231Pilot

CFIs are not unreasonable to want her to have more time...or right side brakes. I would opt for more time because your M20C is a lot easier to get behind than the Cessna. An 11 hour pilot might be easily overwhelmed trying to stay ahead of the aircraft. At least there is the promise of instruction when she has more Cessna hours...I know a CFI who said her worst experience ever was transitioning a new Bonanza pilot (only Cessna time previous) who bought a Bonanza with the single throw over yoke. Said it scared the hell out of her, and was the first and last time she would ever fly with someone without having the means to take full control of the aircraft.

I like the designs...Brian does great work. Can't wait to see the finished product. Who is doing your paint?

Try to all your take offs in the AM, the DA gets really high in the summer, and climb performance in a normally aspirated plane will be somewhat anemic in the afternoons. Also, the air over the mountains gets a little bumpy in the afternoons. I try to fly in the mornings if possible. Have fun! Be sure you have supplemental O2.

The problem with siphoning is not a health issue, but the static electricity that can be generated by siphoning into an ungrounded container. This has been the cause of more than one hanger fire, and was the cause for the loss of at least one MooneySpace poster's aircraft when tanks were drained by his mechanic. If I remember correctly (you can look for his posts with the search function) the aircraft and the shop it was being worked on in were totally consumed by fire. Not a good idea to do this. If you must, those cans and the plane better be well grounded. Otherwise it could cost you your plane, and possibly the planes in neighboring hangers. This is the thread: Bad Ending to a Good....... http://www.mooneyspace.com/index.cfm?mainaction=posts&forumid=1&threadid=947

I would never buy from any owner who was unwilling to have a pre-buy done and either fix squawks or adjust price accordingly. That's like buying a house without a home inspection and appraisal just because the owner says it's a great house and I like the floorplan and the way it looks. The only way a deal like that would happen is with a warranty and money in escrow to make it good. The idiot would be the one who doesn't want the pre-buy not the one who does. Your plane might be pristine, and have no issues that would require maintainence, but if that is the case, why refuse a pre-buy? If there are squawks, they should be addressed whether you sell or not. Based on your post, I don't think I would want to buy from any owner with your outlook on aircraft sales. Why would a pre-buy be necessary for the twin you buy, but undesirable for the Bravo you sell? Is there a double standard here? Just wondering, but maybe I missed the point of your post...probably not smart enough to get it....I'm one of those idiots who insists on Mooney pre-buys by Mooney experts.

For what it's worth, I never said I used the shop above, just that they do good work, and they are pricey. I have had two planes painted so far and checked out high and low end painters. If that is inexperience, so be it. Nevertheless, if you are going to make the investment in your plane that comes with a paint job, you owe it to yourself to check the full price spectrum. I used a shop in the western 1/2, paid way less than the numbers above, and got a quality paint job. I used Straube, and they are in Ogden, UT or Hawaii, or Phoenix: all in the western half. It still makes sense to see what the high dollar shops offer for the money so when you check with other shops you can compare apples to apples. All paint jobs are not the same. I ended up getting quotes ranging from 10 AMUs to nearly 20 AMUs. I found a good local (forty minutes away by car) shop and did not spend the thousands in fuel and airfare required to take plane to the painter, round trip me home and back, and then get plane home. Local is better if possible for any warranty work too. But check out all the shops to see what the difference is the the product offered for the money. But then again, getting all the information and making an informed decision is my "no brain" way of doing things.

Quote: johnggreen Perhaps, some of my "attitude" comes from having my CFII. No, it's no big deal, it doesn't make my Sky King, Bob Hoover, or Werner Von Braun. It does impose upon me some responsibility to point out dangerous or inappropriate behaviour, I think. So let's fly safe. Let's be sure that our actions and words further responsible and safe pilotage.

Oxford Aviation in Maine does a first class job, have done jobs for AOPA among others, but get out your checkbook! A couple of years ago they quoted close to 20 AMUs. I have seen their work on a few planes and it is excellent. They will give you an accurate quote and send you a cool CD about their facility and work (if you like looking at that sort of thing) http://www.oxfordaviation.com/

Take a look at these. The third/fourth one is my favorite, an Acclaim that was painted by Texas Aero Services.

What was effect on weight and balance? The leather is beautiful...is it as cool as the cloth in the warm late spring temperatures? It looks fantastic! Did you get your yokes done too?

$54 from Great Lakes Aero. Be sure to get a step bit to avoid caracking when any drilling is done. They are a quality company with quality products.

Very nice.

Is it a slow drip....a drop every 30 seconds or less...a steady drip, or is it a steady trickle? The amount of flow would determine if you should attempt to fly to a wet wingologist or bite the bullet for an attempt to spot treat the leak before going for a complete srtip and re-seal. You might as well strip and reseal both sides, the existing sealant is probably of the same vintage. If you have extended range tanks installed, it will, of course, cost more. Good luck.

Quote: Mulro767 I hate all this speculation but there's just too much to overlook. As a J model owner, I always struggle with a useful load of 3 adults on an average length flight. But even an average adult of 180 lbs has been an issue for me. Patrick and Evan are both bigger guys and I'd say 220 lbs each. Plus passenger number three who I'm assuming around 170. I can make it work for an hour long flight with 12 gallon reserves. But throw in bags, their route, and IFR reserves I just can't make it work. Has anyone else thought this is pushing it? I hope I'm not being insensitive this early into the accident, but there are a lot of big clues here.

Quote: jelswick As M20E said in an earlier post, the pot of coffee with the video program is important!

I would start gaining hours of cross country time by making trips using the Victor Airways. Learn to fly them using your VOR, then use the GPS if you want, but get used to flying the airways and do it without the autopilot. Get proficient at holding course and altitude and utilize flight following as much as you can. After you have your 50 hours or more, then start with a CFII and learn to fly in the system. The rating is useful for more than flying in bad weather. First, it just makes you a better pilot, second, it simplifies transitions into and through Bravo airspace, and third, it teaches you to be more cognizant of both the aircraft's and your own capabilities and limitations. It is hard work, but the payoff is worth every minute of it.

Patrick's plane was for sale...he wanted to move up to a twin. The link is still up on Controller. It was well equipped, but he was having electrical problems as evidenced on the earlier referenced thread. http://www.controller.com/listingsdetail/aircraft-for-sale/MOONEY-M20J-MSE/1995-MOONEY-M20J-MSE/1232353.htm?

The news reporter said the engine stalled, I wonder if that was her interpretation of the plane stalling or if it was in fact an engine problem? The survivor's father spoke on the interview, as did Patrick's mother. I hope the survivor is able to help the NTSB piece this together as quickly and as accurately as possible.

I am devastated by this. Patrick and I shared a lot of PMs while we were both getting our Mooney's painted, his at ArtCraft and mine at Straube's. We had talked about getting together in the southeast since we both had family members in MS. I will miss him very much. He was very genuine and totally unpretentious. A terrible loss for all who were touched by his life.

I've bought 3 (1967 C, 1982 J & 1985 K) from AAA. Jimmy and David are top notch people, know their Mooneys, and stand behind what they sell. I have, and will continue to recommend them.

The above post attributed to maropers is actually from me...but Mike might share my views....if he does, he can have shared post credit:-)

Escrow.

KSLC (Salt Lake City) to KAWM (West Memphis, AR) with a fuel stop at KEWK (Newton County, KS). Total air time 6 hours, 40 min. Took a lot longer going back, headwinds were tough at every altitude I tried. Still fun, will do it again.

On a cross country flight, my MX20 crapped out and now will shut down and restart anytime I try to view any of the maps. It is, of course, no longer supported by Garmin. I have to decide to: Remove it and clean up the panel with a relocation of other avionics in the hole it will leave in the center panel stack Replace it with a GMX200 (expensive option) Remove it, move other items to the center of the stack, and install two aspen units and recoup some of the costs with sale or trade-in of the HSI and other removed instruments. If cost were no object, it would not be an issue. Also there is a Jepp subscription to cancel on the MX20 if a new/used MFD isn't installed. Suggestions?

Would be a deal killer for me too. Corrosion is the enemy. If it has not been repaired and then the whole thing treated to prevent further corrosion, then it will be a killer of your bank account and possibly of you and our passengers. Too many good ones out there to want that one.