Wanted: M20K Encore or 252

[ifrflyer]

Wanted: M20K Encore or 252

 

Wish-list: FIKI TKS, G500 or Aspen PFD, WAAS capabilities, nice Engine Monitor, Flown and Well-maintained 

 

Hopefully you're for sale out there!

 

Was going to go with the 231, and found a great plane, but I ski, bike, and load gear.  Fold down/removable seats are a must.  Plus, FIKI is not an option in that plane.  

 

If I can't find soon, plane partner wants to pull the trigger on a Bo.

 

 

[Dave Marten]

Tall order partner.

 

If SERIOUS gear hauling (large/bulky/heavy) is indeed your requirement than you may need to look at something with more useful load and cubes. An A36TC with its club seating and double cargo doors would be at the top of my list or maybe a flying dump truck like a 210. Of course you're burning more gas then the little TSIO-360s, but if you really need to haul  a LOT of gear then you're looking at some trade-offs.

 

Just like a marriage, aviation is all about the compromise. Even in the automotive world I've never heard about a Ferrari pickup truck

[ifrflyer]

Just seeing if one is out there! 

 

Tall order partner.

 

If SERIOUS gear hauling (large/bulky/heavy) is indeed your requirement than you may need to look at something with more useful load and cubes. An A36TC with its club seating and double cargo doors would be at the top of my list or maybe a flying dump truck like a 210. Of course you're burning more gas then the little TSIO-360s, but if you really need to haul  a LOT of gear then you're looking at some trade-offs.

 

Just like a marriage, aviation is all about the compromise. Even in the automotive world I've never heard about a Ferrari pickup truck

Just seeing if one is out there.  Would like the 231, but I wish that back seat was split of could fold down.  

[FBCK]

I believe the rear seat in the 1982 and on versions of the 231 did go down.  I have an 1981 and back and the day one of the previous owners had them installed under an STC.

[Parker_Woodruff]

Try to find a 252 that's been converted to an Encore for the extra useful load. Then add FIKI TKS if not already installed.

There's a few out there.

[Hank]

Just like a marriage, aviation is all about the compromise. Even in the automotive world I've never heard about a Ferrari pickup truck

Ferrari may not make pickups, but Porsche and Lamborghini both make SUVs.

Some Mooneys, mostly Js, have 1000+ lbs useful load. My lowly C has 969, or 669 lbs with ~1 gallon expansion room in each tank. It's just slower and lower than a K, and unless I carry 3 adults with me, I run out of space before useful load.

Happy shopping, and hold out for an aircraft in good mechanical condition regardless of brand.

[ifrflyer]

Try to find a 252 that's been converted to an Encore for the extra useful load. Then add FIKI TKS if not already installed.

There's a few out there.

I've been looking on Controller and Trade-a-Plane.  Have you seen any on the market?  If you point me in the right direction I would appreciate it. 

[Parker_Woodruff]

I've been looking on Controller and Trade-a-Plane. Have you seen any on the market? If you point me in the right direction I would appreciate it.

There were about three Encore converted 252s on the market this summer when I was trying to offload my 252/Encore.

I'll be sure and let you know if I see another one.

I sure miss that plane...

[fluffysheap]

If you don't need the 231 (or 252/Encore) rear seats, you can just take them out.  My 231's previous owner removed the rear seats, giving a large mostly-flat cargo area which was more useful for him.  He sold me the plane to buy a Cessna 210, and I put the rear seats back in because sometimes I carry two passengers.

 

TKS is a heavy system and your useful load with it installed is limited.  Legal payload with full TKS and fuel is probably only 350 pounds, and even less than that if you are also carrying around a stormscope!  Most K-model Mooneys don't have TKS installed, but of course you could have it added.  The price premium for installed TKS is almost as much as the installation cost, so if you find a plane you really like except for TKS, you're not giving up too much money to add it.  If you have TKS, you probably won't be able to legally carry rear-seat passengers anyway due to weight.  This is really the main advantage of the Encore, higher gross weight.  But there are many more 252s and 231s than Encores on the market.

 

231 TKS is not FIKI, but the real-world difference is minimal.  Many people with FIKI on 252s or newer choose not to fly into known ice, and my guess is that there are a few J or 231 pilots who do.

 

Given your desire to haul stuff, a Bonanza may be a better bet.

[nickmatic]

I was on the same mission to find an Encore or 252/Encore conversion back in September. I got lucky and found a great conversion with FIKI that is proving to be a beautiful airplane, but there was only one Encore on the market which was outside my price range and then the conversion I ended up with.

 

I do sometimes wonder whether I was right to push for FIKI and if I'd be better off with the extra useful load. I'm not doing serious IFR flying yet so it's still not clear whether I'll need it but I'd rather have it and not wish I did later.

 

When I was digging in, it looked like the cost of adding FIKI was much higher than the additional value (like most other upgrades), but that's hard open to opinion, I guess.