Jrob

A typical mission profile would be: me, my wife and 5 year old son (400#) and probably 75# of cargo. Having a house in gunnison means that we rarely have to transport large items such as skis, gear, etc. I friend who is also a new pilot has expressed intrest in partnering on a plane, so the price point could be "stretched" a little, but his typical mission will be < 1.5 hour of flying mostly in West Texas the turbo is much less important to him.

Hi all. I am a newbie at mooneyspace so dumb it down a little. I am currently in the process of completing my PP and looking forward to purchasing within the next 6 months to a year. I have always wanted to own and fly a Mooney, but I want to get some input from the experienced flyers out there. I live in Lubbock, TX (KLBB) and own a house in Gunnison, CO (KGUC). Ideally, I would like to be able to fly there for a quick weekend as opposed to driving there 4 or 5 times per year with total trip of 20+ hours. Besides the obvious mountain flying courses and slowly building experience in the mountain environment, what are everyone's thoughts on non-turbo, normalizer or turbo. The remainder of the planes flying would be in west and central Texas with average terrain of 2500-3500 MSL. Ideally, I would like to purchase in the $60-70K range. Any input is most appreciated.

I made a couple of mistakes during my solo. First, I wore a nice shirt which has been "altered" and is not really presentable anymore. I also had to go-around on my second approach as the wind (040 at 14) was getting a little testy for me and runway 8. No big deal. Overall, all 3 landings were safe even if they weren't greasers. Officially, I had 18.5 hours in the book before solo. I am definitely looking forward to buying hopefullly in about 6 months. I am planning on punishing the Cherokee's gear for now and taking my time. I would appreciate some input on E and F models as I think that is what I will consider most seriously. Typical mission will be my wife and 5 year-old son OR a buddy on a 2-3 hour cross country. I think they are the best looking planes on the field.

I made a couple of mistakes during my solo. First, I wore a nice shirt which has been "altered" and is not really presentable anymore. I also had to go-around on my second approach as the wind (040 at 14) was getting a little testy for me and runway 8. No big deal. Overall, all 3 landings were safe even if they weren't greasers. Officially, I had 18.5 hours in the book before solo. I am definitely looking forward to buying hopefullly in about 6 months. I am planning on punishing the Cherokee's gear for now and taking my time. I would appreciate some input on E and F models as I think that is what I will consider most seriously. Typical mission will be my wife and 5 year-old son OR a buddy on a 2-3 hour cross country. I think they are the best looking planes on the field.

I too remember it like it was yesterday probably because it was!! Solo'd 9/11/2010 in Cherokee PA28-180 at KLBB. Bumpy, hot, windy but will never forget it and I doubt my 5 year-old boy will either. He was amazed that his dad could fly and airplane all by himself and then asked if I could fly a whale jet (Southwest Air - Shamu 1) next.