PrairieFlyer

Thanks again everyone. As I have more questions I’ll make sure to add them to the thread. My question on the gear doors was answered by Carusoam. Planning a 300NM cross country tomorrow with a 10kn headwind. 2Hrs 56 minutes with the Cherokee, with a generic J I pulled off ForeFlight 2Hrs 08 minutes, and 4.3 gallons less fuel!

Again, thanks everyone for your input. I will wait to discuss with my neighbor that has the Mooney F model about his thoughts on everything. (Maybe he will be willing to sell it, he wasn’t ready last fall). Once the snow finally melts here I will look at his grass strip and see how it compares to mine. One thing on prop clearance, has anyone went to a 3 blade prop vs the 2 blade for more clearance? As someone mentioned, I have heard the gear doors can be more of an issue on grass then prop clearance. I’ll keep the group updated on any decisions moving forward when I’ve had time for more research. Still haven’t ruled out a Mooney off grass, but will look at other options that may be better suited!

Thanks again for all the responses. Mcarterak, a couple reasons I really like the Mooney. The largest is the speed and efficiency. Haven’t had much luck finding another plane that can cruise at 150kn with a 200 HP engine. I’m very envious of the Mooney when I’m planning for 112 kn cruise burning similar fuel. The next reason would be the stability as a IFR a platform. From the forum, as well as reviews online, people seem to really like them for IFR. Last, the coolness factor. I’ve never been a high wing guy, and there is no denying the looks of the Mooney on the ramp. I have looked at Comanches as well. They seem like a great plane. My biggest concern is the age of them. Really want to get into something much newer. I’ve also heard there is issues with parts as the fleet ages. I have also looked into Arrows and the DA 40 as well. For me, the Arrows don’t offer much more speed the my Cherokee. The DA-40 also doesn’t compare to the Mooney, and comes with an insane asking price. The Debonair is a plane that I haven’t thought much of, but sounds like a viable alternative. As for the airstrip, sand blasting is definitely a potential issue. The ground doesn’t get soft, but it can be dry and lacking much grass as the summer goes on. Runway length hasn’t been much of a problem with the Cherokee. Both ends are wide open fields which helps with safety. There is a longer runway (also grass) 15 miles away. If I’m close to MGTW I will tell passengers to meet there. Beard, I am a member of COPA. I’ll do some more poking around on the website and look what I can find. Interesting feedback from everyone. Sounds like a Mooney purchase for me may not be as cut and dry as I hoped!

Thanks everyone for your responses. I appreciate it. I should have clarified on the useful load. Good useful load relatively speaking compared to other J models. Over 1000lbs is what I am looking for. Luckily I’m not on the heavy side, around 170lbs. My cherokee 180 has a useful load of 1050, and there are times when we use all of it. 1. This was one of my largest drawbacks with the Mooney line. Some people don’t want to touch grass and I can understand why. I have a distant neighbor who flies a Mooney F model off a different grass strip regularly. When the snow finally melts up here we are planning to discuss and go for a ride. 2. Thanks for the links of contacts. I’ll review and try reach out to several people when I get the chance. 3. Glad to hear aircraft with damage history are of little issue if properly repaired. It doesn’t bother me, and thanks for reaffirming! 4. I have heard that Mooneys fly great hand flown. In the Cherokee I often fly approaches by hand with the autopilot off, but as I fly in IFR conditions more often, the safety of a good autopilot is something I think will be on my shortlist of needs. Appreciate the info again, I probably won’t be able to respond to any messages until later this evening!

Hello everyone in the Mooney community. Long time lurker, first time poster. I have learnt lots in the forum, but had a couple questions for me more specifically. I am a 450 HR recently IFR rated private pilot located in Saskatchewan Canada. Looking to make the jump from my Cherokee 180 into a Mooney J model in the next year or so. Mission varies from 40 mile trips upwards of 500 mile trips. Would love to tour in the US. Although rare, I do fill 4 seats several times per year, so useful load is important to me. 1. Opinions on landing on grass. I am located at a 2600ft “grass” strip. In the summer it dries out and is more of a dirt strip than grass. Other than making sure to watch airspeed does anyone have any real concern with off pavement landings in a Mooney? I’ve heard they are unforgiving with the rubber donut suspension and lower prop clearance. 2. Does anyone have any experience exporting to Canada? Does anyone have a person or company they can recommend to ease the process? From what I understand STC’s can be different from the USA to Canada and can cause some issues. 3. No Damage History Vs Damage History. There are both options right now on aircraft that I’m interested in. If the damage has been properly taken care of is there much concern with purchasing an aircraft with damage history? Ex. gear up landing. Should there be much of a discount on the aircraft vs one with NDH? 4. IFR avionics suite. Coming from a Piper Autocontrol III, how important is a more advanced autopilot for safety? Would really like one that can be coupled to a VNAV approach. If anyone knows of a Canadian marked J model that is for sale in good condition I am interested. All the ones in good shape seem to be South! Thanks!