KSMooniac

The 201 W/S mod on the pre-J planes is definitely a tradeoff in speed and aesthetics for MX access. I love the look and the extra speed, but after having spent a few hours on my back contorted in bad positions working on the panel, I can understand why someone would not want to do it. If I had a pre-J plane, I think I would still go for it, but time the mod to coincide with any major panel upgrades so I could fix the panel up with the W/S completely out, including as much of a checkout as possible on the ground, and then put the mod on and hope the need to monkey behind the panel is minimized in the future since the new stuff was just installed. With the glareshield off, though, there is quite a bit more access over the top than there is in the earlier planes. Removing gyros and such isn't too bad, actually. Installing new wires is a PITA though.

Those LASAR visors look nice. I have Rosens (came with the plane) that work great, and in fact the previous owner is regretting leaving them in the plane...he wants them in his new Ovation. The EI instruments look good as a matched set over there. Initially I was thinking about the Horizon tach as I like the many features, but I don't like the fact it starts recording at 800 RPM, and there is no fascimile of an analog display, like the EI does with the green LED lights around the border. I wish the EI had all of the features of the Horizon...

I think Jim is correct. Hopefully your stall warning vane/switch assy has nutplates or rivnuts AND the cross-recess on the head is not boogered up. I'm sure Don's crew will be able to get you going. My assy has little bitty nuts and access is nearly impossible. Fortunately contact cleaner cured my problem and I didn't have to remove it. Parker, what kind of fuel pressure gauge do you have? I have original tach and MP/FP combo. I would like to replace my tach, and I'd consider getting matching MP too but I would need to add a FP gauge. I'm wondering what your arrangement is...

I wish I could, but my J should be in the paint shop that weekend!

I would be interested but I've already blown my long summer trip possibilities with a great jaunt down to FL, then up thru SC, NC, VA, KY and back to KS a couple of weeks ago. With some more notice I would love to try to get up there next summer. I've never flown out of the US, so I would need to take care of the eAPIS and other crap, but that would be a good excuse to do so.

Great find! That is a well-written article.

Same here, Bryan. Since my purchase 2.5+ years ago, I have only driven 90 miles for a concert (so beers could be had) and one ski trip in January to CO...no way I could take 2+gear into the mountains in the winter in my Mooney, so we had to drive it. Otherwise...fly! Nothing does a trip better than a Mooney.

If I roll-my-own TN kit, I plan to do exactly that. I imagine it would be simple to do on a 337 provided you have a friendly FSDO that still uses their brain. I haven't found the need in the 201 yet, but I'm not surprised the tightly-cowled turbo Mooneys need it in the thin air up high. I think the loss of density is faster has a greater negative effect on cooling than the positive effect of the cooler temps up there.

I think it is a fairly common thing for the 231 drivers...it might even be in the manauls somewhere. I believe the 252 has an electric cowl flap motor that allows infinite positioning so you can really fine-tune it to keep the CHTs in check. (I'd rather have a manual/vernier-style control instead of another heavy motor that could fail, personally)

Send me $10 and I'll tell you how to become a full member. (and don't listen to Jim!)

I'll add that I only run less-than-WOT (outside of the approach environment) if I'm loafing around on a sightseeing trip...something like 20" or 22", 2300-2400 RPM and 10-20 dF LOP. Otherwise, WOT all the time! Running at partial throttle is less efficient...and I'm all about efficient speed.

Jeev, there is a high likelihood you will not need GAMIjectors with your engine...it seems most IO-360 Lycomings run great LOP out-of-the-box, assuming there are no induction leaks. First step is to do the GAMI Lean Test: http://www.gami.com/gamijectors/leantest.php and report back here. The engines are made to run continuously at WOT and 2700 RPM...so do that for takeoff and climb and only reduce RPM after you level off and wait a few minutes to build speed. You should lean in the climb (and for high DA takeoffs) using this procedure: http://www.avweb.com/other/Leaning.pps I cruise and descend WOT all the time and only pull the throttle back when in the approach environment or perhaps the last 1-2k feet of a VFR descent. I typically cruise at 2500-2600 RPM to maximize power while LOP too. Just find a setting that is smooth... LOP will cost you a few knots, but it greatly increases your efficiency (eg MPG & range...dramatically) while making the engine run cooler, cleaner, and with less internal pressure on the cylinders. All of those are very good things for long engine life! Once you take the APS course, you'll fully understand why 50 ROP is a really bad place to run your engine.

CONGRATS! You're gonna love it! Next up...go take the Advanced Pilot Seminar and learn all about engine operation, management and trouble-shooting. It is the best money you'll spend in aviation. (your fuel flow at 10.5k leads me to believe you're running ROP and you shouldn't need to do that with the 201)

Probably not exactly what you are looking for, but I bought some "custom" sheepskin covers from Aero Comfort in San Antonio last year for my J with the low-back seats. They sent me a picture to fill in measurements of my seat, and then constructed the covers to match. Aero Comfort does great work, and I had them cover my yokes with leather this year, just like the new production planes, and they are amazing now! I've found the sheepskin to be much cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, and cannot recommend them highly enough. Price was $400 or $450 for the pair if I remember correctly.

Thanks for that update Chris! I'm glad to hear that they're still actively supporting the mods. I think it wouldn't be impossible for an owner to spec out any of the custom parts in the future if/when they quit supporting it, too.

Welcome to the forum! I'm just down the road from you and know of several other Mooney owners in the area. Last year we did a fly-out lunch to K81 (Paola) for BBQ one weekend and should try to make that a regular activity. The biggest speed mods for the early planes are the 201 windshield and cowl conversions. There are lots of cowl mods, from the simple "cowl closure" that reduces the big fish mouth, to a scab-on closure/snout that mimics a 201 geometry and uses a 201 spinner, to hybrids of the pre-201 cowl that almost duplicate the 201 cowl, and then there are full 201 cowl conversions. (in order from least expensive to most expensive) If you are going to paint and do the interior, then it would be a great opportunity to replace all of the windows and do the 201 windshield...it will get you a few more MPH as well as a nice amount of storage space on the glareshield for maps and such. I'm getting ready to paint very soon and I just orderd overlapping nose gear doors (my originals are worn anyway), the later model dorsal fin/empennage fairing, and rudder/elevator hinge covers. Those might net me a couple of knots, maybe. Gap seals all-around will help your early bird too, and don't cost a bunch. You might go shopping here: http://www.lasar.com/mods.asp or http://www.swta.net/mooneyproductinfo/mooneymodpackages.html or http://www.mooneymart.com/Frames/Intro/introduction_to_mmmods.htm to start your wish list. FYI, you cannot add all of the individual speed gains up and get a believable number. If you can only do one thing, I would do the windshield and then go after the others as your budget allows.

Price is low b/c it has been for sale for quite a while... the panel is really hurting it, IMO. It has not been kept up to date, and thus it has languished on the market. The hours are good, and cosmetics aren't horrible...it just needs some help on the panel.

Brandon, thanks! Description sounds great, but I can't see the pics on my end. It looks like they're links to your hard-drive, so you might have to upload to this site or host them on some other site to make them show up for us.

Brandon, could you share some details (and costs) for your home-made A/C unit please? I'm interested in doing that as well...and your point about the installed A/C is spot-on. You can remove the portable unit in the winter or if more payload is needed, not to mention it costs almost nothing compared to the installed version!

Thanks for the PIREP! I've been curious about these and have heard mixed reviews from the email lists in the past. Did you work with a single instructor in your plane, or different ones? Did the instructors rotate through the presentations too?

My buddy at OSH just called me back, and apparently the cowl kit price is indeed $12.5k, so the BOGO deal would make them ~$9.4k each. It they would have done this 3 months ago I probably would buy it, but not any longer.

Nice work! I'd love to see the rest of the interior too.

Not horrible, and it will be substantially less in Year Two after you add the IR.

Good idea, Parker! blacknchrome, make sure you take the list of issues/questions that we raised on the first few posts and get them answered during the prebuy. It could be a very nice deal if all checks out. I would recommend getting an oil sample (from WARM oil after running/flying) and overnighting it to Blackstone for quick analysis. You should go to Blackstone's website now and order a sample kit too to be prepared. Sitting idle is the worst thing for a plane, and especially a Lycoming engine.

Lots of reasons that add up, but highest on the list IMO are the fancy interior (all manufacturers are guilty of that now) and big tolerances on composite parts that led to excessive amounts of bonding adhesive. The adhesive issue also led to a repetitive AD that I warned about back in '96 and was blown-off. That is one of the reasons I didn't stick around.