rsnowden

An A36 or a Saratoga would be great but at least twice the price of an M20J. I flew in an A36 for years with my dad and love to catch a ride in one whenever I can. It brings back lots of great memories. However, about 90% of my flying is alone or with one other person. There will only be a few times a year I will have my entire family in the airplane. The longest trip we will take together is between 300 to 350 miles. Flying from Memphis to Destin, FL in my Cherokee took from 3 to 3 1/2 hours. I calculate that at 155 knots the 201 can do it that same trip in just over 2 hours. With ipads in hand, 2 hours 10 min. is very tolerable. A little trick I learned years ago on how to travel light. If you are taking a family trip and you have a bunch of luggage that will not fit in the airplane, you can always mail the cloths to your destination. It's really easy. I just take a big box, load it with cloths, and drop it off at a UPS store a week before I leave. Have it shipped either to your destination or to another UPS store near your destination. It will be there waiting for you. I know you wouldnt want to do that all the time but in a pinch it works.

Thanks Marty, I'm posting it today.

@KSMooniac - Thanks I will try to connect with bgpilot1 and see if he can help. @Robert7467 - I sent you a PM. I would love to go flying flying sometime. @Cody - Thank you, I'll give him a call. @Danb - Call me if you come through Memphis sometime. BTW, my mobile phone number is 901-335-2654 if anyone wants to give me a call. Thank you for all the feed back! Beau

I recently sold my Cherokee 180 and looking for someone in the Memphis area who wants a partner in a M20J or M20K. If you already own an Mooney and want a partner, please let me know! Also, I am always looking to go flying to get more aquainted with Mooney's. If I can ever catch a ride I would be really grateful. Thanks! Beau

I posted on here two years ago that I was thinking about selling my Cherokee and looking for another plane. After great deliberation, I finally sold my Cherokee and have decided to buy a either an M20J or K. Hopefully I will be a regular to the forum in the near future as a Mooney owner!

Thanks again for all the feedback. I found a M20J for sale at my airport and plan to check it out this weekend. I am looking forward to see first hand how creative you have to be to get in the plane. Now, to just sell me Cherokee . . .

Quote: Becca Personally I blame it all on math illiteracy.

I cannot tell you how much I appreciate all the feedback and opinions. I have been traveling and unable to respond until now but have really enjoyed reading your comments. Speaking to the Cherokee six, I was hung ho on it a few years ago until I started crunching the numbers. It turns out to be an expensive plane to fly at 130kts on 15 gals an hour. I do 75% of my flying either alone or with just another passenger. With a Cherokee and gas prices where they are, I would have to cut back on my hours. Yes, money and operation costs are important. That leads to the question of how does the Mooney compare space wise to the Arrow or Archer? I saw the link comparing cabin size but is it really true that the Mooney has more space than an Arrow or Archer? That would clinch the deal for me. Also, what is the biggest Mooney available? Is there one model that has more room than another?

I currently fly a Cherokee 180 but with an addition to the family I need something a bit bigger. I have narrowed it down to a Piper Dakota, Piper Arrow, Cherokee Six and recently added a Mooney M20J to that list. That covers a pretty wide range of capabilities but they all have pros and cons that I have to consider. I have a family of four; me, my wife and two small children. None of us are all that big, I clock in at 5'11" and 170 pounds. Is a Mooney big enough for four people to travel comfortably? I recently flew from my home town of Memphis to Destin, FL with three of us in the Cherokee. That was a bit crowded. The Arrow and Dakota has more space than the Cherokee and either of those would probably work for us. How does the Mooney compare to the Cherokee and the Arrow? I searched for a previous thread on this topic and did not see anthing. If there is one, please just point me in the right direction. Thank you for your feedback. Beau