Welcome all!

[Marauder]

When I bought it the airplane had a ton of mods. Just about all of the speed mods, 201 style windows, Southwest TX cowl mod & 1 piece belly. It also has 201 style wing tips with strobes. I'll see if I can attach a pic of the panel. Also pretty clean and updated. Where in Delaware are you located?

image.jpg

Dude! Now I gotta see your plane! I live in Delaware but keep my plane at N57. Here is a picture of my panel. Scary that two mad men would update an F in a similar way, isn't it?!

What side of Bucks are you on?

[carusoam]

With that level of aviation addiction...

Try to get a hangar close to home.

Since you are nearby...

Are you familiar with the NJ Mooney web site?

Best regards,

-a-

[bonal]

I'm on the side of not enough bucks for a panel like that's!

[bonal]

Oh and yes a big welcome from the west coast.

[bjoseph604]

With that level of aviation addiction...

Try to get a hangar close to home.

Since you are nearby...

Are you familiar with the NJ Mooney web site?

Best regards,

-a-

I looked it up. I would love to get involved when I get my airplane back!

[bjoseph604]

Dude! Now I gotta see your plane! I live in Delaware but keep my plane at N57. Here is a picture of my panel. Scary that two mad men would update an F in a similar way, isn't it?!

What side of Bucks are you on?

I'm closest to KDYL

I know N57 well! I fly for a living and pass by that field quite often. As a matter of fact I'll be passing over it on thanksgiving morning!

[Marauder]

I'm closest to KDYL

I know N57 well! I fly for a living and pass by that field quite often. As a matter of fact I'll be passing over it on thanksgiving morning!

If you ever get to fly there, let me know. I will look up on Thanksgiving!

[bjoseph604]

If you ever get to fly there, let me know. I will look up on Thanksgiving!

I should be passing over N57 between 10-1015am. I'll be in an S76 Helicopter. You will probably hear me before you see me!

[mpg]

Hi All...

finally logged in, mostly so I can keep track of all the threads ive been reading over the last week, should have done this sooner!

I live 10 mi so of bremerton national in washington.

I bought the 995$ cessna license special in 78, 40 hrs and 3 mo later I had my ppl.

flew 150, 152, 172, and a big adventure in a cherokee 140 in 80.

flew a bit till 89.only have 95 hr total.

my uncle was the inspiration for me. starting in 65, when i was 11 yo

he and my aunt would fly up from LA for a summer visit, always got a flight seeing ride with him!!

A ranger, a super 21 with turbo and an executive with a bent wing tip. all manual gears and flaps.

1 yr it was a bonanza with tip tanks, But the lawn mower at the airport threw a rock right through the crank case!

he got a free major out of the deal!

[carusoam]

Welcome aboard mpg...

What's next?

Best regards,

-a-

[Mooneymite]

One more plea to all the new guys (and some of the long time posters!) to put some info on your profile as to which model you own and a general idea of where you are located.  We don't need to know anything specific, but it sure helps to make a half-way suitable response to questions, or comments.

 

Something like:

 

Location:  TX

Model:  Don't own a Mooney yet, but leaning toward an 'F'.

 

Thanks!

 

[BKlott]

New member but appreciative of Mooneys from my youth. I'm a second generation pilot. My Dad owned a 1964 C Model, N7106U, from April 27, 1970 to February 4, 1971. During the summer of 1970 we flew from KTOA Torrance Municipal Airport to Philly International and back again for a great summer vacation. I was thirteen at the time.

Of course, I went on to earn my PPL at Torrance in the Tomahawks of Peninsula Aviation back in 1983. After a move to Florida I logged. My first Mooney time in a 1968 Ranger hat the FBO had just started to restore. Unfortunately another rental customer decided to fly down to the Bahamas in it and thought he could make it back without refueling. That Ranger became a coral reef. Finished up my time in a J Model and used that along with my Grumman Cheetah to earn my Commercial ticket in 1990.

In 2001 Dad and I purchased a 1975 172M which we still have today. I'm facing a dilemma with the Skyhawk. The engine is mid-time. It needs a paint job and an interior to look really sharp. We have replaced most of the cracked plastic fairings with fiberglass but still need to do the wingtips. The windshield is starting to craze as well. Anyway there is a good $16,000 to $17,000 that could be spent to make it really sharp and better than new.

That still leaves a mid-time engine and ADS-B coming around the corner...and when all is said and done, I still have a Skyhawk.

I like to fly cross country. This past summer we flew a 3,196 mile trip in the 172 and averaged 110 mph groundspeed due to the ever present headwind component that I could not get around. A Mooney sure would have been nice!

Because I like the rounded windows (they have character) and loved my Dad's old 1964 C Model Mooney, I would be looking for a 1963 or 1964 C Model if I decide to make the switch. There are several areas of concern that I have and would like your input on.

1) Seating position. in the J Model that I flew, I had to have the seat full forward in order to stretch my legs to get full extension on rudder pedals. This put the yoke uncomfortable close to my chest with limited room for movement in my flying hand. I'm 5' 10" so I'm pretty average in size. I don't remember having that problem in the 1968 Ranger that I flew. Did the stretch in the larger Mooney's create the problem I had ithe J Model?

2) After reading "just learned my C is junk" I am wondering about how many owners of the 1963 / 1964 vintage Mooneys are experiencing corrosion problems? What is the real life experience that you guys have had? I have not been having corrosion problems with the 172 and is one reason I am reluctant to make a change.

3) one thought I have had is to sell the 172M as-is and then look for a 1963 / 1964 Money that would have better paint, better interior and less time on the engine than the Skyhawk. Instead of putting money into the 172, use those funds to put ADS-B in the Mooney and fix it up instead.

Appreciate any thoughts and input that you guys have. Thank you!

[carusoam]

Welcome aboard, BK!

(1) Seating position of all Mooneys has been improved and customized by real people. They became informed just by being part of MooneySpace. For some pilots, adding an additional pair of seat track holes was helpful. For others, a set of rudder pedal extensions did the trick. Others found that there are multiple sizes of extensions that are available and available from a factory that is in production...

There may also be some guidance for user supplied parts and how to be the user of parts you supply....

I found my pedals to be more comfortable than my previous '65C. Funny thing, I didn't even know it came with pedal extensions on it already!

Hope that helped with the first question...

(2) The tale of "my plane is junk..." is mostly a combination of two things...

One, is how to best care for an airplane. Hangar and periodic maintenance to avoid corrosion are key.

Two, is how to best purchase your airplane. Know what a good PPI is and where to get one...

Know what an MSC is and value their skills in comparison to what you want.

There are no real rules of how to avoid an owner's disaster. But there are a few good guidelines...

(3) Mooney values and Cessna values are on the same roller coaster track...neither will sell for more than what you paid for it. Every update you put in it will be devalued over time. This is macro economics at work. A different set of rules today than when the dad bought his first plane...

Overall,

Buy a good Mooney. (PPI, MSC maintenance or the equivalent)

Keep it hangared. (Out of the sun, and dry)

Fly it often. (Weekly or a few times per month)

Get more training. (IFR, MAPA)

Attend a fly-in.... Often

[BKlott]

Great response! I had never heard about rudder pedal extensions being available. When I asked my Dad about his Mooney, he didn't remember having any seating problems like I had in the J model. We are about the same height so I assumed that it was related to the fuselage stretch and nothing more.

We have kept our 172 hangared throughout our ownership and were told that it was previously hangared as well. The lack of corrosion problems and it's overall condition seems to indicate that it has been well cared for. That may make a huge difference in minimizing corrosion. It is just frustrating that Mooney ( and most other manufacturers ) did not corrosion proof their airframes like Piper did with the Comanches being zinc chromated prior to assembly. We wouldn't be facing these corrosion issues today. After having the 172 for fourteen years, I know what I've got and all the components that have been replaced. It makes me a bit cautious in thinking about a change and having to start over again.

You are absolutely correct in this being a different airplane market then when Dad bought his Mooney. Actually his first airplane purchase was back in 1946...a brand new Piper Cub. I will never get back what I have in the 172 to begin with and realize that making a move won't change that one bit. The financial argument is to sell the 172 for whatever I can get for it and then purchase something with better paint, better interior and less time on the engine. The thinking is that it costs too much to fix them up these days than they are worth.

The emotional arguments include me wanting to fix up the 172 and leave it in better shape than I found it just because it seems like the right thing to do for the airplane. The next caretaker will have something good to build on. There is also a part of me that wants to keep it forever as there are a lot of memories and it is good for the local $100 hamburger flights. There is another part of me that wants a Mooney like my Dad had...my ultimate dream plane. Adding to this quandary is that I am now 58 and on Special Issuance due to having had a heart attack when I was 56. There is a realization that my flying days are numbered. I guess they're numbered for all of us but I am clearly closer to the end than the beginning and maybe that is weighing on me too.

I guess we have reached a point that a lot of these airplanes, financially speaking, should be viewed as disposable assets. It rubs me the wrong way because I grew up in a house where airplanes were treasured and well cared for objects. It's hard for me to look at them otherwise.

Thank you for your input. I do appreciate it!

[Hank]

B--

Inside the tail cone of my 1970 C, it's all zinc chromate. This Satursay, I'll be putting her back together after annual, and will look inside the wing inspection panels; it's always been pretty dark, and after taking off the belly, I'm usually getting tired and ready to do something other than take out more screws above my head while sitting too close to the floor and working too close to my head.

It's also ideal for making burger runs! Short ones (the next county) are often 3000 msl, 23" / 2300; 30-odd nm each way, 6 gallons. Longer food runs (KHTW -> KLUK) were at normal cruise, 7500 and WOT less a little / 2500, or 9 gph block time, for the 40-45 minutes each way. LUK has burgers, and better food too, at the restaurant in the old terminal. Just taxi carefully and don't turn up the arrival end of 25 to get to the ramp, as the yellow lines are quite misleading. 45 Mooney minutes, or 3 hours in the car . . . it's addictive.

You'll enjoy the Mooney speed. The man I bought my C from used to visit Myrtle Beach with friends in a 172. He'd depart 10-15 after them, pass them enroute (saving 30 or more minutes against their 3-hour flight), and do it on 10% less fuel. You'll love that, too!

My flights are generally a third of my driving time over the same route (except I can't drive GPS direct), and I often burn less fuel than in my cars (Accord, Corolla & Altima; the truck doesn't even come close).

Love my Mooney! Hope you love yours when the time comes. Meanwhile, fly safe!

[carusoam]

There are a few of us around here with the SI as well.

It's not a topic they teach in primary training. Sometimes privacy issues make it difficult to post about.

You may find a call to support AOPA when the class III topic comes up again.

Best regards,

-a-

[rbridges]

My plane is a '65, and as far as I can tell, corrosion hasn't been an issue.  I even had bladders installed 3 years ago.  I would assume they got a good look inside my wing during that time.  I think it depends on the plane's history.  50 years is a long time, and where it was stored/how it was maintained makes all the difference.  

[OBX-Pilot]

I am looking to buy a Mooney and figure this is a good place to learn about them, what's good and not so good. I owned a Bonanza (am I allowed to say that word? ) A36 for about 10 years and currently own a J-3 and a Great Lakes biplane ... but need something to travel in. Looking for efficiency and relative speed. 

 

I also wouldn't mind some hot starting tips for the IO-360 in my biplane (right now my record is 4 out of 5 times ... hot. (1 out of 5 I take a long break).

[Mooneymite]

 

 Looking for efficiency and relative speed. 

 

I also wouldn't mind some hot starting tips for the IO-360 in my biplane (right now my record is 4 out of 5 times ... hot. (1 out of 5 I take a long break).

 

If you owned an A-36, I suspect anything less than a J would be a non-starter.  What sort of efficiency are you looking for?  Up high turbo territory, or just a lower fuel burn than that A-36?

 

It would help if we knew what part of the country you'll be primarily flying over and your typical stage lengths.

 

There are lots of "hot" threads about starting that IO-360, so try searching.

 

Welcome to Mooney-world!

[OBX-Pilot]

If you owned an A-36, I suspect anything less than a J would be a non-starter.  What sort of efficiency are you looking for?  Up high turbo territory, or just a lower fuel burn than that A-36?

 

It would help if we knew what part of the country you'll be primarily flying over and your typical stage lengths.

 

There are lots of "hot" threads about starting that IO-360, so try searching.

 

Welcome to Mooney-world!

 

 

 

Sorry, around here we just take it for granted that everyone knows OBX stands for the Outer Banks of NC, a false assumption. I live about 10 miles from where Orville and Wilbur did that first flight ...   . Still when I had the Bonanza I made several trips out to Colorado and I remember thinking a turbocharger would be handy. I'm sure I have 252 tastes but maybe I better keep to a 201 budget.

 

I had a friend who owned a '77 J model and I frequently envied his MPG as I was flying along sucking down 16+ GPH in the Bonanza. It always made me feel a little guilty when I was just up boring holes ...  

[carusoam]

Had you said KFFA...

Everyone in the aviation world would know.

Have you seen the PSA regarding going in the water around OBX?

That's the shark's house...

Best regards,

-a-

[wayneferguson]

Hey all. I'm a low time private pilot outside of Atlanta and will be getting my complex endorsement knocked out tomorrow (wx permitting) in an arrow and am working toward my instrument rating. My current plan is to buy a mooney in about 2 years. I've got in my mind that an F model would work really well for me. 80% of my flights would likely just be me, but the other 20% would be with my growing family (currently my wife and a 7 month old Daughter) to visit family in Memphis, Indianapolis, and Naples, FL.

I haven't had a chance to sit in a mooney yet but from all that I've read about them I think it would be a great airplane for me! I'll continue to lurk here and I post more regularly on Pilots of America. Thanks for all the good info!

[Mooneymite]

Hey all. I'm a low time private pilot outside of Atlanta

Which Atlanta area airport are you closest to?

There are quite a few Mooneys/Mooneyspace members in the area.

[wayneferguson]

I typically fly out of LZU but PDK is about the same distance from me as well. I also work closer to FTY so I'm not too far from RYY or CNI on my drive home from work.