Futches

Thanks so very much for all the comments and good neighborly suggestions on this thread. The value of this community is tremendous! This one was premium priced when compared to others in the market, and digging in further I was left with even more questions. I decided to let it go and will keep looking for a better option. I’ll do that wiser next time (and I’ll call DMax first!) and I’ll be sure to take it to an MSC for the prebuy. (Crazy face emoji inserted here) Maybe just a different one.

I know, right? There's a complete thread here on what it takes to become/stay an MSC. Unfortunately hindsight is hindsight. Often times we don't know what we don't know...until we do.

Thanks @redbaron1982 - I read your entire post and can certainly feel your pain...as much as I hope to avoid it. The just-completed pre-buy was done at an MSC, and while all good folks, they're not experts on this part of the aircraft (and to their credit, admitted when they didn't know something). Unfortunately I ended up with more/bigger questions than I began with...this thread is the result. (A previous post suggested start with DMax first next time. Noted.)

Quick update: inspection of the tail section above the tie down skid shows no evidence of any damage.

Many thanks so far for the (very quick) replies. To clarify, while I am definitely thinking about the resale pool when it's time to trade up, my biggest question at the moment is whether this is original or not. If it's original then there's no issue...there are no logbook entries because there shouldn't be. (The logs are otherwise generally good.) I'm going to reach out to DMax today, but figured I'd start here. Thanks again.

Greetings all - I'm looking at a 1990 M20J MSE with a history of nose landing gear incidents and would welcome some input. The nose gear has been replaced at least three times over the last ten years or so. The first happened six years ago; it was a full collapse and included a prop strike and engine overhaul, the result of (as it was explained to me) an overly-aggressive attempt to turn on a taxiway. This one was the most significant, with the engine overhauled by a reputable shop and reinstalled. (Note that the overhaul work was captured in the engine and prop logs, but I can't find any airframe repairs or the engine r&r mentioned in the airframe logbook except new NLG parts and one gear door). Yet on the attached PDF are some images of what appear to be three sheet metal repairs where the firewall meets the lower fuselage skin. I don't know Mooneys as well as I'd like to (yet), but with sheet metal screws holding them in place it just doesn't seem original. Also noteworthy is the somewhat uneven skin aft of the firewall on both sides of the airplane. That might be nothing but in the context of the other I thought it worth noting. Note also that the NLG was replaced again a few years ago (tugging incident) and again within the last six months after yet another tugging incident. This most recent one resulted in all new NLG parts and gear doors (that's why they look new in the pictures...they are), but still no mention of the sheet metal work on these entries. Could those be as the aiplace came from the factory? I should mention the airplane otherwise appears to have been well-maintained, and the current owner (7 years?) does not seem to have had any issues investing in the airplane. I'd be grateful for your thoughts. One more thing...the tail skid shows evidence of ground contact. Scraping and bending. I've seen scraping on Cherokees (trainers) before, but they tend to be beefier and I've never seen them bent. This is a view directly up. Thanks in advance. (The arrows I put into the images are for orientation (White/Red) and to note the questionable areas (Yellow). The points don't point directly to any exact point, just generally to the area I'm pointing out) Nose Gear Repair.pdf Tail Skid.pdf

Many thanks to all for the messages…looks like training is going to be a non-issue with all the great folks in this community! I’m zeroed in on a M20J and hope to reach a deal this week.

Greetings all - new to the community, glad to be here. Quick intro: former professional corporate pilot with ATP/CFI-I, but since changing careers 20 years ago I have done very little flying. My kids are grown and I’m now finally returning to GA flying, and I’m in the market for an airplane…likely an M20J as it suits my mission well. I’ll be looking for an instructor to partner with as I go through a thorough process to regain currency and proficiency, someone with M20J experience to meet insurance requirements until I’m back up to speed. I’m based in the north Boston area and would welcome any introductions. Thanks in advance!