Mooney pilot introducing myself

Snarayan

Snarayan

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Jun 15, 2026
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snarayan
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KLVK
Hi all,
I’ve been flying for more than 35 years as a GA pilot and have owned a Mooney M20J for the past 14 years. Before the Mooney, I flew Piper Archers and Cessna 172s and 182s, and earned my private certificate in a Cessna 152. I currently hold commercial and instrument ratings.

I recently developed an Android app inspired by my interest in tracking both GA and commercial flights from the window seat. It includes GPS track recording, a basic great-circle flight planner, planning and post-flight charts, circadian recommendations, and a simple PFD.

What especially interested me was visualizing how civil, solar, and body-clock time change during long flights, along with daylight transitions and changes in sun elevation.

I won’t name or link to the app here because I’m new to the forum and want to respect its rules. I’d nevertheless enjoy discussing the underlying ideas and hearing whether other pilots find this kind of information useful.

Thanks for your time. I look forward to contributing to the forum.

Sam
 
Howdy, and welcome to the board! Lots of valuable discussions here. You will be impressed by the resources available.
 
RyanB said:
Howdy, and welcome to the board! Lots of valuable discussions here.
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Thanks to you and to the others above - appreciate the welcome. Have been part of that Mooney group for a while as well. Happy to contribute in any way I can especially to anything Mooney related.
 
Welcome! There are a few Mooney guys here too. What’s been your best trip in the Time Machine? I
 
masloki said:
Welcome! There are a few Mooney guys here too. What’s been your best trip in the Time Machine? I
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Thanks! Have to say Alaska definitely. Besides, been to Oshkosh three times and an interesting flight within Australia (Wedderburn, NSW to Mitta Mitta, Victoria) in a friend's Mooney.

Next, hoping to do a US tour in a couple of months (California to Maine and back).
 
I've never had a circadian recommendation before.
 
Welcome! Lot of Mooney folk here.

Snarayan said:
I recently developed an Android app inspired by my interest in tracking both GA and commercial flights from the window seat.
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How is this different than ForeFlight?
 
Another Mooney owner is always welcome! :) I've had an M20R for about the same length of time you've had the J. Fantastic machines.
 
WDD said:
Welcome! Lot of Mooney folk here.


How is this different than ForeFlight?
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It's not trying to emulate FF or Garmin Pilot. It is geared towards airline travelers for now. Compared to FF, it's free/non-subscription based as well. If you are interested, check out the user manual here -
user manual
 
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WDD said:
I think they come out every 17 years.........
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Actually there are 2 variants - the 13 year and 17 year types. This is to prevent predators from gorging themselves on one or the other groups of cicadas ;)
 
Snarayan said:
Absolutely. Never let me down in 14 years.
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Forty one continuous years flying Mooneys. I can only remember getting stuck somewhere a handful of times.

On the third one now... an F model (w/PC wing leveler), a 1980 J, and since the mid 1990's the current ride is in a 1982 J model with lots of updating and improvements during those 31 years.

Like wives and cars, every Mooney guy has a preference on which is the best model. The newer high-horsepower ones are great when you want to get somewhere faster on twice the fuel burn, but IMO the J is the real sweet spot in Al Mooney's long lasting design... you picked well!
 
Rick A said:
Like wives and cars, every Mooney guy has a preference on which is the best model. The newer high-horsepower ones are great when you want to get somewhere faster on twice the fuel burn, but IMO the J is the real sweet spot in Al Mooney's long lasting design... you picked well!
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252/Encore is the perfect one. :D

175 KTAS on 10 GPH. Mine has 1060 useful load.
 
Pinecone said:
252/Encore is the perfect one. :D

175 KTAS on 10 GPH. Mine has 1060 useful load.
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That's impressive, and my #2 Mooney favorite... but I'm allergic to hot turbos and expensive maintenance surprises.

Operating mostly below 10K I'm happy to grind it out at 145 to 155 kts LOP at 7.5 to 8.2 GPH, with cylinder temps in the very low 300F's (or mid to upper 200's in the winter). No issues running the last engine until nearly 2700 hours!
 
I think the 252 is the sweet spot for performance/fuel burn with the enhancements made to the 231. Could use the performance it in the western US. I am just not familiar with the temperature issues with turbos at high altitudes. My J tops out at 150knots or so on a good day at 9.5gph at 8k-9k.
 
Rick A said:
... but I'm allergic to hot turbos and expensive maintenance surprises.
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Not to mention 2 extra cylinders. And maybe the switch from Brand "L" to Brand "C" might matter to you. :)
 
asicer said:
Not to mention 2 extra cylinders. And maybe the switch from Brand "L" to Brand "C" might matter to you. :)
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Oh yes... I've found the Lycoming IO-360's to be nearly bulletproof if cared for and fed properly. There would have to be a very compelling reason to move over to brand C.

Ate a valve once, and that was a hundred or so hours into an IO-360 equipped Mooney I'd just purchased with engine hours approaching TBO. Had to rebuild that engine earlier than I had hoped...
 
Snarayan said:
I think the 252 is the sweet spot for performance/fuel burn with the enhancements made to the 231. Could use the performance it in the western US. I am just not familiar with the temperature issues with turbos at high altitudes. My J tops out at 150knots or so on a good day at 9.5gph at 8k-9k.
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Your J should give you another 5 kts or so around peak (or slightly rich) burning 9.5gph at 8 to 9K. You may want to check your rigging. I used to obtain those numbers in a F model.

Yes, operating out west at higher field elevations and around the mountains would IMO be a good reason for running a Mooney model with a 6 cylinder turbocharged engine. Even a normally aspirated 6 cylinder Continental could be worth the extra fuel and maintenance expense, as found in an Ovation, which flys strong in the low to mid teens with a higher fuel burn (I believe but not sure) than a 252 which I think is in the 11 to 12 gph range.

Turbocharged pistons run hot in thinner air. Everyone I've known that frequents high altitudes in their turbocharged single engine aircraft has needed cylinder and turbo work done well before their recommended TBO.
 
Rick A said:
Your J should give you another 5 kts or so around peak (or slightly rich) burning 9.5gph at 8 to 9K. You may want to check your rigging. I used to obtain those numbers in a F model.
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Correct.

Could also be gear doors not closing correctly or other parasitic drag. Also depends on outside temperature and humidity.

Js will fly high, especially when under lightly loaded, just takes longer to get there.

a1bd4652ad215aaf9ccd57c24a6707f7.jpg
 
MooneyDriver78 said:
Correct.

Could also be gear doors not closing correctly or other parasitic drag. Also depends on outside temperature and humidity.

Js will fly high, especially when under lightly loaded, just takes longer to get there.
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Yes, miss-rigged gear doors are a common cause of losing some knots. I've only cruised a J a couple of times at 17,500' to catch a big tailwind, but the final climb rate of gain 2 hundred feet, lose a hundred, gain a hundred back, etc. requires smoother air that makes getting up minus a blower a real PITA. Generally 13,500' in VMC is my limit.

Love that panel - what year and model are you flying?
 
Rick A said:
Your J should give you another 5 kts or so around peak (or slightly rich) burning 9.5gph at 8 to 9K. You may want to check your rigging. I used to obtain those numbers in a F model.
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Tried various things over the years, but haven't been able to get to 155 kts consistently (dmax looked at it re-rigged the plane once). I have the a3b6 variant which probably has lower HP than the a3b6d because of the 25deg timing in the latter. The gear doors look flush, but overall airframe may be dirty with many antennas and a maybe even a tired engine (1400 hrs).CHTs have ticked up recently, so addressing the baffling leaks etc.
 
MooneyDriver78 said:
Correct.

Could also be gear doors not closing correctly or other parasitic drag. Also depends on outside temperature and humidity.

Js will fly high, especially when under lightly loaded, just takes longer to get there.
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That's an exceptional looking panel!
 
Snarayan said:
Tried various things over the years, but haven't been able to get to 155 kts consistently (dmax looked at it re-rigged the plane once). I have the a3b6 variant which probably has lower HP than the a3b6d because of the 25deg timing in the latter. The gear doors look flush, but overall airframe may be dirty with many antennas and a maybe even a tired engine (1400 hrs).CHTs have ticked up recently, so addressing the baffling leaks etc.
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Maybe the airspeed indicator or plumbing is a little off? Mix that possibility up with antennas and/or other parasitical drag (like the inside the cowling) and the loss of a few knots is understandable.

Mine picked up five knots following a new paint job. The old paint was pitted and crummy along the leading edges and all around the windshield. New paint and wax gave a welcome improvement.

Flying in rain drops the IAS five knots, always. It's amazing how sensitive and easily corrupted a Mooney's leading edges are. Clean and wax them before a long X/C...
 
Rick A said:
Yes, miss-rigged gear doors are a common cause of losing some knots. I've only cruised a J a couple of times at 17,500' to catch a big tailwind, but the final climb rate of gain 2 hundred feet, lose a hundred, gain a hundred back, etc. requires smoother air that makes getting up minus a blower a real PITA. Generally 13,500' in VMC is my limit.

Love that panel - what year and model are you flying?
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78J
 
Rick A said:
Maybe the airspeed indicator or plumbing is a little off? Mix that possibility up with antennas and/or other parasitical drag (like the inside the cowling) and the loss of a few knots is understandable.

Mine picked up five knots following a new paint job. The old paint was pitted and crummy along the leading edges and all around the windshield. New paint and wax gave a welcome improvement.

Flying in rain drops the IAS five knots, always. It's amazing how sensitive and easily corrupted a Mooney's leading edges are. Clean and wax them before a long X/C...
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Some good suggestions here. I have checked groundspeed/TAS calculations carefully so I don't think I am off by much. Also done N-S-E-W runs a few times. It's just a dirty airframe I think. Paint could be an issue as well. Anyone tried applying ceramic coatings on the wing? I don't think it will last long, maybe help a little in mild icing conditions?
 
Rick A said:
That's impressive, and my #2 Mooney favorite... but I'm allergic to hot turbos and expensive maintenance surprises.

Operating mostly below 10K I'm happy to grind it out at 145 to 155 kts LOP at 7.5 to 8.2 GPH, with cylinder temps in the very low 300F's (or mid to upper 200's in the winter). No issues running the last engine until nearly 2700 hours!
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I like flying in the teens. Above a lot of the weather and very little traffic. Most piston or 10 or below and most turbine is 25 of above.
 
Snarayan said:
Anyone tried applying ceramic coatings on the wing? I don't think it will last long, maybe help a little in mild icing conditions?
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I had my plane done with ceramic. Even Cirrus pilots notice how nice it looks. :D

And EASY to clean. Nothing sticks.
 

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Rick A said:
Like wives and cars, every Mooney guy has a preference on which is the best model. The newer high-horsepower ones are great when you want to get somewhere faster on twice the fuel burn, but IMO the J is the real sweet spot in Al Mooney's long lasting design... you picked well!
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The J is definitely the sweet spot, but the bigger engines don't necessarily burn twice the fuel unless you hook a turbo to 'em. I plan on 170 KTAS and 12gph in my Ovation (280hp IO-550-G, normally aspirated).

Pinecone said:
252/Encore is the perfect one. :D

175 KTAS on 10 GPH. Mine has 1060 useful load.
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Yes, but how high did you have to climb to get that number, and how long did it take? ;)

FWIW, I've seen 172 KTAS on 10.1 gph at 13,000 feet without the turbo.

Rick A said:
Yes, operating out west at higher field elevations and around the mountains would IMO be a good reason for running a Mooney model with a 6 cylinder turbocharged engine. Even a normally aspirated 6 cylinder Continental could be worth the extra fuel and maintenance expense, as found in an Ovation, which flys strong in the low to mid teens with a higher fuel burn (I believe but not sure) than a 252 which I think is in the 11 to 12 gph range.
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See above. At 9,000 I can get up to 175 KTAS on 12 gph. Higher than that I go slower, but I also burn less fuel.

The other consideration is how long of legs you fly. The turbos don't really do anything for you below 10,000 and you need to be in the upper teens on a regular basis to make them really worthwhile. I do longer legs sometimes, but I also still do plenty of short legs so the turbo would just burn money without really getting me anything in return most of the time.
 
From what I have read, the really good products require training and cert to purchase.
 
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