Mooney Instructors In Nashville/Middle TN Area

[kurtsnyder]

Hi all. I have been lurking around these boards for a while now and have finally decided to start posting. I have been bit by the Mooney bug. I have been looking for the past couple of months and as soon as I find the right one, I'm pulling the trigger. I'm just wondering if anyone can recommend a good instructor in the Nashville area. I am about 3 hours away from my PPL checkride. As soon as I find my Mooney, I want to start working on my IR. I would also need to get 15 hours or so dual before I could fly solo since it's a complex. Any suggestions?

[dougmilam]

Kurt,

I can understand your interest in Mooney aircraft!  I also am a Nashville pilot and have owned a J for three years. To say that I am very happy with my aircraft is an understatement.  My situation is a little different than yours in that I had been flying about 9 years before I bought the J.  Previously I was a partner in a Cherokee 6 with other guys.  When that broke up I began flying rental DA20's and a DA40 at Wings of Eagles at Smyrna.  They were surprisingly fun to fly, but after a while I began to think that I may want to purchase a complex high performance single.  I did the checkout to fly their Arrow obtaining a complex endorsement in the process and then went on to fly that Arrow about 40 hours before purchasing my J.  I did not have any Mooney time, but the complex time made checkout for insurance a breeze.  I'm reluctant to give advice, but I will anyway.  My recommendation is to knock out your complex endorsement before purchasing your next aircraft.  Wings at Smyrna has an Arrow and that would be a good place to do that.  Paul Lamb is a great guy and he would be able to set you up with a good instructor whose availability matches yours.  Then if you purchase a Mooney you probably should familiarize yourself with the plane for at least 20 hours before beginning your instrument.  I'm one of those guys that believes more time in the sky is better.  I am based out of JWN and think highly of several instructors that I know there, but I don't believe that Wings JWN has an Arrow. 

Doug

[Jeff_S]

Kurt, here's my experience for what it's worth. I had a Warrior that I flew for three years after getting my PPL and put on 500+ hours. I got my IR in that plane. Bought the J a year ago and now have about 120 hours in it. I did not have a complex endorsement before buying the J but got it over 10 hours in two days with my transition instructor. The fact that I already had my IR, and over 500 hours, kept the 1st year insurance premiums on the J respectable (~$1800 as I recall).

I can tell you that with my flight pattern, mostly shorter weekend flights and a few long cross countries scattered around, it did take me a good 50-60 hours in the J before I finally felt comfortable with all the systems and like I was "wearing" the airplane like I did with the Warrior. There's just a lot more going on in a complex plane. So adding that complexity while at the same time learning to master the intricacies of IR flight training will certainly give you a workout. Not impossible, but just something for you to be aware of.

Doug, are you coming to the SE Mooney Fly-In at the TN Museum of Aviation on Feb 26? We'd love to have you there!  Here's a link for more info: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=134362489964121&index=1.

[kurtsnyder]

Thank you both for the great info. It sounds like I might be a little too ambitious and I may need to just slow down a little. I think I should try to work on getting my complex endorsement first.

Doug, I have talked with the guys at both the JWN and MQY Wings of Eagles and they seem really nice. I almost went to JWN for my PPL training, but ended up doing it here at M91 Springfield since I live 5 min from the field. I also have some great news on the Mooney training front! I spoke with someone at Volunteer Aviation located at Oulaw Field in Clarksville and they have an older Mooney with a Johnson Bar that they rent wet for $110 an hour!! The guy I spoke with wasn't sure what model it is, but he said that the instructor up there can get me my complex in an actual Mooney. Not only that, it's $10 an hour cheaper than the 172 I'm renting now. I was on cloud 9 when I heard that!! If the weather clears up, I might try to schedule an hour next week. (Even though I need to just work on passing my checkride!)

Thanks again both of you all for your great advice!

 

[jpusser]

There is no such thing as being to ambitious, why would you want to wait to buy a Mooney.  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to fly a complex or a Mooney.  If it takes you 10 hours to learn how to control the prop and put the gear up and down you probably should reconsider flying. The military starts you with a 1200 hp turboprop after your private. 

[231Pilot]

Fly the Mooney.  There is no reason not to learn to fly a complex aircraft.  If the instructor is good, he/she will guide you through the steps you must master.  I bought my first Mooney (a '67C) when I had 87 hours.  I wish I had done it much sooner.  You will love the manual gear, I wish they had continued to offer it on the J.  That was the main thing that kept me from moving up to a J for a long time.  I have a J now, and I want a K.  Flying fast and high is the way to go.

[Jeff_S]

Quote: jpusser

If it takes you 10 hours to learn how to control the prop and put the gear up and down you probably should reconsider flying. The military starts you with a 1200 hp turboprop after your private. 

[sleepingsquirrel]

HI,

 My experience is that my Mooney is not as forgiving as the Cessna line. Movement through 150, 172, 182 was pretty much a non-event for me . I suspect Cessna made it this way on purpose. I have plenty of low wing time in the Piper ,Beechcraft fixed gear,fixed pitch prop line but as someone pointed out adding too much workload in a complex too soon could be overwhelming. I'm a VFR pilot with no ambition to fly IFR but I can see how a Mooney would excell in that environment. All in All, If you can buy one at the right time and the right price go ahead , I did! , I believe the Mooney is a breed apart and can be a loyal flying partner, just don't tease her. Approach her like you would a skittish horse. Once mounted she will gallop off into the wild blue. It's just the getting on and off that counts.

[Hank]

Kurt--

I bought my C-model with 62 hrs. total time, and I paid for it in the first year's insurance. Go for your complex rating first, and getting it in a Mooney for less money than your current Cessna is a wonderful opportunity. My insurance cut in half for the 2nd year because I tired to fly the wings off of the plane, and hit 100 Mooney hours before renewal. It's a magical number for the underwriters. The more of it you have when you purchase, the better off you will be, but expect 15 hours dual when you do purchase.

The IR is a wonderful thing for travelling, but you really want to be comfortable in the plane, know the procedures, know the settings, how she handles and responds, before you start. I started a couple of times . . . a good "fit" with the instructor is critical, too.

While it is hard to do, put the Mooney out of your mind and finish your PPL. I had to concentrate hard on that for my last three weeks before my PPL checkride, and five weeks later I owned half of her, but getting insurance was a challenge. Get your PPL, get checked out and have fun getting some good Mooney time while you are shopping!

[jpusser]

I don't intend or want to offend anyone but mooneys are not that hard to fly.  There is only about 5 mph difference in the flaps up stall speed of a 172 and full flaps in a M20C.  So if you have done any no flap landings in a 172 there is not much difference in the approach speeds.  The climb rate is about the same, weights are about the same, hp is only 20 different.  Yes it is a little harder than some trainners but its not a super complex hard to fly airplane so when a new pilot is interested in getting into a Mooney why do we want to make them think its a rocketship.

[leesh]

Wow, it's amazing to see the variety of opinions. Here's one more from someone still getting familiar with the Mooney.

I had a 12 yr. hiatus from flying after building 270 hours and in instrument rating in Piper Warriors and C172s. Now in a better situation to fly and own a plane, I jumped back in any got my flight review in a Warrior and then immediately bought an M20F in December. Prior to the trip down to FL from MA to pick up the plane, I had about 3 hours of complex time in an Arrow. My insurance required that I have 15 hrs dual in the Mooney before taking off the training wheels. My instructor went down with me to FL to pick up the plane and I spent the first 9 hrs on the flight back (very strong headwinds and a conservative 24x24 cruise setting), which gave me 3 to/ldgs and a lot of straight & level practice. I got the complex endorsement and sign-off to fly it on my own after another 7 hours with the instructor. Since then I've been able to get in only about 5 hours of solo time due to the weather, and am now just starting to get a refresher on my instrument rating.

While I'm getting comfortable with the plane, I feel like I'm still learning and will continue to learn more about this plane for some time. While it's true you don't come in much faster than a 172, it's definitely much less forgiving if you don't keep it right in the numbers. It's much harder to slow down the plane if you're a bit too fast in the pattern or on final. One of the biggest challenges for me is in knowing when to start the descent and start getting the speed down to enter the pattern. In addition, with an additional 30-40kts of cruise speed you have to plan ahead better.

I agree with Hank and those who suggest getting the PPL and some time under your belt before jumping into a Mooney. You may also want to check with some insurance companies to see what you would be dealing with if you buy a Mooney. There's a guy at my airport who bought his M20C right after getting his PPL (mostly in C152s) who had to fly 40 hrs with the instructor (insurance requirement) before he could solo it. I would imagine that his rate was pretty high also. I love learning with an instructor, but would have gone nuts if I had to spend 40 hrs. with him before flying the plane on my own.

Alisha

[Parker_Woodruff]

Who says you need 15 hours dual prior to solo?  If it's the insurance company, that's one thing.   But not regulatory.

Also, if you want to get in the Mooney, get in the Mooney.  Find a Mooney-experienced CFI / CFI-I and go for it.  You don't have to fly solo until you feel comfortable!!  My landings in the Mooneys are still consistently better than any day in a Cessna. (I'm an 835 hour CFI/ CFI-I with probably 475 hours in Cessnas!).

A Mooney is a great instrument platform.  I'm down in Texas, but if you need any help with Instrument stuff or just airplane acquisition stuff, shoot me an email.

[Parker_Woodruff]

Quote: leesh

I agree with Hank and those who suggest getting the PPL and some time under your belt before jumping into a Mooney. You may also want to check with some insurance companies to see what you would be dealing with if you buy a Mooney. There's a guy at my airport who bought his M20C right after getting his PPL (mostly in C152s) who had to fly 40 hrs with the instructor (insurance requirement) before he could solo it. I would imagine that his rate was pretty high also. I love learning with an instructor, but would have gone nuts if I had to spend 40 hrs. with him before flying the plane on my own.

Alisha

[leesh]

Quote: Parker_Woodruff

Who says you need 15 hours dual prior to solo?  If it's the insurance company, that's one thing.   But not regulatory.

Also, if you want to get in the Mooney, get in the Mooney.  Find a Mooney-experienced CFI / CFI-I and go for it.  You don't have to fly solo until you feel comfortable!!  My landings in the Mooneys are still consistently better than any day in a Cessna. (I'm an 835 hour CFI/ CFI-I with probably 475 hours in Cessnas!).

A Mooney is a great instrument platform.  I'm down in Texas, but if you need any help with Instrument stuff or just airplane acquisition stuff, shoot me an email.

[kurtsnyder]

What a lot of good information! I'm taking the written this week as well as scheduling the checkride. I'm going to focus on that and then start obsessing over Mooneys again!

[philipneeper]

i have a question on the mcfi ... what classifies a cfi to be a mcfi... do they need to have mooney flight time or are they an actual mooney instructor?

[philipneeper]

i have a question on the mcfi ... what classifies a cfi to be a mcfi... do they need to have mooney flight time or are they an actual mooney instructor?

[sleepingsquirrel]

From what I've been reading about Mooney CFIs ,you have probably exceeded all their experience if you have made one take off and landing with an approach speed below 90 kts.

You do really need one for instruction in describing all the things you can't do in a Mooney , like , fit in one.

You can't land one without a 6000 foot runway.

You can't stall one because it will enter a spin which is unrecoverable.

You can't do touch and goes in a Mooney except maybe on 12,000 foot runway.

I'd bet money that a good Mooney instructor flies a Mooney as his personal choice in airplanes. Yep, that would be my signal.