Bargain Buys on AircraftForSale: 1969 Mooney M20E Chaparral

Photo: PacTex Aviation

For a certain segment of pilots looking to travel a certain distance, a fast, personal airplane can serve as a veritable time machine. For missions that would entail a tedious drive of several hours via automobile but are too short to be reasonably served by the airlines, a complex, high-performance airplane is virtually unbeatable when it comes to door-to-door travel times.

Often, aircraft best suited to the mission require hefty maintenance bills to bring up to speed, with delayed engine overhauls and deferred maintenance greatly inflating the cost of ownership. Fortunately, today’s bargain has been fastidiously maintained and is available for $94,000 on Aircraft For Sale.

With 4,954 hours on the airframe, this Mooney has a fairly standard amount of time for its vintage. But with only 5 hours since major overhaul, the engine will likely provide decades of service before requiring any significant attention. And the rest of the airplane follows suit.

Going down the list, all service bulletins and airworthiness directives have been complied with, brakes and rotors have been replaced, and fuel tanks have been sealed regularly since 2005. Additionally, the interior and paint were done in 2001/2002 and still show like new,

To make an already quick and efficient airplane even more slippery, a previous owner has installed a number of drag-reduction modifications. These include a new nose bowl and dorsal fin/tail root fairings from Lasar Speed Mods. While individual upgrades like these often return only a few knots each, they can collectively boost a stock airplane’s cruise speed noticeably.

Unlike many Mooneys of this vintage, this example sports a standard six-pack of flight instruments with a clean, orderly layout. An electronic tachometer, fuel flow totalizer, and engine monitor make it easy to properly manage the engine. A Garmin GTX 327 transponder paired with a Sky Beacon provides ADS-B out functionality, ensuring Class Bravo and Charlie airports remain accessible. When it comes time to upgrade the avionics, the clean layout should ease the installation.

Mooneys are loved for their fuel efficiency, impressive speed, and fuel economy. With the freshly overhauled, 200-hp Lycoming IO-360 and solid maintenance history, this one will likely serve its next owner well for many years.

Learn more about Mooney ownership here.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance and quickly calculate your monthly payment using the airplane finance calculator. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

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Jason McDowellAuthor

Jason McDowell is a private pilot and Cessna 170 owner based in Madison, Wisconsin. He enjoys researching obscure aviation history and serves as a judge for the National Intercollegiate Flying Association. He can be found on Instagram as @cessnateur.