So I was ruined by a Mooney 231 today . . .

rbhankins001

rbhankins001

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Rob
Yeah so I can never look at my C150 the same, and as much as I LOVE C172's, and probably will end up with one, and should from a LOGICAL standpoint:

I was RUINED by a flight in a Mooney 231 today!!!!

Cruising at 150 kt and 12.5 gph really got my attention. Next thing I know I'm passing an airport I never had before and it was like only 10 minutes flying.

Climb? OMG.

So now, even though I ruled them out, I want a mooney.

I can't afford a 231, but an M20 in good condition is definitely doable.

Big thanks to my "uncle-in-law" Scott for taking me up and letting my fly that beautiful aircraft!

Has this happened to anyone else???

-Rob
 
Happened to me, but it was an Rv-6 and an RV-8. Don't fly an RV.. Blowing a Mooney out of the water while inverted at 8gal/hour would really ruin you. ;)
 
You forgot to add, with the gear down as well lol.

But seriously Mooney is a fantastic company and make great airplanes.
 
Well, technically, if one was inverted the gear would be... up.. ;)

I love Mooney's. Very nice choice.
 
I hear ya on the RV but i would only have one if i personally built it . . . and i will never have the time so certificated it is for me.
 
rbhankins001 said:
Cruising at 150 kt and 12.5 gph really got my attention.
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You know, seriously, I thought they were faster than that.

I get at least 132 kts at 11gph out of my 182 and without retract mx. Sometimes I get 134. So, really, MPG is very similar.

Now re: bellyup's RVs...yeah baby! :thumbsup:
 
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rbhankins001 said:
Has this happened to anyone else???

-Rob
Click to expand...

The Oakridge Boys evidently experienced a similar temptation, albeit with a different commodity. Just sayin'.

I wish you could have turned my head and left my heart alone
Ever since I met you, baby, you have done me wrong.
You walk by and you shake that thing and you know I'm not that strong,
But I wish you could have turned my head and left my heart alone.
 
I loved the M20F I flew. Did 145 KTAS on about 11.5 GPH. Really fun plane.

I love the Aztec I own. Hauls a bank safe on 20 gph and has taken me from sea to shining sea (and elsewhere). Love it.

I love the...

You get the idea.
 
I'm trying to convince myself that a little more speed is worth 10-20k more in aquisition cost. I have to sleep on that one . . . but damn that was f'n awesome!!!!!!

I haven't been that excited in a while . . . vrrrrooooooommm!

Lol i was making airplane noise flyin it :D

I never felt some of those forces before!!!

I AM RUINED!
 
RyanShort1 said:
And on the opposite end, stay away from Cubs...

Ryan
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75 hr newly minted pilot, we want the M20K going 185kts at 17000 feet.

Fast forward 10000 hrs and it's a Cub going slow and low.
 
rbhankins001 said:
I'm trying to convince myself that a little more speed is worth 10-20k more in aquisition cost. I have to sleep on that one . . . but damn that was f'n awesome!!!!!!
Click to expand...

The dollars per mile are probably not that much worse than in your little 150, especially when you look at headwinds. But the question is are you trying to get somewhere, or just be in the sky.
 
Mr. DuPuis,

Just FYI that answer is not helping lol!

That is a good point . . . I need to do a more thorough breakdown and dollars per mile is a good way of looking at it, so THANKS.

I will have to wait til the permagrin wears off :D <-- looks like that, really.

Weeeeeeeeeee!
 
timwinters said:
You know, seriously, I thought they were faster than that.

I get at least 132 kts at 11gph out of my 182 and without retract mx. Sometimes I get 134. So, really, MPG is very similar.

Now re: bellyup's RVs...yeah baby! :thumbsup:
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I have non-turbo Mooney M20J and I can easily get 165kts at 10gpg at 10,000 feet. The Turbo Mooney 231 is about 20kts faster at altitude. The above Mooney was probably at low altitude and low power setting. At 150kts mine burns 8 gph.

José
 
Oh and yes I was around 3,000' the whole time I had the yoke (which was a lot "heavier" than anything I ever felt). Holy trim batman!
 
rbhankins001 said:
Mr. DuPuis,

Just FYI that answer is not helping lol!
Click to expand...

I never claimed to be helpful. :D

That is a good point . . . I need to do a more thorough breakdown and dollars per mile is a good way of looking at it, so THANKS.
Click to expand...

Like I said, the question is whether you're trying to go someplace or just be in the air. When I was flying the M20F, it was all on XCs. So the fact that it was faster helped a lot (I was in a hurry), and its cost-effective $/mile ratio was also very nice.
 
AggieMike88 said:
75 hr newly minted pilot, we want the M20K going 185kts at 17000 feet.

Fast forward 10000 hrs and it's a Cub going slow and low.
Click to expand...
Trust me, my second favorite aircraft I have access to right now is a 210... Nothing like getting to Houston in just over an hour.

Ryan
 
Ryan i have a friend in Alaska that wrote a book on the 210, nice planes!

Mr. DuPuis you are very helpful, so thank you for that.

I am not a speed demon really. We have a condo in Florida that is 200 nm from my home. I would use it much more if i could get there FASTER. it is not a necessity but it would make a big difference.

I don't get many days off (esp. consecutive days off) but if i had two off I wouldn't drive to the condo, it's not worth it.

Two hr flight in C172 after work ahhh maybe next week . . . 1hr 20 min in M20 well then LOAD UP AND LET's ROLL!

Very tough and right now i'm not thinking rationally.

-Rob
 
Your current behavior is classified as "idealizing" the utilization of your contemplated purchase, and your assessment of non-rational thinking is accurate.

rbhankins001 said:
Ryan i have a friend in Alaska that wrote a book on the 210, nice planes!

Mr. DuPuis you are very helpful, so thank you for that.

I am not a speed demon really. We have a condo in Florida that is 200 nm from my home. I would use it much more if i could get there FASTER. it is not a necessity but it would make a big difference.

I don't get many days off (esp. consecutive days off) but if i had two off I wouldn't drive to the condo, it's not worth it.

Two hr flight in C172 after work ahhh maybe next week . . . 1hr 20 min in M20 well then LOAD UP AND LET's ROLL!

Very tough and right now i'm not thinking rationally.

-Rob
Click to expand...
 
The Mooney 231 is a fun ride... I normally cruise around 165 KTAS and 10.9 - 11.1 gph below 10,000. In the mid teens I normally see fuel flow around 11.8 - 12 gph. I have really come to enjoy the control dynamics of the Mooney, it is a great airplane. Not to mention the speed. I flew a 115nm trip last week to MVY in under 35 minutes burning 10.9gph, talk about efficient.
 
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rbhankins001 said:
Mr. DuPuis you are very helpful, so thank you for that.
Click to expand...

You're welcome. :)

I am not a speed demon really. We have a condo in Florida that is 200 nm from my home. I would use it much more if i could get there FASTER. it is not a necessity but it would make a big difference.
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That's what ends up happening. You want to get somewhere, and you've got a certain time frame that allows you to get where you're going in the time that makes it accessible. 200 nm in a 150 is going to be 2+ hours. In a Mooney, you're looking at 2 hours from leaving your house to getting to your condo.

Airplanes are time machines.
 
Do you mean 2 hrs (in the mooney) from driving to the airport etc, landing and then arriving at the condo i.e. walking thru the front door?

I have an airstrip in my 'hood. It is across the street (literally) from my home in the south.

My 150 is in Alaska. I am keeping it for now and buying another plane for down here . . . I might be nuts.

Idealizing, that's prob true . . . but well i won't say anything else til permagrin is gone ok.

:D
 
If you were ruined by a Mooney, God help you if you ever pilot a Bonanza! ;-)

Mooneys are works of art, crafted in aluminum, and built in God's country - Kerrville, Texas. I only hope, with all my heart, that they will again build airplanes!
 
Pay attention to the fuel tanks when you're looking at buying one.
SCCutler said:
If you were ruined by a Mooney, God help you if you ever pilot a Bonanza! ;-)
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+1
 
I never thought i'd want to fly my club's M20J's until I did the dollars per mile calculation. They're fast and efficient birds and if you're the traveling type and fly alot, it won't cost a whole lot more than a 172
 
The difference in trip block times (clock starts/stops when the engine starts/stops) and is often much less than the prospective buyer chooses to believe when smitten by the siren song of the bigger and faster (at least to him) airplane.

rbhankins001 said:
Do you mean 2 hrs (in the mooney) from driving to the airport etc, landing and then arriving at the condo i.e. walking thru the front door?

I have an airstrip in my 'hood. It is across the street (literally) from my home in the south.

My 150 is in Alaska. I am keeping it for now and buying another plane for down here . . . I might be nuts.

Idealizing, that's prob true . . . but well i won't say anything else til permagrin is gone ok.

:D
Click to expand...
 
rbhankins001 said:
I'm trying to convince myself that a little more speed is worth 10-20k more in aquisition cost. I have to sleep on that one . . . but damn that was f'n awesome!!!!!!

I haven't been that excited in a while . . . vrrrrooooooommm!

Lol i was making airplane noise flyin it :D

I never felt some of those forces before!!!

I AM RUINED!
Click to expand...

Take a look at the non-turbo Mooneys too. Ownership costs tend to be lower on a cash basis, although the cost per mile is comparable as the turbos are a little faster up high.

What part of the country are you in?

Edit- just saw your other post talking about a 200 nm mission. Your block to block time in a J or K Mooney vs. a 172 won't be that different. You mentioned that the you weren't a fan of the M20- the M20K 231 cabin is the same as the F and J models, but the interior may make the plane a little smaller. There's a Mooney fly-in at Hicks in Ft Worth next Saturday if you want to see a bunch of planes, but the 172 would be a great plane particularly if you'd want to operate off of a turf strip in LA. If you want a little more speed you might think about a 177FG.
 
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SCCutler said:
If you were ruined by a Mooney, God help you if you ever pilot a Bonanza! ;-)
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Every aircraft is a compromise and, sorry, I just wasn't impressed with the Bo. Flew both the V tail (hated the tail wag in the one I flew in) and the A36 (over priced in most cases or the plane was a basket case at the lower end). I wouldn't like having to constantly worry about the CG either.

I'd be more than happy to upgrade to a Baron though... :D

Brian
 
BellyUpFish said:
Happened to me, but it was an Rv-6 and an RV-8. Don't fly an RV.. Blowing a Mooney out of the water while inverted at 8gal/hour would really ruin you. ;)
Click to expand...

Roger that! :D

I Mooney ruined you? Fly an RV and you would throw rocks at the Mooney. The RV 10 will out carry, out fly, out climb, and burn less fuel while going faster.
 
My next plane is an M20J/201, then I will be done. :rolleyes:
 
Piloto said:
I have non-turbo Mooney M20J and I can easily get 165kts at 10gpg at 10,000 feet. The Turbo Mooney 231 is about 20kts faster at altitude. The above Mooney was probably at low altitude and low power setting. At 150kts mine burns 8 gph.

José
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There ya go. That's more like it!!
 
flight2000 said:
Every aircraft is a compromise and, sorry, I just wasn't impressed with the Bo. Flew both the V tail (hated the tail wag in the one I flew in) and the A36 (over priced in most cases or the plane was a basket case at the lower end). I wouldn't like having to constantly worry about the CG either.

I'd be more than happy to upgrade to a Baron though... :D

Brian
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Note the wink, Brian.

You pretty much never read about someone who hated his or her Mooney, do you? My C210 friends cannot understand how someone could tolerate a plane without a built in shade port, and they and the Commader guys mock the absence of a pilot-side door on planes like the Bo, BSV and Mooney.

And don't even start on the merits of a plane that requires the termites to hold hands...

To each, their own. Moneys were on my "must consider" list, but the race-car seating and modestly-tighter cabin were deal-breakers for my wife, and as we all know, "happy wife, happy life."

I choose to admire the benefits of the planes I fly in and appreciate the fact that their owners (1) like them, and (2) had the freedom to choose.

Btw, if there was significant tail-wag, the pilot was not flying the plane properly.
 
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wabower said:
The difference in trip block times (clock starts/stops when the engine starts/stops) and is often much less than the prospective buyer chooses to believe when smitten by the siren song of the bigger and faster (at least to him) airplane.
Click to expand...

Are you telling me to stop drooling over Cessna 150s?
 
A friend of mine has a really nice 1976 V35B. I've never noticed tail wag when flying that plane. It is super nice, and while he doesn't have tip tanks, they do help the W&B, but that's never been an issue for him anyway. It is a FAST airplane with a converted IO-550, and four blade q-tip prop. It sounds like a turbine on the ramp. His panel alone is worth twice what my Tiger is worth. :rolleyes:
 
For what you get for the money you pay I have allways considered the Mooney to be a real bargain. I flew a Super 21 for about 80 hours and really liked it. It had a little bypass door on the cowl that when opened in flight bypassed the filter and gave close to another 1" in manifold pressure.

The Johnson bar gear lever is almost idiot proof. If you don't have to buy hull insurance operating costs are pretty low.
 
rbhankins001 said:
Yeah so I can never look at my C150 the same, and as much as I LOVE C172's, and probably will end up with one, and should from a LOGICAL standpoint:

I was RUINED by a flight in a Mooney 231 today!!!!

Cruising at 150 kt and 12.5 gph really got my attention. Next thing I know I'm passing an airport I never had before and it was like only 10 minutes flying.

Climb? OMG.

So now, even though I ruled them out, I want a mooney.

I can't afford a 231, but an M20 in good condition is definitely doable.

Big thanks to my "uncle-in-law" Scott for taking me up and letting my fly that beautiful aircraft!

Has this happened to anyone else???

-Rob
Click to expand...

I (was) perfectly content with flying /riding around in Prop driven GA stuff till my good friend and neighbor bought a couple of CJ's.... There is NOTHING like zipping along at FL450 and non stopping it from -35f Jackson Hole to south fla and +80F in less then 4 1/2 hours.... :yesnod::yesnod::yesnod:...

Ps.. I have signed up for therapy to overcome my sickness.:idea::no::no:.

Ben.
 
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