Will it ever fly again? Shall I dare rescuing the abandoned bird?

[Irmin]

Please watch, like and subscribe the first part of my Mooney video series :-) Than you, appreciate it!!

 

 

Irmin

 

 

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[carusoam]

Interesting….

I recall your helicopter video business… a good sign you are familiar with aviation…. 
 

Other people have purchased Mooneys in the states… and moved them to Europe…

Hopefully the weather has been kind to this machine…

Be on the look out for water entry….

Rain can be really hazardous to Mooney structures…

MSE Mooney Special Edition….   Nice way to start…

 

Can you get her inside a hangar to start the work?

Looks like she was a well cared for Mooney up until that one day…

Looks like a great project!

Where did the engine, prop and mount go?

The old rubber seals are degraded, and won’t let you in…. Sun heat makes them sticky…

 

Great news… it only had a prop strike, and lived indoors for a long time…

The hangar rash is a bit unfortunate, but not horrible…

Try to NOT move the gear switch while on the ground….     (that could do something bad)

 

Looks like top of the line mid 90s technology…

With an unfortunate, but not deadly, prop strike…

Looks like fuel leaked at the sumps… they can be swapped out for new ones, or OH’d with new seals…

The whole panel came to life nicely…

Clean and assess everything…

Get the project started!

There doesn’t seem to be much work to do to get her flying beyond the the engine and hangar rash…

Be on the look out for parts and service manuals… start studying…

 

PP thoughts only… not a mechanic…

 

Best regards,

-a-

[flyboy0681]

The panel is in remarkably good condition and clean.

[Oscar Avalle]

Looks like a feasible project, although expensive!!! Only the engine would be above 60k to start with.


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[Utah20Gflyer]

You would have to get it for next to nothing to make it worth it.  Between engine, prop and avionics plus misc repairs you probably are looking at 100k to 125k to get it updated and flying again, and with the current supply chain issues it’s going to take who knows how long.   Pricing in a margin for who knows what and your time and risk there isn’t a ton of value in the airframe.  Just a wild guess though, but if it were me I would offer them 1k to 5k.  That might not be realistic but rescuing planes is not usually a realistic activity, at least from a financial standpoint.  

[carusoam]

It all depends on what the goal is….

Is it going to be a Better Than New M20J… a new one would cost over 500amu

1) Brand new engine

2) Brand new prop

3) 60amu panel update with fancy color wide screens for everybody!

 

Or 

Is it going to be a fantastic safe flyer from 1990?

Where adding a pre-flown WAAS GPS isn’t all that expensive…

A lot can be done on a corporate budget… Find RMag’s plane for a fancy refresh of an M20J…

Enough can be done on a private budget…

 

All the cool pilots are looking at…

1) IO390s with the roller cam followers…

2) Debating TopProps and MTs…  Europe likes their MTs for sound issues….

3) Sure would be nice to have the original engine back for trade on a new OH or factory reman…

4) Then… start dreaming…. big G, or Dynon, or…   

 

PP thoughts only…

-a-

[EricJ]

I saw a lot of corrosion, unfortunately, so I'd look very closely into that aspect of it.   Check the spars, where the cage bolts to the wings, and any place else you can reasonably look for corrosion evidence.   I'd +1 that you'd need to get it essentially for free, and you'd still have a very good chance of losing money on it.

If you look at it again, take the hatch off the tail just in front of the external power jack.   That'll let you look into the tail, see the battery, the condition of the interior of the tail and avionics rack, etc.

It could be a very nice airplane again, but it might be a long, expensive road to get there.

 

[0TreeLemur]

Wow.   Agree with @EricJ.   First concern is corrosion.   The first dime I'd pay would go toward an expert corrosion assessment.  Nothing else.  Italy is surrounded by salt water.  Airport was very near sea-level.  Flecks of paint coming off the perimeter of inspection plates underside of the wings makes me think of nothing good.

[LANCECASPER]

It depends on why you are doing it. If it's to have a really nice J model to fly, it would be a lot less expensive to find the nicest J you can find and pay market price for it. If you're doing it for the satisfaction of bringing something back to life, that's a really good reason to do it and even therapeutic. But just understand that the price you pay plus the money it will cost you to rebuild it will most likely never be recovered. To get that same satisfaction, and probably a lot less work, you might consider building a new Sling TSi with similar performance.

[Wildhorsetrail]

Count the cost then...do it! Having another Mooney flying has no downsides.

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[Irmin]

Count the cost then...do it! Having another Mooney flying has no downsides.

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Okay, it seems that the inside is much better than the outside. I am a lucky bastard. All the inside is like fresh from the annual. And it actually is as since the last one it flew only 5 flights. All the bearings on the inside are still nicely greased. When we replaced the tires and checked the bearings the grease was still red and fresh. Even the disks were saved. All lightbulbs work including strobe. All instrument except CHT work. Tanks not leaking except one bolt which should be an easy fix. Soon I’ll have another video online!!



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[carusoam]

Irmin,

You didn’t mention the engine!

Did you find it? Or is that a different one?

 

-a-

[EricJ]

Yeah, that was quick.   It's got a motor on it already.

[Irmin]

Irmin,
You didn’t mention the engine!
Did you find it? Or is that a different one?

 
-a-

The original engine was disassembled in 2018 and received new bearings and a new camshaft. Then they conserved it properly and stored it somewhere. As the plane has got only 1200h soo did the engine. So have 1000h left to the recommended overhaul. It was included in the deal. The propeller I bought from Tricity Aero in Canada.


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[carusoam]

Tri-city Aero…

I think I know those folks!

 

They always get good reviews… great customer service…

The Mooney world gets smaller by the day…

Best regards,

-a-

[Irmin]

Tri-city Aero…
I think I know those folks!

 
They always get good reviews… great customer service…
The Mooney world gets smaller by the day…
Best regards,
-a-

#keepGAalive


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[steingar]

I'd look that thing over good for corrosion before I sunk a dime into it.  Looked really scary to me.  If there's corrosion in the frame it's done for.

[LANCECASPER]

14 hours ago, Irmin said:

The original engine was disassembled in 2018 and received new bearings and a new camshaft. Then they conserved it properly and stored it somewhere. As the plane has got only 1200h soo did the engine. So have 1000h left to the recommended overhaul. It was included in the deal. The propeller I bought from Tricity Aero in Canada.


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TBO back then when this engine was manufactured was 2000 hours or 12 years whichever came first, so you are long past TBO. You can certainly fly it past TBO, but some countries have regulations that stick to the 12 years on engines and 10 years on props between overhauls.

On new engines that were manufactured recently from Lycoming TBO is 2200 hours or 12 years.

[Schllc]

11 hours ago, steingar said:

I'd look that thing over good for corrosion before I sunk a dime into it.  Looked really scary to me.  If there's corrosion in the frame it's done for.

Didn’t he say it’s been in a hangar until very recently?

[carusoam]

4 hours ago, Schllc said:

Didn’t he say it’s been in a hangar until very recently?

Yes he did….

Which reminds me…

There are plane covers recommended around here…

If for some reason, getting back in the hangar takes more time than expected…

 

Search for Bruces Covers… probably the best available currently… properly sized for an M20J of course…

Go Mooney!

-a-

[kerry]

Obviously the right man for the project.  He knows what he's doing.  I applaud you.

[LANCECASPER]

On 4/4/2022 at 11:45 PM, Irmin said:

Okay, it seems that the inside is much better than the outside. I am a lucky bastard. All the inside is like fresh from the annual. And it actually is as since the last one it flew only 5 flights. All the bearings on the inside are still nicely greased. When we replaced the tires and checked the bearings the grease was still red and fresh. Even the disks were saved. All lightbulbs work including strobe. All instrument except CHT work. Tanks not leaking except one bolt which should be an easy fix. Soon I’ll have another video online!!



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This is a guy that knows how to work with both hands - a cigar in one hand and a camera in the other taking pictures of others doing the heavy lifting. 

[Irmin]

And the story continues… somehow

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[Fly Boomer]

7 hours ago, Irmin said:

And the story continues…

I want more!  The bones look good.  Cylinder walls look like they were honed yesterday.

[carusoam]

Classic high, fast, forced landing, probably got two bounces before the third pile driver….

Enthusiasm will come and go in waves….

Find where the rat socks are supposed to keep the mice out…

 

A few common MS plans to consider…

1) Engine break-in…

2) Transition Training…

3) Fuel tank maintenance…

4) Exterior maintenance…

5) Instrument panel upgrades

6) Interior refresh…

There are plenty of threads around here covering all of these topics…

Go Mooney!

 

PP thoughts only, not a mechanic or CFI…

Best regards,

-a-