WilliamR

Don Smith at Cartersville, GA Airport (KVPC) did a good job for material paint "touch up" work on my plane. I had a good amount of paint touch up (among other things) needed after Maxwell got a hold of my plane and Smith did a very good job. I can't tell where they blended the old and new paint. Phoenix Air at VPC can also do the maintenance. I had them fix the many discrepancies I had after that Maxwell annual. Phoenix Air coordinated directly with Smith. Don Smith is the closest to Atlanta that I could think of that is willing to do smaller paint jobs that also has a decent maintenance shop on field. PDK and FTY are the only airports in Atlanta and the maintenance shops there I don't think do great material paint work (more than filling in a chip here and there). I might be more particular about these things than the average; or so say my friends. William

Fellow ATL pilot @Jetter2, I think the Cardinal numbers are a bit ambitious but not overly so for a TN'd version. Note, they do not have the same engine as a Mooney M20K. A 201 with TKS (I assume a non-FIKI version would be acceptable) would probably be your best bet for =<$200 and is definitely faster than a Cardinal (payload may be a different story if that matters). An older Ovation or a Bonanza like the one listed above would also be a greater contender. An SR20 won't go anywhere near as fast as you want/need and would be the slowest of the ones I mention. Yes, it's slower than a TN'd 177. It's about as fast as a NA'd 177...~135 knots. If you have no plans to fly above 10,000' then I would probably steer away from anything TN'd or turbo'ed. I totally get not being excited about oxygen (two decade turbo Mooney owner who regularly flies above 10,000' speaking from experience). Are you on any hangar wait lists? If not, and you want a hangar, you can't get on a list early enough. You probably know that already, though. William

Those issues from a Maxwell annual do not surprise me in the least. One of the many issues I corrected right after my annual/maintenance and TSIO360-sb engine installation with Maxwell was fuel flow setup and fuel line routing. Not sure why I even brought this up as there is a very clear bias on this board that Don Maxwell Aviation Services, Inc. can do no wrong. William

Without any insider info, $1,000 says Arcline is in the mix. Those guys have been on a good buying spree. Plus, I'm sure it adds some vertical integration to their diverse portfolio. Most Mooney owners wouldn't like that, though.

@dzeleski, thanks. Very familiar with those GFC 500 limitations and functionality. @201er gave me the impression that there was an interconnect between his AOA and FD when pressing the TOGA button given his answer. Interested in how that works and the equipment. William

Agreed. So, is there an interconnect of some type between your AOA (assuming you have one) and the flight director (again assuming you have one) when you hit your TOGA button? Thanks! William

If you reach out Starlink, you will find the Mini Roam plan for $50/mo will allow usage up to 280 mph for 50 GB. Above 280mph you will need the Aviation service plan. William

Have you had your maintainer check the wire from the PTT? What are their ideas besides changing the PTT switch? Sometimes, over time, those wires from the PTT can develop hairline cracks in the insulation which then grounds to the closest metal surface like a yoke shaft which acts like a PTT being pushed (hot mike). That's usually the next easiest place to have your avionics mechanic look. William

First, I think you buffing a wing tank leakage was a coincidence and not causational based on my experience. I probably buffed my plane over the last 20 years 5-7 times. Noticed no tank leakage after buffing. I also buffed other Mooneys over my almost 40 year flying career (I started detailing airplanes at 14 at my family's maintenance shop) with no notice of creating leaks. I think your plan of one or two more goes then a very light buffing if needed is spot on and you're clearly knowledgeable enough to know that protection after using #7 is needed. As you've discovered, old single stage paint is very soft compared to a modern paint job. Tread lightly as you've noted. Protection is the harder question. Do you go old school wax or do you ceramic or do you do ceramic wax which is closer to wax than a true ceramic coating? Obvi, you would not want to use a panel wipe if doing ceramic coating as that will undo most of the oil penetration you just did. I've seen some barn find Porsches do paint correction that just apply the ceramic over corrected paint (look at Ammo NYC, they've done some single stage paint work). Interested in before/after pics. William

Couple financing options in addition to Dorr. www.Banterraaircraft.com www.usaircraftfinance.com/ www.airfleetcapital.com www.gocurrency.com/air/ www.airloan.com You will find most rates are very close to one another (~50 bps). However, lenders differentiate themselves with prepayment penalties and fees (app fees, escrow, title, etc.). William

Gracias!

You mean like the app Patrick developed?

That's odd. About a month ago, I was looking for a part. I went to Lasar who didn't have it and they contacted the factory who said they don't have it and won't make it. I thought I read other stories of the same. In any case, what MSC is that? Clearly they have the magic touch. Always looking for a good contact. Thanks in advance for the help. William

Still remember flying one (yes, took controls from climb out to short final) from the right seat after mentioning I followed him in in my family's Cub. Wasn't even multi-rated at the time and there was a full load of passengers in the back. I don't think I had even graduated from high school by then. Extra $5 dollars for the right seat was totally worth it. Climbs at 90 mph, cruises at 90 mph, lands at 90 mph. The coolest was approach. Captain had me set set outboards to idle thrust and control speed and path with center engine. Twitchy it was not. William

Currently, I own an 86 M20K. Purchased with no changes from the factory other than a new engine and overhauled prop. Lots of plastic on the interior compared to a same year Beechcraft. Fit and finish inside of the cabin including placement of certain accessories/wiring is meh. Lots of screws in interior panels when clips would have been much better and looked cleaner. Some skin joints and fairings aren't very smooth. Also know of two people that bought new Mooneys about 10-15 years ago. They ran into things like an inspection panel not being painted, etc. The wrinkles in the leather interior panels and fit of some panels in the most recent Acclaim demonstrator a few years ago didn't show well either. Paint on one panel was slightly mis-matched, too. When I looked at the Cirrus G7 demonstrator, it was very clean. Everything fit; interior and exterior. Gear system with no back spring clutch isn't the most robust system out there. So....mid. Not trying to pick a fight. If people feel Mooneys are the pinnacle of quality and refinement, bully. Clearly, I see some value as I've been an owner for 20+ years and have been flying them for 35+. William