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Posted

Well, many folks know I've been on the prowl for J for several months. It arrived yesterday! And I've had a blast (and fair enough weather) to get my ten dual hours in and signed off by the CFI.  I'm pretty sure I can get it up in the air and back to the ground pretty safely. But there's a slew of doodads and gewgaws to learn about, which adds to the fun.


Many of you may recognize the photo as a plane that received some discussion a few months ago here on the forum. That was actually quite helpful to me in my negotiations so thanks for that!


As with any plane, we've found a few niggly things already that didn't show up in pre-buy but overall she's solid and flies great. And not slow, either, as noted in the FlightAware track from her delivery yesterday to Atlanta:


http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N1077G/history/20100126/1410Z/KCEK/KPDK/tracklog


Yes, of course, strong tailwinds, but still: 800 miles in 4.25 hours on about 35 gallons of gas. Me likey!


Cheers,


Jeff


 

post-407-13468137828227_thumb.jpg

Posted

Congratulations Jeff. 


There are a few of us that hope to follow you into the ranks.


< edit > I guess I better move N1077 off of my Excel sheet now. Wink < /edit >

Posted

Congratulations Jeff! Welcome aboard. Many thrills ahead for you are in store. The plane looks great. Did you get what you thought you were getting for a good price?


Philip

Posted

Very nice Jeff. You'll never be sorry you jumped on the 201 wagon. Congratulations


                                                                                                                 Cliff

Posted

Welcome!  You'll love your J!  Fast and efficient, one of the best normally aspirated aircraft ever made.  The only thing I would consider owning other than my 201 is a 252 or Encore and that is only because I will be traveling to the Denver area a good deal and can use the extra performance at middle to higher altitudes that it delivers over the normally aspirated.


Yours is a good looking bird and you will love getting to know her better.


Congratulations!

Posted

Many congratulations and welcome to the Mooney family!  For me it is the best airplane in the world.  Handmade in the USA, safety, speed. Hope to meet you someday, and again many happy congratulations to you!

Posted

Thanks all. A few folks have asked some questions so I'll give a some answers:


Did I get what I thought I was getting for a good price? In a word, yes. This plane started life as a trainer so the logbooks are full and sometimes confusing, but they are complete, and the pre-buy showed full life history for all major components and all ADs complied. Not that I haven't already found a few things to fix...this is an airplane of course. But nothing major or too expensive, and I've already budgeted a few months and a few grand to fix up those niggly thing to get it exactly where I want it.


I didn't do an annual since it still had six months to go before needing one. And I REALLY like the mechanic who's taken care of my Warrior, so I want him to take ownership of all the major components and start the long-term care of the plane.


Lessons and "gotchas"? Well, try to avoid getting excited about buying a plane just as the worst winter weather in 20 years sets in all across the country. That will cause some delays! And if you're financing any part of the purchase, make sure you get the loan origination company to fully document just which terms they've "locked in" and held for you. This was my biggest frustration, because I originally sought a loan for a smaller amount (X) and they gave me good terms at 6.74%/20Yrs. "But wait" they said (I should have seen the Ginsu knives coming), "how about a larger loan (Y) for only 6.17%?"  I said okay, thanks, that gives me some options while I look around.  Of course, once the pre-buy was done and I wanted to get the loan finalized pronto, it turns out they'd only locked in the Y amount and the rates for X had risen 20 basis points and required an extra $300 in loan fees! I raised bloody hell and showed them all the emails where I had been specifically quoted the rates for X, so in the end they had to scramble and find a new bank to essentially match those rates. But this meant going through all the new bank's loan requirements (which required greater documentation, photos, etc.) so we were scrambling to get it all done by the target closing date...which we did miss by one weekend. No matter, see the first point: the weather wouldn't have permitted delivery of the plane on the actual closing date anyway.


So things all worked out.

Posted

Quote: JimR

Jeff,

While it is fresh in your mind, can you compare and contrast the 201's actual flying qualities, interior room, & performance with your expectations? 

Well done, by the way!

Jim

Posted

"As for energy management on landing, I have found that flying by the numbers is much more important with the Mooney that it was with the Cherokee.  I like to be at 18" of manifold pressure at or near pattern altitude several miles before entering the traffic pattern.  This will put you at gear and flap lowering speeds when you need to be there.  I then pull it back to about 12 or 13" of manifold pressure when "coming off the perch" and everything seems to work out about right.  The 201 slips just fine, by the way, so don't be afraid to slip it, but you shouldn't have to very often once you get used to the plane."


I concur with Jim's Mooney by the numbers recommendation.  It's all about speed, both in the air [of course] and upon landing.  Mooneys have falsely had this reputation of being hard to land.  Not so.  It is most important to fly the approach by the numbers.  That will always make for a very fine landing.  Mooneys do love to fly, so if you don't keep these numbers in check, they will indeed continue to do what they are made for.............fly!


Don Kaye www.donkaye.com has some very valuable information on landing the Mooney.   Congratulations again.

Posted

Congratulations!


I just purchased my M20J in May so I share your excitement.  I recently went through the learning curve you are now.  I am based at PDK, northeast ramp.  Unfortunately, the ramp spot is empty since my plane is in the shop for an early overhaul.  Ouch...  still in shock.  I think I saw your new arrival last week.  Give me a PM.  If you like, let's get together at the Downwind and compare notes and I know a couple of other Mooney owners at PDK.


Leigh

Posted

Jeff,


Congratulations, that's a great looking airplane!  I hope you get to fly it a lot this year.  Also looking to check it out, since I'm not too far away, at KLZU. 


 

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