MMMooney

So this particular aircraft had been in major incident less than a year after being certified. From what I was able to find out from an NTSB report and the logs, the airplane settled back onto the runway after taking off and putting up the gear and flaps too soon. The aircraft had major repairs consisting of replacing skins on the right wing and repairs to the empennage. That was the first 337 I found and the description of repairs was very generic. I sent the 337 to Mooney to ask if this had been an approved repair. Mooney replied confirming that the repair descriptions of work done to “best practices” and per “FAA Regulations” was generic. The 337 did not reference the Mooney Service Manual at all. This was not a huge red flag to me because the airplane had been through MANY inspections since then. The red flag that started me down this hole was the A&P telling me he didn’t notice. After noticing the damage I asked the A&P if there was a way to see the under side of the leading edge to check for possible corrosion from moisture getting though what appeared to be a gap. He said no there wasn’t. It took me two seconds to find an inspection plate almost immediately behind the section. I then asked him if he could bring his borescope to inspect this section. He then said he didn’t use borescopes…THIS was the last straw for me. Not that he didn’t use a borescope but that he had told me he had checked the exhaust valves and cylinders and they all looked fine. This was a specific question I asked before I hired him. He said he did “all that” and when he called me to tell me the inspection was complete, I again asked how the valves, and cylinders looked. He said they all looked fine. I came to find out he did an engine compression check and said he could tell if valves were going bad based on leaking pressures in the cylinder. I’m not an A&P so I won’t question the accuracy of that statement but what bothered me was that I specifically asked for that service and was led to believe that it would be completed. So again, what else didn’t he notice? I was pressed for time and I didn’t have time to have another A&P look over the airplane. I just walked away. Maybe I walked away from a great airplane because of a bad experience with an A&P? I don’t know. I will be happy to share more details if anyone is interested in this particular airplane send me a message. This was an M20F model in Kansas.

@OR75 I am in California, the airplane was in Kansas. None of the pictures I saw showed this damage. I trusted that the pre inspection would make me aware of any damage, particularly in the leading edge of a wing. Although it was determined it wasn’t an un airworthiness issue, should’ve been made known to me. Especially since I noticed it within two minutes of walking into the hangar. I learned a lot from this experience and unfortunately I trusted too much.

@Andy95W I agree this may have not been an airworthiness issue but when I questioned him on it he said he didn’t even notice it. He asked me for pictures of the damage that I had to send to him. What else didn’t he notice? Several other red flags that came up with the pre purchase inspection. Anyway, ultimately it didn’t work out. Thank you for your input.

Thank you. I’ll read over the thread. To answer your question @EricJ…that’s part of my problem. I hired an A&P with IA to do a pre purchase inspection on this airplane. He didn’t notice this damage and never mentioned it until I questioned him. When I questioned him, he said he hadn’t noticed it which put up a red flag for me because this was the first thing I noticed on the airplane. What else didn’t he “notice”?

Hello, I’m looking for input on damage repair to a leading edge of a wing that appears to have bondo as part of the repair. Is this something that is commonly done on repairs? The repair was done in 1968 and it appears that during the last paint job (1991) they used bondo to smooth over a damaged leading edge. A question I have is if the patch on the wing was put in to repair an existing dent, why does the patch appear to be dented and filled with bondo. There is a 337 filed documenting the repair but something doesn’t feel right. There also seems to be a separation of the splice done. Although not a big separation but enough that water could be getting in. I’ll attach pictures.

Hello again, I’m working on a “hangar budget” to eventually purchase a Mooney M20F. I’ve narrowed down a lot of the costs based on the Ventura County Airports web page. The one thing I can’t figure out is the approximate wait times for hangars to open up. I saw a wait list with 16 people on it for KCMA. Oxnard is way better with only two. From what I read, Camarillo won’t even let you put your name on the list unless you already have an airplane registered to you? I think tie downs are available but I want to know how long I may need to keep an airplane outside. I’ve also looked in Santa Paula. I’m on the airport email list so when a hangar opens up, I can inquire directly with the owner about it. I tried using the search feature here to see if this had already been discussed. Excuse me if I missed a prior thread on this topic. By the way, my last post requesting a flight got answered by a very kind member. Hopefully some day I can return the favor to someone else in my own Mooney. Respectfully, Marco

Hello all, This is my first post. I've been strolling through the forums for a couple of months now. I am expecting a change in my working conditions in the next few months. It'll require a longer commute through L.A. traffic. I thought I'd look into buying a Mooney to prevent the frustrations of the long commute on some days. I love the look of the Mooney. The speed and efficiency are just bonuses in my opinion. I've never been in a Mooney. Most of my flight time is in a Cessna 172's. I am just under 500 hours total with my Commercial Instrument. I've been renting from CP Aviation in Santa Paula for a few years now. Just today I noticed a Mooney flying out as I was putting away the 172. I thought to myself, maybe if I ask on the Forums someone would be willing to fly me around the local area so I could get the feel of the Mooney. Would anyone be willing to take me with them on a local flight? Or maybe even let me know when you'd be in Santa Paula or Camarillo and I can meet you just to talk Mooney? No flight necessary. Thank you. -Marco