UK based Mooney owners

[Awqward]

Hello, I am about to become a first time Mooney owner M20J 205 based in Scotland, UK. The airplane will remain on the US register (N60GZ)...

I have joined the European Mooney Pilots and Owners Association (EMPOA) but at present there is not a functioning forum there....I am looking for a bit of guidance on a few topics like maintenance, insurance etc here in the UK and Europe....are there any UK based Mooney owners willing to make contact with me?

Regards,

Anthony Quick

[1964-M20E]

Anthony

 

While I'm not in England welcome to the site and I hope you enjoy your newly acquired Mooney.

When you get a chance post some pics of the plane.

It is always interesting to hear for the folks across the pond on flight rule differences and just a different point of view.

[Awqward]

Thanks John, I will upload some photos when I get her back here to Scotland in a couple of weeks....she's in France right now while the FAA paperwork is in progress for change of owners....outside the US it is illegal to fly until the new original CofR is received...

[terbang]

I'm not UK base either, but Europe (Germany) at least. Many of the EMPOA folks aare here on Mooneyspace.

 

Have fun with your 205,

Gunter

[Awqward]

Danke Gunter (or should that be terima kasih?!)...yes I am looking forward to flying it all over Europe...and I note that the epicentre of the European Mooney population seems to be in Germany

[terbang]

 

Bitte (or tidak apa-apa ;-) There is also an EMPOA Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/empoa but it's not very active, I'll post a few pictures from Tannkosh...

[Awqward]

Thanks Gunter, I have made a request to join that FB group now...I will definitely try and make it to the 2014 Tannkosh...(btw my Indonesian is a lot better than my German!)

[Awful_Charlie]

Hiya Tony

 

Not based in the UK any more, now an expat living in Switzerland, keeping the aircraft just over the border in France.  Make a few trips a year back to Blighty, but normally the south, with the odd (and very overdue) trip past 55N - normally to Orkney where I have friends. (I actually trained and got my PPL in Cumbernauld whilst I was living in Edinburgh, and still have a few friends around there)

 

If you have an interest/need for flying IFR (and with Scottish weather, I think you do!) and you're not a member of http://www.pplir.org I strongly suggest you sign up - there's a wealth of knowledge there about coping with EASA and their foibles, as well as the practical side, and the majority of members are owners too, quite a lot on the US register (I should point out I'm biased, as I currently edit the mag!)

 

Ben

[Awqward]

Hi Ben, yes I've been a PPL/IR member for a while...just got my TSA approval to start Instrument training here in Aberdeen with a local CFII....although will likely have to go to the US for the check ride unless a DPE can be found over here...

Btw my wife looked over my shoulder just now and saw your avatar! Not sure she believed it was a kosher aviation site

[Awqward]

Also meant to say great job with the Instrument Pilot magazine!

[Awful_Charlie]

Good work - both for getting through the TSA malarkey and for joining up, I just looked over and see you there!  Is 'GZ over with Francoise at Troyes? She'll look after you, and it's worth building a relationship up with her team, as they are the official source of parts, and a good bunch who just about all speak good English!

 

I believe there is one DPE who is based in the Norwich/Le Touquet area, and although I have no experience of him, it does sound as though you should do your due diligence before approaching him.  I think there is also an occasional visitor who books up a bunch of tests and comes over to do them, but I suggest that might be better answered over on the PPLIR forum (I got my FAA IR on the back of my CAA one, and normally get a dual qualified EASA and FAA examiner to sign off my renewal paperwork, so haven't had the FAA DPE experience)

 

Ah yes - the avatar - you have to click it

 

Thanks for the thumbs up on IP - I don't tend to get much input for that !

[Awqward]

< Ah yes - the avatar - you have to click it

Ha!....it doesn't help my credibility here!

[Awqward]

GZ is not with Troyes.....it has been based a few miles south at LFLM....was put on the Nreg in 2006 from Swiss....my appeal was due to the fact that there are no Mooneys in Aberdeen and surrounds, and no Nreg either

[OR75]

Just to re-state the obvious ....

 

flying N-reg in Europe is very convenient from a piloting stanpoint, especially when flying IFR. (Typically in Europe, IFR operation is considered a two persons job and/or 1 pilot with a very very nicelly equipped aircraft = Auto pilot + dual)

 

However, the plane is N-registered and will need to be maintained by a US mechanic or a Mooney Service Center. 

 

It is not just random that a lot of Mooneys are located in Gernany or France. Just follow where the maintenance folks or facilities are. (often means close to a US military bases or "Aircraft Manufaturer" Service Center 

[Awqward]

Thanks OR75, there are also quite a few FAA A&Ps and A&P/IA based in Europe....one of the advantages of the FAA system vs EASA is that maintenance can be performed and signed off by individuals (freelance) vs requiring an EASA accredited organization....but yes, I aware that the only two MSC are in France and Germany so no doubt I will have occasion to go there (probably Troyes)

[podair]

Hi Anthony, welcome to the Mooniac fold.

I fly an 1967 M20F out of Thruxton in Hampshire, OY-DFD (yes Danish reg!), mostly (IFR) flying back and forth to France to visit family. 

 

Would be great to meet up at some point, especially as I am planning to explore the north (which for me means anything north of Hampshire!) at some point over the next few months, as 99% of my flights so far venture south! I've had the pleasure to meet 'Awful Charlie' a few times, mostly at PPLIR meetings, and sadly have to report nothing like his avatar :-)

 

Maintenance wise in UK, I recommend Aerotech in Coventry, Falcon at Biggin, and Shipping and Airlines at Biggin. All familiar with Mooneys and N-reg. Shipping used to be an MSC. My aircraft is however maintained by Fly West in Fontenay le Comte LFFK, by Joel Patault, close to my house there. I am not sure he can sign off N-regs, all EASA is OK, but otherwise he has developped a fantastic reputation, and knows Mooneys very well, Mooniacs fly from all over France to take their aircraft there. I've known him for nearly fifteen years and he's a great mechanic and very honest guy. I've seen the Henriot family biz in Troyes and they seem to have a good setup too and passionate about Mooneys but to be honest I've never had the need in six years to go via an MSC, the very few parts I've needed so far shipped directly to Joel or Aerotech by Lasar from California. 

 

I'd second Ben's recommendations on due dilligence on that FAA outfit. Never had to deal with them so I can't really comment, but aware of a few personality clashes. There is a freelance FAA instructor based near Leicester who seems to be a nice chap, I'll dig out his details if you need, otherwise the training outfit run by Arwyn Jones in Cambridge is excellent and very professional, and does the whole range of EASA/FAA revalidations. 

[Awqward]

Thanks Podair...excellent advice and direction....I also lurk on PPLIR and EuroGA....not sure what you mean by "that FAA outfit" but my CFII is a friend based here in Aberdeen....he also has EASA qualifications and instructs part time locally (works for a major oil company for a day job)....even though I have had an FAA certificate based on my Australian license for 16+ years I actually needed TSA approval to do Initial (because I want a standalone license) as well as Instrument training....my friend Alex is a registered instructor on the AFSP system...getting the fingerprinting done was interesting...I ended up going to Stockholm airport and meeting a TSA approved mobile fingerprinting guy and we did the business in the terminal...my other option was Oxford Air Training but from Aberdeen getting to Sweden is actually easier! Plus there is only one FAA AME left in Scotland now (in Glasgow)....so quite a bit of hassle...hopefully all worth it!

[Awqward]

Sorry Podair, just re-read Ben's post...yes I think I have heard similar things...

[podair]

Sorry I didn't mean to stir controversy, there is sadly enough of it already in the pilot world! As I said, I have never dealt with that Norwich outfit so I can't really comment, and it does seem to have all the necessary approvals and gets the job done, but I've read a few reports and had one look at the website once and just the aggressive tone of what was written on it put me off. I guess he's the Michael O'Leary of the training world. Gets the job done professionally, but might not always be a pleasant experience!

 

I'm thinking of getting another FAA rating soon , and love Stockholm, so will maybe get the TSA guys' details off you soon! The last time I renewed my FAA ticket, I found flying for a long weekend in the US shooting lots of (free) approaches and burning cheap fuel roughly the same price as renting a school's aircraft and doing it in the UK!

[Awqward]

I can give you the details of the guy in Stockholm...Brad Stowe....he is an American corporate pilot based there....however you need to do all the arrangements through the AFSP website (www.flightschoolcandidates.gov) and you will find that he is a registered provider of finger printing services....but if you have previously had fingerprints taken for a rating the TSA will still have them on file and new prints are not usually required....they will let you know via the AFSP system when you make a training request...also as you probably know, you need to select a training organization from the pull down list so you need to have made arrangements with that organization first...

[Awqward]

Also if you're coming to Scotland after Sept next year don't forget your passport and to fill out an online GAR!!

[manu damaschin]

Welcome on bord Anthony...! Please post every event for Mooney owners you hear about in Europe...

[carusoam]

Ben,

I didn't know an avatar could move like that!

You tech guys are pretty sharp!

Best regards,

-a-