WilliamR

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

Oh, that's helpful. Was thinking about doing the same thing. Looks good. Thanks

Funny, many of my friends say how great Cirrus' are. They have flown Cirrus' unlike most haters. They also ask why I still own my antiquated, orphaned Mooney. I've personally wrenched on Cirrus' helping an IA friend. They are not complicated or tight to work on. Once Cirrus went to G3 or 4, handling (feel of side yoke) got better, based on my experience. Frankly, I've found Mooney quality as mid.

That's a smart looking interior. Did you use ultra suede on the headliner? Any better pics of the headliner? Thanks William

Not a fan of waterless products for broad washing (cool with spot cleaning getting bugs off, though) as they just grind in some dirt before wiping. For planes (and cars) with lots of dirt, I use a foam cannon with the Meguiars product mentioned above. Let the foam sit and couple minutes, then respray with cannon, then wash with a clean, soapy, wool mitt. No scrubbing!!!! Use the two bucket method. Three buckets if your doing cleaning of wheel wells and belly. Don't use jet setting on sprayer, broad spray like a heavy rain is best. I leave all intake plugs in, pitot cover on, tape pilot window even though mine is well sealed, and tape static ports with blue painters tape. https://www.amazon.com/SwiftJet-Wash-Foam-Sprayer-Thick/dp/B082SBHKN2/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2KFV0E12UEGRJ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fPp__4w4cFgmIxT49oLuC18JTsh2rBBr384RLY_IRIq4zEjs86oaE5sb-ZxqguZuKf-zzyXxwF-l5_iqzf_aLZSAUXBSSgGIAcw8_dxxDiXxA2QyXrGmk_rravTGBzG1xc_0cIBCo5ULurHLjrJG_eeB_PWSF-DbpJlLJV6oP9mSrWqEk2_2p3ZpT0BKhsssq9BJBYAx9VWRfp0l-C-dMhgbGgHwqy7lL-SZUFKIk-fMBWWbTMtCwszPnoCT1mqs6keSZmVU5x_HJK_ZLxy27Mqk7vxOYZZrYk4Ki53_5tk.-NE7NUZellTrao4uKOokzxytAM1AqC0KzOw_9Okk7vY&dib_tag=se&keywords=foam%2Bcannon%2Bfor%2Bhose&qid=1717615198&sprefix=foam%2Bcannon%2Caps%2C485&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1 Ceramic waxes really don't last longer than plain wax which last outside only a few months. Read/view some independent reviews. A good paint correction and true ceramic is best, but that can be a 20-40 hour project depending on the paint quality. William

I'm sorry, there's a lot of mis-statement here. BBA hasn't owned Signature for many years. They also operate at many airports where they are not the only FBO. This is all public info. I'm also sorry the OP is going through this. William

I have the Wellue O2 ring. It vibrates when it gets below a certain level (80% I think). Really like it. I also occasionally wear it at night to see how much I move and my heart rate (not real worried about my oxygenation while asleep). There are a million O2 rings on amazon that all have some pretty good functionality and are unobtrusive. William

@Speed Merchant not clear if you already have the plastic bushing or not. Likely not as that is usually the cause for the belt to come loose. The bushing is a Cessna part and can be purchased through Spruce. Once you get it, heat it in hot water and it will stretch over the post. I've also seen someone use a zip tire around the post. Looks trashy but works. If the buckle is worn and comes off with the new spacer installed, you will need new hardware. Lots of places sell the hardware. William

Please note, when converting to an Encore, the brakes are the hardest to source. When Maxwell Aviation did my upgrade to Encore, despite telling me verbally and in writing they had all the parts including the brakes for the upgrade, they did not, which caused delays. William

1. Mooney prices went up 35% -50% on average since early 2020 from my inexact analysis (this is a private market). On a dollar basis, 231s typically went up less than 252s that went up less than Bravos and so on. 2. My 252 unscheduled maintenance costs averaged $75.00/hr or about $8,000/yr on top of any annual inspection costs (inspection, not maintenance that came out of the inspection) and other recurring costs based on hours (mags, prop, oil changes, etc). Turbo engine overhauls are $$$$ as noted above. I'm paying for a 252 engine overhaul now. All-in overhaul costs including freight, remove, and replace; $96,569.00. 10 years ago that would have been close to $75,000. All in, over 16 years, I spend about $110.77/hr in scheduled and unscheduled maintenance for a 252 excluding accruals for paint/interior and engine overhaul. None of this includes any upgrades. 3. I've noticed inventory growing (during Covid, at one time, there was only one 252 for sale) in 2022 and 2023. Sales prices have only modestly moderated, if at all in 2023. That compared to the early Piper Malibu market which I also watch very closely. There, inventory is materially up and sales prices are materially down. However, that market saw >50% market increase since 2020. 4. I watch the economy very closely including the general aviation market. It's my job. Assuming no major events, my guess is the Mooney market will see some modest increase in inventory and moderating of prices. I don't see pre-Covid prices unless there is a major, major event. So far, two major wars, and threats to GA from all angles (when it's there ever a threat?) really haven't made a dent in pricing. Operating costs are another story. Ask 5 economists what the market will do and you'll get 6 answers. 5. It's possible Mooney has been out of business (manufacturing) more than it has been in business. Viability of parts likely isn't going to change materially over the next several years. Lots of parts go into Mooneys that are not made by Mooney or if made by Mooney, that can't be replicated for a price. Then there is salvage as a parts source.

I would agree. Especially, as the company said as much. Besides the quality issue, the bigger issue is a gross margin and working capital problem. Again, very common. Labor and commodity prices really hit hard last year for lots of companies. Look at the price of aluminum. Down from last year, but still very high on a historical basis. These are fixable issues, though. Van's turnaround consultants should be able to show a good path forward given the long historical success of the product. No, kit prices will likely not stay the same. GA is not all doom and gloom. I know of one seasoned GA company that is in the bank market now for a capital raise that is being very well received. Wrapped up a div recap on another this last spring that was an institutional deal. Saw a refi/upsize on another all bank deal this past summer that was oversubscribed. This is not stupid, cheap money chasing deals. That market died 18 mos. ago. William

I've flown one or two K models with the manual system. As noted, this wasn't some work around. It was purpose built with an STC. Unfortunately, there was no annunciator like the vacuum or electric ones. So, I can't help. William

@manu damaschinif you are a serious investor/purchaser, I would recommend calling Johnny Pollack through the company's phone number in the US at 800-456-3033. There may be a business broker who has a 1st stage deck to share. Johnny can get you in touch with who that is. To answer your question, the structure is very likely a C Corp. Hope that helps. I'm sure the company would appreciate any capital infusion it can get. William

I recently purchased a FREM TSIO-360-SB replacing an MB. Most boutique engine shops were minimum 5 months and really they were closer to 6+ mos. Most also offered a'la cart pricing for things like exhaust, accessories, etc. So, it took work to compare costs to the all in- option that Continental/Airpower provides, but I was able to do it. I also considered any warranties. Given the shops I choose had good reps and had been in business decades, any counterparty risk from a warranty was minimal and comparable to the larger Airpower/Continental in my book. I went with the FREM given the shorter turn around time and total all in cost apples to apples was within a few thousand (couple percent of total installed cost) of using a boutique shop. I ordered the engine June 1 and it was shipped Sept. 23rd (I was warned at purchase delivery may take longer than the 75 days initially quoted). I see from my invoice the FREM engine cost was $85,224.00 assuming a core of $19,000. Core is due in Dec. As part of the overhaul I am upgrading to the Encore gross weight. I think that was another $17,500 with labor and parts (probably could be done cheaper, but I wanted turn-key and didn't want to be bothered shopping and collecting parts on my own). William

The ceramic waxes have wildly less tolerance to heat that is often seen on the belly of an aircraft due to exhaust gases and breather oil and much less durability than a ceramic coating. This can be seen in a simple test taking a thin application on glass. Let dry for a couple days. Then see which is easier to remove. The wax will much more easily come off. That's why those waxes are so popular; can't f' it up. Mess up ceramic coating, and you're buffing it off and starting over. The pro ceramic coatings only sold to dealers and shops that have gone to training are even more durable. F that up and something more abrasive than buffing is needed to remove. If you want to reapply every 10 hours and worried about messing things up, then go with the wax. The right nose gear door to my plane takes the brunt of exhaust gases. It lost most of its ceramic coating protection in ~75 hours. The belly was ~125 hours. Note, ceramic coatings only need one coat. The second coat won't adhere to the first due to the now smooth finish. A good paint correction will make things a lot easier, too. No matter what, regular cleaning and protection of the belly is good insurance. Those exhaust gases are really corrosive, sticky, and hard to see on white paint. William

seats and guides are laser cut rather than honed rotocoils break thus ending the valve rotation