Feedback on Mooney

[Matt]

So... I am going to look at an 1963 M20C tomorrow after work and was hoping for some general feedback. Im looking at either a half or third partnership (depending on if the third person comes through). I am a fairly new private pilot with 85 hours so far, but tired of the poor availability and high cost of rentals in the area. What do I need to know about this airplane? Obviously a complex endorsement and transition training with CFI is in order. All of my time so far has been in 172's plus 4.9 hours in a G1000 182 over the past three weeks.

My main concerns are annual cost and engine cost (although only 675 SMOH, so should have some time before having to fork out for an engine). What gotchas do I need to know about for this plane?

Any feedback is appreciated!

 

[gsengle]

Join Mooneyspace. That's where the Mooney owners are who can answer all your questions. Mooneys are excellent aircraft, but a 1963 airplane of any type is over 50 years old and it could be a pile of junk or a gem...

No gotchas on engine, very common one...

Finally get transition training from a Mooney instructor. Check out: http://www.mapasafety.com/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[coloradobluesky]

Remembering to extend the gear is always on your mind. Sit in one, if it fits you, you are good to go. I flew in an M20C and it flew like a faster Cherokee with gear extension, its no problem to transition. The 0 360 Lycoming is as solid an engine there is in General Aviation. Mechanics know how to repair them. They cost a little more than a fixed gear plane to maintain because you have to swing the gear and inspect it every annual and you might have to repair the gear extension parts. Chance CS prop might be more than fixed pitch. Hard to say. Figure maintenance equal to your fuel burn in dollars. They arent too hard to sell when you are done with it. These days, you take a hit on depreciation though.

Maintenance is the big unknown with owning an airplane. You never really know how much its going to be. If it breaks, you gotta fix it.

You probably wont save much money until you are flying 200 or more hours a year although owning the plane is more satisfying, until you have to fix it, then you wish you were renting. More unknowns in owning. But, hey, you can leave your sunglasses in the plane and they will still be there next time.

 

[steingar]

I have a Mooney M20c. It flies at 140 knots for 8-9 gallons an hour. It can lift 1000 pounds. It has a Johnson bar for the gear, which is easy to use. My annual cost about $1k. You need to check closely the gas in the wings. Leaks or drips can be pricey to repair or not depending. My Mooney has bladders, which are a permanent fix. Reseal may or not, if you do it the fix is certainly going to outlast you. If the last guy did it perhaps not. It costs about $1.5 to replace the rubber biscuits for the gear. Nice thing about that is they don't leak or keep your gear from coming down, but are a wear item (just like the seals in other gear). The engine is a Lycoming 0360, one of the most bulletproof ever made. Same one as in many Skyhawks, Cherokees, Grummans and lots of other aircraft.

 

[Matt]

Thanks for the replies so far. Will definitely check out Mooney space and look for a Mooney instructor. I just had another thought though... I know a prebuy is the way to go for a full purchase, but do folks normally do anything of that sort when buying into an existing partnership? I plan to look over the logs to see what kind of maintenance history is there, but in a case like this where the buy in price is relatively low (1/2 to 1/3 of a ~37k plane) is a prebuy normally done?

I have a Mooney M20c. It flies at 140 knots for 8-9 gallons an hour. It can lift 1000 pounds. It has a Johnson bar for the gear, which is easy to use. My annual cost about $1k. You need to check closely the gas in the wings. Leaks or drips can be pricey to repair or not depending. My Mooney has bladders, which are a permanent fix. Reseal may or not, if you do it the fix is certainly going to outlast you. If the last guy did it perhaps not. It costs about $1.5 to replace the rubber biscuits for the gear. Nice thing about that is they don't leak or keep your gear from coming down, but are a wear item (just like the seals in other gear). The engine is a Lycoming 0360, one of the most bulletproof ever made. Same one as in many Skyhawks, Cherokees, Grummans and lots of other aircraft.

Nice to hear about a $1k annual. I was under the impression it would be more than that just based on the gear swing work over and above a fixed gear annual. The current owner I'm talking to on this one said figure $1400 for annual and I was worried that might be low, but sounds like maybe that's about right if nothing major is found.

 

[steingar]

Nice to hear about a $1k annual. I was under the impression it would be more than that just based on the gear swing work over and above a fixed gear annual. The current owner I'm talking to on this one said figure $1400 for annual and I was worried that might be low, but sounds like maybe that's about right if nothing major is found.

Mechanic should be able to give you a price for the inspection. Squawks are extra and can be a bit unpredictable. Don Maxwell would be a good one to call for a prebuy.