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I am about to sign a purchase agreement on a 1969 F model that's in Oregon, (I'm in Maryland) but I just found out the current owner doesn't currently have the airplane insured so it can't be flown to a shop to do a pre buy. Does anyone know if an Insurance company will insure an airplane temporarily to ferry to a location for a pre-buy, or can a shop insure the airplane for the purposes of a ferry flight? The original A&P I was going to use, and could travel to the airport its hangared at, has too much backlog and isn't available for over a month. I left a voicemail with Advanced Aircraft in Troutdale and I'm waiting for a call back. Thanks in advanced

I am looking for an A&P in North Carolina that knows Mooneys to do a pre-buy on an F. The airplane is based a little north of Greensboro and the closest MSC I can find is actually in Lynchburg, VA at about 75 miles. I'm am trying to find someone a little closer. Any recommendations? Thanks.

Good day! looking for the mooney mechanic in Ohio for annual and prebuy inspection. Does anyone know somebody in this area?

Hi all, I'm looking for a reputable A&P to do a pre-buy (and probably install speed brakes) on a late-model M20J. Does anyone know someone within an hour's flight (or so) from there who could do the job? Thanks in advance for the help!

I’ve gone back-and-forth on how to make a post like this. I want to tell a story of my experience, but it’s also so important to highlight a specific group of people on this forum that helped me accomplish a goal I’ve had for more than a decade. When I was into my 30s I never thought I would be a person who would be a pilot. I loved airplanes but I always assumed it was for other people, not me. I was well-established in a career, and just just really didn’t give it much thought. But that all changed, when my wife gave me the gift of a discovery flight for my birthday in 2009. Without trying to get too deep into that story, the point is I did become a pilot. I am now a pure addict, and will be for my entire life. And when you become a pilot, I think the first thing we all think of is how to get our own airplane. Or we at least dream about having our own airplane while we accomplish flying for a living. But I bet it still comes up as a possibility sometimes. But I also know that for many of us that possibility seems unrealistic. Even impossible. But it’s not. Well... I bought an airplane! A real one! I can’t even type it without welling up. Now there’s a reason that that statement carries such weight for me. I was never a person of great means and was someone who was never really in a position to buy such things. I mean, I’m just a mail carrier... I’m not even a cool one that got to fly an airplane to deliver it! But on the other side of that token, I had also never been motivated as much as I have in aviation - and by the people I’ve met in it. Because of those people, my amazing wife and my motivation, I was able to accomplish and check off one of my great goals in life. I bought an airplane!! I OWN a damn airplane!! How cool is that? This is the part where I have to give people some kudos that have become some of my best friends and just some truly awesome people here on MooneySpace. In addition to that, my first airplane buying experience was truly exceptional. It was about as detached from my expectations as I think it could have been. It was a completely unexpected experience. I’ve been lucky enough to fly so many wonderful Mooney’s, because of these gracious pilots. But I had finally decided that it was time for me to look for an airplane that would be special to me. It wasn’t just a thing for me to own, it really was something I wanted to be proud of and take care of. It was a big deal for me. These wonderful people and good friends gave me advice, tips, spreadsheets, and all of the things to do to find the airplane that was right for me. In addition to that I think they were just as excited for me as I was for myself. And that made it even better. So then one day one of the people I had admired on this forum was selling his best friends airplane, after he unfortunately passed. It was something he was doing for that family and just wanted it to go to a good home. He wanted someone to take care of it, for it to be special. This next part is how I know that people around me were vested in my success. I never had a chance to even see the post, before my friends were text messaging me about this airplane. Within minutes. As I write this though, I realized they may not of actually been vested in my success, they may just have been trying to find a way to get me to stop bothering them to fly their airplanes. Seriously that might actually be the real reason. Nevertheless, they helped me through every part of the process and I can’t thank them enough. But thank you @gsxrpilot, @N9405V, @Bryan, @acdc, @JNDZ, Kiwi. There are others too but, they either don’t use this platform or I can’t remember their usernames. Hehe. But please know that you are included in this, and I am talking to you too. For those of you who know who these people are please feel free to tag them. Now back to my process of buying an airplane. We all know there are tons and tons of stories about terrible buying experiences. Unfortunately there’s a lot of sleaze in this business. But moreover, a lot of un-empathetic people. So my expectations for purchasing an airplane were made very clear to me early on. I was going to probably be dealing with someone with much more wealth than I and would not be very amenable to a process that was financially epic for me. This was not what happened. Not at all. Every person I talked to, told me if I was going to buy an airplane from anyone, it would be this person. They were right. In epic fashion. From the moment I talked to @Yooper Rocketmanfor the first time on the phone until we shook hands on that cold day in Iron Mountain when I bought his best friends airplane - it was the most wonderful experience I think a person could have. He was helpful, patient, honest, friendly and truly one of the nicest human beings I’ve ever met. He told me these wonderful stories about his friend and that airplane. And then we flew it together like he and his best friend used to. He was visibly melancholy. I was welcome in his home, with his wonderful wife. I was welcome with his friends. But the most important is that I was welcome into his Lancair IV-P Turbine... My God that thing... I’m not kidding, that was one of the coolest rides I’ver ever had in an airplane! I don’t say that lightly either. I’ve flown in a Nakajima Kate, a Nanchang CJ6 and even a Curtis Helldiver to name a few. But back to the story. Because of my friends, I was able to find an airplane that wasn’t just an airplane. It was its own story. It was this special thing that had memories and history. It was something for me to take care of. That’s when I realized I wasn’t buying a thing, I was being given stewardship. And because of Tom I was able to receive it. I will honor that. I will add new memories and more history to pass on to someone else one day. Probably after I spend too much on the panel and run out of money. Until then though, I will never be able to repay my friends for what they gave me without even knowing it, and wanting nothing in return other than my success. I thank you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have people to go tell all of the details about my airplane to, even if they don’t wanna hear it. And update my MooneySpace profile with MY tail number! 5AA3AE01-7C81-4507-BBBD-FB1F8C11025B.MOV

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

So I'm in the process of buying a 66 M20E. The pre-buy inspection found 2 cracks (2 inches each) on the upper right corner of the co-pilot windshield. They were stop drilled but the cracks continued... The windshield needs to be replaces and the seller is going to cover the cost. The right side is going to cost approx. $800 parts and labor to replace. Question is, should I just replace both of the current windshields with a one-piece windshield. (Not the 201 windshield) I have an estimate of $2300 for a one-piece, parts and labor. Is there and benefit to keeping the 2 windshields separate? What are the benefits of a one-piece? I don't see much difference other than looks and cost.

Greetings, I'm new to Mooney Space and hoping to be flying my own Mooney soon. I'm looking for an A&P that may be available in the Savannah Georgia area for a prebuy inspection. My preference would be to have someone travel to where the aircraft is based. Thanks for you suggestions.

Good evening! I have finally found a Mooney I want to purchase and have a purchase agreement. Does anyone know of a good Mooney mechanic to complete a pre-buy inspection near Fort Valley, Georgia?

I'm scheduled to go test fly an F early in the afternoon of the 13th at the North Las Vegas airport (yes, it'll be hot... scheduling just worked out that way). I'd like to have a very Mooney-experienced CFI meet us there if possible. Does anyone have any suggestions? Bill Custer out of Reno, maybe? The next step would be a prebuy the week following; Any suggestions near Reno/Lake Tahoe? I do note that the closest MSC is in Vegas (Lone Mountain Aviation). Thanks!

Hello everyone! I'm very new to this page and I've enjoyed reading the comments on here. very insightful. I am wondering if anyone know or could recommend a great mechanic or a shop that does prebuy/prepurchase inspection on Mooneys? My offer for a 20j 201 was just accepted and I am very excited but the purchase is pending a prebuy. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I already tried to search button but maybe I just didn't see it. If there is a list out there or a previous post, please let me know and I'll erase this thread to not clog up to forum. thank you again! -Vince

Hi. I'm trying to find an efficient aircraft. I've read and heard that posting here and asking for help is a wise thing to do ... so, I'm posting here and asking for help. My thanks in advance to anyone who is willing to give me some advice. I'm seeking a plane generally for flights from the Central Valley of CA to LA and SF. This generally means: one person in the aircraft. Rarely two. Three in the airplane is an unlikely possibility. Usually approx. 200 miles each leg; sometimes up to 400 miles (LA to SF or the reverse) occasional flight over Tejon Pass, in either direction Likely access to UL94 on most of the trips, so I'd somewhat prefer a plane which can use that fuel paved airstrips at each end of my trips Max budget is ... well, a lot more than I'm likely to actually spend. I'm not so constrained by absolute number of dollars at this level, but I do want to get a good, or at least a reasonable, deal. I'm currently looking at: https://www.controller.com/listings/aircraft/for-sale/28893613/1966-mooney-m20c-mark-21 and https://www.controller.com/listings/aircraft/for-sale/28910845/1965-mooney-m20c-mark-21?dlr=1&pcid=17527&crmid=614667&if=1 Pros and cons are laid out in the ads. Both seem nice (though the one sold by All American Aircraft seems a bit nicer). Frankly, based on the NAAA valuation tool on trade-a-plane, and lurking on this site and others, they seem way overpriced. So, I'd like to ask for your help. Can anyone convince me that these planes are not overpriced? If they are overpriced, what are good prices for these aircraft? Does anyone see any ads for other planes which would appear to fit my mission? Thanks again, and looking forward to getting some good advice!

Folks, I'm pitching back into the purchase arena and have narrowed down to a 67 Mooney M20F in Ft Meyers FL. Can you provide recommended pre-buy locations? I'd like a MSC but would settle for a non-MSC if they have lots of experience working on them. Greatly appreciate any assistance Cheers,

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

Folks, I'm pushing this out as a last option and could use some serious help. I'm looking at possibly buying a 65 M20E and will be getting on a plane from Las Vegas NV to Charlotte NC in an hour for the pre-buy inspection, transition training, and ideally the long flight back. PROBLEM: The A&P that is currently scheduled to do the work is sick and unsure if they can make the trip. He was bringing standard tools to pull panels, compression tester, boroscope, etc... SO NOW I'M POSSIBLY IN A PINCH (if he can't make it) What would really use your help with: 1. A Charlotte NC area (or even east coast) Mooney Smart A&P able to do a pre-buy inspection tomorrow or Friday. The plane is located a 8A6 (Wilgrove Air Park). Seller has jacks, a hanger to do the pre-buy, air compressor for compression checks...small airport 2. Transition training. My insurance requires 5 hours of dual instruction in the plane If you know of anyone, that can help, my cell number 702-423-4699. Fly into Charlotte tonight. Escape plan in plane not up to snuff or I can't find anyone to assist...leave Charlotte early Saturday morning on a Southwest flight. Appreciate any help I can get on this. My A&P is also beating the bushes but he lives in TX... Cheers, Matt

Hi all. New member here. I'm currently in the market for an M20J. I found a 1978 201 with around 6000 hrs on airframe and around 850 SMOH. It's had a pretty recent paint job along with interior, and is fairly close to home. The aircraft is listed at around $85,000. The airplane is currently out of annual, but is scheduled for one in the first part of Sept. The aircraft is being sold by a dealer, and annualled by a mechanic who works for the dealer. I haven't purchased an. aircraft since the 70's, so i am far from being an experienced buyer. Would it be reasonable and prudent to have a mechanic of my choice do a Prebuy inspection while the airplane is in it's annual? Can anybody recommend an experienced Mooney mechanic in or around the Sacramento area that could perform a prebuy? Thanks! Rick

I'm looking at a 201 up in the Crystal River area. Anyone know a contact for a pre-buy? Bruce

So I'm looking to finish up the offer and paperwork on the 231 and need good recommendation for a solid Mooney shop in San Diego. Seller had work done at Crownair so would prefer a different shop to inspect it for the prebuy. I flew it already and seller agreed to fix major squawks and airworthy items or discount price. I'm hoping and praying the major stuff is in good shape but did budget additional funds for maintenance. Fortunately I don't need to update avionics other than eventually comply with the 2020 ADSB mandate but since the plane has Garmin 530W and 330 GTX transponder, the update is less than without these avionics.

I'm in the process of buying a Mooney located in the Kansas City area. What is a good shop for the pre-buy inspection?

Hi, I am planning to buy a Mooney 201 in Oklahoma City and looking for recommendation for workshop / A&P in the area who can do pre-purchase inspection for me. The airplane had a gear-up landing in Jan 2012 at Edenton, NC (KEDE). Tomorrow I will check with seller if it can be flown to some other airport for inspection as the airplane might be out of annual. I think it expired in March 2013 but seller is going to get the annual done before sale. Thanks.