ISO

[ISOmooneym20j]

I have read a lot of the forums and extremely impressed with the knowledge on mooneys here. I am in search of a Mooney m20j so I can visit the kids and grandkids in Florida from arkansas. I want something as close to cruise 190-200 mph. Is there any other mooneys that could meet that without a huge cost increase. Is there c’s with turbo that are reliable?

[DCarlton]

6 minutes ago, ISOmooneym20j said:

I have read a lot of the forums and extremely impressed with the knowledge on mooneys here. I am in search of a Mooney m201j so I can visit the kids and grandkids in Florida from arkansas. I want something as close to cruise 190-200 mph. Is there any other mooneys that could meet that without a huge cost increase. Is there c’s with turbo that are reliable?

Here's a J with a turbo.  Don't have any experience with them but I've wondered about these too.   BTW, my F is 153 knot airplane.  Not bad for a hop from AK to FL.  

https://www.gmaxamericanaircraft.com/inventory/?/listing/for-sale/214133937/1992-mooney-m20j-mse-piston-single-aircraft?dlr=1&dscompanyid=6946&settingscrmid=614667

[Fly Boomer]

4 hours ago, ISOmooneym20j said:

I have read a lot of the forums and extremely impressed with the knowledge on mooneys here. I am in search of a Mooney m201j so I can visit the kids and grandkids in Florida from arkansas. I want something as close to cruise 190-200 mph. Is there any other mooneys that could meet that without a huge cost increase. Is there c’s with turbo that are reliable?

I don’t have an M20J but I suspect 200 is going to be unusual for an unmodified example.  Under most circumstances, you will probably need a turbo or a bigger engine.  On the other hand, the average M20J will run away and hide from your average single-engine Cessna, Piper Cherokee variant, or unmodified Bonanza of similar vintage.

[ISOmooneym20j]

Yea, I see that now. Thank you, I’m gonna correct it so I don’t sound like an idiot!!


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[ISOmooneym20j]

I have read a lot of the forums and extremely impressed with the knowledge on mooneys here. I am in search of a Mooney m20j so I can visit the kids and grandkids in Florida from arkansas. I want something as close to cruise 190-200 mph. Is there any other mooneys that could meet that without a huge cost increase. Is there c’s with turbo that are reliable?

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[Fly Boomer]

3 minutes ago, ISOmooneym20j said:

Yea, I see that now. Thank you, I’m gonna correct it so I don’t sound like an idiot!!


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Nobody who joined MooneySpace this month is allowed to talk about themselves like that!  Welcome.

[A64Pilot]

A J isn’t faster than a Bonanza, on average they are faster by about 5 kts.

A J is an honest, realistic 150-155 kt airplane on about 1O GPH.

If you want a budget turbo, you want a K in my opinion, due to parts availability, support etc. not a modified J, plus turbo 201’s exist, but are rare.

If you want to go faster than a J it’s going to cost you more money in a Mooney, there are faster airplanes, you can get an RV 7 say with a 200HP Lycoming for J money, but it’s a two person airplane, but it’s a good 10 kts faster. The J’s niche is and always has been is decent speed on a budget.

Finally run the numbers, 10 kts even on a long trip isn’t as much time as you may think.

500 NM at 150 kts is 3.3 hours at 160 it’s 3.12 hours without doing the math that’s about 10 min or so? Check my math I may be wrong.

Find out your total distance, then my suggestion is to be sure whatever your looking at can do it with some adverse winds, IFR with alternate and reserves fuel wise.

Several times I’ve made a trip in a slower airplane in less time than a fast one because I had long legs and didn’t have to make a fuel stop, where they did 

That faster RV for example only carries 40 gl of fuel I think, so less than four hours fuel

[Shadrach]

4 hours ago, A64Pilot said:

A J isn’t faster than a Bonanza, on average they are faster by about 5 kts.

A J is an honest, realistic 150-155 kt airplane on about 1O GPH.

If you want a budget turbo, you want a K in my opinion, due to parts availability, support etc. not a modified J, plus turbo 201’s exist, but are rare.

If you want to go faster than a J it’s going to cost you more money in a Mooney, there are faster airplanes, you can get an RV 7 say with a 200HP Lycoming for J money, but it’s a two person airplane, but it’s a good 10 kts faster. The J’s niche is and always has been is decent speed on a budget.

Finally run the numbers, 10 kts even on a long trip isn’t as much time as you may think.

500 NM at 150 kts is 3.3 hours at 160 it’s 3.12 hours without doing the math that’s about 10 min or so? Check my math I may be wrong.

Find out your total distance, then my suggestion is to be sure whatever your looking at can do it with some adverse winds, IFR with alternate and reserves fuel wise.

Several times I’ve made a trip in a slower airplane in less time than a fast one because I had long legs and didn’t have to make a fuel stop, where they did 

That faster RV for example only carries 40 gl of fuel I think, so less than four hours fuel

Depends on the Bonanza. The 470 powered 33s are slower than a 201 on more gas. The 520 powered A36 outdoes the 201 in many ways but speed isn’t really one of them. I am a big fan of Bonanzas but a lot of folks tend to conflate the best attributes of all of the various models into one mythical 1500lb UL 178kt on 12.5gph bird.
I don’t have a lot of A36 time but I have enough to know that the speed difference between it and my F was not very significant. What was significant was easily loading a mountain bike and a summer’s worth of luggage and 3 people without feeling packed out.

[M20F]

If you have grandkids you might want to try getting in/out of Mooney.  When you pour all the considerations in a funnel the Mooney is always the best option.  Bonanza’s lose at the cheap factor but surpass the Mooney is just about every other category.  

[carusoam]

There must be something funny going on with the question regarding screen name…?

How does the first question become their screen name?

 

Either way…

For X-country travel…

Using speed and/or efficiency as a guideline…

Mooney is the answer for both!

After that…

Let’s discuss budget and what else do you want with that?

There are sooooo many Mooneys to select from…

Starting with M20A and ending with M20V….

Why start with a TC’d M20C?

and consider an M20J?

When discussing speeds of 200mph?

170kts…

 

Questions to help guide the OP…

1) How familiar are you with TCs, MP controllers, intercoolers, and STCs?   Do you really want this stuff?

2) How familiar are you with UL, how many people are you taking with you, how high do you want to fly?

If you are new to GA… or not mechanically inclined…

Go simple…

Stick to the tried and true…

An M20J is about as fast as it gets straight from the factory… with room for four…

Trying to get to the 200mph level starts costing a whole bunch more…

The faster speeds are achieved with more cylinders… to get closer to 300hp…

Putting a TN on a 180hp motor won’t cover that gap…

 

Just a starting point for the discussion…

let us know more about your background… we have plenty of reasons of why a particular Mooney may make the best fit for you…

 

Go Mooney!

Best regards,

-a-

 

[carusoam]

If you really want to have fun….

Get an M20J with an STC’d TC installation…

Ask questions about this plane’s performance to Rich…

Rich has both mechanical skills and pilot skills and flys a TC’d M20J….  

PP thoughts only…

Best regards,

-a-

[ArtVandelay]

A J is an honest, realistic 150-155 kt airplane on about 1O GPH.

Or 9 gph if you run LOP.

[ISOmooneym20j]

My main focus is to be able to get my wife and i to Florida without sitting at a commercial gate watching it get delayed again and again until i arrive after midnight. Generally it will be the two of us till we get to Florida and then would probably pick one of our kids up to shoot to the other side where the other one lives.

[Mcstealth]

1 hour ago, ISOmooneym20j said:

My main focus is to be able to get my wife and i to Florida without sitting at a commercial gate watching it get delayed again and again until i arrive after midnight. Generally it will be the two of us till we get to Florida and then would probably pick one of our kids up to shoot to the other side where the other one lives.

Easy. 

F, or J, or 231

F with a Ray Jay turbo? Sure. J with one? Sure again. Really need 170kts? Just start with a 231. 

[carusoam]

Just remember…

Flying with a TC takes on additional experience of flying at higher altitudes… to get the speeds that are desired…

Some M20Ks will be limited by their Useful Load…

Loading up two people can be a challenge…

Three, even more…

 

Sooooo… keep both eyes open when selecting a plane… know its UL, and how many pounds you expect to need…

How many pounds of people will you have, and how much fuel is required, + reserves…

Every load is different…

Got an app for that?

I use WnB Pro… or something like that.

PP thoughts only, not a CFI…

Best regards,

-a-

[ISOmooneym20j]

It’s all very good information, and I really appreciate all the useful feedback this forum has. It’s a goldmine of information


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[carusoam]

14 minutes ago, ISOmooneym20j said:

It’s all very good information, and I really appreciate all the useful feedback this forum has. It’s a goldmine of information


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It’s a goldmine of real people!

with real experience!

in a real, yet virtual, community…

They are asking real questions, to help guide you through your real decision tree…

 

Continue asking questions…  tune your ideas as you learn more about your wants and needs…

The more you find out about your various missions…

The better choice you can make about what the best plane for you will be next year…

It’s really hard to see how great the future will be… before it unwinds in front of you….

Go Mooney!

Just remember… it is possible to get too much Mooney… 

Kind of like getting a huge dog while living in a small (experience) apartment… how committed to fluffy are you going to be, or want to be…?  
 

Fortunately… some people can see their future, way off into the distance… others may take a more conservative view of where they will be tomorrow…  There is room for everybody in the Mooney World…

Best regards,

-a-

[ArtVandelay]

Unless you’re planning to fly above 12,000’, you don’t need a turbo (normalized).

[ISOmooneym20j]

So I see about half of the mooneys that are up for sale have had a gear up landing. My buddy that is a cfi and atp says not to consider buying one as they never fly straight again. I see a lot of really nice j’s that by his advice I do not consider. What’s some thoughts on buying a plane that’s had a gear up?


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[ISOmooneym20j]

Unless you’re planning to fly above 12,000’, you don’t need a turbo (normalized).

I would like to fly above 12k but that’s not a deal breaker. I would like a little extra speed to get me there quicker but hey, I feel lucky to be blessed just to finally get my first plane. There is so much to think about it makes my mind hurt


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[Fly Boomer]

3 minutes ago, ISOmooneym20j said:

What’s some thoughts on buying a plane that’s had a gear up?

Not sure about other brands, but a Mooney typically doesn’t suffer much.  I think the “fly straight” admonition is BS from someone who has no personal experience.  Biggest expense is the prop and engine tear-down.

[DonMuncy]

Gear-ups typically cause very little damage to the airframe. If properly repaired (ie. done by a reputable repair shop), there should be zero difference. Naturally, if one has a choice, they would take one with no damage history, but I would not hesitate to buy one with a gear-up.

[ISOmooneym20j]

Not sure about other brands, but a Mooney typically doesn’t suffer much.  I think the “fly straight” admonition is BS from someone who has no personal experience.  Biggest expense is the prop and engine tear-down.

So if it’s been rebuilt and prop replaced, it should be entertained if I’m interested?


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[ISOmooneym20j]

Gear-ups typically cause very little damage to the airframe. If properly repaired (ie. done by a reputable repair shop), there should be zero difference. Naturally, if one has a choice, they would take one with no damage history, but I would not hesitate to buy one with a gear-up.

That’s really what I’ve been wanting to hear, I’m passing up a lot of j’s due to gear ups


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[KLRDMD]

On 10/9/2022 at 6:26 PM, Shadrach said:

The 520 powered A36 outdoes the 201 in many ways but speed isn’t really one of them. I am a big fan of Bonanzas but a lot of folks tend to conflate the best attributes of all of the various models into one mythical 1500lb UL 178kt on 12.5gph bird.

I don't have 1,500 lb useful load but I'm petty close on the other two with my M35 Bonanza.