DOC Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 Recommendations for Mooney service in the Southeast? If anyone brave enough to tell me where not to go, please PM me at jmilholm@bellsouth.net Thanks "Doc" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbridges Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 I had bladders installed at Joey Cole's place in Rome, Georgia. I've also ordered a few mooney parts from him. He is an MSC, and I've had a good experience with him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowds Posted December 31, 2013 Report Share Posted December 31, 2013 Recommendations for Mooney service in the Southeast? If anyone brave enough to tell me where not to go, please PM me at jmilholm@bellsouth.net Thanks "Doc" +1 for Cole Aviation; not the least expensive Mooney shop in the area, but high business integrity and high-quality workmanship. I had a recent very poor experience with Epps at PDK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOC Posted December 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2013 Thanks for the info. I have heard nothing but positive things about Cole Aviation. It is also the closest to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff_S Posted December 31, 2013 Report Share Posted December 31, 2013 Doc, I'm guessing by your questions that you are also knew to Mooney ownership. I've sent you a note to your email address about how to subscribe to the Southeast Mooney mailing list so you can stay up to date on various events. I do my best to schedule a few things per year...the last one was a fly-in at Rome for the big Air Show, and Joey hosted us with free food and a fun discussion and demonstration in his hangar. Cheers. Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOC Posted December 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2013 Will try and do that. Thanks 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooneymite Posted December 31, 2013 Report Share Posted December 31, 2013 My hangar? The mechanic is a total dumb-azz, but he works really cheap. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantom Posted January 1, 2014 Report Share Posted January 1, 2014 My hangar? The mechanic is a total dumb-azz, but he works really cheap. :-) And most importantly, it's a labor of love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooneymite Posted January 1, 2014 Report Share Posted January 1, 2014 And most importantly, it's a labor of love. That's true. No one is going to be more conscientious about the condition of my planes, than me! Now, if I could just figure out what those damn hangar fairies are doing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamR Posted January 6, 2014 Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 I guess I will be the one that would not recommend Cole Aviation. First a little background on me. My family owned an aircraft maintenance shop in South Florida when I was younger. We closed the shop after my grandfather passed. Although I never got my A&P or IA, I have several years experience working on and building airplanes. So, I know something, but not everything, about aircraft maintenance. There were multiple instances where Cole Aviation replaced items unnecessarily or would simply throw parts at a problem because Joey was unsure about what the problem was despite my guidance. In some instances Joey replaced parts that were still airworthy and not in need of replacing ( replacing a tire with a small flat spot despite plenty of tread, a landing light that still was operating, or a an oxygen fill valve that was operating perfectly) . Joey’s knowledge of engines I also found lacking. In fairness, I did not get everything in writing. But that should not allow someone to treat my plane as an open check book either. I can give very specific examples if you like on any of the above. Note, I keep my airplane in good shape. I have been told this by other Mooney owners as well (even unsolicited ). My experience with Epps is limited but good. I have heard some unhappy and some happy with their service. DLK is O.K. I don’t think they work on many Mooneys anymore. DLK is mediocre at best. They were not impressive when I brought an IA over who was interested in a Mooney they maintaining. I currently use AirDevil, in Monroe, GA. AirDevil was previously owned by Wayne Parks who had decades of Mooney service experience. The current owner worked for Wayne but is not what I would call significantly experienced with Mooneys (about 5 years working on Mooneys). However, his attention to detail is very good. Feel free to PM me if you want more details. I try not to air all my dirty laundry on the web. William Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ksaunders Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 My Mooney is at KGVL (Gainesville, Georgia) and our mechanic on field is Mr. John Pittman. He treats your aircraft as if he was flying his family in it. He does outstanding work and is extraordinarily anal about everything being perfect, all the time, every time. If you are his customer, should you EVER need anything looked at; he will drop what he is doing and make your needs a priority. He is a true gentleman and no B.S. If you have issues, he's going to tell you that you have issues. Again, he services your aircraft as if it is his own and his family's safety is dependent upon his work. His prices are competitive and his advice is free. I trust his ability with my life and in 5 years he has never let me down. He does NOT do avionics work. I can give you a dozen references and many Mooney owners will stand up for John. P.S. Somebody sign me up for the Southeast Mooney mailing list - Kevin Saunders ksaunder@prattindustries.com Mr. John Pittman Operates out of North hanger E-2 KGVL - Gainesville, Ga skylane@bellsouth.net 770-540-7677 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 Daytona Aircraft Services at KDAB is a Mooney service facility has been a very good experience for me. Admittedly, it would be hard to beat the praise listed above, but I have been very satisfied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earl Posted January 14, 2014 Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 I would also recommend Joey Cole as he has done a number of projects on my Mooney that have worked out well. I use H&L Aircraft at KRYY for my annual, oil changes and routine work but Joey for specialty work (i.e., he installed my EDM-730, fuel tank patches, did some troubleshooting for me on some issues that H&L did not want to tackle, etc.). As for William's experience described above it does not surprise me. Joey is a self described impatient perfectionist and you have to work closely with him to separate the wheat (real issues) from the chaffe (wouldn't it be nicer if...). There were times when I deferred something he wanted to do right away. Having said all that, he knows Mooneys and he knows where to get parts and at least for me has done what he promised to do when he promised to do it. And he has been a good sounding board for me when I was in transit and needed advice on a maintenance issue. I would also agree that engines are not his forte and he is pretty open about that issue. You just need to actively manage what he is doing and hopefully avoid William's experience. The only work I had done at Epps was a radio problem and they replaced an antenna when the real problem was the cable connection to the radio. Nothing other than that. Never used DLK although they claim to know Mooneys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyWalt Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 My hangar? The mechanic is a total dumb-azz, but he works really cheap. :-) Oh that is just too funny :-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kris_adams Posted January 17, 2014 Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 I have pretty much the same experience as Earl. I just wish Joey was based at LZU. I've been very happy with him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOC Posted January 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 I have heard that Joey Cole is expanding to Dalton Ga. Has anyone else heard this? If so, when might he bring a Mooney service center there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtVandelay Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 I have heard that Joey Cole is expanding to Dalton Ga. Has anyone else heard this? If so, when might he bring a Mooney service center there? I heard he was moving, not expanding, but that info was 2nd hand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lahso Posted January 22, 2014 Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 Joey is moving at the end of Jan to Dalton (KDNN). He'll be in the big hangar next to the FBO (for those familiar with that airport). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earl Posted January 31, 2014 Report Share Posted January 31, 2014 Joey is moving at the end of Jan to Dalton (KDNN). He'll be in the big hangar next to the FBO (for those familiar with that airport). I had not heard he was moving. Too bad as I often do my practice approaches at Rome and found it comforting to know if I had a mechanical issue I could put the plane down there and have him look at it. Strangely enough, Dalton is better if I need to have someone pick me and is only 10nm further for me to fly than Rome. Just looked and KDNN has an ILS and an RNAV with vertical guidance. Looks like my new favorite place to practice approaches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantom Posted January 31, 2014 Report Share Posted January 31, 2014 ....Just looked and KDNN has an ILS and an RNAV with vertical guidance. Looks like my new favorite place to practice approaches. Not to mention $5.49/gal fuel. What's not to like Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Pleisse Posted January 31, 2014 Report Share Posted January 31, 2014 Daytona Jet gets a vote from me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantom Posted February 1, 2014 Report Share Posted February 1, 2014 Daytona Jet gets a vote from me. Could you offer some details on why they get your vote? I've lived and flown out of SoFL for decades and have heard very little, positive or negative, about them. They would on all GA brands and have a very clean shop. Level of expertise, prices, inventory, follow up, etc??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kris_adams Posted February 1, 2014 Report Share Posted February 1, 2014 Joey is moving at the end of Jan to Dalton (KDNN). He'll be in the big hangar next to the FBO (for those familiar with that airport). I guess that's a little easier to get to than Rome. KLZU would have been better as far as I'm concerned. I'll have to swing up and see him at the new shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Posted February 2, 2014 Report Share Posted February 2, 2014 Doc, I'm guessing by your questions that you are also knew to Mooney ownership. I've sent you a note to your email address about how to subscribe to the Southeast Mooney mailing list so you can stay up to date on various events. I do my best to schedule a few things per year...the last one was a fly-in at Rome for the big Air Show, and Joey hosted us with free food and a fun discussion and demonstration in his hangar. Cheers. Jeff Jeff-- Please sign me up for the Southeast mailing list; I'm relocating to Auburn, AL. It's interesting to me that Joey is moving to Dalton, where I took my first few lessons in a Beech Skipper. (An interesting airplane, but at least it has two doors.) needless to say, I'm also looking for a mechanic. Dalton's not too far, but Mite's hangar will be closer. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff_S Posted February 2, 2014 Report Share Posted February 2, 2014 Sure thing Hank. I thought you were already on the list since you'd come to the fly in at Rome last year, but I'll send you the link in a PM and you can go there to input your email address. You'll need to do that yourself since I don't have your email. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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