Eduleo Posted September 6, 2018 Report Posted September 6, 2018 (edited) Dear Mooney community, I am in the process of purchasing my first aircraft, and one of the options for a pre-buy inspection is in Easton, MD. I see that it is an airport often flown by members of this forum, but I don’t see anything about Trident Aircraft. Has any of you worked with them before? Any information you could share would be greatly appreciated. This is my first post here, but I hope it is the first out of many. It is an invaluable resource for those of us who are rookie owners. Best Eduardo Edited September 6, 2018 by Eduleo
Guest Posted September 6, 2018 Report Posted September 6, 2018 Welcome Eduardo! I don’t know the company you’re asking about. Who ever you selecto for the PPI, be sure they are very thorough. Clarence
gsxrpilot Posted September 6, 2018 Report Posted September 6, 2018 I don't know anything about Trident. But I do know that I'd rather a pre-buy be done by a shop that specializes in Mooneys. They'll know what to look for that might be unique to Mooneys. In that part of the country, Air-Mods in Robbinsville, NJ is a well known Mooney shop.
carusoam Posted September 7, 2018 Report Posted September 7, 2018 As the purchaser, the PPI is you’re expense. Select a good Mooney shop/ mechanic. It / he should be independent of previous owner’s annuals. There are two MSCs sort of close... NJ and eastern PA... What Mooney are you buying? Standby for some MSers in the MD area to answer... Best regards, -a-
Eduleo Posted September 8, 2018 Author Report Posted September 8, 2018 Thank you all for your kind replies. Plane is going up to Lancaster for its PPi. 1
larrynimmo Posted September 8, 2018 Report Posted September 8, 2018 There are several good “mooney” mechanics working out of Freeway airport near Bowie, Md and I’m sure they will come to easton for a pre-buy what model are you looking to buy?
Eduleo Posted September 9, 2018 Author Report Posted September 9, 2018 Thank you, Larry. It's a M20J that has most of its annuals done at Freeway, that's why I was looking for a different MSC. Otherwise I would be going to Freeway.
Jim Peace Posted September 10, 2018 Report Posted September 10, 2018 On 9/7/2018 at 12:54 PM, carusoam said: There are two MSCs sort of close... NJ and eastern PA... Really? Who is the MSC in NJ? I have called mooney and have been on their site a lot. Don’t see one. A great shop familiar with Mooney’s in NJ is C&W at Caldwell. Very reputable and busy. They know their stuff. Avionics colocated as well 1
carusoam Posted September 10, 2018 Report Posted September 10, 2018 Not seeing the NJ shops that used to be there... https://www.mooney.com/service Weber is a well respected shop, So Eduardo should be in good shape going forward... Jim, did you get any satisfaction regarding your situation and discussions with Mooney? Best regards, -a-
Jim Peace Posted September 10, 2018 Report Posted September 10, 2018 3 minutes ago, carusoam said: Jim, did you get any satisfaction regarding your situation and discussions with Mooney? Best regards, -a- Got no where other than me spending over 1000 dollars to fix a problem that a so called MSC caused. I did get a lawyer involved for a consultation but quickly realized that even though he said I was in the right it was going to cost me more then 1000 dollars just to get him going and it was still a gamble being that courts rarely side with people vs corporate America. After I told Mooney service in Texas what happened they called the shop and found out what they did, told me they were wrong, offered to find me parts free of charge and then poof, never heard from them again....Mooney was no help other than to verify who is and who is not a MSC. Mooney did not want to get in the middle of a fight especially with a shop that does work on a lot of Mooneys. They rather lose me than them....never heard from them again even though they said they were going to get me parts free of charge and took all my information down. So what did I do? I sourced the parts on my own and took it to a great Mooney shop in northern NJ and paid the money out of my own pocket and got the job done and moved on. I now know who NOT to go to.. Some free advice, if the shop you bring your plane to is a total mess and disorganized, guys smoking as they work on your plane etc, stay away. What you are seeing is actually what is going on in the manager and mechanics mind. Do you want that chaos in their mindset to come near your plane? Are their exceptions to this? No absolutely not. sorry for the long story...
Eduleo Posted November 4, 2018 Author Report Posted November 4, 2018 Quick update: I ended up buying the plane for a fair price (at least I hope so), after the pre--buy at Henry Weber (Lancaster, PA). Converted the per-buy into a two-months-early annual that took longer because of a crack in the Power Flow exhaust that went down to Florida for repairs and ended up being replace for a new one. it should be ready sometime this week. Otherwise the plane looks nice, no corrosion, engine looks good with clean oil analysis, no fuel leaks, new pucks and tires. I'll finally be starting my transition training by Friday, and I can't wait! About Henry Weber, I couldn't be happier. They have been very thorough, not minding my biweekly visits to the plane (feels like visiting your child at the hospital), and my endless questions. They seem to be reasonable expense-wise, and I'd be happy bringing the plane back there for future annuals. Ownership remains daunting, but there also seems to be a real community that is rare to see outside of aviation. Hope I am as positive a few months from now...
carusoam Posted November 4, 2018 Report Posted November 4, 2018 That was quick... Check in with @201er to get on the NJ Mooney list. If you haven’t done so already... This will enhance your ownership experience... Best regards, -a-
Jim Peace Posted November 4, 2018 Report Posted November 4, 2018 3 hours ago, Eduleo said: Quick update: after the pre--buy at Henry Weber (Lancaster, PA). Hope I am as positive a few months from now... I have only heard great things about that shop. Even after having to spend many thousands on my plane to get it up to my safety standards I am even happier 4 years later.....
Eduleo Posted November 4, 2018 Author Report Posted November 4, 2018 10 hours ago, carusoam said: That was quick... Check in with @201er to get on the NJ Mooney list. If you haven’t done so already... This will enhance your ownership experience... Best regards, -a- Will do!
Bob_Belville Posted November 4, 2018 Report Posted November 4, 2018 Eduardo, I'm curious about the cracked PFS. How old was the system? Did Weber think that the slip joints had been lubed as required? Was that the probable cause of the cracking? Were you satisfied with PFS customer service? My PFS is over 6 years old with no issues at all.
Eduleo Posted November 4, 2018 Author Report Posted November 4, 2018 2 hours ago, Bob_Belville said: Eduardo, I'm curious about the cracked PFS. How old was the system? Did Weber think that the slip joints had been lubed as required? Was that the probable cause of the cracking? Were you satisfied with PFS customer service? My PFS is over 6 years old with no issues at all. Hi Bob, The PFS was installed in 2006. The maintenance logs indicated that the system had been maintained regularly, but Weber MSC didn't think that the problem had developed recently, so someone might have missed something at some point. There was also a dent on one of the large 180º pipes that makes it look like someone had used a rubber hammer to try to get the joints to fit after lubbing. PFS said that they thought they could weld it back since the crack was only 3" long, but a new crack kept appearing as they welded so I had to get a new assembly. PFS seems to try to help with the problem quickly and responsively. The new part does cost $1350 + shipping, it comes with a 1 year warranty. Best E 1
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