bcwiseguy

Attached is a small picture showing the sun visors that were installed when I had the airplane. It's not a great pic but it's the only one I have left after a hdd crash. I don't really remember much about the sun visors but I think they are similar to what was in my 201 that I just replaced with Rosen Sun Visors. They are well worth the money and not expensive....I highly recommend them.

So the A3B6 has separate mags whereas the A3B6D did not? I was under the impression that both had dual mags but the A3B6D had a single drive whereas the A3B6 has dual drive and dual magnetos.

Can anyone tell me what the main differences are between the IO360-A3B6D and IO360-A3B6 are?

Dugosh Aviation in Kerrville is a Mooney Service Center not too far away from you. I had had my annual done there. Don Maxwell in Longview is a bit of a hike but he is decidedly one of the best Mooney shops out there. I'm sure there are probably some other experienced Mooney mechanics/shops around the area.

Awesome KTAS and KTGS. That's why i love Mooneys. Nothing else comes close on the same fuel burn.

Paul, Would love to very soon. I will let you know when I have a weekend available and we can coordinate.

That's a sweet lookin' ride you got there Paul.

That's excellent news then. I was under the impression that upgrades had to be paid out of pocket....that finance companies would not include them in a loan. Being able to include upgrades in a loan makes it so much easier for everyone....buyer AND seller.

I haven't bought an aircraft in a long time. Is it possible to get a loan that would include the upgrade or would I have to get a loan for the aircraft and then pay for the avionics? If lenders allow for upgrades as part of the purchase (e.g. engine overhaul, avionics) then it makes purchasing a much easier proposition for buyers like me. After all, if I'm purchasing a $150k aircraft (or whatever the cost) having to come up with what amounts to 50% of the total cost (as opposed to just the 15% down payment for the loan) becomes cost prohibitive.

I am starting to look at the Turbo Mooney's that are available but won't be ready to buy until end of summer or so. I was out at All American Aircraft a week ago and looked at many of the Mooneys that are there. Your 231 looks nice. I completely understand about trying to sell without a modern panel. With the cost of avionics, it is difficult to justify buying an airplane and having to shell out thousands of dollars on top of the down payment required to purchase the aircraft. I too am looking at aircraft that at least have one fairly modern GPS/Com/Nav and ideally a 2020 compliant ADS-B. In a perfect world, I would find an aircraft I could customize to my liking but that is a very costly proposition.

An interesting look. Thanks for sharing this. Some of the data surprises me....like the number of accidents during cruise. It would be nice to be able to see a graph that compares IMC to VMC. I was expecting a larger occurrence of IMC so that was a bit of a surprise.

That's a beautiful panel. When I had my 1966 E (N9278M) I had a panel redo and I installed some EI Gauges. I enjoyed my new panel so much more than the original panel. This was back in 2000. Oh how times have changed since then. GPS/NAV/Comms are commonplace. I had an Apollo Loran C system I used and really liked.

That's a beautiful panel. When I had my 1966 E (N9278M) I had a panel redo and I installed some EI Gauges. I enjoyed my new panel so much more than the original panel. This was back in 2000. Oh how times have changed since then. GPS/NAV/Comms are commonplace. I had an Apollo Loran C system I used and really liked.

That's a beautiful panel. When I had my 1966 E (N9278M) I had a panel redo and I installed some EI Gauges. I enjoyed my new panel so much more than the original panel. This was back in 2000. Oh how times have changed since then. GPS/NAV/Comms are commonplace. I had an Apollo Loran C system I used and really liked.

That's a beautiful panel. When I had my 1966 E (N9278M) I had a panel redo and I installed some EI Gauges. I enjoyed my new panel so much more than the original panel. This was back in 2000. Oh how times have changed since then. GPS/NAV/Comms are commonplace. I had an Apollo Loran C system I used and really liked.

Dave, awesome write up! Thanks for sharing this. I am looking at purchasing a turbo Mooney soon and the Bravo is definitely on my list (along with the 231 and 252/Encore). It's nice to know that the TIO-540 can be run LOP with the right tuning. My biggest concern with the Bravo has been the TIO-540 and this helps ease my mind a bit about its operation and the resulting maintenance.

I agree with gsxrpilot. Definitely seems like a nice way to upgrade an older model aircraft with GPS Nav/Comms....especially since it looks like those are the WAAS models.

I too am hoping Dynon succeeds in their certification quest. There's nothing I'd like more at this point than seeing a full glass panel option for ~$20k. The current cost of glass panel solutions is insane. Although I am looking to buy a turbo Mooney this year, I am not specifically looking at glass panel equipped aircraft. I can wait a few years to allow the cost of glass panel solutions to come down a bit hopefully and then decide which solution to install myself.

Alot of really helpful comments on this thread. I do appreciate everyone who has taken the time to lend their experience and wisdom. I can see value in either the 231, 252/Encore , and Bravo. At this point I won't rule any of them out. I have offers from a couple 231 owners and a 252 owner to take me up in their aircraft and I am looking forward to it so I can gauge how each aircraft performs and how it fits my mission. Now I only need to find a Bravo owner near San Antonio or Austin....lol. Right now the 231 seems to offer the best availability/price option. The 252/Encore seem to offer the best speed/efficiency option but less availability on the For Sale market than a 231. The Bravo seems to offer the best performance with maybe a bit more availability on the For Sale market than a 252. I've seen at least 1 or 2 of each for sale that peak my interest. We will have to see what is available later this year when I am ready to buy. In the meantime, I am going to keep researching each model and learning more about each one so that when I am ready to buy, I know exactly what I am looking for and feel comfortable about going after it. Been a long time since I bought my last Mooney and this time I want to be much better prepared.

Fred, that’s awesome. My wife and I used to fly my 1966 E model Mooney all over the country. We sold it back in 2005 but will be purchasing a turbo Mooney sometime later this year. We are looking forward to all the fun flying again. I don’t recall ever being cold on our flights....even when flying above 10k ( which was nearly always) and even during the winter months over the Rockies. I guess my Mooney was “air-tight”......lol.

Larry, congrats! Based on what I'm seeing about the 252/Encore, I am sure you will LOVE yours.....especially after having flown a 201 for so many years.

Chris, thanks for your response as well on the 231. I'm definitely looking forward to going flying in a 231 to see what it's really like.

John, thanks for the detailed write-up. David has offered to take me up in his 231 so that will give me the opportunity to see what all is involved instead of it just being a mental exercise.

Eric, glad to hear it! I am looking at probably getting into a 252/Encore and like what I see from Dynon. Would love to be able to get into a glass cockpit within the next 2-3 years and the Dynon HDX solution looks like a very nice solution for a reasonable cost. Frankly, the cost of avionics has historically been absurd and I would love to see the cost of avionics upgrades become reasonable.