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Abandoned Mooneys


Raptor05121

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Sorry I don't have any old Mooney photos (at the moment, I'll start looking), but for years I used to fly predominantly to South America.  There were always lots of derelicts down there, sitting in the tall grass.  I always dreamed of getting one into my back yard and turning it into a tree house...

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2 hours ago, rbridges said:

looks like he let the registration expire in 2013.  I guess he's still hoping....

The last time I spoke to him he was well aware that his planes weren't worth much at all. He was not delusional in thinking they were worth a lot of money. He knew his Aztec was only worth it's weight in scrap metal prices and that it would probably cost him to get rid of it.

Like I said, he's an old timer with what sounds like plenty of flying in better times. He said he got the Aztec to carry him and his wife with all her luggage to places. When his wife passed away, he got the Mooney for himself. I guess at this point it must be worth it to him to pay the tie down fees just to keep mementos around.

I don't know if he would sell if approached or not, but with all the cheap flying Mooneys on the market now, I doubt anyone would want it. Maybe it's best to keep it in storage. I really don't want his planes to go away because there are more tie downs on our field than anybody knows what to do with. As long as he pays his bills, it's good for the airport.

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29 minutes ago, DMJones said:

Sorry I don't have any old Mooney photos (at the moment, I'll start looking), but for years I used to fly predominantly to South America.  There were always lots of derelicts down there, sitting in the tall grass.  I always dreamed of getting one into my back yard and turning it into a tree house...

That would be an awesome treehouse!! What a project!

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Scenic site is Hodges airpark (GA39) 5NM west of Hunter AAF (KSVN) in Savannah, GA.

My friend keeps his RV9 there when in town and according to airpark owner, this ’68 F is here “forever” and not flying probably close to 10 years.

Paint looks all original, corroded screws and opaque windows so you can’t really see inside, but someone put air in tires and is paying tie down regularly.

According to FAA, registration expired 2013…

 

Someone should adopt this waif…

I’m afraid this one might leave only on a back of the truck.

IMG_4140.JPG

IMG_3998.JPG

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I've said it before and I'll say it again and all of you can hold me to it...

If I'm ever in a situation where I can't fly my airplane for more than a few months, I'll find some young aspiring pilot/CFI/etc who needs hours, get them listed on the insurance and make them a set of keys. And if its a financial situation where I can't afford to maintain the plane, I'll either sell it or bring on a partner or two, even if all they can do is cover maintenance and running costs. But one way or another, it needs to keep flying.

Holding onto an airplane and keeping it from flying, just because it's yours and you're not in a position to fly it, until it rots, is selfish and shameful.

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2 minutes ago, gsxrpilot said:

I've said it before and I'll say it again and all of you can hold me to it...

If I'm ever in a situation where I can't fly my airplane for more than a few months, I'll find some young aspiring pilot/CFI/etc who needs hours, get them listed on the insurance and make them a set of keys. And if its a financial situation where I can't afford to maintain the plane, I'll either sell it or bring on a partner or two, even if all they can do is cover maintenance and running costs. But one way or another, it needs to keep flying.

Holding onto an airplane and keeping it from flying, just because it's yours and you're not in a position to fly it, until it rots, is selfish and shameful.

That all works until one goes senile and can't remember the commitment you made and get angry when others try to remind you.

Clarence 

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16 hours ago, EricJ said:

Sadly, in the Phoenix area a fair percentage of the airplanes tied down outside, i.e., not in a hangar or shelter, appear to be derelict to some degree or other.

I noticed that also at Glendale KGEU. What was sad was this was by owner choice, as I also saw a number of hangers "for sale" there. Hangar availability didnt appear to be the problem like it is so many places.

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The story, as I've heard it, is that this plane was sold, but before the sale went through, went for maintenance, had an engine failure ended up at Corvallis(KCVO) and has been sitting ever since. It was on the FBO ramp but when the eclipse came through they moved it out to a previous taxiway. 

 

IMG_20171024_161021_s.jpg

IMG_20171024_161059_s.jpg

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I've said it before and I'll say it again and all of you can hold me to it...
If I'm ever in a situation where I can't fly my airplane for more than a few months, I'll find some young aspiring pilot/CFI/etc who needs hours, get them listed on the insurance and make them a set of keys. And if its a financial situation where I can't afford to maintain the plane, I'll either sell it or bring on a partner or two, even if all they can do is cover maintenance and running costs. But one way or another, it needs to keep flying.
Holding onto an airplane and keeping it from flying, just because it's yours and you're not in a position to fly it, until it rots, is selfish and shameful.


I think we all feel the same until Father Time catches up with you and you begin holding onto that mental image of your youth.

The same goes for driving a car. My father-in-law reached a point where it was clear he shouldn’t be driving anymore. His wife took the keys away from him and I remember him pleading with me to help him get back into the driver’s seat.

The best help I could offer was to convince his wife to let him take a driver’s test at the DMV to prove he still had what it took. I offered to help him practice and after 10 minutes of hitting cones, he turned to me and asked me to take him home.


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I think we all feel the same until Father Time catches up with you and you begin holding onto that mental image of your youth.

The same goes for driving a car. My father-in-law reached a point where it was clear he shouldn’t be driving anymore. His wife took the keys away from him and I remember him pleading with me to help him get back into the driver’s seat.

The best help I could offer was to convince his wife to let him take a driver’s test at the DMV to prove he still had what it took. I offered to help him practice and after 10 minutes of hitting cones, he turned to me and asked me to take him home.


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That’s the great thing about an airplane. I can still sit in the left seat long after a medical is no longer a possibility. I just need a CFI riding along in the right seat.
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1 minute ago, gsxrpilot said:


That’s the great thing about an airplane. I can still sit in the left seat long after a medical is no longer a possibility. I just need a CFI riding along in the right seat. emoji41.png

Or a responsible licensed pilot.

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7 hours ago, gsxrpilot said:

nd if its a financial situation where I can't afford to maintain the plane, I'll either sell it or bring on a partner or two

That is a great thing.  That's how I got back to flying.  It had become so difficult for me to reserve and get access to rental planes here that I went several years without flying.  When I decided I really wanted to get back to it, I found a small partnership to join.  It was the same way.  The original owner had the plane but didn't want it to sit.  He knew it would just rot if it sat, so he took on partners to keep the plane active.  Worked out for all of us.  We got into a plane very cheaply and he had the plane he wasn't willing to sell continually flying.  Got me back into flying enough that I wanted to branch out and now I'm on my Mooney.

Wish more people would do that.  So many planes wasting away and so many pilots who would like to share the costs with someone and have access to a plane.

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That’s the great thing about an airplane. I can still sit in the left seat long after a medical is no longer a possibility. I just need a CFI riding along in the right seat.


Yeah but you wouldn’t be able to get to the airport because your wife would have taken your keys away.



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3 hours ago, Steve W said:

The story, as I've heard it, is that this plane was sold, but before the sale went through, went for maintenance, had an engine failure ended up at Corvallis(KCVO) and has been sitting ever since. It was on the FBO ramp but when the eclipse came through they moved it out to a previous taxiway. 

 

IMG_20171024_161021_s.jpg

 

dang, it even has the 201 windshield.  I guess it saw better times at one point.

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Yeah but you wouldn’t be able to get to the airport because your wife would have taken your keys away.



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Paul if I get to ride around in your 252, I'll drive you to the airport...:)


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6 hours ago, Steve W said:

The story, as I've heard it, is that this plane was sold, but before the sale went through, went for maintenance, had an engine failure ended up at Corvallis(KCVO) and has been sitting ever since. It was on the FBO ramp but when the eclipse came through they moved it out to a previous taxiway. 

 

IMG_20171024_161021_s.jpg

IMG_20171024_161059_s.jpg

I like the auxiliary fuel tank. Seems like something's missing though...

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12 hours ago, Igor_U said:

Scenic site is Hodges airpark (GA39) 5NM west of Hunter AAF (KSVN) in Savannah, GA.

My friend keeps his RV9 there when in town and according to airpark owner, this ’68 F is here “forever” and not flying probably close to 10 years.

Paint looks all original, corroded screws and opaque windows so you can’t really see inside, but someone put air in tires and is paying tie down regularly.

According to FAA, registration expired 2013…

 

Someone should adopt this waif…

I’m afraid this one might leave only on a back of the truck.

IMG_4140.JPG

IMG_3998.JPG

I'll take that prop!

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10 hours ago, DMJones said:

Seriously.  Fly it or tree house!

It is too bad that a bunch of these derelict airplanes (not just Mooneys) couldn't be rounded up and made into a playground area for kids at the airport. I would have loved that as a kid. I suppose liability, lawyers, insurance, etc... :(

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