golfmogul

Yeah - I wish I could get one - but for my first plane, I've been avoiding anything experimental due to ex wife issues. Later, the 10 is what I want.

THANKS! This is very well said - and more detail but similar to what I've read about the K model ..... I def know what you mean about too many balls in the air & stuff coming at me too fast as a new student pilot, which is why for a while I refused to look at Mooney's or anything retract. Anyway, your comments here have convinced me to remove all K's out of my favs in Controller and Trade a plane - having turbo & all the related stuff to add to the newness of retract & constant speed prop is too much for me for now. Thx

Thx - so, are the F and J and K models long body?

Lol - somehow, the comments continue to address a family of 4 + a dog. I'd def be looking at a 6 seater if that was the case, but we're a family of 3 plus a dog. When clothed, I'm 180, kid a is 160 now & soon 180 I assume, kid B is 120 & tall so will keep growing. Dog will NOT come on many of our trips, but will come on some, and now weighs 25 and growing very fast. This is a 2-3 year plane for me - plan to sell this plane then & move up as my skills/experience grow, and as my ability to afford a nicer plane grows. So, even if my 10 year old (kid b) grows super fast, I doubt we'll ever be 3x180 ppl in this plane - and if we were, we just wouldn't take our dog on those trips if UL isn't enough for the gas needed to go 2 or 3 hours to 1st stop. Also, if I was just going to buy one plane only at this time, I'd spend about $200k, but instead, I plan to order & begin building an RV-7 asap (begin asap ... will take yrs to build I assume, unless I get impatient after the empennage kit and do the rest with a quick-build-assist program) ... so I have to use about $135k now & save the rest for the hard costs for the quick build kit & engine etc that will hit in about 8 months from now on my RV build. Thx a ton all for the advice. For those who've been recommending an a36, now that you know I'm 3 (mostly) adult sized ppl + a sometimes dog instead of 4 adult pax + always dog, ... would you recommend an F or J or (maybe) a K instead of the a36? Thx Edit: spelling

What's a toga? I googled it and didn't find what you are referring to. For 36 you mean bonanza 36?

Who is Parker? Contact info plz?

Thx - good advice. I like the idea of flying lots VFR for a few months at least & getting comfortable with whatever new plane I buy before diving into IFR training.

Yeah the weights I gave are higher than the kids & dog ... should be enough for 2 yrs of growth while we fly, then maybe move up to something else. Weights today are about 20 lbs less x 3 so about 60 lbs less total and another 5 lbs less for me (guess I shouldn't have assumed I'll gain weight lol).

My research, and TONS of commends on other pilot forums, has led me to want to buy a used Mooney as my next plane. But I could use some help picking the right model Mooney for my needs & I figured this is the place to ask. Here's my situation: I'm a brand new pilot flying out of U42 in Utah (4600 MSL field) (I'm a solo student now, should pass my check ride in a few weeks) Been doing my training in a PA 28 - 140 I own with a friend - we have several local pilots already interested in buying it once I pass my check ride & this shared-ownership, despite being with a good friend, has taught me that sharing a plane again is not for me I want to immediately begin training IFR after getting my PPL in a few weeks - so the Mooney I buy needs to be very well setup for learning & flying IFR I have 2 kids (big kids) and a dog I plan to do some XC travel with once I get well trained in my Mooney, starting with short XC's within Utah, then as my skills & safety grow, trip distance will grow to locations around the southwestern US Despite that I know that most of my flying will be with just me alone or me & 1 other person (my older son, my CFI, a SO, etc), after tons of research & financial analysis etc etc I've decided I do want the plane I own to have 4 seats and be capable for the XC trips with my kids. For those trips, we'll be leaving U42 in Utah & flying over/around the Rocky mountains with the following load: 185 me, 175 kid A, 140 kid b, 40 dog, 80 luggage = Total: 620lbs ... then of course we'll need enough gas to get somewhere about 2-3 hours away (we're fine to refuel once on longer trips, once my skills build up to taking longer trips with multiple legs) While speed and efficiency (GPH) are nice, I'm not obsessed with it. More important for me is to get a newer plane, or a recently refurbished plane where the engine, prop, interior, paint, and especially the avionics, are on the nicest/newest/highest end of what can be found in used Mooney's for my price range. Budget: If I were pushing my limits to buy my dream plane (for this phase of my life) I'd buy a 2007 Columbia/Cessna 400 Turbo with AC and a G1000 at about $300k. Could I make it happen? Yeah. Is it smart to push myself to those limits financially? No. Hence, the Mooney. So, if I'm going to hold off on the plane I ultimately want in order to be more conservative with my budget on this new hobby, I'm going to try to keep the purchase of the Mooney under $175k. Preferably around $135k or less. So, which model would you guys recommend that has a high useful load, great performance at high altitude/high DA, and where I'd be able to afford one that someone has put at least some decent glass avionics for IFR into & a nice/new interior & nice new paint & recently overhauled engine & prop etc? Everything I read about the models seems confusing ... but so far I've focused on J and K models. But IDK. Thx in advance for your suggestions/advice/expertise. Chad