Mooney M20J MSE 24-3368 did it’s first flight test on 9 Sept 1995 and left the factory in Kerrville (Texas) later that month under the original registration of N923DH. In its early years, it lived on the Gulf Coast of the USA first in Atlanta (Georgia) and then in Lousiana. In late 1999, it was sold (at about 525 hours Total Time) for the third time and re-located to Burlington (Washington). From 2000 to 2005, it travelled throughout the USA including two trips to Alaska. In early 2005, the engine was replaced and a new 3 blade propeller fitted.

In late 2005, I saw it advertised for sale by Mooney Aircraft as the owner had a new Mooney Ovation on order. At that time it had 1,350 hours TT. After a test flight at Boeing Field in Seattle, a price was agreed and it was delivered by a ferry pilot to North Las Vegas airport in Nevada in February 2006.

I had finished a contract in Qatar and flew to the USA to collect the plane to fly it to Australia. That trip is described in detail on a separate page. The plane and I arrived in Brisbane in April 2006 and N923DH remained on the US register until transferred to the Australian register in 2008 as VH-VDH. Other than a trip to NZ, the plane has remained in Australia up to the present.

The plane was initially based at Mount Beauty airport (YMBT) but moved to Adelaide (YPPF) from 2007-11 and a few months in Brisbane (YBAF) in 2011 before returning to Mount Beauty in 2011 where it has been based ever since.

The engine was again replaced in 2017 with a slightly different model and the propeller was replaced in 2020 with a composite MT propeller.

It now has more than 3,600 hours total time, so I have flown it for more than 2,200 hours over the past 20 years.