What was total time when you bought First Mooney?

[gjkirsch]

After 185 hours in various cesenas and pipers, I bought a 1980 231.  I guess I did not learn my lesson, because I bought a 1985 231, then a 1996 Bravo and a then a 1998 Bravo.  All have been much better planes than the pilot! 

[fantom]

Quote: gjkirsch

After 185 hours in various cesenas and pipers, I bought a 1980 231.  I guess I did not learn my lesson, because I bought a 1985 231, then a 1996 Bravo and a then a 1998 Bravo.  All have been much better planes than the pilot! 

[scottfromiowa]

Quote: fantom

For some reason I can't answer the survey, but put me down for about 2,500 hours. The only other GA planes I was interested in were a Siai Marchetti SF-260D, and a Grob 115 IO-320 Acro with sticks. I made the "most practical" choice.

First Mooney I ever flew was a sales demo, N201M, the first J, but that's a story for another time and several beers.

[fantom]

Quote: scottfromiowa

 Plane & Pilot just voted Marchetti ONE OF THE TEN SEXIEST PLANES EVER...Nice.

[summitdawg]

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.

[Parker_Woodruff]

Quote: summitdawg

That isn't the way I read 61.31.  You may be able to "act" as a safety pilot, but you wouldn't be able to log PIC time as a "safety pilot" without having a complex endorsement.  I confirmed that with my CFI as I am currently getting my complex and would like to log pic time as safety pilot for several club members in the M20f.  And I usually use EdFred's PIC flow chart to confirm any of my PIC questions.  Attached.

[jetdriven]

I thought you logged it as SIC, as now two crew members are required.  The left seat guy is the FAR part 1 PIC (responsible). He is also the PIC as defined as "sole manipulator of the controls", the safety pilot is SIC, as it is now a two-pilot operation.

[SkyPilot]

I had just over 6400 hrs mostly on floats, about 1600 of those amphib time. I'd flown a mooney 201 (C-GMWM) in the 80's to do a guys night rating and I just loved the bird. His was pretty fancy compared to mine, but that is just temporary anyways. I really like the bird I have.

[orangemtl]

Quote: fantom

 Plane & Pilot just voted Marchetti ONE OF THE TEN SEXIEST PLANES EVER...Nice.

[jetdriven]

How do you vote an airplane to be "sexy?"  wouldn't that imply invoking someone to want to do something sexual to it?  Which strikes me as kind of strange.  I can understand the "sexy pinup girl calendar," the "sexy fashion show", or  even the "sexy fireman" stereotype.   I cannot understand the "sexy 3-blade and chrome spinner", the "sexy Cardinal RG", or a contender for the "sexiest plane ever."

 

 

[FAST FLIGHT OPTIONS LLC]

For several months my 231 was parked next to a Cirrus SR-22 G3 turbo in a shade hanger at St. Augustine Airport.  I could tell you that every time I approached the two aircraft I though about how my Mooney looks just as sleek and efficient as the Cirrus which was designed some 30+ years after the M20! Although I never wanted to do anything sexual to either plane I wont tell you I wasn’t “excited” to be the Mooney’s owner 

[joenut]

2200+ Hours for me.  I had the luck to work for a Flying club that had a Mooney during my early days of CFI'ing - loved flying it, and gave a lot of intrument training in it.  So when it came time to buy a few years ago Mooney was at the top of my list.

[toomanyswitches]

I just got my m20c a couple of months ago. 300 hours total for me and no complex time. I am doing my conversion tomorrow

[WardHolbrook]

I've never owned a Mooney, but over the years I've logged several hundred hours in them. My first Mooney experience was back in January of 1968, in a brand, spanking new 1967 Mooney M20C. I had my private license and right around 80 hours - all of it in Aeronca Champs, Cessna 150s, and Cessna 170s. Mooney had a special promotion going, for $16 - your friendly local Mooney dealer would put you in the left seat and give you a demo flight that would last 30 minutes or so.  It sounded like a good deal to me so that's what I did. If I recall correctly I made a couple of passible landings. Back then, there were no endorsement requirements and that brief encounter was all of the Mooney specific training I ever got.

Six months later, a business associate of my father flew his Mooney M20E into town to meet with my father and to have some work done on the airplane. After the work was performed, there was some disagreement as to whether or not the bill had been paid (it had) and the friendly folks at the maintenance shop paddle locked the tiedown chains. An attorney was consulted and the owner was advised to cut the chains and get the airplane "out of Dodge." The owner called me at home, I was a junior in high school, and asked me if I had ever flown a Mooney. I told him yes, but that it had been a few months. He told me to hurry and meet him at the airport. When I got there, he gave me a bunch of gas money & expense money and the keys and told me to go have some fun. I was asked to keep moving around the country for a few days and I wasn't supposed to tell him where I was at or where I was going so he wouldn't be lying if anyone asked if he knew where the airplane was - he could honestly say that he didn't know. 

I jumped in the airplane, pulled the handbook out of the glove box and got the fuel injected Lycoming started. I remember getting out to the runup pad and quickly reading the manual to get the various speeds and power settings and away I went. I flew to a nearby town and shot a few landings to get comfortable with it then I called a couple of my flying buddies and off we went for 3 days of flying fun. It was definitely one of the dumbest tricks I ever pulled, but it was legal back then.  

[Joe Zuffoletto]

525 hours. Rented for 15 years before I could afford to buy a plane.

[marks]

I had exactly, 3,090 hrs because that's how many I had before I suffered a burning-airplane crash that totalled my Beech Sierra.  It was seven months of no airplane before the NTSB reprt was final and found to be the fault of the IA who had just worked on the airplane.  But after seven months of no airplane I stupidly jumped into my new '89 201 without the slightest bit of instruction and flew it home. Luckily there were no surprises and that was just about 900 hrs ago.

[smccray]

~80 hours.  It was 6-12 months after my private ticket and I didn't fly much in between.  I wanted an airplane that could go somewhere!

 

Insurance cost was significantly less than other complex planes ($1500 less first year), systems were less complicated (gear system in particular), and the IO360 had a reputation of going to TBO without replacing jugs.  It's been 3 years and I absolutely love my Mooney.  It's going up for sale soon... wife wants AC.

[N6758N]

Right around 80 hours, with almost none of that being complex time. Still can't believe how reasonable the insurance was for me!

[Bob_Belville]

I joined a flying club and started flying their Mooney @ 50 hours but bought my own with 250 hours. Over 2500 of my 3000 PIC time is in M20 (C, E, & G). 

[1964-M20E]

I've never owned a Mooney, but over the years I've logged several hundred hours in them. My first Mooney experience was back in January of 1968, in a brand, spanking new 1967 Mooney M20C. I had my private license and right around 80 hours - all of it in Aeronca Champs, Cessna 150s, and Cessna 170s. Mooney had a special promotion going, for $16 - your friendly local Mooney dealer would put you in the left seat and give you a demo flight that would last 30 minutes or so.  It sounded like a good deal to me so that's what I did. If I recall correctly I made a couple of passible landings. Back then, there were no endorsement requirements and that brief encounter was all of the Mooney specific training I ever got.

Six months later, a business associate of my father flew his Mooney M20E into town to meet with my father and to have some work done on the airplane. After the work was performed, there was some disagreement as to whether or not the bill had been paid (it had) and the friendly folks at the maintenance shop paddle locked the tiedown chains. An attorney was consulted and the owner was advised to cut the chains and get the airplane "out of Dodge." The owner called me at home, I was a junior in high school, and asked me if I had ever flown a Mooney. I told him yes, but that it had been a few months. He told me to hurry and meet him at the airport. When I got there, he gave me a bunch of gas money & expense money and the keys and told me to go have some fun. I was asked to keep moving around the country for a few days and I wasn't supposed to tell him where I was at or where I was going so he wouldn't be lying if anyone asked if he knew where the airplane was - he could honestly say that he didn't know. 

I jumped in the airplane, pulled the handbook out of the glove box and got the fuel injected Lycoming started. I remember getting out to the runup pad and quickly reading the manual to get the various speeds and power settings and away I went. I flew to a nearby town and shot a few landings to get comfortable with it then I called a couple of my flying buddies and off we went for 3 days of flying fun. It was definitely one of the dumbest tricks I ever pulled, but it was legal back then.  

I don’t know Ward take it easy on the beaver he was just having fun in his younger invincible days.    I’m sure if you thought hard enough you could come up with something else that's better.  Your father’s friend must have given you what $200 then for several days of flying.  

 

Ii'll bet you were a good Mooney pilot after that.

[EDNR-Cruiser]

133 hours flight time clocked when I bought my Green Lady, a good year after I got my license. Before that I only flew Cessnas and a PA28-181, nothing more complex...
Spent five and half hours with a good flight instructor for the conversion training, incl. the more complex avionics.

[MHemperly]

85 hours.

 

I got my PPL at 43 hrs. in a 152 and went on to renting 172's until i hit 85 hrs. Then my fiancé and I bought N6041Q (66 M20E Super 21) in september last year. I got complex endorsed and took a friend with a bit a Mooney time with us to Wisconsin and we flew it all the way back to sunny southern California. My total time now is 160 and I got my PPL in June 2012. Instrument training is next.

[TWinter]

PPL at about 40 hrs in 1989, flew another 20 hrs in 1990 and lost the passion (and wallet).....Fast forward to 2013 (twenty-three years later) got the bug again bought and flew 10 hrs in a Cherokee 140. Being a speed junky I got bored w/ the Cherokee sold it and I bought my Mooney. Now about 220+/- hrs and life is good. Fly as often as I can to make up for those 23 yrs of not flying.

[WardHolbrook]

I don’t know Ward take it easy on the beaver he was just having fun in his younger invincible days.    I’m sure if you thought hard enough you could come up with something else that's better.  Your father’s friend must have given you what $200 then for several days of flying.  

 

Ii'll bet you were a good Mooney pilot after that.

I guess before you can be old and wise you have to be young and foolish. Sigh.

 

I don't remember how much money I was given, but back then 100 octane cost 45 cents a gallon so an hour's worth of fuel was about $5. I think the the full-blown rental price on that 1967 Mooney Ranger was $45 - way too rich for my blood at the time. (I was a checker at Albertson's making $1.50 an hour) It was a different time back then - most guys soloed at around 8 hours. The 7AC Champ I learned to fly in cost me $4 an hour wet. After I received my Private license in 1967 I could rent a Cessna 170 for $7 an hour wet. I had to rent something with more than basic VFR instrumentation for my PPL checkride so I paid $60 for a 10 hour block (wet) on a new Cessna 150. I think my private cost me a little over $500 all in. 

 

Oh well, enough of that. I miss the good old days. 

[Houman]

Well, I'm at about 140 hours, 75h of that in C172, 64h in Beech Sundowner and 1.6h in my new M20K Rocket, need another 14h of instructor training ( double ) before I can pilot my new toy by myself !!!