Pre buy concern

[Schllc]

1 hour ago, MikeOH said:

@midlifeflyer

My bad; I confused you with another poster that has owned a size-able number of aircraft. Wish I could remember his name!

I have bought and sold 11 planes and I have only done one prebuy, and that was because the owner refused to sell it without me getting one. He paid for it. 
I inspect them personally, I review the logs, and I give a thumbs up or down. 
I read all of these stories about things missed in prebuys, and figured it’s a gamble either way. 
I look at the history, only want something that is flown regularly, and has good maintenance shops.   
I have been fortunate, and it has worked out well for me.

that being said, the oldest plane I’ve purchased was a 1979, and the rest were post 2005 so I haven’t owned any real old ones…

[Fly Boomer]

1 hour ago, MikeOH said:

@midlifeflyer

My bad; I confused you with another poster that has owned a size-able number of aircraft. Wish I could remember his name!

You may be thinking of @KLRDMD.

[kortopates]

Same here on the wheel bearings at my FSDO. And other similar ones like the need to change the oil and filter and screens to check for metal when the list only says “…and for metal particles or foreign matter on screens and sump drain plugs.”

But i personally don’t put much stock in an annual that is signed off being in compliance with part 43 appendix D - you can’t get any more minimal.
Instead all my annuals are done in accordance with Mooney’s 100hr/Annual checklist which is more thorough and more hours.


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[Richie the C]

Run, don’t walk away from this airplane. There are red flags flying on many levels. Compression? Low hours flown? Old avionics? Prop strike? 

[A64Pilot]

36 minutes ago, Richie the C said:

Run, don’t walk away from this airplane. There are red flags flying on many levels. Compression? Low hours flown? Old avionics? Prop strike? 

I disagree for many reasons, but it all depends on condition and price and we can’t tell any of that on the internet, sure worth a look I think

1. Compression is no big deal, worst case it needs cylinders, my bet is it won’t, but use it as a bargaining point on price, can even be a good thing, because you might get a good deal and odds are they will be fine with some flying, a borescope will tell the tale.

2. Low hours flown, usually low time airplanes sell for more, but the add for me is always hangared, many airplanes aren’t and I believe sitting outside in the Wx is a killer.

3. Prop strike is another not a big deal, actually I think it’s a value add, because he now has an engine that has been overhauled, but prop strike inspections often add  years and hundreds of hours to the life of an engine due to all the wear parts that are replaced.

Old Avionics? From 98? For most of us that’s not old, but the potential buyer has said he wants to pick his Avionics anyway so no big deal

Finally how many 98 Model Mooney’s are for sale? Depending on condition and price this could be a heck of a buy, the interior and paint for instance if truly always hangared ought to be pretty close to pristine. I’d take nearly pristine factory paint myself over even a new paint job because paint stripper is hard on the airframe.

Edited May 11 by A64Pilot

[Pinecone]

17 hours ago, kortopates said:

Instead all my annuals are done in accordance with Mooney’s 100hr/Annual checklist which is more thorough and more hours.

My shop does this.   How many hours do you estimate to just do the checklist, without any additional things to fix?

[KLRDMD]

On 5/10/2025 at 1:18 PM, MikeOH said:

I would be curious if @KLRDMDwould share if he routinely paid for pre-buys on the multitude of aircraft he has purchased over the years.  Seems whatever his method, it's been pretty successful based on sheer volume

I am flying my 21st airplane now, an RV8A. I have done a pre-buy on maybe ¼ of them. For the most part, I "prebuy" the seller. If I trust them, I trust their airplane. If I'm not familiar with a type or have a "meh" opinion of the seller, there is a greater chance I'll do a pre-buy. If I don't trust the seller, regardless of how good things look otherwise, I'll walk away early in the process. That said, I don't believe I've ever had a prebuy of greater than four hours done. I review the logs as the first step in the process, and a half day will turn up any deal breakers.

AN ANNUAL INSPECTION DOES NOT SUBSTITUTE FOR A PREBUY! They are different things for different reasons.

[Kytulu]

On 5/11/2025 at 2:16 AM, DCarlton said:

I need to revisit FAR 43 Appendix D which I assume is the basis for the 20-24 hours typically charged for a Mooney annual.  That seems to be industry standard.  

I'm not a licensed mechanic but repacking the wheel bearings every year always seemed too frequent to me.  Same with the fuel injectors and gascolator if you don't fly that many hours; hate to see those removed every year.  I would much prefer a progressive maintenance program if parts were readily available and you could schedule a task and get in and out of the shop in a few days.  However, if going into the shop means weeks or month(s), you might as well preorder parts and plan ahead for the annual.  A year flies by.

I am an A&P/IA at a flight school. We generally don't re-pack the bearings on our (Cessna and Piper) wheels during the 100hr or annual inspections because we go through so many tires, and every time a tire is changed, the wheel halves are split, cleaned, and inspected, and the bearings are pulled, cleaned, inspected, and repacked. If we notice something during the inspection, like an oddly worn tire or a wheel that doesn't feel right when turning, we will pull, disassemble, and inspect.

If I was to do an annual inspection for a private owner, I would look at the overall flight time since the last annual, whether or not any of the tires had been changed since then, the overall condition of the wheels, if the aircraft is hangered or not, and then make a recommendation as to whether or not repacking the bearings was necessary.

[Mister_Bevilaqua]

Has anyone here used JD and Laura at SWTA in Smithville for annuals or service? Their proximity to me would be ideal to make them my go-to for annuals, service, parts, etc., in the future. I just want to hear some feedback on their shop and expertise, specifically, before I consider using them. 

[hammdo]

Service on my mooney, they are great to work with. Did my windshield and came out perfect! 
 

-Don

[Hank]

JD and SWTA have a great reputation.

My Mooney has their version of the 201 windshield, which preserves small access panels to get behind the panel from outside (not present nor ava on the LASAR windshield). It was installed prior to my ownership. 

[Mister_Bevilaqua]

10 hours ago, hammdo said:

Service on my mooney, they are great to work with. Did my windshield and came out perfect! 
 

-Don

 

6 hours ago, Hank said:

JD and SWTA have a great reputation.

My Mooney has their version of the 201 windshield, which preserves small access panels to get behind the panel from outside (not present nor ava on the LASAR windshield). It was installed prior to my ownership. 

 

Good stuff! I stopped by their shop and met them today on my way to Bastrop. They seem like standup people, and I'd be happy to let them do my annuals going forward. It seemed like they were getting covered up with work on other makes at the moment due to other shops closing their doors, retiring, etc. I kind of got a touch nervous about the purchase of a "vintage" Mooney after chatting with him about the parts that are pretty much unobtanium these days.