thundermustard

No smoking, no eating, no fat guys with golf bags?

Yeah, probably meant Mark 21. And the shortest runway at KMHV is 4,747'. But like all tales, it grows a bit wilder each time.

True, I had a crush on Valerie Bertinelli. But he was kinda the Fonz of this show. I think he was on t-shirts and lunch boxes.

My wife and I have both started watching old Tattletales from 1974. The show featured B list celebrity couples. The premise is you give a one or two word clue that you think your spouse will remember the recognize and repeat the story. We were both kids when it came on but we remember watching it during summer vacation. If you are our age you remember One Day at a Time and Pat Harrington, who became an icon playing the building super, Schneider. Anyway, this clip from Tattletales shows how close we came to never seeing him in this role. It is only a couple of minutes long. I don't know how he survived based on what he describes, maybe a bit of hyperbole is involved. https://youtu.be/SOrqo9c1Cqo?t=150

Thanks for all the great input. I know that if you could reliably rent a flight school plane whenever you wanted it would be cheaper than owning. But as many have pointed out, that isn't an option. Good luck renting a school plane for a flight to NY for a three day trip that only takes four hours on the Hobbs meter. My flying club is pretty wide open for reserving so that is probably where I should stay. But you still don't have the full freedom that many of you enjoy (and are paying dearly for). I should have added I am retired so my schedule is flexible. For that reason I don't think FIKI is an important option. I would be flexible enough to avoid flying when icing would be a concern. In fact most of my flying would probably be day trips in New England between June and October when icing is not a big concern (sure there could be icing on the in early June or late October but much less likely). I like the advice to buy the plane with the upgraded panel as it will be cheaper that way then doing it from scratch. Lots to think about.

Problem with a flight school is getting the plane for more than a day. They don't like taking it off the flight line with all those student pilot dollars chasing hours.

That is of course subject to debate and like the stock market, no one knows for sure. Still love to get guidance on the Mooney for me.

I know there are tons of threads out there on pre-purchase advice on Mooneys. But every instance is different so please forgive me for starting a new one. I got my PPL in April of this year. I really wanted to buy a plane so I wouldn't be at the whim of my greedy flight school for rentals. But the market was pretty close to peaking in the spring of 2022 so I couldn't find the plane for me. Doing research I fell in love with the Mooney's efficiency and speed. In the meantime, I joined a flying club where I have access to a 172 and a 182. I am currently working on my IFR training in the 172, after that is finished my plan is to get an HP endorsement on the 182 and then use it for trips. Now the market seems to have peaked. Having said that, I do think I am happy, for at least the next year, with my current option. But, maybe waiting six months, for prices to come down more, then having a year to turn a diamond in the rough into my perfect Mooney might make sense. So, if I was to start looking what information can you give me that helps? I currently am able to fit two foldable bikes in the backseat of the 172. I would like to be able to do that, so a backseat at least as big as a 172s. Are they all? Or just the stretch models. I am on the east coast so a turbo isn't a necessity. My kids live in Washington state though, so a flight to them would be helped by a turbo. Most of my flying would be within 300 miles. Having said that, my mother is in Florida so being able to travel at 155 kts would be great for a couple of long trips a year. Faster obviously would be icing on the cake Oh yeah budget. I would really like to be sub-$200K, the subber the better . As I said, it could be spent on an upgraded plane or I think I have time to spend it on upgrades myself. If I spent $200K I would want a low-hour engine as my budget would be maxed out. Thanks,

What is the realistic ceiling of this aircraft with a full load? Not what the manual says.

My budget is double this. It just looked like a good deal. I realize there is no such thing right now.

Wow. I need to hire you to find me a plane. Nice insight.

BTW: The broker story was just part of it. What do you guys think of a plane with 10K hours on the frame?

No, if it is still for sale then my instinct to be worried seems sound.

?? I don't know what that means. I have made an offer on another plane, had a counter that I didn't accept, and then been told we respectfully decline your last offer. Brokers want to make a commission. I just assumed they would try very hard to get the buyer and seller to an agreed upon price. I don't understand silence, followed by cold call, followed by silence.

https://www.controller.com/listing/for-sale/201673285/1991-mooney-m20j-201-piston-single-aircraft I have learned that any plane on Controller that doesn't have an offer on it when you inquire is either overpriced or has issues, or both. I was interested in this plane and made some inquires in Feb. He said he would get back to me with an estimate on the cost to get it an N number and delivered to the US. He didn't get back to me. A few weeks later I called, after seeing it still listed, and said you never got back to me. He guessed $10-15K. I would need to add ADS-B as well, so say $20K. He said a previous buyer offered $100K and it was accepted. Eventually the buyer bowed out saying he couldn't get over the 10K plus total hours on the engine. It was a Korean Airlines trainer. I decided I would offer $95K (I was petrified the hours would leave me with a plane I couldn't sell down the road) and my response went unanswered, not denied, not countered, not accepted. I assumed that meant they were offended and wouldn't even counter. Then like two weeks later the broker emails me, out of the blue, and says are you still interested. I can make this work. I said I want their best offer, I will decide based on that. Once again crickets. Not a, that's not how it works, give me an offer, etc. And it is still listed. Which brings me back to what is going on? Sure it could be under contract and still listed on Controller, but since I have moved on from it, I thought I would gather feedback to help me on the next plane I consider.

You Only Live Once

I don't want to hear anyone bitch about gas prices when you can't find a contractor or buy a reasonably priced airplane. A few Covid payments from the previous and current administrations do not explain people spending this much money. I think the whole country just yelled "yolo" at once.

Agreed. It is a shame that 1/2 the country will always blame whoever is in the White House at that time for things that they have no control over (and both side do it). All us consumers have to do is stop buying sh!t for a few months and inflation will go down. But we can't seem to help ourselves.