube should be checked for straightness. And turnbuckles for any On the other hand perhaps the one tube had some residual damage from the original gear up and it was the first to bend. check out this post

Also I have always found KNR- Inc., a Mooney specific shop out of Evanston, WY, to be a great online resource. They have a "Shop Talk" section that is very knowledgeable and pragmatic. Everyone has their favorite - my 2 cents. ShopTalk Index (knr-inc.com) Regarding Mooney specific pre-buy 200404 Caveat Emptor, Caveat Vendor (pre-buy) (knr-inc.com) 201712 Pre-buy Part 1 (knr-inc.com) 201801 Pre-buy Part 2 (knr-inc.com)

Look - I agree with your point. Anyone buying a plane should look at the Serial Number to avoid confusion. Advertisements and owner statements can be misleading. Also if you search a plane by Serial Number you may find that the N-Number changed along the way.

Also you may have already seen some of theses From one of our MS'ers @201er Also Emergency Gear Swing by @201er

Uh - Eric above raised doubt "If somebody says they have a 76 J model, I wonder whether they really mean an early J or an actual 76F that has essentially been converted." THERE IS NO DOUBT.

Since you have narrowed your interest to a M20J POH Service Manual Wiring Diagrams (safe to open) mooney.free.fr/Manuels M20J/M20J/Mooney Service Manuel M20J Vol. 2 of 2.pdf Parts

Come on guys - this discussion is getting goofy. The Serial Number says it all. As posted on page one N201JK is Serial Number 24-0040. You can look it up on Aircraft Inquiry (faa.gov) It is a M20J. Period. Go look at the parts manual and the service manual (both are posted on MS). Parts and service is identified by Serial Number - not "year of Mooney" or date of Certification.

Lots of confusion here. Suggesting mechanical stripping. Or painting /feather the new polysulfied sealant over-the urethane . Or put in bladders

This says proprietary polyurethane.

Not videos but might help.....

Another tidbit. I am the same height as you. Based upon your past GA experience, you will probably find the Mooney panel height to be taller than the ones you previously flew. The height adjustable/articulating seats w/ armrest were an option on some planes - they are nice but heavier eating up UL Some people have salvaged and added them - price is ridiculous - Alan Fox has a used pair that need repair for sale now - Price $6,100 plus shipping. Mooney articulating front seats | eBay I simply use a quality travel seat cushion (memory foam) - works perfectly - boosts me up a little and is comfortable. Also you will see some comments about extensions on the toe brake pedals. - there are 1.5 inch and 3 inch extension I have never needed extensions - stock seems fine to me

You really think people would buy an unproven spring? One that, if it breaks while retracting the gear, the gear will not go down for landing. That will insure a gear-up landing and in this market, down for a year, that is if the insurance company doesn't scrap the plane. If I was looking to buy a plane that the Logs showed had an OPP or "Off Brand X" no-back spring, the deal would have to be contingent on the Seller replacing the spring at their expense. Just my 2 cents.

Other than the modern fiberglass interior, starting with Ser. no. 24-3374, which replaced the cheap flimsy, (brittle over time), "Royalite" ABS interior panels and foam sound deadening material replacing cheap fluff fiber glass insulation, can you explain how they got heavier? Yes some later ones came with the highly sought after fully adjustable (and heavier) pilot seats with arm rests. But same engine, same steel frame, same skins, same tires. We have all replaced the fluff insulation with more substantial sound deadening foam. Later models came from the factory with more (heavier) avionics, and yes there are some out there for sale with practically original panels, but as owners upgrade avionics over time all the planes become lighter and more similar. A 160 lb. GW improvement is a real improvement. That said, it is basically a "paper" improvement. All Mooney's built in the last 60 years fly on and are lifted by the same wing (same airfoil, same area, same lift). They are all are suspended on the ground with the same exact shock discs in the landing gear. Yet GW went from 2,450 lbs to 3,380 lbs. The only fundamental difference is the power used to propel the plane. I have pointed out previously that Rocket Engineering, got the FAA to certify that the earlier J's with the 2 thinner steel tubes, could be certified to 3,200 lbs. GW in the Missile conversion, without any structural modification. On trips I fly at 3,200 lbs in the same airframe that I was previously limited to 2,740 lbs. No Missile has ever had a structural issue.

The later J models had a small modification that allowed the GW to increase to 2,900 lbs from 2,740 lbs. All Serial Numbers 24-1686 and above had 2 tubes in the side of the steel cage with a slightly greater wall thickness (.049 vs .035) M20J Serial Number 24-3057 and above are certified at 2,900 lbs. GW M20J Serial Number 24-1686 through 24-3056 can be certified via STC (basically 1988 and newer) https://mooneyspace.com/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=95270 It basically involves relabeling the ASI, checking the balance of your rudder and POH additions. For your mission look for 1988 or newer. Many will already have the GW increase STC.

Here is a Youtube of the folding backseats in a Mid-Body M20K (same interior dimensions as a J). I do not think there is any way to put a bicycle in a Mooney unless it is a folding frame. For that you need an A36 or a big Piper 6 - Saratoga or Dakota

The airworthiness date on his plane (serial number 24-0040) is 11/18/1976. But yes it is technically a "1977 Model" https://www.mooneyevents.com/chrono.htm

Welcome onto the forum. A lot of your mission fits a M20J. But then there are a few issues. Years ago, when we we were a lightweight family like yours also based in the Houston area, we had a similar mission and bought our M20J. Trips to Central TX hill country, South TX South Padre, Florida panhandle, Destin, all with seats filled worked well We also frequently took trips to New Mexico with seats filled - the plane was adequate but density altitude planning always critical, especially in the summer. I elected to have the Rocket Engineering "Missile" STC which added an IO-550. This gave it Ovation like performance which better handles flying in New Mexico and Colorado. Just about any Mooney with the right avionics is a "strong IFR platform". Ours does not have split/removable rear seats - that was a feature starting in 1982 Skip posted this link https://mooneyspace.com/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=128630&key=679a9d65c36d11a698921a4cea2a60b3 You mention "2 pax plus rifles" - that sounds like you might benefit from the greater backseat and luggage space (length) in a Long Body. You could take one seat out and lay the guns down. You said "don't intend to fly regularly in widespread low imc or night imc" I am not sure if you meant you need to be able to handle all kinds of weather conditions "occasionally". If you need FIKI and need to get over some weather in the lower Flight Levels, then that changes things - it narrows your options. You would need a Bravo M20M or Acclaim M20TN. I think there are a few Encore M20K with FIKI but they are scarce and weak on UL And last, since you are based in Houston you didn't mention Air Conditioning. Perhaps your past GA experiences were here and you have already factored long IFR releases in during hot humid nearly unbearable weather. I manage without A/C by loading/fuel/preflight and keeping it out of the sun in the hangar before family arrives. Just my experience.

It is an interesting idea. However the Powerflow is installed per STC. And the website says "disassembly, cleaning and lubrication are required Annually". The moly lube only addresses one aspect of the STC Annual requirement. I have not seen the actual STC instructions, but I bet you are still stuck with the extra labor every year.

The fine print on the Power Flow site says: "Every 500 flight hours or annually (whichever comes first) the four slip joints on the system must be cleaned and lubricated with high temperature anti-seize compound. Most Customers have this maintenance performed during the aircraft's annual inspection which adds about 2 hours of labor to the inspection." So if your shop rate is $100/hour it will cost you an extra $200 every year or equivalent to about 33 gallons @$6/gal. If you fly 60 hours per year that is equivalent to an extra 0.5 gallon per hour. That seems to eat up any savings. And for no increase in performance plus a much higher purchase price than a stock exhaust.

Yes - he said "Doesn't someone know how this is done?". Apparently not. Oh wait - the OP will need a "knowledgeable Mooney mechanic" to clamp the gear so there is no chance that it will fold up. I doubt the rookie mechanic that he found (the one that doesn't want the liability of learning Mooney landing gear) will be of any use. And @LANCECASPER gave the example of the collapse in a Mooney shop caused by nose gear going first in the hands of a knowledgeable Mooney mechanic - Flying with the gear down puts a continuous force on the nose gear that will cause it to fold up if something is amiss or lets go. The OP will likely need to inform his Insurance Company that the gear is malfunctioning and that he plans to fly with the gear down. They may object - they may want a Ferry Permit which involves a knowledgeable Mooney A&P....

If Clarence hadn't been run off we would probably would have gotten the answer the first day.....

Not surprising. The number of A&P's with Mooney experience is shrinking and their isn't great incentive for new ones to learn. I used a shop on the southwest side of Houston for about 15 years starting in 2005. They were pretty good with Mooney's. However, early on in 2010 they saw the rising domination of Cirrus and became a certified Cirrus repair center. When my long previously scheduled Annual in 2020 rolled around, they delayed me multiple times until I was out of Annual. Then they told me that they could not do it at all and that I need to find someone else - "They had too much Cirrus work under contract (prepaid and Warranty maintenance)". Remember that the Mooney Factory had shut down (again) shortly before - they made a business decision - their future was with Cirrus. So I found another shop nearby in Houston. What a friggin disaster - ANNUAL FROM HELL. My Annual went of for months. Rather than find all issues in parallel they did it in a serial fashion. The supply chain was screwed up but they would misplace things causing delays. They did work that was not required - one day I went over and they were removing everything from my hatrack including the insulation. I told them it was not needed in the Annual and I would not pay shop rate for it. I spoke to another mechanic who laughingly referred to the shop that was doing my Annual as a "Cessna Shop". We had a dispute on the bill and they would not sign off the Annual without discrepancies (which they were not competent enough to address). I wound up flying my Mooney with a Ferry Permit to another airport to a different shop.

He said he is at KCXO (Conroe) in the northern part of the Greater Houston area which is over 10,000 sq mi - bigger than Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Connecticut.... I know one good Mooney shop in the south west part of Houston about 50 miles from him. There are some at Pearland even farther south. No A&P is going to waste time driving across Houston when his shop is full and stacked up with upcoming work. Maybe there is someone up where he is that claims to know what they are doing.

Here is another picture of the multi fold piano hinge between the tailcone rear bulkhead and the empennage. See the pic on page 9. Present Position (themooneyflyer.com) That structure back there is an engineering marvel - it doesn't look very strong but it is just robust enough to do the job. It is not like the wing structure which looks like it is overbuilt. Unfortunately I was thinking the same thing as @philiplane but didn't want to say it. Everything back there is critical. There are probably a few places qualified to repair it which might make both airworthy and maximize value retention. In years past, something like this would go back to the factory for repair. But I doubt that they are qualified to do it anymore. The experience and reputation of the shop you use to repair it (if the insurance company doesnt total it) will impact its resale value. It will need to be trucked somewhere. If you are thinking that it can be repaired locally, someone might attempt it, but it will impact ability to sell it in the future.

Deregistered in 2009. "Barn Find"....