A&P Says "Oh no a Mooney?!!"

[KLRDMD]

27 minutes ago, skydvrboy said:

Not going to see that fuel flow either.   To be fair, from a mechanics point of view... they don't care about your fuel flow.

Of course you will see the same fuel flow with the same engine. There *are" Mooneys with larger engines than Bonanzas.

[jaylw314]

2 hours ago, kmyfm20s said:

CrownAir my on field MSC which recently closed (RIP) was also a Cirrus service center. They preferred to work on the Mooney’s but they had all the tight spots figured out and made special tools in the areas that needed it. Every time I would bitch about something I was doing because of my big hands they would smile walk over to the bench pick up some special tool and would you probably needed this, holding it in the air. With that said they did bitch about rocket conversions. 

I'm still sad about their closing, even though I only did a pre-buy there once.  It was also nice knowing they were there since I might be down there more often for family.  They did seem like a quality outfit

[Hank]

3 hours ago, Tcraft938 said:

I think a Mooney . . . will reward you with pretty good service .

"don't buy old and not flown for years so you can save a few $ on purchase because you'll more than make it up on restoration, if you want a garmin panel, find one that has most of what you're looking for, etc".

Life and is full of fun or fund decisions.  I'm fortunate she is supportive of my passion.

These are the important points!! The second and third ones apply regardless of what brand of airplane you buy.

Have fun shopping, and stop in with questions anytime. Hope to see you in your "new" plane soon!

[kmyfm20s]

1 hour ago, jaylw314 said:

I'm still sad about their closing, even though I only did a pre-buy there once.  It was also nice knowing they were there since I might be down there more often for family.  They did seem like a quality outfit

They were busy and profitable but I guess corporate hangar and FBO made them more money. 

[bill98]

3 hours ago, KLRDMD said:

Not gonna see this access on a Mooney of any vintage. Eight ¼ turn fasteners, four per side and you get this view.

 

OMG I am at work! Please do not post "aircraft porn" during work hours!

[Guest]

6 hours ago, KLRDMD said:

Not gonna see this access on a Mooney of any vintage. Eight ¼ turn fasteners, four per side and you get this view.

 

Nice, other than that gold engine in there!

Clarence

[smccray]

7 hours ago, KLRDMD said:

Not gonna see this access on a Mooney of any vintage. Eight ¼ turn fasteners, four per side and you get this view.

 

8 fasteners?  Sounds like a lot of work... the newer planes just use a lever- zero tools to open up the cowling like that.   

[Tcraft938]

11 hours ago, nosky2high said:

It is a very good idea to have several good (rare and hard to find in many places) mechanics available prior to purchase of any vintage airplane so that you will have assistance dealing with the inevitable deferred maintenance issues.

As others have stated, being a proactive owner helps. I do all the parts research, have the jacks, tail weight/stand and gear rigging tools staged in my hangar, air compressor, work tables and benches with maintenance/parts manuals and Mooney annual inspection checklist ready to reference.

My preferred IA can then just focus on doing the required maintenance and continual flying restoration tasks.

I also pay in cash which seems to get me a very good deal and preferred treatment to accommodate my busy schedule. 

Your focus on having good maintenance support shows a high level of airplane ownership IQ. 

Good luck,

AH

 

What you have sounds impressive.  We had a very nice 46 Taylorcraft for awhile and I found an A&P that had a ton of vintage experience and what a difference in cost and knowledge compared to the Cirrus shop.  Stuff I was told couldn't be adjusted, he did in 10 minutes.  He often allowed me to assist so I could learn and I did the research and parts finding and order.  He's stocky, so he's not crazed about the Mooney idea but I'm tall and thin so he knows he can use me as a pipe cleaner if needed and I'll do it.  LOL

[Tcraft938]

3 hours ago, smccray said:

8 fasteners?  Sounds like a lot of work... the newer planes just use a lever- zero tools to open up the cowling like that.   

You're right that's good access.  Also not going to see those two additional cylinders and resultant fuel burn in a Mooney C, E or F either.  Flying is all about what you want and what you're willing to trade to get it.  The only constant in the formula is the trading of $.  Some are worse than a unethical divorce attorney.  :-)

 

[bradp]

Yeah but on the other hand we don’t have any crashtalk threads folks augering in after those big beautiful access doors pop / are left open in flight. 

Same engine as me in a C177 - the room behind the firewall on that plane is huuuge.  

[drapo]

Some airplanes are engineered so mechanics love them, my Mooney was engineered so I can enjoy every minute of flight 

[Yetti]

On 2/19/2019 at 10:20 AM, KLRDMD said:

Not gonna see this access on a Mooney of any vintage. Eight ¼ turn fasteners, four per side and you get this view.

 

Seems like a lot of room, but the grumpy IA was bitching about trying to get the Exhaust temp probes on.   That task would be far easier on a Mooney

[thinwing]

On 2/19/2019 at 8:20 AM, KLRDMD said:

Not gonna see this access on a Mooney of any vintage. Eight ¼ turn fasteners, four per side and you get this view.

 

True..Beech products are great for accessing TOP of engine.....Unfortunately not so much to access the bottom!

[KLRDMD]

10 minutes ago, thinwing said:

True..Beech products are great for accessing TOP of engine.....Unfortunately not so much to access the bottom!

There's lot of room, I'll have to get photos.

[Bob_Belville]

My friends at @AGL Aviation, are not that impressed with any advantage working on Bonanzas. I don't recall details, Tamara may chime in.

 

[thinwing]

Removing lower cowl on his Bonanza is where the fun starts

[FloridaMan]

You don’t want someone who is challenged by a Mooney working on your plane. My IA is in his 20s and did the R&R of my engine on my m20F and the engine monitor install on my Rocket and, given the nature of the install, it all went pretty smoothly. It’s like the guy takes the cowling off, waves his arms around, and the job is done. 

 

[AGL Aviation]

My friends at [mention=14357]AGL Aviation[/mention], are not that impressed with any advantage working on Bonanzas. I don't recall details, Tamara may chime in.
 

Do I have to? .


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[AGL Aviation]

My friends at [mention=14357]AGL Aviation[/mention], are not that impressed with any advantage working on Bonanzas. I don't recall details, Tamara may chime in.
 

Lynn and Nathan will work on them and they maintain a few. The 2 of them are just as thorough on a Beech as they are anything else. Don’t get us wrong, it truly is a well built machine. Maintenance is a bear, though - no matter what is being being done. Overly complicated to access and work on. That’s just our opinion.


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[BRBENNETT]

Find a good Mooney service center and develop a good relationship.  Whenever I had a non-Mooney shop work on my plane they are always calling the service centers to get repair information, thus, taking up more time and billing out more time.  Service centers generally have Mooney parts in stock or know where to get them fast.  I don't evaluate the cost of the service / repair as much as I evaluate the time it took to fix it or do an annual.  Taking 2-3 weeks for an annual is absurd and that has been my experience at a non-Mooney facility.  For my annuals, I fly from KY to Wilmar, MN (Oasis Aviation).  They are a service center and I hang out with them for 1-2 days for an annual.  These guys are good, they know what to look for because they are the experts!!

[Guest]

4 hours ago, BRBENNETT said:

Find a good Mooney service center and develop a good relationship.  Whenever I had a non-Mooney shop work on my plane they are always calling the service centers to get repair information, thus, taking up more time and billing out more time.  Service centers generally have Mooney parts in stock or know where to get them fast.  I don't evaluate the cost of the service / repair as much as I evaluate the time it took to fix it or do an annual.  Taking 2-3 weeks for an annual is absurd and that has been my experience at a non-Mooney facility.  For my annuals, I fly from KY to Wilmar, MN (Oasis Aviation).  They are a service center and I hang out with them for 1-2 days for an annual.  These guys are good, they know what to look for because they are the experts!!

I especially like being on the other end of this one, helping your competitors fixing problems they can’t figue out.  Sometimes the plane even comes our way, and even then you don’t get their future maintenance.

Clarence

[Culver LFA]

On 2/18/2019 at 11:53 PM, M20F said:

Having worked on mine and others would agree that Mooney’s suck to work on in many respects. 

How can you say such a thing? They are easy to work on, they just bite every now and then!