Utah20Gflyer

I was planning on flying from KTVY tooele to GEG Spokane this morning but delayed until tomorrow morning because of the high winds and low ceilings in the Boise area. Did you end up flying today? If so how was it? I don’t regret delaying a day, forecast for tomorrow morning looks excellent.

I bought a g model Mooney for basically three reasons. First to get my instrument rating, second to build complex and total hours and lastly to go places. If you can afford to own and operate an f model Mooney it is a great choice. If you wanted to build hours at the lowest cost possible there are other cheaper choices but you didn’t mention cost as being your primary consideration. If in the future you want to move up in plane then Mooney time looks a lot better to an insurance underwriter than C150 time so there are definitely advantages to building time in a Mooney versus cheap plane.

A good cover is probably the first step. Second, keep some auto paint detailer spray with you and make sure to clean bird droppings and whatever else off the plane anytime you are around it. Clean bugs off the leading edges of your wings, prop and cowling after every flight. If you do it immediately the bugs come off really easily and it only takes a couple minutes. The auto detailer clears off the bugs quickly and also leaves a protective coating which is especially important since the plane is out in the elements full time. In general if you are outside you will need to spend much more time cleaning the plane than if you hanger it. Keep an eye out for birds and rodents taking up residence in your aircraft. The other day I cleaned half a buckets worth of nesting material out of my tail that a bird deposited there over the course of 2 days after the rag I use to keep birds out disappeared. Keep the proper lubricants handy and use them regularly. I lube all the flight control joints probably at least every other week. Clean, polish, lubricate Clean, polish, lubricate Thats your life if you park it outside and want to keep it looking nice. I'd love to get a hanger to decrease the workload but no hangers available where I'm at. The Mooney tied down next to mine gets no love and it is just slowly wasting away. Never gets cleaned, polished or lubricated. Has a bird nest in the tail with chirping chicks in it. Bird crap every where. Definitely don't do that, just sad to see. Apparently it's for sale but I'm not sure who would buy it for what they are asking.

I haven't had an issue with the I pad turning off using it that way but it does pose an issue if I want to charge it. Maybe I'll switch it and see how I like it. Question. If a screw is loose do you just use one size up but same length? I have a bunch of screws that want to fall out. Seems like that is the easy solution Thanks

I've actually ordered some new door welt/windlass and just haven't found time to install it yet. Also need to pick up some new screws and washers to do the reinstall. Might as well replace everything while I'm doing it.

Hello everyone, After looking at Mooney's for years and spending about one year really trying to find an aircraft to purchase I finally purchased my Mooney about a month and half ago, a 1968 G model. Since then I've put 26 hours on it. This plane sat for about 8 years in Tucson after the previous owner lost his medical as a result of a head injury. Previous to the plane sitting for 8 years it was extensively rehabbed 20 years ago. It's still in relatively good shape but sitting a while has definitely caused some issues from being unused. My squawk list is a full page single space but fortunately they are mostly minor issues that I am going to try to knock out in the next couple years. The goal is to get this plane to the point where I can honestly say it is in excellent condition. That's obviously a subjective determination but I don't want to be like many aircraft sellers I talked to that called their Mooneys excellent when in reality they should have used the word derelict. Anyway. I really appreciate everyone who contributes to this forum. I've learned a ton and look forward to learning much much more. Thanks, Craig

I recently purchased a M20G and used a guy named Donald 330 780 4948. He is a Delta pilot with Mooney experience including a little over 10 hours in my G model recently. I had him fly it with me from Tucson to Salt Lake City and then wrap up the rest of my 10 hour transition training the next day. He’s a good guy. Another option to consider.

I'm a low time Mooney pilot but I don't get why people often claim mooneys are hard to slow down. With just a little bit of planning they slow down great. Personally I start slowing pulling power and adding nose up trim 5 to 10 minutes before I arrive at the airport. I arrive on altitude at pattern speed. I never have to use the gear, flaps or speed brakes(don't have them) to slow down. Maybe it's cause I fly a G model, the slowest of the mooneys. I flew with a guy one time in a J model who would come into the middle of the downwind doing 140 knots, seemed to me that was the hard way to do things. Some planning ahead makes it nice and easy and adds some consistency that will make it less likely that you will gear up. In the end you probably only land a minute later than if you came blazing into the pattern at near cruise speed. Not an instructor, just personal experience from someone with very little personal experience in a Mooney.

Hi, I’m looking for an overhead rheostat for the panel lights and 2 knobs for the heat vents that are at your knees. They would be going in a 68 20g which I would think may have some parts compatibility. Let me know if you have any of those. Thanks!

If you go to www.pilotmall.com they have the 68 M20G POH for 15 bucks. I also happened to buy a 68 20g a couple weeks ago although my panel is not nearly as nice as yours, congrats!

If money is not a concern I think the F is definitely a more versatile plane but also keep in mind the IO 360 is more money to overhaul/maintain than a O 360. Ultimately whichever plane has been maintained better will be the more affordable aircraft to own but all things being equal the O360 with the manual systems is dirt simple with the absolute lowest costs for a complex airplane. As you move from the earlier C/G models towards the late model long bodies the costs incrementally increase. Where you end up on that scale just depends on what mission you want to accomplish and how much money you want to spend accomplishing it.

I just purchased a 1968 M20G, I consider it to be the most utilitarian plane that Mooney every built. Roomy cabin with the lowest cost systems to maintain that Mooney built. I am liking it so far. I’ve actually never flown in an F so can’t give you a comparison of the 2 models. Many say the g is the slow Mooney but mine seems to average 140 to 145 knots with quite a few speed mods, climb has been more than adequate. I think the biggest downside to the g is the lower useful load generally. The gross weight is actually lower than a C with the extra weight of the mid body. My useful is 850 - someThing I may try to work on in the future.

Calgary doesn’t sound like a bad area to store an aircraft but I guess the question is how long has it been there. Either way if it’s been sitting a while you will likely be looking at a lot of maintenance for at least a couple years. The plane I bought sat a while in Tucson Arizona which is a good place for an airplane to sit but I’m finding a lot of little squawks popping up on top of some deferred maintenance I know I’m going to need to get caught up. In my case there where a lot of other factors that offset this issue but something to think about. Maintenance issues seem to accrue whether the plane is being flown or not so keep that in mind.

The engine has only averaged 14 hours a year in what you describe as a high humidity environment so that is certainly an area of concern. Given the difficulty in determining cam/lifter corrosion in a lycoming it would be best to be very skeptical of the “low time” engine. Add to that the wood wing and price and I think that explains why it hasn’t moved in a very hot aircraft market. You also mentioned you wanted 650 lbs with full fuel, this plane would fall about 100 lbs short of that goal. A C model would be more likely to make that number. Most have 950 to 1000 lbs useful. If it were me (and it actually was, I just purchased and saw this plane for sale and kept going) I’d look for an all metal airplane with a more certain history. just curious...how was the fiberglassing of the wings accomplished? Stc or 337?