Mark Staggs Posted June 2, 2020 Report Posted June 2, 2020 Hi, folks, I’ve been lurking here a while and at the same time “window” shopping Mooneys on Trade-a-Plane, Controller, etc. I think I’ve narrowed down to looking into a short body Mooney, but I’ve never actually sat or flown in one. So, are there any Mooney C/E owners in the Nashville, TN area (or thereabouts) willing to let me sit in their plane and make airplane noises while seeing how it fits? At 5' 9" I’m sure I’ll fit fine. I just want to make sure the wife and I will both be happy sitting in it on longer flights. (Both our families live a 2-3 hour plane ride away.) I'd also be interested in any local Mooney knowledge (good A&Ps and CFIs). As for me, I’m still relatively low time at 300 hours and no instrument rating (yet). I have time in the typical Cessnas and a fair amount of Grumman Tiger time, relatively speaking. I co-owned a Wheeler Express 90 with 2 other guys over the past year and a half, until a tornado wiped it out along with half of the John Tune airport here in Nashville. I’m looking at owning my next one solo, unless one of my previous Wheeler partners changes their mind (Phil, you still lurking here, too? ). Mark Quote
J0nathan225 Posted June 2, 2020 Report Posted June 2, 2020 2 minutes ago, Mark Staggs said: Hi, folks, I’ve been lurking here a while and at the same time “window” shopping Mooneys on Trade-a-Plane, Controller, etc. I think I’ve narrowed down to looking into a short body Mooney, but I’ve never actually sat or flown in one. So, are there any Mooney C/E owners in the Nashville, TN area (or thereabouts) willing to let me sit in their plane and make airplane noises while seeing how it fits? At 5' 9" I’m sure I’ll fit fine. I just want to make sure the wife and I will both be happy sitting in it on longer flights. (Both our families live a 2-3 hour plane ride away.) I'd also be interested in any local Mooney knowledge (good A&Ps and CFIs). As for me, I’m still relatively low time at 300 hours and no instrument rating (yet). I have time in the typical Cessnas and a fair amount of Grumman Tiger time, relatively speaking. I co-owned a Wheeler Express 90 with 2 other guys over the past year and a half, until a tornado wiped it out along with half of the John Tune airport here in Nashville. I’m looking at owning my next one solo, unless one of my previous Wheeler partners changes their mind (Phil, you still lurking here, too? ). Mark I'm planning to come to Tune or Burn whenever my travel ban is lifte,d I can take you up probably. Sadly I have no idea when though. Quote
carusoam Posted June 2, 2020 Report Posted June 2, 2020 Welcome aboard Mark! What keeps you from going the Wheeler route again? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheeler_Express Seems like a nice plane... I’m a big fan of the fastest, factory built, normally aspirated, four seater.... on or off the planet... Go Mooney! Best regards, -a- Quote
Mark Staggs Posted June 2, 2020 Author Report Posted June 2, 2020 7 hours ago, carusoam said: Welcome aboard Mark! What keeps you from going the Wheeler route again? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheeler_Express Seems like a nice plane... I’m a big fan of the fastest, factory built, normally aspirated, four seater.... on or off the planet... Go Mooney! Best regards, -a- Good question. Our copy was definitely a well-built aircraft. In fact, watching the insurance recovery folks attempt to saw the wings off of it after it was totaled showed how stout the thing was. Even after getting rolled up by a tornado, along with its whole hangar row, the plane was still +95% intact. The original builder put an IO-540 from a Cherokee 6 on it, and so ours had an excess of power for that airframe. We were getting close to getting the gremlins worked out of ours, but we made the mistake of not getting a PPI, so it took a while. Anyway, my main desire is to go to something more supported, from both an A&P and CFI perspective, and I hope something that goes nearly as fast but "cheaper," if anything in aviation can be called cheap, that is. I figure with the various Mooney service centers, awesome folks here that are helpful, and a virtually bulletproof IO-360 that a Mooney fits the bill. Mark 1 Quote
animalmover Posted June 2, 2020 Report Posted June 2, 2020 Excellent maintenance at M91 (Springfield, TN) ask for David Bliss. I’m pretty sure they still have a few Mooney’s on the field. Quote
Mark Staggs Posted June 3, 2020 Author Report Posted June 3, 2020 1 hour ago, animalmover said: Excellent maintenance at M91 (Springfield, TN) ask for David Bliss. I’m pretty sure they still have a few Mooney’s on the field. Thanks for the head's up. I've heard good things about Wing Nuts Aviation there. Quote
carusoam Posted June 3, 2020 Report Posted June 3, 2020 If you pick engine first and see what airframe it is in... (my favorite way to buy a machine...) The IO360 is often found in... M20E M20C (engine swap with an STC) a few are around here... M20F M20J E&C are short bodies... F&J are mid bodies... If your finance administrator sits in the back seat... it would be wise to get her a mid body... The M20E is often used as a retirement plane... the economics don’t get much better than that... Factory built machines are awesome... nothing more predictable... Go Mooney! Best regards, -a- Quote
Mark Staggs Posted June 3, 2020 Author Report Posted June 3, 2020 Yeah, I think I'll be looking for an M20E since 90+% of the time it's going to just be two of us and occasionally a couple small dogs. That model seems to be the sweet spot for our mission. Although, a nice C would not be ignored (IFR GPS and a functional autopilot). @J0nathan225 Feel free to PM me if/when you plan to be in the area. I'm going to check some local pilot groups to also see if I can find a local Mooney owner. I know there are some around, it's just a matter of talking to the right person. Mark Quote
Stephen M20C Posted June 3, 2020 Report Posted June 3, 2020 Hey Mark, I’m at Dickson, have a ‘65 C model that I use to commute to work in (to MEM) and my wife flies with me on some family and fun trips. I’m out of town this week but could meet you at M02 to let you look over the airplane if that works for you perhaps this Saturday or later. Quote
Mark Staggs Posted June 4, 2020 Author Report Posted June 4, 2020 15 hours ago, Stephen M20C said: Hey Mark, I’m at Dickson, have a ‘65 C model that I use to commute to work in (to MEM) and my wife flies with me on some family and fun trips. I’m out of town this week but could meet you at M02 to let you look over the airplane if that works for you perhaps this Saturday or later. Hi, Stephen, That would be great! I'll PM you my cell number. With no airplane and COVID 19, I'm pretty much available anytime on weekends. Just let me know whenever works for you. Quote
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