You can't make this up! One way to get into Mooney Ownership

[donkaye]

I posted this to the other Mooney lists, but thought it was interesting enough to post here, too.

Although I’ve been in aviation a long time, every once in awhile something comes up that makes me do a double take.  Such was the case last night, as I was reading “Flying Magazine” for September.

 

Since many have the misconception that the Mooney is somewhat difficult to land, a few years ago I talked with a friend of mine, Ted Saylor, who lives in the Phoenix area, and we agreed to meet halfway in Porterville to do a landing video.  He would set up a camera on the ground and I would set up one behind the pilot’s seat.  I would do a number of different types of landings and then we would put the video together in a unique way that would show both the cockpit view and the profile view of the landings at the same time.

 

Since that time, I hope a lot of people have benefitted from it, and that it has helped our insurance rates remain relatively stable.

 

So it was that last week, I got an email from Dave Thurston asking to purchase the video.  I shipped it out like I had done so many times before.

 

With the busy summer I got behind on reading a few months of “Flying Magazine”.  A few days ago I decided get caught up. I got to July and read Martha Lunken’s "Unusual Attitudes" column.  In it she discussed her incident with her Cub where she accidentally ran into a Cessna 150.  The owner was a person by the name of David Thurston.  At the time I thought, “What a coincidence that a person who just order my video would have the same name.”

 

Last night I got up to the September issue of “Flying Magazine”.  Martha wrote another article.  In it she described a second incident more shocking than the first where the Cub got away from her on startup and started taxiing on its own and ran into, you guessed it, Dave Thurston’s Cessna 150 for the second time.  She mentioned in the article that Dave got a Mooney out of that one.

 

That did it.  I emailed Dave and suggested that the probability of 2 Dave Thurstons being in the Cincinnati area and owning Mooneys was rather remote.  This is what he wrote back:

 

"Yep, Martha was writing about me. She did have a rough couple of months.  When I received the phone call about the second incident, I said to my wife, “maybe I’ve won an airplane from AOPA and this is a ruse to get me to the airport because the odds of one plane taxiing into another plane twice in a little over two months….”

 

But when I went through the gate and saw the caution tape, I knew it was not AOPA.

 

It turned out that the Mooney that I purchased was tied down about 3 planes from mine and whenever I would fly the 150 I would think “that Mooney looks like it would fit my mission perfectly”.  A few days later while searching Barnstormers (and widening my search from 20C to “Mooney Ohio” I found 6061Q - recognized the hangar behind it, then had an aha moment!”

 

What a way to get a Mooney!

 

[carusoam]

Step 2:  Put Mooney in protective hangar, quickly...  

Best regards,

-a-

[Jim F]

Or buy the Cub...

[211º]

Martha knew that I had been looking for a Mooney and had given me some leads.  She is still flying the good looking 180 that she has and is two hangars from mine. My Mooney is now in the hangar where the cub used to be and my 150 is still out in front - and is getting ready to get a new set of wings. 

Martha was very gracious and very apologetic through the entire events. As far as I am concerned, this was two unfortunate accidents. On the positive side, I was able to learn a little more than most about different aspects of airplane ownership.

Dealing with the insurance adjuster was a bit of a lesson in patience, but ultimately it turned out ok.

Aviation is a small world.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Hyett6420 said:

Martha has sold the cub now and is happy with her other plane.  It is a very sad column though as it sounds as though the FAA (Feds against Aviation) have ganged up on her and taken away her examining ticket. B...ds. 

I sounds like they should be re-examining her other tickets as well.

Clarence

[Raptor05121]

What an interesting story

[MSE Driver]

On ‎8‎/‎27‎/‎2016 at 2:41 PM, Hyett6420 said:

Martha has sold the cub now and is happy with her other plane.  It is a very sad column though as it sounds as though the FAA (Feds against Aviation) have ganged up on her and taken away her examining ticket. B...ds. 

Not sure if ganging up is the correct sounding term to be used. The latest I have just read is another article she wrote admitting to trashing a Cub years ago landing "well after dark, on a short dog-legged, unlit uphill grass runway and struck that left wing in some bushes". Three accidents in your career ain't the best. Sorry.

[RobertGary1]

I flew a J-3 for many years and never scratched it. Hard to believe a designated examiner would have one get away from her twice in a couple months

 

-Robert

[Sean S]

1 hour ago, RobertGary1 said:

I flew a J-3 for many years and never scratched it. Hard to believe a designated examiner would have one get away from her twice in a couple months

 

-Robert

Not hard to believe at all. As we age our reflexes get slower and our ability to make sound decisions is diminished. There are many great pilots that later in their years are not so great any more. I know there will be day when I am not able to fly. I just hope I have the sound mind to recognize that I should hang it up before I am forced to by a few mishaps.

[mike_elliott]

On 8/27/2016 at 2:41 PM, Hyett6420 said:

Martha has sold the cub now and is happy with her other plane.  It is a very sad column though as it sounds as though the FAA (Feds against Aviation) have ganged up on her and taken away her examining ticket. B...ds. 

She trashed them and the whole FAAsteam program  in Flying mag a few months ago. I didn't think this would have a pretty outcome for her.

[nels]

To move Dave's Mooney story a little further along, he bought his Mooney from me. As the dominoes started to fall Dave bought my Mooney at the exact right time that allowed me to purchase a 1978 J model that fell in my lap that could not have been purchased without Dave buying my plane and without Martha totaling Dave's Cessna 150. A lot of good things came out of Martha's misfortune.

[Hedge]

Martha Lunken did my instrument check ride.  She is a great lady.  It is great to talk with her.  She is still actively doing check rides, so I am not sure what is going on with then.

Edited January 8, 2018 by Hedge

[1964-M20E]

15 hours ago, nels said:

To move Dave's Mooney story a little further along, he bought his Mooney from me. As the dominoes started to fall Dave bought my Mooney at the exact right time that allowed me to purchase a 1978 J model that fell in my lap that could not have been purchased without Dave buying my plane and without Martha totaling Dave's Cessna 150. A lot of good things came out of Martha's misfortune.

"Cause and effect, chain of events 
All of the chaos makes perfect sense 
When you're spinning round, things come undone 
Welcome to Earth 3rd rock from the Sun"

Joe Diffy

 

 

 

[jlunseth]

There is a reason they put wheels under the nose.  Flying an aircraft like that is more like flying a kite than a plane.  Unfortunate for her, but in the wrong wind conditions they can be a major challenge.  I am glad my name is not Dave Thurston, and Dave, welcome to the Mooney club however you got here.