231Pilot

First lesson, June 1999, age 49 PPL, December 1999, age 49 First plane, 1967 M20C, N721LP September 2000, age 50 Instrument rating, November 2003, age 53 Second plane, 1982 M20J, N36CE December 2006, age 56 Third plane, 1985 M20K, N5810Z, October 2011, age 61 I wanted to do it earlier, but had t wait until kids were grown to afford lessons and plane. Wish I could have done it sooner.

I have had them both, much prefer the Johnson Bar. Much easier to maintain, less expensive, the weak link is the pilot. Wish it was an option for the J and the K.

Quote: flyboy0681 Pretty spectacular Fred. And I also like Lew Powell's drawings. The only thing I would change on his design is to streamline the registration instead of using the block letters and numbers as they are currently drawn out.

Nice! You have to be really happy. Looking forward to pjsny 78's pictures soon.....mine in a few weeks, the white is on, shooting color today.

Concord has worked well for me.

Sole owner. Have been on all three Mooneys (C,J, & K). I never wanted to have to get permission to use or upgrade, partnership would seem to create that kind of situation.

About six years ago I was checked by local airport security on a Thanksgiving morning at KGPT before flying to KAWM. Asked to see license and registration, didn't ask for any other papers. Made the comment that not many people were flying on Thanksgiving morning. I responded that it looked like I'd have the full attention of the controllers, should have a safer flight. After that, she (security) just smiled and said have a nice flight. I did.

Quote: allsmiles Considering speed and efficiency, cost of ownership and your mission as described, I would get a nice well equipped J and outfit it with long range tanks. Have you considered this option? You don't need a turbo and the ongoing expense. There plenty of na Airplanes flying out west in the mountains! They do fly believe it or not! I think too many folks get into a turbo when they don't necessarily need it. What you need more than a turbo, IMO is economy and efficiency. Your fuel efficiency will benefit greatly when you eliminate descents and climbs for fuel stops. Long range tanks is an excellent mod to an already excellent airplane that will pay for itself in short order.

Nice video. Sunday was a beautiful day for flying in Utah...I flew over Arches on my way back to SLC from San Antonio in late October. The American West and Southwest have magnificent scenery. I hope to be over it again soon when 5810Z comes out of the paint shop. The strip should be completed by the end of this week.

Congratulations! My wife loves the convenience or shortened travel time too. When we get up above the clouds, she usually naps....sometimes all the way to touchdown.

Quote: gregwatts Has no wastegate and no intercooler and original engine. Has been on the market for a long time possibly not flying.....be prepared to put more $$$ into it after the purchase.

Congrats Parker. I'm sure the wait (and the cost) will be more than worth it.

Congratulations Alan! Hard work and perseverance pay off.

I am currently flying my third Mooney, and it is the first of the 3 to have speed brakes. Are they necessary? Probably not. Are they a good tool to use for quick descents? Absolutely. To say that relying on speed brakes makes your aircraft beyond your capabilities, is like saying that using your GPS makes you a lesser pilot than using only your VOR or ADF, or using your WSI weather makes you a lesser pilot than one who relies only on Flightwatch and on ground weather briefings. I think that proper use of all the tools at hand (autopilots, speed brakes, datalink weather, gps, etc) help us all to be better pilots as long as we practice and remain proficient flying our aircraft without them.

The flap and gear switches are far enough apart that it shouldn't be an issue, but I wait until I have cleared the active runway to "clean things up". No touch and go procedures in the current plane, practice go arounds...yes, touch and go...no.

Couldn't agree more. Multiple shots at the same angle should be taken to allow selecting the best one for posting, but don't post them all, just the best ones. that being said, if you want to put them all in your Facebook and/or MooneySpace galleries.....go ahead, knock yourself out.

Rarely. Usually the services I receive are not at discount rates. If the prices are significantly lower than at other FBOs, then I tip.