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Beautiful aircraft. You might regret letting that one go some day... Good luck with your flying career!

I have had old DG's that just kept working great for years, and have bought brand new ones that were horrible. Very annoying.

My accutrak ll with the pc is tied to my 430w. It works incredibly well tracking gps, VOR, ILS , or whatever is being fed to the cdi. I don't have a heading bug or capability. I didn't have to adjust anything, it just worked after the 430 install. So I can assure you it is quite capable of intercepting and tracking very well, and I have a fair amount of autopilot experience to judge from. It will never be a century 41 or king 150 or 200, but for single pilot IFR or vfr, it is awesome for flying courses. I am very impressed and love it. No need for me to spend anything for upgrades. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

Well guys and gals, seeing as I am well past 40 years of flying and quickly approaching the dreaded and deadly 50 year mark, perhaps I will take one for the team, and thereby reduce your collective statistical risk. If so, it has all been well worth the risk, and no regrets! Just for the record...

aviatoreb: I am in Big Trouble!

FWIW, nobody wants to admit it, but even advanced students that are generally comfortable and feel safe flying, have areas they in fact do not feel safe with, such as stalls or steep turns, or something else. When I instruct, I always look for areas students are not comfortable, and try to address it and get them comfortable. If you have anything in flying that makes you uncomfortable, the odds are you have had a closed mind due to feeling unsafe and have some more learning that needs to take place. The next BFR or IPC, tell your instructor about any areas you are uncomfortable. You will be doing yourself and your instructor a big favor, and you will be a better and safer pilot as a result. Again, FWIW. Good luck!

pinerunner: Pay attention to what Dave Marten posted. Until your wife, or anyone else for that matter, feels safe and secure, her brain is effectively shut down and closed. Logic is not going to work. Flight instructors have to deal with this all the time with some primary, and sometimes advanced students. Even some people that want to learn to fly and are eager to jump in the cockpit do not feel safe at first. When that happens, instructors must recognize the issue with comfort and feeling unsafe, and deal with it. Until a student feels safe, at any level, learning will not take place. And the answer is not logic and stats. The answer is as Dave said: Short flights on nice smooth days, low stress, no destinations that must be met, etc. etc. etc. Until she feels safe, however long that takes, her brain is not going to respond to anything like stats. We are dealing with feelings here. Just curious, how many hours and ratings do you have? You might consider having a flight instructor fly with you and her for a while to help her get comfortable. Good luck!

And you only get a limited number of strikes. Good luck!

Congrats on the Duke! I want to see pictures of it too!!!

Have always had a good experience flying in to KPDK.

cujet: Very interesting post. Thanks!

So sad to see an aircraft on its belly.

Glad you are ok.

Of course, your post begins with a very important "If"! I have seen shops use little or no sanding with very good results. I have seen shops that used to have great reputations turn out crap, as well as a couple of shops that still have great reputations for that matter. I walked in on a shop one time to see a guy with a power sander absolutely sanding off the rivet heads and deep into the skin. When I asked him how long he had been doing aircraft prep for painting, he said never, and there was no supervision to be seen. This really made me feel sorry for the owner that certainly picked up the plane with a shiny new paint job and knew nothing of what had happened. It seems paint shops just make me nervous, and probably for good reasons. After all, what they can do to an airplane and hide under a new coat of paint...ouch! And finally, if there were no"ifs" involved, I would be much more comfortable. But alas, there are "ifs", and when it comes to paint shops, they are a big deal.

+1 Crystal Avionics has a LOT of Mooney experience, and can do the job right. They did my new panel, and I was very pleased. John Miller is a good guy to work with.

If you are going to another platform, the Cherokee 180 is an excellent choice. Best engine paired up with that airframe providing optimum performance and balance. Hard to beat the economics of operating and owning a 180 as well. I would look for a '68 or later model. And just like Mooneys (or any other older aircraft) get a good inspection from someone that knows them inside and out, and beware of corrosion. I wish you well, and sorry you had such bad luck with an otherwise excellent aircraft.

Welcome aboard!

I have seen shops sanding. Nobody will ever sand my aircraft. Just my position on this matter. YMMV IMHO etc

Beautiful aircraft!

Very cool. Prima!

Very cool. Prima!

Looking forward to the Pirep!

In all fairness, it is true that Mooneys take a bit of specialized attention to stay healthy and function properly. Excellent mechanics with lots of brand B,C, and P aircraft experience may occasionally have a few air pockets in their Mooney expertise. As Mooney owners, it is incumbent upon us to pick and choose wisely. And woe to those that do a bit too much DIY trying to save a buck. As they say, you makes your picks, and you takes your chances.

Remember: Dead Foot, Dead Reindeer! :-0

So sorry to hear it. Good luck and please keep us posted.