JB2000

Good to know. Thank you, @toto.

Thanks, everyone, for the replies. Just to add a little more information from my end, I had spoken with my current non-owned policy provider Avemco a little bit ago (so maybe this is now outdated), and the agent giving me an estimate provided that they would look at time in type from any M20, so it wouldn't matter whether I was getting it in an E and wound up buying an F or vice versa. But, I agree with the comment that if insurance savings were my only motivation, getting those 10 hours now wouldn't really be a savings compared to the reduction in premiums. Regarding the comment on my seeking of training to see if I like it, I do agree with the sentiment that with adequate practice I could operate a Mooney whether I initially liked it or not, and I am largely counting on overcoming that hurdle if it turns out to exist. However, with any major purchase or major decision, if personal taste, comfort, and other preferences are relevant, it would make sense to explore those before committing rather than discovering them later. And, truly, I think I would have a lot of fun training in a Mooney leading up to buying one, so I thought I would look. Big thanks again to everyone who took the time to comment.

Hello Everyone--I am writing in hopes to hear from or about any CFIs instructing out of a Mooney in the KC area (preferably Kansas side and/or MKC) or Lawrence. To be clear, I do not own a Mooney (yet), so I will need a solution that connects me not only to the CFI but also to the plane. I am hoping to build 10 hours, maybe more depending on costs, so that 1) I can decide after actually really flying a Mooney whether I like it; and 2) I can have time in type for insurance. Last year, I met up and flew with a couple of very nice owners from this group who have been incredibly generous with their time and showed me their Mooneys and let me take the controls for a bit in cruise. What I am hoping to do now is takeoffs, landings, instrument approaches, and other standard checkout training tasks so that I can really get a feel for the type. I have just over 250 hours total time and 90+ hours of complex time (almost all 172RG for complex). And, to quickly touch on my location preferences, I am currently in the far west side of the metro, and I fly out of New Century. It takes me about 25-30 minutes to KIXD, KOJC, KMKC, or KLWC (haven't driven to KFLV, but I bet it takes about the same amount of time). Ideally, I would find someone at one of those fields. And, for anyone curious about what I am eventually hoping to get for myself, I am window shopping Fs and Es. I would appreciate a PM if you have a lead or are who I am looking for. Thanks for reading!

Excellent. PM'd you. Thanks.

Good to know!

Interesting. I did not realize that group hangars were being made available for long-term rent in KC. I suspected they might be, but my online searches had not revealed any public information on them. Good to know that group hangars may be a backup solution in a pinch.

Yea, I looked into that, and I was planning on getting on when I felt I was within 6 months of buying. I thought I read somewhere a little while ago that someone got in a hangar in one of the major KC area airports in less than a year, but, it sounds like you have recent information on the wait times and that current wait times are in excess of one year.

The hangar situation is on my radar. I am not in a rush, so if I have to wait because of hangars, then I guess that will be that.

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I live in Shawnee, so a Mooney available for check-out in Leavenworth would be very interesting to me. I typically fly out of IXD. It seems that FLV and LXT would take me a little longer to get to but neither one is significantly closer than the other to me. And, @FlyboyKC, where are you located? I have seen the occasional G model listed, and my understanding is that it would be pretty similar to an F model except for the carbureted/injected difference. And, @hubcap thank you for offering. If you are ever planning on swinging by IXD, let me know, but for now since I know that I am very unlikely to go with a K, I will probably keep looking to connect with someone with an earlier, non-turbo model. Regarding Insurance, I spoke with Avemco and can confirm that they view all the M20s that I discussed with them (c e & f) as the same plane. Insurance aside, I am mostly motivated to know what the experience is in the typical Mooney c e g f whether my time is at the controls or purely as a passenger and without regard to whether the time spent counts towards anything (although that would be nice).

No worries, and thanks for the reply, @KLudwick. I'll shoot you a DM.

Hello Everyone--I am in the Kansas City area (West/KS side) and interested in Mooneys, but I have never flown in one. Whenever I volunteer that I would like to get one someday, I receive a huge range of opinions on Mooneys, and it would be great if I could form my own opinion based on real-world experience. I am particularly interested in model years 1965 to mid-seventies (C, E, G, F -- J if I win the lottery). I am hoping to find someone in the KC area with a Mooney along those lines and who wouldn't mind showing it off and maybe taking me up for a flight. Additionally, it would be even better if someone reading this happens to be a CFI with access to the kind of Mooney I described for dual instruction. I will probably need 10 hours of dual in whatever I end up getting (according to my insurance), so I might as well start on the Mooney time if I have the opportunity. Thanks for reading!