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Pre buy flight and inspection

MooneyBe

By MooneyBe
in Mooney Bravo Owners

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MooneyBe Explorer

MooneyBe

Posted
Posted

Hey all,

I posted to the forum some time back re: recommendations for pre-buy inspection shops (landed on Maxwell at GGG, thanks for all the advice!). Coming back to the well for advice on what to look for as part of a pre-buy/demo flight and inspection tomorrow and this coming week. 

The 93 Bravo with TKS has ~2100 hours on it with 800 hours on the engine since major overhaul. From my read, I cannot see evidence of oil analysis but compressions are all above 70. O2 tank has recent static check--no red flags. My primary concern is just lack of flight time in the last ~3 years (~ 100 hours) but that also means it was flown regularly for its first 24 years.. 

Will let everyone knows how it turns out on the other side!

Thanks,

B

irishpilot Proficient

irishpilot

Posted
Posted

turn the TKS on inflight. Follow the checklist to prime and make sure it is working. Beware, it will drip post flight.

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

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Davidv Mentor

Davidv

Posted
Posted (edited)

Of the many things to look at, check the logbooks see if anyone has done any maintenance on the speedbrakes.  With the lack of flying you may be looking at a $2k overhaul.  Ask me how I know.  Also be mindful of when the last prop overhaul was, those are more seals that like to dry out over time with little use.

Edited by Davidv
  • Like 1
MooneyBe Explorer

MooneyBe

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thank you.

Will do on the TKS and have read some other threads here on potential issues to look for re: TKS.

Prop has 120 hours on it since overhaul.

The last log entry for the speedbrakes is 800 hours/10 years ago (removed and 'repaired' but reason unknown). 

LANCECASPER Grand Master

LANCECASPER

Posted
Posted

The most expensive things on a Mooney, especially Bravo:

Powerplant (engine, prop, turbo, exhaust)

Panel (what does it have vs. what do you want, planned around the autopilot)

Airframe (flaps, landing gear, shock discs, tires, brakes, etc, etc)

Paint (does not affect airworthiness, but this is where I would insert the careful inspection on any airplane for corrosion which may move it up the list for expense. If it needs paint I would probably do it last or next to last.)

Interior (cosmetic, but not cheap, again checking for corrosion. Last or next to last)

Fuel tanks (look for weeps, seeps and leaks. It's not if but when.)

 

Here's an article to check out: http://mooneypilots.com/mapalog/M20M_prepurchase_inspection.html

 

  • Like 1
carusoam Grand Master

carusoam

Posted
Posted

Schedule the Transition Training so you have support when this bird comes out of the shop...

Bravos are great planes... lots to know... Plenty to review... even if you flew the space shuttle last week... :)

Everyone knows that speed brakes have clutches that wear... they go in for OH, they come back ready to go... peanuts in the grand scheme of things...

Powerplant is key... that is an expensive device... exhaust system... ultra important for TC’d birds...

Be extra careful around TKS fluid on the floor...  extra slippery...

If that last 100 hours was evenly spread over three years... that’s not bad... if it was done in one month, three years ago.... different ballgame...

Speak openly with your contact at DMax... be ready to write... they are working for you... but they have a lot of detail to cover and convey... keep writing...  :)

PP thoughts only, make it happen! Best wishes...

Best regards,

-a-

  • Like 1
Davidv Mentor

Davidv

Posted
Posted

I'll add another item from experience.  Make sure that the turbo transition exhaust piece is in very good condition.  This is the the T junction that collects the exhaust and sends it into the turbo.  it's a cast piece and none of the welding shops (Knisley, ect...) will repair it.  If you see heavy discoloration or pitting, a replacement may be in your future.  The cost for the unit and slip joint are $6K.

  • Like 1
MooneyBe Explorer

MooneyBe

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Hey all,

Appreciate the input and thought here. Just to close the loop, the sale fell through following pre-buy inspection. There were a number of airworthiness findings that came up and the final kicker was that the TKS system was inop (would have likely required an overhaul of the pump), and really hadn't been used much which carries its own concerns. All in all we were looking at pretty significant work/investment to address the airworthy items and we couldn't agree on an adjusted sale price to build in some of that work. 

That said, it was still a good experience. Learned a lot by spending the day at Maxwell and know what to look for/not to look for going forward. I'm hoping the next one works out more favorably :). 

B

  • Like 1
LANCECASPER Grand Master

LANCECASPER

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, MooneyBe said:

Hey all,

Appreciate the input and thought here. Just to close the loop, the sale fell through following pre-buy inspection. There were a number of airworthiness findings that came up and the final kicker was that the TKS system was inop (would have likely required an overhaul of the pump), and really hadn't been used much which carries its own concerns. All in all we were looking at pretty significant work/investment to address the airworthy items and we couldn't agree on an adjusted sale price to build in some of that work. 

That said, it was still a good experience. Learned a lot by spending the day at Maxwell and know what to look for/not to look for going forward. I'm hoping the next one works out more favorably :). 

B

Now that it’s past pre-buy and you decided against it, you might share the N number so others on here will know going into it what’s already been discovered. It may save a fellow Mooneyspacer the cost of finding out exactly what you found. I don’t see that as slamming an airplane, but just letting the market determine the price of what something’s worth in its present condition. 

  • Like 2
StevenL757 Grand Master

StevenL757

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, MooneyBe said:

Hey all,

Appreciate the input and thought here. Just to close the loop, the sale fell through following pre-buy inspection. There were a number of airworthiness findings that came up and the final kicker was that the TKS system was inop (would have likely required an overhaul of the pump), and really hadn't been used much which carries its own concerns. All in all we were looking at pretty significant work/investment to address the airworthy items and we couldn't agree on an adjusted sale price to build in some of that work. 

That said, it was still a good experience. Learned a lot by spending the day at Maxwell and know what to look for/not to look for going forward. I'm hoping the next one works out more favorably :). 

B

Sounds like you made the right choice.  "Your" airplane is still out there waiting for you...and you'll find it.  :-)

carusoam Grand Master

carusoam

Posted
Posted

Great follow-up Be.

Unfortunate results...

Definitely better to know, before becoming the owner of those expensive AW issues...
 

Best regards,

-a-

  • 3 weeks later...
MooneyBe Explorer

MooneyBe

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Closing the loop on this topic, we are now the proud owners of N9153Z. The experience with N611DG and Maxwell was sort of like finishing school for the pre-buy process/inspection of 53Z. We flew it back to its new 'home' in DC from North Dakota yesterday. There are a few squawks to resolve following the ~12 hrs of flight in the last couple days as you'd expect but I'll start separate threads/see what else is already documented. 

Thanks for all the input and messages the last month! As an aside, the team at Oasis Aero out of Willmar, MN was great to work with. We got a thorough honest inspection in about 5 hours on Friday in time to close before the weekend. PM if you ever need any details/guidance as I've now gone through a few 'false starts' before this one worked out! 

(I tried to recreate @DVA and @LANCECASPER's photos. Here's the post from a few years back on 53Z: 

 

B

818C821D-849E-457F-8639-B7B17D96254D.JPG

  • Like 5
LANCECASPER Grand Master

LANCECASPER

Posted
Posted

Congratulations! That's a great airplane. Share some of the squawks and the group might be able to help you resolve some of them.

 

(It's ironic that N9153Z ended up in Grand Forks ND for awhile. That's where I got my license back in 1986.)

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