adrian

Thanks Bob. Obviously there's a part of me that is secretly hoping nobody buys it, which will force me to fly it more! That said, it would be nice to see someone using it properly. They are such capable aircraft, as you know better than most.

It could certainly come back - and to be honest, it would be more useful in America than I have found it to be in Europe. When I lived in the United States, I got used to using an airplane for transport. There are airports everywhere, they have IFR approaches, FBOs, 24 hour opening, courtesy cars, no landing fees, etc. etc. I know not everything's perfect in the US, but it is by far the best place in the world to fly (and I've kept a share in a Super Decathlon in Maine so that I can come back and enjoy it regularly!). Here it's very different. If I want to use my airplane to fly from home in France to work in London, I need to make a stop to clear French customs - and I need to notify customs at between 4 and 24 hours in advance at most airports - and when I get to London there are almost no airports with approaches that accept GA. The few that do are ridiculously expensive to use, and almost all GA airports shut at sunset. It is much easier to use the airlines, and with fuel at ~$9/usg it's much cheaper too. So I am not flying the Mooney enough to justify owning it. I'm thinking of perhaps going back to flying something small, slow and fun - just for the pleasure of being in the air. And maybe something with skis on it so that I can get back into landing on the glaciers in the French Alps, which is almost the most fun that you can have with your clothes on! I advertised the Mooney yesterday. There has been a lot of interest and someone's coming to view it tomorrow. It is not the cheapest, but I think it is one of the nicest! I need to take some interior shots - I've had to settle for showing the seats outside just after they were upholstered. I don't want to hijack a thread about Bob's lovely airplane, but if anyone wants one that could be made almost as nice as his, here's the advertisement: https://www.planecheck.com?ent=da&id=48000

Bob, Just..... WOW! That looks absolutely fantastic. What a wonderful travelling machine you have made for yourself. A few years ago I thought my 'E was almost as nice as yours, but you have left me so, so far behind. Really great job. (However, unlike yours mine is for sale because life just gets in the way of flying too much.... So if anyone wants to make one as good as Bob's, I can offer you a great place to start - though you'll have to come and collect it from France!)

Thanks Rich. Sorry to hear that your Skytec starter also failed. I agree that their customer service was good - they were very helpful about the exchange under warranty last time mine failed - but they do seem to fail too frequently.

The 149-12HT on my '66 E failed last week. It was fitted in 2014 under warranty after the previous 149-12HT failed. That failure led to weeks of downtime as I had to ship the starter to Skytec from France, wait for them to determine that it was a failure that was covered under warranty, then wait for a new motor to be shipped and fitted. I'm out of warranty this time, and very reluctant to fit another flimsy lightweight starter. Any suggestions for a good, reliable starter?

I'd also love to increase the Vne and Vno numbers. I've never been able to find out if there was actually any change to the structure, or if it was just a paperwork change. Does anybody know?

Three and a bit years later...... here are the photos you asked for! No captions (sorry!), but they show the departure from Maine, arrival in Quebec, then stops in Kuujjuaq, Sondrestromfjord, Kulusuk, Reykjavik, Faroe Islands, Prestwick, and finally my home base at Villefranche in France. https://goo.gl/photos/ZZZBGQqFHnGAeDbt8

I was in the same position last year. After much discussion with the prop shop, who didn't recommend the oil-filled option, I bought a new hub with no AD. It cost $3500, plus labor to fit it. If I was still living in the US, I would have kept the old hub and done the ECI regularly - but over here in Europe that was too much hassle, as there are so few prop shops that can do it.

Greg - I had the same problem on my '66 E. I have fixed it definitively by buying a new prop control. However, for 3 years I had a very acceptable cheap solution. I used a wooden clothes peg, which I clipped to the the shaft of the prop control. It prevented the rpm from changing with vibration. Before landing, I removed it and clipped it somewhere out of the way. Here's a picture of my approved, PMA'd, RPM stabilisation system!

I love the long range tanks I put in my E. I hardly ever need them, but they give so many more options - especially on this side of the Atlantic where fuel isn't as cheap or as readily available as one would like. On the flight from the US to Europe they meant I never had to do any fuel or endurance calculations. I flew from Canada to Greenland, safe in the knowledge that if I couldn't land at my destination I could divert to any almost any other airport in Greenland, or continue on to Iceland, or return to Canada. That peace of mind was more than worth the cost of the tanks. I always assumed everyone here knew that Piloto is Mr Monroy!

I was based at KBXM, and still part-own a Super Decathlon that lives there. It is a fabulous place to fly! Someone recently restored a Mooney 231 at Wiscasset (KIWI), and I think it is still based there. There's a great flying community at KIWI of friendly and welcoming people. It's well worth visiting and just talking to the people who are there most weekends. They will know most of the local airplanes and pilots.

If you go into things with your eyes open, and if you know a trustworthy expert, you can find real gems. My '66E screamed "don't buy me" from the Trade-a-Plane advert a few years ago. It had been out of annual for 16 years, and it was in Florida. On paper it looked like the worst possible airplane to buy. It was, however, very cheap so I went to look at it. It turned out to have no corrosion, and after just 3 days I was flying it back to Maine on a ferry permit. It needed no major engine work; borescope inspections and oil sample analyses have all been good, and the lowest cylinder compression I've ever had was 77/80. I did a lot of interior and avionics upgrades, few of which were essential, flew it to Sun'n'Fun and to Oshkosh, did my commercial rating in it and then, when I was sure there weren't any hidden problems, flew it to France where it has been superbly reliable. Not a bad outcome for an airplane that nobody wanted. But not a risk I would have taken without having a brilliant A&P.

Another '66E

I hope they got back. A friend of mine was working there this week, and said a German pilot arrived at LPAZ without reading the NOTAM advising that Avgas is not available.... Nearest alternate is a long, long way away.

Lovely! The Aspen can always be added later if you want it. I'm very envious of your autopilot! It is, of course, a crazy investment to make on such an old airplane. But when I can afford to, I will be following you!