rex280ia Posted November 18, 2025 Report Posted November 18, 2025 Apologies up front, new guy post so I probably got a little carried away. Quick background on me: retired naval aviator, but mostly a rotary wing guy. I do have some limited (~250) FW time and have been out of flying for about 10 years, although I've done basic med, my APOA rusty pilot course, and I'm about to get in the air and knock the dust off through some local training facilities. I've been educating myself on various options to get into the game again and have settled on a C/E or G/F. I've sat in a C, but that's about it. I suspect I'll prefer the greater legroom in the G/F, but you don't know what you don't know. I don't have an operating base yet, but I'm on waitlists at about 10 different places around/outside of DFW and hope to have a plane and hangar sometime early '26. I have a bit of a mixed mission set: a good bit of just local personal enjoyment, coupled with some longer cross-country trips on occasion to visit family in Florida, California, and Washington D.C.. I spent a good part of my career flying steam gauges, so the fancy glass is pretty, but I'm totally fine with basic steam gauges. However, a decent engine monitor is a must. I'm not averse to adding that myself if the purchase price accounts for that. Same with the Johnson bar. I like the simplicity, but not against electric gear. I also plan to own the plane for long term, so I figure that I'm going to do an overhaul at some point in its life, so anything under ~1500 with good compressions is fine by me. I'd like to get a couple good years of flying in before climbing that hill, but it's going to have to be climbed at some point. My ask is for anyone who would be willing to share their experiences owning and operating any of these models, and also would be willing to let me climb all over a short and long body to see the differences. Lastly, if any brave soul would be willing to offer a fam flight, I'd be happy to cover your gas and time. Finally, since I've shared pretty much my entire wish list, anyone looking to post their plane in the spring, please keep me in mind. I'll update what model I settle on when the settling is settled. Thanks for sticking with me given the length of this post!
McMooney Posted November 18, 2025 Report Posted November 18, 2025 (edited) If it's just you and maybe the wife, I'd suggest an E, i'm a bit biased however. F comes with larger tanks, may matter if you fly long distance. oh yeah, legroom only matters to the guys in the back, it's the same across all models for the front passengers. Edited November 18, 2025 by McMooney
rex280ia Posted November 18, 2025 Author Report Posted November 18, 2025 Thanks for the quick reply, McMooney! Crew consists of me, wife, and for the next couple years, my daughter. Just us 2 after that. We're all pretty small folks, 120-175# max. From what I can tell E and C are the same cabin dimensions, correct? Just get an extra 20 horses with the E, which would certainly be nice to have, more is always better! My wife does entertain the idea of participating in Pilots N Paws, so perhaps some furry passengers in the future. And if that gets me a pass to buy a plane, I'm in!
McMooney Posted November 18, 2025 Report Posted November 18, 2025 Just you 3, or pilots and paws a C or E will do fine you've sat in a mooney, you know, once seats are in flying position, the pb in the back has loads of room. well atleast legroom, it's still a metal tube hehe.
IvanP Posted November 19, 2025 Report Posted November 19, 2025 I have owned 1970 E with 200HP IO 360 for over 15 years with mission parameters very similar to yours. It was a great machine that carried us in relative comfort to many destinations in US and Mexico. My wife and I loved that plane. Good fuel economy and reatively reasonable maintenance costs. Mine had bladders put in for 54 gal usable and I could take full fuel and reasonable amount of luggage for 2 people for xc trips. That provided enough fuel for 3-4 hr legs when flying xc with reasonable reserves. Changed to Bravo couple of years ago. WHile the Bravo is great when it comes to speed and the ability to climb high over mountains and weather, fuel economy is nowhere near what the E provided and given the amount of fuel I need to carry, it si essentially 2-people plane at best.
hammdo Posted November 19, 2025 Report Posted November 19, 2025 I’ve taken my wife, daughter in my C. I’m not small but the C has had no problem taking 3 full size adults. Tweak the fuel for the 3 of us and limit baggage and I'm good for 3 to 4 hours with plenty of reserves. 2 people and max is no problem… mine is setup nicely for cross country… -Don
rex280ia Posted November 19, 2025 Author Report Posted November 19, 2025 Thank you Ivan and Don for the gouge! I think I may be leaning towards the short body. I spoke with the guys at Mesquite Aviation today about E vs. F as well and he feels you lose 10-15kts in the long body. If that is accurate, the short body definitely is in for the win. Getting back in the air with him this weekend if wx holds for the first time in 10 years! Look out below! It sounds from your experience that I should be really considering between the C and E. I wasn't sure about the lower power of the C and my mission set, but sounds like it would fit me just fine. Any gouge on speed differential between E and C? BTW, that's a really nice looking panel Don, love the carbon fiber! As an aside, I have seen some different gauge configurations. Yours looks set up more like what I am accustomed to. I haven't been able to discern a pattern (year, model, etc.) but some have the DG to the right of the AI and the altimeter and VSI are not on top of one another. Any thoughts/gouge on that? I think I would prefer what I know, but I guess you can get used to anything with time and practice, so I'm not calling it a go/no-go criteria, just a preference for now. 1
hammdo Posted November 19, 2025 Report Posted November 19, 2025 I’m hangered a crossed the way from Mesquite Aviation! Good group and they too know Mooneys. I go to Edge Aviation as I’ve know those folks for several years… I’m in Hanger B-3 at Mesquite… Mine is mechanically in good shape but paint is needed. Overall, you’ll like a C or E. Mine has all the speed mods and flys fast for sure… -Don
rex280ia Posted January 13 Author Report Posted January 13 Team Mooney, With the holidays behind us and hopefully everyone's lives getting back to a more normal cadence, following up on this request. Is there anyone in the DFW area that has a C/E or a G/F I could at least crawl on and sit in? Still looking to compare the long body to the short body and their sizes relative to the Grumman Tiger. Finally got some time in a 172, Cherokee 140, and a Grumman Tiger so a little less rusty than I was when I first posted this. It was amazing to be flying again after so many years! I plan to do my BFR in the 140 in February so I can get a few more hours under my belt before stepping up to the Mooney. Anyone brave enough to take me flying would be appreciated and compensated, but just being able to sit in one would be helpful! Thanks in advance! -Rex
hammdo Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 I got your message, I’m waiting until I’m over this flu before I fly with anyone. I’ll let you know as soon as I’m cleared… -Don 1
rex280ia Posted January 13 Author Report Posted January 13 Thanks Don! Sorry you are under the weather, it's been a rough season for the flu. Hope you feel better soon and look forward to connecting when you are feeling better!
Max Clark Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 On 11/18/2025 at 1:03 PM, McMooney said: If it's just you and maybe the wife, I'd suggest an E, i'm a bit biased however. F comes with larger tanks, may matter if you fly long distance. oh yeah, legroom only matters to the guys in the back, it's the same across all models for the front passengers. I'm 6'3". Sitting in a J was okay, but felt small. I have no problems in the Ovation. Previous owner was ~6'5". My $0.02 YMMV.
TheAv8r Posted January 14 Report Posted January 14 19 hours ago, rex280ia said: Team Mooney, With the holidays behind us and hopefully everyone's lives getting back to a more normal cadence, following up on this request. Is there anyone in the DFW area that has a C/E or a G/F I could at least crawl on and sit in? Still looking to compare the long body to the short body and their sizes relative to the Grumman Tiger. Finally got some time in a 172, Cherokee 140, and a Grumman Tiger so a little less rusty than I was when I first posted this. It was amazing to be flying again after so many years! I plan to do my BFR in the 140 in February so I can get a few more hours under my belt before stepping up to the Mooney. Anyone brave enough to take me flying would be appreciated and compensated, but just being able to sit in one would be helpful! Thanks in advance! -Rex Don is closer to you but if that doesn't work out, flying up to Dallas is a good excuse to fly and we can take my E up for a spin. I'm also a CFI/CFII and will let you do some flying .
hoot777 Posted January 14 Report Posted January 14 In Columbia SC area with a 1968 G. If you get over this way you’re welcome to look at it. G is slower than the F but 9.5 to 10 gpa.
hammdo Posted January 14 Report Posted January 14 6 hours ago, TheAv8r said: Don is closer to you but if that doesn't work out, flying up to Dallas is a good excuse to fly and we can take my E up for a spin. I'm also a CFI/CFII and will let you do some flying . I should be good this weekend weather permitting… @TheAv8r, would love to come down and do some training with you. I could always use some more Mooney CFI’s help! -Don
rex280ia Posted January 15 Author Report Posted January 15 Thanks Don! I'll DM you with my contact info. @Max Clark I'm 5'7" so no head clearance issues here! @TheAv8r Ditto on Don's comment. Anytime you are in Dallas, I'd love to fly with a CFI. I'll definitely need some training once I make the leap. @hoot777 I connected with a guy in NC via FB that has a F and a Tiger (what an awesome stable!). Seems like I need to make a trip to the East Coast to do some test flying! 1
TheAv8r Posted Wednesday at 10:16 PM Report Posted Wednesday at 10:16 PM On 1/14/2026 at 12:51 PM, hammdo said: I should be good this weekend weather permitting… @TheAv8r, would love to come down and do some training with you. I could always use some more Mooney CFI’s help! -Don Sure thing Don, would be happy to help! Weather's been tough lately, when we get a break from the cold lets connect and talk through what you'd like to work on together. I'd love to check out your Aerocruze AP too, you can teach me a thing or two about how to use it! @rex280ia Absolutely, let's stay in touch, I'll DM you my contact information. I've coached a few through the Mooney purchasing process as part of their transition training.
hammdo Posted Wednesday at 11:29 PM Report Posted Wednesday at 11:29 PM @TheAv8r I’m in! Once the weather gets a bit better will be in touch! The AeroCruze is pretty nice and would be happy to demo… -Don 1
rex280ia Posted 5 hours ago Author Report Posted 5 hours ago @TheAv8r I can vouch for Don's plane! It is a fast and very well-equipped plane! He has clearly been super thoughtful about his avionics setup, with backups for everything. And he was super informative about maintenance considerations as well. I learned a ton! And did I mention it was fast! @hammdo Don, I greatly appreciate you taking the time to take me up. What an awesome plane! 2
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