First M20J - Seattle

[Intrepid Flys]

Hello Mooney friends,

My name is Brandon and from Saint Petersburg Florida. After serving in the Coast Guard I decided to buy my first M20J from a very professional knowledgeable 20 year Chinook Army pilot Delray Hawkes. Amazing genuine great guy. Thanks!

 

Anyways I am now in the Seattle area - Mooney instructors message me so we can talk and fly.

 

 Very Respectfully,

 Brandon

 

 

 

 

[shawnd]

Congrats Brandon! And welcome to the forums and Seattle! Be sure to get out there and fly as much as possible because the weather right now, clear blue and 70s, doesn’t like to stick around for too long!

I don’t know of very many Mooney specific owner/instructors in the area, but schools like Rainier Flight Services (KRNT), Galvin (KBFI), or Regal Air (KPAE) have great instructors who can help. Though Galvin has a Mooney M20J and instructors familiar with it. Dave C was my instructor who was great. Nicole, their chief instructor, is another Mooney fan and instructor who is awesome. Unfortunately haven’t flown with her.

Where about are you located? And what do you need instruction with?

Great looking plane, welcome again!

[amillet]

Welcome. I’m 3 hangars down from Delray in #8. He got me into flying   I got my PPL in a Cessna 150 he owned in 1989.

[Hank]

Welcome aboard, Brandon. Looks like you have acquired a fine Mooney. 

[amillet]

@FlyTester owns a C model based at KRNT; is a CFI and airline pilot. 

[Diesel 10]

Brandon - Welcome to Seattle and congrats on the J.  I can also vouch for Galvin at BFI. They have had Mooneys on the rental line up for many years and several of the instructors are Mooney fans (and a couple are Mooney owners!). 

Trevor

[carusoam]

Welcome aboard Brandon!

Let us know if you have questions regarding transition training, owner related things like insurance and maintenance...

If you have questions MS has answers...

Best regards,

-a-

[Intrepid Flys]

Thank you all you for the kind words and warm welcome. I appreciate all of you. Based on what I am reading, I will reach out to Galvin and talk to them about getting some landings done. I am located in West Seattle at the moment, but subject to change due to the bridge closure.

@amillet cool! I am sure I will be seeing you around.

 

Hope everyone is staying safe & healthy.

V/R

Brandon

 

 

[Sullux]

No connection to original poster, but I just happened to sign up for this forum today for almost the same reason as Brandon. I'm looking to buy a Mooney soon (leaning towards an Ovation circa ~1995), but will need to find a CFI/CFII. I live right in downtown Seattle, so KBFI is my preferred airport. Based on the above recommendations I'll look to get in touch with Galvin.

My case is a little more complicated because I don't have my private pilot certificate yet. My plan is to purchase and have an instructor work with me in my own plane to get my VFR/IFR/performance/complex certs. (No need for warnings about how much airplane I'm stepping into -- I've been flying on and off my whole life and have spent the past few months logging hundreds of simulator hours in the M20R.)

Anyway, it was really nice to do a quick search here on MS and instantly find the localized answer to my question without even having to ask. Also really nice to hear that there's such a strong Mooney community in this area! Hope to see you folks in the air soon.

[carusoam]

Welcome aboard Sull.

We have a lot in common...

1) I got here a decade ago looking for information about my next Mooney...

2) I met an MS Missile owner... talked Missiles... great bird!

3) I went from J to Missile to Ovation by the time I was done looking...

4) Nobody is going to talk you out of learning to fly in a long body...

5) It isn’t the best way to do things for most people....

6) It won’t be an efficient way to do things...

7) And it can be hazardous to the health of your plane...

8) I do a fair amount of flight sim activity... it’s pretty helpful when you already are familiar with the plane... in real life...

9) When you get a chance... also fly various other planes for a more 3D view of the art and science of flying...

10) Tail wheels and gliders get mentioned a lot around here.... sea planes, gyro copters, hang gliders also make the list...
 

11) I re-learned to fly in my O... after a few steps with a C172...  The O.... makes you work hard at thinking... the faster you think, the more comfortable it becomes...

What took you so long to get started again, why so serious now?

PP thoughts only, not a CFI...

Go Mooney!

Best regards,

-a-

[Sullux]

@carusoam Thanks for the perspective. Yes, learning for me works differently than for most people. It's been that way my whole life. I have different superpowers and different kryptonite than the average person, so I can skip ahead in some ways and need to take it really slowly in other ways. I'll take your perspective to heart and be prepared for some inevitable inefficiencies.

Regarding what took so long and why now, mostly just life arc. I'd have been all in on a career in aviation from day one if I could have been. It's the only thing I've ever wanted. There's a picture of me in a newspaper article when I was 2 years old staring yearningly at a model airplane at the annual model airplane convention in Vermont back in 1978. (Yes, my profile picture is recent and I actually do look a decade younger than I really am for whatever reason.)

But instead I ended up as a single parent and spent 18 years raising my daughter on my own. When she was old enough to go off to college I moved from Vermont to Seattle because I wanted to be in a city (there are no cities in Vermont). Also not a lot of opportunities for software engineers in VT. So I moved to Seattle and spent the past 6 years earning better money and saving a lot of it, and I'm now finally in a financial position to start doing what I've been working for my whole life.

[carusoam]

Let’s go machine shopping!

My favorite way to see what’s available in the market today...

Is a magical garden of Mooneys for sale...

Several Mooneys of various varieties... and ages... and equipment... and turbo and normally aspirated....

Find Jimmy... Find AllAmericanAircraft...

Find what’s out there...

Usually there will be one or two Ovations at all times.... sometimes more, sometimes less...

http://allamericanaircraft.com/Default.htm

Click on the inventory list... and it gathers all the current listings Jimmy has...

Jimmy sells Mooneys because he likes to...

He is a resident around here, and is super knowledgable about all Mooneys...

I also bought My O a decade ago through Jimmy... I learned about M20Cs two decades ago from David, one of Jimmy’s partners...

The more unique you are... the more you will appreciate the Mooney....

If Speed and Efficiency are  your thing...

Go Mooney!

Best regards,

-a-

 

[Sullux]

Yeah, I think this one here is pretty much exactly what I'm looking for. It's the right age, low STOH, disk shocks newly replaced, factory TKS FIKI, and right in my price range. I'm based in Seattle, so FIKI is important for me.

I'm leaning towards naturally aspirated. I had thought for a while about a 231, but much of my flying is going to be with passengers, and they are not interested in wrangling O2. With most of my time spent below fl120, the naturally-aspirated R seems like a better choice than the K. A little more up-front cost with lower per-mile costs and slightly better performance for the specific mission.

Unfortunately, I'm stuck treading water for the moment. I need to sell my condo in VT before I buy the plane. Well, I don't need to, but I should. Fiscal responsibility and all that. But my renters got blindsided by this pandemic as much as the rest of us did, so they changed their plans and didn't move out as they had originally planned. And I'm sure not going to kick them out right now because I refuse to be that person. They still pay rent, so while I'm frustrated with the whole thing, I'm one of the lucky ones.

That said, I really do not want to put this off til next year, so I'm thinking about just taking the risk and financing some of the purchase price. So I figured I'd start poking around for a CFI while I'm figuring out the rest of it, and here we are.

Thanks for that link! Nice to get a trusted name. I'll get in touch with Jimmy as soon as I've made my financial decisions.

[carusoam]

Feel free to go through the effort of reading the logs...

Usually they are electronic copied and easy to hand out....

See if anything stands out...

FIKI makes a lot of sense for the PNW, and flying IFR... in IMC.

Best regards,

 -a-

[StevenL757]

1 hour ago, Sullux said:

@carusoam Thanks for the perspective. Yes, learning for me works differently than for most people. It's been that way my whole life. I have different superpowers and different kryptonite than the average person, so I can skip ahead in some ways and need to take it really slowly in other ways. I'll take your perspective to heart and be prepared for some inevitable inefficiencies.

Regarding what took so long and why now, mostly just life arc. I'd have been all in on a career in aviation from day one if I could have been. It's the only thing I've ever wanted. There's a picture of me in a newspaper article when I was 2 years old staring yearningly at a model airplane at the annual model airplane convention in Vermont back in 1978. (Yes, my profile picture is recent and I actually do look a decade younger than I really am for whatever reason.)

But instead I ended up as a single parent and spent 18 years raising my daughter on my own. When she was old enough to go off to college I moved from Vermont to Seattle because I wanted to be in a city (there are no cities in Vermont). Also not a lot of opportunities for software engineers in VT. So I moved to Seattle and spent the past 6 years earning better money and saving a lot of it, and I'm now finally in a financial position to start doing what I've been working for my whole life.

Sounds like your life and mine paralleled a lot...except for me being a single parent.  I grew up in the Seattle area...Puyallup actually...since I was very young, and then moved to NY in 2007 for a lucrative job...but not in aviation.  “Life” got in the way several times, but I worked it out as they say and will be leaving the corporate world behind soon.  It’s never too late to get started in aviation...so go for it, and enjoy the journey.  ;-)

Oh, and don’t be surprised if you see me at Beth’s Cafe if you’re ever there.  Been going there for years.  Common stop for me when I fly back frequently to visit family.  ;-)

Steve

[xcrmckenna]

Welcome. I’m 3 hangars down from Delray in #8. He got me into flying   I got my PPL in a Cessna 150 he owned in 1989.

Is that the plane you flew down to Chehalis and met Jeremy and I in?


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[xcrmckenna]

Congrats on the new plane!!! We have a very active formation group in the Seattle area if you are interested.


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[amillet]

8 hours ago, xcrmckenna said:

Is that the plane you flew down to Chehalis and met Jeremy and I in?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes, that’s the same plane. The last one in the row of three

Edited August 19, 2020 by amillet
Add photo

[WillyG.206]

On 8/16/2020 at 10:39 AM, amillet said:

@FlyTester owns a C model based at KRNT; is a CFI and airline pilot. 

How do i get in touch?  I'm looking for a Mooney familiar CFI.  

[Fly Boomer]

On 8/17/2020 at 11:24 PM, Sullux said:

That said, I really do not want to put this off til next year, so I'm thinking about just taking the risk and financing some of the purchase price. So I figured I'd start poking around for a CFI while I'm figuring out the rest of it, and here we are.

 

Get a hangar first.  Might be a problem in Seattle, but better to have an empty hangar for awhile than to have an expensive airplane parked outside.

[carusoam]

1 hour ago, WillyG.206 said:

How do i get in touch?  I'm looking for a Mooney familiar CFI.  

Best question ever asked by a new owner…. 
 

To get in touch with @FlyTester… click on the dark spot here.

Find the message button… that sends him a direct message….

Best regards,

-a-

[WillyG.206]

Actually, i am not yet a new owner.  I'm a student pilot intending to be a Mooney pilot and am actively shopping for a plane. (with a couple different ones in the crosshairs)

My intentions are to complete my training in my own plane, hence wanting to find a local instructor.  (don't want to buy a plane i can't learn to fly.  thought of buying a piper as that's what i've been training in.  But i dont want a piper i want a Mooney.)

Sorta caught in the paradox of which came first? Chicken or Egg?  (and not interested in learning to fly a Cessna at a local flight school, at outrageous cost)

Thoughts?

[Fly Boomer]

5 minutes ago, WillyG.206 said:

But i dont want a piper i want a Mooney.)

A very common affliction around here.  Some are forced to another brand by mission change, but most remain fiercely adamant about brand "M".

[carusoam]

2 minutes ago, WillyG.206 said:

Actually, i am not yet a new owner.  I'm a student pilot intending to be a Mooney pilot and am actively shopping for a plane. (with a couple different ones in the crosshairs)

My intentions are to complete my training in my own plane, hence wanting to find a local instructor.  (don't want to buy a plane i can't learn to fly.  thought of buying a piper as that's what i've been training in.  But i dont want a piper i want a Mooney.)

Sorta caught in the paradox of which came first? Chicken or Egg?  (and not interested in learning to fly a Cessna at a local flight school, at outrageous cost)

Thoughts?

Learning is a lifetime activity…

Trainers are designed/built for learners….

Mooneys are built for speed and efficiency….

Many people finish their basic flight training in something durable….

Then transition to their Mooney on the following week…

Getting the IR in the Mooney makes a ton of sense…

Getting tail wheel training and glider training also has value…

No need to rush…

Ownership has a bunch of expenses as well… hangar and insurance come to mind…

Plan your ownership experience… follow your plan!

Make adjustments as you learn more about where and how you are going…

Best regards,

-a-

[WillyG.206]

Appreciate the insight.  Renting planes and taking forever may work for some.  But that's not what i'm doing.  Seen that movie already, hence charting a new course of action.

What i'm after is a CFI who is familiar and can train in a Mooney.  That's the plan.  I'm in implementation phase.  I've got the ownership stuff worked out, and am about to buy a plane.  What i need is a CFI, hence the inquiry for a CFI.