What was total time when you bought First Mooney?

[Bob_Belville]

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. 

I joined "Flyers of Nashville" when I got my ticket in '69. We (20 members) paid about $20-$30 a month to cover fixed costs. We had a 140 and a M20E. The Cherokee was $8, the Mooney $10, wet.

[J Bird]

PPL @ 37.5 hrs in a 172 and a month later bought my Mooney. Quickly found out purchasing aviation insurance was diificult for the mooney with a PPL. I quickly felt like a teen with a new drivers license looking to purchase a corvette. Went to Ocala Aviation in Ocala, FL which had a Mooney M 20C and did my complex, enjoyed the plane and my instructor so I did my complete instrument training in the mooney including checkride. Total time first flying my plane was just over 90hrs.

[N201MKTurbo]

I bought my first Mooney N6319Q an M20F when I was 26. I had about 450 hours. I had about 300 retract time in a Cutlass RG so insurance wasn't to bad. If I remember it was about $700/yr. I flew that plane 475 hours the first year I owned it.

I was working for Raytheon Data Systems fixing computer terminal systems, mostly for the airlines and travel agents.

It was fun taxiing up to the jet way in Rapid City and looking at the faces of the people waiting in the departure lounge. I knew when the flights came in and knew the folks at the airport. They thought it was pretty funny too.

[glenv6]

I just bought an '82 M20J in June with 1200+ hrs. in my logbook.  Before that I had ~900hrs in a '52 C35 Bonanza, so now I need to refresh my t-shirt drawer!

[RocketAviator]

Slightly over 1000

[AlanA]

I had 68 hours when I bought my first M20J.  0 of those hours were in Mooneys.  I didn't yet have my private license, or hours enough for insurance so my instructor accompanied me on the flight to bring her home.  I never, ever regretted buying a Mooney as my first plane.    My only regret is that I sold it when I didn't need a plane anymore.  A few years later I bought another one just like it.  I love the speed and economy, and the safety of the Mooney.

[WheelBuster]

No Mooney yet - I just started my training a month ago and am pushing hard with multiple lessons per week and tons of studying nightly. If all goes as planned, and if I do end up going the Mooney route, my guess is I will have 50-75 hours give or take when I buy. When I ran some insurance estimates through AOPA at 75 hours, 10 hours complex, the rates came back pretty good with only 10 hours dual required. 

[ryoder]

I was at 75 or so hours and only had three rentals post private pilot license under my belt when I bought the Mooney. I have flown it three hours now with a cfi and I like it. I intend to fly 100 per year at the minimum.

[Releew]

About 650 hours PIC time with 25 of them in a M20C and 10 in a J model. Previously owned a 172. Just wanted a MUCH faster machine. Great Airplane!!

[cliffy]

1963 renting new C150 IFR for $10/hr wet in $100 blocks and borrowing a friends 182 and bitched when 100/130 went to 60 cents a gallon!

[Danb]

About 70hours

[Danb]

About 35 hours first flight. 70 hrs to buy

[nels]

I had less than 100 hr and all in a cessna 150. The hard part was the 35 plus years between my last flight in a 150 and my next flight in my own, dream come true, M20E.