Becca

Having spent 1.5 years off and on searching for a plane, I had a few solid rules for myself when dealing with the seller: 1. I wouldn't make a trip to see the airplane unless I had the airplane's tail number and at least looked at the last few pages of logs (a seller should be able to scan them in and email them to you). 2. No money was being transacted without a sales contract. 3. There would always be a prebuy and any money I paid as a deposit would be refundable if I didn't like what I saw in a prebuy. These rules pretty much keep you from dealing with shady dealers. The dealer mentioned in this chain, for instance, never even bothered to return my phone calls, let alone give me a tail number or answer any questions over the phone about the planes he had listed on his web site, so I never had to deal with him. Yes, in theory you might miss out on a "deal" if you follow these rules, but some deals aren't worth having.

@howardld, Awesome! I raced dinghies in Clear Lake for a while, and Byron was racing on Parrot Tails. But I haven't found a good boat to crew on recently, I'd love to learn J-24s.

We are thinking of flying our Mooney up to Colorado to go skiing this weekend. We're not up for mountain flying (yet, new plane..) so were planning on landing in Denver and driving out. Any advice on where to go (Front Range Airport?), last minute booking options for resort condos (thinking Breckenridge or Vail/Beaver Creek) or rental cars? Thanks! Becca

@Mooneygirl, my husband (jetdriven) just posted our photos @docket, Ha, you also sail? we also keep our (small) boat at Kemah. Small world..

7 miles to HOU from our home at LVJ, but took a nice trip around Clear Lake to get there. Got a straight to LVJ on the way back. It was fun meeting y'all..

Quote: richardheitzman can you move to Texas? Good luck and you are in the right place to find good people.

I am the proud new owner of a Mooney and it needs a bath. Can you give me some plane washing advice? In my younger days, I washed Cessnas and we had some sort of special soap from an aviator store. Do you use an aviation specific soap and where do you get it? Any areas to watch out for or is a broom and a soft cloth enough to get the job done? Thanks for the advice- can't have all the smashed bugs slowing me down!

Quote: drpep Hi I got pedal extensions from Lasar Mooney Service centre in Norther California They come with drawings for 1.5 inches or 3 inch extensions. They work great! Check with Dan at Lazar. drpep

I'm a proud new (short) owner of a Mooney 201 and had really been counting on putting in rudder pedal extensions to make the seating arrangement a little more comfortable. However, calls to multiple Mooney service centers (including just about everyone you can find on the internet that lists those pedals on a price list) has yielded no luck finding this part. Apparently they are permanently out of stock since they come from the factory and its pretty much shut down up there. Any suggestions on how to find some? I am hoping not to have to fly my Mooney in platform shoes... Thanks! Becca

My husband and I just bought a Mooney 201. I'd really like to bring my golden retreiver on some of our longer trips, flexibility we didn't used to have with rental planes. Anyway, husband is a little skeptical about the feasibility of that plan and also keeping the plane interior in good condition (he won't even let the dog in his car most of the time). Anyway, any lessons learned flying with the dog or strategies to convince husband it would be a good idea? Thanks!