Flying magazine Mooney vs. Grumman article - Issue 936

[CChris]

Hello fellow aviators,

I am new to MS but have already learned so much from the community! I have an M20C under contract, so hopefully soon I'll be able to say I am a proud Mooney owner.

Have you read the AA-5 vs. M20 comparison in their last edition? They compare a Grumman Tiger and an M20C, and even mention the Mooneyspace forum, stating that "a new owner can unlock a level of support, expertise, and camaraderie that owners of less common types can only dream of". I also loved the shots of N6816V - do any of you guys own it? Such a nice-looking bird.

Looks like the new Flying team is doing a good job with the magazine with interesting articles, amazing pictures, and a paper/print quality that makes it a joy to read and collect.

Looking forward to contributing to the forum and meeting other mooniacs - I'm based in South Florida.

Happy flying!
Christianini 

[Schllc]

Welcome!  The experience here is deep and vast. 
The discourse can get cheeky from time to time, but usually it’s unintentional or just a curmudgeon. 
Welcome to the Mooney family. 

[Jorge0272]

I had a Grumman Tiger, 1976 AA5B. Great little airplane. Very easy to work on. I loved that little thing, but it is nowhere near the speed of the Mooney. I believe I would see about 125-130KTS at about 10gph on a good day. Very comfortable. Very easy to fly and land. It almost lands itself. 

I can't compare it to physically flying a Mooney, other than what is on paper. Never been in a Mooney. The Mooney is what I will be purchasing at the end of the year though. Hopefully a M20F?

[Oscar Avalle]

Welcome on board! This is a great forum where you can get advice and blow off some steam! 

Oscar

[KLudwick]

Happy you enjoyed the article, and welcome to Mooneyspace!  I own N6816V and had a blast doing the air-to-air and helping Jason with the article for Flying.  

[carusoam]

Is this thread related to that same article…?

Oddly, I can’t find the actual article…. 

Best regards,

-a-

[Shadrach]

1 hour ago, KLudwick said:

Happy you enjoyed the article, and welcome to Mooneyspace!  I own N6816V and had a blast doing the air-to-air and helping Jason with the article for Flying.  

That’s a beautiful bird!

[KLudwick]

1 minute ago, Shadrach said:

That’s a beautiful bird!

Thank you!  We've sure enjoyed it over the past six years!

[KLudwick]

54 minutes ago, carusoam said:

Is this thread related to that same article…?

Oddly, I can’t find the actual article…. 

Best regards,

-a-

It's published in the newest Flying Magazine, which have started to hit mailboxes just this week. 

[rbp]

All you have to do is go to FlightRadar24.com and filter by AA5 and M20P to see the difference

[TheAv8r]

52 minutes ago, Shadrach said:

That’s a beautiful bird!

+1! I love the paint scheme on her. Do you have any more pics of the paint @KLudwick ?

[T. Peterson]

2 hours ago, KLudwick said:

Happy you enjoyed the article, and welcome to Mooneyspace!  I own N6816V and had a blast doing the air-to-air and helping Jason with the article for Flying.  

Gorgeous! 

[KLudwick]

31 minutes ago, TheAv8r said:

+1! I love the paint scheme on her. Do you have any more pics of the paint @KLudwick ?

 

[LANCECASPER]

45 minutes ago, KLudwick said:

 

Nice Aerostar 201!

As you probably know, yours is serial number 1 (21-0001) of 23 E's with the Aerostar stinger tail.

 

 

[eman1200]

[carusoam]

KL,

I forgot you had the stinger tail and the Butler button hook!

Unique Mooneys for $100, Alex!   
 

Kind of like finding an M20D still on it’s fixed feet… but only better!

Best regards,

-a-

[Pinecone]

I did my PP in a Tiger.  And later, a friend bought one on my recommendation (long sad story about it).

When I decided to buy, I looked at Tigers, but last spring, there just were not any for sale. And the few that were, were original 6 pack, no HSI, and many no GPS.

I used to flight plan 132 knots on 10.2 GPH and beat both numbers.

[Hank]

3 hours ago, Pinecone said:

I did my PP in a Tiger. . . . I used to flight plan 132 knots on 10.2 GPH and beat both numbers.

I flight plan 145 knots and 9 gph in my C, on beat them both, too. Much better!

[Pinecone]

Except Grumman is fixed gear and fixed pitch prop.  Lower maintenance costs and lower insurance costs.

[201Steve]

I owe my mooney ownership to Grumman. Back in 2017, a gps and autopilot equipped Tiger could not be had under $100k so… if I’m going to spend that much, I thought I’d get a real airplane. Go mooney

[laytonl]

I didn’t know Flying magazine still existed.  Lee

[LANCECASPER]

After owning a 172 for 3 years and 500 hours, my second airplane was a Grumman Tiger that I owned for a year from 1989 - 1990. I really enjoyed it and it was the first low wing airplane I'd ever flown. It also had a Century IIB autopilot which held heading or nav (vor or loran that I had installed), which at the tinme seemed to be about the coolest thing in the world. I used to order parts from Flectchair in Houston for my Tiger. Ironically Fletchair, now run by the second generation Fletcher family, is now located at the airpark where I live, TS36. I sold the Tiger soon after I moved from North Dakota to Texas, and took a couple years off from flying.

I owned a Cessna 172RG from 1992-93 but on a trip in the fall of 1992 to McAllen TX I looked on the board at McCreery Aviation and saw that they had a 1983 Mooney 231 for sale, N5655T (aka N262VF now owned by @geoffb). Airplanes weren't selling fast back then so it was still for sale in the Spring of '93. I got $19,000 more in trade for the 172RG than I paid so I bought the 231 and that was the beginning of my Mooney journey. While there are a lot of similarities, the Mooney feels and is much more solid than the Tiger. Who knows though - when insurance dictates that I shouldn't own a retractable gear airplane anymore there would be worse things in life than going back to a Tiger and having the best AA-5B maintenance shop in the world at the end of my taxiway. 

[carusoam]

Wasn’t the Grumman family supposed to come unglued at some point last century?

Or that hasn’t happened yet… maybe next century as the world gets hotter… or colder….

I’m going to need an IO550 on stiff legs…   In a few decades, until our insurance guru gets this issue straightened out…  he’s getting older too…. 

Best regards,

-a-

[larryb]

My first airplane after my PPL in the mid 80's was a Grumman Yankee. It had the 150 HP STC'd IO320 installed, so it had very good performance. The downside was it only had 22 gallons fuel, so no long legs. I had it about 5 years and 500 hours. A Tiger would have been nice, but just starting out back then the Yankee was what I could afford. 

[Pinecone]

9 hours ago, carusoam said:

Wasn’t the Grumman family supposed to come unglued at some point last century?

There are some ADs about inspecting and some possible repairs.  But most planes are fine.

IIRC, there can be some issues with improper use of paint strippers.

 

Oh, the later AG Tigers or ones with the Sensenich  prop STC are around 140-142 KTAS airplanes with fixed gear and fixed pitch prop.