Joel Ludwigson

If you really want to go experimental with an engine swap then do what these guys did. It scoots! https://www.flightglobal.com/aopa-expo-upgraded-aerostar-702p-unveiled-/70709.article https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nVTzlDsmME

Yes, it is an interesting story but probably too long to post here. Suffice it to say the job that fell into my lap after I retired from my [non-flying] career. I had my commercial and multi, and the ATP/CTP class and written passed when it landed in my lap. I learned the airplane at the ripe young age of 62. The job can best be described as being a high priced high speed Uber driver. Met some great people. Received a few great tips. Flew a few athletes, actors, and musicians, but mostly just rich people.

It can be done. I transitioned from a 160 knot 201 to a Mach .87 (480 knot) Falcon 10. There was a fairly steep learning curve but most of it was flying complex departures and arrivals and getting used to flying 9 miles a minute instead of 3. Like any new airplane it took several landings to get used to the sight picture. I was glad the trailing link landing gear was much more forgiving than the Mooney! Takeoffs were a breeze, it's a little rocket ship and we usually only had one or two in back. But it's just an airplane. Don't get intimidated! Study everything! Fly disciplined. Treat it with respect but don't ever get cocky. But it can be learned. As you would expect, having an experienced captain in the 10 made a huge difference for me. Taking another experienced pilot on the first several flights in an Acclaim or any major upgrade would accomplish the same thing. But make sure you brief what you want to learn on each flight and specifically how you will divide duties. Who is the pilot flying (PIC). We had a clear division of duties between the pilot flying and the pilot monitoring. You should too. Fly it like a pro.

Those speeds are indicated airspeeds. When I was flying the Falcon 10 we were at .86 (at FL 380) but the airspeed indicator read in the low 200s. The key is flying high where the IAS goes down and the TAS goes up. I've not flown an Acclaim (or any turbocharged Mooney) but I suspect that the IAS in the low flight levels is about the same as my J model at 4,000 feet. So if you put a turboprop on it the key is to fly high. Fuel consumption also goes way down as you go high. The 30 GPH someone mentioned earlier would likely go way down in the upper teens where you would want to fly it. I have a friend who is converting a piston powered amateur built airplane to a Czk built turboprop (An uncertified PT6 clone) of about 250 HP. The fuel consumption at sea level will take your breath away but once you get it above 10k it starts plummeting. Be ready to taxi and fly once you light the fire! He keeps telling me to put one on my 201 but as also mentioned above the certification requirements prevent that, not to mention my checkbook. The engine costs $140k!