Bolter

Is a bushing failure catastrophic or a progressive wear issue? If the owner furnished part is used, is the risk high, especially if used only to keep flying until the PMA part is available?

Most importantly, will we be able to buy Mooney branded clothing again?

Not to pick a fight, but there is a split of opinions on this. I personally do not consider speed brakes to be essential, and I would easily buy a plane without them, or if they were inop. Other than occasional testing for function, I plan my approaches without using the brakes. My J did not have them, so perhaps it is just drilled into me, despite the 20 KTAS extra cruise speed of the R. I do agree that maintaining the plane properly means fixing things you may not use (I just rebuilt mine at annual with Precise Flight, $2450 when one failed a function test at annual) so it is a warning to look for neglected maintenance items. Maintenance is a commitment. While there are different opinions on what is proper maintenance (I am well past TBO, and others overhaul at TBO automatically, for example) non-functioning items that are ignored are never proper maintenance. Of course, in the age of hard to get parts, INOP something waiting for a fix, is common, and I would not judge harshly for that. And completely my opinion about this plane, and being blunt and probably offending the seller, removing the O2 tank and leaving that system non-functioning rather than replacing it, INOP'ing the speed brakes because they became costly, are 2 examples of penny pinching. While the plane may be a good platform without corrosion, I would approach cautiously for what other systems are held together with speed tape and zip ties and value it accordingly. Little things can nickel and dime you, as well as keep you grounded instead of flying. When I searched for a FIKI Ovation, I valued the detailed and proactive maintenance of my Ovation that were done before I got it, and it has operated flawlessly for over 3 years. @Cruiser And I think the buyer of my J should feel the same way.

What about a lubrication issue? What gets the oil to heads, and is it flowing properly or blocked? Is it a common feed to all the heads, or each has its own feed? If the hydraulic push rod is in constant contact with the valve, and there is not the right amount of oil getting there, it become metal on metal instead of the proper oil film. Similar to what happens with the cams from dry starts. Or possibly if the CHT's are too high, the oil may be burning off instead of lubricating. Though that would leave coking indications, I think. Just thoughts on a different direction that creates wear at that interface. The push rod has equal force on the cam as the valve, but only one end is wearinng. The cam is constantly rotating, and the valve is pulsing, so the motion and contact patch area are different, even if the forces are the same. -dan

I took some photos when accessing my boost pump a few years ago. I have the original pump, rebuildable, if you are interested.

@Sam Judd Sending you a PM for the Switcheon

Then consider if the battery is not delivering the amps when needed. Has voltage so it will spin an unloaded starter motor, but not against a real load.

Follow up question...is there a good map tool, or how do you create the colored-in maps?

Considering the difference in service between airports, it is shocking that they apply one of the higher landing fees ($23) at all airports across the board. Eureka is a small airport with nothing but a self serve pump, and ACV is multiple runways and a commercial terminal building. Especially as a fuel stop, this removes the entire county from my planning.

Which airport is charging $23 landing fees on Mooney-size GA? I landed at Murrary (KEUK) and Arcata (KACV) in 2024 without getting charged. Over the years, I have received Vector billing for SMO landing fees and last year a bill for overnight transient parking at Truckee. Both were expected. I would argue the the SMO landing fee was unjust in that it was implemented as part of their effort to close the airport, but it was published and I knew the bill would be coming. -dan

My point was not a correction on you or meant for the OP, but the general Mooney audience who might be interested in the tool.

As an FYI: the Valve Wizard lists IO 550 N and G as incompatible with their tool. I think that covers all generations of the NA big engine long bodies. https://valvewizard.com/pdf/ExceptionList.pdf

I can relate to the OP's decision process. In my old J, I replaced all 4 cylinders with new while chasing a major oil consumption issue at around 1200 hours SMOH. Since I cannot do my own labor, after the best efforts to identify the "Bad" cylinder with compression testing, data trends, and borescoping, we were left with removal and peeking. Of course, it was the 4th cylinder to remove that showed a smoking gun of a trashed oil ring. The labor costs were such that it just made sense to replace all the cylinders rather than just return them to service after overhauling the one that we found had the broken ring. If I was my own A&P, I would have considered cleaning up the 3 good cylinders, but if spending 8 AMU's, I might as well spend 12 AMU's and never worry about cylinders for the rest of my ownership. I flipped the old cylinders, which I could not do if I had overhauled them, getting some costs back. My 310 STC'ed Ovation has 3 original cylinders and 3 overhauled at 2300 hours. If I remove a cylinder now, it is probably weighed against an overhaul of the entire engine. -dan

Reupholstery of the seats may bring you several inches more forward by just replacing the worn out foam. You can then add to that with custom upholstery options or memory foam that compresses less. I consider myself "short" at 5'7", and depending on the Mooney, rudder pedals are a stretch but always can get full braking. I usually sit one click back from the all the way forward. Also make sure that the seat does not have another adjustment for height or tilt that you may not have adjusted correctly. This may permit comfort in the second slot.

Thinking of just places to live... I would throw in that Arizona, Florida, and Texas seem to have the most fly-in communities, and meet the other metrics. Many are close enough to suburbs and cities, as well. Check out aviation real estate websites like https://www.aviationrealestate.com/ -dan