ziggysanchez

The 231's did come with inner gear doors. I think some people take the inner gear doors off to make it more convenient to access and inspect/replace the brakes and other things that live in that area. The fairings are also available through Mooney or as suggested above you could make them yourself or find someone on here that has made them and may be willing to help you out by making you some replacements. When I purchased my 231 the inner gear doors had been removed and after a month or two of flying one of those fairings behind the gear departed while in flight. When the fairing came off there was definitely more wind noise and in certain attitudes vibrations that hadn't been present prior to the fairing coming off. I was able to order the fairing through an MSC and when I took it in for the repair I also had them add the inner gear doors back to my aircraft. The inner gear doors did improve my speed by one or two knots and of course the fairing being put back on eliminated the noise and vibration. I'm pretty sure you could score some inner gear doors through an MSC or from an aircraft salvage yard.

Based in Guthrie...not from Guthrie...lol I live in Edmond.

I would fly it down to Longview to Don Maxwell Aviation. Not too far in a Mooney. If you need any help I'm based in Guthrie and would happy to assist if able.

Aero Comfort is a good place for interiors.

I owned a 2005 SR-22 NA bird for 6 years and logged nearly 2000 hours in it. Went from it to a Mooney 231. For a lot of reasons I prefer the Mooney over the Cirrus. When I first purchased the Mooney it was going to be a temporary plane until I returned to flying a Cirrus again. When it came time for me to purchase a newer and better equipped aircraft I couldn't bring myself to buy another Cirrus and instead purchased a Screaming Eagle M20S. I have well over a thousand hours spread out over several different Mooney's (231, Missile and Eagle). I don't think I'll ever go back to a Cirrus. I'm 6'3" and weigh 290lbs. I'm more comfortable in the Mooney over the Cirrus albeit a little harder to get into because of the single door. I don't hate the Cirrus...I just wouldn't want to own one again or fly one as regularly as I fly my Mooney. Just my 2 pennies

What happens with your FF & MP while this is happening?

@gsxrpilot, I've got the GFC500, IFD550 combo in my "new to me" Eagle. Works great. You may still have my number. You can call me or PM me if you'd like.

@TheStig,Talk to Don or Paul, either would be able to help you find someone. They work with several instructors and have always been helpful when I needed to fly with someone in Longview.

From what I understand the Chinese no longer own Mooney. A group of American investors has acquired Mooney and is on their way to making the changes stated in the announcement that was released today. Don Maxwell posted a message today on this forum titled "New Mooney Ownership Today." I've spoken with Don and with others and like I said the way I understand it is that Mooney has once again completely changed hands and is under completely new ownership.

I came up with the layout and Omega Aircraft in Weatherford, Ok did the avionics work. They do great work.

For the trip to Maine we did 40 gallons and just stopped as necessary for fuel. We carried 50 lbs of bags in the plane and sent the rest with family that were meeting us there.

I have loved owning and flying my 231. I've flown it close to 900 hours in the last 3.5 years. Useful load in mine is somewhere around 930 lbs which is not too bad and has the Merlyn wastegate but no intercooler. I loaded my family in it right after my panel upgrade and flew them to Maine from Oklahoma. It was a little tight width wise but that might be more from me being 6'3" and 280 lbs than the Mooney being too small...lol. Maintenance costs on mine have been extremely low. The 231 is a great airplane. I'm about to trade it to move into an Eagle that has TKS. If you wanna pull the trigger this week and buy mine before I trade it, it would definitely be a nice one to have.

@lvpazik If you have some discoloration around the inspection door it's probably not from the heat. K models (231's) are notorious for having exhaust leaks at the slip joints (especially the one in the very front). My 231 has leaky slip joints and develops discoloration around the turbo inspection door after a short time of flying. I have found this stuff to be the best solution for removing the soot and discoloration left by exhaust gasses. I use it around the turbo inspection door and on the belly to remove soot. Great stuff. There is no turbo blanket or insulation installed in the 231as far as I know. Mine didn't have any.

You cannot get an automatic wastegate in a 231. You have to manage your MP with the throttle so you don't over boost the engine.The merlyn wastegate that is installed in many 231's from what I understand helps to keep the engine from bootstrapping but I have found that at some power settings it doesn't always do that very well. However the 252's and Encores do have an automatic wastegate.

It is definitely a nice F but unfortunately for the seller no where close to a 100K airplane. It would certainly be good for F model values if this one sold for that but I don't see that happening. It is the nicest F model I've ever looked at but it's still a 67 F model with a high time engine.

I was happy to help.

Sorry guys I meant to respond to this yesterday. @Paulyslug, I'd be happy to look at it for you. Did the last one you looked at fall through? I'd just need to know exactly what you'd want me to inspect.

I'm doing the swap so I'm actually just waiting for the replacements to arrive. I'm going to go ahead and reach out to Aspen today. I appreciate the advice.

This is what Aspen is telling my avionics shop. My guy calls or texts the rep every time I inquire about the status of the upgrade (about every 3 weeks). He and I both got the email from Aspen saying they were caught up and to call them for scheduling. This has been my result. I'm not sure what's going on and neither does my avionics guy.

My Aspen upgrade was supposed to happen in November. It got pushed to end of December. Then to January. Now it's mid February and still nothing. I don't think they've caught up at all unless they are just neglecting me.

Maybe that's a typo and you meant 2013. If I remember right fiki wasn't an option on Cirrus aircraft until around 2013/2014. It definitely was not an option in 2003. TKS inadvertent ice protection may have been introduced in late 2003.

@NicoN I can usually do an oil change on my K model without a drop of oil hitting the floor or getting all over the nose gear. Haven't found a way to keep my hands clean yet though. I use the box my oil comes in to make this trough. Works extremely well and I just throw it away afterwards. The picture is after I drilled a hole in the filter to let it drain and just prior to removing the filter.

I've never experienced the TIT rising as I run deeper into LOP. I've only experienced the TIT rising as a result of running closer to peak EGT. The leaner I run LOP, the cooler the TIT. I do not have an intercooler but do have a Merlyn. I have found the higher my manifold pressure is, the easier it is for me to manage turbine inlet temps. Mine without the intercooler runs best at between 34 and 35 inches of MP @2500 rpm's with a FF of 10.5 gph, TIT is 1610-1620. My FF will start to drift upward while running LOP so I have to keep an eye on it and seem to always have to keep adjusting while in cruise. My engine has never seemed very happy running LOP.

I think that's the right panel. You'll just need to cut the openings for your gauge and your on/off lever.