Cris

I've seen them often on e-bay. Typical prices are $500 or more for a 6 cyl setup. This assumes you have all of the probes, wiring harnesses, manual etc. You can check selling prices after doing a search on e-bay's completed listings. Barnstormers or Beechtalk (peddlers) are two other sites which will enable you to market. I'd encourage you to indicate that it has the GEM probes modified for the JPM 700 as that is an unusual setup in the resale market IMHO. I have a GEM 602 indicator that I will be selling as I upgraded to the 610 in case you find someone that wants a complete GEM system.

I've owned a 78' J, 81' J, as well as an 84' J. Essentially there is little differance between the 81' & 84' except for the one piece belly & split seats as both have the sculpted wing tips. Unless you are doing owner assisted annuals I never seemed to get a price break on an annual with the one piece belly. However the removable seats were very important for me & is an option I would not do without. The later Mooneys have a higher gross weight/payload & in general are faster. Range on a J is very good with the optimum about 12K without O2. I flew to Europe once round trip in the 78' with standard tanks. In addition I regularly flew to DesMoines from NJ and found that to be about the max that I could comfortably fly landing just once in DesMoines with minimum reserves. East bound was never an issue so long range tanks are really a function of your mission profile. Check the Monroy aviation site for specifics on the long range tanks. Jose' does a great job. Ski tubes were installed in many Mooney's years ago so there must be an STC somewhere for them. With the shorter skis today that option may be of limited use. I used to put my skis resting on the hat rack shelf without an issue and they were the longer version skis. When purchasing the rule that I try to follow is that what ever I buy I will sell at some point so to protect the value I try to look at what someone might want some years down the road. I learned this the hard way with homes that I have owned. About every five years or so a typical house needs an update. If you sell say eight years out the buyer will deduct the cost to freshen it up. So why not invest at the five year point & enjoy it yourself for a few years? With that said I recently bought an Eagle with steam guages & a simple Stec 30/Alt hold autopilot but with decent avioncs- GMX200/GDL69, KN62, KLN 94 but no waas. It was a relative bargain as no one wanted it without the typical 430/530 Waas. To me the 340 Hr A/F, 310 HP STC & both alternator/vacume backups had much more value than the waas. After all one can add avionics but you can't decrease A/F time. I am based at Atlantic City with outstanding ILS approaches so I really have no use for waas and most places I go have lower minimums with the ILS/VOR. I do know however that when I sell most buyers will undoubtedly deduct for not having this option. In terms of autopilots the KFC200 is generally more reliable IMHO than the KFC150 due to the sensors in the KFC150 indicating faults when often there are none. But do a search on this site for opionions. Aviation Consumer did a whole article about older used autopilots recently which you might find valuble. I found the Stec30/alt to be all that I need & if you find a Mooney with an Stec 30 & alt hold you may be quite happy although it does not have the full capability of the KFC200/150 but also requires virtually no maintenance. Stec also has got a promo going on if you want to upgrade to the Stec 55X which is similar to the King units. If you don't have ANR headsets like the Bose A20 that would be the first thing I'd get coming out of your C340 as you will be amazed at the high ambient noise of an older Mooney with the 4 cyl engine front & center not to mention the older audio panels. BTW I also bought my 81' M20J from Henry Weber albeit a few years after you purchased yours. Happy Hunting & consider bringing your new aquisition to the MAPA PPP in Atlantic City in Sept/Oct & I'll meet you there!! Cris

In my quest to get everything onto my Ipad making it a true EFB, I have now downloaded all of the opearating manuals for the A/C avionics in PDF format from the Mfg sites. These include King, Garmin, Stec, Shadin Miniflow etc. which are now easily searchable with the Goodreader App. More to the point is the POH. Try www.DeltaAviationLLC.com. Mark Woods has included a number of POH manuals for our Mooney's & the cost is free. Although generic you will save time by only copying the specific pages needed your A/C manual preferable as PDF's & substituting them for the pages in your downloaded copy.

Seth- I have spent the better part of a year looking at A/C. I have several thousand hours in various Mooneys most of which I owned including E's, J's, K's, R's, & my current 310 HP S. I only mention this as back ground for my comments. There are many with much better quals on this site than me. I like you have been primarily an East Coast flyer out of NJ and even spent quite a bit of time flying into & out of Gaithersburg in the 90's. When I "moved up" from early J's (78 & 81) & bought the K 1980 (231) it was not long before I realized that it took more runway to take off & more runway to land. At the time I was flying out of N07, Lincoln Park, with trees at one end & 2800 feet with a serious fence installed to avoid the road. It carried less payload due to built in O2 & a ton of equipment that typically required a lot of AMU's to keep operational & it used more fuel. It was particularly anoying to wait for the turbo to cool down on a hot summer day so that I would not cook the bearings. Likewise waiting for the engine to warm up on a cold day was also frustrating. I sold that A/C & went "back" to an 84' J which typically gave me 164 Kts. on 10-11 GPH. Yes, it was a fast J & the latter ones generally are faster although the "book numbers" don't recognize that very well. For my money the J is the best GA plane for the buck going. So how did I end my with a Screamin' Eagle. Frankly I believe that any purchase decision has to be based on the sell decision. You will sell the A/C- eventually. Since the factory long ago dropped the J & most flyers seem to want the latest & greatest a long body R seemed to be the best bet but out of my budget in some respects & in a way much more complex meaning it will cost more to maintain. Wait till you get the bill to fix the KFC 150/225 autopilot! The late model J's & Eagles were similarly priced & I wanted relative newness: 1999, simplicity (stec 30) & decent modern avionics (HSI, Garmin GMX200, GDL69 weather). I also wanted wass but did not get it & now have come to realize I do not fly any place that has wass approaches & Ils's work just fine for me. Mostly I wanted the similar T/L performance as I had with the J. Hence the decision to buy the 310 HP Eagle. Now I did consider the Missle & have done some research on them but as the writers above point out it is really a modified J. Parts will become an issue as time goes on if not for you then for the next purchaser who will keep it in mind when making you an offer. There is a much smaller market for a modified A/C like the Missle than for a factory A/C like the Ovation. It will be worth only what someone will pay for it & more to the point if compared to an R or S most folks will buy the factory version. So I know there are those that swear by the Missle & I do not wish to offend anyone reading this so please no bad comments. This is just how my recent buying decision left me pineing for a J but buying an S. BTW in case you are wondering why I would buy a modified S the factory licenses the same STC from Midwest Mooney to provide their 310 HP Ovation 3 so in some respects I now have an Ovation 3 -3368lbs with 100 gals of fuel and better payload. Hope it helps. Cris

It is well known that the KFC 150 as opposed to the KFC200 or even the KFC 225 has issues with the sensors that determine its health. The autopilot itself is terrific but it can be a maintenance nightmare if you have the sensor issses. These sensors frequently declare a fault when there is none. Assuming that the unit seems to work except for the constant alarm I'd check the trim warning sensor circuit before replacing expensive parts like servos. This may be a call to autopilots central for their thoughts.

Here is a thread on beechtalk for the Ipad known overheat issue http://www.beechtalk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=55557 And there is a hardware solution from that thread that describes a $25 Ipad cooling pack available from Amazon.com. Hope this helps. I also use DTC Duats as an app & have the Foreflight Checklist App. I am now considering scanning all my STC's & manuals in a PDF format to download onto the Ipad. I can get rid of them & easily search them with Goodreader while at the same time picking up some useful load. Has anyone else scanned in manuals & possibly the POH? Maybe we could post so that they could be shared & downloaded by others?

Jose' & all- I've added some images of this Robotow. It has removable pegs which presumably will be replaced with the Mooney adapter I've ordered as shown on your picture. I can't imagine it will be an exact fit but I hope to be able to modify it. Now I need to figure out the bracket to allow the angle & to make it bend. The box on the handle is for the original 24V lead acid battery which will be removed leaving just the square handle that can be cut. Any ideas?

Here is the Ram mount that I use on the yoke but which also can be attached to the seat rail or side window with adapters. http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1312&_nkw=ipad+2+aviation+mounts&_sacat=See-All-CategoriesGlobal Nav Sourse sells an Ipad specifc kneeboard http://www.globalnavsource.com/products.php Sporty's also has a couple that look interesting. Net Jets has FAA approval to replace all of their charts/plates in their A/C with the Ipad for a paperless cockpit. I believe they are using the Ipad2 which is thinner & perhaps less susceptible to overheating or maybe you might have one that Apple should look at to determine if it is operating within specs. I concur you can't use it if you are always concerned it may stop working in the middle of an approach/ATC enroute changes regardless of the reason.

txbyker- Is your Ipad a 1 or 2? I'm just curious to see if there is more of an issue with one version or the other. I've not experienced the shutdown myself but have heard of it. I also keep the AOPA airport directory with their flight planner which I like as well as the FAR's on my Ipad. I think Foreflight has all of that integrated. No doubt a great product at a reasonable cost. I'm thinking it is $150/yr with the geo synchronized charts/plates.

Glare on my Ipad 2 is solved in two ways. First one can buy a glare shield from e-bay or elsewhere which I have. Second is the way one mounts the unit. I prefer to keep it on my lap for approaches but I also have a "Ram" mount which adjusts the angle for enroute use. Between the two there is no problem for me. The Ram mount also allows me to use it either in front of me if I have a co-pilot or on the right yoke angled towards me which is where it usually sits. I also confirmed with Global Nav Source that the approach plates will be geo referenced but have not yet been released with that feature but it will also be free with their update. I mentioned my altitude & course because I only have the internal GPS in the Ipad 2 & it worked fine so long as I kept the chart centered with the GPS icon on the top of the chart. I was able to confirm accuracy with the KLN 94/GMX 200 displaying the low altitude chart. Finally I don't think one gets 10 hrs of battery use fron the Ipad 2 if always left on & lit. I figure more like 8 which is great but left me with 15% battery after a 5 + hour return flight deviating around TS's. That 8 hrs included drive time.

Last week I went from Atlantic City (ACY) to Gulfport MS (GPT) round trip at 10k/11k to see my Son & his family including of course the new granddaughter before my son deploys to Afghanistan. In preparation I was going to start a new subscription to Foreflight since my charts were out of date & my free subscription to Foreflight was expired. However in checking the Apple store I came across a new FREE app from GlobalNavSource called EFB. This app includes IFR/VFR charts as well as plates. The charts are geo synchronized. Not sure about the plates as I did not need to fly an approach and the help is a bit sketchy. It includes weather etc. It is free untill June but if you get the free subscription now they will extend your free subscription another two months. Global Nav Source is a direct supplier of aviation charts so they intend to beat the current EFB pricing. This works really well & the price is right- FREE. Separately I have a KLN 94 which when I input the flight plan or am given ATC changes I have to concern myself with the possible victor airways doglegs which are more difficult visuallyzing on the Ipad due to size. There is a product from AirwayPlanner.com that shows all of the victor airways with any doglegs identified by their intersection name. Essentially if one is given a VOR or Victor airway, you can then see where the airway breaks in a tablet form and add the intersection to your flightplan. I use the Goodreader app on the Ipad to better utilyze the airway planner which I have downloaded onto the Ipad. It is amazingly fast. I think an annual subscription is $20. I always wanted a Garmin GNS 480 or the new GTN series which show airways but this takes care of the issue. BTW For the flight instructors out there ask for the free trial which I did & was given. Anyone else with good Ipad Apps?

Ok, Just got off the phone with Robotow. Found another person who this time was willing to sell me the adapter like Jose' shows in the pictures. Yikes $190 for a shortened tow bar! Oh well, now I need to figure out that bracket thing which they do not sell. Jose' maybe you could send me the dimensions. & a couple of closeups. Anyone know a cheap fabricator? BTW I think my unit may also weigh 25-30 lbs & that is without a battery. I'll use ships power. Thanks Cris

Jose- I had called Robotow who stated that there was no adapter that could be used with the earlier 6002 mdl. that would work for a Mooney. My only option from them is to buy their new model. However after looking at your pictures & taking some measurements it appears that the piece that attaches to the strut & to your robotow might work with some modifications. I'd also need the connection piece that mates the two piece handle. I'm going to try them again. Nice idea with the wheels. I tried a foldable luggage cart with larger wheels which works OK but your idea is better. Thanks Cris

Jose- I had called Robotow who stated that there was no adapter that could be used with the earlier 6002 mdl. that would work for a Mooney. My only option from them is to buy their new model. However after looking at your pictures & taking some measurements it appears that the piece that attaches to the strut & to your robotow might work with some modifications. I'd also need the connection piece that mates the two piece handle. I'm going to try them again. Nice idea with the wheels. I tried a foldable luggage cart with larger wheels which works OK but your idea is better. Thanks Cris

Has anyone had any success modifying an older Robowtow mdl 3002 or maybe 6002 24V to work with a Mooney? This unit was set up for a twim commanche/beechcraft & has been adapted to run on ships power. Robotow does not have an adapter & sells only a special unit for the Mooney but I'd like to modify what I have. I am sure that within this august group some engineering type has had to address this issue. Ideally I'd like to get an adapter of some sort premade but plans will help. Thanks Cris

I've just acquired an Insight GEM 610 EGT/CHT unit but need the wiring harness from the back of the unit as well as the EGT/CHT probes for a 6 cyl. Please PM me with detail if you can help out. Thanks Cris

Hey Guys I know a bunch of you have red or blue long body paint schemes. I'd just like to know the factory color (metallic or not) and/or code for the lower fuselage. And a picture would be great tso show it off!!

Thanks much for the input I do have the current codes for the white base & the metallic stripes. What I am looking for are suggestions for a red or blue in either a standard or metalic color that will be for the new paint scheme below the existing stripes & carried up thru the tail. If at all possible. I'd really like to stay with a local paint shop. In the past I have used Reece brothers in Robbinsvile N.J.

I have a Mooney Eagle that has the typical white with a couple of stripes (metallic blue & metallic grey) I just had the fuel tanks resealed & unfortunately the wings will need to be touched up at the paint shop. Overall the paint is in excellent condition. However, as a result of it having to be touched up anyway I am also planning to repaint just the fuselage below the stripes in an Ovation design with the color carried thru the tail. The numbers sit high & will not be redone. The interior is a medium blue leather with grey carpets. Originally I wanted red to give it a more standout look with the existing stripes but am also considering blue. Were most of these long bodies done in a metallic? It would be more cost effective with a standard color but I want the correct look. Suggestion for paint codes/colors as well as pictures would be appreciated. Thanks

Yes Macstealth -really really old but I think -a-'s comment that I really have to go (no pun intended ) really really fast is what I'll start telling everyone when thay want to know why I need a Screamin' Eagle!! But Back to the topic at hand. Randy what do you think of the suggestions?

PS The reason the Eagle is not on the list is probably due to the fact that with the 244 HP standard engine fuel load is limited to 75 gals & the A/C is 168 lbs lower in gross wt than the Ovation ie 3200 vs 3368. That all goes away with the Screamin eagle mod.

The Eagle with the 310 hp STC will hold 106 gals. by simply modifying the fuel restictors. That's more flight time than my bladder will handle. Of course I'm old really old.

Randy -As a recent purchaser of an M20S Scramin' Eagle I would encourage you to consider it as an option as others above have mentioned. Here is one in NJ not far from me with all the bells & whistles including FIKI. http://www.controller.com/listingsdetail/aircraft-for-sale/MOONEY-M20S-EAGLE/1999-MOONEY-M20S-EAGLE/1184971.htm? I have no knowledge of the A/C personally although I did speak briefly with the broker only to find out that his partner is Lenny Boyd who I knew years ago as a terrific mechanic & businessman. It appears that the seller will take various trades which might help and the only negative might be the high engine time but the price is right & may well be negotiable. Cris

Well the GNS 480 user group was a good suggestion from Flyby201. Turns out one of the members has a lead on a commercial operator that is changing out all of their 480's. He has put in a bid that will allow him to offer the units to others at $3000 a piece. He is still negotiating & won't know for a little bit but it is encouraging & he guarantees they are in working condition complete with racks & probably the antenna. That would solve my price/value issue. It also bodes well that more of these units will be coming onto the market presumably at reduced cost.

Hi -a- It's been a few years since I have owned an A/C so I actually have not had recent experience with a local shop. In the past I relied on referrals. If I were to go go new I'd probably end up with a Garmin shop. Interestling I contacted Garmin to see what the cost would be for a minor repair on a GNS 480 on e-bay as suggested by Bob. this unit needs the spring to make the card "pop out". Garmin has a flat rate charge of $1000 for"any" GNS 480 repair but they do include any upgrades to the software. Make me cautious on any e-bay purchase vs new.