PTK

Have you folks ever heard of the phrase "there is no free lunch"?? Go back and read the Laws of Thermodynamics. Specifically the Second Law. We cannot get something from nothing. The M20J is the evolution and refinement tof an airplane which achieves a precious and delicate balance between speed and economy. Sure we can build an airplane which goes faster and carries more but the other side of the equation (economy) will suffer. We can play around with what if scenarios but the bottom line is that the J has achieved this balance. Don't go searching far; just look at the current production Mooneys! Do the math and you will see that in order to achieve the numbers (economy) of the M20J in a long body Mooney you need to pull back power to the point where you will be going SLOWER than the J ! It's a matter of preference. Does one want to burn fuel indescriminately to get to destination 10 minutes sooner or does one care to achieve the maximum speed with minimum fuel burn. I can go into a long elaborate dissertation involving physics and mathematics to illustrate this but we all get the picture I think.

All you people who think about other airplanes need to do some simple arithmetic and read some more. The J is absolutely the fastest, the most economical. Tell me can you beat a solid 160 knots at 10.5 gph?? These are numbers the other airplanes can only dream about. I also dare say the best load hauler. Some may disagree with me on the load but read some and you will see it actually is!! I'm comparing it of course to similar class airplanes, V35, arrow and the like. And I haven't even mentioned its impecable handling and safety record. Why would you even look at another airplane??!!

Before you buy the Garmins read this very good review article. http://philip.greenspun.com/flying/garmin-gps It changed my mind! I educated myself on these units from a real pilot workload perspective and decided against them. In my opinion they are way too expensive and very very limited in functionality. The whole reason we buy these things is for a REDUCTION in workload. They fail miserably in that regard. I'm waiting for the new King KSN 770. I'm not sure how it will perform either but from all the reading I've done it seems a huge improvement over the Garmins.

Thanks for the info. I'm aware of all these things. I'm not suggesting going to Home Depot. I'm looking for approved carpet at a reasonable price. I have looked into Airtex. Personally I think it's pricey for a few square yards of carpet!

I'm a dentist in practice with offices here in Philadelphia, PA. I'm a General Dentist emphasizing in prosth and dental implants. I graduated frm the University of Pennsylvania Dental School. When I'm not in the office I'm flying around in my 201.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to where to buy carpet for aviation? I know all the internet sites but I don't think we need to spend 25$ a sq yard or more!! I was looking at some normal down to earth prices. Thanks.

Mooney wants 800$ for the fire extinguisher kit! Oh! it includes the fire extinguisher!! And they wonderf why they are not selling!! Don Maxwell informed me that I can purchase a Halon fire extinguisher WHICH COMES WITH THE HARDWARE TO INSTALL IT for ~140 $ depending on the size. Mooney is selling a fire extinguisher with hardware for 800$! How much profit do they have to make?!

Does any one have serial number effectivity and cost for the Mooney solution (part 9940079-507) ?

I would stay away from aircraft dealers. Thet are worse than used car salesmen. I had a very bad experience with one in Texas. You will be better off negotiating directly with seller.

Has anyone removed the landing light from the front cowl and replaced it with the wing mounted landing/taxi lights as on later J's? Apparently Mooney (Bill Wheat) says a lot of people have done it and it requires field approval by the Friendly AA. It's straight forward because the wing is the same and the parts are applicable. If so please advise as to field approval difficulties. Thanks.

In my humble opinion and based on my very limited experience I think on a non J I could see going to the LoPresti cowl, MAYBE if it was 2-3K max and then maybe ??????? But absolutely positively NOT for a J! Not for 13 -15K $ !!! The J cowl is refined to maximum aerodynamics. I don't see spending this kind of money for a questionable 1-2 mph if that. I would rather remove the RAM (SERVICE INSTRUCTION M20-93) hardware, and take the J cowl to an autobody shop. You can have a beautiful cowl perfect and painted for under 1 grand!! At least this is what I was quoted. I plan to do this at next annual. For more of an cosmetic improvement remove the landing light also. I plan to place landing/taxi lights in the wings. Total cost parts and labor ~$2600. (2 wing mounted light fixtures, labor to install them, remove RAM and refinish and paint cowl).

BEFORE YOU BUY THE OVERPRICED AND UNDERACHIEVING GARMINS READ THIS: http://philip.greenspun.com/flying/garmin-gps

BEFORE YOU BUY THE OVERPRICED AND UNDERACHIEVING GARMINS READ THIS: http://philip.greenspun.com/flying/garmin-gps

BEFORE YOU BUY THE OVERPRICED AND UNDERACHIEVING GARMINS READ THIS: http://philip.greenspun.com/flying/garmin-gps

BEFORE YOU BUY THE OVERPRICED AND UNDERACHIEVING GARMINS READ THIS: http://philip.greenspun.com/flying/garmin-gps

Before you buy the OVERPRICED UNDERACHIEVERS from Garmin read this: http://philip.greenspun.com/flying/garmin-gps

I was maybe 135 knots. So the slower the spees the less the descent rate?

Thank you for the reply. No shutter. I know what you mean. This is why this seems odd to me. Usually there is a shutter that gets your attention. In this instance nothing!! I'm thinking the autopilot had the airplane trimmed to hold altitude and it was still at this trim attitude when I deployed the speedbrakes. Does this make any sense??

I have often used the speedbrakes to descend quickly to pattern alt and would see better than 1000 fpm descents. Recently I was coming home and was at 6000 feet. About 15 miles out I deployed the boards and something happened that I had not seen before. I hardly got any descent!! I cycled the speedbrakes they operated normally but hardly any descent. It was very cold 30 degrees. Has anyone experienced this? I'm thinking trim has something to do with this. Or maybe the cold air. I had the autopilot engaged on alt hokd prior to this. I disengaged it before I activated the speedbrakes. Any input is appreciated. Thanks.

I have often used the speedbrakes to descend quickly to pattern alt and would see better than 1000 fpm descents. Recently I was coming home and was at 6000 feet. About 15 miles out I deployed the boards and something happened that I had not seen before. I hardly got any descent!! I cycled the speedbrakes they operated normally but hardly any descent. It was very cold 30 degrees. Has anyone experienced this? I'm thinking trim has something to do with this. Or maybe the cold air. I had the autopilot engaged on alt hokd prior to this. I disengaged it before I activated the speedbrakes. Any input is appreciated.

This is how you buy a Mooney. Find a model you like and fits your budget that has: BEEN CONTINUASLY MAINTAINED BY A REPUTABLE MOONEY SERVICE CENTER FOR A LONG, LONG, LONG TIME HAS BEEN HANGARED FOR ALL ITS LIFE (call around the airport and confirm it!) HAS NO CORROSION BEEN FLOWN REGULARLY (Look at logbooks and do some math) HAS HAD REGULAR OIL CHANGES EVERY 25-30 HOURS (Look at logbooks and do some math) HAS ORIGINAL AND COMPLETE LOG BOOKS FROM THE DAY IT WAS BORN IN KERVILLE, NDH Have a reputable Mooney Service Center (different from the one maintaining it) do an ANNUAL FOR YOU regrdless if it needs one or not. Pay for it and deduct from the sales price. The seller will have no problem with this. If he/she does have a problem with this walk away and find another. They are out there. Do not trust these Mooney gurus who will "find you an airplane" Use these criteria and find it yourself! Good Luck! Dr. Pete, N5690N

The best advice anyone can give to the buyer of a Mooney is this: BUY THE MOONEY THAT HAS BEEN MAINTAINED BY A REPUTABLE MOONEY SERVICE CENTER FOR A LONG TIME AND FITS YOUR BUDGET TO CONTINUE THIS LEVEL OF MAINTENANCE. This translates into value for you the buyer and the next buyer if you decide to sell. The airplane I bought was maintained by Dugosh in Kerville since new each and every year of its life. The level of confidence you will have in your airplane knowing that it has been maintained by Mooney professionals is invaluable. Good Luck. Pete T. Kousoulis N5690N

The best advice anyone can give to the buyer of a Mooney is this: BUY THE MOONEY THAT HAS BEEN MAINTAINED BY A REPUTABLE MOONET SERVICE CENTER FOR A LONG TIME AND FITS YOUR BUDGET TO CONTINUE THIS LEVEL OF MAINTENANCE. This translates into value for you the buyer and the next buyer if you decide to sell. The airplane I bought was maintained by Dugosh in Kerville since new each and every year of its life. The level of confidence you will have in your airplane knowing that it has been maintained by Mooney professionals is invaluable. Good Luck.