First Annual

[JoshMan]

Hey, everyone.  Quick question regarding annual this year.  I have a 1969 M20E that I bought in June fresh out of an annual.  I have a great mechanic here in Indianapolis (mostly works on beechcraft though) but am wondering if you guys recommend taking to a MSC.  I just had the tanks resealed in Willmar and had a great experience, so was thinking I may take it back to them in a few months.  Has anyone here had Eric and Paul do their annual? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

 

Josh

[jaylw314]

I wouldn't suggest using your mechanic, you need to know they have experience with Mooney's.  If he can refer you to local one who has, I would suggest trying them out on a couple of smaller repairs or jobs before you put your trust in them for the annual.

I did have a local mechanic who has Mooney experience, but I opted to use a local MSC for the first annual.  It worked out fine, but I don't know that it was worth the increased expense and hassle of doing so, and this year I plan on using my local guy.

[mike_elliott]

15 minutes ago, JoshMan said:

Hey, everyone.  Quick question regarding annual this year.  I have a 1969 M20E that I bought in June fresh out of an annual.  I have a great mechanic here in Indianapolis (mostly works on beechcraft though) but am wondering if you guys recommend taking to a MSC.  I just had the tanks resealed in Willmar and had a great experience, so was thinking I may take it back to them in a few months.  Has anyone here had Eric and Paul do their annual? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

 

Josh

Josh,

Paul and Eric will do you a "solid" annual. Additionally, Boyd Birchler is a 231 owner out in Mount Comfort, very Mooney knowledgeable. You also have Larry Wheelock in Terra Haute who will come to Indy as he summers in Indiana. These are a couple of very experienced Mooney IA's whom I have let work on my Mooney, along with DMax.

[DonMuncy]

For "doing an annual" most any IA can do it. However, there are a bunch of thing unique to Mooneys, that are found easily by a really knowledgeable Mooney guy (usually, but not always an MSC) and often missed by others. Some people have their local guy do their annuals, but go to a guru every two or three years for a better opinion.

This gets extremely important for things like rigging and gear adjustments.

I have found that good Mooney guys are not that much more expensive that ordinary IAs, so if a good one is close, I would (and do) use him every time.

[Tommy]

If the cost and time involved aren't much different, definitely go with a reputable MSC. But one thing I do recommend strongly - particularly for the new owner - is to insist on owner-assist. That way not only you learn your plane back to front, refresh your aircraft general knowledge, and, as clearly demonstrated in a recent discussion, you will know roughly how much time is put in and how the repairs are done etc etc so you don't get a "shock bill." If you do go down the owner-assist pathway, then 1) ask as many questions but don't get in the way or distract important tasks 2)  do not make any rash decisions or pressured into making one on the spot, always give yourself at least 24 hours to do some research and/or seek MS members' advice. 

 

Good luck!

[JoshMan]

Thanks for the input, guys. Does anyone have any experience with Carpenter Avionics in Tennessee? 

[Dale Logsdon]

Use your local A&P he can give you as good of service and do it at less cost because of no travel time.

And if your not a regular customer of his don't expect him to help you when you need it the most like evenings and weekend when you have a fouled plug and have a must to trip.

Mooney is a simple airplane and he should be able to handle it. If not then he should not be working on any airplane.

Edited January 23, 2017 by Dale Logsdon

[LANCECASPER]

Can your local IA do an annual inspection? Yes

Should he do an annual inspection on your Mooney? Maybe, maybe not. He specializes in Beechcraft as you mentioned. He knows all of the things that every generic IA misses on Beechcraft and probably ends up taking care of things that others have missed. Does he know all of those things on your Mooney? Probably not. Your first annual might be better off with someone Mooney specific and then use your local guy every other year if it's a lot more convenient. However, I still doubt it saves any money though in the long run. What he might miss those years you'll need to take care of eventually anyway. This is what makes a good Mooney specific annual more expensive - many times they are catching up on deferred things missed in previous annuals. You get what you pay for . . .  sometimes.

[DVA]

Any conscientious and experienced A&P can do an annual on a Mooney. Every brand and model of aircraft has its own uniqueness and idiosyncrasies and Mooney’s are no different in that respect. That said, I would question the shop on how they ensure that they can properly service it. You should hear things like: we follow the Mooney specific 100hr/Annual Checklist; we have the current manuals; we have access to the proper tools for setting the gear download torque; we’ve replaced shock donuts before; and of course, we like them fast Mooney’s, we’ll wash er up after we’re done.

If you don’t get confidence in the answers, head to MSE, but remember those are not all alike either.

[JoshMan]

Thanks, guys.  You talked me into it.   Scheduled annual with Paul and Eric