gjkirsch

I would not own another plane that I planned to use for cross country flying without icing protection. Been there, done that, and took too much of a chance with my family to ever do it again. I look at the TKS system as either something to get me through a layer of clouds and ice either on climb out or descendent into clear air or to an altitude too cold for ice. The TKS system fully charged lasts about 2 and 1/2 hours and does a great job. That said, I won't spend a minute longer than I have to in ice.

I had a similiar problem and it was hard grease on the jack screw.

It was parked at Basler next to me and left a couple of hours before I did on Friday. http://www.lenconnect.com/news/police_and_fire/x2095084651/Pilot-makes-emergency-landing-at-Lenawee-County-Airport

Yesterday, did a normal run up, including the mag check and prop. On the take off roll, the plane felt really sluggish, MP pressure came up to 36 or so but the RPM only went to 2100 and then began to fall. Aborted the take off and taxied off the runway. As it felt like it was loaded up with gas, I leaned the plane and ran it up with the same result. The prop and engine only have a couple of hundred hours on them. Any thoughts Thanks

Congratulations, you will always be a pilot from now on. Fly as much as you can and enjoy yourself.

I think you will find the long body models a bit easier to land than the shorter body. The long body's are all likely newer, have 28 volt systems, and may have better avionics. After that, it is a budget decision. The 252 is a very good plane and it is near impossible to beat the combination of performance and fuel effeciency along with the flexibility of going higher than an Ovation or Eagle. I like the Ovation better than the Eagle for the autopilot, avionics, and higher power (of course the eagle can be upgraded).

I used the status on a long cross country last week (GRR to ORF to MTN to GRR). The unit worked fine. I had good reception from a few hundred feet above the ground and used the information to deviate around some weather. I just set the unit on the glareshield. No overheating problems (I did push the sun visor on the passenger side to shield it from direct sun). The only think I missed was information on the tops of weather.

The suggestion of having Bruce review the logs is a good one. I would trust his judgement. I have been to Wilmar a number of times and looked at the weep no more process. They do really good work. I have no idea about the Lapeer, Mi service center. Unfortuantely, no matter what you do, the damage history will be with the plane forever and impact the future marketability. Do you really want to overhaul the engine, maybe upgrade the autopilot and then a few years later try and sell it?

I started reading the airframe log and quit after the second prop strike at about 650 hours. Multiple nose gear and tire replacements, as well as having to reseal the tanks would scare me too much.

I sat through a 3 hour weather seminar for pilots last month. If I understood it correctly, the refresh rates vary with the weather situation in a given part of the country. So, if it is blue sky and nothing happening, the refresh rate is 15 minutes, if it is an unstable area, then the refresh rate is 3 or 4 minutes.

I have also used Tim, Bruce, and Jason for my last purchase and could not be happier. I have known Bruce for nearly 20 years and would trust him without reservation. FWIW, I would have to really think about TKS on a 201. On turbocharged or the big engine NA planes, I think it's a net plus. You have some extra power to drag it around. What will it do to climb, service ceiling, and cruise on a 201?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1986-Mooney-M20-K-252-TSE-/140757622532?pt=Motors_Aircraft&hash=item20c5cedf04 Don't know anything about it. But assuming the damange was properly repaired, looks reasonable. I do think they have the incorrect engine listed. If I remember correctly, it is the MB not the GB in the 252

I think the speeds on the 201, 231, and 252 are about 10 knots high. The Bravo will do 200 but you have to go high. You did not include the eagle (M20S) but you may just be able to get into one in your price range and it may be the best deal. I don't think you can get much more than a higher time engine plane in a Bravo or Ovation for 160K. Do not forget that first year of maintenance always seems to include some unpleasant surprises.

The pictures look really good. Flight Aware doesn't show any flights after 2009. It just seems odd, the pilot is instrument rated, with a commercial and is an instructor.

Went up yesterday for a short flight. After setting up the autopilot and cruise climb, I looked and had weather. Not sure at what altitude it started but I was about 2000 feet. Had three stations reporting. Need a longer flight to play with it but so far, so good. I did upgrade the software to 1.2. Don't know if that made a difference or not.

On Both Bravo's I've owned, the engine gauge appears to indicate a bit lower temp than the JPI. That said, neither plane ever went much over 200 degrees regardless of the outside temp, phase of flight (climb or cruise) or altitude. Normally, I see the mid to upper 190's on the JPI flying 30/2400. I would think that something is wrong with 240 degrees being indicated. Maybe as minor as the gauge or temp sensor or something serious. As the oil is also cooling the cylinder heads, what temps are you seeing there? I am typically around 350 degrees.

Bruce is still active in the community and does flight training. I would trust Bruce above anyone when it comes to a purchase decision on a Mooney. Hire him to fly the plane with you and check it out. You will probably need some dual for insurance purposes. The only down side I have of flying with Bruce is I walking away after the flight and realizing how much better of a pilot I should be. He is just so smooth in a plane it is like he is on another level.

The plane looks really clean and the low time engine could be a real plus, especially if it came from a "known" shop. As others have said, the autopilot is lacking and may impact your ability to sell the plane in the future as well as the out dated GPS. I would still look at the MX20 as a plus even though it is not supported any longer. Autopilot upgrades are not cheap and it may be hard to recover the cost. If I were looking to fly long cross country flights in instrument conditions, I would pass on the plane. If I were thinking my trips would be a couple of hundred miles, I would consider it IF the engine overhaul was well documented from a known shop.

What I like are the dual alternators, the extended range tanks, and the garmin 430. It does not say anything about damage history. Did you see any indication that there were fuel tanks leaks? You can pull a cylinder as part of a prepurchase and get a better idea of the condition of the engine. Until you get a complete picture as part of a very through prepurchase/annual, the price is irrevelant.

Aviation Consumer did a comparision of XM and ADS-B in February and concluded for most GA pilots, the ADS-B would be a better deal. The drawbacks included not getting weather until 1800 feet above the ground (in the mountains that could be 10,000 feet) Canada and detailed icing. I ordered the Stratus yesterday and will gladly do a pirep when it shows up (in about a month!)