Brand new guy, Save me!

[DMJones]

I'm a brand new member, and new to Mooney.  I'm a professional pilot, started in the USAF, then moved to the airlines and the Air National Guard.  I've flown a few different things, but I don't have a lot of time in single-engine piston, maybe 300-400 hours.  I owned a Cherokee 140 for a few years a long time ago, and also flew a 182 for a parachute club for fun on the weekends.  Not all my time is in big jets, as my ANG unit also had a Metro (C-26) and I started in the USAF as a T-37 Instructor, which isn't much bigger than a Mooney!

My son is a new 2LT in the Army National Guard, and decided he wants to fly, so we decided to get our own aircraft.  He's destined for a local Blackhawk unit (UH-61), and so he'll be primarily a helicopter pilot for a bit, but he's earned his Private Pilot rating, and has about 100 hours.

When we started looking we came to the same decision most everyone here has already known, Mooneys are awesome.  For the money and speed, they're hard to beat.  I'm in the final phases of buying one from All American.

And so, I've finally come to the point:  If you could give me some advice, what things would you tell a new Mooney owner?  And I'm in need of advice on EVERYTHING.  What stuff to buy, what stuff to avoid, you name it...

I've found an airplane, have a hangar, have insurance and financing.  I found a local instructor to get me safe (found him here, thank you very much!).

For starters, any headset recommendations?  :-)

[gsengle]

Go take the MAPA ppp course ASAP! They will attempt to make you safe and answer all your questions in a weekend. Too much to type here :-o


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[carusoam]

DMJ,

You are going to love the search box...

There must be about 365 different things you will want to know.  Some are easy to agree upon.  Others require a long discussion with several inputs.

Costs can often get in the way on some topics. There are different ways to handle those as well. The keys to these discussions are knowing what an AMU is and that a CB will find a way to do it for less without accepting degraded qualities.

The first days of ownership seem to be behind you.  Selecting a Mooney that fits you and your flying partners is important. Next up is the transition training that goes with that. Topics on financing and insurance are interesting.

Storing indoors or outside?  Outside, what cover do you use...?

Oils and additives that you want to use for your engine.... what are other people using that fly the same way?

O2 systems and hardware and training available?  Suppliers and costs and DIY refill stations..?

Intercoolers, pressure controllers and operations in the flight levels.

Safety, training and where to find it.  Mapa, PPP, APS...

Weather products and IR.

So much to know, just get started...

Best regards,

-a-

[1964-M20E]

It is too late to save you you are already a pilot and you have bought a Mooney you are doomed to the life of a pilot and maybe the cheap bastards (CB) club.  If you are married tell your wife good by unless she will fly with you.  As for your son there is hope you will find more things to do together now.

 

Oh as for the T37 did you paint over the made by Mattel sticker under the wing?

 

 

 

 

[Bob_Belville]

Welcome on board Dave!

Fasten you seatbelt and hang on. You will soon be flooded with ideas about everything Mooney and flying our type aircraft.

There's another Dave with a similar background to yours who's nearby in Toccoa. He bought a M20C a few years ago which he has upgraded and modified and enjoyed a lot. "daver328". If he doesn't chime in in a day or 2 send him a PM and say hello. 

What model are you buying? I'm guessing a "vintage" type (pre J) given your probable mission. 

Oh, before someone here messes with your mind... real pilots wear DC headsets. The new model, DC ONE-X, is pretty nice. 

  

[Brandontwalker]

HEADSETS: My first set of headsets was the Bose A20. They set the bar high as their active noise reduction and sound quality is superb. However, I found that my ears and head would hurt from the clamping force after longer flights. I recently read on this forum about several Mooney pilots Who were using the Quiet Technologies halo headsets. For less than half the price of my Bose A20, the Halo seemed like a low risk venture. I have been using them for approximately 15 hours now and I am extremely pleased with the halo and my A20 now sits on the shelf. My only gripe was with the tips that came with the halo. The NRR factor seemed fairly low, so I replace them with some 33db NRR shooting plugs and the passive noise reduction factor of the halo is now on par with the A20. The halo is worth consideration if you are planning to utilize your Mooney for the cross-country travel it was designed for.


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[Marauder]

My advice, consider starting the flare at 3 feet not 30 feet. Welcome to the Mooney community!


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[Yetti]

always keep the nose up when landing.  If you bounce you were too fast. keep the nose up and you can save it.

[DMJones]

1 hour ago, gsengle said:

Go take the MAPA ppp course ASAP! 

Joined MAPA first thing.  I'll get on the couse ASAP, thanks!

1 hour ago, carusoam said:

DMJ,

You are going to love the search box...

There must be about 365 different things you will want to know.  Some are easy to agree upon.  Others require a long discussion with several inputs.

Costs can often get in the way on some topics. There are different ways to handle those as well. The keys to these discussions are knowing what an AMU is and that a CB will find a way to do it for less without accepting degraded qualities.

The first days of ownership seem to be behind you.  Selecting a Mooney that fits you and your flying partners is important. Next up is the transition training that goes with that. Topics on financing and insurance are interesting.

Storing indoors or outside?  Outside, what cover do you use...?

Oils and additives that you want to use for your engine.... what are other people using that fly the same way?

O2 systems and hardware and training available?  Suppliers and costs and DIY refill stations..?

Intercoolers, pressure controllers and operations in the flight levels.

Safety, training and where to find it.  Mapa, PPP, APS...

Weather products and IR.

So much to know, just get started...

Best regards,

-a-

Great thoughts.  I'll be inside in Georgia (KPUJ) and outside in Idaho, so I'm looking at covers.  I have found a lot of info here, thanks to the search bar.  I have a good local mechanic, who's doing my pre-buy.  I'll be back about the other stuff, but keep ideas coming.  I really don't even know what to ask... 

1 hour ago, 1964-M20E said:

It is too late to save you you are already a pilot and you have bought a Mooney you are doomed to the life of a pilot and maybe the cheap bastards (CB) club.  If you are married tell your wife good by unless she will fly with you.  As for your son there is hope you will find more things to do together now.

 

Oh as for the T37 did you paint over the made by Mattel sticker under the wing?

The wife's onboard!  We have a daughter and son-in-law with our first grandson who are attorneys and will be moving to South Bend for a one or two year posting.  Once my wife realized that we could get to South Bend in under 3 hours, she was a BIG advocate of getting the Mooney.  She has no plans on being separated from the Grandson...

I never did get that sticker off.  Starting my career in the Tweet kept me humble, hopefully to this day.  :-)

1 hour ago, Bob_Belville said:

Welcome on board Dave!

Fasten you seatbelt and hang on. You will soon be flooded with ideas about everything Mooney and flying our type aircraft.

There's another Dave with a similar background to yours who's nearby in Toccoa. He bought a M20C a few years ago which he has upgraded and modified and enjoyed a lot. "daver328". If he doesn't chime in in a day or 2 send him a PM and say hello. 

What model are you buying? I'm guessing a "vintage" type (pre J) given your probable mission. 

Oh, before someone here messes with your mind... real pilots wear DC headsets. The new model, DC ONE-X, is pretty nice. 

  

Once I catch my breath, I'll PM the other Dave.  I'm buying a 1984 K.  Still in the flurry of finalizing the deal, but it looks as though everything's in place.  I'll look at the DC, thanks!

1 hour ago, Brandontwalker said:

HEADSETS: My first set of headsets was the Bose A20. They set the bar high as their active noise reduction and sound quality is superb. However, I found that my ears and head would hurt from the clamping force after longer flights. I recently read on this forum about several Mooney pilots Who were using the Quiet Technologies halo headsets. For less than half the price of my Bose A20, the Halo seemed like a low risk venture. I have been using them for approximately 15 hours now and I am extremely pleased with the halo and my A20 now sits on the shelf. My only gripe was with the tips that came with the halo. The NRR factor seemed fairly low, so I replace them with some 33db NRR shooting plugs and the passive noise reduction factor of the halo is now on par with the A20. The halo is worth consideration if you are planning to utilize your Mooney for the cross-country travel it was designed for.


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I do plan on cross country travel, so thanks for the advice.  I plan on getting down to Aircraft Spruce to see everything they have in stock, but I'll make sure I find the Halo.

54 minutes ago, Marauder said:

My advice, consider starting the flare at 3 feet not 30 feet. Welcome to the Mooney community!
 

That may be the hardest habit to break.  I've already warned my instructor.  Hopefully I'll be able to recall my old flare picture...

23 minutes ago, Yetti said:

always keep the nose up when landing.  If you bounce you were too fast. keep the nose up and you can save it.

Noted, thanks!

[DonMuncy]

Maybe someone on the list is based near you. If they pop up, arrange a lunch, etc. If you get through Dallas, call me. None of us knows it all, but each of us can fill in a few blanks.

[Mooneymite]

1 hour ago, Marauder said:

My advice, consider starting the flare at 3 feet not 30 feet. Welcome to the Mooney community!

Yes, welcome.  

Marauder's advice is good, but I tell my transitioning airline buddies, "if you don't feel like your butt is about to scrape the runway, you ain't there yet."  

[flyboy0681]

2 hours ago, Bob_Belville said:

 

There's another Dave with a similar background to yours who's nearby in Toccoa. He bought a M20C a few years ago which he has upgraded and modified and enjoyed a lot. "daver328". If he doesn't chime in in a day or 2 send him a PM and say hello. 

 

Dave is a great guy, flies for the majors and has a wealth of information stored in his head.

[MyNameIsNobody]

Get your son trained and give him a set of keys.  Get him on the insurance.  Enjoy flying high on O2.  That is where the K love's to play.  Welcome to the wonderful world of Mooney.  It's a blast that is cheap on gas, but since it is aviation it's still a pain in the ass.  Used Bose is tough to beat.

[Oldguy]

Dave, I am about 25 minutes west of you at KPLR in Pell City, AL with about another half dozen or more Mooneys on our field. Last weekend there was a group of AL/GA Mooney pilots who got together for lunch up in Cullman, AL (which I missed) and I think we are trying to get something going on a semi-regular basis.

If you are picking you plane up in Texas, see if you can work it out to swing by the factory in Kerrville. Nothing like seeing the shiny new ones being built!

The wife and I sometimes head up to CHA or RMG for breakfast on Sunday morning with a couple of Mooneys and a plastic plane that doesn't know how to lift its legs up. Drop me a note when you get your plane and I'll give you a heads-up when we make a run.

And I have to side with Scott on the headset. Love our A20s.

Edited October 25, 2016 by Oldguy

[David Mazer]

I also recommend the Halo.  Cheapest, most comfortable headsets I've ever used. You can wear any hat you want, not just a baseball hat, and, if you do wear a baseball hat, the button on the top won't hurt your head.  No batteries to worry about either.  The only down side is no Bluetooth but you can get around that with a BluLink, then you need batteries again but far less often, or a Bluetooth audio panel if you are upgrading. Phil owns and runs Quiet Technologies is a great guy, knows his stuff, and he is the person who answers the phone when you call.  He is also a Mooney C owner and a member of this site.  You're already as real a pilot as one can be, you wouldn't need to prove that to anyone with the Dave Clark or Bose headsets.

[Skates97]

I bought a set of the Halo's and love them!

[David Mazer]

Oh, and I agree with 1964-M20E (who interestingly owns an M20F), salvation is no longer an option!

[Guest]

Remember to always take off and climb with flaps, run lean of peak at all times, never run your engine without Cam Guard, switch all avionics to Garmin, never pay asking price for anything, do all the work on your plane with the assistance of hangar elves.  

Following these simple guidelines should help you enjoy your ownership.

Clarence

[Brandontwalker]

Dave, I am about 25 minutes west of you at KPLR in Pell City, AL with about another half dozen or more Mooneys on our field. Last weekend there was a group of AL/GA Mooney pilots who got together for lunch up in Cullman, AL (which I missed) and I think we are trying to get something going on a semi-regular basis.
If you are picking you plane up in Texas, see if you can work it out to swing by the factory in Kerrville. Nothing like seeing the shiny new ones being built!
The wife and I sometimes head up to CHA or RMG for breakfast on Sunday morning with a couple of Mooneys and a plastic plane that doesn't know how to lift its legs up. Drop me a note when you get your plane and I'll give you a heads-up when we make a run.
And I have to side with Scott on the headset. Love our A20s.

I made it to PLR a couple of weeks ago for the BBQ and met a couple of the Mooney guys there (for all I know, you may have been one of them). Anyway, give me a heads up when you're heading for breakfast one morning. It would be great to meet up.


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[Mooneymite]

40 minutes ago, M20Doc said:

Remember to always take off and climb with flaps, run lean of peak at all times, never run your engine without Cam Guard, switch all avionics to Garmin, never pay asking price for anything, do all the work on your plane with the assistance of hangar elves.  

Following these simple guidelines should help you enjoy your ownership.

Clarence

And remember to do as Clarence says.  

[Oldguy]

6 minutes ago, Brandontwalker said:

I made it to PLR a couple of weeks ago for the BBQ and met a couple of the Mooney guys there (for all I know, you may have been one of them). Anyway, give me a heads up when you're heading for breakfast one morning. It would be great to meet up.


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I missed the BBQ - I've been on the road (read"in the plane") every weekend this month traveling out of state, but I will let you know when we are planning a run. It often includes N329DM out of your home field.

[Danb]

Since headsets are mentioned anyone try the new in ear faro's under $400 with a thirty day guarantee?

[Marauder]

Remember to always take off and climb with flaps, run lean of peak at all times, never run your engine without Cam Guard, switch all avionics to Garmin, never pay asking price for anything, do all the work on your plane with the assistance of hangar elves.  
Following these simple guidelines should help you enjoy your ownership.
Clarence

And always have one of these onboard




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[Guest]

Just now, Marauder said:

 

And always have one of these onboard




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I knew I forgot something!  Glad you reminded me, a true friend.

Clarence

[Jeff_S]

Dave (OP), did you go with Bill R for the local CFI? I gave your son his contact info via PM.