Priorities when buying a vintage Mooney

[Guest]

[mpg]

It is all very nice,,,   but

You need a 201 windshield,,,   

Aaaand,,   I see that your Mooney vertical stabilizer is tipping back!

doesnt look quite right. 

[Guest]

I totally agree on the 201 windscreen MPG.  That's the FIRST mod I'll make.  I believe the vertical stabilizer appears that way from the photo angle and that the trim of the tail feathers are set all the way aft, as evidenced by the space between the vertical stab and dorsal fin. 

Edited October 30, 2015 by Barcho

[Marauder]

NICE panel! You need to introduce us to the owner who did that. He is a member of "Are you crazy for spending that kind of money on a 50 year old airplane" club. Just don't tell us you bought it at an estate sale!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Conrad]

Oh that plane! Do tell, is there a story with it? It was always just a bit out of my price range, but the price never seemed exorbitant. I think it was in the listings for over a year which seems very unusual given everything else I saw snapped up in that time period. Anyway, congratulations on your purchase, and welcome to the E club!

[Conrad]

I used to think I really wanted a 201 windshield however I am sure as heck content with the windshield that I got. Unless the speed is a really big deal, I think the reduced amount of time you might spend grounded and lower mx costs are the overruling factors. Just think about how many people you'd trust to pull your windshield off to do avionics work if it came to that.

[ryoder]

 

Nice.  Congrats on a sweet E.  Gotta love those cars too.

[Guest]

Thank you for the warm welcome.  Just to clarify, those are not my Ferrari's.  Those were the sellers. The seller was an aerospace engineer in the pacific north west.  He owned the plane for 25 years.  He had also just sold a Cessna amphibious float plane that he kept in the same hangar which was located at an airport community where he lived.  The panel contains an Aspen Evolution 2000 with synthetic vision, Avidyne TAS605 traffic display on the Aspens, XM weather, S-Tec 30a AP, GNS430w, G496, GTX327 XPNDR, PMA8000b, JPI monitor, ring lighting.  The panel was custom at Aerotronics in Billings Montana and is featured on their website under Mooney's. It also came with a four place oxygen system, cover, rigging tools, two lightspeed head sets and one Bose headset.  

Edited October 30, 2015 by Barcho

[DS1980]

Seeing an exotic car that's driven so little it has a battery tender hooked to it......criminal.

Yes, yes, panel, paint, interior...all great. How does it fly???????????

[Guest]

I was really impressed with the way it flew. The true test, however was when I had it ferried by a professional pilot with over 4000 hours. He called me going on and on about how well it flew and how it ran flawlessly.  Pretty much made my day. : )

[mooniac15u]

I used to think I really wanted a 201 windshield however I am sure as heck content with the windshield that I got. Unless the speed is a really big deal, I think the reduced amount of time you might spend grounded and lower mx costs are the overruling factors. Just think about how many people you'd trust to pull your windshield off to do avionics work if it came to that.

I had the 201 windshield on my M20D. It was a bit tight but I never had an avionics shop suggest that that windshield might need to come out for access.

I'm curious.  Has anybody here with a 201 windshield on a vintage Mooney had to have their windshield pulled for avionics work?

[Guest]

Great great question, I'd like to know that too!

[cpbloch]

Aerotronics also did the panel on my 1967F model,  the bill was almost $ 40K back in 2007, as you can see from the pictures the panel layouts and circuit breakers look similar.   For being out in Montana they put together one of the nicest looking panels in an old mooney that I have seen.  Like Barcho I looked for a while for a older mooney with a great panel and low to mid time engine.  My plane only flew 12 hours since 2007 when I purchased it over a year ago, so really rolled the bones on the engine, but so far I have put 250 hours on it and no sign of the rust problems that can sometime happen.  Still keeping my fingers crossed but love the plane and the panel  .  Good luck with your new old plane you will enjoy it.

 

Chris

[carusoam]

Must have been a mis-type.  Some 201 windshields remove or change the access panels that are nice to have.  The only reason to remove the windshield is to change it for a new one.

Congrats Barcho.  Great acquisition.

Best regards,

-a-

[BigTex]

I flew my plane to Don Maxwell's with the intention of having the 201 style windshield installed.  After talking with Don and looking at a few with the mod I opted to replace my two-piece windshield with a one piece.  Tons cheaper and is basically a drop-in replacement.  I also personally think vintage Mooney's look funny unless you also install the 201 cowl. For me, I think it screws up the lines of the vintage planes. 

[Marauder]

I had the 201 windshield on my M20D. It was a bit tight but I never had an avionics shop suggest that that windshield might need to come out for access.

I'm curious.  Has anybody here with a 201 windshield on a vintage Mooney had to have their windshield pulled for avionics work?

Not me.

[mike20papa]

WOW!  What a fabulous example of an immaculately kept E model.  You can just change your name to Lucky Dude and count your blessings!

I would ask myself..with the obvious priorities & resources of the previous owner, maybe he knew something ..why he did NOT put in a 201 windshield.   Even his professional background and NO to a 201 windshield. 

I'm an owner of a '59 A model and bought a 201 windshield and after a lot of discussions and thought, opted to not put it in.  There is not a single annual that goes by that I'm glad I did not.  (ask yourself..how to simply top off brake fluid and change vacuum system filters, inspect wiring, ground connections, hoses...etc) I also don't think there is anything wrong with the original classic lines of the airplane - especially the short bodied - pre J's.  Also the shorter bodied Mooneys have less wetted surface than the stretched later models and thefore inherently less drag.. No body ever talks about this. 

I put in a single piece, original sloped 1/4" tinted & UV guard windshield from LP AERO and it's great - for my needs.  I also did a panel upgrade on my A model and you couldn't pay me enough money to do the same job on a Mooney with a 201 windshield in.   Just imagine lying on your back in the cockpit for hour after hour making the required connections and all. 

Now, with all that said, you have no panel up-grade to contemplate.  You're a young dude and knotting yourself up into any required odd shape to work behind your panel maybe no concern.  It is your airplane!  ENJOY!

[ryoder]

Aerotronics also did the panel on my 1967F model,  the bill was almost $ 40K back in 2007, as you can see from the pictures the panel layouts and circuit breakers look similar.   For being out in Montana they put together one of the nicest looking panels in an old mooney that I have seen.  Like Barcho I looked for a while for a older mooney with a great panel and low to mid time engine.  My plane only flew 12 hours since 2007 when I purchased it over a year ago, so really rolled the bones on the engine, but so far I have put 250 hours on it and no sign of the rust problems that can sometime happen.  Still keeping my fingers crossed but love the plane and the panel  .  Good luck with your new old plane you will enjoy it.

 

Chris

Did you say you paid $40,000 for this panel?

[Shadrach]

The 20E is a fine airframe as is. Get to know it before you start cutting aluminum. Besides the funds are best reserved until you're absolutely sure what you've got. I think this is a fine looking bird as is!

 

Edited October 31, 2015 by Shadrach

[MyNameIsNobody]

WOW!  What a fabulous example of an immaculately kept E model.  You can just change your name to Lucky Dude and count your blessings!

I would ask myself..with the obvious priorities & resources of the previous owner, maybe he knew something ..why he did NOT put in a 201 windshield.   Even his professional background and NO to a 201 windshield. 

I'm an owner of a '59 A model and bought a 201 windshield and after a lot of discussions and thought, opted to not put it in.  There is not a single annual that goes by that I'm glad I did not.  (ask yourself..how to simply top off brake fluid and change vacuum system filters, inspect wiring, ground connections, hoses...etc) I also don't think there is anything wrong with the original classic lines of the airplane - especially the short bodied - pre J's.  Also the shorter bodied Mooneys have less wetted surface than the stretched later models and thefore inherently less drag.. No body ever talks about this. 

I put in a single piece, original sloped 1/4" tinted & UV guard windshield from LP AERO and it's great - for my needs.  I also did a panel upgrade on my A model and you couldn't pay me enough money to do the same job on a Mooney with a 201 windshield in.   Just imagine lying on your back in the cockpit for hour after hour making the required connections and all. 

Now, with all that said, you have no panel up-grade to contemplate.  You're a young dude and knotting yourself up into any required odd shape to work behind your panel maybe no concern.  It is your airplane!  ENJOY!

Counter-Point-A SWTA 201 conversion retains the same access and has been identified by MANY other sources as the single best speed mod to install on a vintage Mooney.  That panel deserves a speed slope windshield.  You one and two piece vintage guys enjoy, but there is zero doubt that there is an increase in speed with the windshield conversion and it looks superior.  I look forward to putting Mike's cowl Mod and an updated paint to make my 1966 bird look and perform better than most planes built today.  To each his/her own.  No, there is nothing wrong with the original classic lines of the airplane.  It is just better with upgrades functionally and aesthetically.

[MyNameIsNobody]

Somebody paid $40 grand.  Apparently that was enough.

[Bob_Belville]

My '66E has had a 201 windshield since 1997. I redid the panel in 2012. I'm confident everything in it can be worked on without removing the windshield. The panel itself can be loosened if necessary. I r&r the JPI EDM 930 myself to send it to JPI. It came out the top of the panel, tight but easy enough.

(FWIW, the panel is no worse than the space between  the engine baffle and the firewall. I'm going to replace the mixture and throttle cables next week during annual. Not looking forward to getting at the firewall shield nuts.)

[BigTex]

Good luck with the cables... I did the mixture and prop cables and it was a real bear.

[Bob_Belville]

Good luck with the cables... I did the mixture and prop cables and it was a real bear.

Well I did the prop a few weeks ago. I think the other two look worse. The prop goes through the firewall high up and very accessible compared to the other 2. This morning I was in Jackson TN. Temps got into the high 30s and the plane was parked on the ramp. The mixture cable was so stiff I could not cycle it until I took off the side cowl and got it warmed up. All 3 cables seem to have been installed 18 years ago and are ACS. Going back with McFarlane. Sure wish I'd thought to replace them when I had the engine off!

[prflyer]

Barcho,

Beautiful airplane. I had been watching the airplane for a while, and the price seemed reasonable for all of the equipment and apparent condition. I have no doubt you will enjoy it.

Fernando