M20F, J, or M...and why?

[GeorgePerry]

The three questions you first need to answer are:  

 

(1) What's the mission? 

(2) What's the mission?

(3) What's the mission? 

 

First, find a plane that's right for the mission you'll fly 80-90% of the time.  Lots of good info on MS about Turbo v/s Non Turbo.  I'll say this…If you need to "regularly" fly over mountains or operate from high density altitude airports, get a turbo.  If your mission keeps you over the flat lands or East coast, I'd be hesitant to buy a turbo.  There are pro's and con's but in general to see any real speed advantage from a turbo you need to be above 12,000 feet.  If you haven't flown much at altitudes that require O2, you should try it before buying a turbo.  I for one, hate cannulas and O2 masks.  If you plan on taking passengers, they'll hate it too.  

 

Also take a look at flight aware and see what kinds of profiles turbo mooney's are flying in your area.  I'll bet you'll be surprised to see that most turbo owners stop climbing at 12,000 for the same reason.  If your budget can swing it, and you really need to get up high, your better off with a NA IO-550 equipped plane.  You gave plenty of power to get up and over just about any "hill".  Short of that, you can't go wrong with a "J".  An M20J is quite happy at 10-12K.  They cruise along quickly and efficiently at those altitudes.  M20J's offer a lot of Bang for the Buck!

 

You might also want to check out this thread…It may be helpful.  http://mooneyspace.com/topic/8-prospective-vintage-mooney-buyers/?hl=%2Bperspective+%2Bvintage

 

My best advice is buy the nicest, best maintained, newest aircraft you can afford.  After you figure out what's right for you, how much it'll cost, don't forget to set aside a sizable "cash reserve" so you're able to fix or improve things as needed.   Good luck!

[DaV8or]

These waters aren't muddy enough. There is almost a clear cut consensus!! Sooo... how about an F with a Ray Jay turbo! There's a way to save some bucks and get over a mountain!

[carusoam]

Was budget ever mentioned in this thread?

As a pilot, I would prefer the K or Rocket first and the F last... (Still very happy with an F, just preference)

My finance official would prefer the C first and the K or M last...

Best regards,

-a-

[DaV8or]

Was budget ever mentioned in this thread?

As a pilot, I would prefer the K or Rocket first and the F last... (Still very happy with an F, just preference)

My finance official would prefer the C first and the K or M last...

Best regards,

-a-

 

No, there was no real mention of budget I think. If he's doing a lot of high altitude flying, the 252, or Encore would be my first choice too given a nice enough budget and the money to afford the addition maintenance and fuel burn. I just thought I'd talk about an F because... I don't know, it is an option to find one with a turbo on it and save a bunch of money.

[schule]

For Mooney experience; I have flown around 50 hrs in a C, 150 hrs in a highly modified F, and around 150 hrs in a 231. I have flown from the 4 corners of America with about 1/2 my Mooney time getting to/from/around Alaska. All three models have been a great experience.

Each has its virtues based on your tastes. Your mission and operations budget to ensure safe/current training are most critical for you to define as George mentioned. I like a turbo for flat land flying to get above/around low altitude scud and turbulence. Plus there is very little traffic from 12K-24K.

All three are capable of flying west coast missions, they just do it a bit differently. A C model is lethargic above 8K density altitude, a N/A F or J will struggle above 14K DA, and the K has to go high to make it pay off. The C I flew got around 135 kts on 8 gph, the F got 145 kts on 8.5 gph, and the K gets 165-170 kts on 9.5-10 gph.

Ice and IFR weather make your risk tolerance and training more of a consideration than the actual terrain as there are routes open to all three airframes.

I started cautiously and spent a lot of of "new to me" airplane annual costs moving between models. The cost of operations far exceeds the cost of purchase. Gross order of magnitude total operations estimates of 3-4x fuel cost have been close. Do not forget to budget for 10% of purchase price to fix delayed maintenance on the first annual.

Good luck in your search! It has been worth the cost for me.