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New to me Mooney!


Tim Jodice

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I took delivery of N5812T at the beginning of December and 62 hrs later it has turned out to be better than I thought.

A little background, I got my private in 2006 did the usual primary in a 152 then started renting 172s and then wanted more and rented the hottest airplane available the mighty Piper Arrow!

I hung around the airport like many new pilots and in the summer of 2007 I met a guy who owned a M20C it was in rough shape but I remember thinking how can a carbed 180hp fly faster than a 200hp arrow.

I did the rental thing until 2011 when I bought my first airplane. It was a 1955 F35 Bonanza. Had that for 4 years and loved it. Then life changes made me have to sell it. Didn't fly again until 2017 when I bought a 1961 baby baron. That I just sold 2 weeks ago. Had an awesome experience with that one also. 

Why did I buy the Mooney? In 2017 I started a business in Nantucket so I needed something to commute from MHT to ACK Monday-Friday.

My friend has a 1967 M20F he let me put a little more than 200 hours on it in 2018 and that is what made me fall in love with Mooneys. 

Last year I used the Baron almost exclusively and found it was WAY more airplane than I needed. It had a useful load over 1600 pounds and most of the time I would be carrying 2-3 people 120 miles to Nantucket. A huge waste of capacity. The whole time I owned it I used it to it capacity maybe 6-7 times. 

I have been a lurker here about 2013 but naturally have be on he alot (8-10 hours or I start having withdrawals) now that I own a Mooney. I love it here!

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We have an MSer that was commuting from KMVY to KHYA...

Lots of opportunity for real IFR in IMC available...

Mooneys make great commuting planes... for that 200nm flight... Speed and efficiency!

I bet you have a really good plan B that includes rafts, life jackets, and dry winter wear... :)

Welcome to Mooney ownership...

What kind of business are you in?

Best regards,

-a-

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19 minutes ago, carusoam said:

We have an MSer that was commuting from KMVY to KHYA...

Lots of opportunity for real IFR in IMC available...

Mooneys make great commuting planes... for that 200nm flight... Speed and efficiency!

I bet you have a really good plan B that includes rafts, life jackets, and dry winter wear... :)

Welcome to Mooney ownership...

What kind of business are you in?

Best regards,

-a-

I love the spring there! 200 indefinite ceiling 1800 RVR is the norm!

I think Mooneys are the best certified aircraft for 2-3 sometimes 4 people on short flights like mine.

Those things are my plan B. In addition I go to Suvurval System in Groton CT. They have a dunk tank and teach about ditching and surviving in the water. I highly suggest them if you fly over water.

Thanks great to be here.

I have a auto repair shop, I Specialize in Land Rovers

20190816_174719.jpg

IMG_2394.JPG

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I always find it deeply satisfying to pass up the lines at the ferry when visiting the islands.  I was talking with a carpenter on the ramp at MVY one day who had a Cherokee so packed with lumber that he could have built his own raft if he had to ditch.  He was making the point that without the airplane his business wouldn’t have been possible.  Our Mooney made it possible to make them a day trip from VT which isn’t exactly commuting but something that I wouldn’t have done very often if I had to make the drive.

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On 1/26/2020 at 8:00 AM, TonyK said:

I always find it deeply satisfying to pass up the lines at the ferry when visiting the islands.

It takes me four and a half hours to drive and take the fast ferry door to door. Flying is an hour and a half door to door.

I wouldn't be running a business on Nantucket if commuting by air was not an option. 

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  • 1 year later...
19 hours ago, ZuluZulu said:

I would say I am moving laterally for two specific reasons. When I bought my Mooney It was a perfect fit for what I needed and that is to bring 2 sometimes 3 people plus a lot of baggage 120 miles each way for the least amount of money.

Well business continues to grow and I need to bring more people more parts. To address that problem I bought a Baron with three other people and it works great I use it during the week and they use it nights and weekends. Payload problem solved I planned to use the Baron mostly during the peak season (May-September) and the Mooney the rest of the time.

Well I am 3 years in now and while it does slow down in the winter it doesn't slow down enough to only need 2 people. So to this day I continue to use the Baron most of the time.

Then came the next and more challenging issue. I started noticing a ringing in my right ear and I didn't thing much of it in the beginning but like most things it continued to get worse. I couldn't figure out why, sometimes it was more noticeablethan others. I figured 41 was a bit young to get tinnitus but everyone is different. I went to see an ear doctor and found out I don't have tinnitus but likely earlier in life I damaged my right ear. Fixing cars my whole life that isn't hard to believe. 

I told him what I do for work today and that I fly everyday to get there. He said that flying is likely your problem that provokes it to ring today. I said I have plenty of friends (one that is twice my age) that fly frequently and don't have any issues. He asked, how many of them fly 10 times a week for the past 3 years? I said......

He told me, no one is surprised when there ears ring when they hear something very loud, well it is nothing more than pressure and you do that every time you fly. I stay below 5000 95% of the time and 2500 when it is VFR. there have been a few weeks when almost every day was VFR and when I never get above 2500 the ringing goes away.

I currently love what I do and don't want to stop but I don't want to do anymore damage to my ear. 

I bought a pressurized Cessna P337 Skymaster. After speaking to people that own one It sounded like a perfect fit. With only a little over 300 pressurized skymasters made few people have flown one and even less have own one.

I am going to miss the Mooney. It never failed me during the 650 or so hours I put on it. If there is anyone who want to go for a ride in one call me. I don't mean just the people looking to buy it but anyone who would like to see and fly one.

A pet peeve of mine is when someone says "I heard from a friend that Mooneys are (fill in the blank)". I ended up liking and buying a Mooney because someone took me flying in their Mooney and I saw first hand that people that talk bad about a Mooney are wrong. 

I would love do for someone what he did for me.

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4 hours ago, Tim Jodice said:

I would say I am moving laterally for two specific reasons. When I bought my Mooney It was a perfect fit for what I needed and that is to bring 2 sometimes 3 people plus a lot of baggage 120 miles each way for the least amount of money.

Well business continues to grow and I need to bring more people more parts.

Enjoy your Baron, a sweet handling machine. Don’t forget to call in and continue to contribute. You are still a MSer.

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4 hours ago, Tim Jodice said:

I would say I am moving laterally for two specific reasons. When I bought my Mooney It was a perfect fit for what I needed and that is to bring 2 sometimes 3 people plus a lot of baggage 120 miles each way for the least amount of money.

Well business continues to grow and I need to bring more people more parts. To address that problem I bought a Baron with three other people and it works great I use it during the week and they use it nights and weekends. Payload problem solved I planned to use the Baron mostly during the peak season (May-September) and the Mooney the rest of the time.

Well I am 3 years in now and while it does slow down in the winter it doesn't slow down enough to only need 2 people. So to this day I continue to use the Baron most of the time.

Then came the next and more challenging issue. I started noticing a ringing in my right ear and I didn't thing much of it in the beginning but like most things it continued to get worse. I couldn't figure out why, sometimes it was more noticeablethan others. I figured 41 was a bit young to get tinnitus but everyone is different. I went to see an ear doctor and found out I don't have tinnitus but likely earlier in life I damaged my right ear. Fixing cars my whole life that isn't hard to believe. 

I told him what I do for work today and that I fly everyday to get there. He said that flying is likely your problem that provokes it to ring today. I said I have plenty of friends (one that is twice my age) that fly frequently and don't have any issues. He asked, how many of them fly 10 times a week for the past 3 years? I said......

He told me, no one is surprised when there ears ring when they hear something very loud, well it is nothing more than pressure and you do that every time you fly. I stay below 5000 95% of the time and 2500 when it is VFR. there have been a few weeks when almost every day was VFR and when I never get above 2500 the ringing goes away.

I currently love what I do and don't want to stop but I don't want to do anymore damage to my ear. 

I bought a pressurized Cessna P337 Skymaster. After speaking to people that own one It sounded like a perfect fit. With only a little over 300 pressurized skymasters made few people have flown one and even less have own one.

I am going to miss the Mooney. It never failed me during the 650 or so hours I put on it. If there is anyone who want to go for a ride in one call me. I don't mean just the people looking to buy it but anyone who would like to see and fly one.

A pet peeve of mine is when someone says "I heard from a friend that Mooneys are (fill in the blank)". I ended up liking and buying a Mooney because someone took me flying in their Mooney and I saw first hand that people that talk bad about a Mooney are wrong. 

I would love do for someone what he did for me.

Your perfect fit Mooney would be the M22 mustang. There is one for sale not long ago, you would have the pressurization AND the speed. 

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20 hours ago, Tim Jodice said:

I would say I am moving laterally for two specific reasons. When I bought my Mooney It was a perfect fit for what I needed and that is to bring 2 sometimes 3 people plus a lot of baggage 120 miles each way for the least amount of money.

Well business continues to grow and I need to bring more people more parts. To address that problem I bought a Baron with three other people and it works great I use it during the week and they use it nights and weekends. Payload problem solved I planned to use the Baron mostly during the peak season (May-September) and the Mooney the rest of the time.

Well I am 3 years in now and while it does slow down in the winter it doesn't slow down enough to only need 2 people. So to this day I continue to use the Baron most of the time.

Then came the next and more challenging issue. I started noticing a ringing in my right ear and I didn't thing much of it in the beginning but like most things it continued to get worse. I couldn't figure out why, sometimes it was more noticeablethan others. I figured 41 was a bit young to get tinnitus but everyone is different. I went to see an ear doctor and found out I don't have tinnitus but likely earlier in life I damaged my right ear. Fixing cars my whole life that isn't hard to believe. 

I told him what I do for work today and that I fly everyday to get there. He said that flying is likely your problem that provokes it to ring today. I said I have plenty of friends (one that is twice my age) that fly frequently and don't have any issues. He asked, how many of them fly 10 times a week for the past 3 years? I said......

He told me, no one is surprised when there ears ring when they hear something very loud, well it is nothing more than pressure and you do that every time you fly. I stay below 5000 95% of the time and 2500 when it is VFR. there have been a few weeks when almost every day was VFR and when I never get above 2500 the ringing goes away.

I currently love what I do and don't want to stop but I don't want to do anymore damage to my ear. 

I bought a pressurized Cessna P337 Skymaster. After speaking to people that own one It sounded like a perfect fit. With only a little over 300 pressurized skymasters made few people have flown one and even less have own one.

I am going to miss the Mooney. It never failed me during the 650 or so hours I put on it. If there is anyone who want to go for a ride in one call me. I don't mean just the people looking to buy it but anyone who would like to see and fly one.

A pet peeve of mine is when someone says "I heard from a friend that Mooneys are (fill in the blank)". I ended up liking and buying a Mooney because someone took me flying in their Mooney and I saw first hand that people that talk bad about a Mooney are wrong. 

I would love do for someone what he did for me.

Wow, I think you're the only one in the country who can say they went from an M20J to a Baron to a Skymaster!  What a journey.  I'm glad you're taking care of your health and staying in the air, best of luck with the sale.  Did you have any trouble finding what you were looking for in this market?

Curious about the Baron, which model?

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On 10/28/2021 at 4:56 PM, ZuluZulu said:

Wow, I think you're the only one in the country who can say they went from an M20J to a Baron to a Skymaster!  What a journey.  I'm glad you're taking care of your health and staying in the air, best of luck with the sale.  Did you have any trouble finding what you were looking for in this market?

Curious about the Baron, which model?

No I did have an issue finding what I wanted. So few people like Skymasters so it keeps the value down and available. The one I bought was only about 60 miles away. It had everything I wanted in the panel, Riley Rocket mods the most important one being the intercoolers and approximately mid time engines.

The Baron (N20148) is a 1978 B55 with 470s also know as a baby Baron for the short nose and small engines. Awesome airplane, 1680 Useful load and it will do 190ishTAS if you want it to but I fly it at 175 on 22 GPH total. 

Fastest trip ever was a few week ago, 34 min from MHT to ACK. Max cruise power and a tail wind. it normally takes 45-50 minutes normal winds and a more sedated power setting. 

I gave been trying to get together with @MarkD34M to race his Ovation and see how much more fuel the Baron uses to do the same speed.

 

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