BlueSky247

Forgive the stupid question, but are you saying an stec or other non-gfc AP’s would possibly be a better idea in the absence of gps data?

Grats! Very nice plane.

Glad you got it patched and that welder was available. Have a good trip!

@Stephan Kablitz That's a great idea, thank you. Yes, an engine monitor is absolutely on the short list, even though that will sting a bit on the install cost. Not just for the safety and data collection as you mentioned, but for me - I just can't fathom wanting to lean by sound or feel when we have much better ways to do that.

For the sake of discussion, would a powerflow and it's required annual touchy feely have prevented this? Perhaps made of better material?

@Z W That's a great idea on the overall cleaning and lubing, inspect wires, etc. Beauty! Tyvm. I will probably have to build a hangar, but you better believe that will be J1 as soon as I get in it.

Gotta be some good ol boy muffler shops around that would be happy to put a patch on there if you can find a way to get that section to them. Assuming the surrounding material is usable.

Love the sound of that landing height system. Thanks! How about the speed brakes? Worth adding those at some point? I’ll be having major work done at Cole when the time comes so maybe I’ll batch some things for them.

Thank you. I can see how that would end up driving the choices on the rest of the panel.

Hey Guys, I'm the one that has put in an offer on that 78J in the classifieds. That is pending the annual and inspection being completed without any major issues. Yes, a mooney-savvy person will be looking it over. Assuming everything goes through on this one, I'm planning what to start doing on it. Thankfully, it has a gns430waas and a gtx335, so at least that side of things is ok. However the remaining nav/com is all old and it's all steam gauges. (And yes, I know it is always better to buy a plane with the panel you want already installed, but the history on this plane is worth more than that to me.) The mission for this plane will be lots of trips around the CONUS, so I'll be putting appropriate emergency gear in the baggage hold. Helps cruise speed as well, right? I have made several A&P contacts locally so owner-assisted work for minor stuff shouldn't be a problem. I am thinking I will start with exterior LED's. I really like the idea of the brightness improvements as well as making life easier on the alternator. Long term, the plan is to give it a year to sort out any squawks and then plan on a panel upgrade along with the ap. Any suggestions or thoughts you guys have would be greatly appreciated. Both for "easy win" lower cost items as well as long term big ticket items. P.S. Long term, I might do the ifd440 slide in depending on if the dynon ap approval goes through before then. Will also start that reserves fund for the next engine refresh, would really like to go with the 390 but we'll see. It will also need a repaint eventually and I'm leaning towards adding the wingtips, dropping the towel rack and moving antennas out there at the same time.

Thanks guys. Looks like the BK is back on the market again. Dynon's option would be amazing if it actually happens. I'd be a while before doing this install, so it might be an option by then. I noticed s-tec has come up and watched some videos on it. Seems to be on the lazy side? I gotta admit, what really started me wondering about this was seeing a really impressive video last week where a guy had a 3 axis gfc500 in a mooney flying an ifr approach in serious turbulence. It was very aggressively reacting and keeping the plane squared up. That was really something to watch and would be nice to have when you find yourself in the soup.

Is there not a maaco nearby?

Apologies if this has come up before. My search fu only came back with snippets. I am looking at an early J with a wing leveller. Are there any reasonable options for new equipment short of writing a big check on brand G? Something with at least course and altitude options?

Ordered! I’ve been watching many of various levels on YT so I’m looking forward to seeing the gold standard.

Short flights I imagine just to get airborne enough to test variations in settings.

Bumping this thread to mention that the flightaware link Lance shared earlier is now showing a few flights on their J this month. I wonder if they are trying to make a milestone happen before Osh. I'll go ahead and stick a screen grab here for posterity.

@1980Mooney I just left the big city about 3 years ago to move where I am now. I've landed in a low COL area and like it here. I have a handful of years until what passes for traditional retirement age, so I'm expecting to stay put barring some kind of major development. I have a call in to the guy that built the most recent hangar. He's with a local building supply place. I am hoping to cashflow the hangar in stages, but we will see. My plan is to get the slab poured and get the shell put up. Internal mezzanine and things like that will be later on. My main goal to start with is just get it reasonably airtight and able to run a mini split when working in there.

Thanks All. I met with the airport mgr yesterday and toured the place. Measured out the newest neighboring hangar as well(50x40). Water and electricity are included and paid for currently by the county. A septic connection is something I would have to get together with the other folks in that hangar row and put in a request together for. Turns out it really is a small world out there... He's been the mgr there for over 20 years and he is also one of the area DPE's. He has an arrangement of reserved slots in his schedule for the flight school I am training with but is otherwise booked out for two months. Really down to earth nice guy. There's an A&P two doors down as well. Everything seems very laid back with good security and maintenance. Runway has modern lighting, papi, ils and rnav approaches, self-serve fuel, nice pilot lounge building with showers, kitchen, etc. I'm waiting on a callback from my attorney but will reach out to the AOPA folks if I can't get an answer locally. My feeling is that the "teeth" in the contract is there for those cases where people turn the place into a storage dump. I had a funny idea that I could guarantee never getting booted due to the "always keep a plane in the hangar" clause by hanging an empty shell from the ceiling. I'm in the middle of trying to buy a plane, so I told him this won't be right away, but for sure asap. He said that would be no problem.

@toto That would be just the ticket for those of us that have to use fields an hour from home.

Put me down for the g-loc experience. I’m eyeing Wagstaff’s school as the next bucket list item.

How about the best version being the one without leaking fuel tanks and gimpy landing gear actuator?

@Z W Thank you! I will do that. Some of this doesn't jive with what I was told verbally and the airport manager wasn't able to tell me clearly what size I could build, other than to say "about a 45 by 45". I've walked by the hangars there and the construction styles and looks are very different. It's a rural county and certainly not a "hoity toity" area.

Hey Gang, An opportunity has popped up out of the blue to do a thirty year lease on an open spot near me and build a hangar on it. It's at a nice little paved field that is county owned and seems well maintained. Besides me being deliriously stoked, the terms seem to be reasonable. Before I jump on this, could I trouble you more experienced folks with these to scan this agreement and tell me if there's something off with it? (apologies for any weird text, I had to copy it out of a grainy scan.) lease-text.pdf

Hey guys - can one of you share the rough install cost for one of these on a 4 cyl?

That is wild! Thank you. The local owner I spoke with almost seemed to indicate they aren't shy on having a scope increase on service work. I know that is a balancing act for everyone, so I'd love to hear more about your experiences as this would be my local shop.