HRM

I didn't do a prebuy and wound up with a Super Mooney. Of course, the plane had been annualed religiously at Maxwell's for a decade, so a call and chat was all it took to tell me that "it's a good E". Then I flew it and that was it. Far more important than the so-called "prebuy" is doing your homework. So much info is out on the web on vintage Mooneys (50+ years worth) that there really is no excuse.

Prices start at $89,950 (FOB manufacturer) and can be purchased as a complete kit, or as sub-kit deliveries. Retractable landing gear, engine gear box, fan assemblies and engine mount are included in the cost of the kit. Build time is advertised at 2000-2500 hours, and a total flying cost is projected to be as low as $125,000 USD.

This was my LOL for the day. When I was plane shopping I started by looking at the E I now own and decided too pricey and too much work (interior and panel were yuck). Then I moved to an Ercoupe. I liked the idea that Mooney had a finger in that pie and the thought of pushing back the canopy and cruising around was enticing. Then I thought--hey, the term 'cruising' really points to speed, the 'coupe is a 'putter'. Then I turned to aerobatics and began lusting after an Aerobat. The thought of flying along and then pulling a barrel roll at whim was intoxicating. I went to Florida and flew an absolutely gorgeous 'bat that was being sold parachutes included. Then I thought about all the trips I had planned and a 'bat is still a 150 putter aerobatics or not. I came back to the E and never looked back afterward--absolutely not a putter and criminal to be flown that way.

Where to begin? Let me talk about my Mooney... The MIstress is a'66 M20E Super 21. She was airworthied in October of 1965, but has all the features (and S/N) of what Mooney designated as the '66 model. To fly her is to become possessed by her. But that's just the poetic part... Purchasing an airplane that is over 50 years old must be approached with caution. It had to have been repainted, interior redone, panel upgraded, etc. and those things must be scrutinized carefully unless you seek a 'project plane'. The log books will (or should) paint the picture of where the aircraft has been and where it has come to. The maintenance history, IMNSHO, is more important than the pre-purchase inspection, although the latter is very important. Electric gear? Don't be insane.

Yes, this has mystified me. It should follow RPM, just not go above the maximum (5.5).

I am just going to wait until the last minute or my Narco AT50 dies--whichever comes first. Prices should come down even further by then.

Isn't there a thing where you (literally) shout out that the gear is down? Is that GUMPS? Frankly, I don't see the need for any of that but...whatever floats your boat. I have a checklist and it includes giving a very hard tug to my Johnson to verify it is up (and the gear is down).

OK, if truth be told, my vacuum is high. Not always, but enough to drive me crazy with my engine monitor. Anytime vacuum gets above 5.5 the red alarm comes on. The alarm used to come on a lot on the low end, but after the new pump it's the other way. The new pump went in at annual and I feel confident no adjustment to the regulator was made. I do think, given all the scratches and wear on the jam nut and knob, there were adjustments made over the years to accommodate various things. My E is a vacuum hog--instruments, 3-axis AP and the retractable step. I called my IA (who installed the pump at annual) and he said to back it off a quarter turn and see if that ended the nuisance alarms. Below is a graph of RPM vs Vac from a flight I made today (no time to adjust the knob). I am wondering if the regulator has gone south. Looks like it has trouble on high RPM moves:

Here's a synopsis. I think the reg was originally behind the panel and was moved out to the engine side at some point. It may have been when the Aerotech filter, which is on the other side of the bracket, was installed. I have as yet to pull the cowl and look at mine, but I am guessing that the jam nut (thanks for the terminology!) has a lock wire hole and it will have a lock wire soon. Is the adjustment process just to loosen the jam nut and turn the knurled shaft? Are there detents or does it just turn freely?

This is similar to another picture I saw. I have as yet to pull the cowl and look at mine.

...the runway goes on...forever! Nice folks at KLRU.

This is a closeup of the Airborne 133A4 vacuum regulator in my E. The arrow points to what I presume is a locking-nut that must be loosened in order to adjust the regulator with the knurled knob on top. Isn't that nut supposed to have a piece of security wire on it?

Interesting thread, I have called my E "The Mistress" since I've owned her. Like a French mistress, she and wifey are aware of each other and grudgingly co-exist. She gets expensive baubles more frequently than wifey. My kids get a big kick out of this and made a photo book of the plane a few years ago for my birthday titled "The Mistress". I have another mistress now, my AMG, which I call the "Petite Mistress". Nothing really petite about her other than she is smaller than the E and not as fast. Wifey hates the AMG almost as much as the Mooney. It's pretty much my flying and driving My mistresses get along well together, however; here's the "Petite Mistress" giving some air to "The Mistress": Two mistresses is about my limit. Keeping them and wifey happy is a full time job.

You are not going to like what it is going to cost when you find it. Kidding aside, if the gas caps are the same as on an E, it is the same part as many other planes use and I think I've seen a locking version. Depending on how desperate you are for this, you could get two regular caps and remove the actuating tabs and make it so you needed a special wrench or vice grips to remove them. Then just replace with the normal ones when you want to fly.

What window?

Hate you Congrats!!!

This one should fit in the torpedo.

Really? Really? You have to go fly it, you cannot rely on others to tell you because everyone is different. Al Mooney was over six foot tall and flew all over the US in a Mite. My CFI wouldn't fly with me anymore after I bought my E. Comparing a 182 to a 201? In any way? Really? Really?

Jeez lou-eez! Scary, just scary.

I'm a doctor, but not of the dental kind. I will share the wisdom passed on to me by a very wise Army dentist--don't pull good teeth and don't mess with anything unless you have to; i.e., if your bite and chewing capabilities are working, leave the rest alone. This was when I was a butter-bar 42 years ago. Now, I still have all my teeth and the hygienists regularly praise what good shape they are in. I have friends that got caps, veneers, posts, whatever over the years who are now in misery. It's like flying. If there is a little doubt in the back of your mind as to whether or not you should TO, don't go!

Yep. Hard to see the set screw hole as it is close to the base of the knob. You have to press the louver gently to access it. Allen screw.

Ahhhhhh...the Mooney Nod. One of my favorite things to do on FR with a young whippersnapper CFI who's never flown in a Mooney

This thread should excite you! I think the summary is that getting IFR rated makes you a better pilot even if you never file IFR after getting it. I have a buddy, with a gorgeous Ovation, who basically uses his IFR to get-out and get-in when nature decides to drop the gauze-curtain over VFR operations. In other words, he doesn't push the envelope very far and won't fly when she drops the blackout curtain even though he can. I envy his options. At the end of the day, it all reverts to mission.

So overrated. Shortly after I bought my E I flew to Florida (from Tejas). I stopped at Marianna (MAI) for fuel and a pee. Probably hung around longer than I should have, got into the air and as I approached TLH the weather kept getting worse. Before you know it, I was deep in soup, first time in my life. The next thing you know, I see the hands on my gauges spinning and I thought, "Damn, I'm in the death spiral! So this is what it looks like." After being transfixed by the scenario for a moment, I then thought, "Damn, I'm only at 3,000' or so, sprialing down into middle-of-nowhere Florida, with all those damn TOWERS everywhere!" So then by some miracle I get out of the spiral (I channelled my grizzled old CFI from 1986, he'd be so proud--or pissed) and pull back and in a moment I am 'on top'. Just beautiful, absolutely beautiful. So, then I call TLH and they say it just gets worse and they are IFR anyway. They suggest I turn around and try to get back to MAI, which I do. Now I see HUGE thunderclouds off to my right, with little flashes of lightning inside. Mesmerizing. They seemed to beckon me to fly closer for a better look, I resisted. Now it is getting dark and finally I am into patchy clouds and can see the ground every so often. As I approach MAI I can't see the airport and start flipping through my docs to find out how to turn the lights on. THERE ARE NO LIGHTS! So now I get a bit panicked and TLH suggests Quincy. I fly there and like magic the lights come on with the radio. I do the dodge clouds landing and make it in. This is why my wife won't fly with me. I digress, IFR cert is first on my list to finish at retirement. Flying in clouds is too much fun to pass up.

Thank you.