PBones Posted August 14 Report Posted August 14 (edited) I am a new member here, hello to all and thanks for all of the great information on these planes. I am working on my PPL and just had my first chance to fly a Mooney M20K, WOW I have been training in a Warrior for about 40 hours and had the opportunity to purchase a low frame and motor M20k, it fly's but it needs a complete thorough annual (its on my mechanics schedule). A friend and Mooney CFI has the same plane and he let me take a lesson in his bird, Whoa what a difference as all of you already know. The plane does exactly what you ask and the performance is sharp. We did a steep 360 turn at around 60 degrees, holy cow is that what Gs feel like! I am totally psyched to begin training in my Mooney to gain the hours I need for high performance. I will tune in here regularly to enhance my ownership of the Mooney. THANKS ALL! Edited August 15 by PBones 4
Hank Posted August 14 Report Posted August 14 Congratulations! I test-flew my Mooney at the XC stage of PPL training, and bought it right after my checkride. The important thing right now is to not let it distract you, and concentrate on learning and finishing your certificate. Then when you are done, start flying your Mooney with a Mooney-proficient CFI, andnstay in student mode for a while longer. You will need a Complex Endorsement and a High Performance Endorsement, then some additional time learning the basics of flying the Mooney properly, learning the appropriate power settings and expected performance, and with your turbo, something about highnaltitude flight. And the XCs in your Mooney will be more like your Student Long XC. Have fun, study hard and fly safe! 4
Flyler Posted August 14 Report Posted August 14 Yep, what Hank said. I know it's hard to do but the PPL experience, especially the end stage with your check ride coming up... It's just so great. Have to put the Mooney on pause until you get your ticket. Best feeling ever. I'm still freshly minted, did about 100 hours in the Warrior before flying an m20F for the first time. My reaction was the same as yours. The Mooney just does what you tell it to do, as long as you give her what she needs (air speed, fuel, a kiss on the nose cone). I have been flying a Warrior and Archer lately while waiting for the Mooney to get out of the shop and they just feel so mushy and delayed. Have to start preparing for your landing flare as soon as you take off
TheAv8r Posted August 14 Report Posted August 14 59 minutes ago, Hank said: Congratulations! I test-flew my Mooney at the XC stage of PPL training, and bought it right after my checkride. The important thing right now is to not let it distract you, and concentrate on learning and finishing your certificate. Then when you are done, start flying your Mooney with a Mooney-proficient CFI, andnstay in student mode for a while longer. You will need a Complex Endorsement and a High Performance Endorsement, then some additional time learning the basics of flying the Mooney properly, learning the appropriate power settings and expected performance, and with your turbo, something about highnaltitude flight. And the XCs in your Mooney will be more like your Student Long XC. Have fun, study hard and fly safe! This is great advice!! Mooneys are precision airplanes and they respect precision flying, in exchange, you'll have a very capable rocket ship that handles like a sports car. As a CFI who does Mooney transition training, that learning curve feels a little tough in the beginning for new private pilots, but once you start it starts to click, you can't wipe the grin off your face . It'll feel like drinking from the fire hose again, but take your time with your CFI and enjoy the ride. 2
PBones Posted August 14 Author Report Posted August 14 Thank you all for the kind words and advice, much appreciated. Am happy to join the M club! I strive to learn from all angles and to advance to 110% proficient in everything I do , then hopefully I become 99%!!! I will be taking 40 hours of training, after my PPL, with a Mooney certified CFI at the airport that I keep the plane. This is required by the insurance company, as you all know, but I will most likely keep flying with the CFI, since he is a neighbor and his work in aviation takes him all over the place. I will be more than happy to taxi him around to build Mooney hours and keep the training going. 2
Paul Thomas Posted August 14 Report Posted August 14 1 hour ago, PBones said: Thank you all for the kind words and advice, much appreciated. Am happy to join the M club! I strive to learn from all angles and to advance to 110% proficient in everything I do , then hopefully I become 99%!!! I will be taking 40 hours of training, after my PPL, with a Mooney certified CFI at the airport that I keep the plane. This is required by the insurance company, as you all know, but I will most likely keep flying with the CFI, since he is a neighbor and his work in aviation takes him all over the place. I will be more than happy to taxi him around to build Mooney hours and keep the training going. That 40 hours training goes a long way toward an instrument rating... 2
Flyler Posted August 14 Report Posted August 14 Do yourself a favor - once you get your ticket in that Warrior, fly a couple solo xc trips in it. Get familiar with being the true PIC. Maybe take a passenger up a few times. Flying alone is a huge part of the learning process and you should mix it in with your continued training. 5
Hank Posted August 14 Report Posted August 14 On 8/14/2025 at 10:28 AM, Paul Thomas said: That 40 hours training goes a long way toward an instrument rating... As a brand new pilot, I'd suggest spending a year learning abiut flying, learning the airplane, how it handles, what power settings to use and what to expect at given MP & RPMs. THEN segue into Instruments. 1
IvanP Posted August 14 Report Posted August 14 Welcome aboard! May you enjoy the new plane and your Mooney ownership for many years in good health.
Schllc Posted August 14 Report Posted August 14 1 hour ago, PBones said: Thank you all for the kind words and advice, much appreciated. Am happy to join the M club! I strive to learn from all angles and to advance to 110% proficient in everything I do , then hopefully I become 99%!!! I will be taking 40 hours of training, after my PPL, with a Mooney certified CFI at the airport that I keep the plane. This is required by the insurance company, as you all know, but I will most likely keep flying with the CFI, since he is a neighbor and his work in aviation takes him all over the place. I will be more than happy to taxi him around to build Mooney hours and keep the training going. Better yet, go directly into your IFR while you have the grasp of information and the momentum. nothing better than training for hard IFR in the plane you will be flying. All of that dual you are planning for could apply directly to your IFR requirements. 3
PBones Posted August 14 Author Report Posted August 14 I know I have to do some hours in the Mooney under IFR and also with my regular training. I have to see what it takes to do the full blown certification and check ride. You are probably right, if I want to fly high, I should have the sheepskin.
kris_adams Posted August 14 Report Posted August 14 welcome and look forward to hearing more of your story. Where are you based?
Yetti Posted August 14 Report Posted August 14 I was going to say don't do it. Too late. just break out the credit card. You can't fly your 401K
dkkim73 Posted August 14 Report Posted August 14 2 hours ago, Flyler said: Do yourself a favor - once you get your ticket in that Warrior, fly a couple solo xc trips in it. Great point. First, it's a satisfaction you will have earned, and you should be pretty comfortable in that plane. Second, it will begin the eye-opening practical process of aeronautical decision-making.
dkkim73 Posted August 14 Report Posted August 14 5 hours ago, PBones said: just had my first chance to fly a Mooney M20K, WOW It's like the Warrior. 3
MooneyMitch Posted August 14 Report Posted August 14 Incredibly exciting for you ! Enjoy every aspect.
PBones Posted August 14 Author Report Posted August 14 1 hour ago, kris_adams said: welcome and look forward to hearing more of your story. Where are you based? I am training in NJ but will be relocating to VA when I am 100% retired I did not know what a Mooney was until about 6 months ago when I saw them at the airport I train at. My instructor filled me in on them as well as other Pilots at the airport. I did not have the time to train since I ran my own business for 32 years and have a disabled son (Autism) who needed care. My son transitioned to a group home last year and is doing well there, so that freed up time for my wife and myself to explore our interests. Took a intro flight in a 172 with my wife and we loved it. I am a car guy/mechanic and restored a bunch of AMC cars, so Airplanes looked like a nice upgrade to spruce up and run! 2
LANCECASPER Posted Tuesday at 11:21 PM Report Posted Tuesday at 11:21 PM On 8/14/2025 at 10:28 AM, Paul Thomas said: That 40 hours training goes a long way toward an instrument rating... Exactly @PBones just move from your PPL training to your IFR training in the Mooney.
0TreeLemur Posted Wednesday at 02:06 AM Report Posted Wednesday at 02:06 AM When I bought our M20C, I was a 400 hour private pilot coming of a 15-year non-flying sentence (life got in the way). Most of my time was in non-complex airplanes. Flying a Mooney was a handful for me because there is just so much more to pay attention to- especially speed control in the pattern. I flew VFR for a couple of years before starting my work on instrument rating and it was definitely a good way to go. I got used to the flight complexity before adding a whole bunch more IFR complexity to the mix. Something to consider. When shooting an approach in turbulence under the foggles you want flap settings, boost pump, landing gear, speed control, to be automatic. If they aren't you will struggle mightily. 3
PBones Posted Wednesday at 11:52 AM Author Report Posted Wednesday at 11:52 AM Again, Thanks to all for the constructive input! I am looking forward to being part of the Mooney Community! I do understand that I will need thorough training in the Mooney by a certified Mooney CFI, which I have (he flies his own regularly for business in the aircraft world and it is the same model as mine). I am a mechanic and controls electrician my whole life and understand precision and proficiency. I will not drive or fly anything that I do not have a full understanding of operation and control (Unfortunately for us, many people drive high performance cars and toys they have no business being in and after causing a major accident that is when they find out the limitation of the vehicle). The plane will be updated to a modern engine monitor/computer as well as the latest ADS-B and GPS units. I will continue to train and even after that take periodical trips with the CFI to reinforce the fine details of precision flying. This is very important to me to always strive to be the best at what I do, there will always be better people, but there is no reason not to continue to learn and grow. Definitely going to have the plane 100% for IFR and get the rating in my plane. I definitely will not fly on purpose in bad weather, but I want to be ready and comfortable if I encounter it. It will be cool to read all of the experiences of Mooney pilots in this forum as well as in other formats. Better to learn from others than to learn the hard way!
Pinecone Posted Wednesday at 12:58 PM Report Posted Wednesday at 12:58 PM There is also the online magazine The Mooney Flyer. They have archives back to issue one, so there is a lot of reading and good info. https://themooneyflyer.com/
PBones Posted Wednesday at 08:12 PM Author Report Posted Wednesday at 08:12 PM Only 13 more to go Pinecone! Impressive Thanks for the link!
hubcap Posted Wednesday at 09:46 PM Report Posted Wednesday at 09:46 PM Congratulations! You now own one of the finest traveling airplanes in general aviation. It is a high performance aircraft and it won’t tolerate low performance pilots well. You now have the ability to fly in the flight levels and travel long distances quickly while burning relatively little gas. Keep in mind that high performance turbocharged engine can be roasted in a couple of minutes if you aren’t paying attention. Personally, I wouldn’t want to fly a turbocharged engine without a good engine monitor. Three things I recommend - 1. Get plenty of Mooney specific training before you fly your plane…and especially get good instruction on how to properly use oxygen cannulas before flying on oxygen above 12,500’. 2. Get instrument rated as soon as possible. 3. Put the gear down before you land.
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