Searching for that right Mooney

[pilot716]

Funny you write that..good timing, I was planning on going down there sometime maybe next week depending on wx. A friend and CFII of mine rents the seminole and mooney 20C that they have, so I will hopefully take it for a ride. 

[pilot716]

I just looked at her posting from november and it was almost identical to my situation..I PM her for some info too.

[pilot716]

Ok, so I went and looked at a few down at Robbinsville, which has a Mooney service center and quite a few to look at. I think I may have found one. a 1970 F, good paint, good interior, a little on the high side for airframe but SMOH is 1100, all logs and ad's are clean, avionics need upgrade, but for the price of mid to low 40's it may work for me. So, being that it is a mooney service center and they have done the last annual and a lot of the service on this plane should I still have an "independent" A&P look over the logs and do the pre-buy? or just let the center where the plane is located do the pre-buy and then turn it into an annual if all looks like a go?

[flight2000]

I would have a second set of eyes look over the airplane.  I've never been a fan of using the same facility for the pre-purchase that did the most recent maitenance, even if they are a service center.  On the other hand, the MSC still wants to protect their customers and reputation as a quality MSC, so it could still work out.  Just a matter of what you're comfortable with.

Brian 

[pilot716]

I am looking around for an independent A&P, Just would like someone who is Mooney proficient, Anyone have a W&B and a CG chart from a POH they can email me for a model F?, Just wanted to run some general numbers.

[carusoam]

716,

Sharing my thoughts on buying machinery...

I have a preference for the folks at Air-Mods.  However, if you are buying a plane from them, or the last annual was performed by them....

Good business sense dictates that you should go elsewhere with it for a PPI.

This will protect you from any mistake that the seller/MSC has made.  It will protect you from making a misunderstanding of what is being represented.

Overall, it will help give you a more balanced view of the current status of the bird you are looking at.  The sales guy is expected to add sunshine to the dream.  The independent inspector is expected to douse the dream in rain.  The truth will be somewhere in the middle.  You, as potential owner, will know where that is. 

The driving force for the independence: any mis-steps that are made, always cost the buyer....

A good pre-buy may cost you an AMU.  A bad one can potentially cost many times that.

To be clear, I would not expect a bad PPI from Air-Mods, but business sense should be the driving force.  Unless the annual is due in the next three months, I would focus on the PPI and the purchase process. Getting that part done right is the key to your first years affordability. 

If the annual is due now....PPI and annual done somewhere away from the seller/previous annual.

When its over, it may have cost a few bucks more, but you will feel better about the solid decisions that you made.  (worked for me anyway).

Best regards,

-a-

 

 

[KLRDMD]

Quote: pilot716

I am looking around for an independent A&P, Just would like someone who is Mooney proficient, Anyone have a W&B and a CG chart from a POH they can email me for a model F?, Just wanted to run some general numbers.

[flight2000]

I'm assuming you went to Air Mods in Robbinsville?  If so, there is another MSC located in Fairfield.  You could ask them to take the plane there for the pre-purchase or ask C&W if a mechanic can travel to Robbinsville.  I'm from Kansas, so can't help you with an independant A&P from your area. 

C&W AERO SERVICES
Sean Nederfield
19 Wright Way Suite 3
Fairfield, NJ 07004
Phone: 973.227.5750
sned@cwaero.com

Good luck and welcome to the Mooniac club...

Brian

[pilot716]

Thanks for the info. I am very familiar with Sean at C&W, he works on our club planes parked there. Just gathering the info, Air-Mods suggested an Independent A&P, they are fine with that. 

[takair]

Quote: AustinChurch

At 170lbs, you'll fit just fine!  I'm 5'11", 215lbs and a buddy of mine, who flys with me often, is 6'2", 280lbs and he and I fit pretty well.  Granted, our shoulders are against each other, but no big deal.  Here is a cabin dimension comparison:

AircraftCabin WidthCabin Height

Mooney 201

43.5"

44.5"

Beechcraft V35 Bonanza

42.0"

50.0"

Cessna 182

42.0"

48.0"

Piper Arrow

41.0"

45.0"

[AustinChurch]

I believe the E is the same width as the J.  The numbers I quoted were "lifted" from the Mooney Land website and I think the 43.5" width is measured at the floor.  I'm headed to the airport tomorrow and I will take measurments at the floor, hip level, and shoulder level and get back with accurate numbers on a 201. 

I fly often in a A36 Bonanza and a Cessna 210 and find the width really isn't any better.  What they do offer is more head room and you sit a little further back from the panel.  This seems to give the illusion of a larger cabin even though my shoudlers are against the side window and the pilot just as they are in the Mooney.

[takair]

Thanks, that would be great.  The 39 inch dimension is at the bottom of the door sill level.  There may be another half inch or inch where the arm rest is, but from there everything narrows. 

[GeorgePerry]

If you need more room...don't forget the cirrus sr20 and sr 22. Both are good planes (with their own unique set of issues)...even if they aren't mooneys. 

[AustinChurch]

Or the Lance/Saratoga series.  They're nice and wide!