Thinking About A Mooney

[Flyer05]

I just joined this site.  I am currently a PA 28 Cherokee driver.  My son is learnig to fly and I'm thinking about selling him my aircraft for a starter.  I am looking to upgrade to a faster retractable.  I have used the Cherokee sites in the past and found the information to be good so thought what better way to get an understanding of Mooneys, what to look for and stay away from than asking here.

I'd like to stay with an older model M20.  My budget is around 50K or less and I am an IFR rated pilto so avionics are somewhat important to me.

So thanks for any support you might be able to give me.

Flyer05

[tbrickey]

as a cincinnati mooney owner, I invite you to stop over at KISZ (Blue Ash) and look at mine.  I have a 79 M20J.  Orange with a large cover outside of Co-Op.

[flight2000]

Welcome and you couldn't find a better place for all things Mooney.  We are very opinionated, so take that with a grain of salt sometimes...

Good luck with your search.

Brian

[HopePilot]

What are your questions?  Just don't ask ROP or LOP.  

[flight2000]

Or wet wing versus bladders... 

Brian

[scottfromiowa]

or 3 blade vs 2 blade prop...

[Flyer05]

Questions that I have are more around what sorts of things to pay close attention to in a pre buy situation?  All aircraft seem to have some things to watch for and I am trying to do as much research as possible so that I can become somewhat knowlegeable before I get to far down the search path.  In the short model versions (prior to the "F") is the back seat spce really cramped.  I am only 5'8" I don't need a lot of leg space.  I already drive a corvette so the position should work well for me but I am anxious to be able to get to sit in one soon.  tbrickey has invited me to look at his in Blue Ash so I'll at least get to see what the pilot position is like.  Generally I am moving from a 140 with 40 inches of cabin width so I'm already use to it being a little tight.  In any event I am not sure what all to ask untill I get more familiar with the type.

[Hank]

Be sure to read this thread all the way through:

http://www.mooneyspace.com/index.cfm?mainaction=posts&forumid=2&threadid=9

[Vref]

 or sandel versus aspen

[Jeff_S]

I transitioned to an M20J from a Warrior at the beginning of the year.  Don't let anyone scare you about cockpit space. The Mooney actually is roomier once all is said and done.

Or maybe it just seems roomier because you get to your destination so much faster and there's less time to feel cramped!

[FlyDave]

I transitioned from a 1967 Chrokee 140 in March and I couldn't be happier. I'm 5'5" so I needed the 3" rudder pedal extension but aside from that I find my Mooeny very comfortable. I haven't flown a leg longer than about 2.5 hours because the plane is so fast  :<) (unlike the Cherokee) but I'm sure it would be just as comfortable, if not more so, on a 4 or 5 hour leg.

It's a bit of a transition from a 140 but a whole lot of fun (and an unbelievable IFR platform coming from a Cherokee with Hershey Bar wings)!!! Good luck in finding your Mooney.

[N601RX]

Check out www.mooneypilots.com and click on sample articles.  Some of the expensive problems you want to avoid are corrosion, leaky tanks (8-10K to fix properly) and prop AD.  I would look at stuff that already had the tanks resealed recently or had bladders installed.  A new prop that does not have the AD is a big plus.  Also have the gear looked at by someone who knows what they are looking at.

[flight2000]

Why is everyone harping on the Prop AD?  The eddy inspection gets done every 100 hours, takes about 2 hours, and costs less than $200 to accomplish.  I would say it's a good thing to get any prop hub looked at for piece of mind.  Just saying...

Brian

[N601RX]

When I purchased a few months ago I did not see any large price difference in planes with a new or old prop.  The plane I purchased had just had the prop replaced because cracks were discovered when the AD was performed and the blades were at the lower end of their service limits. I would perfer to have the previous owner spend 8k to fix it me than me. A factory New prop on someone elses dime gives piece of mind also.

[wrench]

On a short x-country flight this May ATC gave me a traffic advisory that I was being overtaken by a aircraft at my 7 O'clock. My wife said to me why is a plane over-taking us? I said to her because we don't have a Mooney. She paused for a few seconds and replied can't you fix that? Two months later my PA28-180 was gone and I now own a M20J.

Then last week on a cross country to Sault Saint Marie, Mi, ATC advised two aircraft, one at my 12 O'clock and another at my 1 O'clock also both Northbound that they were “being overtaken at ~30knots by a Mooney”. My wife looked at me and said “now that's more like it”.

My only regret is that we weren't overtaken a few years earlier.

[Paul]

My wife and I love the speed and the cross country capabilities.  Recent fight to Florida proved to my family that the only way to go is in our own plane. (No pat down or cavity searches) A baron flying V1 northbound never caught me.  Cockpit space is great for me at 5"7".  The problem is half way to florida my now full size teenage children started to ask for more leg room. 

My wife wants me to trade the mooney for more, maybe a A36. The last thing I want to do is give up the speed. What's a guy do?

[FlyDave]

Quote: flyingwrench

On a short x-country flight this May ATC gave me a traffic advisory that I was being overtaken by a aircraft at my 7 O'clock. My wife said to me why is a plane over-taking us? I said to her because we don't have a Mooney. She paused for a few seconds and replied can't you fix that? Two months later my PA28-180 was gone and I now own a M20J.

Then last week on a cross country to Sault Saint Marie, Mi, ATC advised two aircraft, one at my 12 O'clock and another at my 1 O'clock also both Northbound that they were “being overtaken at ~30knots by a Mooney”. My wife looked at me and said “now that's more like it”.

My only regret is that we weren't overtaken a few years earlier.

[GeorgePerry]

Quote: Paul

My wife and I love the speed and the cross country capabilities.  Recent fight to Florida proved to my family that the only way to go is in our own plane. (No pat down or cavity searches) A baron flying V1 northbound never caught me.  Cockpit space is great for me at 5"7".  The problem is half way to florida my now full size teenage children started to ask for more leg room. 

My wife wants me to trade the mooney for more, maybe a A36. The last thing I want to do is give up the speed. What's a guy do?

[carusoam]

"My wife wants me to trade the mooney for more, maybe a A36. The last thing I want to do is give up the speed. What's a guy do?"

If all you want to do is increase the size of your M20J to better fit the family.....

M20R = M20J size large.  (M20S may do the same in this case, also)

You can stay with the M20 series that you all know and love and is powered by the same engine as the SR22. 

Best regards,

- a -

[DaV8or]

Quote: Flyer05

I'd like to stay with an older model M20.  My budget is around 50K or less and I am an IFR rated pilto so avionics are somewhat important to me.

So thanks for any support you might be able to give me.

Flyer05