Any words of wisdom for a new 1964 M20E owner?

[MTNM20E]

I just purchased my first aircraft, a 64 M20E!  I never would have bet I'd be a Mooney owner but I think it's safe to say that this aircraft found me more than I found it.  Over the last several months I have spent countless hours researching the aircraft and have gained a real respect for it's design.  Enough respect I guess to jump in with both feet and my wallet ;-). The aircraft needs some engine work before I can get her back up in the air but outside of that she is a pretty solid aircraft.  Will need an interior eventually as it appears to be original.  As with most things of this nature I'm sure the list never truly ends but that is what makes it worth while... right?  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

Edited February 22, 2016 by MTNM20E

[DXB]

Congrats!!  What did you fly before? Get a transition instructor who really knows he plane- Mooneyspace is a great resource for that. The J bar is very cool, but I did experience some drama on the way to getting used to it.

[Mooneymite]

Welcome to Mooney ownership!

Do you have a hangar for your new baby?

Where are you based?

[carl]

Yeah an E up and almost flying again. Good job

 Tell us the story.

 And as daver says , Pictures please

Hmmm MTN ... Mountain cause you are in Colorado? .

You know that plane has no pictures of it to be found online

Carl

 

[bonal]

Welcome to Mooneyspace and congrats on your first airplane ownership experience. it sounds like you have the right expectations for the work ahead. Hope all needed items are straight forward and you can bring 64 E back to glory.

[1964-M20E]

Congrats.  I like the 64 E.  It is one of the finest 2 place 4 seat aircraft around.  I say that because I'm 6-2 and if I have the pilot seat all the way back it leaves little room for passengers behind me.  I used to carry 3 regularly in my E when I had it.

 

Pics and equipment list we are good a spending other peoples money.

 

Fly early and fly often or is that vote early and vote often I keep getting confused.

 

 

Edited February 22, 2016 by 1964-M20E

[MyNameIsNobody]

Welcome to the Vintage Mooney Club.  I hope your engine work is straight forward and you are punching holes in the MTN skies soon.  Enjoy the ride...flying her and improving/making her yours.  It will be both rewarding and costly, but most things in life that are satisfying involve risk.  You can learn a lot here to assist in protecting your wallet/your new airframe and yourself.

Enjoy.

[RLCarter]

Congrats on your new aircraft, MooneySpace is a great source for info. If you do not have the parts & service manuals already let me know, I have the PDFs I can send you. Keep us to date on it

[takair]

Congrats!  I bought mine with a plan to own it for two years and to get my instrument and commercial ratings, almost 20 years later I still have it.  What serial number are you? By N number we are quite close, I'm sn. 364.  Where are you based?

Advice?  #1 on the list is buy a good screw gun...you will soon know why.  Beyond that...enjoy it! 

[steingar]

Wanted and E but wound up with a C.  No worries, you'l love the speed an efficiency of your Mooney.  No, you won't enjoy all the screws.

[carl]

1 hour ago, RLCarter said:

Congrats on your new aircraft, MooneySpace is a great source for info. If you do not have the parts & service manuals already let me know, I have the PDFs I can send you. Keep us to date on it

 

33 minutes ago, steingar said:

Wanted and E but wound up with a C.  No worries, you'l love the speed an efficiency of your Mooney.  No, you won't enjoy all the screws.

 

There is not much difference structurally between a C & E , ( 20 HP, IO)

Noticing the parts manual . are the parts the same ?  I mean interchangeable . I'm looking for flap hinges, for my E , would hinges from the C be the same , Within the years listed on this part catalog?

[takair]

Most parts are the same...especially aft of the firewall.  There are even parts on new Mooneys that are interchangeable...There was a change in the flaps, but I don't recall the year.  For example, mine does not have inboard up stops, which results in slightly warped flaps (inboard side twists up a little more at the trailing edge than outboard).  As I recall, this difference applies to the inboard flap hinge. 

[carusoam]

C,D,E,F and G shared maintenance and parts manuals back in the day.  They have notes of which parts belong to which collection of airframes....

Best regards,

-a-

[pinerunner]

Congratulations. I've got an older E and no desire to "trade up".  I think we may have the fastest climb rate, at least of the older Mooneys. If it doesn't have one I'd get a good engine monitor first. It allows you to track the health of your engine and catch problems earlier. Most of them allow you to save the data so you can look back and see any trends.

[N33GG]

1.  Congrats!

2.  Enjoy!

3.  Don't make it a high wing.

[TWinter]

Congrats and welcome to the E club.

 

-Tom

[MTNM20E]

Greatly appreciate all of the comments!  I'll try to get some photos posted so I can share the journey.  The aircraft SN#373 has spent most of it's life in Montana and Colorado so the MTN seemed fitting.  The aircraft is now based in Colorado Springs and needs some TLC.  The aircraft has been sitting for about a year because of an engine issue and the passing of it's flying owner.  I'm a relatively low time pilot with most of my time in the C-172 and a fair amount of time in the Beech Duchess so I'm cautiously excited about the transition to the Mooney.  The aircraft has been kept in a hangar so its in pretty good shape esthetically.  Any material/manuals that any of you might be able to provide or point me to would be greatly appreciated.  I'm guessing it will be several months before the aircraft is in a flyable condition so in the meantime I want to learn the aircraft inside and out. 

Screw gun...Check.  First question my mechanic asked me was if it has a one piece belly pan.  Negative on that point and with the cowl I can see the need for a good screw gun :-)

This is a 1964 M20E.  It has a slightly rounded rear passenger window.  Is 64 the only year for the rounded rear window?

Thanks and Fly Safe!  Will keep you all posted.

 

[carusoam]

1964 and older have rounded Windows. '65 and on got the more rectangular ones...

One thing you can work on...  Replacing all the screws and fasteners with the SS variety. Start acquiring the proper sized replacements.  It will make taking all the panels off a bit easier.

Best regards,

-a-

[steingar]

+1 on a good Mooney-centric CFI.  I came from a Cherokee and did ten of dual and another 5 solo.  To be honest, I might have been better off with 15 dual, but only because I had to do all my training at a remote location all at once (had some trouble finding a CFI in my one-horse town).  Once you get the airplane down you will love it.

Sounds like you've a good plan maintenance-wise.  The break I hope you got on price will likely get swallowed up by refurbishment issues, but that's actually fine.  You wind up with the Mooney you want in tip-top shape.  And if you're willing to wrench you'll wind up with the better deal.  Good luck.

[HRM]

Congrats on buying the finest aircraft ever made. I personally consider E's to be super.

My experience with my E has shown me that the plane is not unlike a sports car, which this model has been likened to. One of the most important things in a sports car is road feel. You get this with a tight, four-wheel independent suspension and good weight distribution coupled to a powerful engine. A good car will literally transmit the feeling to your butt that it is "gripping the road" on a turn.

Well, that is the way an E is. You sort of feel like the aerodynamics that the plane is experiencing are wired to your butt. It is the definition of "seat of the pants" flying--stick and rudder, if you will. The main difference is that you now have an aircraft that will easily push 200 MPH.

No, it is not aerobatic, but I think you'll find it doesn't need to be. The plane is almost creepy in how it seems to just want to fly.

Enjoy!

[Yetti]

Words of wisdom:  Blue is good - Brown is bad.    One day just for fun I nosed it over just a little and scared myself.  The ASI needle was moving fast to the yellow.

[C-GHIJ]

Welcome to the Mooney family.  You will love her, can't beat the vintage birds.  Not hard to spruce up the interior.  What was the engine issue that is stopping you from flying?  You will find this site is a wealth of information when you have a problem.

[Mooneymite]

16 hours ago, Barcho said:

 I recommend 20 hours of dual.  

20 Hours of dual?

Really?  Or did you mean 2.0 hours?

It's a Mooney, not a spaceplane.  Despite what we Mooneyspace minions say about having to be superior pilots, the Mooney is really a pretty predicable airplane.  My neighbor just transitioned to a TBM 850 (from a Corvalis) and it didn't take 20 hours!!!

Edited February 23, 2016 by Mooneymite

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Mooneymite said:

20 Hours of dual?

Really?  Or did you mean 2.0 hours?

It's a Mooney, not a spaceplane.  Despite what we Mooneyspace minions say about having to be superior pilots, the Mooney is really a pretty predicable airplane.  My neighbor just transitioned to a TBM 850 (from a Corvalis) and it didn't take 20 hours!!!

20 hours in quite normal, 5 hours for the check out, 15 to convert pilots licence to Mooney Driver licence.

Clarence

[greg51]

Welcome to your new E, you will love it. got mine a few months ago and am wondering why it took so long. I got .5 of a pre sale ride before I flew it home a couple weeks later (don't recommend that) bounced a few landings but got the hang of it after about 6-8 landings. landing speed is everything in these e's that just don't quit flying.