The backwards tales

[RDC01]

Has anyone purchased the book "the backwards tales" by Coy Jacobs?

It is billed as the essential knowledge book about Mooneys and you shouldn't buy one without having read it, blah blah...

The thing is, it's pretty expensive and I have not come across a second-hand copy so far. Can anyone give me something other than the sales pitch about this book? Is anyone interested in selling his/her old copy? Should I wait for the canadian dollar to reach parity?

Fly safe,

Tonio

[Blue Side Down]

The Mooney is the single most efficient single engine aircraft available today- just don't buy one and try to spin it.

[RDC01]

Of course not, it's a traveling machine not a C-150. Nor would I rent one and spin it if there were any to rent.

Still, what I am looking for is technical stuff about the C model and what to look for when buying one.

Tonio

[kevinsky18]

Has anyone purchased the book "the backwards tales" by Coy Jacobs?

It is billed as the essential knowledge book about Mooneys and you shouldn't buy one without having read it, blah blah...

The thing is, it's pretty expensive and I have not come across a second-hand copy so far. Can anyone give me something other than the sales pitch about this book? Is anyone interested in selling his/her old copy? Should I wait for the canadian dollar to reach parity?

Fly safe,

Tonio

Ummm you can't be serious? You are thinking of buying a plane and wincing over the price of this book? I have no idea how much it is but if your the type that can't drop $500 - $1000 on basically nothing then airplane ownership isn't for you.

I'm not trying to be rude I'm just being blunt aircraft ownership sucks back cash worse than a bad crack habit. For me a $100 investment in a book to at least make sure your buying the right brand of crack/plane is a worth while expenditure in aviation.

[square]

Has the dollar gotten so bad we're waiting for it to reach parity? Damn. The loonie's jumped from like .78 to almost .90 in a month or so and that's not enough?

[atpl53]

Has anyone purchased the book "the backwards tales" by Coy Jacobs?

It is billed as the essential knowledge book about Mooneys and you shouldn't buy one without having read it, blah blah...

The thing is, it's pretty expensive and I have not come across a second-hand copy so far. Can anyone give me something other than the sales pitch about this book? Is anyone interested in selling his/her old copy? Should I wait for the canadian dollar to reach parity?

Fly safe,

Tonio

Ummm you can't be serious? You are thinking of buying a plane and wincing over the price of this book? I have no idea how much it is but if your the type that can't drop $500 - $1000 on basically nothing then airplane ownership isn't for you.

I'm not trying to be rude I'm just being blunt aircraft ownership sucks back cash worse than a bad crack habit. For me a $100 investment in a book to at least make sure your buying the right brand of crack/plane is a worth while expenditure in aviation.

You beat me to it. An investment of $79.95 USD to consider a $100,000. plus investment seems to be unbalanced. Try contacting MOA and seeing if they have a used book section.

[RDC01]

You're absolutely right, I'm a cheap bastard. I expect if I buy a plane, I will be trying to save a penny at every turn and put the cash down on the flying if I can.

There is a serious margin between being cautious and holding out for maintenance money however. Believe me, I know how expensive flying is but I'm shopping around for a partnership and that makes me responsible. For what it's worth, I'm in no hurry, if it doesn't happen, so be it.

Tonio

[Rudy]

[. ._]

Sorry I can't help out here, and sorry to quasi-hijack the thread, but...

Am I to believe that you can't spin a Mooney? They're not certified for that?

If this is the case, what's the deal? Does it have a really aft centre of gravity or something? Minimal rudder control?

I'm really curious now.

-istp

[roger.roger]

edited bad attempt at humor

[Hedley]

Coy wrote a book? Amazing.

Anyways, like most everyone else here, I might recommend
that you buy his book.

btw, nothing magical about a C model mooney. I flew around
400 hours in an M20J a few years back. Buying any Mooney,
you need to look at:

1) steel tube fuselage corrosion - SB 208B
2) wet wing tanks - who did the repair? Still leaking?
3) nose tubing bent from line guys over-turning?

Most older Mooneys have had the heck modified out of
them. If it's an American Mooney, ensure that all the
mods are approved by Transport.

Damage history? A lot of Mooney have had gear-up
landings. Who did the repair?

Make sure all the avionics work well. A lot of Mooneys
have more money in the panel than ahead of the firewall.

Ahead of the firewall is a plain-jane Lycoming. Usual
concerns about camshaft lobe spalling - pull the pressure
screen to see if it's making metal. Make sure the prop has
been overhauled IAW CAR 625.

I'd also put it up on jacks, with the gear half-extended,
and take a close look for slop and other signs of wear,
switches, wiring, etc. Grease it well while it's up there,
make sure all the fittings take grease, change them if
they don't.

Flying a Mooney isn't rocket science, either - you just
have to plan your descent and approach. You can go
down, or slow down, but not both at the same time.

DO NOT carry extra speed on short final, otherwise
you will float and float.

Mooney have virtually no rudder - they really can't
sideslip very well.

[Phlyer]

Buying any Mooney,
you need to look at:

1) steel tube fuselage corrosion - SB 208B
2) wet wing tanks - who did the repair? Still leaking?
3) nose tubing bent from line guys over-turning?

Most older Mooneys have had the heck modified out of
them. If it's an American Mooney, ensure that all the
mods are approved by Transport.

Damage history? A lot of Mooney have had gear-up
landings. Who did the repair?

Make sure all the avionics work well. A lot of Mooneys
have more money in the panel than ahead of the firewall.

Ahead of the firewall is a plain-jane Lycoming. Usual
concerns about camshaft lobe spalling - pull the pressure
screen to see if it's making metal. Make sure the prop has
been overhauled IAW CAR 625.

I'd also put it up on jacks, with the gear half-extended,
and take a close look for slop and other signs of wear,
switches, wiring, etc. Grease it well while it's up there,
make sure all the fittings take grease, change them if
they don't.

Flying a Mooney isn't rocket science, either - you just
have to plan your descent and approach. You can go
down, or slow down, but not both at the same time.

DO NOT carry extra speed on short final, otherwise
you will float and float.

Mooney have virtually no rudder - they really can't
sideslip very well.

Excellent post Hedley. Nice to see some really useful advice on here.

[Hedley]

Thx - a mooney is a great little airplane. It doesn't have
much room inside, and won't carry a whole lotta weight,
and doesn't climb really well, and is NOT GOOD in ice, but
if you want to transport one or two people from one 3,000+
foot paved runway to another, it's pretty darned quick and
efficient.

I used to beat the airlines to and from Florida - not a direct
flight on a Boeing, of course, but if there was an xfer, I could
be there quicker.

An autopilot (heading and altitude) is pretty well necessary
for single-pilot IFR, IMHO. Also installed a wx-900 stormscope
which really reduced the stress levels in the summer haze,
when there are always Cbs about. These days I guess
XM composite radar is probably better.

Everyone is into speed mods, but the best speed mod there
is, is MORE FUEL so you don't have to make a fuel stop
before your destination. The M20J was pretty good at
that - it had over 60 gallons, and there was an STC for
100 gallons, which looked pretty good to me.

Slippery airplane, but with the little lycoming 4 cyl it did
not climb all that fast. The 6 cyl versions are much better
in that regard, I am sure. A turbocharger would be wonderful,
too.

[Phlyer]

I knew a guy years ago that bought a turbo version just after finishing his private. He wanted to 'grow into' an airplane. Long story short he ended up selling it after his third engine rebuild due to melting the turbo - poor guy kept forgetting to give it the cool down period and he also flew it like the 172 he learned on.
Nice plane but turbocharged and rookie don't mix, imo.

[HS-748 2A]

Check with these guys in Minot M.D.

http://www.pietschaircraft.com/

Warren and Kent Pietsch are friends of mine and excellent guys. They have been in the Mooney biz a long time.

Good Luck,

48

[Big Pistons Forever]

I knew a guy years ago that bought a turbo version just after finishing his private. He wanted to 'grow into' an airplane. Long story short he ended up selling it after his third engine rebuild due to melting the turbo - poor guy kept forgetting to give it the cool down period and he also flew it like the 172 he learned on.
Nice plane but turbocharged and rookie don't mix, imo.

There is no particular reason that a new PPL could not competantly fly a turbo mooney. BUT proper training from an instructor who actually knows how to operate turbocharged engines in the higher performance singles/twins is absolutely essential. It is not rocket science, all that is required is an understanding of how the systems work and an appropriate flying discipline.

[Phlyer]

There is no particular reason that a new PPL could not competantly fly a turbo mooney. BUT proper training from an instructor who actually knows how to operate turbocharged engines in the higher performance singles/twins is absolutely essential. It is not rocket science, all that is required is an understanding of how the systems work and an appropriate flying discipline.

I would have thought so too. He had a good instructor but he just kept forgetting. The guy wasn't dumb either - I think it's like anything: it depends on the person.
When I instructed I had amazing students that you wouldn't think were the sharpest tool in the shed; I also had a guy that was a surgeon that just could not get the most basic concepts.

[Hedley]

Turbochargers are like retractable gear: some pilots like
them, others spend lots of money on them.

[iflyforpie]

Did an insurance job on an M20J that landed gear up in Abbotsford about five years ago. The gear had jammed on extension. We wound up writing off the aircraft because in addition to the engine, prop, gear, and belly damage; the step was sticking out when it hit the grass and severely buckled the bulkhead it was attached to.

This plane was a super clean aircraft that was well maintained. Sometimes it's not pilot error that makes moveable gear expensive...

[ahramin]

Turbochargers are like retractable gear: some pilots like
them, others spend lots of money on them.

Too true. Checklists can help though.

[Hedley]

Sometimes it's not pilot error that makes moveable gear expensive

Yeah, but most of the time it is.

[RDC01]

Thank you hedley and all the helpful people, the book is on order and I'll give a report if any are interested.

I'll be looking for a good airframe and engine for the fun and enjoyment of something other than club Cessnas. Not interested in dashboard toys apart from engine management.

Tonio

[Blue Side Down]

Sorry I can't help out here, and sorry to quasi-hijack the thread, but...

Am I to believe that you can't spin a Mooney? They're not certified for that?

If this is the case, what's the deal? Does it have a really aft centre of gravity or something? Minimal rudder control?

I'm really curious now.

-istp

Like any aircraft, it is possible to spin the Mooney, just make sure that you've got a lot of air beneath your seat because it could take 10,000 ft for it to start flying again. This quirky characteristic is due to the type's laminar style airfoil. Hence they're not certified for spins either. Not that you'd pick one up for that reason anyways... Simply put, they go fast on less gas.