Newbie needs help on plane choice

[Wahoo]

I’m in the process of getting my license and was looking to purchase a Saratoga . I started looking at the monneys and would love “real” advice . I’m 6’1 and 250 lbs, looking to fly between Fl and the Bahamas mostly. Price range is $200.

[1980Mooney]

  On 3/7/2021 at 9:22 PM, Wahoo said:

I’m in the process of getting my license and was looking to purchase a Saratoga . I started looking at the monneys and would love “real” advice . I’m 6’1 and 250 lbs, looking to fly between Fl and the Bahamas mostly. Price range is $200.

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Are you flying alone?  How many passengers?  Load?  
 

A Saratoga compares more to a Beechcraft Bonanza A36 than a Mooney. 
 

Seats 6. Rear door. Do you want an SUV or a Porsche 911?

Edited March 7, 2021 by 1980Mooney

[StevenL757]

  On 3/7/2021 at 9:35 PM, 1980Mooney said:

Are you flying alone?  How many passengers?  Load?  

A Saratoga compares more to a Beechcraft Bonanza A36 than a Mooney. 

Seats 6. Rear door. Do you want an SUV or a Porsche 911?

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Also,

Where are you based?  What is your flying background?

[carusoam]

Welcome aboard Wahoo...

The Mooney is perfect for people like you...

From physical fit, to type of flying you intend to do...

Many Mooney owners finish their training in whatever trainer they are working with... then move up to Mooney ownership...

Having the experience of two different types of planes is great for a better overall view of what your plane is actually doing...

How is that for real Mooney experience?

I Started with C152s...

Moved into an M20C...

Got IR...

Then moved up to M20R...

There are plenty of people that can tell you about size and fit from a firsthand point of view...

Best regards,

-a-

 

[Wahoo]

Greatly appreciate it, I was looking at some of the M20R”s. From my place in FL to place in the Bahamas 500nm. Load? If we could carry 5,000 lbs , we would lol. 
these planes with the specs, would work. I would like to carry a little more, me and the dog is 300 lbs.

[carusoam]

Holy cow! Errr dog...  

M20Rs typically have over 1kLbs UL...

The Eagle has a whopping 1,100 LBs useful load...

It all depends on what else you have installed... from AC, to anti-ice, and O₂... or none.

Keep in mind... the more complex the airplane, the more studying and practice you may want to get in...

A few MSers recently reported visiting the Bahamas... including their favorite islands...

For rough numbers... my O... 15gph, 175 kts, 100gallons, over 1k UL...  500nm you can bring a big friend along...

Two big friends, may require a fuel stop...  

For more UL... there are more complex and more powerful planes...  get lots of hours in (experience) as you go up the ladder... twins and turbines are a common next step after the Acclaim...  

Post a pic of the dog! 

Best regards,

-a-

[201Steve]

If you Want to haul 5k lbs (I know, you’re exaggerating), don’t look at Mooney. There are no “six seat” models. 
 

If you want to get there fast and efficient, look at Mooney. 
 

I know a lot of the Bahamas crowd is transporting folks friends and family to and froe, and gear a lot down there and they decide for slower, less fuel efficient, but high end of the useful load spectrum. (Cessna 210, Cherokee six, etc). 

[carusoam]

One last real piece of Mooney advice...

There is one last new Mooney for sale still at the factory...

It just got released from development duties... announced this past week...

Best regards,

-a-

[Jim Peace]

Sounds like you need a large twin...maybe a twin on floats......

[Mcstealth]

  On 3/7/2021 at 9:22 PM, Wahoo said:

I’m in the process of getting my license and was looking to purchase a Saratoga . I started looking at the monneys and would love “real” advice . I’m 6’1 and 250 lbs, looking to fly between Fl and the Bahamas mostly. Price range is $200.

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If you are a broad shouldered 250lbs, and your right seat is a broad shouldered 250lbs, and you are both 6'1", you may have to stagger the seats a little.

The 6'1" is not an issue in the Mooney brand. 

[Wahoo]

I do like the UL of the Saratoga but the monney has a lot of attributes that sounds great, speed and fuel burn. I plan on getting as much training as possible too.

[Mcstealth]

  On 3/7/2021 at 11:17 PM, Wahoo said:

I do like the UL of the Saratoga but the monney has a lot of attributes that sounds great, speed and fuel burn. I plan on getting as much training as possible too.

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The Saratoga you are looking at, retract or fixed gear?

[Ragsf15e]

Step one of aircraft purchase/ownership is identifying your mission.  Really try to work out the capability you’re going to use 90% of the time.  It’ll help narrow/focus the potential field.  Maybe a Mooney would work, but that means a Pilatus probably does too.  You probably don’t want to parse through everything out there.  So mission... is it 4 or 6 seats?  Generally you’ll want 2 more seats than planned adults.  What kind of range do you want and how much weight do you want to carry?  The Toga is like a Ford Excursion.  It’ll haul lots of stuff and has room to fit it.  It’s also slower and uses more gas.  The Ovation is more like a Porsche Macon. Smaller, a little less room, faster and more efficient.

As a new private pilot, you might want to look into insurance first.  With no ifr and no retractable gear time, that may be a limit.  Not sure if a fixed gear Toga would be better since 6 seats adds to insure as well.

Your size should not be an issue in a Mooney.

[A64Pilot]

Assuming this is for real and not a troll.

If the mission is to fly from Fl to the Bahamas and you want to carry a lot of “stuff” a Cherokee 6 is tough to beat.

Face it Fl to anywhere in the Bahamas is a short trip so speed and efficiency isn’t as important, and nothing will carry more for less money than a Cherokee 6

[carusoam]

A64,

Most trolls start asking about their friends V-tail, or six seater...

It isn’t any fun to be trolling and asking about speed and efficiency...

Speed and efficiency...

Room for big people...

Panel big enough for wide screen HDTVs...

We got that!

-a-

[Wahoo]

No troll. I would also like to explore the country too. With the speed and the Bahamas should be pretty easy. Was looking at M20R Ovation 2. I really like the speed and fuel burn on these monneys.

[carusoam]

How long until your X-country flights begin?

short, long, solo?

That kind of thing?

Best regards,

-a-

[0TreeLemur]

What's a monney?

[carusoam]

I think that’s a color of green...

It takes a lot of monney to get a good Mooney!

Go MS!

-a-

[chriscalandro]

I think before you go much further down this path you had better go sit in one to see how you fit. 
 

Plenty of people recently, around your size, have decided the Mooney was not for them after not fitting well inside of it. People around here just choose to ignore those claims. 
 

I tend to think a Comanche 250 sounds more like what you are looking for. 

[ArtVandelay]

  On 3/9/2021 at 2:31 PM, chriscalandro said:

I think before you go much further down this path you had better go sit in one to see how you fit. 
 
Plenty of people recently, around your size, have decided the Mooney was not for them after not fitting well inside of it. People around here just choose to ignore those claims. 
 
I tend to think a Comanche 250 sounds more like what you are looking for. 

Fitting is one thing, getting in and out especially if the plane doesn’t have a step is another.
And face it, the low sports car seating position with legs out in front is not a position everyone likes.
I think he’ll fit, but he still may not like it.

[A64Pilot]

If he’s at the level he says he is, he shouldn’t be in a complex aircraft, no one should right away.

We had a C-210 at the plant, Boss wanted his Son to learn to fly, was determined he learn in the 210, well he did learn to fly and got signed off in the 210, I guess he wasn’t stupid because he pretty much never flew it, and I rode with him once or twice and it’s a good thing too, it was a matter of time before he killed maybe several people or a gear up landing as a min.

We took off from Dawson Ga headed to Albany about 10 miles away, kid got infatuated trying to program the GPS even though you could easily see the destination, after a few minutes of 2850 RPM, I couldn’t stand it anymore and reduced power and RPM from the 5 min limit.

[A64Pilot]

Wahoo,

            Do this, call and check on an insurence quote for a zero time Private Pilot in a Mooney, I’d bet many won’t even quote you.

[gsxrpilot]

  On 3/9/2021 at 7:17 PM, A64Pilot said:

If he’s at the level he says he is, he shouldn’t be in a complex aircraft, no one should right away.

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Speak for yourself. Everyone is different and there are plenty of members on this forum who went straight to a Mooney from the Private ticket. On the other hand, I've flown with a CFI or two, who shouldn't be turned loose with a Mooney. It all depends on the pilot.

[Schllc]

I bought my first Mooney, a g1000 310hp ovation two weeks before my ppl check ride. 
I had 40 hours total when I started flying in it. 
It was absolutely the right choice, and I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone learning.
I do believe the fact that I owned the plane (unlimited access) and flew with an instructor for close to 50 hours while working on my ifr in a Mooney was the reason it worked so well,  but suggesting low time pilots “shouldn’t be in a complex high performance airplane”, is just wrong.  Air Force and navy pilots are in turbines from day one. 
I do agree the individual has a lot to do with how fast people progress, but I believe most would adapt well, the Mooney is not that difficult a plane to fly.