Mooney M20J full review with exclusive footage | Fly faster, higher, longer for less | Updated 

Mooney engineering is amazing. Although it actually has a 200hp IO-360 engine.

You forgot the low wing.

Totally different engine from typical -172s. 40-hp difference.

They are known for efficiency and speed

They are one of the best planes to fly

They are great airplanes to fly. As you said, you can do advanced training in them as a complex airplane. Also, Mooney hours are valuable pilot time.

thank you for your comment and watching the videos

It is a nice midwest town with a decent airport. Thanks for your comments.

Thanks. It is an exclusive club flying a Mooney.

Thank you & thanks for watching

Thank you Cheryl appreciate it as always. Yes, it is a nice Mooney. I am still keeping an eye out on a 172 for you guys.

Thanks for the comment, I am glad we are able to help you in your research

thank you for watching and glad we could help

no problem. good luck with your training. It is great to be a pilot.

They are a nice plane, thanks for watching

Thank you!

They are a great plane to upgrade into if you want to travel cross country for low cost.

good aircraft for its age. Mooney's performance above most others.

Put your glasses on your not seeing to well, this thing is an ugly duckling.

Thanks

It is a clean airplane

Glad you enjoyed it, thank you for watching.

The Mooney M20 series are great planes.

Thank you very much for watching and for the comment.

Thanks, Mooneys are nice planes

You're welcome. We enjoy making these videos and sharing with everyone.

Thank you. We will try our best.

Thank you for the comment. Usually, a low time engine is better ( usually cost more to buy also). Regularly flown, well maintained, high time Lycoming 320-360 series don't concern me. ( I test flew M20J with only 450 engine hours. I didn't buy it because the owner was running it too hot and already high metal content in the oil analysis)

Good luck with your checkride. Call us anytime with questions. We offer 5 hours of free type training with our planes. (if you subscribe to the channel you will see our future videos as well)

AeroLife thank you. I just subscribed 👍🏻

thanks

Sounds like you got a nice Mooney. Redundant systems are very important as you said. Especially flying in challenging situations. They also give you peace of mind

its an awesome aircraft. if you set everything properly it flies so easy, stable and fast. but if not, you have to fight against it :D

That is very true, if someone is transitioning to M20J, it takes some time to get comfortable handling the plane. After that it is a fantastic aircraft to fly.

have fun hope you enjoy it.

That would be a great experience.

Thank you for sharing the info. Since you had a lot of time on both, can you tell me M20K over M20J. I was looking at 305 for me to use but M20K is also an option.

@@aerolife1646 the K series is 210hp 6cyl turbocharged... fly high and a bit faster.. hence the 231 designation... mine was a 1984 model... I'd true about 180 knots at eco cruise in the flight levels.. the 305 was a "rocket" conversion.. 305 hp tsio-520-nb.. same engines the Cessna 340s and 414s had... they see 200+ knots in eco cruise.. push them and you can see speeds close to 220kts... also the 305 flys higher.. FL310 ceiling.. both are way more thirtsy than the 201... and flying them low they drink even more... but that's the tradeoff for speed... my K had the tsio-360-LB engine.. they fixed the cooling issues and a few other little things that made it alot more reliable.. I'd recommend only considering the k series with the LB engines.. and if possible an automatic wastegate controller and intercooler mod.. it reduces the pilot load (especially in IMC) and increases engine life... reduced fuel flow.. and adds horsepower/speed... the 252 incorporated all the upgrades. once again.. at a cost.. truth is, down low, you'll find it hard to justify the expense of the K... it just doesn't give you much back under 10k ft... over 14 tho... she stretches out and never looks back... over FL200 and youll be cruising past piston twins... just be prepared to pay at maintenance time.. turbo engines cost more to keep.. and feed.. bang for buck is a well kept, upgraded 83-86 231... IMHO... others may disagree.. but it worked for me..

@@texastyrannyresponseteam794 Appreciate the detailed information. This would help others as well.

@@aerolife1646 hope it helps.. I love Mooneys. I spent considerable time out at their Kerrville factory back in the day... from trips out there as a kid with my dad to tours of the factory... to post sales warranty work... and with other Mooney owners buying their dream machines... it used to be a great place to go and learn... Haven't been in years... not since before the Chinese ownership.... so I'm not sure what the atmosphere is these days. I know they eliminated the public factory tours a while back... but a serious buyer can get a Priviate tour of the factory anytime by appointment. I recommend trying to get that tour, it's an impressive process. enjoy

@@texastyrannyresponseteam794 You may not be old enough but did you ever know a guy named Bill Hurley in Kerrville? He was a Mooney test pilot and was my dad's copilot on KC-135's many years ago in the Air Force when he was stationed at Altus, OK. I believe he passed away 2 or 3 years ago.

Interesting. Which country has type ratings for such light pistons??

thanks

They are very good airplanes. As you mentioned, they deserve respect from their pilots and proper management, especially on landing. They are very aerodynamic and slippery airplanes.

What did you mean by "He didn't make it." ? I presume the NTSB report is now both available and complete. Those of us forced to play "Peek-a-Boo" [as my Grand-Daughter observed while in a Skylane] prior to executing any turn in any tractor-planform S.E.L. plane, would disagree with your preference for a 172. But, hey, differences of opinion are what makes pari-mutuel betting on horse races and political campaigns.

@@quidestnunc9238 If someone "doesn't make it" in an accident, it means they died

Also interested

Thank you for watching, we are working through testing some equipment for different conditions. Appreciate the comment

Electric trim is one of them. Autopilot is the other. Autopilot works but the pilot likes to pull the fuse/breaker out because of the autopilot switch location so it doesn't accidentally activate.

Thank you for the comment. M20J can achieve higher speeds with higher power settings and altitude. Most pilots like to fly around 150-160kts because of the economy and altitude they usually fly.

The M20J from your flying Club only did 170kt in the descent. At 8000ft, WOT and 2600 rpm it did about 155 kt TAS. I would call the M20J a good 150 kt airplane.

Typically at optimal altitude (8500ft), WOT, 125ROP, 75%HP yields about 160ktas. Flying the Mooney ~12,000ft is a CAFE (efficiency) happy place at LOP EGT ~60-65% is good, about 150 ktas. That 5.8gph fuel burn at the stated power settings seems way too low. Needs to be calibrated.

175 knots was the top speed achieved in a stripped down aircraft during testing. That’s 201 mph, hence the 201 name.

@@gregdavis4625 Yes 175 is the top speed on POH as well. In the video, below the line of 175knots, I have another line of 155 @ 9GPH because that is the most practical speed and fuel burn.

That is a good suggestion. We do go through checklists - not everything the pilots do can be included in the video.

It is better to start from a common training platform such as Cessna172, Piper Cherokee. After getting your license, when you can precisely control a plane then you can consider the transition to a complex plane like Mooney with CFI transition training. Even though the iPad is extremely useful for flying, you cant use it for IFR navigation or approaches. You need a panel-mounted FAA-approved WAAS or non-WAAS GPS navigator ( Ex: Garmin 430W). (but IFR does not need a GPS unit)

Plan around 70Knots indicated airspeed when you are crossing the numbers when heavy. Little less when you are light. You SHOULD NOT carry the power. (If it is gusting you need to add half of the gust factor.) Mooney needs to land slow. Otherwise, it will float. Never try to force the landing. Disk shocks make it bounce and if it starts to bounce it is safer to go around. Mooney stall speed dirty is 53Knots. (You can do full stall touchdown). Ipad reads ground speed which should not use for landing. ( We like to hear from other Mooney pilots on this topic as well)

@@aerolife1646 Thanks, I used to use 70 isa for final, but feel the floating all the time. I think I should reduce to 60-65 when crossing the number by myself.

@@chenjunalex Yes, we use 70Knots on final when we have 4 people and a lot of fuel (near gross weight). When the plane is light weight you can have a lower approach speed.

Thanks for the tip. We just got one and it is much better audio quality now

This plane has sold. If you're looking to purchase please consider signing up for our email notifications of new aircraft we post for sale.

That is a very good point. Thank you for mentioning it.

Thanks. Foreflight pro plus plan. you need to have ADSB-in and WAAS input to get traffic and synthetic vision. there are other apps have similar features. Please let us know if you have any other questions, we are happy to help.

The Mooney is a great plane. Keep up the dream and maybe one day.

If you are considering buying any small GA plane I think it is a good idea to actually sit and check both legroom and headroom since you are tall. Even if dimensions fit you may not be able to fly a plane comfortably.

Earlier they all pretty much use the same wing

I own an m20E model

I believe Luis is correct that they have a similar wing in the earlier models as well.

We will be making more detailed videos on other airplanes in the future. There are good planes in every price range. But there is no airplane $39k and under that has performance close to the m20J. However, they can be the right plane for some people based on what they want to do.

"Affordable" like many things is "relative" depending on the use-case. And acquisition cost is only one of many factors. There are a lot of articles discussing ownership costs including to consider such things as fixed costs and variable costs. If your mission profile is just local sightseeing for just yourself or two people at low altitudes, then there's lots of low cost and low maintenance options. If your mission profile is a cross-country airplane needing to travel over 150nm often and over 10,000ft terrain, then something like a Mooney is what is needed. For IFR over high mountains for longer distances, then a well-equipped and better version of the M20 may be needed. Even then, some people would say a higher-performance twin is needed. Again, it's the mission profile of what is needed (not wanted); and, what you're willing to compromise on. You can't have it both ways of being cheap and high performance. From what I've seen, the Mooney offers a big bang for the buck. Even for higher performance airplanes, the incremental "dispatch" capability is just that "incremental". Ditto, with overall speed. The Mooney also has some of the best CAFE scores for its category with approximately ~20nm per gal in the 14kft range at good speeds; sort of a Goldilocks sweet zone.

Foreflight

We are learning every time and trying to improve.

Since seats are adjustable. you should be fine

thank you very much...

@@rexcox8165 You're welcome

Thanks for the good insight from your experience. This helps others as well

They do have defrost in the windshield. It uses the heated air from the engine. Doesn't work as well because car defrost use AC to remove moisture while it heats. Wrapping isn't something people use to avoid frost. We didn't have much option at that time so had to improvise.

I'm curious too... the panel is 98% bone stock 1977 201... old king radios.. in 1978 they started using all silver crown avionics... Can't even count the iPad.. only upgrade I see is the JPI.. it's older paint and interior... 17 year old paint.. looks OK, but can't call that an upgrade.. ADS-B out is manditory now, so that's to be expected on a plane currently being used.. all in all, not a bad price for a j model... however, it's close to TBO tho... with that panel... there are better choices on the market for the same or spend just a little more and get ALOT more modern panel and lower hours... I'd have to pass on this one.

We have an itemized breakdown on the website how much each item costs if you were to do them. We didn't add $32,000 to the stock value when we priced the plane. (If that were the case, the stock value of the plane would only be $32,000 and even a bare stock Mooney J would not sell below $60k)

@@texastyrannyresponseteam794if you come across an M20J as you mentioned (low hours, repainted, no accidents, all logs, ADSB out, Engine analyzer, autopilot, and upgraded avionics) for a bit more than $64K would you please let us know? We have an extensive price history database and We are always looking, but they sell $90K and higher.

@@aerolife1646 The valuator on several Mooney sites that was written by one of the acknowledged Mooney experts values this one at just south of $59K.

@@gregdavis4625 Can you send me the link? the only way to get an exact valuvation of an airplane is an appraisal. Price can vary over 100% for a similar airplane. Mooney M20J all original low price is mid $60's and goes up over $120K. If you monitor the actual sales price in all online markets long enough you can get an idea. Then you need to dig deeper - problems, history etc to get a proper idea. If people only rely on blogs and websites saying what a plane is worth they will probably never buy one. This Mooney was actually underpriced. We got a large number of calls from listing sites even after the sale was pending.

You are correct. I believe M20J made into early 90s. They have different designation.

The m20c/e is one of the cheapest ways to go the fastest. Specifically what makes you say it’s expensive compared to other airframes?

Light aircraft are a great way to travel. It will allow you to do things not possible otherwise. If you are a good pilot and maintain the aircraft well it's very safe.

@@aerolife1646 Statistically, flying is safer then my own driving, so I don't drive much either. My son is the pilot and I would love to buy him a Mooney because I think they are quality aircraft. He's looking for his first own, happens to be a submariner who regrets maybe a bit not having trained for the AF.

As you mentioned, performance uses true airspeed. Since true airspeed needs a calculation, it isn't always easy to do while recording the video. We will try to include that in the future.

we will work on that. thanks

The Obsession of YT Presenters with repetitive, Metronome-Like, intrusive pseudo-music continues to mystify me. Are folks ashamed of their voices or do they believe that music somehow makes the Video more professional? In any case, thanks for at least Reducing the music volume.

231 is a good plane especially if you fly in the teens or higher often. At low altitude J can do better. 231 with LB upgrade is a good airplane.

Of course it has got one, at 19:36. You have to watch the video more carefully next time. ;-)

I don't have the POH with me 24 -23 at this altitude and temp BPH somewhere around mid 60's.

I know, in our latest videos we use very little - just as a section break.

You are correct about the ram air. we can mention that in a future video. I think M20F ram air is more effective than M20J

Hello , I like your video. M20J is a nice plane. What are you asking for the plane.l am looking . ...Jim thanks

With the JPI 830 you can precisely manage CHT and EGT numbers. It will even show you when it peaks. If I remember correctly, Lycoming limitation for the IO-360 is 420 degrees. Keeping the CHTs below 380 is a good practice even though it can run higher.

@@aerolife1646 thank-you for sharing your knowledge. Love your content and appreciate all the work you put into the videos!

@@pilot-plane-coffee1678 Absolutely. Thanks for watching!

Yes you are right. It is a habit.

Mooney M20J and RV-7 are not comparable airplanes. Mooney is a certified, 4 place plane while RV-7 is a 2 place, experimental plane.

Thank you for watching the video and taking the time to comment. You mentioned, "Any iPad with that version of foreflight has all those features." That isn't quite correct. To get these features you need to have data, adsb-in and a WAAS input. Many people don't know that. We also like to show how to utilize the features in during different parts of the flight. That might be helpful for some pilots or student pilots. Owners do have to pay a subscription just like with most things. Even Garmin 430 has to pay for database updates. Considering the cost of airplane ownership, paying $15 a month for foreflight is negligible.

The Mooney has a working century IIb autopilot.

Sorry about that. we will try to improve audio quality in the next videos.

@@aerolife1646 because you replied I will check out your next one.

@@lancomedic thanks

@@aerolife1646 Audio was just fine for me. Thanks.

@@michaelmorales7654 Thanks. We had checked on multiple devices as well. Some sections may need to improve.

Sorry about that. We know a lot about planes. We are not professional video editors yet. (will be soon though) background music is from the youtube library. If you have experience and pro knowledge in music, we would really like to hear your suggestions. then we can make them better in the future.

@@aerolife1646 here's a suggestion: it's not necessary to add this background noise. Instead, put the price!

You're right about the music; we corrected that in our newer videos.

Apologize for the sound quality. Our other videos are much better and we are still improving.

Mooneys are good airplanes. If you ever decide to upgrade let us know to help find something you like.