Thinking about buying a Mooney

Jon,

Have a pre-buy inspection done by a mechanic that hasn't worked on the
plane for the previous owner.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

I haven't flown one yet but I did sit inside. It is definitely smaller
than the 172, 182's I am used too. JK

Robert Bates wrote:

Have you flown one? When I was looking for an airplane I flew a couple of
the C models because I had always heard how fast and efficient they were.
They seem unstable in roll- the first one I thought was just that particular
airplane but the second one was too. There are also quite small inside- I'm
5' 8" and it wasn't very comfortable.


"Al Marzo" wrote in message
...

Get in tough with the type club MAPA, I think, and they'll be able to
help. Also those Mooneys are notorious for leaking fuel tanks (wet
wings). Takes about $5K each side for the fix. Good luck.

On Mon, 09 Aug 2004 00:38:26 GMT, Jon Kraus
wrote:


They have a 1975 Mooney M20 N6832V, I think model "C" at my home
airport. The owners have had it for years and have traded up to a twin
Comanche (sp?). It has a new engine (250 hours) and a new 3 blade
McCaulley prop. The avionics are decent (Bendix KMA 24 audio, 2 - KX155
nav/com KT76a transponder, KR87 ADF and Garmin 150xl GPS). It has
7150 hours on the tach which seems quite high to me but I am really
quite the novice when it comes to airplanes. The interior and paint are
decent (6 for the interior, 8 for the paint). They are asking $45,000
for it. I have done some research and this seems like an OK price but I
haven't seen too many of these with this many hours. Please give me
some feeback without flaming me too bad. :-)

Jon Kraus
PP-ASEL-IA

Thanks for the tip... Wouldn't a Mooney A&P used for a pre-buy
inspection catch this? JK

Al Marzo wrote:

Get in tough with the type club MAPA, I think, and they'll be able to
help. Also those Mooneys are notorious for leaking fuel tanks (wet
wings). Takes about $5K each side for the fix. Good luck.

On Mon, 09 Aug 2004 00:38:26 GMT, Jon Kraus
wrote:


They have a 1975 Mooney M20 N6832V, I think model "C" at my home
airport. The owners have had it for years and have traded up to a twin
Comanche (sp?). It has a new engine (250 hours) and a new 3 blade
McCaulley prop. The avionics are decent (Bendix KMA 24 audio, 2 - KX155
nav/com KT76a transponder, KR87 ADF and Garmin 150xl GPS). It has
7150 hours on the tach which seems quite high to me but I am really
quite the novice when it comes to airplanes. The interior and paint are
decent (6 for the interior, 8 for the paint). They are asking $45,000
for it. I have done some research and this seems like an OK price but I
haven't seen too many of these with this many hours. Please give me
some feeback without flaming me too bad. :-)

Jon Kraus
PP-ASEL-IA

Thanks Tony... The Mooney does feel like a sports car inside... Not a
lot of room I agree... JK

tony roberts wrote:

Been there done that.

I was in partnership on a 172 when my partner fell in love with a Mooney.
He wanted to me to agree to sell the 172 and go in on the Mooney.
So I went for a test flight.

No disrespect intended to anyone, but those things were designed for
rich tiny people.

There is no room in them.
They cost a fortune at annual due to retractable gear, constant speed
prop, and in our case wood wing.

They burn a lot more gas,

They have more AD's

They cost more to insure

Which all took me back to, "What is my Mission?"

S0 - I bought him out a year ago,

He bought the Mooney.

Now it's for sale.
I hope he gets his money back - meanwhile I'm enjoying my 172.


Tony


Tony Roberts
PP-ASEL
VFR OTT
Night
Almost Instrument
Cessna 172H C-GICE



article ,
Jon Kraus wrote:


They have a 1975 Mooney M20 N6832V, I think model "C" at my home
airport. The owners have had it for years and have traded up to a twin
Comanche (sp?). It has a new engine (250 hours) and a new 3 blade
McCaulley prop. The avionics are decent (Bendix KMA 24 audio, 2 - KX155
nav/com KT76a transponder, KR87 ADF and Garmin 150xl GPS). It has
7150 hours on the tach which seems quite high to me but I am really
quite the novice when it comes to airplanes. The interior and paint are
decent (6 for the interior, 8 for the paint). They are asking $45,000
for it. I have done some research and this seems like an OK price but I
haven't seen too many of these with this many hours. Please give me
some feeback without flaming me too bad. :-)

Jon Kraus
PP-ASEL-IA






--

I sure will... Thanks !! JK

Thomas Borchert wrote:

Jon,

Have a pre-buy inspection done by a mechanic that hasn't worked on the
plane for the previous owner.

decent (6 for the interior, 8 for the paint). They are asking $45,000
for it. I have done some research and this seems like an OK price but I
haven't seen too many of these with this many hours. Please give me
some feeback without flaming me too bad. :-)

Jon Kraus
PP-ASEL-IA

Jon:

I'm on my second Mooney, a 1974 M20F. The major points are that
they are small inside and out which is why they are a bit faster than
the other four-cylinder single retracts. They airframe is considered
to be among the strongest. The tanks do leak, but most of us don't
get too antsy about that until it's really bad, which takes years in
most cases. The leaks are usually only seen in traces of blue under
the wings. If they drip, well, that's a problem, but that's rare.
The gear doesn't require frequent repair as did my Arrow, for
instance. I flew a C model all over the South and West for about 6
years, and found it to be a good enough airplane that I didn't even
consider any other make when I got out of the partnership that owned
the C (and I've owned interests in quite a few airplanes). Once you
get used to the small interior and the slightly demanding landing
characteristics, you get sort of addicted. No question but that
Mooney ownership brings with it something of a cult appeal. There are
periodic Mooney Fly-ins around the US, a couple of which are monthly
events. The Mooney Mail List, recommended earlier, is excellent, with
huge archives covering everything imaginable regarding Mooneys.

Jack

Robert Bates wrote:

Have you flown one? When I was looking for an airplane I flew a couple of
the C models because I had always heard how fast and efficient they were.
They seem unstable in roll- the first one I thought was just that particular
airplane but the second one was too.

For "unstable", substitute "responsive". A Cessna 172 or 182 has a lot of
roll damping because of hull effect, and a Cherokee has even more because of
dihedral -- that makes them very easy planes to fly, even in IMC (I love my
Warrior as an IMC platform), but it also makes them sluggish and
unresponsive for maneuvering, and in the case of dihedral, it adds drag as
well (for the 172/182, it's the struts that add the drag).

From what I understand (not having flown one), the Mooney has much less
roll damping than brands P and C, and it also uses rods rather than cables
for the ailerons so that they respond instantly to your yoke inputs (without
having to take up slack in cables first). You're also flying faster than a
PA-28, 172, or 182, so there's a higher dynamic pressure acting on the
ailerons for a plane about the same size and weight. It's not surprising
you'd find it very jumpy in the roll.


All the best,


David

It's like driving a sports car, tight fitting and very responsive, so
be ready for that. Check your mission profile before deciding on the
airplane of your dreams. Not every aircraft is for everyone or their
purposes.

On Mon, 09 Aug 2004 12:36:00 GMT, David Megginson
wrote:

Robert Bates wrote:

Have you flown one? When I was looking for an airplane I flew a couple of
the C models because I had always heard how fast and efficient they were.
They seem unstable in roll- the first one I thought was just that particular
airplane but the second one was too.

For "unstable", substitute "responsive". A Cessna 172 or 182 has a lot of
roll damping because of hull effect, and a Cherokee has even more because of
dihedral -- that makes them very easy planes to fly, even in IMC (I love my
Warrior as an IMC platform), but it also makes them sluggish and
unresponsive for maneuvering, and in the case of dihedral, it adds drag as
well (for the 172/182, it's the struts that add the drag).

From what I understand (not having flown one), the Mooney has much less
roll damping than brands P and C, and it also uses rods rather than cables
for the ailerons so that they respond instantly to your yoke inputs (without
having to take up slack in cables first). You're also flying faster than a
PA-28, 172, or 182, so there's a higher dynamic pressure acting on the
ailerons for a plane about the same size and weight. It's not surprising
you'd find it very jumpy in the roll.


All the best,


David

Absolutely, but if they're not leaking now, and have never been done,
you need to plan on it. It's just one of those things.

On Mon, 09 Aug 2004 11:33:57 GMT, Jon Kraus
wrote:

Thanks for the tip... Wouldn't a Mooney A&P used for a pre-buy
inspection catch this? JK

Al Marzo wrote:

Get in tough with the type club MAPA, I think, and they'll be able to
help. Also those Mooneys are notorious for leaking fuel tanks (wet
wings). Takes about $5K each side for the fix. Good luck.

On Mon, 09 Aug 2004 00:38:26 GMT, Jon Kraus
wrote:


They have a 1975 Mooney M20 N6832V, I think model "C" at my home
airport. The owners have had it for years and have traded up to a twin
Comanche (sp?). It has a new engine (250 hours) and a new 3 blade
McCaulley prop. The avionics are decent (Bendix KMA 24 audio, 2 - KX155
nav/com KT76a transponder, KR87 ADF and Garmin 150xl GPS). It has
7150 hours on the tach which seems quite high to me but I am really
quite the novice when it comes to airplanes. The interior and paint are
decent (6 for the interior, 8 for the paint). They are asking $45,000
for it. I have done some research and this seems like an OK price but I
haven't seen too many of these with this many hours. Please give me
some feeback without flaming me too bad. :-)

Jon Kraus
PP-ASEL-IA

Al Marzo wrote:

It's like driving a sports car, tight fitting and very responsive, so
be ready for that. Check your mission profile before deciding on the
airplane of your dreams. Not every aircraft is for everyone or their
purposes.

The M201 will remain one of the planes of my dreams because of the
combination of speed and fuel economy, but I don't believe that I'm good
enough for one yet (even if I could afford to upgrade) -- I still get some
slight heading drift in IMC in my Warrior from time to time, especially in
the first 15 minutes or so of a flight, and that would be much exaggerated
in a smooth, slick plane like a Mooney.


All the best,


David