Ok, what airplane WOULD you trade your Mooney for?

[201er]

Ok, so we learned that the vast majority of Mooney owners find the Cirrus nauseating and would sooner be caught riding a scooter than downgrade to that plastic toy.

So instead of a poll, here's a write in. What airplane WOULD you trade your Mooney for? Again, you're not getting any more or less out of the equity, you have to foot all the operating and future costs. Is there an airplane that you'd rather have than a Mooney but only the acquisition cost is holding you back? And if not, is there a Mooney model you'd trade for today and take on all operating costs for?

 

 

 

[201er]

I'll start. Nothing. I'm not aware of an airplane that might cost a lot more to acquire but same or less to maintain/operate for this kind of speed/safety as my Mooney M20J.

I'd have to be ready to shell out a lot more for operating expenses than I can afford that would appeal to me. Like a longbody Mooney or a TBM. I'd have to spend a lot more to get a little more. I'd have to have a lot more than a lot more to justify that.

[Danb]

Honda Jet 

[Niko182]

A36TN or a PC12 if were talking anything.

[201er]

Just now, Niko182 said:

A36TN or a PC12 if were talking anything.

You'd pay the gas bill, insurance, and maintenance if you were swapped the plane?

[McMooney]

1.  Faster Mooney, have an E so it'd prob be a K or Ovation

2. diamond da50

3. cessna ttx/400/350

tricked out, speed modded cessna 177rg ( slight maybe )  love the doors and space

 

 

[Niko182]

3 minutes ago, 201er said:

You'd pay the gas bill, insurance, and maintenance if you were swapped the plane?

For the a36, maintainance and gas is practically the same. An early light a36 is 170 knots on 13 gallons. Light im 180 knots at 13 gallons give or take. 

The PC12 is a dream. Thats not reality. Then again neither is an a36. I love my mooney, and its not worth switching out.

Edited March 31, 2021 by Niko182

[cbarry]

A “back up” Mooney.  As a Mooniac, I can only see trading out and not trading up—that’s impossible!  

[Tim Jodice]

Panthera.

[Guest]

I couldn’t trade away my Piper built copy of a Mooney, it’s superior in so many ways.

Clarence

[ohdub]

3 minutes ago, M20Doc said:

I couldn’t trade away my Piper built copy of a Mooney, it’s superior in so many ways.

Clarence

Clarence, could you weld another IO-360 onto the front of mine to make my airplane more like yours?

[Tim Jodice]

Just now, ohdub said:

Clarence, could you weld another IO-360 onto the front of mine to make my airplane more like yours?

Imagine that! think about how many charlie weights you would need! Wait! Put a third IO-360 in the tail instead!

On a serious note. what did the need to do to the Comanche to hang that engine on it? What is the airframe difference compared to a Comanche 180?

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, ohdub said:

Clarence, could you weld another IO-360 onto the front of mine to make my airplane more like yours?

It would be easier to convert yours to a Mooney twin.

[ChrisV]

To answer the OP I would move to a Velocity XL-Rg.  If meticulously built by someone I trust.  This was my first choice when plane shopping, but nobody would insure me at the time.  Now I am less trusting of homebuilts than I was then.

[ohdub]

If I could straight trade, I'd give up my J for a FIKI Ovation

[Guest]

Just now, ohdub said:

If I could straight trade, I'd give up my J for a FIKI Ovation

You missed a really nice one last fall!

Clarence

[ohdub]

2 minutes ago, M20Doc said:

You missed a really nice one last fall!

Clarence

Oh I thought about it, I really wanted Grant's Ovation, but the cost to move up was too much. I interpreted the OP's question to be that you trade airplanes (no cost to purchase), you just have to live with operating expenses. 

[MIm20c]

I’d trade my Mooney for a partnership (with ideal partners) in a 2000-2004 pa46.

[Tim Jodice]

33 minutes ago, ChrisV said:

To answer the OP I would move to a Velocity XL-Rg.  If meticulously built by someone I trust.  This was my first choice when plane shopping, but nobody would insure me at the time.  Now I am less trusting of homebuilts than I was then.

In my next life I want to build a Velocity-XL

[gsxrpilot]

I would trade my Mooney straight up for a Lancair 4PT or even just a 4P. I'd take on the operating expenses easily... except for the insurance. But then again, if I had no more money in the hull, because I'd traded for my Mooney, maybe I'd just skip the insurance.

[gsxrpilot]

50 minutes ago, ChrisV said:

To answer the OP I would move to a Velocity XL-Rg.  If meticulously built by someone I trust.  This was my first choice when plane shopping, but nobody would insure me at the time.  Now I am less trusting of homebuilts than I was then.

 

13 minutes ago, Tim Jodice said:

In my next life I want to build a Velocity-XL

I almost bought a Velocity before buying my 252. After flying in one, there's no way I could do it. There was just too much movement in the canard. In rough air, it was bouncing around. There's no way I could sit there and watch it move and be comfortable that it was going to stay attached. 

[MIm20c]

9 minutes ago, gsxrpilot said:

I would trade my Mooney straight up for a Lancair 4PT or even just a 4P. I'd take on the operating expenses easily... except for the insurance. But then again, if I had no more money in the hull, because I'd traded for my Mooney, maybe I'd just skip the insurance.

I agree about the 4pt.  However, I lost some of the desire after Yooper tore into his wing last year.  No way I could trust just anyone to complete a repair like that. I’d need to move up north next to Tom’s hangar to have an expert set of eyes on it...and it’s cold up there.  

[gsxrpilot]

The airplane I'd REALLY like to have but is just a little bit out of reach is an MU-2.

[A64Pilot]

Depends I think on which Mooney you have,and why you have it.

‘Some that have one of the much newer Mooney’s and have a whole lot of money in them could of course for similar money look at other very nice aircraft.

‘However for people like me that have a 41 year old J model, there just simply isn’t anything that I’m aware of that I can fly as fast and as cheaply, that has any carrying capacity.

‘I just bought mine and was looking at everything from an RV-6/7 to a Bonanza, and believe it or not but both of those are roughly 100K airplanes, for late 60’s model V tail or an RV with a 200 ho engine, and the RV was a field overhaul and not much in the way of IFR equipment.

‘The RV’s are in my option seriously overvalued, and a Bonanza will break the bank to maintain, and it burns 1/3 more fuel at least, 182’s are overpriced and not very fast and fuel per mile isn’t good either. 210’s are too big and expensive to fly and maintain

‘So to cruise above 130 kts and have four seats and a decent useful load, for 100K there just aren’t many airplanes. A Maule is in there, more fuel of course but operating expenses are pretty much just what the engine costs, but I knew I couldn’t find a Maule like mine was, so it was out.

[A64Pilot]

Just now, gsxrpilot said:

The airplane I'd REALLY like to have but is just a little bit out of reach is an MU-2.

There were or are Garret -10 conversions on a twin Commander that would in my opinion be a much better airplane.