How do you even get into flying Mooneys?

[Andy95W]

9 hours ago, kpaul said:

I bought one.  The first Mooney that I flew had my name on the title.

Me three.

[DMJones]

25 minutes ago, DXB said:

Me too.  Just buy a good one while lining up a Mooney-experienced transition instructor.  There will be no regret 

Me four.  And total agreement on finding a good Mooney instructor.  Best money I spent during the entire purchase.

And you have your location as "the South." If you're near Atlanta or Ft Rucker, AL, I can let you see mine when I'm making one of my repeated trips back and forth...

[Andy95W]

23 minutes ago, DXB said:

Me too.  Just buy a good one while lining up a Mooney-experienced transition instructor.  There will be no regret 

When I bought my first Mooney in 1992, you just found an instructor that was willing to fly with you and learned, literally, "on the fly".  After that you just hoped for the best and read flying magazines.

Damn I learned a lot from flying that airplane.  And I'm lucky I didn't kill myself.

[KSMooniac]

I was lucky...dad was a partner in a C while I was growing up. Unfortunately he sold it while I was in HS. I started flying the summer after HS, and thru college. Our great flying club had a nice F model that I finally graduated to in my last year when I was getting my IR. Flew it on some trips and was hooked of course.

 

When I moved to Wichita in '97 I got lucky again and found a few Mooneys to rent as well as other planes, including a V-tail I liked too. I joined a club with a nice 182RG for a while. But when it came time to purchase something, Mooney towers over all the rest for efficiency, speed, and especially cost for XC missions so nothing else got seriously considered. It sure helped that I was familiar with them too!

 

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[rbridges]

I got lucky.  I had a buddy with a C model.  He flew me up to Atlanta to check out another C model that was for sale.  Six years later, I'm still flying that same mooney.

[AH-1 Cobra Pilot]

My dad had a C-model when I was about 14.  I really did not fit in the back seat, but I remember how fast and efficient the plane was.  I only flew it from the right seat, and only once airborne.

I had previously owned a Cessna P-172, a C-310, and now owned a C-152 that my boys had learned to fly.  I was ready for a faster airplane, so I got with a friend to buy one.  We decided on something fairly fast, but not too expensive, thus looked at C-177RGs and Mooney 201s.  The Cardinal is somewhat more comfortable, (2 doors, higher seats, better entry), but the Mooney is faster, and at least at the time, somewhat less expensive for what you get.  The J-model is bigger, so you can actually carry two people in the back seat without discomfort.

I am really happy with the plane and will definitely lean towards another Mooney if/when I decide to upgrade.

P.S.  My dad now has a T-210, so if I ever need to carry a lot more, I can always borrow from him! ;-)

[Mooneymite]

9 hours ago, kpaul said:

I bought one.  The first Mooney that I flew had my name on the title.

Me, four.

I was buying a plane for my son to build time in.  I had never even been close to a Mooney and certainly had no intention of keeping it after my son was done.

19 years later, the son is working for an airline and I still have the Mooney.

It is a happy story.

[Joe Zuffoletto]

I got my PPL while attending Princeton. Princeton had its own flying club and I was renting 152s and 172s there. Because of my heavy course load I couldn't plan flights ahead of time... it was usually last-minute when I had a few free hours open up. Back then (1985-1987) the flying club was busy and it was almost impossible to get a 152 or 172 at the last minute.

Fortunately, some wealthy alums put a brand new 201, 231 and 252 into the club. I was one of the few members who had a complex endorsement, so the 201 became my ticket to last-minute flying. I emerged from my checkout realizing that this awesome airplane left the Pipers and Cessnas I had been flying in the dust in every possible way. That's how I got hooked. I flew the snot out of that plane during my junior and senior years. It was awesome.

Here I am with that bird almost exactly 30 years ago, May 9th, 1987, one month before graduation. This was at the now closed Bader Field in Atlantic City, NJ.

 

[carusoam]

Some things I got out of this thread...

1) have a relative that flies a Mooney.

2) read a book that describes used airplanes.

3) prefer Speed and efficiency over tremendous volume.

4) Go to Princeton... Airport for flight training.  University for life training... 

5) Buying based on the numbers approach works.

6) Going for a flight in one works well too.  T/O and climb rate of an M20C is huge compared to an ordinary C152/172.

7) Find where a Mooney fly in is happening.

8) It helps if you share your location. Go out on a limb.

9) For best pricing buy during the winter of a financial downturn. 

10) Know what a PPI is.

Stuff I read around here...

Best regards,

-a-

 

[TTaylor]

It works like any other addiction:

Hey Kid, want to try one?  First ride is free. .

 

 

 

[thinwing]

Great stories all...In 1981 I had just sold my first aircraft a 108-3 Stinson...The local fbo had a three year old J model with N201xx for rent.I asked what the 201 ment and the Fbo guy said "that's how fast it is in mph"So I got a 1 flight retract checkout and was good to rent it.It still had that new airplane smell..it was a hell of a lot faster than the Stinson ...It wasn't until 2009 that I bought my first Mooney...

[bonal]

I bought a Cessna 150 to learn how to fly and my ramp spot was a couple hundred feet from one of the most respected Mooney service centers. started getting to know the folks there and became friends with one of the ferry pilots and went on some flights to have fun learn and also help push the planes in and out of the hangars we visited. ( yes I bet some of you did not know this but I have flown your Mooney ) right seat as the pic made a list of issues to be corrected.  It was very clear that these were excellent designed airplanes and wonderful to fly. and for me even within my budget.  To the OP privide some more info on yourself prove your not a troll and mooney space will be a fantastic place to learn all you need to know about these airplanes.

[Bennett]

After about a thousand hours in Cessna's, Pipers, and Beechcraft aircraft (including retracts), I bought my first Mooney. Sat down with the POH the night I wrote the check, and the next day climbed into the airplane and flew her. No instructors; just me, but with fresh knowledge from the POH. Would have it have been smarter to fly with a CFI, or a CFI familiar with Mooneys? Sure, but I found that Mooney (231) easy to fly, as I do any of the Mooneys I have owned.


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[scottnelson903]

I've been researching all the numbers and have settled on buying a 231. We will be flying into Colorado ski towns. Like some of you have said "I've never flown in one". I have over 5000 hours. Probably 2000 in turbo bonanzas and turbo 210's.
Anybody near the Texas panhandle willing to go flying? I'll buy the gas and some lunch.


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[Hank]

16 hours ago, kpaul said:

I bought one.  The first Mooney that I flew had my name on the title.

I was finishing up my PPL, in the XC stage, looking at Trade A Planes, etc., in the FBO and asking lots of questions . . . A Mooney on the field was mentioned, I started researching safety, speed and fuel economy and was hooked. Talked a little with him, then had to put it on the back burner to finish my license. 

My first trip was ten days after my checkride; the weekend after that, I test flew the Mooney. Three weeks later, I was filling out FAA forms and handing over a check one evening after work. When we were done, my wife said, "can I see the plane?" Shocked that she hadn't yet, we all walked into the hangar for the introduction. My insurance dual finished on Labor Day Sunday, my wife and I took our first trip on Monday, and the pre-departure photo of both of us by the plane was her Facebook picture for the next 3-4 years.

[Hank]

Dp

Edited May 4, 2017 by Hank

[Rmag]

I was looking a single engine piston airplane.  A business associate was looking to sell his M20J.  I thought it was a good, fast, and capable plane at a good price.  I went and looked at it and then I entered an Agreement of Sale, got a PPI, and bought it.  Never flew a Mooney until the day I bought it.

[The Other Red Baron]

It is interesting to hear how everyone "got into" their Mooney. I'm in Northwest Arkansas.  I'm surprised so many first Mooney flights were with your own Mooneys.

DMJones: thanks for the invite but I never make it over that far East.  Maybe I'm scared of crossing the Mississippi...

MBDiagMan: thanks for offering to take me up.  I get down to Texas occasionally. I need my BFR and I want to get my IR rating in the next month or so and then I may take you up on your offer. I'm guessing some BBQ sounds good? Part of my concern is what you brought up regarding being cramped.  I'm completely average. Well, a bit of a gut but otherwise average.  I know I can sit in 172s and Maules comfortably for a few hours.  I know I can handle being in a 152 for awhile especially if I'm solo. I think the Mooney would be fine perfectly but it is always nice to get a look and experience it.

chrixxer, I think I'm going through the same list of aircraft you went through in my search.  I've been looking at Grumman AA-1A, AA-5B, and others...mogas STC is appealing to save on fuel costs but the Mooney opens up so many more opportunities.

Bonal: Trolls don't fit in planes! What would you like to know?

[gsxrpilot]

40 minutes ago, revwatch said:

MBDiagMan: thanks for offering to take me up.  I get down to Texas occasionally. I need my BFR and I want to get my IR rating in the next month or so and then I may take you up on your offer. I'm guessing some BBQ sounds good? Part of my concern is what you brought up regarding being cramped.  I'm completely average. Well, a bit of a gut but otherwise average.  I know I can sit in 172s and Maules comfortably for a few hours.  I know I can handle being in a 152 for awhile especially if I'm solo. I think the Mooney would be fine perfectly but it is always nice to get a look and experience it.

The idea that a Mooney cockpit is cramped is a bit of an undeserved reputation. The cockpit is actually wider than all the Cessna's including the 210. It's also wider than the Bonanza's and most of the Pipers. But unlike those other planes, there is little room above your head and no room under your seat. Of course while seated and wearing a seat belt, the human body doesn't actually have much use for either of those spaces. Width is what you need and the Mooney has more than the others.

Come down to Texas. There are lot's of Mooneys around and it's easy to get a ride in a few different models.

[HRM]

22 hours ago, revwatch said:

I've been researching different make/models of as many single engine planes I can find the past few weeks to decide what and how much of a plane I can afford.  I find that I keep coming back to the Mooney M20 due to generally being affordable, fast enough, and relatively fuel efficient.  Today I just realized I've never even seen one for rent.  I've only rented planes at a handful of places but I've never once saw a Mooney for rent, the only person I know that owns a plane flies a Piper PA-28, and I've never seen one at my local airport. How did you guys that aren't in or near large cities even get into flying a Mooney in the first place? 

When I was a professor at UCF I became friends with a psychology professor who was an ex-fighter pilot. He introduced me to Mooney and at that time, a newly minted pilot, I could only dream. Over two decades later, when I could begin to think of owning a Mooney, I went out and began my search. I found my Mooney at an airport only an hours drive from where I live, in the backwater of Southeast Texas. I flew the plane and was smitten so hard that I had to possess it. Now, after eight years of ownership and a staggering amount of money, I am a happy Mooniac. 

Frankly, it isn't easy (the best things in life rarely are!), but a Mooney is an FAA certified aircraft and as such can be repaired by any qualified A&P. I have been quite lucky in finding people to repair or help me to repair my Mooney. I'm an engineer, and if a psychologist can own and love a Mooney, I will be damned if I can't as well. It really isn't for the faint hearted. You need to be either wealthy, an A&P or very technically savvy to own a Mooney. That's why you do not see them for rent. 

There really is nothing like a Mooney.

[N252WD]

About 5 years ago I bought a Piper Cherokee from Jimmy at All American Aircraft. That's the first time I sat in a Mooney. He asked if I would like to take one up, I turned him down knowing that I couldn't afford one (so I thought). Flew  the Cherokee home and my family loved it. We flew back and forth to Tulsa (from Houston) all the time. Took about 3-3.5 hours. Had it for almost 2 years and my wife gave me the green light to upgrade planes. I flew alot of different models from Piper, Cessna, Bonanza, Cirrus, even Columbia. In all my search still haven't flew a Mooney, so I called Jimmy and he told me to come over that I could fly whatever he had. I went to see him told him my mission and I wanted speed. He put me in a Rocket w/ his partner David, he told me to hang on at takeoff, laughing I told him I was ready. We started our roll and then the turbo kicked in. After being pushed back in the seat, he pulled back the yoke, it seemed like we were going straight up. Before I knew it we were at 6500'. He turned over the controls, I flew it about 20 mins. I told him lets land so I could buy it. LOL. Unfortunately, it had a gear up and I couldn't get it. So, after about a month, Jimmy calls me saying he just got in a new 252 that he knows that I would love. I bought it right there and then w/out flying it. I have had it for 3+ years now and dont regret it once. My family loves it and our Tulsa run now an 1- 1.5 hours. We make weekend trips to Knoxville and Denver from Houston (3-4 hours) all the time. Far as cramped.... I am 6' tall 250lbs, my wife 5'6" tall 120lbs, up front we have plenty of room. My kids, 17 year girl and 7 year old son have plenty of room in the back. And still have room for baggage. 

[RLCarter]

21 minutes ago, N252WD said:

Unfortunately, it had a gear up and I couldn't get it.

It had a gear up while on the test flight?

[N252WD]

Just now, RLCarter said:

It had a gear up while on the test flight?

Sorry no, it had a gear up in the history. Finance Co. wouldn't go for it. Test flight was smooth.

[kerry]

On the Mooney website it says you can contact them and they'll schedule a demonstration flight.  

[MBDiagMan]

3 hours ago, revwatch said:

It is interesting to hear how everyone "got into" their Mooney. I'm in Northwest Arkansas.  I'm surprised so many first Mooney flights were with your own Mooneys.

DMJones: thanks for the invite but I never make it over that far East.  Maybe I'm scared of crossing the Mississippi...

MBDiagMan: thanks for offering to take me up.  I get down to Texas occasionally. I need my BFR and I want to get my IR rating in the next month or so and then I may take you up on your offer. I'm guessing some BBQ sounds good? Part of my concern is what you brought up regarding being cramped.  I'm completely average. Well, a bit of a gut but otherwise average.  I know I can sit in 172s and Maules comfortably for a few hours.  I know I can handle being in a 152 for awhile especially if I'm solo. I think the Mooney would be fine perfectly but it is always nice to get a look and experience it.

chrixxer, I think I'm going through the same list of aircraft you went through in my search.  I've been looking at Grumman AA-1A, AA-5B, and others...mogas STC is appealing to save on fuel costs but the Mooney opens up so many more opportunities.

Bonal: Trolls don't fit in planes! What would you like to know?

 Make the normal statement about size, but unless you are very large it won't be a problem.  I had been flying Sandy in my Cessna 140 and wanted her to sit in a Mooney to see how we fit.  Niether of us are large except I am 6'1".  When we climbed in, she said "there is more room in here than in your Cessna."  The width of a 140 is the same as a 150.

Before I retired I did lots of work in Fort Smith, Fayetteville, Rogers and Russellville.  I might make it up there some time.  We are in Europe on vacation right now, but we are anxious to do some flying in something besides a huge bus with wings, so maybe we will go that way when we get home.