New M20F Owner - With Pics!

[canamex]

Hello All,

I've been a lurker here for a couple of years. Back in March traveled to Durango, CO to do a pre-buy on a '67 F model. I ended up purchasing the aircraft and have put 100 hours on it since then. I have a bit of a unique situation - I'm Canadian, live in Mexico City, and do business between the USA and Mexico. Because my life is so spread out, I wanted an aircraft that could carry a decent payload, make it from the US border to Mexico City non-stop, and be fun to fly to the beach. The M20F beat out everything else I was looking at on price, simplicity, and pure fun.

After signing the paperwork in Durango, I flew to Sandpoint, Idaho to visit friends, followed by a trip to my US base in Portland, Oregon, and then down the coast to Los Angeles where I picked up my mother (who got me interested in flying as a kid) and flew to Mexico City via Bisbee, AZ, Alamos, Sonora (I highly recommend the pilot-owned Hacienda Los Alamos as it has a semi-private strip), Zacatecas, and finally Mexico City. In Los Angeles I got my first taste of flying in a Bravo and even flew in IMC over the top of LAX on the way to Whiteman. Heading south through Mexico we flew over the famous Copper Canyon, a complex of six canyons covering 25,000 square miles. At first I was concerned that there wouldn't be anywhere to set down in an emergency, however I was pleasantly surprised to discover more airstrips embedded into the hills than I could count! I wonder what they use them for...

I'm now on the tail end of a two week round trip from Mexico City to Bellingham and back during which I've had the opportunity to land in the Alvord Desert Playa, a must do if you're passing through Southeastern Oregon.

The last 100 hours hasn't been without its challenges; the oil probe at the back of the WOLF oil filter relocation kit came loose at some point before arriving in Bellingham and started leaking about a quart of oil per hour. Advanced Aircraft in Troutdale got me sorted pretty quickly. On my girlfriend's first flight, I didn't close the door properly and it ended coming open mid-flight. Luckily we convinced the door to behave and my girlfriend still wants to fly with me. 

I'm attaching some photos of my adventures and will hopefully get a chance to meet some of you here on the forum or at one of the Mooney meetups this summer!

 

 

 

 

Edited June 16, 2021 by canamex
Trying to get the photos fixed.

[carusoam]

Nice work Canamex!

Congrats!

There is a procedure for the open door thing around here somewhere…

Most often, it lets itself be known at rotation…

 

The next thing to be aware of… the baggage door can do the same thing….  

So… get ready to update some old procedures with the new things you learn…

 

I’m glad you are here.

Best regards,

-a-

[Niko182]

If your flying down from bellingham to mexico city, a couple places you should check out.

Fields station. Right next to the lake bed you landed at. Literally like 4 or 5 minutes away. Its a popular spot where people land on the highway.

CA66. a private but public airstrip on the beach next to santa cruz.

Panoche Valley and Mercy hot springs. Mercy hot springs is charted. Panoche is not. (36°36'36.7"N 120°52'56.9"W)

El Mirage lakebed. Cinder cone next to kern is another.

Amboy, right off route 66. 3500 foot strip with the ability to drive off the runway and take a picture on route 66.

[canamex]

@Niko182 I'll be doing the trip again in August/September so I'll make sure to hit at least some of those on the way up. Thanks for the tips!

@carusoam I read somewhere (probably here) a PIREP about the baggage door opening mid-flight. I've been thinking about how to install an interior handle for emergency water exits but maybe it could also come in handy for an accidentally opened door?

[carusoam]

Nice to see the rest of the pics have arrived!

We have had one baggage door open in flight… this is not a usual occurrence….  Once closed properly they have a tendency to stay closed….  
 

They too come open, when not closed properly…  at rotation…   The hint of something not right…  a tornado inside the cabin throwing all of you paper around…

 

This one had a mechanical challenge found after the emergency….  (Pilot did a great job of handling, and sharing the details…)

 

Also… check to see if your plane has received the emergency open hardware that allows opening the baggage door from the inside, even with the door being locked…

There is a kit from Mooney, if your plane does not have it….   
 

We’ll work on getting pics rotated properly… next time….  

Best regards,

-a-

[Niko182]

38 minutes ago, canamex said:

@Niko182 I'll be doing the trip again in August/September so I'll make sure to hit at least some of those on the way up. Thanks for the tips!

@carusoam I read somewhere (probably here) a PIREP about the baggage door opening mid-flight. I've been thinking about how to install an interior handle for emergency water exits but maybe it could also come in handy for an accidentally opened door?

If you do please let me know. My favourite of the ones above are fields and panoche valley. Amboy was also really cool.

[thinwing]

13 hours ago, Niko182 said:

If your flying down from bellingham to mexico city, a couple places you should check out.

Fields station. Right next to the lake bed you landed at. Literally like 4 or 5 minutes away. Its a popular spot where people land on the highway.

CA66. a private but public airstrip on the beach next to santa cruz.

Panoche Valley and Mercy hot springs. Mercy hot springs is charted. Panoche is not. (36°36'36.7"N 120°52'56.9"W)

El Mirage lakebed. Cinder cone next to kern is another.

Amboy, right off route 66. 3500 foot strip with the ability to drive off the runway and take a picture on route 66.

question about ca66...have you landed there recently///my satalite shows turf runway x out

[Niko182]

28 minutes ago, thinwing said:

question about ca66...have you landed there recently///my satalite shows turf runway x out

I have not. It was closed for a while because of covid. Its grass and its bumpy. Just be careful on the soft field tech and you will be fine.

[RobertGary1]

On 6/15/2021 at 10:35 PM, canamex said:

@Niko182 I'll be doing the trip again in August/September so I'll make sure to hit at least some of those on the way up. Thanks for the tips!

@carusoam I read somewhere (probably here) a PIREP about the baggage door opening mid-flight. I've been thinking about how to install an interior handle for emergency water exits but maybe it could also come in handy for an accidentally opened door?

The interior emergency opening is trivial. Just tie some safety wire to the mechanism, slip it through the plastic panel and then tie it to a key rig. In emergency just pull the ring. 
 

the cabin door has two latches so an opening is unlikely but also not dangerous. Had it happen. The door will trail. Always a user error. Never had an issue with the baggage door and it’s hard to imagine how it can happen if it’s latches. At least mine latches down pretty snug. Maybe that guys latch was worn and loose?

[FlybyNite]

@canamex

Im flying San Diego this winter and was thinking of going to CDMX for week. There is info for traveling to Mexico in a private plane but I cannot find info for flying to Benito Juarez. Do they allow it, fuel, tie down/ hangar rental etc. 

[carusoam]

FbN,

Haven’t seen Canamex in a few days…

See if @kortopates knows about that airport in Mexico…

Paul has been known to give pireps on his flights South of the Border…

Best regards,

-a-

[canamex]

On 7/26/2021 at 4:19 PM, FlybyNite said:

@canamex

Im flying San Diego this winter and was thinking of going to CDMX for week. There is info for traveling to Mexico in a private plane but I cannot find info for flying to Benito Juarez. Do they allow it, fuel, tie down/ hangar rental etc. 

Hi FlyBy,

Unless you can fly 200 kts you will not be allowed to fly in to Benito Juarez/MMMX. Even if you are able to land, I believe the fee is something like $5000 USD. Most people use Toluca (MMTO) or better yet, Atizapan (MMJC). I would be happy to help you get set up with the local FBO (Monarch) in Atizapan. They've been good to me in my time in Mexico City. GA in Mexico is not cheap however, so I would plan on spending $150-200 for hangar space for the week, or half that for a guarded tie-down spot. I keep my F model on the ramp for about $120/month. Fuel is in most cases less expensive than in the USA, with prices at about $4/gallon.

I'm sure you know about eApis filing requirements when flying south. The first time you arrive in Mexico you'll have to purchase an entry permit (the single and multiple entry permits are the same cost so I'd just get the multiple if I were you), and it will take the better part of an hour to get through all of the different immigration, customs, airport operations steps. I've entered Mexico in Ciudad Obregon, Reynosa, Leon and Tampico and have had positive experiences in all of them except for Leon. I joined Baja Bush Pilots for the ability to file eApis easily which has been very useful. Their airport information however is centered around Baja and Sonora and not really useful or up to date for the rest of Mexico.

I'd be happy to help once you get closer to departure, feel free to give me a call at 2oh2 4six0 three05five. 

Hope you make it!

 

[canamex]

@FlybyNite I might have overstated the landing fee on my previous post. Here is the website from the airport authority with the landing fees and according to this website one must be flying IFR in order to enter the Benito Juarez airspace. The tricky thing there is that because of the volcanoes surrounding the city you have to be able to fly above 18,000ft in order to meet the MEA.

So, if you can perform a hold at 175kts and fly above 18,000ft, it might be possible!