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Hello All, I've been a lurker here for a couple of years. Back in March traveled to Durango, CO to do a pre-buy on a '67 F model. I ended up purchasing the aircraft and have put 100 hours on it since then. I have a bit of a unique situation - I'm Canadian, live in Mexico City, and do business between the USA and Mexico. Because my life is so spread out, I wanted an aircraft that could carry a decent payload, make it from the US border to Mexico City non-stop, and be fun to fly to the beach. The M20F beat out everything else I was looking at on price, simplicity, and pure fun. After signing the paperwork in Durango, I flew to Sandpoint, Idaho to visit friends, followed by a trip to my US base in Portland, Oregon, and then down the coast to Los Angeles where I picked up my mother (who got me interested in flying as a kid) and flew to Mexico City via Bisbee, AZ, Alamos, Sonora (I highly recommend the pilot-owned Hacienda Los Alamos as it has a semi-private strip), Zacatecas, and finally Mexico City. In Los Angeles I got my first taste of flying in a Bravo and even flew in IMC over the top of LAX on the way to Whiteman. Heading south through Mexico we flew over the famous Copper Canyon, a complex of six canyons covering 25,000 square miles. At first I was concerned that there wouldn't be anywhere to set down in an emergency, however I was pleasantly surprised to discover more airstrips embedded into the hills than I could count! I wonder what they use them for... I'm now on the tail end of a two week round trip from Mexico City to Bellingham and back during which I've had the opportunity to land in the Alvord Desert Playa, a must do if you're passing through Southeastern Oregon. The last 100 hours hasn't been without its challenges; the oil probe at the back of the WOLF oil filter relocation kit came loose at some point before arriving in Bellingham and started leaking about a quart of oil per hour. Advanced Aircraft in Troutdale got me sorted pretty quickly. On my girlfriend's first flight, I didn't close the door properly and it ended coming open mid-flight. Luckily we convinced the door to behave and my girlfriend still wants to fly with me. I'm attaching some photos of my adventures and will hopefully get a chance to meet some of you here on the forum or at one of the Mooney meetups this summer!

Hello All! This two days ago I took delivery of N74573 a B model serial #1884. I am very excited to be an active part of the Mooney community and learn as much as I can about airplane ownership. I would love to hear from other B Model owners about some of the idiosyncratic behaviors unique to their B models. I now have about 10 hours dual and excited to go out flying today and build a good deal of solo time to really feel comfortable and know the plane. If you have a B model speak up! If you have any tips please let me know. If you are in SoCal and curios to see an M20B let me know I’ll be flying all day. Also any words of encouragement regarding my ever growing squawk list is appreciated as well.

Hey all, I saved the capital...then waited a several more months to have 2x what I think it’s going to cost to buy a Pre-J Mooney. Ha! I’m ready to start conducting some Prebuys and putting in some offers. I want to be ahead of the ball here and see if I can start building a relationship with an AP/IA mechanic that is very familiar with Vintage Mooneys. Does anyone have a line to a mechanic in SoCal? (I’m based at John Wayne KSNA) Do you know if they do local prebuy inspections? Also are there a short body Mooney prebuy inspection checklists that people use for reference? Any other tips or pitfalls on prebuys and acquisition? I’m clearly new to this. -Trent

New Mooney owner here. I thought I would share some of my observations with you grizzled old pilots so you can be reminded of your first day in a Mooney. I am based in Knoxville and the plane is now at KTYS. My small engineering firm has a couple pilots on staff (me and MS'er AaronDC8402) and we decided to buy a plane, ostensibly so we can better reach our clients in person. I just got my PPL about 3 months ago (after flying for 2 years, a long story). Tomorrow I expect to crack 100hrs total in my log book and finish my 5hrs of transition training (required by insurance) before soloing my new-to-me M20J. She is a 1989 201 SE with a 210hp (?) engine by Firewall Forward Inc. Original interior and exterior in fine shape, always hangared. Really comfy seats and an updated panel (Garmin 480W, GTX330, PMA7000B, EDM700). I am quite smitten. The buying experience was fun. We found her in FL on Trade-a-Plane and contacted the selling broker (William at O'Brien Aviation) directly. All our dealings with him were straightforward and enjoyable. We did not use a buyer's agent, with no regrets. We paid for a Pre-Purchase Inspection at Daytona Aircraft Services which is a Mooney-Certified center and was very close to seller. Real good experience with them as well. No surprises found so we had them complete about 3 AMUs of other work like gear shock discs etc at my expense. Traveling logistics to FL to retrieve the plane got complicated so when the repairs were complete my impatience got the best of me and I closed on the sale and had it ferried up to us in Knoxville (KTYS). I had just bought my first airplane without ever flying it. Ferry pilot reported boring flight with no squawks. Perfect. Our transition instructor barely meets the 25 hrs M20 time required by insurance co., but we had lots of experience with him so up we went. I have read plenty of MS opinions about training with a Mooney expert for type-specific instruction. Haven't done that, and am wondering what I am missing. I would like to hear from anyone who learned to fly their plane, THEN got Mooney-expert instruction. I may seek this out sooner rather than later if justified. First flight impressions: Cozy cockpit but I felt at home immediately (I am 5'-9" and 160lbs). Great visibility on the ground and in the air. I love the way it responds to the controls- very direct, good balance, no slop. It wants to fly and when it does it flies smoothly with no bad habits. I fell in love immediately. A few specifics (view these in comparison to my training in an Archer III): Takes off flat and just starts climbing Climbs eagerly, even near max gross wt Elec trim is very sensitive, I need to use manual trim wheel at speed I tended to blow past my altitude while leveling off due to continuous pitch-up during acceleration the sound of wind noise increasing as the speed keeps rising is one of my new favorite things in the world descent and deceleration not difficult, just plan ahead (normal practices) on approach control feels positive, lands like a dream at 70 knots (floats like a low-wing, nothing unexpected) ground behavior superb, with precise steering and great view all around back seat is a nice place to spend time too, with plenty of room and a great view Summary after just a few hrs: The most fun I have ever had in the air. It is easier to fly than I expected. No intimidating P-factor like a Bonanza I have flown, nor as finicky with prop/power settings. No control friction and sluggish wallowing around the pattern like an Archer. My main question so far: Why would I want to fly anything else? Ben And yes I realize I am a total noob. I will take it slow.