Highest time Mooneys?

[Carl S]

A recent thread on a 201J for sale got e to thinking about high time Mooneys.  What are the highest time Mooneys that you personally know of?

I also found this in http://mooneyspace.com/index.cfm?mainaction=posts&forumid=3&threadid=7

Quote: airguy55

Good god, the fuel leak problem.  .... I use to maintain the Embry Riddle fleet of Mooneys and we saw the most used highest time been thru hell and back flight training Mooneys out there.  We came up with a few AD's lots of SB's and alot of good ideas along the way.  we did 100 hrs every 14 days on average.  Best flight training airplane out there, except for the cowling fasteners wearing thru the cowlings.

What maintainence issues are going to be common on high time airframes.  I am presuming that they got to be high time because they were well used and maintained well.  Does that seem to be a good hypothesis?

 

[KSMooniac]

I'd say it is a decent hypothesis.  Historically (to my knowledge anyway), Mooneys have not had what is considered "fatigue" issues with high-time examples.  Fatigue damage is typically small cracks that originate around fastener holes, and can link up over time and lead to structural failure of a major component.  Planes like T-34s, some 400-series Cessna twins, etc. have these issues today, and it will be interesting to see if other GA planes start to have some of the same problems in the future.

Having said that, I don't think there is a ticking time bomb concern with Mooney airframes in terms of sudden structural failure.  We all know they are hell-for-stout due to the steel cage and very strong wing.  That leaves the "consumable" items that should be checked on any Mooney such as rod-ends, rubber biscuits, engine mount rubber, cowling fasteners and cowl flaps, engine control cables, etc.  It is quite possible that one could find a 7000 or 8000 hour Mooney that is better shape than a 3000 hour one if the high-time plane has had all of these items changed or repaired over the years vs. the lower time one that might still be on the originals.

[Guest Anonymous]

I would agree except for two caveats.  The first is the fuel tank seal, which have pretty much been discussed before.  The other is a little more sneaky.  It is well known amoung Mooney owners and enthusiasts that M20s have a tube and skin fuselage.  However, it is not so well known amoung some mechanics who don't work on very many of them, and the annual does not uncover the upper tubes on the fuselage.  This area can easilly be overlooked during presales and corrosion inspections and anticorrosion applications.  Before I bought my 'G, I ran across several airplanes that were fine in all respects except for this.  I would not even have known to look except that an old Mooney guru here in Washington State warned me about it, expecially on airplanes based in colder, high humidity climates.  According to him, Mooney's affinity for that characteristic overhead vent is one of the potential problems and sources for trapped moisture.

RFB

[Parker_Woodruff]

Mine was an Embry Riddle trainer.  It left their fleet at ~6400 hours and ended up in my posession with 6904 hours this February.  No one working on it has found issues related to the high time on the airframe.  It's coming up on 7100 hours.

 

It was getting 1000 tach hours per year at ER.  Are they using Piper Arrows now?

[FlyingAggie]

This one has almost 9,300 hours and has been on the market for a long time.  My guess it was also an EB plane. 

http://www.aso.com/listings/spec/ViewAd.aspx?id=116134

Although this is not a Mooney, it has over 50,000 hours

http://www.trade-a-plane.com/classified/search?browse=single&usealttemplate=1&adnum=833293

Alan

[Parker_Woodruff]

Quote: FlyingAggie

This one has almost 9,300 hours and has been on the market for a long time.  My guess it was also an EB plane. 

http://www.aso.com/listings/spec/ViewAd.aspx?id=116134

[Flybeech21]

Very nice post JimR...   My M20C has around 7800TT and is doing just great.  I did an extremely detailed annual at the time of purchase.  We were specifically looking for cracks and corrosion.  No cracks, but some corrosion was found.

I have heard that one of the great benifits of a Mooney is not having to pull the interior for an annual.  I have heard this several times.  Well, the previous owner had this same revelation as well.  It was apparent that the interior had not been pulled for many many years.  That is where all the corrosion was.  None on the steel tubes or upper areas of the cabin thank goodness.  But, the floor underneath the carpet was in bad shape and cost me a few dollars to repair.  Obviously, corrosion is not directly linked to high time.

If anyone here subscribes to this theory of not pulling the interior for an annual, I would modify it and pull it at least every other year.  I personally dont see how an annual can be diligently performed without pulling it and cleaning the areas underneath.

A little off topic of the thread. but I thought it might be relevant.

 

[Cruiser]

I believe the only way to make a Mooney high time is to fly it alot and have a good maintenance program along the way. My 84 M20J has 6200 hrs. when I got it. That is about 250 hrs/yr. and it flew nearly every week. The maintenance logs were full of ordinary repairs. I continue to fly it every week. (Well, almost.)

I had looked at one with only half the hours (3000 TTAF) with a new engine for less money, but the very well known MSC that did the pre-purchase told me I didn't want to buy it. Something about the outboard aileron guides never having been lubed among 12 pages of other items. I am sure someone got a really good deal, but I could not feel comfortable flying a plane I knew needed repairs.

While assisting on an annual in my early days of flying, my A&P said something like "if this fails while you are in the air, you would have paid any amount of money to have replaced it on the ground". Knowing I have enough to worry about with my flying skills, I don't want to worry about the ability of the plane to do its job too. Maintenance is done when it is needed or the plane doesn't fly.

[Carl S]

This is all some good information, thanks. It looks like having complete, and well written logs is one of the things I should use in my search.

Carl