Annual recommendation - Los Angeles

[Jhj123]

Getting ready for the first annual.  I want to stick to a specialized Mooney shop.  Lasar, Top Gun and Foothill are coming to mind.  Please let me know if you have any recommendations for me based on your experience.  

Thanks.

[Greg Ellis]

If out in California, you may want to ask @donkaye  He probably knows of a few good shops out there.

[donkaye, MCFI]

1 hour ago, Greg Ellis said:

If out in California, you may want to ask @donkaye  He probably knows of a few good shops out there.

I flew over to Byron late yesterday afternoon to get fuel in preparation for my Wings Program Flight Review today.  On takeoff from Byron I heard a "clink" just as the gear was at the end of its retraction cycle.  I knew what that probably meant; the right inner gear door rod had broken---again.  It was 4:00.  I was 10 minutes from Stockton, so flew over there to check it out.  I got out of the plane to look at the gear with my fingers crossed.  Well, that was useless, since in fact the rod WAS broken.  I taxied over to Top Gun at 4:15.  They close at 4:30.  Mark got right on it to try a wielded repair, since  they didn't have the rod in stock.  That was completed and tested at 5:00.  I took off again and as I raised the gear again I heard the "clink".  By now it was 5:15 and all of the mechanics had gone home.  Mark was still there and brought out the masking tape to temporally tie it open, while he fabricates a temporary rod this weekend.  Mooney will have to make one over the next couple of weeks.  They had none in stock.

As you can tell, what I'm trying to say is Top Gun it top notch and will go the extra mile for you in a pinch.  I've been using them since I bought my airplane 29 years ago.  In fact they did the prebuy.  How's that for a testimonial?

[Niko182]

I had a really good experience with coast air in KMYF. Overall great communication.

[ZuluZulu]

As of late last year Foothill seemed extremely busy.  I was eager to take it to them with money in hand but I could never get my emails or calls returned.  

[MooneyMitch]

I confidently suggest Coastal Valley Aviation at Santa Maria (SMX).

Plenty of Mooney annuals, pre-buys, airframe modifications, and other maintenance work performed by these fine technicians over the years, including my Mooneys.

[Niko182]

1 hour ago, ZuluZulu said:

As of late last year Foothill seemed extremely busy.  I was eager to take it to them with money in hand but I could never get my emails or calls returned.  

I had a bad experience with foothill. Each year they forgot I was supposed to show up, and their communication isn't exactly the greatest. 

This year was my third time showing up. I called them up the same morning I was planning to drop it off, asking if there was any way I could get a ride from cable back to john wayne. They said due to covid that wasn't a possibility. Completely understandable. No issues there, so I get a buddy of mine to fly a 172, tailing me to cable. I land and show up at the desk and they tell me they won't be able to start on the plane til next week. At this point I'm a little irritated since as stated I had called them that morning and they hadn't stated anything about not being able to start until next week, so now I'm wasting a week wondering why I didnt keep the plane for another week. Next week rolls around. I call them and they tell me the same thing. Won't be able to start til next week. At the end of the second week call them again and they finaly tell me they'll start it monday. Monday comes around and they tell me tuesday. Tuesday comes around and they tell me friday. At that point I'm over it and call them to tell them i'm just gonna pick it up and go somewhere else. 

I understand being back logged. I understand things take longer than expected. What I don't understand is why you can't just tell me that you won't be able to start until next week, when I literally called the shop that same morning. I get to use my plane for a couple more weeks instead of having it sit collecting dust. Just tell me what is happening. I had to call them each time they told me they would start later than expected. 

When I went to coast air, the communication was there. Jared made sure I knew what was happening every step throughout the annual. When his mechanic got sick, he called me and told me it's going to take 2 or 3 days longer. Thats fine. Shit happens and sometimes takes longer. Just tell me whats going on. Its not that hard.

Foothill does great work. But their communication isn't really great.

Coast does great work too, and their communication is awesome. They're who I'd recommend.

[MarkD34M]

Many years ago, I had Foothill do a pre-buy on a 231, which I ultimately bought based on their assessment. It took a lot of money and hassle to get it to acceptable condition once I got it back to the East Coast.  They missed "a lot".  Dried out pucks, bad oil cooler, both AI and DG overhaul, and dried out hot prop boots which flew off in flight to name a few.  Was I frustrated with it, yes but I learned a lot through the process. Pick your shop carefully and be a part of the process. 

[carusoam]

+1 for Lasar… our go to place for Mooney Parts info….  Aka Lake aero Styling….
 

side note…

@donkaye there is a Long Body (Ovation) being parted out in Europe… you might want to check the remaining inventory… 

 

-a-

[Jhj123]

Thanks everyone, very helpful.  I am scheduled with Mark at Top Gun for October.  

[Bryan G]

Top Gun is great, Mark does fantastic work!

[Ragsf15e]

2 hours ago, Bryan G said:

Top Gun is great, Mark does fantastic work!

I definitely agree, but it will come at an expense, so just be ready.  Nothing wrong with this because they are super thorough and knowledgeable, but it will add up quickly!  

[donkaye, MCFI]

On 9/16/2021 at 8:14 AM, donkaye said:

I flew over to Byron late yesterday afternoon to get fuel in preparation for my Wings Program Flight Review today.  On takeoff from Byron I heard a "clink" just as the gear was at the end of its retraction cycle.  I knew what that probably meant; the right inner gear door rod had broken---again.  It was 4:00.  I was 10 minutes from Stockton, so flew over there to check it out.  I got out of the plane to look at the gear with my fingers crossed.  Well, that was useless, since in fact the rod WAS broken.  I taxied over to Top Gun at 4:15.  They close at 4:30.  Mark got right on it to try a wielded repair, since  they didn't have the rod in stock.  That was completed and tested at 5:00.  I took off again and as I raised the gear again I heard the "clink".  By now it was 5:15 and all of the mechanics had gone home.  Mark was still there and brought out the masking tape to temporally tie it open, while he fabricates a temporary rod this weekend.  Mooney will have to make one over the next couple of weeks.  They had none in stock.

As you can tell, what I'm trying to say is Top Gun it top notch and will go the extra mile for you in a pinch.  I've been using them since I bought my airplane 29 years ago.  In fact they did the prebuy.  How's that for a testimonial?

For those who had thought about using the grey masking tape to tape anything going through 140 knot wind, I can save you the trouble.  It doesn't work.  It was torn to shreds when I inspected it after getting out of the plane at my hangar.

On Thursday I got the idea to call some other famous Mooney Service Centers to see if they had the part in stock.  I struck gold on the first call.  Chandler Aviation in Phoenix had one.  They shipped it overnight and I flew over to Top Gun early this afternoon.  One hour later I was on my way with gear and doors that retracted properly.  Great service from both Mooney Service Centers!

[Mooney217RN]

Top Gun.  Nothing more I can say but go there.  They’ve been servicing my aircraft for 20+ years.

[carusoam]

Great pirep Don!

I have heard that clink of a gear door escaping capture, once…. On a Brand B plane….

Something wasn’t set up properly and it got stressed too many times as things went over center…

 

So… check the gear door rigging when you put the new part in place…. See if it is seeing too much stress as it closes…. (?)

 

PP thoughts only, not a mechanic…

Best regards,

-a-

[Mooney217RN]

On 9/17/2021 at 9:50 AM, Jhj123 said:

Thanks everyone, very helpful.  I am scheduled with Mark at Top Gun for October.  

Excellent decision.  And if you need a lift back to your home field, I bet a lot of us would be able/willing to assist wx permitting.

[JamesMooney]

On 9/16/2021 at 4:11 PM, Niko182 said:

I had a bad experience with foothill. Each year they forgot I was supposed to show up, and their communication isn't exactly the greatest. 

This year was my third time showing up. I called them up the same morning I was planning to drop it off, asking if there was any way I could get a ride from cable back to john wayne. They said due to covid that wasn't a possibility. Completely understandable. No issues there, so I get a buddy of mine to fly a 172, tailing me to cable. I land and show up at the desk and they tell me they won't be able to start on the plane til next week. At this point I'm a little irritated since as stated I had called them that morning and they hadn't stated anything about not being able to start until next week, so now I'm wasting a week wondering why I didnt keep the plane for another week. Next week rolls around. I call them and they tell me the same thing. Won't be able to start til next week. At the end of the second week call them again and they finaly tell me they'll start it monday. Monday comes around and they tell me tuesday. Tuesday comes around and they tell me friday. At that point I'm over it and call them to tell them i'm just gonna pick it up and go somewhere else. 

I understand being back logged. I understand things take longer than expected. What I don't understand is why you can't just tell me that you won't be able to start until next week, when I literally called the shop that same morning. I get to use my plane for a couple more weeks instead of having it sit collecting dust. Just tell me what is happening. I had to call them each time they told me they would start later than expected. 

When I went to coast air, the communication was there. Jared made sure I knew what was happening every step throughout the annual. When his mechanic got sick, he called me and told me it's going to take 2 or 3 days longer. Thats fine. Shit happens and sometimes takes longer. Just tell me whats going on. Its not that hard.

Foothill does great work. But their communication isn't really great.

Coast does great work too, and their communication is awesome. They're who I'd recommend.

PIREP on Coastal Valley. They are very busy too. My plane is grounded with electrical issue - the earliest they will look at it is 2 months from now. From what they told me, sounds like they are focused on churning out annuals. They also lost the date for my annual (was supposed to be February) and pushed me back 4 months in their queue. I don't get the sense they want to take on new long-term customers or to provide ongoing maintenance, more focused on annuals and projects - but I have been very happy with their service when I managed to get myself on their schedule.

[glbtrottr]

My mooney specific IA in SoCal who’s also a mooney owner may be able to help in a pinch - but he has a day job.


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[Healthpilot]

Has anyone had a chance to do an annual inspection at the new Lasar location in OR for a long body? Any feedback on them? New crew or same people? Are they reliable and reasonably priced?

[ilovecornfields]

3 minutes ago, Healthpilot said:

Has anyone had a chance to do an annual inspection at the new Lasar location in OR for a long body? Any feedback on them? New crew or same people? Are they reliable and reasonably priced?

If you’re going to Oregon for your annual why not just go to Advanced Aircraft in Troutdale? 

[Healthpilot]

2 hours ago, ilovecornfields said:

If you’re going to Oregon for your annual why not just go to Advanced Aircraft in Troutdale? 

Because LASAR has a 50% discount offer on annual inspections right now.