What was total time when you bought First Mooney?

[drapo]

Quote: edgargravel

Drapo:

Bienvenue chez nous.  You will enjoy flying your Mooney.  It is a great aircraft - but you probably already know that. 

Where are you going to keep C-GJDP?  You have a number of choices in and around Montreal.  Wish I had as many here in Toronto.  I miss Rockcliffe already.

 

[mjc]

I had around 550 hours when I bought the Mooney, about 400 in the Cherokee 140 I used to own and the rest was split up among Cessnas and other Cherokees. A friend took me flying a few times in his 201, and I knew that sooner or later, when I felt ready to maintain a more complex airplane, that I'd have one.

[jelswick]

I had 12.5 hours in my logbook when purchasing a 1963 Mooney M20C.  The insurance company tried to tell me students in Mooneys were not a good idea by the rate they charged me (about $3,400 if I remember correctly).  It did take me a lot longer to get my license (about 80 hrs), but I was bit hard by the bug, new I wanted to buy and I wanted to buy what I believed I'd want to fly long term.  I thought I was joe airline captain landing the Cessna 152 smoothly after about 6-8 hrs total time, but I basically had to relearn to land when I got the Mooney.  My instructor told me a few times half jokingly "if you don't learn to land this today, we need to put a for sale sign in the window!". 

It was a lot of fun and no regrets.  I picked her up on a Dec 23rd from Fargo, ND with my instructor and both of our wives told us if we didn't make it back to our families in time for Christmas, we might as well just get an apartment together there in Fargo!  That was about 700 hours ago and now have an 81 J.  Love these aircraft!

[jkb458]

I had 59.5 hours when I purchased N6091Q (66 M20E).  A good friend has a 78 M20J.  I knew that a Mooney was the airplane for me.   It turns out that I was more right than I could have ever known...

I now have 111.6 hours in the Mooney in the 10 months that I've had custody of her.  I'm working towards my IFR and have 30 hours completed.  Looking forward to finishing up and moving on to the next flying challenge!!!

My son is 13 and is already dreaming of the day when he'll take care of the Mooney...

[BaronSmith]

Quote: jax88

I used Falcon in Kerrville in about the same position (120 total hours, none in a complex).  They asked for 10 transition and 10 more before carrying passengers.

[rubixcube2k3]

Another Under 50er here.

I was actually 39hrs total time between shabby 172s and 152s in my flight club and a local flight school. I had several reasons to spring for my baby: Almost the instructors and planes in my flight club were consistently in use by IFR training students. I couldn't get  a date with either for almost 6 months. A new instructor that I worked with independently was a super guy, but worked a double-full-time job and had spotty availability at best. (I'm self employed, so my schedule is a nightmare already. Didn't like the pop-up calls on Thursday or Tuesday saying "I'm off tomorrow, would you like to fly?")  I didn't like the instructors policies at the local FS. They seemed to think I had an unlimited budget and kept me flying through another 10hrs dual in a 152 that I had already solo'd (and made my student xc and hood time in).

Enter the idea of shopping for a plane. I researched all options of aircraft. Decided between complex and fixed gear/fixed pitch prop. Decided between Brands B, C, and chose Mooney. Thought about why my mission would be over the next 5-7 years, and picked a local FBO for parking/hangar.

Now on to shop insurance! Insurance isn't too horrible for agreed hull value. they initially quoted as low as $1900 and as high as $4200. My Insurance broker and I settled on a company that was around $2500. They required 10 dual, and 20 solo before pax. Sounds fair to me... Let's go plane shopping.

 I spent the better part of a year and half looking for a plane, and flying once ever 60-90 days in the meantime. (The inconsistency was killing me.) When I finally found "The One" it was a fairly smooth transaction, and while I had my reservations, the broker re-assured me that I was making the right decision....Until he was on the other side of the line playing the IA who was going to perform an early annual on the plane I handed him a check for 5 days earlier...  He found a list of things that as a broker, many had been inquired on, but he said, "Oh, that broken clamp? That's not an airworthy item, the owner wouldn't be responsible for repairs on that." or "That stain on the rear seat? No, that's not fuel, that must be where something rubbed off from a book or something in the seat pocket in front." (Granted there's a lawsuit proceeding now, I'm still a little chapped about being intentionally lied to about items I asked about during the pre-buy by the seller, broker, and prebuy A&P that they recommended.) I feel that this is all as a result of the seller and broker not allowing me to take the plane to our closest MSC. In retrospect, I could have walked away, but I liked the plane and didn't know any better until their lies were exposed and started affecting my budget.

The end result is -  Good News: I got my plane, my new instructor and I took it to have the annual done at a MSC. I thoroughly enjoyed the flight over and loved the way it performed.  Bad News:  The current cost of the annual is topping 14 AMUs to repair the Airworthy items. So much for putting in a 530W anytime soon. More Good News: I had put aside a certain amount of money after the pre-purchase as recommended by several friends who have purchased planes in the past, so I'm covered until the court reaches a judgement. I'm sleeping easier knowing someone competent and honest (not necessarily cheap) is working on Victor and I've been advised by the shop that my plane doesn't have any real deal-breakers that would have halted the transaction or warranted them telling me to walk away. It seems that most of what was found was benign missing ADs, deferred maintenance, and use of uncertified items that must be corrected. Ideally the seller should have made those things right before the close of the deal, and the broker and pre-buy agents should have been honest when the questions were asked.   Bottom line, I'm looking forward to getting Victor into good health so I can pickup and finish the last two tasks in my training and then head to a local DPE. We're molded by the circumstances of life that we encounter daily. Our daily circumstances are dictated by the decisions we make and who we interact with. I've learned a huge amount in this dealing and think I may even write an article to help others avoid my mistakes so you don't have to go through my unnecessary stresses.

~Abe H.

PS....sorry for the length....I like to write

[jelswick]

Abe, sounds like you made several of the same mistakes I did.  You at least looked around first though!  I'd done my reserach and knew you shouldn't set your heart on the first one you see, but after researching what was in the market, I fell in love with the 63 M20C I bought when I saw it.  I too let the broker pick the pre-buy inspector (not a good idea) and do a fresh IFR cert, etc.  End result, I landed at CMH bringing her home at night with the altimeter more than a hundred foot off, the avionics shop installing the GNS 430 for me telling me the fuses were a soaked fire trap, etc.  My first annual was over $5K at a Mooney service center and the next year my local maintenance person (l love and trust with my families life by the way) had a $9K annual bill for me to take care of the rest of the items that had been neglected over the years.

Any regrets?  Only trusting the broker to take care of me which I knew was not a good bet in the first place.  Other than that, it was relatively maitenance light for the few years I owned it after that and I loved the aircraft so much my wife would ask me why I don't walk away from her backwards staring lovingly too like I did at that Mooney!  It turned out a wonderful airplane and I now have an 81 201 that I bought from a very reputable Mooney expert broker in Minnesota that has been almost no maintenance (knock on wood) for over 3 yrs.  Just a dream of an airplane that I love every time I'm in it and my family appreciates for the magic carpet it is for us.  Best of luck to you wrapping up your license and you'll have years of wonderful memories I'm sure in your Mooney!

Jim 

[KLRDMD]

Quote: rubixcube2k3

I feel that this is all as a result of the seller and broker not allowing me to take the plane to our closest MSC. 

[KLRDMD]

duplicate post

[Seth]

I had about 120 hours when I purchased N9567M a 1967F.  It's been a great 400 hours the past two and a half years.  I'm now at about 520 TT.  Insurance has dropped nearly in half, I've earned my IFR, and I'll have my commercial pretty soon.  

Update:

At about 630 TT I purchased a M20J Missle 300 and sold my F model.  I loved the F but am loving the Missile now!  Closing in on 700 hours TT

-Seth

[Mooney_Allegro]

I had over 13,000 hours when I bought my M20J 4 years ago.  I flew an M20F back in college to get my Commercial License, then one summer over college break, I got checked out in an M20L in York, PA, which was the highlight of my summer.  That was back in 1988 or 1989.  In the fall of 1989, my family bought a 1979 Piper Warrior II, I think I had about 150 hours then.  We kept the Warrior for 17 years, then I sold the Warrior and bought the M20J and have been happy ever since! 

The highlight last year for my Mooney was getting the annual done at the Mooney factory in Kerrville, TX.  They treated me so much better than any Mooney Service Center in GA.  It was like night & day service difference.  I sure hope the factory opens up again for service needs.

[mooniac58]

I had just 70 hours total time when I bought my M20J in April of 2007.  I have since put about 420 hours on her.  What a marvelous aircraft!

[pilot716]

275 and all in cessna's, Just put my first 6 hours in....a lot of x-wind landings so far...and some cool approaches with the KAP 150!

[John Pursell]

I've never owned a Mooney. I trained in a F model for my commercial ticket and rented a 231 for a couple of years. It's too bad you don't see Mooney's for rent any more.

[MARZ]

I bought mine about 10 hours prior to my check ride - the hardest thing to do was to look at my plane sitting there as I climbed into the 172 for the remainder of my flight training. 

[Earl]

I had a little over 200 hours but had not flown in a number of years.  Bought the plane, got my BFR and initial dual of 25 hours, then my IR and have been flying happily ever after.  Initial insurance cost was $5K but dropped to $2,100 on my renewal.

[flyboy0681]

I had approximately 360 hours, which comprised of about 1/3 complex time in Arrow's. The rest were a mix of 172's and Archer's. I'm guessing all that time in Arrow was the reason the insurance company only required 5 hours dual when I got the "J" last fall.

[Skyatty]

150 hrs.  Mostly high wing time.

[knute]

I had 17 hours in a Cessna 172 and a Piper Archer when I purchased my '66 E.  The plan was to continue primary training in it, but after a glorious 17 hours with an instructor ferrying home across the country from Washington D.C. to the SF Bay Area (effectively doubling my logbook time) it met an unfortunate demise with a gear up landing with another pilot flying, and spent the next 6 months in the shop recovering while the insurance companies involved squabbled with each other.  The first year insurance in 2006 (if I recall correctly) was $5,500/yr, and during that year all the flying I did was the initial ferry flight.  While the plane was in the shop, I finished up my private in more 172s and Archers- a broken ankle in the middle of all that stretched things out another couple of months, so it was a month past the anniversary of owning it that I finally passed the check rides & got the complex endorsement to fly the Mooney on my own.

~500 flight hours later, I'm still in love with the airplane and the insurance rates have dropped substantially (I think it was $1,400 last year for an agreed hull value of $60K and $1MM liability)

My brother (previous owner of the same plane) purchased it with about a dozen hours in his logbook as a student pilot, and completed his primary training in it.  I think there are advantages to learning in the bird you will be flying, (and would have done the primary training in the Mooney if I could have), but a slower simpler plane makes a better trainer methinks.  Things happen much more quickly with a slippery airframe.

I still get a kick out of hearing the callsign of one of the Cessnas or Pipers I trained in while on flight following (they're still very active in a local flight school) and then enjoy my 155kt cruise while they crawl at 100-110kts on nearly the same fuel flow.   Go Mooney!

Knute

'66 M20E - KSQL (San Carlos, CA)

 

[bnicolette]

I just bought my Mooney in February of this year.  I fly for a living, so I had lots of hours.  However, I had 0 time in the Mooney when I found myself sitting in it for the first time getting ready to start it up and taxi out for takeoff and nobody was beside me.  Probably not the best way to do it, but I did do a lot of reading on performance and operations before I purchased it.  What a baby doll they are!!!

I can't imagine it's the best platform to learn in and as a seasoned CFI, I believe in climbing the ladder and the Mooney is certainly not the bottom rung!!

[jetdriven]

Quote: Stefanovm

i am a 201 owner and a CFII.. i live in Houston.

 

 

 

2,000+. I had never even flown in a or been a pilot of a Moooney when I flight tested N5520Q. It seemed that I knew more about Mooney's than the salesman during the flight test.He had worked for a Mooney dealer, so I was surprised.

I had been considering Mooney for way too long. I experienced my second gear failure of my flight carrer on the flight test. It was an experience. The first was in my C310 back in the 80s.

Due to vacuum problem, that is now fixed, I need an IPC, now. My neighbor is not complex endorsed and he was my saftey pilot previously. I am looking for a Georgetown, TX area Mooney savvy volunteer? I have only basic IFR panel, less than my previous C152.

[jetdriven]

three of us are partners on ours.  One has a PPL and 110 hours.  one has PPL and 250 hours.  One is ATP and 8000 hours.

[jetdriven]

Quote: KLRDMD

Your safety pilot only needs to be 'category and class.' That's airplane, single engine land. He also needs a current flight review and medical (as he is required crew). He doesn't have to have a complex endorsement nor be instrument rated.

[FlyingAggie]

I  just celebrated one year of Mooney ownership and flew 2MB about 100 hrs during the first year.     

To answer the question, I had about 150 hrs last year when I bought my Mooney and about 90 of that was before 1978 and almost all my hours were in C172's and Cherokees.

[flight2000]

Quote: knute

~500 flight hours later, I'm still in love with the airplane and the insurance rates have dropped substantially (I think it was $1,400 last year for an agreed hull value of $60K and $1MM liability)

Knute

'66 M20E - KSQL (San Carlos, CA)