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M20 short body guide, gotchas, and mission advice


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2 hours ago, gsxrpilot said:

I have a completely wrecked right rotator cuff and couldn't throw a baseball from the mound to home plate if I tried. But swinging the manual gear in a Mooney is easy. 

My rotator cuff is just fine, the surgeon even took a picture of it. A few months before, laying under my deck tightening bolts almost made me cry. The little white switch on my panel has never given me a twitch (even though many here express surprise when they see it).

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23 hours ago, Hank said:

 

Why "modified electric gear"? Mine came from the factory that way, after the manual gear was discontinued due to lack of buyers' interest. And I think my gear motor is ITT(old memory from annual).

Not sure.  I am looking at a listing where the plane was converted to electric gear 20 years ago or so...

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Just now, DartMan said:

Any idea what a fair price range would be for a well equipped M20E?

"Well equipped" can vary by tens of AMUs. Engine time can also have a large effect on price. For a prime example, look at the recently sold N943RW, listed at twice the insured value of my C.

Model year and airframe hours also figure in. There's a basic valuation model posted periodically in The Mooney Flyer. 

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9 minutes ago, DartMan said:

Any idea what a fair price range would be for a well equipped M20E?

What @Hank said. But I'm gonna try anyway... 

I think you ought to be able to find an M20E, mid-time engine, 430W, and Stec 30 autopilot for $70K... add a 201 windshield and cowl, or a couple of other upgrades and it would be $80K.

The best E in the country just sold for $110K.

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In Y2K pricing...

M20Cs went from 30 to 40 AMUs... no GPS, no AP, a VOR and an ILS.... original paint and interior, lived outdoors...

M20Es were similar 40 to 50 AMUs... still no modern devices...

20years later there has been some noticeable inflation...

Some of these birds have been treated as if they were forever-planes... They live indoors, get name brand OHs, and their paint... Looks better than an Eagle! (M20S).
 

Bringing a panel up to modern day luxury standards... can be an easy 100amu... fancy color displays, a few GPS devices, and a three axis AP...

M20Es are forever-plane worthy... And so are some M20Cs around MS... :)

PP. thoughts only, not a plane sales guy...

Best regards,

-a-
 

Want to get a feeling for Mooney pricing... go to where Mooneys actually get sold.... find AAA, the prices will be retail... talk with Jimmy...

One of the coolest experiences in life... Transition training while bringing your new 2U bird home...  :)

Best regards,

-a-

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Growing up in the 60s and 70s was a very different time then today.. As a child I remember riding in the back seat of my dad's vw bug and listening to him praise the efficiency of the VW. He was a efficiency nut but so were most folks .People did not have a lot of  extra money . Tax rates for people earning $50,000 were over 50%. The mooney's built in the 60s and 70s were all about being efficient . My dad earned his wings during WW2 and flew in the Korean and Vietnam war . Later in life he purchased  a M20c . Years later my son and I purchased our M20c . If your mission is less then 400 nm 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 kids and not departing from high altitude airports its hard to beat a M20c. If you factor in acquisition cost plus operating cost it is the best deal in general aviation. With a E or J model you may get there 10 or 15 quicker but it will cost you $$$$.

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3 hours ago, mark21m20c said:

Growing up in the 60s and 70s was a very different time then today.. As a child I remember riding in the back seat of my dad's vw bug and listening to him praise the efficiency of the VW. He was a efficiency nut but so were most folks .People did not have a lot of  extra money . Tax rates for people earning $50,000 were over 50%. The mooney's built in the 60s and 70s were all about being efficient . My dad earned his wings during WW2 and flew in the Korean and Vietnam war . Later in life he purchased  a M20c . Years later my son and I purchased our M20c . If your mission is less then 400 nm 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 kids and not departing from high altitude airports its hard to beat a M20c. If you factor in acquisition cost plus operating cost it is the best deal in general aviation. With a E or J model you may get there 10 or 15 quicker but it will cost you $$$$.

I only targeted the E for its short field numbers...and I like its engine.  I have a very similar engine in my RV4 and LOP operation is just fantastic.

just looking on trade a plane though, I could spend quite a bit less on the C but without knowing the full details of each plane it is hard to compare.

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2 hours ago, DartMan said:

I only targeted the E for its short field numbers...and I like its engine.  I have a very similar engine in my RV4 and LOP operation is just fantastic.

just looking on trade a plane though, I could spend quite a bit less on the C but without knowing the full details of each plane it is hard to compare.

The difference in models is the engine. C = O360; E = IO360.

The real difference is how each plane has been maintained and upgraded over the decades.

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There are a few pages written by a guy named Bob Kromer...

Really helpful when determining which Mooney is best for your mission...

Not so much of how to do a PPI...

Very few ADs on either of those...

If you are good at reading Log books and taking notes... You will find most of the paperwork challenges... clean logs probably have an AD history book to go with them...

Best regards,

-a-

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  • 2 weeks later...
34 minutes ago, DartMan said:

Should have asked sooner but what should I be prepared to pucker up and accept on insurance costs with zero time in type and zero complex time?  How many hours in type are needed before the insurance rates start to go down?

 

thx

@Parker_Woodruff will know. It depends on your total time, hull value, deductible and the position of the stars when the FAA begins processing the.Bill of Sale.

I bought my C with 62 hours total time in my logbook . . . . in 2007. Pushing 1000 now.

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3 minutes ago, David Lloyd said:

100 Hours got a pretty good drop in my taildragger.  Would expect 100 hours Mooney time would get a similar drop.

100 hours Mooney time got a big drop. Instrument rating got another big drop. Went down and down afger that, the last two years up and up to my VFR-Only rates . . . .  :(  :wacko:

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