The Story of an $8,000 Mooney Aircraft

Hi Mark. My name is Marcus. I just watched your video. Congratulations. You can imagine my surprise when the part where your neighbor took you to ride in his Mooney. When you showed the panel I noticed that the plane was N5535Q. My father used to own that Mooney. I have flown in that plane more times than I count count. My dad loved that plane. It just about broke his heart when he had to sell it. He passed a few years ago. Thanks for bringing this back to me.

Hey man! I'm the son of the guy that sold you that plane! We flew that thing for years I couldn't believe it when I ran across your video! I'm so glad to see you restoring it back to its former glory it's a beautiful plane!

I drive 90 to work sometimes and always noticed the plane out in the guys field - glad to see it being rehabilitated!!

This is such a great airplane! My uncle owned one of these aircraft’s with three other gentlemen in Florida. My uncle passed away a few years ago at the age of 93, he was an awesome uncle!He learned to fly in the Peruvian air forces and graduated “Primero en Clase” in 1943. He came to the states after graduating and trained American fighter pilots. He loved his Mooney. He loved flying! When I was learning to fly he told me the two most important rules in flying, “ 1) You never have to take off 2) You always have to land” he was telling me you are the captain of your ship make your own decisions and don’t let someone else pressure you to make bad decisions. I was 17 years old when he told me this. I have never forgotten this advice. Thanks for sharing this find.

You stole my fantasy! The one where I rebuild a hidden gem of a found plane. I'm going to really enjoy watching you bring this baby back to life. Well done! :)

I love that you rescued this Mooney. Glad it turned out to be in better shape than you anticipated. Best wishes in this adventure!⭐️

What a steal! I am blown away by how nice it was just after you washed it. Glad you found a deal.

I paid 8000 for my 62C as well, but it was in 4 sections. Welcome to the irrational Mooney club, love mine and have 350 hours flown after restoration.

I sold my 1964 M20E just over a year ago after owning it for 6 years. I traveled all over the west in it and loved that plane. It was the perfect cross country machine. I hope you can get this one back in the air!

Mark thanks for posting this. Congratulations on your purchase. Please keep posting more videos on your progress as you bring her back to the skies! 👍🏻👍🏻

As a retired corporate pilot with A&P and a bunch of Mooney time from the early 70's I am eagerly awaiting more videos. If you were located in NJ I would have loved helping you. Good Luck!

You have exactly the right attitude about this adventure. My compliments and the best of luck in your endeavor to get this pretty bird back into her element. I'll be watching!!

Completely stunned at how well she cleaned up

Like a lot of old guys in aviation, I was a lot worried about your safety when i started watching but as the video played on I can only say fantastic. I have been flying since 1966 (military) and wrenching the entire time as an A&P IA. You have the right attitude and a good A&P helping you out. Can't wait to see the final results. If I was closer I would repair that wing for the cost of parts. Love sheet metal repairs more than flying. Good luck from Oregon.

12 years between shock disc replacement. Fuel leak looks like the fuel hose between tank and fuselage. Fuel pump for cold start 5 seconds with power and mixture in. Hot start throttle in all the way and mixture at idle cutoff. I was a Mooney pilot and mechanic for 12 years at Lake Aero Styling and Repair.

I'm so unbelievably jealous! What a score! Finding and restoring a beat up old airplane has always been a dream of mine and you get to do it. Congrats and I'm subscribing to follow along vicariously.

This is so cool! Literally what we all dream about. Also no judgement for not knowing where stuff is😆. That's all part of it!

Hello Mark I cannot emphasize enough obtain every repair and parts manuals you can get your hands on in relation to the Moony M20E21 the 43.13 is a must and before taking on any task always consult with someone with more experience of which will help you to make good decisions and will also be good to help you keep track of everything that is being done to her by you Best of luck and enjoy your Aircraft

I remember flying in my Grandfather's hot rod Mooney back in the early 70s.... a real Cadillac in flight and very fast compared to the Pipers and Taylorcraft we normally buzzed around in with my uncles. Good on you for finding and saving this pearl!

Nice find! Good luck with the restoration and I hope you keep posting videos. I'm looking forward to seeing the progress and see her get back in the air.