Hank

Welcome to the club! I have a '70C, and it's a dream machine. I read somewhere to allow 2-3 gallons for runup and taxi [sounds good unless you're at a large commercial field], and plan one gallon per cylinder per hour extra for full-rich climb. I don't trust the second one as much. The POH shows my max fuel burn to be 18 gph at sea level and full throttle. I usually cruise 7500-9500', so my longest climbs are less than a half hour at 100 mph - ALT in thousands [higher speed, slower climb when it's hot], so that would put me no more than 4.5 gallons above cruise burn. The key is to manage your descent and make up some of the climb fuel. I normally pull 2-3" out of the throttle and trim for 500 fpm, keeping airspeed at or slightly above cruise if it's not rough. Fuel burn goes down and speed drops off slowly; just keep inching the throttle back and the mixture forward as you come down, whenever manifold pressure climbs more than an inch works well. Richen the mixture to keep no more than your cruise EGT. Flying this way I am able to average 9 gph and close to 140 knots groundspeed. I strongly suggest making time to attend one of the MAPA Pilot Proficiency Programs, which will give you lots of Mooney-specific instruction in your own plane, with plenty of reading material to review afterwards. It will give you knowledge of how your Mooney is put together and functions, and confidence to use it as it was designed. --Hank

There's nothing wrong with a past gear-up if it was all fixed correctly. Most of that will be in the logs. A good mechanic can talk you through them to your satisfaction. Talk to your mechanic about any missing logs, as it can be a problem later. Garmin 430 is a great tool, even better with the WAAS upgrade. Help do as much as possible--pulling the interior panels out is a very educational process, and will teach you about the plane. [i learned a lot then, and more with owner-assisted annuals.] Our vintage Mooneys are greatly improved with the 201 windshield and cowl closure. Just like panel upgrades, find a plane that already has them. My C-model has a 3-blade, with no vibration and no problems. A quick test flight will let you know how it works, and if you like it. As many people have said many times, look first for good solid maintenance history, then a good airframe & engine, then look for goodies. Brittain autopilots are not expensive to add, and I like mine. The current backlog there will provide time to prepare. Just be cautious enough on the purchase price so that insurance and hangar/tie down charges still leave funding for transition CFI time and fuel for your own practice and regular flying. Good sources for aircraft valuation are MAPA Log [there's an article every other month, with Pre-J's and Moderns alternating], and AOPA's Vref, plus the old-fashioned scanning of ads for comparison. Happy hunting, and fly safe!

My '70-C does that sometimes, but only when it's cold. If I run the oil pan heat for 30-45 minutes if the temps are around freezing, or 1 hr or so if in the 20's, I have few problems. Something I learned at the MAPA PPP is to run the electric fuel pump only until the fuel pressure maxes out, then turn if off. Next, push the mixture to rich, and pump the throttle several times [twice if temps are comfortable, 3-4 if cold, and 5 or 6 times if very far below freezing] and sit there for a minute while the fuel vaporizes before cranking. If all else fails, pull it into a heated hangar for 30-45 minutes while freshening the battery. If you want to recharge your battery without removing the top cowl, I find a half hour or so at 2400 or 2500 RPMs works really well, and I get to sightsee at the same time. There's no need for high power [20" or 21" should do the job], but you'll still cover a lot of ground. Practice some maneuvers, timed turns, do an approach or two, and the battery should be pretty well charged, assuming it starts in the first place. Again, this is only a problem in the winter, and bit me in my 4th month of ownership. Since then, I've only had two times it wouldn't crank--once when heat wasn't available, and last week when the temps were in the teens and the oil preheat had been plugged in overnight. Never did figure that one out, but charged the battery and it fired right up the next day. My coldest departure was 8F, with overnight oil preheat, and hand-turning the prop 3-4 revolutions immediately before boarding, and it cranked just fine. Good luck with yours. Sometimes it's a challenge to find enough cockpit duties to kill 60 seconds between pumping throttle and cranking. Winding and setting the clock just doesn't take long enough. Sometimes I just wish it had a priming function! --Hank

I've not had a problem with my poodle, over the Appalachians and across NC and back. Altitudes varied from 1000 AGL on the first test hop around the pattern up to 9500 over the hills. I've talked to people whose dogs don't like IFR, though. Mine never made a sound, which is better than he travels in the car. In the plane, he's always in his crate, belted into the back seat; it usually rides loose in the car, but there's lots less turbulence on the highway. His longest flight so far was a bit over 2 hours. Day and night are both fine. I've looked into getting some mutt muffs [ear muffs for dogs & cats] but have not yet. --Hank

I can't vouch for whose parts were used [it was done two owners ago], but I really like the 201 windshield. Here are some pictures of my '70-C for comparison. Great visibility! The access panels give good visibility and decent instrument access if your hands are small [typical Mooney, right?] Compare the windshield top to the side window, then look at it head on. I think you'll like it.

Robert-- My 1970C travelled 1320nm westbound at 127 kts, and made the return trip at 151 kts, all around 9 gph. Altitudes were mostly 8500/9500. The wife & I were on vacation, made sightseeing stops, and had a very full airplane. Field elevation varied from 567 msl to 5100 msl with no problem. The E should be a little quicker. I use PC all the time, connected to a Brittain heading bug. Love the plane, love the PC, love the Brittain. Yes, I have a 3-blade with no vibration, but have heard others [with 2-blade props] say bad things about it. I am 5'11" and have enough headroom to wear any hat, even sitting on a 2" cushion for cowl visibility. Lots of legroom, too. My wife [5'3"] slides the seat up and has legroom in front of the pedals. The backseat is tight, but not in an E. Two things to watch besides normal wear and tear: make sure the latch on the Johnson bar isn't worn. I've heard horror stories of the handle popping loose after landing. Seems like there might be an SB on this. [My gear's electric.] And check the tail--there should be virtually no side-to-side wiggle when you push the stabilizer back and forth. It it moves much [~1/4" at the tip], check the two small bolts and bushings that hold it to the airframe. Good luck with your purchase, and happy flying! --Hank

I fly with my PC all the time, and rarely even press the override button. In the pattern, the extra stiffness keeps me from accidentally overbanking. I do have to hold it down for right-seaters to maneuver, though. I use the Accu-Trak and Accu-Flite--the heading bug almost all the time, the auto-pilot much less. Both work well, and are certified for my '70 C.

I keep my spinner shiny with Mother's polish from K-Mart. Should also be available at your local National Airplane Parts Association store. The bugs disappear from my spinner the same way they do from my cowling and leading edges, and everywhere but the windows: Mira cloth wipes. Wet it, wring it out, wipe it off, with an occasional rinse. Visit www.theultimatecloth.biz for details; I buy mine at (614) 337-0519, Columbus, OH. I suggest the five-pack for $20. No more chemicals, no more sprays, and very little elbow grease. --Hank

I really enjoy both the PC system and my Brittain Accu-Trak. I fly the heading bug almost all the time. The previous owner fixed it up, added the heading bug and interfaced it with the 430 to fly approaches, leaving me to work the radio and control altitude. It's really nice. Although I frequently forget to press the PC disconnect button, it's pretty easy to overpower, and the extra resistance makes me unlikely to overbank in the pattern. Expect your flight times to decrease 1/3 to 1/2 compared to your 172. Navmonster is quoting 1 hr 17 min BFM-AUO for my C-model, so football games will be closer. With any luck, I'll make it down for a game this fall [2 hr 41 min]. Yes, I'm an alum, Engineering 1986. Been flying the Mooney since 2007, which I bought at 62 hours. Concentrate on a good airframe, solid maintenance history in the logs, and a modern panel. This means the standard 6-pack [top row, Airspeed, AI, Altimeter; bottom row, TC, DG, VSI]. Some of the older planes have these scattered almost randomly around the panel, mixed in with VOR's, ADF, etc. Look through the gallery here and you can probably find some, especially if Dave Morris has his A-model posted.

You've probably already noticed a common theme: get a good plane, well-maintained and regularly flown. This will prevent many surprises on your first annual. Pay for a good pre-buy at YOUR mechanic, not at the sellers! Low engine hours are nice, but for high hours the purchase price comes down with a larger overhaul expense coming sooner. Don't rule out a short body. I can count on my fingers the number of times I've had back-seat passengers since I bought my C-model two years ago. If you don't have children yet, it will be a long time before regular back-seat usage will become an issue. Especially the first couple of times, do an owner-assisted annual to learn the plane. The more you know about how it's put together and what makes things work, the better you will be able to both fly it and maintain it. Moving up from a brand C renter, this has helped me very much. Speed mods are nice, but many of them help more with looks than with speed, and you will not notice 3-5 mph in reduced time or fuel burn. Save them for later. Autopilots are also nice, but be careful to not become dependent on it working correctly. Mine does not have altitude hold, so I have to pay attention anyway. Hand fly occasionally to keep your basic skills for when you need them. So far, I have not missed having altitude on the A/P, but would feel better with it in the event my [non-pilot] wife has to make an emergency landing from the right seat. Don't pass up a perfectly good airplane because you want a better A/P. Same goes for the rest of the panel. Make sure it is one that you are comfortable with--I highly recommend not buying an old panel unless it has at least been rearranged into the T-configuration. Check the galleries here, you should be able to find some of the old ones. Personally, I like having two VORs to go with two Nav/Comms. DG vs. HSI is also a personal matter. Buy good basics--airframe, engine and panel. Add desired goodies at your own pace. Aspen looks good to me, but there's always a tradeoff--what do you give up to move the AI? 430/530 is nice, but again it's presence/absence should be reflected in the price. Check back issues of MAPALOG for approximate pricing points. Whatever you purchase, get good transition training, fly safe and have fun! WAR EAGLE!

Crosswinds are easily handled by flap extension. I drop mine to Takeoff on downwind, then only adjust on final as needed to maintain glideslope and speed. I almost never use full flaps. This worked fine landing on 14, with winds 180@20G28, and it works fine even when the wind is calm. Yes, I have a short-body C model. The hard part is maintaining the flare while speed bleeds off, but with proper speed and slope control, it's not too long. [85 mph on final and 80 mph over the numbers works great.]