N33GG

Quote: N601RX Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton Ohio also has a very large museum. Last time I was there a few years ago it covered 4 large hangers as well as some outside stuff and a couple of theaters.

Be glad the blades stayed attached to the hub. It could have been a lot worse. Glad you are OK.

Anybody have any experience or opinions regarding converting an M20C to the 200HP IO-360 via STC? How complex is the conversion, what is the cost vs. overhaul of the O-360, pros and cons, etc. Maybe it is just a case of E standing for envy (apologies to all the other C owners out there), but I was just wondering if there was any first hand info out there. Thanks.

Congrats Jim! After a few more hours flying in your new beauty, most of what you described will just disappear as it becomes second nature to fly your 231.

That looks great!

Very interesting. Thanks for posting.

Parker, you might as well buy 2 or 3 more aircraft and help the economy!!! I might even share one of my hangars for you to store one of them in when not in Florida... all you need to do is leave me the keys. Come to think of it, you may need 4 or 5 to allow you one in Florida year round. Just trying to help...

Ouch! That will be expensive...

Welcome Jim. Don't worry, if I see you flying near me I will pull back on the throttle of my M20C a bit so I won't embarrass you in that M20K!

73 de W5NG

I am thinking about getting mine replaced too. I am curious what the cost would be to replace all the glass.

Sorry docket... the above post was mine. The login bug got me.

You can replace or overhaul the engine. You can fix the paint and interior. You can even upgrade the avionics. But you can't fix a bad airframe that has unrepairable damage or corrosion. For me, it is airframe first, and everything else is second. I don't know what is second, but it is a long way from airframe. Just my opinion.

Here's the good news...after a long and hard search across the country, and you finally buy your aircraft, there will be a dozen just like you were looking for that will suddenly be on the market right in your back yard, and they will look awesome. Just brace yourself...

My only guess would be that it is highly unlikely that the reporting is complete and correct at this time...

Water depends on the temperature... probably not my first choice. Trees, not if I can avoid it. Here in east Texas, there are lots of areas that would probably dictate a tree landing. I would try really hard to do anything other than landing in the tops of 120 foot pine trees. It could be a long ride down! I know a guy that has been a bush pilot in Alaska forever, and he says when you lose power over the mountains, the key to survival is to land the aircraft going directly up the slope on the side of the mountain. If you do it right, according to him, you can almost stop the forward motion of the plane right before contact with the ground. He says all the bush pilots up there know this. And he has done it several times. Hope I never have to find out, especially in my Mooney!

If the reporting is correct... and the plane did a 180 on impact, and was then pointing at point of origin, logic would follow that the aircraft was heading directly away from the runway when it hit the ground. Not much of a turn, if the reporting is correct...

Sometimes it is the luck of the draw. Looks like this one was lucky.

Good decision making, IMHO. Congrats. There are plenty of good clean aircraft out there, and this is a buyer's market like I have never seen. A little effort and patience should pay off. Good luck with your search.

Quote: AlexR I got one in 2008. I noticed about 4 knots up high and a little less down low. The exhaust is tuned for wide open throttle and 10,000ft. I also got 150fpm more climb and fuel consumption went down about .4 gph. I was just at Oshkosh and Powerflow was offering a group buy discount....out the door between 3,500-3,100 for the stainless system. Annoying because I paid about 4k. Highly recommend.

For what it's worth: Unless you have a connection to an external antenna, a handheld is almost worthless if you have a radio or electrical failure enroute. Especially with a total electrical failure in hard IFR enroute. I thought my handheld would at least be helpful backup, but it wasn't. Been there and done that! For me, for now on (and for several years since my unpleasant experience), it is at least two radios in the panel. But as always, you makes your choices, and you takes your chances!

I have been wondering the same thing... glad to see the post. Should be interesting. My C-Model could use a little extra ooompf.

Understood... sorry. I am not familiar with the detailed operation of the Horizon tach. With other tachs, eg the EI tachs, there can be weird effects with the mag sense leads, and EI has corrective measures and procedures in the event things get a little weird (in line resistance in the leads to calm things down). Perhaps someone with more knowledge of the Horizon unit can provide input. Again, sorry for the off topic communication, but you should have seen Parker's 252, and you would understand! Good luck, these kinds of problems can be very frustrating. I hope there is a simple solution.

If you can't afford a 50K Mooney... DON'T DO IT.

IMHO... the only way it makes sense to buy a 25K Mooney is if you are a gambler, and can really afford a 50K Mooney if things don't go your way. Sorry, and good luck if you decide to roll the dice.