My “Barn Find”!! Well, not exactly…. But, I flew Pipers for many years after teaching my neighbor how to fly! We owned a PA 28 140, than a PA 28 180R together. After a hip replacement, he could not get in the airplane easily! We decided to sell the Arrow and de-solve the partnership.
Traveling to the airport every other day and looking at the empty space in my hanger, I decided it was time to find something to fill the spot. My mechanic called me and told me he was doing an annual on an N Model Bonanza, and it was “For Sale”! I rushed over and looked at it. I found it was a very nice looking Bo with newer paint, but with the original interior and panel! Given the reasonable price, it would “Fill the Bill”!
Yes, it was a great flying airplane, and knocked another item off my bucket list. (To own a Bonanza!)
Well, Long story short, every time I wanted to fly it, another Expensive problem appeared. 2 new fuel bladders later, and a $900.00 electrical plug for running the flaps, I decided it was time to find something more friendly to my budget.
A friend wanted to buy the Bonanza for a project and update the panel and interior. I wanted to do the same, but was not about to put $50,000 in an old airplane! He is now the happy owner! The next day, I found an M 20J being stored in a hanger a few rows away. The owner had lost his medical and had the airplane on Jacks. It had sat for some time, and needed some attention. We came to an agreement, a few dollars more than I had gotten for the Bo, and I am now the proud owner of a Mooney! I was able to move up in age 18 years, and have all the modern avionics that the Bo lacked!
The annual was uneventful and I started flying a great little Mooney that “fits like a glove”! It does everything the Bo did, and on a lot less gas!! The only problem encountered was a fuel pressure problem. The pressure decreased as the engine warmed up?? After talking with several of the MAPA participants, they suggested I talk to LASAR!
LASAR suggested that I start with the first item in the system, and methodically check everything. I started with the tanks, then tank selector, and then gascolator. Through the process, LASAR sent me new O-rings and instructions for servicing it, but the problem wasn’t solved yet. I decided that the symptoms were unusual for any normal problem, such as a leak or bad fuel pump. So, I decided to take a chance and I replaced the old, original fuel transducer. Problem solved! Thanks to the MAPA members and LASAR I made a cheap fix and am enjoying My 201!