50 Years with the Family Mooney

[47U]

It was 12 February, 1973, my Dad brought 47U home from Willmar Air Service to a 1/2-mile long grass strip (2Y5) in Northern Iowa.  With Mom in the right seat, they enjoyed 35 years of flying the Mooney all over the country.  Getting up there in years, in 2008 he gave up his medical and I brought 47U out to California, just north of Sacramento.  I learned to fly in a Tri-Pacer (on the farm strip) and owned a Cherokee 160 for 20 years.  But, 47U is my forever plane, just like it was Dad’s. 

Photo below, my Mom and Dad on a trip to the Dallas area to visit her sister.

[RLCarter]

Awesome….. keep it in the family 

[47U]

1 minute ago, RLCarter said:

Awesome….. keep it in the family 

I have a nephew in flight training… no predictions, but wouldn’t that be cool?

[MBDiagMan]

Outstanding!

I don’t know anything to add to that.

 

[aviatoreb]

That is so cool!

[TheAv8r]

On 2/12/2023 at 3:54 PM, 47U said:

It was 12 February, 1973, my Dad brought 47U home from Willmar Air Service to a 1/2-mile long grass strip (2Y5) in Northern Iowa.  With Mom in the right seat, they enjoyed 35 years of flying the Mooney all over the country.  Getting up there in years, in 2008 he gave up his medical and I brought 47U out to California, just north of Sacramento.  I learned to fly in a Tri-Pacer (on the farm strip) and owned a Cherokee 160 for 20 years.  But, 47U is my forever plane, just like it was Dad’s. 

Photo below, my Mom and Dad on a trip to the Dallas area to visit her sister.

Very cool story, thanks for sharing.

Also a cool little fact, I'm pretty sure that's the first airplane I owned, my Cessna 150L in the background on the right (I didn't own it at that time). It was in Dallas for many years, based out of Hicks, and that paint scheme matches it exactly.

[rickseeman]

I love those kind of stories...

[47U]

7 hours ago, TheAv8r said:

Very cool story, thanks for sharing.

Also a cool little fact, I'm pretty sure that's the first airplane I owned, my Cessna 150L in the background on the right (I didn't own it at that time). It was in Dallas for many years, based out of Hicks, and that paint scheme matches it exactly.

Mom says the picture was taken at Mesquite, HQZ… I’ll ask her what year.  

[47U]

On 2/14/2023 at 1:49 PM, TheAv8r said:

Very cool story, thanks for sharing.

Also a cool little fact, I'm pretty sure that's the first airplane I owned, my Cessna 150L in the background on the right (I didn't own it at that time). It was in Dallas for many years, based out of Hicks, and that paint scheme matches it exactly.

Small world.  I asked Mom to research the picture… it was taken on 10 Nov, 1999 at Mesquite, HQZ (if that helps…).

[Shadrach]

You’re fortunate to have such a story. My dad bought our 67 F from Webber Aircraft in early 1968 years before he even met my mother. I have memories  of sitting in his lap as a child punching through clouds. Many extended coast to coast XCs just to see the country.  Dad enjoys flying right seat sometimes. At 84 he’s happy to be rid of the expense of ownership.

Part of me wants to upgrade the plane from nose to tail but I just don’t want to give up the familiarity of it as an original. There are very few things in my life that have been as reliably consistent as our old Mooney.  It’s truly a piece of high functioning nostalgia.  
 

I hope you enjoy yours for many years to come!

[Rmfriday]

Awesome!!

very cool