Help a newbie

[76Srat]

Thanks for your service--we all owe you a debt of thanks and gratitude for what you've done in your day job--way to go, man.  

First, give @parkerwoodruff a shout.  He's our very own resident insurance expert (and a dandy one, at that).

Second, apologies for some of the "picking fly sh*t out of the pepper shaker" talk on here about the benefits of this Cessna over this Piper over this M20C over this M20xx or whatever.  We all have the best of intentions but sometimes we let the fog created from our own mouths cover up those huge building cumulonimbus building up in the flightpath ahead--you said you'd also like to use the aircraft for some charity work.  A longbody Mooney will be perfect for that, too.  I love the J3 and all family of Cubs, etc., but those aren't going to work for anything other than a Young Eagles flight at the local EAA Chapter meeting.

Finally, I can't recall if you said where exactly your wife is on her 141 journey, but if she also needs to add her instrument rating via the 141 path (which I highly recommend due to the waivers enabled on that track), then make sure that particular school allows IFR training on the 141 program in your own aircraft--some do not.  It would be terrible to find out that you/she cannot use your new-to-you Mooney for that purpose.  Just a thought . . .

Anyway, welcome aboard and enjoy your new adventure.  Get the Mooney and love every minute of it.  If saving .05 cents per gallon is your main concern, then subscribe to every possible aviation rag out there and merely dream about flying for real.  Not trying to minimize anyone's concerns about flying expenses, etc., but let's face it:  none of this is cheap and trying to do this great hobby in the cheapest way possible usually doesn't work out well in the end.   

[A10haSnackbar]

Thanks for your service--we all owe you a debt of thanks and gratitude for what you've done in your day job--way to go, man.  
First, give @parkerwoodruff a shout.  He's our very own resident insurance expert (and a dandy one, at that).
Second, apologies for some of the "picking fly sh*t out of the pepper shaker" talk on here about the benefits of this Cessna over this Piper over this M20C over this M20xx or whatever.  We all have the best of intentions but sometimes we let the fog created from our own mouths cover up those huge building cumulonimbus building up in the flightpath ahead--you said you'd also like to use the aircraft for some charity work.  A longbody Mooney will be perfect for that, too.  I love the J3 and all family of Cubs, etc., but those aren't going to work for anything other than a Young Eagles flight at the local EAA Chapter meeting.
Finally, I can't recall if you said where exactly your wife is on her 141 journey, but if she also needs to add her instrument rating via the 141 path (which I highly recommend due to the waivers enabled on that track), then make sure that particular school allows IFR training on the 141 program in your own aircraft--some do not.  It would be terrible to find out that you/she cannot use your new-to-you Mooney for that purpose.  Just a thought . . .
Anyway, welcome aboard and enjoy your new adventure.  Get the Mooney and love every minute of it.  If saving .05 cents per gallon is your main concern, then subscribe to every possible aviation rag out there and merely dream about flying for real.  Not trying to minimize anyone's concerns about flying expenses, etc., but let's face it:  none of this is cheap and trying to do this great hobby in the cheapest way possible usually doesn't work out well in the end.   

I transferred my GI bill to my wife. It should be $51k in flight training for a vocational 141 school. My plan is to purchase the airplane and use it in the most structured way possible. Starting with the 141 school, moving towards angle flight/young eagles/animal rehoming. While that is going on whatever work opens up we’ll take that; CFI, pipeline, repositioning acft. What I’m trying to ensue is that flying is constantly going on dispute what is happening in the current might. The wrong answer is standby waiting for it to get better. There is a reason I’m a gun pilot.


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[Jackk]

6 hours ago, Hank said:

Unless they are flying in circles, to reach the same destinations and return, they will log 100 hours for 900 gal in a C, and 135 hours and 1012 gal of fuel in a 172.

Math is math, you only did hours and fuel, but omitted that if I fly from A to B in my C in one hour, a Skyhawk will land in a cow pasture 35 miles short of B in that same hour . . . .

Of course, the C can throttle back to Cessna speed and match it hour-for-hour and burn something less than 690 gal in 100 hours; my Performance Tables don't go below 19.9"/1950 at 7500 msl for 144 mph and 6.9 gph at solo weight, but that will still outpace many 172s at 7.5 gph. So same flight hours, and less fuel for the Mooney, while still being capable of faster travel for going places when desired.

 If it takes longer to get somewhere that’s a bonus as his wife is BUILDING TIME, so hours > miles 

[dkkim73]

4 hours ago, A10haSnackbar said:

The wrong answer is standby waiting for it to get better. There is a reason I’m a gun pilot.

Love it! 

 

I think we might be making some assumptions. You (or your wife) probably don't want to just build time flying in circles as slowly as possible. 

A Mooney will be a pretty efficient way to fly and have some adventures. 

Agree you can go slower or faster as the need dictates in most models. Even the TN. But a nice 4 cyl will give you lots of options on the frugal end. 

D

[A10haSnackbar]

Update:

Just found out I’m going to Colorado Springs


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[Pinecone]

On 7/30/2025 at 10:26 AM, Paul Thomas said:

I'd be aiming slower and more fun. Get a cub, acro plane, etc. Just cruising around is boring, especially when doing 500 hours/year.

Agreed.  Unless you have a lot of places you want to go or have a mission such as Angel Flight or Pilots n Paws.

But even with a fun plane, how many hours can you do in it? 

BTW, I have an acro plane as well as my Mooney.  I do fly the Mooney more.

[Pinecone]

On 7/30/2025 at 10:42 AM, IvanP said:

Compromise...leave some fuel in but not full. I cannot take full fuel on most of my missions anyway due to weight limitations. My tanks hold 118 gal (Monroy STC) and with that load my plane essentially becomes 1 person plane. There is no perfect solution.   

Agreed.

I keep mine pretty full.  But I have 104 gallons (252 with Monroy).  But with the Encore upgrade I can carry full fuel, two people and some luggage for a weekend.