Time to Step Up to a Faster Plane?

ktup-flyer said:
What about a hopped up Swift since you're used to tailwheels?
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Not a bad idea if you want to keep flying tailwheels. Look for a "super swift" with a 180-210hp engine, constant speed prop. 140-150 knots on 8-9gph. Definitely in your budget if you are looking for a Mooney.
 
MBDiagMan said:
That makes sense MAK! I wish he would have told me that. We are preparing for the Texas flooding season which will produce lots of photography missions.
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We already got our flooding season. It JUST broke -- yesterday was the first sunny day in weeks. Expecting CalOES missions imminently.
 
MBDiagMan said:
I have found Mooneyspace and have been learning quite a lot there although I have yet to post there. The Mooney I have found has been maintained by Dugosh in Kerrville for the last 32 years and is in beautiful shape with clean logs. I guess the only wild card is the fuel tanks. My local Mooney mechanic that I know well is calling Dugosh about the plane and I am trying to find out more about the tank history.

It is nice to be back here. With my life change causing me to be away, I had forgotten how good the folks on this forum are.
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Introduce yourself over there. There are some there that post here too, but there are quite a few that mainly just stay on the MS forums. Think of it like expanding your circle of friends. You will have support here and over there. Plus if you are really thinking about the Mooney they are a wealth of knowledge as you have already learned.
 
jsstevens said:
It sure worked for me.
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I checked into it. The crash course is three days and costs $495. I assume that includes the price of the test itself. I have a friend working on his instrument also and he says he will go with me. I am thinking that we,can support each other and flail our way through it.

He has a 172 with a 430, so flying safety pilot for each other should be helpful with both of us flying a 430.

I am waiting on my Mooney mechanic to check into the plane and then I will start negotiating.
 
Mine did not include the price of the test but it was done by an independent flight instructor. If it's affiliated with a school of some sort it might include the test.
 
I spoke with my Mooney flight instructor. He said that once I get used to the prop controls it is going to be much easier to fly than my 140. He was my first flight instructor in 1991. He taught me in his Aeronca Champ. I had solo'd and flown about 35 hours before life caught up with me and I came back to flying in 2010. He has had 140's and Mooneys. He gave me my last BFR.

I have begun the process of buying the Mooney. The seller is working on getting it ferried to Longview for the prebuy.
 
My story is similar but different.

I lost my wife of 28 years back 2008. This girl found me and her son-in-law turned me on to flying. I now have a Cherokee and I bought a Mooney this past week.

I have no idea if I am ready, just over 100 hrs total. But I couldn't pass up this deal on the Mooney. I do have a CFI willing and ready to get me trained up. Great to have something to look forward to doing. That much I know!

You ain't promised tomorrow, you might as well do something that pleases you. Go flying but don't be in a hurry and always be safe!
 
I'm not sure what Mooney either of you got, but I got my complex endorsement in an M20C with about 100 hours total time. It didn't take long to get used to the plane at all and it was probably one of my favorite fixed wing aircraft I've flown. You'll pick it up quickly. Now if it's one of the later higher performance models it may take a bit longer, but the M20C was an easy transition from a PA28-140.

Also, I highly recommend picking up a copy of "The Al Mooney Story, They All Fly Through The Same Air" by Gordon Baxter. It's a great book.
 
Do what you want, but I'd sell the 140 and buy the Mooney. Keep in mind retract is whole nuther thing. Always on your mind...
 
Condolences on the loss of your wife. All of us that are married know that there is likely one of us will be left alone, but that doesn't make it any easier when it happens.

I hope the Mooney purchase is going well for you. I would sell the 140 as well. It would likely be difficult to fly the Mooney enough to stay proficient and travel and still do justice to the 140. You might as well make another pilot extremely happy to be the proud new owner of a fantastic 140!
 
I am selling my 160, by the way. I just don't have the time to keep them both in the air.
 
The M20C is a pussycat. Here's hoping your mechanic has nice things to say about it, and doesn't have a kid he's sending through college.
 
MBDiagMan said:
I spoke with my Mooney flight instructor. He said that once I get used to the prop controls it is going to be much easier to fly than my 140. He was my first flight instructor in 1991. He taught me in his Aeronca Champ. I had solo'd and flown about 35 hours before life caught up with me and I came back to flying in 2010. He has had 140's and Mooneys. He gave me my last BFR.

I have begun the process of buying the Mooney. The seller is working on getting it ferried to Longview for the prebuy.
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Congrats. You'll do fine. The guys at mooney space tend to make you feel like its a miracle anybody lives through a flight. I bought my mooney with only 60 hours flight experience and have had no trouble, you will be fine.
 
skier said:
"The Al Mooney Story, They All Fly Through The Same Air" by Gordon Baxter. It's a great book.
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Baxter! Man he was probably my favorite when he wrote a monthly column for Flying magazine years ago.
 
Well I have flown four hours since I started this thread and have begun the effort to buy a Mooney that I have my eye on. The rust seems to be coming off. I will do another CAP flight Thursday, weather permitting. That will involve flying the 172 again, hopefully something other than the hell for rough sir I flew in last Tuesday.

The Mooney I found is a very nice plane with low time engine, prop, no corrosion and nice panel including a 430W. I am having trouble making the deal come together, but haven't given up.

I am working on beating the rust off my flying thanks to encouragement from you guys.

Thanks
 
MBDiagMan said:
Well I have flown four hours since I started this thread and have begun the effort to buy a Mooney that I have my eye on. The rust seems to be coming off. I will do another CAP flight Thursday, weather permitting. That will involve flying the 172 again, hopefully something other than the hell for rough sir I flew in last Tuesday.

The Mooney I found is a very nice plane with low time engine, prop, no corrosion and nice panel including a 430W. I am having trouble making the deal come together, but haven't given up.

I am working on beating the rust off my flying thanks to encouragement from you guys.

Thanks
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You'll do great on your transition. I bought my M-20C with 62 hours, all in two 172s. The more Mooney experience your transition CFI has, the better. I highly recommend joint MAPA (www.mooneypilots.com), and attend a PPP as soon as you can. Once you learn to fly the plane, MAPA will teach you how to fly it right. It's a great program.
 
I transitioned from a 172 to a Cardinal RG. Wheels down the RG is a lot like my old 172, just more power and a much more effective stabilator / elevator. Wheels up things happen a lot faster. You'll pick it up quick but the real transition for me was learning to think further ahead.

With the Cardinal if things ever get really dicey I can drop the wheels, add a lot of drag, and have more time to get things stable. I don't know if the same is true with a mooney but it's something to find out before you need to know for real

Gary
 
Thanks for the further comments and encou

My purchase had almost stalled, but is now moving forward. Looks like prebuy inspection will be week after next. Then we will see how soon we can bring her to her new home. Having been born in Kerrville and being there all her life, I hope she doesn't get home sick.
 
I went from 200 hours in an aeronca champ and a Cessna 180 to a Mooney super 21. It all depends on the mission. Do you land on quite a few grass runways? If so, you must be very cautious with the Mooney as the prop is VERY close to the ground. It's not a good grass aircraft although I landed at two that I knew were like pool tables. It's not a go get a hamburger airplane like the 120- 140 for sure. It's more of a 100 to 300 mile airplane to get the hamburger. All depends on the mission. You might consider putting a nice 0200 on the Cessna 140 , which will make it a much better performer as stock it's really underpowered, providing the 140 is in very nice shape. You land the Mooney almost exactly as you would the 140 or 120. ( I owned two 140s) then ease the nose wheel down. Mooneys flown with good instruction ( high time Mooney pilot) are easy to fly and very stable. I operated mostly out of 2000 ft. Paved. I'm not an expert by any means. I would fly for a few years, then quit for several years depending on finances. This went on over 50 years and 4000 hours so I'm not really any type of expert
 
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Wish someone had told me that, Jimmy. I've made literally hundreds of breakfast / lunch runs in my Mooney that were in the 30-40 nm range . . . Most of them I logged 0.9 for the roundtrip, including taxi time in a group of 3-5 planes. Eating is good, eating with friends is better, flying and eating with flying friends is best! :p

Sounds like our Diagonal friend is doing well. I'm partial to C model Mooneys (that's mine in the avatar). Pulling throttle to idle when the runway is made works well, although it can frighten Piper pilots riding along when I go to idle 1/4 nm from the runway, still over the trees. After landing, they look at me all round-eyed and say things like "if I'd pulled my throttle to idle there, we'd have been in the trees! But when you did it, nothing happened."

P.S.-- I've been flying my C for almost ten years, and most grass fields that are decently maintained are just fine. There's 10" of prop clearance, and no oleo strut on the gear. I know pilots who live on private grass strips with Mooney C and F models.
 
Jimmy cooper said:
I went from 200 hours in an aeronca champ and a Cessna 180 to a Mooney super 21. It all depends on the mission. Do you land on quite a few grass runways? If so, you must be very cautious with the Mooney as the prop is VERY close to the ground. It's not a good grass aircraft although I landed at two that I knew were like pool tables. It's not a go get a hamburger airplane like the 120- 140 for sure. It's more of a 100 to 300 mile airplane to get the hamburger. All depends on the mission. You might consider putting a nice 0200 on the Cessna 140 , which will make it a much better performer as stock it's really underpowered, providing the 140 is in very nice shape. You land the Mooney almost exactly as you would the 140 or 120. ( I owned two 140s) then ease the nose wheel down. Mooneys flown with good instruction ( high time Mooney pilot) are easy to fly and very stable. I operated mostly out of 2000 ft. Paved. I'm not an expert by any means. I would fly for a few years, then quit for several years depending on finances. This went on over 50 years and 4000 hours so I'm not really any type of expert
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I already have an O200 in the 140, along with a custom made panel with six pack and center stack, 150 seats, modified brakes, etc., etc. It is a great airplane for grass or pavement. Not a Mooney though.
 
MBDiagMan said:
I already have an O200 in the 140, along with a custom made panel with six pack and center stack, 150 seats, modified brakes, etc., etc. It is a great airplane for grass or pavement. Not a Mooney though.
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As I said, I'm not a Mooney "expert" and only have about five hundred hours in both a super 21 and a 201. Sounds like your determined so go for it.
 
MBDiagMan said:
I have been smitten with the simplicity and efficiency of the Mooney sice I took flying lessons in the early nineties. There is indeed a possibility that I might not like it when I get it.
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This describes me about 12 years ago. I bought a Mooney, and and 1,000+ hours later I can say it met/exceeded all these expectations. Over those years I did many 0.5hr hamburger runs and many 4+ hour cross countries. The Mooney and I were both very happy on either kind of trip. I confidently predict there is little chance you won't like it. Properly trained to fly with appropriate techniques and "numbers" you'll find it an easy plane to fly and to be comfortable with.
I join with the others in my condolences for the loss of your wife.
 
I had been flying mostly skyhawks (and my wife had been flying exclusively one particular 172) when we decided to buy a plane. We were going to buy an arrow with a partner but that fell through and then we got real interested in a Navion. Even with the smaller engines, the Navions are faster than a 172. You will notice the difference in speed. I still get grumblings with my 172 buddies when I blow past them :)
 
Prebuy inspection is Monday. It looks as if I am stepping into my next phase of training going to a retractible. I am getting closer to being ready for my instrument written. That means the next phase of training being instrument. Nothing like diving in with all four feet.
 
MBDiagMan said:
Prebuy inspection is Monday. It looks as if I am stepping into my next phase of training going to a retractible. I am getting closer to being ready for my instrument written. That means the next phase of training being instrument. Nothing like diving in with all four feet.
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Go man go! Nothing like forced immersion to make it stick!

I'm sidelined with a horrible head cold right now and it's really making me mad. Stupid viruses.
 
I too have a cold, but I am on the tail end of it. I hope to get in an hour or two in the 140 Thursday morning.
 
Doc... if you ever need a safety pilot during your IR training, you know where to find me!

PS. I still want to see Miss Piggy in person someday!
 
Just to follow up, I think have now beaten most if not all the rust off my flying. I am now spending most of my time in Mount Pleasant, officially live in Lamar county, both in Texas, and the Piggy is in Hugo, Ok. Makes flying difficult. I am pretty sure I will get one of the new hangars in Paris. That will help.

Prebuy is in progress on the Mooney and going well. I expect to get her home in a week or two.

Thanks for all the support in this thread. Mike I might get down there and get some hood time in the Piggy. I appreciate the offer.
 
Prebuy went very well. I am very pleased with the outcome of an inspection by a highly experienced Mooney guru who comes highly recommended for both his expertise and integrity. I have asked him to go ahead and annual the aircraft while it is apart. He expects to be finished this week. It is possible that I could lay my hands on the yoke as soon as Monday.
 
MBDiagMan said:
Prebuy went very well. I am very pleased with the outcome of an inspection by a highly experienced Mooney guru who comes highly recommended for both his expertise and integrity. I have asked him to go ahead and annual the aircraft while it is apart. He expects to be finished this week. It is possible that I could lay my hands on the yoke as soon as Monday.
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What r u getting ur hands on?
 
Doc, I'm very sorry to hear about the loss of your wife.

While I'm late to this thread, I join with the others who encourage you to make the step up to the Mooney and use it to see the country. The M20C is a great airplane, especially for solo flight. Economical and zippy. Just the other day I got to spend some time in a Mooney after having not set foot in one in 8 years, and had a great time. Even though I'm permanently a twin pilot, the Mooney represents my favorite single.

Glad to see you back here, hope you'll stick around.
 
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