"If I could do it again, I would have..."

[Stetson20]

 So what would you have done differently? I've got Mooney fever BAD. It's like a teenager at the homecoming dance! Thanks Matt for putting up with my incessant questions, btw! 

 

Anyway, your thoughts are greatly appreciated. Fire away!

[Mooneymite]

When I decided to get back into general aviation, I wish we'd  moved to our fly-in community right away.  So much help and good advice all around.  Total immersion.

[Marauder]

I wished I knew I needed to rob a bank BEFORE I bought an airplane.

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[Guitarmaster]

.... started a crack habit.  It would have been cheaper!

[TWinter]

I love my E and finally have it the way I want it, however, I might have considered a longer body Mooney, but since it's usually just me flying alone or just Sheila and I the E fits our mission well. When I bought mine I was "very very" lucky. I had a very lackluster pre-buy done (friend AP and we just did a quick look-over) I had no Mooney background and the A/P had little Mooney experience. I bought it from a guy from New York that I did not know and actually found the plane on EBay and also listed in Controller..

I feel so lucky that I found one that had a good maintenance history and no gremlins. I bought mine before discovering MS. I've learned a lot here and heard some terrible unfortunate horror stories from buying experiences. I would have certainly had a  much more thorough pre-buy done. 

For a while I really thought about looking for a long body Mooney, but I know every nook and cranny of mine. I've even helped work on it under supervision. I just wouldn't want to learn all the in's/out's of a new purchase and take the chance of the "unknowns". Feeling very lucky how it has worked out.

 

-Tom  

[carusoam]

Generally speaking, or specific events to be avoided..?

 

1) Seek professional help.  (Brokers, lawyers, accountants, CFIIs, Finance, tax specialists, etc.)

2) Don't go it alone.  (Asking a question is better than being silent)

3) Jump in with both feet.  (Starting with a minimum budget to get a minimum Mooney produced predictably minimum results)

4) Set some goals.  (Buy a plane my family can use= IFR capable in the real world)

5) Make adjustments along the way. (Buy your last plane first, then move up when able)

6) Stay committed.  (Until you can't)

7) Get educated. (IR, experience, PPP, new ratings)

8) Share what you learned. (There is always going to be someone in your shoes looking to learn from someone like you.)

9) Stay in touch. (Some MS members do this daily, some are around on the weekends, others, not so much...)

10) Plan your next steps further out. (You can learn a lot just by watching others with similar ideas...)

11) Expect to get some unusually strong feed back for misunderstanding what somebody asked.

12) Expect to give some forgiveness when somebody misunderstands what you wrote.

13) avoid staying on the 14th floor.  It is really a mis numbered 13th floor.

14) Choose Speed, efficiency, and Safety. (But not in this order)

15) Train in an aircraft that is designed to train in, then move up quickly to speed, efficiency, and safety...

16) select if your mission is best served by a turbo or not. Then select the number of cylinders that meets that requirement.

17) select the airframe that meets your mission. (FIKI, AC, Room for everyone)

18) define what a PPI is, and get one that meets that expectation. (Don't roll the dice unnecessarily) 

19) Listen.  (To the plane, to your neighbors, to MSers, use both ears)

20) Finance wisely. (Interest rates have been lower for longer)

 

Some thoughts of how I think I got to where I am....  Everyone is probably different.  

Best regards,

-a-

 

[kortopates]

Started sooner!!!!

Why are you still procrastinating???

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[XXX]

I remember the shopping process when searching for my plane. My mission was 660 NM (central FL to central OH). Best aircraft for that mission was a Citation jet, but budget wouldn't allow that, so looked at all the popular brands, C, P, B and Mooney. Narrowed it down to B and Mooney, Mooney won because of fuel efficiency (guess I'm a CB). Next was what model to buy that fit my budget and my family. 

In retrospect, I would tell you that the research and search were half the fun of the whole experience. Enjoy your quest and don't be in too much of a hurry to fill the hangar. Like TWinter I also got lucky with my purchase. The value of the knowledge base here on MS is tremendous, so you've already got a leg up on most other buyers. 

Thanks for sharing in your quest for your perfect Mooney and I am looking forward to seeing pics when you do find her.

[DXB]

Started flying at a younger age

Bought a J-bar F for the extra room instead of my C (which I love btw and plan to keep a long time)

Paid for a more expensive plane, so I could spend less upgrading

Magically developed experience and judgement regarding maintenance issues and dealing with mechanics, without having to learn the hard way

Sought guidance on stuff like this on Mooney Space  sooner - OP is ahead of me there

[Oldguy]

Gotten my PPL the first time I considered doing it and signed up for ground school. (30 years earlier!)

Gotten my IR quicker after my PPL.

Not loaded the wrong approach into the 430 during my IR check ride. 

[peevee]

gone back in time and never started flying...

[Immelman]

Bought a Bonanza!

 

(kidding!)

[Stetson20]

53 minutes ago, peevee said:

gone back in time and never started flying...

Lol

[1964-M20E]

Go back in time and give myself the winning lottery numbers not far just an hour would do.

 

Or go back to the previous week and buy some of the top performers in the market so i could sell them the following week.

 

[thinwing]

Nothing...I wouldn't change a thing

[N9201A]

Not stopped flying for seven years just on verge of PPL. Made first trip to OSH sooner.

[mpg]

NOT got married,,, twice!!!

[Wildhorsesracing]

Fly my plane as-is, no upgrades, the old girl has flown find the way she was for 50 years - she didn't need the upgrades to fly.

Gone to OSH years ago to see all the many options in aircraft*.

 

*and realize that my '62 'C was the best option for me.

[rbuck]

Two things that I would have changed:

1) Plane for the mission. I actually did a great job of getting the plane I needed for my mission at the time. The trouble is, the mission changed when I added family, new job, etc. It won't be too long before I need to upgrade from my C (which I love). Some of this you don't know until you start, but I wish I would have thought a couple of years down the line. (You don't want to overdo this, either, though, or you get stuck paying for a plane that you really don't need to afford.)

2) Better pre-purchase inspection. I was in Afghanistan when mine was performed, and this was the first plane that I had purchased. I didn't know exactly how the pre-purchase worked. I ended up paying for more of it than I should have (seller should pay for airworthy items, you should pay for additions/nice to haves) and from a shop that wasn't too reputable. A year later, I had a separate big bill due at my first annual inspection. (Fortunately, after that, my plane's been in fantastic shape!)

Edited September 13, 2016 by rbuck