So, I bought a Mooney...

[wombat]

1 hour ago, Flyler said:

Woke up as soon as the sun rose this morning and immediately thought "Mooney!" and shot out of bed... not sure if that will ever wear off...

I'm flying mine this morning.  It's 5 AM and I'm up.   

 

It won't wear off

[NickG]

3 hours ago, Flyler said:

 

Woke up as soon as the sun rose this morning and immediately thought "Mooney!" and shot out of bed... not sure if that will ever wear off...

No. I bought my Ovation about 6 weeks ago and it’s still all I can think about!

[Flyler]

We had some time this morning so we stopped by to visit the Mooney.  Tried out the Garmin, I think its the "796" version as the weather button lit up.  Seems like the GTX is feeding it information, I didn't bring the GDL39 with me in the cockpit, but I didn't spend much time toying with it as I didn't want to kill the battery.  Also hit the faded paint with a quick pass of compound- really made a big difference.  I'll probably spend 1-2 days just cleaning it up!  There are plenty of places in the paint where it's just faded/chalked through, but it can certainly be made to look a lot better.  I might ask a paint shop if its something that could be corrected- maybe just reshooting the top wing root area.  Not sure what is feasible. 

 

 

[Ragsf15e]

6 hours ago, Flyler said:

Hey 500kts at 4GPH that's pretty good!  (I'm practicing my Mooney speed delusions)

Serial number is 68-0125.  It does look like the previous owner bought it and then quickly realized he wanted a J instead   He did a lot to it, these are the other items that I know about:

-Fuel Bladders

-Extra thick side windows

-Wing tip fairings

Honestly it has everything that I was thinking I might want to add over time to the "needs a lot of TLC" Mooney that I thought I would be buying.  Some of the folks on here gave very sage advice- buy one that someone else spent all the money on, and stretch a little if you need to.  The only trade-off for me is that I probably would've liked having the manual gear and flaps (this is electric).  I think I'm one of the weirdos that actually likes the throttle quadrant too.  All of the snazzy gear does come at a cost- she's at 905lbs useful load.

Woke up as soon as the sun rose this morning and immediately thought "Mooney!" and shot out of bed... not sure if that will ever wear off...

Interesting on the useful.  Mine is 1038.  When you have some time look very carefully through the old wb and see if they made some math errors.  The bladders add a bit, but I have a 3 blade prop which adds.  Your instruments add a lot too but Fs are usually closer to 1000 ul.  Mine has electric gear and hydraulic flaps.

[LANCECASPER]

36 minutes ago, Flyler said:

Tried out the Garmin, I think its the "796" version as the weather button lit up.  Seems like the GTX is feeding it information, I didn't bring the GDL39 with me in the cockpit, but I didn't spend much time toying with it as I didn't want to kill the battery.  

You should be able to pick up ADS-B weather on a 795 or 796 with your GDL39 3D. It sounds like they wired it to the panel GPS to feed the flight plan to the Aera. 

What will tell if it is a 796 is if it's able to get XM radio or weather. There will be a GXM40 puck-shaped antenna, maybe even under the glareshield. There should be an Music icon on one of the pages of the screens. Also the opening screen on the Aera where it shows you the databases and software version may tell you whether it's a 795 or 796. Also when you take out the battery the label back there should tell you. Whether it's a 795 or 796, it's a good unit. Yearly databases usually run about $150 for it or on some Garmin packages you can get it bundled with you panel GPS database.

[NewMoon]

Very exciting, I recall my first buy. Enjoy

[Flyler]

1 hour ago, LANCECASPER said:

You should be able to pick up ADS-B weather on a 795 or 796 with your GDL39 3D. It sounds like they wired it to the panel GPS to feed the flight plan to the Aera. 

What will tell if it is a 796 is if it's able to get XM radio or weather. There will be a GXM40 puck-shaped antenna, maybe even under the glareshield. There should be an Music icon on one of the pages of the screens. Also the opening screen on the Aera where it shows you the databases and software version may tell you whether it's a 795 or 796. Also when you take out the battery the label back there should tell you. Whether it's a 795 or 796, it's a good unit. Yearly databases usually run about $150 for it or on some Garmin packages you can get it bundled with you panel GPS database.

You know, I didn't even think to pop the battery out.  Says 795 right there    You're good!

[DCarlton]

Nice one.  I have an '67 F with all the speed mods but you've got a better panel layout for the long run and bladders.  Enjoy.  

[mike_elliott]

Congrats! I owned an F for around 15 years..great plane! you will love it!

[Johnny U]

On 6/14/2024 at 4:24 PM, wombat said:

The avionics are totally fine for basically ANY flight you might want to do.    Sure, better is better, but it's also more expensive.

I'd say a couple of things you can do short term: 

• Get rid of the ADF and the Area.   
• Get an iPad mount and use an iPad.  The iPad is just as legal as the Area from Garmin for any flying and it's a way better interface, IMO  Plus you can play music on it to your headphones.

I see you have the S-Tec autopilot.   Not bad, I had one and wow does it make things better.

Other than my suggestions above, I'd leave the panel as it is for a couple of years.  Then decide if you want to do the GI-275 route or the G3X route.      You *could* upgrade to the GTN (6|7)50 in the meantime, but the 530 is more than capable enough and I'd just leave it.   Tearing the panel open twice going to cost you an extra $10k compared to saving up and doing it once.

I would echo getting rid of the ADF- you won't ever use it and removing it and the antenna will add a little bit of useful load. I'd say that since you have a pretty functional avionics stack, that you get an engine monitor before anything you start upgrading...

[Ron McBride]

I had a 69f for 10+ years.  That plane has a 69 panel and throttle quadrant.   Useful load was about 1040#’s also, equipped somewhat the same.  I miss it though.   

[Flyler]

The plane was weighed to get the 905# useful load.  I popped a side panel off the interior and saw that it had foil backed foam insulation, perhaps that is part of the weight.  Those extra thick polycarbonate panels must add some too.

I'm still waiting for the ferry permit to come in, hopefully this coming weekend.  The battery seemed a bit weak- would quite turn the engine over so I charged it with my truck for about 30 minutes.  After that, it fired right up! Let it run for about 45 minutes, and the following weekend it took me 3 cranking attempts to get it started.  Once I found that magic spot for the throttle position, on the third attempt, she fire right up without hesitation.  I think the battery is going to last a few more years.  Not a big deal, but it's something I just assumed would be toast!

I agree about removing the ADF.  I was also considering swapping that JPI engine monitor with a newer, larger screen.  However... I will focus on paying off the loan first, so I can put that money towards a hangar rental.  It's so much more airplane than I expected to get, so I am THRILLED with the current equipment.

[LANCECASPER]

On 7/7/2024 at 7:11 AM, Flyler said:

The battery seemed a bit weak- would quite turn the engine over so I charged it with my truck for about 30 minutes.  After that, it fired right up! Let it run for about 45 minutes, and the following weekend it took me 3 cranking attempts to get it started.  Once I found that magic spot for the throttle position, on the third attempt, she fire right up without hesitation.  I think the battery is going to last a few more years.  Not a big deal, but it's something I just assumed would be toast!

On an airplane just because it starts doesn't mean it will pass the capacity test. If the alternator quits during flight you need the battery to power your radios and drop your gear so you can get it safely on the ground. The battery might pass a capacity test, but that's the standard you want to go by, not just whether it will turn over the engine.

[Flyler]

Got to watch Mr. Takacs take off, climb, circle, and fly 651RK off into the distance.  Sort of bittersweet watching another guy fly your new Mooney away, but boy am I glad I found Rob!  He brought her over to DXR back to the mechanic that the plane knows and loves... It somehow looks even prettier parked there. 

A really big day for me.  I got home and immediately felt exhausted, I think all the excitement drained me!

Thank you guys and thank you Rob! Adventures will begin soon.