nels

It's good to hear these comments. I guess the reality is these Lycomings are pretty sturdy units. As long as they are cared for and run often they hold up well. It's just that assigned TBO number that always haunts me.

My flying bucket list started about four years ago. I hadn't flown in 35 plus yrs and my only checkout was in a Cessna 150. I quite flying to save money and start the family thing. Always wanted a Mooney but it was a rich man's plane at the time and no way to afford it. I finally jumped back in by buying an E model and learned how to fly again; not an easy task for me. Now I want to step up to a J with autopilot and travel back and forth to Denver and eventually to Phoenix. Maybe someday fly over the fabulous terrain in Utah, and even the Grand Canyon. I'm sure the list will grow as my confidence increases.

Is it unusual for a IO360 to make it to 2000 hrs without needing the top end overhauled? I'de be nervous about losing a valve and then losing an engine. Is my concern well founded or is this just a well cared for engine. Good compressions eic but 1600 hrs since O/H.

It seems everyone that has a set of these plug ins like them. Wearing ear plugs in a factory environment always seemed to bother me after awhile. Are these different someway? I assume they are not noise cancelling? Anybody ever use them in conjunction with a noise canceling head set like your Lightspeeds?

Bumping it back to the top. Still looking.

I'm looking for a J model to purchase. An ugly plane or a light project probably fits my budget best but will certainly consider others. I'd like to sell my E model first but realize if a great buy presents itself I may have to buy first and sell the E whenever it sells. Any leads would certainly be appreciated, and if it helps, dealt with in a professional manor. 513 two zero seven 2381. Or send a message.

Is there any improvement to starting problems when hot?

Haven't flown it yet. It appears there are generally some pretty good head winds going out that will work in my favor on the return. I may try it alone and see how it goes.

The "tail wag" is my wife's description. Personally I never noticed it before she said something but she can notice or feel just about anything.

I'll try again. My comment gets erased before I post. To try and answer some of the questions. I'm not IFR rated but may end up getting that rating just to be on the safe side. I am retired and don't plan on flying any distance unless the weather is good from home to destination. I have the time to take my time. My son and daughter live in Denver. In an E model it will take two stops to get there and one or two to get home to Cincinnati. In a. J, with the additional fuel capacity, it should make it with one stop in either direction. Also, my wife gets a little air sick mainly due to the tail wag affect of the E and the longer J may not be as pronounced. The other reason for the J is that this will likely be my last plane and I've always wanted one.

For sale for $32k. See post in General Mooney Talk under " seriously selling ...". Also advertised in Barnstormers with photos. Additional photos are available. Also looking for that M20J and will consider an ugly plane or one that is a minor project. 513 two zero seven 2381. Serial number is 894 which equates to an early 1966 model but registration still is calling it a 1965. SOLD

Well, I've listed the Mooney on Barnstormers for $32000. That gives me a little wiggle room if necessary. With my first post I probably painted a dim picture of the plane more so than it actually is but that is always better than having a prospective buyer show up and be disappointed. I forgot to mention the plane also has a EDM 700 engine monitor and a 201 windshield. Also, I mentioned the TSMOH as 1500 but log book entry mentions to consider it as less. To try to explain this, the lower end was overhauled and a hundred or so hours later the entire upper end was done. An overhaul occurred but not all at the same time but within a few hundred hours instead of all at once. I realize this doesn't really count but it should givea buyer a little breathing room on the engine condition.

A lot of good points and I appreciate all of them. I think I do have a good dependable and presentable plane and it would make a great time builder or cross country plane for the right person. Fixing the auto pilot is not a bad idea and I may do that if I keep it. The J appeals to me mainly due to the additional length of the plane itself, probably a little more quiet and probably a little better ride for an air sick prone wife. I have son and daughter living in Denver and we live in Cincinnati, the E would probably do the trip with one stop but it might be tight depending on which way the wind blows. The J would typically have a more modern auto pilot and usually newer radios etc. I will probably end up selling the E to someone that wants an affordable entry level high performance aircraft at a fair market price and let them decide the updates they may or may not want. If anyone does want pictures send me a pm and I'll get them to you and I can give you my contact info etc. I'm not in a distressed situation but I'm interested in selling.

It has the J bar gear. As for posting pictures, I'm not too good at that but might be able to get some guidance from my nephew this weekend. I can email them ok if anyone is interested.

The photos show the gear retracted. I wonder if he aborted the landing at the last second after realizing the gear was up or maybe, if it was a manual gear plane, he tried pulling the gear back up before he had enough altitude and dipped the nose or stalled the plane. Possibly the gear was not fully latched in the down position and collapsed under the load? I check that gear down light, the latch mechanism, the thumb button many time prior to touchdown. All speculation but as we all are thinking, Just relieved no one was injured!

I've been looking at J models and have pretty well decided to buy one. Since I'm not a person of great wealth I think it is best to sell my existing airplane, a 66 E model, before buying the next one. I really don't want to own two at the same time. The next problem is figuring what my plane is really worth which will help determine how much I can spend on the J. So here is the description of my plane: it's a 66 E model with about 6200 hrs on the air frame. The engine has right on 1500 hrs since the major however there is a note in the log book which accounts for a case replacement which required new cam and lifters and main bearing and a short time later pistons, rods and bearings and cylinders were overhauled along with other items. Much of this work was done by Don Maxwell. The recommendation in the logs says the TBO for the engine should be considered at a later total time which equates to more than 1000 hrs before TBO might be considered. The paint is descent probably a 5 or 6 glass is good The interior is leather and is pretty nice, probably a 7. nice carpet, plastic panels are repaired and refinished, glare shield is nice, carpet nice. Old style prop needing Eddie current check but has recent overhaul with less than 100 hrs. Avionics are king kx155 tso, icom ic-a200. Narco at150 tso, Garmin GPS 155tso, PS engineering PM 1000,king kma 20 tso. It also has a Britan auto pilot, I think it's a three axis (?) that does not work. Tanks have slight weeping but not enough to make we want to jump into that just yet. High torque starter and alternator conversion several gear ups in its lifetime. Annualed last month. New tires, brakes, good compressions. So what is the gut feeling on its value? I don't want to wait for six months or a year to get the last nickel but don't want to give it away either. Just looking for the honest market. I think it's a good plane, I'm just ready to get something a little newer and a J seems to be it. I've got plenty of photos if anyone is interested.

I paid $900 three years ago, $1400 with the rebuild of one cyl last year and $2700 this year which included two tires and brakes. I thought that was way high. Seems like the typical base Mooney annual starts at $800 to $900 using a small shop. Bigger shop on our field has a base of $1850 for ANY Mooney.

Not really a fair comparison but to answer that question I would feel more comfortable with putting another 200 hrs on the 4000 hr engine than putting the first 200 on the ten hour overhauled engine.

Good thread but my opinion after reading is this: if I had a plane with 4000 hrs on the landing gear box and backup spring was still in good shape, I would be totally nervous flying if I indeed elected to have that spring changed out for a new uncertain component. A properly designed spring should last way beyond the life of the airframe. I believe there was one or maybe several bad springs that got out the door and these may fail within the first hundred, five hundred cycles or more. If it's a proven, time/cycle example I would hesitate to change it. Sorta like I would be more comfortable with an overhauled engine with 400 hrs on it rather than one with 10 hrs.

Is that the spring that makes the landing gear shutter when extended or retracted?

Thanks, Matt.

What exactly is checked or what is the maintenance done during a 500 hr inspection of the Original Bendix style mags? Is there a typical wear item of which I should be aware?

This site sure has a lot of information available in its member network!

Ok, that makes more sense. Can I assume while looking for a J model that the Champion upgrade is desirable but not a deal killer?