Guest Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Im looking at buying a M20E in the Seattle area and my home base is some distance away. Is there anyone in the Seattle area who can recommend someone to me who is familiar with Mooneys and can perform pre-buy? The aircraft is located near KAWO. (North of Seattle, east of the sound) Thank you very much in advance for all your help. Barcho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
druidjaidan Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 (edited) Not much experience with either, but there is an MSC in Bellingham, WA (Command Aviation) and another in Troutdale, OR. The IA was very helpful in looking at pictures of planes we were considering. Helped us avoid paying for a full pre buy on one crappily maintained M20G with a lot of questionable stuff simply from reviewing the photos. If you look through my post history you can probably find the images. Of note...the previous two annuals on that plane had been at the MSC in Troutdale so I'm not sure what to make of that. That said, they were playing catch up with a very neglected plane. Edited October 9, 2015 by druidjaidan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombat Posted October 12, 2015 Report Share Posted October 12, 2015 (edited) I've got a M20E myself in Seattle and have taken my plane down to Troutdale for my pre-buy and annual. It's about an hour to an hour and a half flight from Arlington. I've found them to be knowledgeable and helpful. I'm not sure if Command Aviation is a MSC, the Mooney website doesn't reflect that which makes me a little curious. And being a MSC or not doesn't mean that they know their stuff or not, even in relation to Mooneys. Also, I'm available to ferry planes and provide training if you need it. Getting that plane over the Cascades and Rockies this time of year will be fun for someone. Edited October 12, 2015 by wombat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 13, 2015 Report Share Posted October 13, 2015 Thanks Wombat and druidjaidan, The seller doesn't want the aircraft to leave his hangar for the pre-buy. I may end up getting someone from Arlington to perform at the sellers hangar. I'm looking at Aviation Inspection and Repair and Arlington Flight Services to assist as they both on the Arlington Field and close to where the aircraft is hangared. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted October 13, 2015 Report Share Posted October 13, 2015 For best results... Make sure the person doing the PPI is independent of the owner or the existing/previous maintenance/annual supplier. best regards, -a- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 13, 2015 Report Share Posted October 13, 2015 Thanks Carusoam, I appreciate your advice. The seller did suggest his A&P that has performed past annuals but I opted for an independent. Interestingly enough, I was later told that particular A&P wasn't available anyway. The seller also suggested one other A&I who lives near him but I still feel I should choose someone not associated with the plane or the seller in anyway. I'm finding that this will cost a bit more but I feel more assured that I'm getting an unbiased report with no relationship ties to either the seller or the aircraft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted October 13, 2015 Report Share Posted October 13, 2015 Sometimes it happens... A Mooney could spend it's life going through annuals at the best location by the best people. The new buyer comes along and asks for an independent and lesser known mechanic to perform the PPI. When everything works as expected. It's a confidence builder. You know that you have done the best you can to protect your wallet. When the plane is a real dog, you probably know it is by it's appearance, price and how it is being used. The PPI generates the laundry list that you want to have when you intend to move forwards with the plane. When a surprise occurs... This is the real value of the PPI. Hopefully you get no surprises and everything works as expected. Best regards, -a- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombat Posted October 13, 2015 Report Share Posted October 13, 2015 When I see sellers that have silly requirements like "It won't leave my hangar" or "Only my mechanic will do the pre-buy" I just run the other way. That screams 'anti-authority' because they believe they are the only authority on their plane. Which also means that if they think that duct tape is an acceptable method for holding pieces on, that's what they are going to do. Let that sale fall through, they'll maybe re-price it later or change their minds. And while maybe that plane is a good deal and very safe, you might not know until it's too late. Which could be on your first annual, or worse, on your first flight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 13, 2015 Report Share Posted October 13, 2015 Thanks Wombat, I should have explained that he will allow it to leave his hangar but prefers it to be done at his hangar. One thing that he wont allow flexibility on is that he is to be present during the pre-buy. Its been his baby for 25 years so, I can understand him wanting to protect himself too. There are LOTS of personalities in this world and finding mutual ground is key to good negotiations. I'm happy to accommodate his request to be present and I don't mind it being done at his hangar next to his home. As long as it doesn't interfere with a quality pre-buy or cause me additional expense to do so. : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cervelorod Posted October 16, 2015 Report Share Posted October 16, 2015 When we were in the same spot on ours, the seller didn't want the pre-buy done outside of his hangar. When I questioned him on it, he didn't want his airplane declared "un-airworthy" far from home, we don't proceed on the purchase because of the findings, and then he would have to figure out how to get it home. What if previously undetected spar corrosion was found, and now there is no way to get it home, except maybe in pieces. In the end we found a reasonably knowledgeable IA who did the pre-buy on site and used our own A&P to repair the few items that were identified. In our case, the owner had not flown the plane in a few years because of a Medical issue, and I don't think he was ever intimately involved with maintenance, so he had no idea what might be found, and the unknown is really scary.... Rod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 17, 2015 Report Share Posted October 17, 2015 Thanks Rod, the seller did mention that if something were found to be unairworthy, it would cause the plane to be stranded at a location other than his own hangar. So there are similarities. However, this is a meticulous owner who has flown it regularly for the past 25 years so I don't expect any major surprises. Honestly, I'd probably be just like him and not want it from my home hangar. I think it's a positive and speaks highly of his care for his aircraft. I found a 51 year A&P veteran in the area to perform the prebuy this coming Tuesday. I expect he will find little things to justify his wages ($700.00), but I'm happy to deal with the small stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmcinc Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 Brian Lord is the maintenance manager at Avian Aeronautics in Bremerton. They service a number of Mooneys, including my 1967 F model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyTester Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 I used the MSC at Troutdale (KTTD) for my pre-buy. They did a good job, and I referred Wombat to them for his pre-buy. Troutdale, however, is a long way to go from Seattle for regular Mooney maintenance. I now service my Mooney at Vertex Aviation at Skagit County (KBVS). While not yet an MSC, they have applied for the designation and are very familiar and competent with Mooneys. Our C-model is being annualed there as I type. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 Thanks thanks everyone. I used AIRCRAFT INSPECTION AND REPAIR in Arlington. Paul who owns the shop is 71 years old and a 50 year A&P/ AI. They did a tremendous job for me. I recommend them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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