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Hello, I am relatively new to GA with 110 hours. I am pre-solo (waiting on my medical) and am biding my time flying with my instructor by starting IFR training. After I get my medical (and presumably my PPL) I will be looking to buy a plane. The M20M Bravo has always been on the top of my list, but I get lots of suggestions from various people I talk to and I’m considering alternatives. (Except a Bonanza. I don’t get the appeal.) One thing I keep hearing from people is that retractable gear maintenance is a money pit. Of course all the other aircraft I would consider are retractable except a Cirrus. Does anyone have any anecdotal information about what annuals tend to run on Bravos in 2024? As I understand it Mooney gear tend to be simpler in design and cheaper to maintain (and more reliable). Beyond annuals, what gear maintenance costs are there? What other general maintenance costs should I consider? For those who are curious, for my “forever” plane I’m also researching the Cessna T210N, Cessna 310R, and Cirrus SR22 Turbo. I may also buy a Grumman Tiger or Cherokee 180 to build time and move on to something complex later. The features of rhe Cirrus check a lot of boxes but it’s expensive to buy. I’m trying to do the math to see if the insurance and maintenance savings of the Cirrus justify the added cost. There’s also the emotional factor that I just don’t really like the Cirrus and like Mooneys better - which is why I’m posting here and not the Cirrus forum haha

Picked up my new baby over the weekend. ‘95 Bravo, 1900TT, 10 SFOH, 10SNP. Geared up in 2021 & fresh off those repairs. Has a KFC150/297, a G600, just added an Avidyne 440/540 stack, and yes she needs a modern Engine Monitor sooner rather than later. The current AMU bill is at 24 and another 18 + labor is planned after the Maxwell’s clean up the pre-buy items. Needs paint & carpet, but the seats are in decent shape. Still working on the flare, I’m used to being 60’ in the air when the mains touch, not 2’.

The analog fuel gauges don’t seem to be reading well, nor do the wing sight gauges on the ground. Fortunately, the Shadin does as it was right when I topped off last time, thinking I would only be filling to 100 vs my full 118. Board insights behind this & solutions? Cheers,

Well, it finally happened this afternoon. My normal trips past ATL include "remain clear of the Bravo," except for those controlers who say "stay out of the Bravo." Going to see family, my direct path is over the field. Finally decided the heck with it, dragging my wingtip on the edge of the line while zoomed in to 10nm on the G430W just adds extra workload and even more time to the trip. So Friday I decided to go around to the north (even had one controller ask me when IFR if I ppreferred HEFIN or SINCA), so I threw some Kentucky windage in just before the state line, like this: Man, those T Routes are good for something after all! Today, coming home, I just flew the reciprocal course. Checked in with ATL somewhere over central SC, and they asked was I flying direct destination, and I said something to the effect of "I've never been cleared into the Bravo so I'm starting my deviation around the north side early." I could swear I heard laughter in the background when he gave me a quick Roger. Then later I checked in with ATL Controller #3 with "level, 8500, VFR outside the Bravo." He said he would get back to me with Bravo clearance in a little while. But in a little while, I wouldn't need Bravo clearance . . . Then the miracle happened! He cleared me direct to destination, into the Bravo, maintain VFR, advise before any altitude changes! Glory be, my first ever ATL Bravo airspace after five and a half years of Keep Out! Now I can add nearby ATL to my list of Cincinnati, Charlotte, Tampa, Orlando and Miami. And maybe Jax, I don't remember . . . Here's my proof: It immediately took 5+ minutes off of ETE, and groundspeed picked up 8 knots after the turn. Glory be! I'd given up on this. Maybe there is hope for me to eventually not deviate at all? Nah, why push my luck that hard? 2:15 out on Friday, 2:04 home today. And Dad is doing well, only two more chemo treatments! Lots to celebrate this weekend, this is my Mooney joy.

The past few flights my #5 cylinder temps have been 15-25 degrees hotter than the rest (others around 375-380 with #5 399-403). I typically try to keep temps under 375. I’m going to call my mechanic tomorrow to speak with him about the issue but wanted to see if anyone else has had something similar. the engine has less than 200 hours smoh so I was wondering if it could be a fuel distribution issue. Has anyone swapped out their injectors or aware of any specific issues that would cause this? Thanks in advance for your help.

2001 Mooney Bravo M20M for sale $205,000 (price reduced) N1048D, 820 TTAE, 110 SPOH, NDH, White/Blue, always hangered, all records, standard equipment plus Garmin GNS 530 WAAS with terrain and traffic, 430 WAAS, both GPS Garmin overhauled 2015, WX-500 Stormscope with display on 530W, GTX330ES with ADS-B out, KFC-225 fully coupled autopilot, KCS-55A HSI with Flight Director, backup electric AI with battery backup, JPI EDM-700 analyzer, XM weather receiver, GAMI injectors, four place intercom, Reiff preheat system, last annual 08/2017, compressions 76,77,78,77,76,76, new oxygen tank 2017, four place oxygen, two new batteries 2017, Alt/Xpndr check 8/2017. Bruce cockpit cover. $205,000. Bob Mininni, 610-613-0688, rmmininni@gmail.com

Hey there everyone! I’m having a weird issue with my bravo. I’m having EGT fluctuations that happen in all cylinders at the same time. They first cool down 20-50 degrees then back up 60-70 and back to where they were when I leaned the engine out. This is in level cruse flight without any adjustments to the prop, mixture or throttle. My suspicion is the engine driven fuel pump. The only other correlated indication I’ve noticed is the fuel PSI gauge which will flicker from it’s normal cruise level of 40psi to 36 or so for just a second. Shortly thereafter the EGTs start their rollercoaster. Common sense tells us the engine is getting less gas during the rise and falls because of the rise and falls of the EGT and the correlated fuel PSI indication makes me believe the engine driven fuel pump is on its way out. I’ve attached a video of one of the more tame fluctuations I’ve managed to catch on video. Side note: I’ve had a mechanic check this out and I was told “I’ve never heard of an engine driven pump going out before” they didn’t find anything else relevant. Any help at all 20906550-E036-4103-9F85-CC15F5E65322.MOV is greatly greatly appreciated! 20906550-E036-4103-9F85-CC15F5E65322.MOV

New guy to mooneyspace and prospective new owner of a Bravo TLS. I'm located on the west coast and this AC is located in Jacksonville. I need to find a Mooney TLS savvy A&P to do an unbiased inspection of this beauty before I go out to confirm/close the deal. Any feedback on worthy A&P's in the 100 mile range of JAX is appreciated. In addition, anyone with knowledge of N9119X is certainly welcome to chime in with any comments, suggestions, recommendations. She's a 1990 with a gear up in 07 but logs look complete and repair seems to be well documented. Pic's represent a clean, sharp looking, relatively well equiped M20M for that vintage. Thanks in advance for any feedback regardin gany of the above. Mike

Hello All, I am considering purchasing a 1994 Mooney M20M Bravo. I haven't had the aircraft looked at yet but have been doing a good amount of research and reading reading about some of the early versions of this plane and the heat problems leading to top-end work being required in as little as (every)400 hours. It appears that Mooney resolved the issue with its "wet-head" conversion thereby increasing the time between maintenance. Anyone have any direct experience or feedback? The main article I am referencing is from an AOPA article written back in 1998: https://www.aopa.org/go-fly/aircraft-and-ownership/aircraft-fact-sheets/mooney-bravo Look forward to the feedback!

2001 Mooney Bravo M20M for sale $220,000 N1048D, 810 TTAE, 100 SPOH, NDH, wWhite/Blue, always hangered, all records, standard equipment plus Garmin GNS 530 WAAS with terrain and traffic, 430 WAAS, both GPS Garmin overhauled 2015, WX-500 Stormscope with display on 530W, GTX330ES with ADS-B out, KFC-225 fully coupled autopilot, KCS-55A HSI with Flight Director, backup electric AI with battery backup, JPI EDM-700 analyzer, XM weather receiver, GAMI injectors, four place intercom, Reiff preheat system, last annual 08/2017, compressions 76,77,78,77,76,76, new oxygen tank 2017, four place oxygen, two new batteries 2017, Alt/Xpndr check 8/2017. Bruce cockpit cover. $220,000. Bob Mininni, 610-613-0688, rmmininni@gmail.com I also have a Powertow EZ40 listed separately. p.s. Will provide pictures shortly.

I'm sure this is a horse that has been beat to death, multiple times. However, when considering traveling across the country (i.e. CA to TN to FL to CA) multiple times per year (2-5 times per year). In your opinion, what is the better cross-country traveler? This is personal and not for business, therefore there are no time constraints. In other words, I wouldn't be required to leave one day vs the next, so I could wait for weather to clear. It is strictly myself and my bride, so baggage "shouldn't", I repeat "shouldn't" be an issue. LOL I'm not looking for folks to explain to me "how I should fly commercial" or "why would you do that" answers, I'm more looking for legitimate insight into the 305 vs 252 vs Bravo. Comfort, speed, weather, fuel burns, etc... If your options were 252 vs 305 vs Bravo, what would you choose, and why? Thanks for your time, in advance! Joshua

Flying from Detroit to Delaware of course over the center of Lake Erie my oil pressure was jumpy slowly going from 60 Psi to the yellow at 110 Psi. All temps were normal, I suspect a faulty G1000 reading but have no clue. A mechanic at Cleveland Burke will look at in the morning. Could be loose wire or the pressure valve. Burke gave me the direct and awesome treatment to landing. I only stated having engine difficulties, was embarrassed at the fire trucks following me to the FBO. Any help,would be great especially since I'm clueless.

Continuing education Today i was flying the m20m and i noticed that my fuel pressure gauge was in the green as it should be ( actually at the bottom of the green ) but i also noticed that the needle was giving me tiny oscillations. ( power setting was 29/2400 at 5500 high boost pump off ) . The engine was running really well . I hit the high boost and the pressure went all the way up to the top of the arc as i believe it should. I then switched off the high boost and the gauge settle back to the same spot at the bottom of the arc with tiny movements ... It is probably no big deal or I may not have ever really paid enough attention but just wanted t0 know if it has to be dead solid ,( i.e. no movement) , or if that is normal behaviour. These are very small tiny little movements so maybe its always been like this. From past experience I'm hyper sensitive to any needle fluctuations. I am sensitive because in my m20j i has a bobble on the oil gauge, a simple flicker, and then within about 5 minutes i experience a complete oil blowout because i lost a vacuum seal... Please let me know if this is normal Thank you Peter

This may seem obvious and i dont really want to take the door latch apart. I did not find this in the POH. Can I leave the baggage door locked and still perform a energy exit from within the airplane or do others always leave the baggage door unlocked while in flight I once had my baggage door open in flight ( pilot closing error ) so i tend to leave mine locked now I just wondered if it is possible to open the baggage door from inside if it is locked. Thoughts? Peter

Hi all Im curious about Bravo Maneuvering speeds/ turbulence and SOP's Ive been flying a long time, but not Bravos and wondered what every does here when they hit turbulence in the Bravo or equivalent Obviously you do not necessarily know that you will hit turbulence but when it does happen it can be jolting and speeds have to be reduced asap. Im just curious as to how others handle this once in a bumpy, or worse rough situation I know there are book speeds but what do you do and how do you handle this situation.. Pete

My Ovation 2, like all (?) long-body Mooney planes, has a pair of 24V batteries in the tail cone. At a MAPA training session, I was told that switching between batteries while the Master Switch was on was a bad idea as "a fuse could blow." The speaker was an experienced Mooney CFI and long-time Mooney owner. At the time I had about 4 hours of Ovation time so I just filed that away for future thought. I don't see any such warning in the POH. I've looked through the schematics and can't figure out where this "prohibition" comes from. There are two "Master" relays in the plane, and the Master Switch wire is routed to the battery selector switch which controls which of the two is connected when the Master Switch is on. The alternators, when on-line, charge the active battery directly. The non-selected battery is charged through a diode D2 so it is "trickle charged" at one diode forward voltage drop below bus voltage. At least that's I how read it. Typical M20M schematic detail attached. Question: Does anyone know of a problem with switching batteries when the Master Switch is on, with or without an alternator on-line? Or is this warning a remnant of some other model aircraft? Battery Detail Schematic M20M crop.pdf

Anyone have any ideas what would have caused this crack? I am having it sent out to be fixed. Any advice on where to have it done? Thanks, Curt

I am going to fly my factory rebuilt engine on my Bravo plane this weekend. Lycoming recommends flying the engine between 70-75% power. The POH does not indicate the MP and RPM settings. Any help on breaking this engine TIO-540-AF1B engine would be appreciated. I have read the Lycoming Flyer and understand the details.

I'm getting close to 2 years with my '78 J, and as I expected am going to move up over the next year or so. George "the bonanza man" is right up the street - and the 36 could make sense in many ways but I've come to love the Mooney. Mission - I live in NC and 75% of my flight time is solo xc work travel - have 20 offices from PA to south Florida - 600NM is longest trip (KINT - KFXE) with several 150-250NM trips. I also travel north to MI to visit family, or short trips say 100-150NM beach, mountains, family etc. Very seldom do I carry more than 2 passengers - why get a 6 place machine - there is one two hangars over I could probably swap time with? Issue with the J - "slow & low" - faster is always great, but also ability to get above weather in the southeast has become somewhat of a challenge - getting up in the flight levels would get over or enable "around" a good deal more weather. Also icing is an issue trying to travel year round so TKS ability is a big plus. Flights to Michigan & particularly south florida (5 hrs @ 150 KTS true and a head wind) are tough on the bladder and patience... My budget limits - so probably a 90s era or may early 2000s is all I can afford. Thinking the "Bravo" is the best fit, newer than 252 and don't want to mess with a 231. Acclaim is out of my budget. I've thought about ovation as it can go up to 18 - maybe high enough? couple question for the group - knowing I have an m20J that has had some good attention over the past couple of years, best to trade or try to sell then buy? Who to deal with on the buy side? Premier aircraft in Fort Lauderdale and All American in TX seem to be the biggest? And if you're in the market - a little about my J '78m 3700 tt airframe, 600 hrs since factory new engine and hartzell "top prop" install. prop OH in 2015 by Sensenich in GA KFC 200 AP with flight director GNS 650/430 stack Garmin 350 audio panel, 4-place intercom, music jack in rear for passengers, music jack up front for all4, bose ports up front GTX 33 es transponder with ADS-B out 106-A nav 2 glideslope/indicator HSI JPI EDM 900 primary instrumentation 2015 tempest finewire plugs 2015 new interior - tan leather, new carpet, painted plastic, removed fiberglass insulation for closed cell soundproofing I've recently posted about paint - paint is in her future, though not a desperate need. I've posted several pics from the interior upgrade as well. Thanks to all for input/advice.

Latest update on avionics upgrade. Thinking about moving up to Lancair Evolution PT-6, soooooo... thinking about selling my 94 Bravo. Current config is Garmin 530/430 WAAS NOW GTN 750 but as with my airplanes, they are never good enough and I'm always upgrading something, so going back into avionics shop for GNC-255 Nav Com, GTX-330 transponder, GMA-340 Audio marker, GDL-88 data link, Flightstream 210 for iPAd integration, etc. Will be out of avionics shop early September 2015. About 1800 TT AF&E, July annual, new mags and 2 alternators, turbo rebuild. Beautiful paint and colors, 3 blade prop, TKS is invaluable. Avionics install complete, really nice setup! GTN 750, works great for WAAS GPS approaches, GNC 255-A for ILS/VOR simple to use backup when it gets (too) busy in the cockpit. Got about $175K into the plane now. Very happy with the panel and airplane. Sweet machine, always hangared, now back to its snowbird home KAPF. Still looking for an Evolution, still contemplating selling "HK".

Sad to be selling her, but someone will be getting a beautiful Bravo when she goes! Please check out the link below for all the details. http://www.controller.com/listingsdetail/aircraft-for-sale/MOONEY-M20M-BRAVO/1994-MOONEY-M20M-BRAVO/1301817.htm

I thought it was very simple. Rocket is the fastest plane out there under $200K, therefore I wanted a Rocket. However, after reading some Bravo posts and talking to some self-proclaimed Mooney experts, I'm also considering the Bravo. The typical mission is 1-2 persons, little baggage, 400-1200nm flights, get there as fast as possible burning 20 gph or less, and not be afraid of ice in the winter. Here's how this judge's scoresheet looks so far: 1. Rocket seems to be 5-15 knots faster at typical cruise altitudes, and can be honestly said to cruise faster than 200 knots at 12,000 and above. 3 points to Rocket 2. Bravo has a longer cabin. 1 point to Bravo 3. Bravo has FIKI, Rocket only has non-FIKI TKS. 1 point to Bravo 4. Bravo is factory (so hopefully good support), Rocket is after-market. 1 point to Bravo 5. Bravo has newer airframes and often nicer panels. 1 point to Bravo 5. Bravo has 2000-hr TBO ($50K overhaul), Rocket has 1600-hr TBO ($42K overhaul). Tossup 6. Useful loads all seem to hover between 825 and 1000 lb. Tossup 7. Reliability and dispatchability (is that a word?). Tossup This gives an ever-so-slight edge to the Bravo, but I'm not sure I agree with my own scoring system. I'd like to hear from some of you who have flown both aircraft and can offer some additional deciding factors, or tell me I'm way off regarding my analysis so far.

For the technically proficient (which I am not!): The right side pilot visor screw came loose...and does not screw back into the interior trim location from which it came. I took it out this morning and found that it was apparently semi-screwed in with some RTV. My guess is that it screws into an aluminum piece behind the cloth fabric covering...but the female part is now stripped. What do I do now??