next MAPA convention location and date?

[craigsteffen]

Hi,

I'm fairly new to the Mooney world (I fly Cessnas in flying clubs at the moment) but I'm trying to get up to speed.

I just joined MAPA and MOA (whose web site and application are really awful).  Looking ahead, I'd like to at least try to make it to the big Mooney conention in the fall.  I didn't have the vacation to make it to Colorado Springs this past October.

Does anyone know where and when the MAPA convention is going to be in 2011? 

Thanks for any information.

Sincerely,

Craig Steffen

[MooneyMitch]

Hi Craig.

I don't believe the location/date has been announced yet, but I recommend you contact MAPA with your question.   mapa@sbcglobal.net

It is a fun and educational event with tons of Mooney camaraderie.

[Sabremech]

Not sure if anyone at MAPA is returning e-mails. I sent one just the other day regarding MAPA e-mail discussion list and have not heard anything back.

[rbharvey]

Hope you didnt send any money to MOA...

[craigsteffen]

I did send a message to MAPA.  Someone got back to me right away.  They said the event speciflcs for 2011 haven't been finalized.

So thanks!

 

[craigsteffen]

Quote: rbharvey

Hope you didnt send any money to MOA...

[rbharvey]

Well I might be wrong, but it has been pretty much a dead organization for two + years, I could stand corrected but I was a member a long time ago and gave up cause of no value (magazine stopped, no new content etc, all that was a left was a sales site for their products)

[GeorgePerry]

 

2011 MAPA Convention video

[David Mazer]

MOA is basically defunct and the purveyor was recently arrested according to other SRQ people.  Nothing less than he deserved IMO.  If you can cancel the charges, I would.  Most Mooney organizations are very ethical and pleasant to deal with.  MOA isn't either of those.

[jetdriven]

C. Jacobs  was arrested?

[mooneygirl]

The lesser rate on the MAPA convention charge has been extended to September 30th.  [$325 versus $375].  Book today!  We also booked our room at the Y.O. Ranch.

We are very much looking forward to seeing folks from the list.

[DaV8or]

Quote: mooneygirl

The lesser rate on the MAPA convention charge has been extended to September 30th.  [$325 versus $375].  Book today!  We also booked our room at the Y.O. Ranch.

We are very much looking forward to seeing folks from the list.

[johnggreen]

Mazerbase and others.

Coy Jacobs was arrested?  Would appreciate your being more detailed.  Not saying you aren't correct just saying that an allegation like that should be pretty specific.

As to the general tone here, from the minute I time started looking for a Mooney in the fall of 2004, I was taken aback by the antagonism from almost everyone involved in the Mooney world toward everyone else involved in the Mooney world.  MOA hated MAPA, MAPA hated MOA and every Mooney specific dealer/shop seemed to have an axe to grind against every other Mooney specific dealer/shop.  The factory was so aloof that you would think they were building the only airplane in the world--they weren't, Just ask Cirrus.

Everyone dealing and working on Mooneys acted like they were some unique airplane that required unique skills and experience to maintian them.  Took me a while to come to the realization that most Mooney specific shops, especially the dealer's shops only had one unique ability; to charge twice what it would cost to perform the same work on a Cessna  and do such a shoddy job that you had to take it to a non-Mooney shop after the annual to get the airplane airworthy.  Mooneys are not space shuttles, just pretty average airplanes with rather specific and limited performance perameters and several quirky mechanical designs that make them nothing more than different and a pain in the ass to keep in the air.

All in all, my experience with the Mooney family has been one huge disappointment.  I own an airplane, a Bravo, that fits my current needs, i.e.long distance travel for my wife and myself.  My average trip is over 600 nm and I usually go through at least two weather systems.  The airplane is fast, the turbo, oxygen, and TKS give me significant flexibility, but it is tight, and uncomfortable as hell and anyone that says differently is either a midget or a person of less than honest speech.  It is not the best airplane I have ever owned by a long margin (and I have owend 32 of them over the years), it's just the one that fits my current needs.  

Right now, as Mooney owners, we have a common problem; a broke manufacturer.  Anyone who thinks Mooney is coming back to build this airplane is a buyer for some sea shore land in Nebraska.  We need someone to buy the remnants of the Mooney factory for one purpose and one purpose only; parts and support.  Otherwise our investments are going to become expensive hangar queens.

Right now, there is no Mooney organization, including MAPA, that delivers any real support, direction, or advice on the acquisiton or ownership of a Mooney.  I will say that this blog is the only bright spot I have encountered since purchasing my first, and likely last, Mooney.  Frankly, I am seriously tempted to sell the Bravo and go back and buy the Twin Bonanza I owned twenty five years ago.  I saw it advertised on Trade-A-Plane by the way.  The annuals wouldn't cost anymore, it will land and take off again in less distance than the Bravo's take-off run, carry a useful load almost two thirds the gross weight of the Bravo and has seats the size of my living room couch.

Sorry for the tyraid, I'm not mad at anyone.  I've just been an active pilot and aircraft owner for a long, long time, and I'm tired of all the senseless hype and distraction.  

The "good" news is that all of us on this blog really do have a common interest.  Maybe someday, we can figure out how to direct our efforts toward a lucid organization that furthers our common goals.  Until then, I guess we can all dance around the May Pole singing la-de-dah what a great airplane we fly blah-blah-blah until the lack of parts, support, and a new tide of government regulations lands us all in the cattle trailer accomodations of a Southwest 737.  I always did have an emotional connection with the "common man" anyway.

Whew.  I feel better.

 

[jetdriven]

Hear, hear! John has a point!  Seriously, thanks for sharing that with us, I feel many of those things you do most of the time as well. Every time I read about a 20K annual at an MSC, I think , you can do two Baron's for that.  And a 2K lb useful load on those as well. Mooney drivers are cheap on gas, and maybe not so much in other departments.

[DaV8or]

Quote: johnggreen

I own an airplane, a Bravo, that fits my current needs, i.e.long distance travel for my wife and myself.  My average trip is over 600 nm and I usually go through at least two weather systems.  The airplane is fast, the turbo, oxygen, and TKS give me significant flexibility, but it is tight, and uncomfortable as hell and anyone that says differently is either a midget or a person of less than honest speech.

[carusoam]

Balance in the universe....

 

We have finally found the unhappy mooney owner.

 

John,

 

Hang out awhile, drink some Kool-aide.  Enjoy the speed and efficiency that the Mooney has to offer.  Share some wisdom, and even maybe help our community overcome some of the short falls in aviation that you have pointed out.

 

We have thousands of threads and links to help each other through tough times and tight spots.  

 

We even have a few subjects that result in controversy ROP/LOP, bladders, turbo or not, etc..

 

There are two subjects that pop up from time to time,  Barron T. and Coy J. Neither gets a very high rating from individuals with direct dealings.

 

Enjoy.

 

Best regards,

 

-a-

 

 

PS we have a thread that allows you to introduce yourself....32 planes in one lifetime? That is worth introducing...

[johnggreen]

Carusoam,

Got my Kool Aid and enjoying the smile on both our faces.  No, I am not an unhappy Mooney owner.  As I clearly said, the Bravo fits my current flying profile perfectly.  I'm now 62, not retired but not climbing any new mountains either.  Every airplane is indeed a trade off and sometimes I just get exasperated with brand loyalty based on nothing more than ownership.

I spent over 30 years in real estate development and construction ranging over the southeastern U.S.  At no point during that period would a Mooney have come even close to filing my needs.  

Buying and learning to properly maintain a Mooney was frustrating and expensive.  I had some absolutely miserable experiences with Mooney specific shops.  Finally, I went back to my old two-man shop, hat in hand, bought all the service manuals they needed and let them do their job.  They immediately fixed some problems the Mooney shops had been dickering with for several years without success.  They even fixed a leaking tank.  Seems like sealing tanks on Westwind Jets is pretty good training for a Mooney!

As for Coy Jacobs, yeah, he can be a challenge, but he damn sure knows a Mooney.  I would also point out that I spoke with him today, he's not in jail and never has been.  Neither is he too happy with the accusation.

I will reiterate that I am seriously concerned abuot the continued support for the airplane.  My wife tells me to buy a new one now and end the challenge (how about that for a good woman), but I enjoy the Mooney and suppose I'm just not ready for plastic.

Anyway, I'm enjoying this forum.  I know full well that most guys here are well-intentioned but low on knowledge.  Still, anyone's experience is valuable.  I hope MooneySpace.com thrives; we certainly need it.

Thanks for your response

JG

[DrBill]

I bought a Mooney for the recommendation of two owners at my airport and the affordability of the speed.  Nothing else comes close. My mechanic recommended them too and he services 4 or 5 a  year. So far I've got 12 hrs in it and my last flight I was up to 6000 and got 8.5 GPH for the 2 hr round trip flight at 140 kts GS.  With my Sundowner, I got the 8.5 GPH but no where near 110 KTS.  Compared to the other planes I have flown, the Mooney is the sports car.  I drive a Mustang GT on the road course here and they are about the same handling.. TIGHT.

I'm looking forward to my first MAPA convention.  The wife suggested I go.  It's a 6 hr flight in the Mooney one way so American was the cheaper choice. Got the room, flight and convention booked.  I hope to meet many of you posters there.

Dr. Bil   65 M20E   Mint Hill, NC