Looking for Mooney to Visit in Person - San Jose, CA (KRHV or nearby)

[katzhome]

Hi All,

Adding this post from the other KRHV thread...since my needs are a bit different.  If this is spamming the group, let me know, I'll remove this or the other post.

Just joined the group a Mooney is one of the potential plane types we are looking at for purchase.

My son and I have been working on our PPLs and I got mine about 3 weeks ago (he can’t until his 17th birthday next March).  I have a little bit over 100 Hrs Training at Tradewinds (KRHV) in C172s and I started my complex endorsement work this past weekend in an Arrow II.  We are both planning on working on our Instrument, and he is planning on an Aviation career, so Commercial and so on for him.  We are looking for a plane that we can build time in and travel with the family (4 of us, but all of us are pretty small stature).

If anyone is around that could show me, my son and my wife a Mooney near KRHV or E16 to get familiar with them it would definitely help the search!  

 

The few possibilities that have popped up for me are a couple of M20F Executives and a M20G Statesman both relatively close geographically.

Thanks all for having this forum!

Regards,

Russell Katz

San Jose, CA

[katzhome]

Well, I got to visit N9388M this morning and at least get a feel for the size and feel for the airplane.  Surprisingly it felt more roomy than I expected and my wife thought that it was comfortable in both the front and rear seats.  In my opinion the plane itself needs some love.  It appears to be an M20F modified to look like an Aerostar, it has the "can opener" on the top of the vertical stabilizer and the longer tail.  Still waiting to get the logs from the owner to determine how much it has been flown recently.

The best news is that the wife is asking for options at a higher budget...so my search will continue!

Edited December 5, 2021 by katzhome

[katzhome]

So N9388M was not the plane for me, lots of neat features, but looking through the logs it had not been flown enough over the last many years, and I wasn't ready to jump right into an overhaul along with a few other things that would have to be made right for the plane.

 

So I have continued my search, and with the aggressiveness of the market, I am trying to see if we can make a M20E or M20C work to open up my trade space.  Does anyone have a "short-body" we could look at and sit in around San Jose, CA?

[carusoam]

There are two M20Js that recently hit the market around here… (mid body)

As for short body… they are 4” shorter where the back seater’s feet are…

Flying around with four people in the plane… depends on who and how big everyone is…

We left the short body M20C as the kids became full size…

Best regards,

-a-

[katzhome]

3 hours ago, carusoam said:

There are two M20Js that recently hit the market around here… (mid body)

As for short body… they are 4” shorter where the back seater’s feet are…

Flying around with four people in the plane… depends on who and how big everyone is…

We left the short body M20C as the kids became full size…

Best regards,

-a-

Hey @carusoam , luckily we are all relatively small...even with twin teenagers.  We were able to check out an M20F and it actually felt pretty roomy.  Just trying to see if the C or E is feasible.  I know there are a couple at KRHV (since I walk the hangars while my son has flying lessons)...just don't know the owners at this point.

Thanks!

[ZuluZulu]

On 12/4/2021 at 9:16 PM, katzhome said:

It appears to be an M20F modified to look like an Aerostar, it has the "can opener" on the top of the vertical stabilizer and the longer tail. 

It might have rolled out of the factory that way, during the very brief Aerostar ownership period...