Try before you buy

[kowabunga]

Hey folks, I was wondering if there is anyone in the Central Texas area who would be willing to take an aspiring Mooney owner up for a ride. I am saving up to buy a plane within the next year or two, and the M20 is my top choice right now. I would like to have a little bit of hands-on experience with the M20 before continuing to plan for buying one. If anyone is willing to fly together, I can come to you as long as your plane is based within 100NM or so from Austin and I'd happily cover the gas.

I am a low time (~100hrs) PPL, so probably not quite enough experience to actually own or even fly an M20 quite yet. How much experience did you all have before buying your planes? Did you have much time in the Mooney, specifically, before you bought yours?

 

[Schllc]

This subject comes up quite frequently here, I’d suggest searching the forum, there are more than a few threads with plenty of perspectives. 
I bought an ovation with 13ish hours to finish my pool and instrument. 
I appear to be somewhat of an outlier, but it can be done. 

[Utah20Gflyer]

I bought my Mooney with 130 hours TT and 2 hours in Mooneys.  

[ArtVandelay]

Find yourself a sports car (corvette, Porsche, etc) and sit in it. If you don’t like the seating position, you won’t like a Mooney.

[natdm]

Bought an M20T with 110 hours or so. I've had my share of pilot induced issues and can attest to "everything happens faster in a high powered plane".

No regrets. Love it and it fits my mission.

[dkkim73]

11 hours ago, natdm said:

Bought an M20T with 110 hours or so. I've had my share of pilot induced issues and can attest to "everything happens faster in a high powered plane".

No regrets. Love it and it fits my mission.

I think this is well-said.

I'll be honest. The M20TN demands more from me as a 320hr ish private pilot (instrument). Just commuted back today and landed with some significant low-level wind shear (approach was warning everyone).  Which is just great when 5 extra knots can take you to the next county  Went around once, thought I had it dialed in then felt that slow sickening 2nd bounce...

But it's a great airplane.  

It was, for me, very much driven by mission. I would feel way more comfortable horsing down a C-182 or a PA-28. I'm still learning. But it is very, very efficient and capable. Turbo, TKS, stability, avionics. 

HTH and that you find someone to give you a ride, 

D

[dkkim73]

18 hours ago, ArtVandelay said:

Find yourself a sports car (corvette, Porsche, etc) and sit in it. If you don’t like the seating position, you won’t like a Mooney.

My guard/airline pilot bud said "you put it on one leg at a time". Kind of true. There's space, but it's different. Those excellent cars are not a terrible analogy. 

[bcg]

I've got a C at Kerville that I'd be willing to give you a ride in.

I had 20 hours when I bought it. Finished my PPL training and did my check ride in it. They're not hard to fly and really aren't much more to manage than a Cherokee.

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[skydvrboy]

I purchased my '67 M20F with 106 hrs total time all in a Piper Warrior.  The transition was really easy but my instructor had well over 1,000 hrs in his '67 M20F, so I'm sure that had a lot to do with it.  As others have said, their not hard to fly, just be on speed.

[Hank]

On 4/17/2024 at 12:26 PM, kowabunga said:

Hey folks, I was wondering if there is anyone in the Central Texas area who would be willing to take an aspiring Mooney owner up for a ride. I am saving up to buy a plane within the next year or two, and the M20 is my top choice right now. I would like to have a little bit of hands-on experience with the M20 before continuing to plan for buying one. If anyone is willing to fly together, I can come to you as long as your plane is based within 100NM or so from Austin and I'd happily cover the gas.

I am a low time (~100hrs) PPL, so probably not quite enough experience to actually own or even fly an M20 quite yet. How much experience did you all have before buying your planes? Did you have much time in the Mooney, specifically, before you bought yours?

 

I bought my C five weeks after my PPL checkride, and had 62 hours in my logbook [all in C-172s]. Insurance required 15 hours dual, including 5 hours real / simulated IMC with an instructor that they approved. The next day, I took my wife 140 nm across WV for lunch and back, and later in the week we went to see her parents in NC [270 nm away, after work]. 

The important things are to stay in student pilot mode and learn the airplane; have a good instructor who knows Mooney airplanes; get the procedures down pat; and fly by the correct numbers [which your Mooney CFI will teach you]. Most new Mooney pilots have trouble slowing down to pattern speed, so plan to be at pattern speed 3-5 nm from the field and use that distance to slow down.

Good luck in your search, and fly safe!

[PeteMc]

If you're not flying a Retract now, start doing it.  I don't know the magic number, but the more Retractable time you have should help with your insurance cost and the number of transitional hours they want you to fly.  

After you're all done with whatever time they require you to have, look into the Mooney Safety Pilot Proficiency Program (PPP).  You'll get some much more in-depth train both on the ground and in the air for your specific Mooney.  They're held in different part of the country throughout the year.  Being able to tell them you took a PPP the next year should also help cut down the Insurance costs.  (At least it used to, not really sure with the Insurance Co these days.)