PTK

Oh my God! This is so awful. No words, brought tears to my eyes. It’s devastating to hear this. Having followed along with his struggles and challenges and his progress I am so very saddened. My heartfelt and deepest condolences to his wife Jenny, his family, loved ones and friends. I pray they will find consolation in that Mark was doing what he loved and fought a very difficult uphill battle. To you Mark, Godspeed and tailwinds to the final frontier.

If that was meant to be funny, it wasn’t. Bite your tongue!

I would feel very uncomfortable and wouldn't even look at a geared up plane because I've yet to see one that wasn't "properly repaired." It is a huge unknown and therefore a safety risk. "Textron Lycoming must take the position that in the case of a sudden engine stoppage, propeller/rotor strike or loss of propeller/rotor blade or tip, the safest procedure is to remove and disassemble the engine and completely inspect the reciprocating and rotating parts including crankshaft gear and dowel parts. Any decision to operate an engine, which was involved in a sudden stoppage, propeller/rotor strike or loss of propeller/rotor blade or tip without such an inspection must be the responsibility of the agency returning the aircraft to service." So who decides? I disagree with Lycoming's position because they leave the decision open. What they should do is require the engine be replaced. No need to assume that type of risk when there is plenty of NDH inventory.

Congratulations!

You are correct, it can be a Pandora’s box. Owners/sellers of geared up planes will of course tell you it’s a non issue, it has been repaired and documented properly, bla bla bla. The decision has to be made by you the buyer and the question boils down to this: do you really want to pay for an airplane that has DH? Irrespective of the price. It will always be in your mind every time you fly the thing. It is also the one thing that negatively affects its value and you can do nothing about. Like location location location in real estate. My personal opinion: I’d never even look at a geared up plane. There are plenty of NDH candidates. No matter what anyone wants you to believe.

You can take a plane out of Florida, but you can’t take Florida out of an airplane.

@chriman17, speaking from personal experience my advice to you is to be patient and diligent in your search for a Mooney. Also from experience be very careful and don't send any money to brokers. You risk losing it and not getting a plane. You don't need a broker to find a used airplane anymore than a used car salesman to find you a used car. Their primary goal is to make a sale. Certainly there's nothing magical a broker can do that you can't do. A much better approach to start is to ask Mooney Service Centers. They see a lot of Mooneys and generally know what may be for sale. They can point you in the right direction and they don't care to make a sale. This is exactly how I found my Mooney. Need to be patient, look at as many as you can and resist falling in love with the first one. Look for reasons not to buy it. After you've seen enough the right one will start talking to you.

Don't hold your breath. Telltale signs that a company is going under are: low sales, serious cash flow struggles, and nothing unique about the product to make it stand out from the competitors.

I find it very interesting that camguard claims it will help the oil stick to the insides of the engine for up to 30 days. Lycoming and Continental recommend flying the engine for at least an hour in 30 days. Coincidence? I don’t think so! I read this as Camguard not needed.

You are not understanding me. My point is that I’d rather put my money in avgas than contaminating my engine oil. And It has nothing to do with liking or not liking and I didn’t attack anybody. You are being ridiculous for saying that. I’m simply saying that it’s not necessary, I’m not convinced it’s harmless to my engine, and very expensive. Both Lycoming and Continental and oil manufacturers have prescribed guidlines that, if followed, mitigate the risk of corrosion.

Lycoming defines active engines and recommends achieving at least one continuous hour at oil temperatures of 165°F to 200°F at intervals not to exceed 30 days. With the exception of pickling maybe, nothing will protect an engine that doesn’t consistently fly at least one hour a month.

Why I think it’s ridiculous to sidestep the recommendations of the engine and oil manufacturers. I have no direct evidence to warrant the additional cost. I’d rather put the 25$ in 5 gal 100LL and fly which is consistent with what Lycoming recommends.

I haven’t seen any direct evidence that it assures reaching TBO when compared to not using it? In any plane? Flown regularly or not? And it’s not a question if it hurts or not. Although I’m not convinced that it doesn’t hurt. It certainly does alter the formulation the oil manufacturer engineers had intended.

Can you post a link to one such controlled experiment? Do they conclude that using scamguard will assure reaching TBO when compared to not using it? In any plane? Flown regularly or not?

What evidence? Is there direct evidence showing that using camguard will assure reaching TBO any more than not using it? In any plane? Flown regularly or not? There is, on the other hand, ample direct evidence that the best method to reach TBO is 100LL in the fuel tanks! So according to the evidence I’d rather put my money in avgas! As the late Henry Weber wisely said to me once: no sense in owning an airplane and not fly it!