IN CELEBRATION OF OUR 20TH YEAR SPECIALIZING IN MOONEY AIRCRAFT; Get your BRAND NEW PRE-PUBLISHED BOOK AVAILABLE FOR YOU NOW! "THOSE MOONEY AIRPLANES" by Richard Zephro; studying the Mooney since 1974; 38 year private pilot/owner of Mooneyland and author of the articles within this website. FLYING IS NOT CHEAP! Within this book we will discuss not only how to save money while owning your own airplane, we will discuss ways to save big bucks on purchase, ownership, maintenance, appearance (lipstick), and upgrades. Further; we will discuss matters of safely operating your prized BIRD, why Mooney is the safest (by far) in its class, and aid in the pure FUN of owning your own airplane. BOOK INCLUDES 25 CHAPTERS OF INFORMATION FOR MOONEY ENTHUSIASTS, OWNERS, AND ASPIRING OWNERS OF MOONEY AIRCRAFT IN PARTICULAR, APPLICABLE TO ALL AIRCRAFT OWNERS IN GENERAL AND INCLUDES 100 HOUR/ANNUAL INSPECTION GUIDE AND ALL ABOUT MOONEY AIRCRAFT; HOW TO KEEP THEM SAFELY FLYING (ON THE CHEAP) DO IT YOURSELF STUFF, WHAT TO WATCH FOR, AND INCLUDES 111 FULL SIZE PAGES OF INFORMATION AND PHOTOS. (Includes some reprints and references from Mooneyland and tons of NEW information at your fingertips)

GET YOUR COPY IN ADVANCE OF PUBLICATION EMAILED DIRECTLY TO YOU FOR $39.95; A TEN DOLLAR SAVINGS PRIOR TO PUBLICATION. CLICK ON THE "BUY NOW" PAYPAL LINK BELOW, PURCHASE THE BOOK AND I WILL PERSONALLY EMAIL IT TO YOU IMMEDIATELY. (2MB) in size. (this is the first of a series of must have books to come by author; Richard Zephro and you will automatically receive any updates, revisions, & additions to this BOOK).

Enjoy & learn, learn, and LEARN!  Richard "zef" Zephro

 

 $155.94 for the Complete Set

You probably think that this page is to solicit aviation sales. Well, that is mainly why we are here. However, this article may surprise you some.  I have been there and done that with my personal airplanes and I am all too familiar with having to sell an airplane that was mine.

Having to part with an airplane due to upgrading is the least painless part of having to sell your airplane. Those are the "happy" type sellers normally, but on occasion I have sold for those that HAD TO SELL due to a job loss, business failure, or like me; divorce.

Oh Man; can you remember the first night you had your first airplane with you? Next to having a child; what can compare? I OWN AN AIRPLANE!!!!!! I don't care if the paint was peeling off, we'd shine that bad-boy for all it's worth. Did you hug your first airplane that first night? I did.

How proud we felt flying our friends and relatives so that we could show them our stuff; the Right Stuff! There is no greater feeling of owning anything the way I saw it.

How does those old time-tested sayings go? ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END, and for some of us.....most of us; it was a sad day to see our BABY go.....

You know; I've been self employed for about 34 years now and I have seen the economy rise and fall a number of times. In fact, I sold my first airplane (Cherokee 140) because AV Gas went up to 70 cents per gallon! It was the only airplane that I financed, so the payments and stuff.... In truth, part of the reason for the sale was that I was afraid to fly at first, and remained so until I flew my first Mooney; then the fear disappeared. As a man who appreciates a well engineered machine; there is no airplane in the class of a Mooney! I have spent the past 34 years being an avid Mooney enthusiast and the past 20 years selling them to families and business men, and do you know what? I have yet to lose a single customer to a crash in an airplane that I sold them. Part luck I suppose, but also in part the fact that I take a personal interest in their safety and try to fly with them all to show them some tricks and safety pointers, which is why you see so many articles on the website dedicated to safe operation of your airplane.

Anyhow before I digress beyond irretrievability allow me to get back to the subject at hand:           YOU THINK YOU HAVE TO SELL YOUR AIRPLANE!

This is a difficult decision you have to make isn't it? I have always felt that the most decisions require some trade-off; that few decisions are win-win on down to damned if you do; damned if you don't! I hate that, but it is a fact of life at times. So, what is the best way to make any serious decision? By getting input from others in the know; those that have been there and done that. While it is always your decision to make, how better to inform yourself of all angles and possibilities. If you take differing angles of view, that "informed" final decision becomes a bit easier to make, so especially for those who are considering selling their "PRIZED BIRD", here are my two cents worth for you to consider:

1. Are you thinking of selling your airplane so as to feed your family? Then selling it doesn't compare in my book, but let's continue..

2. Are you thinking of selling out of guilt that things are tight all over, and what right do you have to own an airplane?

3. Are you thinking of selling because you fear that your airplane's value will continue to decline, and you want out while it's still worth something?

4. Are you thinking of selling because you think you can't afford to keep her properly maintained?

5. Are you thinking of selling because you're just not flying her much any longer?

6. Are you thinking of selling because you're thinking that your airplane is functionally obsolete, and you can't afford to upgrade?

7. Are you thinking of selling because your mate is nagging you?

8. Are you thinking of selling because of DIVORCE?

Let us answer the above 1-8 issues some....

1. Sell your airplane and let Mooneyland market it for you to get your best return. Just ask why!

2 & 3. Things are beginning to tighten up for many people although I don't think that it is as bad overall as the crazed news media paints, but one thing I have noticed that all economical downslides have in common is that they eventually come back up, so why sell now if you can afford to keep the airplane until it gains in value once again? The fact is that if it is a Mooney you are thinking of selling; remember that the Mooney will always be the fastest, most economical, and safest airplane in its class, so no matter the cost for a gallon of Av Gas; there will always be those dyed in the wool airplane owners (no matter what); more and more pilots are taking notice of Mooneys. Mooney makes one hell of an airplane, yet they've always sucked at marketing. For those of us who know Mooney's; how the hell can we ever expect to be happy in a Cessna? Yet Cessna has outsold every single engine airplane ever produced for the public! They just don't know, and why? Marketing! Hell, I'm starting to wish that some rich dot-comers take over that factory and revamp the old world thinking. Anyhow, don't get me started.... The bottom line is that your airplane will never be worth NOTHING, and not everyone is going broke. Many profits are taken during rough financial times, and no small amount of those profits come from buying items of value when the prices are depressed.

4. It would amaze some as to how much of your own maintenance and even upgrades you can do yourself. Most GADO or FSDO offices have a list of items it is okay for the owner himself to do. Did you know that it is even legal to change out your side windows? Did you also know that if you had the ability, you can even overhaul your own engine provided that get an A&P to inspect your work as you go and sign it off for you? There's nothing mechanically mysterious about an airplane. Even the engines are of a design that dates back over sixty years and older designs were normally more simple designs. You can peruse this website to get tips on how to do just about anything yourself and the only think holding you back is you! It's true that we're not all mechanically inclined, but I have always maintained that those that are mechanically inclined make the safest pilots. Not only that, but they make ownership much less expensive, so when you have your plane worked on in the future, plan on being there to watch and before you know it, you'll be a pro at your own maintenance; current and preventative.

5. Just not flying much lately? What are you nuts? Okay, I know we all get busy, but hey; never let it become a drag to fly or take the time to fly. You need to think back to the old days when you discovered the wonder of flying. It is a mechanical miracle and where else is it just you and a machine against the elements. Where else are you going to see the sites we are afforded once we break the bonds of earth. Where else are we going to equal the sensation of barreling down the runway and pull on the "steering wheel" and up we go. How many times stuck in traffic do you wish you could pull on that wheel and go up, up, and away over that lousy traffic? More importantly; if you are like me, flying is therapeutic and a hullofalot cheaper than a psychiatrist! When flying, do you worry about your problems? If you're like me, the problems are left back at the tarmac. There is nothing like flying your own airplane! Go exercise that airplane at least twice a month for an hour or two. It will only be whence you are flying that you remember just how wonderful flying is. Don't let it get old; it's just too special.

6. Okay; all the "fat cats" get to upgrade to the latest Garmin toys and you can't afford the high ticket to upgrade, so you're allowing advertising to rule your likes and dislikes just like we do with TV, and you're starting to feel like your airplane is antiquated. Antiquated?! She still flies doesn't she? There are so many 1930's and '40's airplanes out there still flying with not much more than a hand held navcom, yet they're still a flyin' for the love of flight. Airframe getting old and tired? Not a Mooney. There's little on that airframe to ever wear out if you just keep an eye on things and stay on top of them by practicing the paragraph above. Most airplane but especially Mooneys will be flying long after we check out from earth, and your Mooney has no life limits like some Pipers and other planes do. Keep them lubricated and watch out for the start of corrosion and your grand baby will be flying that airplane as an adult.

7. Is your mate nagging you about the time or money you take to fly? Well, none of the planes I've owned gave me half the grief of my 2 ex's, but I understand you need to keep the peace, so; take your mate on a pre-planned evening dinner somewhere near an airport. Let him or her experience the joy of the silky smooth air of the cool evenings and talk about the wonderment of flight and all it means to you and it won't hurt to mention how having an airplane has benefited the family from time to time. Once your mate understands that flying is an emotional involvement as opposed to just another "toy", they will understand what you feel when you fly and that losing your airplane would be like losing an arm or even family member. If that doesn't work, get a divorce and keep the airplane! ;o) Just kidding (half way).

8. Divorce? We hope not, but seemingly the first thing to go during or after a divorce is the airplane. I was able to reason with my first wife not to include the plane in community property simply because I had bought her new cars over the years and I drove old cars and didn't care because my OTHER CAR was an airplane! Still, the financial hit had me sell the 201 eventually, but I scraped my penny's and bought an F model Mooney only to sell it eventually so that I could build my second wife a beautiful house only to see it eventually go to lawyers. The bottom line is that if there is a divorce, often enough the plane has to go, and it's a very sad day and decision to have to or be forced to make. If that's the case, keep your chin up because the desire to fly one's own airplane is a very strong one and you will eventually fly again, however be prepared for withdrawal symptoms and sadness in the meantime.

There is a reason that I am in the business of locating and selling aircraft. It is because of my deep love and respect for flying and the associated challenges, and I have loved this business so much that even though it can be considered counterproductive for me to try to talk you into keeping your airplane at nearly all costs, should it become necessary to sell, I am here for you to do the job right and as painlessly for you as possible, and to comprehend your sadness and empathize.

If your absolute need is to sell your airplane, give me a shout and we'll discuss that and even see if there is a way to hang on to her for yet awhile longer.

Fly a lot, but most of all........

Fly safe,

zef