Buster1

Isn't Top Gun down in Stockton? They probably have some instructors. Just a guess though.

http://www.trade-a-plane.com/clsfdspecs/845800 Anyone know anything about this 231 in AZ? Looks great, says there is no motor, but the price is pretty good.

Uhhh Oh...he said Mooneyland! Get ready 'yall!

I'll start: You only need two things to fly............airspeed................and money!

Quote: Parker_Woodruff Wonder if it's possible he accidentally retracted the gear on rollout?

Scott, welcome to the forum! Can't speak to the Canadian flying much, but I would suggest that following the Rockies north along your route would be pretty epic. Not sure where you'll go from CA, but a stopover here at Ogden and the Wasatch Mts is pretty sweet. Just watch out for all those damn F-16s that fly all around here!

DaV8or, Just that you've thought of all those things puts you well ahead of the average buyer IMHO. I too have had the same debates and thoughts as we get ready to make an offer in a few short months (I hope). My plan in reference to your questions: 1. I plan on seeing the bird first hand...a must for me. To keep from wasting money on plane tix, I plan on focusing closer to home, or going to a MSC that has more than one bird "on the lot" to look at. For instance, I hope to get up to Willmar at one point and go see all their 231s that I am interested in. A single seller, far off and away, will probably be passed by for me. 2. I think it's reasonable to have all the AD's complied with, if not, they will be corrected at pre buy with some form of agreement (in writing) with me and the seller. 3. I plan on paying 100% of the pre buy cost wherever that ends up being, and he will pay to fix any airworthiness items (again agreed in the written agreement, you can find examples on AOPA) 4. Most MSCs and some banks will do all the title searches and stuff for you and are good at it too. My $0.02. Good luck.

I can help you with valuation. I recommend joining AOPA in general, but they have a ton of buyer help and basics including their valuation tool. Not bad for a couple $20s. if you have a specific bird you are looking at, send me the info and I'd be happy to run it thru AOPA's Vref tool. Additionally, I am in the same boat as you as a first time buyer. I've been reading everything I can get my hands on about buying and Mooneys over the last 6+ months. I think if you do some good research, and see what's out there, ask some questions, etc...you'll soon be able to feel comfortable with enough of the basics to make an educated first buy. Good luck.

Thanks for settleing my nerves guys. I have heard so many good things about Willmar, I am glad to know that I can trust them to sell and be unbiased in their PPI. Looking forward to the day........ (still a ways off I fear:-(

So, this thread is NOT a Willmar bash-fest...please don't go there unless you have a true gripe or experience. I have been talking to them off and on and starting to think I may book a trip up there soon to go look at their inventory (and maybe make an offer...maybe). Seem like great people, nice, helpful, and very Mooney smart. But here's my issue. They are selling plenty of Mooneys, and can do the pre-purchase inspections too...is this a conflict of interest? I don't mean to say that they are hiding anything, or being deceitful. But can they honestly give the plane a through inspection while trying to sell it at the same time? I know they are very reputable, but are they going to be unbiased when it comes to a proper full pre-purchase inspection? BTW, they quoted me ~$500 for a PPI. Doest that sound about right?

Welcome Brad! Be sure to post your learnings of hunting and purchasing!

Welcome, glad you're on board here!

Go to Barnstormers and search for Mooney 201 parts. This one and some others have been on there for some time for part out. Might get lucky!

Wow, it's really dark, half as much as the GPS sitting to the left. Is that normal?

Quote: Jeev

Readying to buy a K, I have my eye on all of them. Been studying the market and 231s for 6 months now. My thoughts: Great price! Will need a new motor in 1-2 years, probably needs a top now (one cylinder is low). May need an OH now, 14 yrs since the reman...I think she's due. Why is the seller telling me that 3400+ hrs TT is "low time" ?? let me make that decision, I've seen plenty with less time. This one goes in my "basic" avionics stack. FWIW Speedbrakes? Nice plane in my opinion, I've been quoted mid-$30s for a TSIO-360-LB overhaul, be ready for that soon!

Sorry Bob, that hurts. Must be like losing a family member. Though it "is just metal" and I agree, it's still difficult. Good luck, glad the insurance was there to cover you.

All this and I don't even HAVE a Mooney yet. Perspective!

Welcome Jason, I've asked that question before too as I am moving to Vegas in about a month. No responses. But Jeev on this forum lives there too and has a beautiful Mooney I've seen pics of. PM him to see what he'd be willing to say or do. See ya there soon.

Does anyone know if there are any rules or regulations prohibiting stuff on the glareshield? I'm talking temporary items that are velcro'd on, or attached vis suction like a GPS Area or something like that, or portable antenna. I've been thinking about making some portable velcroed wires, pen holder, and antenna "thing" to sit up there on the rental Cessna. Couldn't find anything in the limited Google FARs I researched. Buster

Av Consumer or AOPA, both are my favorite reads!!

Curves are great...on all ladies (airplanes or otherwise), but I really like straight stripes too. That will be a tough decision someday.

Looks great! I Love the small flag on the gear door, nice touch! I thought ANY airplane could have small numbers if you only fly it stateside?

Cool! We can't go that slow even with gear and flaps (flaperons). Would have been different if some Vipers were there to help. Good thing for the A-10...nicely done.

Itdoyle, can I ask a potentially dumb question? All your speeds on your checklist are in MPH...do some Mooneys have MPH for A/S indicators? Everything I fly is in KIAS (Cessna, Piper) or KCAS (F-16).