LASAR

[jetdriven]

I feel compelled to write a story about my dealings with LASAR. 

 

For the past 3 months I have been a regular caller there.  We had a hail claim and had to replace the ailerons and elevators, and get a new paint job. While we were at it, install some speed mods. We settled on the wheel well liners, aileron gap seals, wing root fairings, fiberglass dorsal fin, and the horizontal tail root fairings.

 

The liners, wing root fairings, and dorsal fin went on perfectly. The RH horizontal tail fairing was easy, the left one was too tight, the bend on the LH one was too long, it didnt work.

 

After talking with Gary McConnell, and then Paul Loewen (He and Shery are the owners of LASAR) about this, they talked me through re-bending the LH tail fairing to fit. We had to move the bend 1/4" and could not make it work. It is 2024-T3 aluminum and once bent, is pretty much what it is.

 

I called back at 4:00 PM Texas time to let Paul know the re-bend wasn't working.  He sent his guys back to the shop to make me a new LH tail fairing, In ONE HOUR they had it boxed and sitting out ready to be picked up by UPS. At 9AM the next day, it was in my hand.

 

Amazing. It fit perfectly. It was riveted on by 3 PM an the next day our partner took the plane to Tulsa.  http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N201EQ

 

Just like that they made it happen.

 

So if you guys are looking to improve your airplane, These folks arent even about the money, they go above and beyond to make it work for you. Consider that when you need something for your Mooney.

[201er]

How fast?

[Hank]

Mike--

Flightaware shows 430 nm in 2:25, which I calculate to be 178 knots average (ground) speed.

I also had great LASAR service buying nose gear parts this summer. I received well-made parts quickly, and core credit when the broken pieces went back also arrived speedily. I'm another happy customer.

[Cruiser]

Flightaware is notoriously bad with flight time. I have never seen it accurate enough to use.

[DS1980]

So I take it the silicon episode has been taken care of? I can't find the other thread about it.

[podair]

These folks arent even about the money, they go above and beyond to make it work for you. Consider that when you need something for your Mooney.

 

Completely agree, they are amazing, same experience, my dealings with them over the past few years reflect that, although my sturdy 1967 Mooney has needed very few parts, the few times I have called LASAR they have been outstanding, despite dealing with them from Europe. As with most things aviation, I don't bother calling local suppliers anymore, I just order parts direct from the US if I can.

 

One example: I needed a new part for the nosegear. The part arrived at my mechanic's in the UK within days. It turned out that during its life the nosewheel had been modified with newer parts and the part designed for 1967 did not fit. Lasar told me to take several photos of my nosegear configuration and parts and email them. They had a look at it, identified the newer parts, and the SAME day sent me the correct parts. I sent back the part I originally ordered and was recredited within a week. The whole thing cost me a fair bit in shipping but it was all dealt with and the nosewheel fixed WITHIN A WEEK, despite 8 hours time difference and shipping back and forth UK/California.

[Alan Fox]

They rock , also if anyone is parting out a Mooney , they will buy parts from you , I sold them a lot of parts that I had when I parted out a C model , easy to work with and priced Fair.......

[Shadrach]

I've had the same type of service from them. Truly a treasure in our community!

[aviatoreb]

How fast?

 

I see 347kts at 6500 ft.  I guess the speed mods worked.

 

I have dealt with LASAR over a few years over a few replacement and improvement parts, and I have each time been very impressed and a happy customer.

[RocketAviator]

Byron, I too had a good experience with LASAR... after almost pulling my hair out, calling the factory (with no reply in over a week), searching everything online I could find and calling every Antenna MFG I could find looking for a replacement VOR/GS Towel Bar antenna  , late in the day Friday I began calling the listed Mooney service centers, the 3 called the guy said call LASAR!!!  They were on my list but way down list!  I called and they said let us check and get back to you.... Yea I heard that before right!  Well they apparently did THEY actually got back to me and I hope to have that antenna in my grubby little hands on Tuesday!!  Very timely as I am headed to the avionics shop in New Braunfels on Wednesday!   Like you Gary and the owner were great to work with.  You may recall when I was trying to get the 3" pedal extensions and co-pilot brake setup (which I now have multiple extra pairs of extensions and co-pilot brake components... )  I have always thought their prices were a bit on the high side but the older I get the more I appreciate the value of good service!!

One thing for sure LASAR will be on top of my list the next time I am looking for something!

[jetdriven]

So I take it the silicon episode has been taken care of? I can't find the other thread about it.

Nope, but we just changed some stuff and are still working on that.

 

201ER, I did do a 3-track GPS ground speed check and got 190 MPH.  Which is 3 MPH faster than our last air race two weeks ago, but that last race was 187 MPH. Previous best was 193 MPH. So, the plane is 5-6 MPH off the mark.  I am suspecting the fiberglass gear doors, they are pretty flimsy. The rear of the doors don't close tightly against the wing skin, but after putting 40 hours on it, there are some serious chafe marks on the rear of the wing. I think the doors are lifting off the front of the wing at cruise.   So I am gonna have to adjust the fit of those, stiffen them with some carbon fiber, or go back to the stock gear door config.

 

So, 190 MPH right now

fix gear door situation +3 to +5

aileron gap seals +.5?

ELT antenna delete +.25?

adjust crappy fit of flap hinge covers +.5

adjust some gaps on the chafe seal at the rear stab fairing neg

crappy leaking door and baggage seal, door pin kit +1

rework cowling ~? .25

new paint  ( our paint is in horrible shape now) +3

 

200 MPH?

[Bennett]

If you are anywhere near the West Coast consider going to LASAR for annuals. I've been taking my Mooneys to them for over 30 years, and I have to say that they are thorough. When I bought my J I had them do the pre-buy, and then had them virtually rebuild the aircraft - so much so that I suggested that they create stickers that say: Remanufactured by LASAR. They are a huge asset for the Mooney community, and time and time again they have solved routine problems for me. Yes, they can be a bit expensive, but you are buying some incredibly extensive knowledge. Don't forget that many of the mods were think of as "essential" were developed by Paul and his crew. As reported above, Dan is indispensable when it comes to parts. If you don't know them give them a try. They have just acquired additional hangar space for fabrication of both metal and Fiberglas parts. I wish Paul would continue to experiment with the winglets that I saw in his shop.

[aviatoreb]

If you are anywhere near the West Coast consider going to LASAR for annuals. I've been taking my Mooneys to them for over 30 years, and I have to say that they are thorough. When I bought my J I had them do the pre-buy, and then had them virtually rebuild the aircraft - so much so that I suggested that they create stickers that say: Remanufactured by LASAR. They are a huge asset for the Mooney community, and time and time again they have solved routine problems for me. Yes, they can be a bit expensive, but you are buying some incredibly extensive knowledge. Don't forget that many of the mods were think of as "essential" were developed by Paul and his crew. As reported above, Dan is indispensable when it comes to parts. If you don't know them give them a try. They have just acquired additional hangar space for fabrication of both metal and Fiberglas parts. I wish Paul would continue to experiment with the winglets that I saw in his shop.

 

Ooooh - winglets.  Please say more.

[fantom]

LASAR...there is no substitute!

[flight2000]

LASAR...there is no substitute!

+1000

Many parts and speed mods on my plane have come from them including the 201 wing tips, lights, cowl enclosure, and windshield. They have many of the new and improved parts we need for the older birds. Truly a treasure for the Mooney community.

Brian

[Jeev]

Good to hear! After getting parts as needed from them over the last few years I just dropped off my J with them for its annual. Looks like a made the right choice. I have to say Mike the maintence manager has been very professional and accommodating to my changing schedule. He has also been very prompt in communication. Great!

[bdjohn4]

I've had similar good experiences with LASAR. Also, they tend to keep mods in stock, not make them to order. Mooney has also been good to me. The director of engineering himself scanned several pages of 44 year old drawings and sent them to me when I needed a new wiring harness. Those drawings were not easy to find. If anyone needs to replace the fire-wall forward wireing harness in a '69 E-model, I have a pdf.  Sparkchasers made a new one for me for about $600 as I recall.