Where do Eurpoeans take their Mooneys for maintenance?

[terbang]

No, I've never worked with Troyes. Of the two I mentioned I only know ACG out of personal experience.

Edited July 27, 2021 by terbang

[Airways]

On 7/27/2021 at 2:04 PM, terbang said:

No, I've never worked with Troyes. Of the two I mentioned I only know ACG out of personal experience.

I noticed ACG’s website is in German only. Do they reply to emails in English ?

[Emmet]

I noticed ACG’s website is in German only. Do they reply to emails in English ?

I am pretty sure they do

[Ulysse]

On 10/12/2021 at 9:13 PM, Airways said:

I noticed ACG’s website is in German only. Do they reply to emails in English

They speak perfect English 

 

[MV Aviation]

On 7/26/2021 at 8:47 AM, Ulysse said:

@terbang have you used Troyes service? I hear different comments about them 

I bought my Mooney through Troyes. They did the pre-buy and got it back to airworthiness after it was stored for a year. They were not cheap, but they did a good job. Have only used them that one time.

[Ibra]

On 5/8/2014 at 1:24 PM, podair said:

I can only speak very highly of Joel Patault at Fly West in Fontenay le Comte (LFFK) near La Rochelle is an excellent mechanic and is looking after a growing fleet of Mooneys from all across France

Hi @podair

I have moved permanently to France and I think I will need a personal introduction to Joel  
Sent you a message, let me know when you are around in south/west of France,

Cheers,
Ibra

[AF M20J]

For anyone following this thread, or who may join it later, I highly recommend ACG in Germany as well.
Justus and Rene are both great in my experience.

They are really reasonable about everything and will set you straight about what needs to be done, should be done and what is optional, unlike many European CAMOs.

They have been super flexible with me, and helped me any time with just about anything (and I've asked for a *a lot* of help over the years).

If you don't have the fastest response, or you receive a one-liner response, just know that they're generally not too verbose in email. A phone call usually makes things crystal clear and a visit is priceless.

I highly recommend them for reasonable annuals and general mx.

Edited September 15, 2022 by AF M20J

[Fly Boomer]

17 hours ago, AF M20J said:

For anyone following this thread, or who may join it later, I highly recommend ACG in Germany as well

Thanks!  Good mechanics are hard enough to find here — I can not imagine what it must be for you.

[AF M20J]

On 9/15/2022 at 10:31 PM, Fly Boomer said:

Good mechanics are hard enough to find here — I can not imagine what it must be for you.

Flying in Europe is a slow game. It is incredibly cool to be just about anywhere in Europe within 4 hours, from Croatia to Sweden to France and Poland.

The downside is that everything is ticky-tacky. There are a million rules for everything, airspace is choked to death and the system is incredibly legalistic, theory-driven and downright expensive.

Flying in the US is indescribably different.
Easy, fun, and so open. Don't want to talk with anyone today? Don't. Want to zip over to wherever? Go for it.

Not so in Europe. Every trip is planned like an IFR flight, with full details, times, communication and so on.

Sweden, Norway and the northern regions where there are still wilds, are different. There, they, like us, care more about the aviator than the regulator.
So, I can highly recommend these two fantastic countries for the American pilot to have fun in.

The rest... just work, more work and nothing but the work. The destinations make it worthwhile though.

Oh, and speaking of maintenance: I took my 'J in for an annual at last minute b/c I was pressed for time one year. $7500 for the annual.
They replaced the gear harness (for no reason, it had just been replaced) and slapped stickers everywhere "Do not push, etc." and then a regular annual.
Seven. Thousand. Five. Hundred. Dollars. yeah.

ACG isn't like that. They're German, so it isn't as cheap as the US, but I trust everything they do. Great guys in the hangar, they're Mooney experts, can source parts and generally like flying. They have flown in the US and appreciate what aviation can, and should be.

I do recommend flying in Europe if you have too much money and time and don't know where to put it all...
Get either a fold-up bike (Quiggle) or an E-Scooter (what I do) and you can fly just about anywhere and have fun.

Edited September 18, 2022 by AF M20J
corrected grammar

[tmo]

Thanks for the PIREP on ACG; as far as the hardships, it's not all THAT bad, just expensive. But yeah.

[Sue Bon]

I love flying in Europe! The regulations are SOP, so I guess I don't know any other way to do it. It is spectacular. Expensive, yes, but IFR flights going country to country is usually super easy and the experiences are amazing.

[FredG]

On 9/18/2022 at 7:08 PM, AF M20J said:

Flying in Europe is a slow game. It is incredibly cool to be just about anywhere in Europe within 4 hours, from Croatia to Sweden to France and Poland.

The downside is that everything is ticky-tacky. There are a million rules for everything, airspace is choked to death and the system is incredibly legalistic, theory-driven and downright expensive.

Flying in the US is indescribably different.
Easy, fun, and so open. Don't want to talk with anyone today? Don't. Want to zip over to wherever? Go for it.

Not so in Europe. Every trip is planned like an IFR flight, with full details, times, communication and so on.

Sweden, Norway and the northern regions where there are still wilds, are different. There, they, like us, care more about the aviator than the regulator.
So, I can highly recommend these two fantastic countries for the American pilot to have fun in.

The rest... just work, more work and nothing but the work. The destinations make it worthwhile though.

Oh, and speaking of maintenance: I took my 'J in for an annual at last minute b/c I was pressed for time one year. $7500 for the annual.
They replaced the gear harness (for no reason, it had just been replaced) and slapped stickers everywhere "Do not push, etc." and then a regular annual.
Seven. Thousand. Five. Hundred. Dollars. yeah.

ACG isn't like that. They're German, so it isn't as cheap as the US, but I trust everything they do. Great guys in the hangar, they're Mooney experts, can source parts and generally like flying. They have flown in the US and appreciate what aviation can, and should be.

I do recommend flying in Europe if you have too much money and time and don't know where to put it all...
Get either a fold-up bike (Quiggle) or an E-Scooter (what I do) and you can fly just about anywhere and have fun.

Each time you cross borders or cross waters (e.g. France mainland to Corsica), a flight plan is needed (VFR). I flew from south of France to Ireland last summer, with stopover in the UK. 
A friend of mine, flew from UK to Morocco. The same length  journey in the US would be a bore. Here, you do have to work out 4 countries, 2 continents paperwork. But very much all worth it!

[Ibra]

On 9/18/2022 at 7:08 PM, AF M20J said:

slapped stickers everywhere "Do not push, etc."

How many Benjis they ask for those? 

[AF M20J]

On 3/23/2023 at 4:30 PM, Ibra said:

How many Benjis they ask for those? 

IIRC, it was over $100 for the stickers. (obviously just printed stickers, nothing fancy...)
It may have been more... tbh, the memory was bad enough that I don't want to go back and look ;P

[AF M20J]

On 9/19/2022 at 11:12 AM, Sue Bon said:

I love flying in Europe! The regulations are SOP, so I guess I don't know any other way to do it. It is spectacular. Expensive, yes, but IFR flights going country to country is usually super easy and the experiences are amazing.

True!

I guess the easiest way to put this, is that there are no charges for IFR flights in the US. No landing fees either, unless you're using jet-level services.

On a typical cross-country flight (Coast to Coast), I'll plan on about $100 for parking fees and facilities costs.
The rest goes to fuel + lodging + meals.

I can fuel up at any time, arrive at any time and leave at any time from nearly any airport here.
Not so in Europe... remember operating hours PPR, Customs, local flight patterns, etc. Brutal flight planning involved.

Again, I agree, it is worth it. Especially, when flying to places like Vannes, Croatia, or any cool area in Europe (there are so many!).

[Sue Bon]

4 hours ago, AF M20J said:

I guess the easiest way to put this, is that there are no charges for IFR flights in the US. No landing fees either, unless you're using jet-level services.

Yeah, after being here on MS for a while and learning a bit about flying in the US from various threads, I've learned that it's 2-3 times more expensive to own a Mooney here and seems to be much more complicated. It's all I know, so I'll stick with it as long as I can.

[AF M20J]

On 3/27/2023 at 4:04 PM, Sue Bon said:

Yeah, after being here on MS for a while and learning a bit about flying in the US from various threads, I've learned that it's 2-3 times more expensive to own a Mooney here and seems to be much more complicated. It's all I know, so I'll stick with it as long as I can.

My experience was that it cost me about 2x as much to own/operate in EU as it does in US.

Regarding ACG Air-Craft, I realize that there is only one drawback that I could think of (reverting to previous topic):
If they work on your plane for a while, it will sit outside in the damp German weather. My plane sat out for a very long time, with no chance to be hangared because the local hangar was full at that time.
The service is great, I appreciate how they operate and they let me participate, but my plane experienced some heavy weathering due to Germany's humid/rainy climate.

[AF M20J]

@Sue Bon Your avatar shows a great sectional livery on a tail, is that your plane?

I love the livery!

Also, is it a wrap, or paint?

[Sue Bon]

On 5/27/2023 at 5:07 PM, AF M20J said:

@Sue Bon Your avatar shows a great sectional livery on a tail, is that your plane?

I love the livery!

Also, is it a wrap, or paint?

Thanks! Yes, it's my baby.

It's a wrap. It was done by a previous owner that sold ICAO maps out of Zurich. It's the Zurich airport.

[AF M20J]

On 5/30/2023 at 6:53 AM, Sue Bon said:

Thanks! Yes, it's my baby.

It's a wrap. It was done by a previous owner that sold ICAO maps out of Zurich. It's the Zurich airport.

Great shot, I love it.

Thanks for sharing.

[Georges]

For N80GY -M20 - 252, I have been using Avionicel in LPSO (Ponte de Sor) for a while and never been so satisfied. Rare to find they are also excellent with avionics (able to repair an autopilot PC board the manufacturer is not interested in repairing anymore). Not to mention the cheaper cost of manpower. Very honest, competent and serious people. I you want to talk to them call Luis Simas 00351 929 247 448.

[Fly Boomer]

58 minutes ago, Georges said:

For N80GY -M20 - 252, I have been using Avionicel in LPSO (Ponte de Sor) for a while and never been so satisfied. Rare to find they are also excellent with avionics (able to repair an autopilot PC board the manufacturer is not interested in repairing anymore). Not to mention the cheaper cost of manpower. Very honest, competent and serious people. I you want to talk to them call Luis Simas 00351 929 247 448.

Congratulations on the 252.  Fantastic airplane!  Good maintainers are a treasure.  You are fortunate.