PTK

Quote: N4352H Low time airframes that have been sitting require work. High time airframes that have been flown, require work. A low time airframe should always be your first choice. Get the low time airfame if you can and negotiate well.

Congratulations and welcome! Sounds like a winner!

Quote: Jimhamilton I bought the 231 having never flown one before. I simply picked the Mooney for its ability to do the job I needed it to do. I will be using it to help with my commute from KSLC to KCOS. The MEA's are above 16,000 feet and that did not leave me too many choices on type. The plane was well taken care of by the previous owners (Dugosh annuals for fifteen or so years). They checked me out with about a two hour flight and off I went. My first thoughts were these 1. The rudder pedals seem to be far away and I sit a little low. Takes a bit to get used to. 2. Descents need to be thought out. I now understand why some have the speed brake option. 3. Speed is critical on final. The gear is stiff and is not kind to landing flat. Found out first hand. First Go Arround. 4. This plane is the fastest single I have ever flown and sips fuel. 5. In smooth air the plane is a joy to fly with finger tip control. Very smooth and stable. 6. Lots of airflow through the cabin to keep it cool. In all the plane is better than I had imagined. At 12,500 feet I still had sea level power and if I need to go higher I can with factory O2. It has a nice stack of basic avionics and an IFR GPS that I am still getting used to. The autopilot also works very well. It has been 25 years since I had flown anything like this and as I recall the autopilots on those planes never did work well. I will go as far as saying this, this Mooney is the best single engine aircraft I have ever flown. Also, I have been a lurker here for over a year while I made my choice. This forum has helped me learn about this plane from the people who fly them. Thanks, Jim Hamilton

Quote: Magnum The upgrade is just software, but you'll have to wire the HSI (Aspen) to the NAV.

Quote: bd32322 Moreover the EFD1000 is upgradeable to the Pro using just a software upgrade - which is very nice.

Quote: Ksaunders Tomorrow I take ownership of my new 1982 M20J. The plane is all I have ever wanted.

Quote: jetdriven ANR has no effect on your radio transmissions, the mic is outside the ANR area (the earcup).

These things aren't serious or capable for prime time. You got what you paid for. Scary when you think that some people are trusting these things with sv and shooting approaches!

Quote: rob Doesnt ANR work by introducing more noise to counter the existing noise? I wonder how long it will be before someone decides that ANR is extremely unhealthy.

Quote: Jeev I have a great 78 J that fits my current flying needs So..... Do I upgrade my J with an Aspen, paint and in 2 years or less a new engine or do I pull a "Parker" and upgrade to a nice 252 or similar my budget for a new plane would be no more than $150k. I'm torn because I love my J, it fits my current needs, I've worked out all the squawks, and it would be cheaper to hold on to it.

Quote: Piloto Those don't go in your ears Piloto! You should have read the directions a second time.

Quote: fantom Truth be known I paid "only" about $700 for my Bose X headset, and I like the Peltor 7004 passives I've had for 17 years almost (just?) as much.

Looks like a solid nicely equipped 201. The 201 is the most sought after Mooney. If it was me I wouldn't take anything less than $118,000. Just my opinion.

Quote: Cris Over the years I have used both MSC's & independant mechanics/shops with great results from both. I often tell folks the differance between a smart guy & a dumb one is that the smart guy knows what he dosen't know. That analogy works for mechanics. If you use a trusted mechanic for whatever reason who is not an MSC your confidence will be rewarded if he says "This is really Mooney specific ie rigging etc & I'd recommend you take it to an MSC". I have to admit it has been almost a decade since I last owned a Mooney & with my previous 6 Mooney's never recalled that you had to take it to an MSC to maintain it properly nor did anyone really ascribe any extra value to it. In addition I like to do owner assisted annuals which many MSC's frown over so for me the value is in the learning & the confidence is in the trust. I purchased my low time Eagle this year only to find the circuit breaker on the load+ would constantly trip but their was no specific load or time in flight that would cause it to happen. My 75 year old mechanic looked at it as well as the minor fuel leaks and said "this needs to go to Air-Mods Robbinsville NJ". Turned out to be a washer lodged behind the circuit breaker which Air-Mods found quikly & fixed efficiently as well as the tank leaks. They also chceked & adjusted the rigging since one gear door had been repaired without a log entry. No issue but I felt better! The old owner paid just prior to the pre buy for a new alternator & battery that was not needed! When that did'nt work he installed a backup alternator! That is the issue with so many mechanics these days they are parts replacers & not diagnosticians. I can replace parts with a little supervision but my diagnostic skills.... So as my A/C comes out of an owner assited inexpensive annual I have brought up to date all service bullitens as well as A/D's. I have the confidence to know everything was checked according to the book since we used the Mooney Maintenance & Service Manual which I supplied. I have begun to use the Ad Log system to keep meticulous records & I know that if I have an issue that requires more Mooney expertise my mechanic will send me on my way. In short I have true value-for me.

Quote: N6784N I guess I don't have to tell you it's best to take the plane to a mooney service center. My first annual was pretty inexpensive somewhere around 3k but last year I took the plane to a service center and they dinged me for around 20k but the plane does fly alot better. I had gear door problems and it was hard to get the gear up due to binding so maybe it is a common thing. I'm still not quite sure why people let aircraft get so out of shape and still fly them much less sell them to another person but I guess thats the world we live in today. Good luck with the annual

Quote: Bnicolette Thanks Doc. Depends on the conditions I suppose. If the weather was down or blowing like crazy, I would rather fly the Falcon, but to go out on a beautiful day to just enjoy "flight", well then I would rather be in the Mooney. Honestly, I just love flying, so as long as the craft is airworthy, I'm going to enjoy myself whatever I'm in. I have multiple jet ratings from over the years and my favorite by far was the Learjet 31A. I once climbed to FL410 in just under 11 minutes and the highest I have had it was it's ceiling of FL510. Very very quiet up there!!! The air noise is almost nothing and if it's a clear day you can start to see the curvature of the earth, but it did not want to accelerate, so I was only there a couple minutes. Back down to FL470 and then she was happy.

Garmin plays the tune and Avidyne has no other option but dance. It appears that Avidyne has no money for R&D. If they could they would bring out a box of their own. They're piggy backing on Garmin attempting to raise funds. It's a huge gamble.

Nice videos Brett. You are the luckiest of all. You fly a Mooney and a Falcon! Which do you prefer? All you need now are two bumper stickers to put on them. "My other Mooney is a Falcon!" and My other Falcon is a Mooney!"

Put in about ten hours with the 750 thus far. It's downright potent! Everything Garmin said plus a whole lot more! Very intuitive and refreshingly user friendly. With the exception of maybe adding a few more data fields, for us with the remote audio panel and transponder units, I don't see how they can improve on it. Garmin managed to strike the perfect balance in the 750. It is capable and extremely sophisticated. Yet it is not overburdening and so simple to use. Coming down on an LPV or LNAV/VNAV approach on a glideslope with no ground facility is truly amazing. I will get used to it but right now I'm addicted! I guess this is the future around the corner when VORs and ILSs are taken down. They are very expensive to upkeep and rightly so I don't see the government keeping them around very long.

According to Bill Cox's article, if I'm reading it correctly, the most advantageous gains are 2 or 3 knots and happen at 11500 at 2500 rpm and peak. Seems to me these are small gains in a very restricted regime and when the stars are aligned a certain way. I don't think it's worth it imho. I'm speaking about the J. If it was down at "normal" prices maybe. It's like most other mods. Their cost /benefit or cost/gains ratio is exhorbitant. When I bought my plane I had a discussion with a mechanic at Dugosh who had maintained it and annualled it since it was born practically. He made me think. We were talking about mods and the Loprest cowl. I think at that time it was around 14K or somewhere near there if I remember. He said to me, would you pay 14 grand plus installation for a questionable 2 or 3 knots? The answer is no! His opinion was don't buy it for promised gains because you'll be disappointed.