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Advice on turbo Mooney


bcwiseguy

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14 minutes ago, djm181 said:

Paul, interested to hear the differences in fiddliness between the 231 and 252. I fly a 231 (you know her actually), so curious to hear your experiences.

David

David, I will let Paul respond with his take on the fiddliness but for me and for what I've read, the manual wastegate on the 231 requires alot of work to ensure you don't overboost. I personally would prefer the automatic wastegate of the 252/Encore along with the intercooler.

Not having owned a 231 though I will admit, that I can only go by what I've read. I would definitely love to hear your experience with your 231. No better information than from someone who actually flies the aircraft.

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Ok, to be fair, my 231 has an aftermarket automatic wastegate, so fiddling is substantially reduced. You do still have to watch you don't overboost but that's only really a takeoff thing. During a long climb I have to give it a touch more throttle every few thousand feet to keep it at my desired MP

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6 minutes ago, djm181 said:

Ok, to be fair, my 231 has an aftermarket automatic wastegate, so fiddling is substantially reduced. You do still have to watch you don't overboost but that's only really a takeoff thing. During a long climb I have to give it a touch more throttle every few thousand feet to keep it at my desired MP

David, thanks for the response. having to give a touch more throttle every few thousand feet isn't so bad....that is easily managed. How common are 231's with automatic wastegate equipped turbos? Also, what is the useful load on your 231?

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I would venture that most 231's now days that have been thru an OH were upgraded to "semi-automatic" wastegate and intercooler.  My biggest want out of the 252 is the variable adjusting cowl flaps found in the 252.  I have three positions: Open, trail, closed.

I have found the useful load not to be a problem even though I have a loaded down M20K:
O2, ski-tube, and mostly steam gauges. 

They fly (well) at any configuration I have put them in so far - including 4 adults for beach vacation.

Here is my go-to card for performance:

 

IMG_0588.jpg

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1 minute ago, djm181 said:

Not sure how common they are. Useful load for me is 830, which is a bit lower because I also have the factory oxygen and TKS. Given I cruise 12gph ROP or 9.5gph LOP, I rarely need full (72 gal) tanks.

If you'd like to compare to Paul's 252 I'm happy to fly with you sometime.

David, thanks for the offer and that would be awesome. I would love to see what a 231 is capable of......I certainly don't want to rule our any options.

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3 hours ago, bcwiseguy said:

John, the fuel burn on the Bravo is one of my chief concerns.....along with operation and maintenance on the TIO-540. I do really like the performance of the Bravo however. What is typical fuel burn and cruise speed of a Bravo at say 55% power and 65% power?

At 65% power, above 16k, you can pretty much rely on 200+ kts ground speed without wind at 18.5gph. If you Dont mind going slower, you will burn less fuel, you can dial back to almost any setting you wish with less speed, at cruise i.e. 17 or 16 gph or even 15gph, If fuel is your only concern. I don’t remember what speeds I would get at 55% at same altitude, but guess it might be around 180 ground speed. So an ovation or 252 , or a J would definitely beat a Bravo in fuel economy. But you can easily fly it slow if you wish and you’ll get those 15gph numbers but most Bravo owners just use the higher fuel burn and stay fast. 

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4 minutes ago, Bryan said:

I would venture that most 231's now days that have been thru an OH were upgraded to "semi-automatic" wastegate and intercooler.  My biggest want out of the 252 is the variable adjusting cowl flaps found in the 252.  I have three positions: Open, trail, closed.

I have found the useful load not to be a problem even though I have a loaded down M20K:
O2, ski-tube, and mostly steam gauges. 

They fly (well) at any configuration I have put them in so far - including 4 adults for beach vacation.

Here is my go-to card for performance:

 

IMG_0588.jpg

Bryan, that's a handy performance chart, thanks for sharing.

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BC,

have you been to All American Aircraft yet?

Jimmy and Dave are not that far from where you are at...

While you are in the decision process of selecting the right airframe, and engine combination to meet your situation...

AAA often has a few of the various models on their property.  They specialize in Mooneys...

It can be a bit surreal to visit and sit in an actual airplane and see the instrument panels up close....

https://www.allamericanaircraft.com/default.htm

Note: Dave gave me a hand getting up to speed on Mooney ownership about two decades ago... before I bought an M20C... I went back to bring Home an M20R a decade or so later...

The fun part is... you get to learn a lot about the planes.  Take what you learn at MS and compare what you see there... hands on!  The only pressure to buy anything is the pressure you have yourself.

Fortunately, you know your budget and the mission you are trying to cover.  It can be a challenge to not accidently exceed where you want to be, for a few more AMUs I can get.....

PP thoughts only, I’m not currently a sales guy...

Best regards,

-a-

 

 

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2 hours ago, djm181 said:

Paul, interested to hear the differences in fiddliness between the 231 and 252. I fly a 231 (you know her actually), so curious to hear your experiences.

Hi David, I've never owned a 231 but know quite a few of them and have flown in several... including yours.  This was my experience exactly...

I've been flying the 231 motor in a senaca II...   you definitely need to fiddle with it from takeoff all the way to cruise.   I would prefer the 252 or Bravo.. set it  and forget it.   It is just the fixed waste gate.. don't over boost on takeoff, keep increasing the MP on climb etc... the pressure controlled variable waste-gate in the Bravo is set full power... leave it.. perhaps select 34" for cruise climb if you feel like it.  With the senaca I have to look down at the instruments during the takeoff roll to set power and keep it within the boost limits

I understand that many of the 231's have been upgraded with auto or semi-auto wastegates, intercoolers, etc. But not all of them. So the pool is limited when shopping for one. And even one that's been upgraded like yours is missing the second alternator, and the cowling changes including the variable cowl flaps which both really aid in engine cooling. My 252 will not crack 380 CHT no matter what I do below 18K. But up in the flight levels I often need just a touch of cowl flap to keep the temps down. 

At the end of the day, the 231 was Mooney's version 1.0 turbo. With the 252 as version 2.0, a lot of things were changed/improved.  

Finally, the 231's are not eligible for the Encore conversion and the additional 230 lbs UL that comes with it. That was really the deal breaker for me.

The difference in acquisition costs between a really nice upgraded 231 and a 252 were not enough to make a difference for me. The Bravo though was a stretch. And I didn't want to own an airplane I couldn't afford to get max performance from.

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28 minutes ago, carusoam said:

BC,

have you been to All American Aircraft yet?

Jimmy and Dave are not that far from where you are at...

While you are in the decision process of selecting the right airframe, and engine combination to meet your situation...

AAA often has a few of the various models on their property.  They specialize in Mooneys...

It can be a bit surreal to visit and sit in an actual airplane and see the instrument panels up close....

https://www.allamericanaircraft.com/default.htm

Note: Dave gave me a hand getting up to speed on Mooney ownership about two decades ago... before I bought an M20C... I went back to bring Home an M20R a decade or so later...

The fun part is... you get to learn a lot about the planes.  Take what you learn at MS and compare what you see there... hands on!  The only pressure to buy anything is the pressure you have yourself.

Fortunately, you know your budget and the mission you are trying to cover.  It can be a challenge to not accidently exceed where you want to be, for a few more AMUs I can get.....

PP thoughts only, I’m not currently a sales guy...

Best regards,

-a-

 

 

a,

I have in fact met Dave and Jimmy at All American Aircraft. I met them last spring when I was working on creating a Mooney Encore for x-plane flight sim. Dave showed me around and let me take pics of a 252 for use for my aircraft sim. My plan is to engage them when I am ready to buy to help me find the right aircraft.

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2 hours ago, bcwiseguy said:

How common are 231's with automatic wastegate equipped turbos? Also, what is the useful load on your 231?

There's at least 100 or more, with upgraded useful load too.    A yah, they're  called Mooney 305 Rockets.   :>)

Tom

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18 minutes ago, Yooper Rocketman said:

There's at least 100 or more, with upgraded useful load too.    A yah, they're  called Mooney 305 Rockets.   :>)

Tom

Lol! But being 305 Rockets they aren't really 231/252/Encore now are they? Quite a higher fuel burn on a 305 Rocket I would imagine!

The speed of a 305 Rocket would be nice but I don't really need that speed (no matter how much I might enjoy it) and the resulting fuel burn.

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3 hours ago, bcwiseguy said:

David, I will let Paul respond with his take on the fiddliness but for me and for what I've read, the manual wastegate on the 231 requires alot of work to ensure you don't overboost. I personally would prefer the automatic wastegate of the 252/Encore along with the intercooler.

Not having owned a 231 though I will admit, that I can only go by what I've read. I would definitely love to hear your experience with your 231. No better information than from someone who actually flies the aircraft.

I have a 231.  It has the semi-automatic wastegate (Merlyn, and also an intercooler now which drops the MP limit to 36 or 37 depending on how cold it is and how well the intercooler seems to be working at the moment).  The Merlyn prevents bootstrapping and possibly saves some wear and tear on the turbo and that's about it as far as I can tell.  It doesn't prevent overboost or maintain a constant manifold pressure like a proper automated wastegate (252) does.  In practice, increased workload only shows up in two places, takeoff and go-around.  The 231 is difficult to get maximum takeoff performance from because the engine takes time to make maximum power and won't make maximum power unless the aircraft is moving.  Unless I have a LOT of runway to work with, I generally use the short takeoff procedure all the time.  Specifically:

  • Line up.
  • Hold the brakes.
  • Slowly advance the throttle until I see about 30"-33" MP.
  • Check the instruments (I'm not moving yet, I have a moment.)
    • You won't be making maximum RPM like this.
  • Ease off the brakes.  As you begin to roll:
    • Ram effect will boost MP.
    • The increased MP will cause the fuel system to deliver more fuel.
    • The increased exhaust volume will spin the turbo up, providing more boost.
    • The turbo will boost MP.

If you started at 30", you'll be forgoing some power early in the takeoff roll and might need to give it a tiny bit more throttle (If you aren't sure you've moved the throttle, that's probably enough, if you are sure you've moved the throttle, you're probably looking at overboost.)  If you started at 33" you will be generating more power more of the time but might need to reduce throttle slightly to avoid overboost.  If you run the throttle forward of 33" under static conditions, you will need to pull throttle during the takeoff roll to avoid significant overboost, you'll need to make more than one adjustment, and since any throttle adjustment causes a sympathetic change (the turbo will spin down causing MP to continue to drop past where you stopped moving the throttle after a little latency) you'll probably be chasing the MP until you're down the runway.  Hypothetically this is what you need to do to get maximum takeoff performance, but if you pull the throttle too much you may end up doing worse than if you'd settled for 33" and letting it boost itself up to maximum.

Overboost isn't catastrophic without the intercooler.  There's a mechanical pressure relief that opens at 43" and the POH allows overboosting to 43" for as long as 10 seconds.  You won't exceed this if you're paying attention.  Intercooler installation does not call for modifying the relief, so it still opens at 43" and you're now 7" over instead of 3".  The intercooler dramatically improves cooling and takes a huge chunk out of CHTs and every 231 should have one, but it does make operating the engine more complicated.

Go arounds are worse.  You need throttle immediately so you don't have time to do the standard four to eight second gradual advance from idle to 3x" MP as on takeoff.  If there are no obstacles you can settle for something that gets you positive climb while you deal with the rest (pitch up in landing configuration at full throttle in a K model is very pronounced and requires a lot of forward pressure on the yoke, which you need to be able to provide with one hand because you need the other one for throttle and possibly the trim wheel.) If there are obstacles, the margin for avoiding chasing overshoots and undershoots while getting closer to maximum power is challenging.

While this sounds complicated and may be offputting, in practice it isn't that bad.  You'll want to practice go-arounds while in landing configuration with full up trim more often than you would with a 252.  You'll need to practice performance takeoffs more often than with a 252.  Once you get used to it, your intercooled, Merlyn equipped 231 is basically a 252 for half the money.

The biggest single drawback to the 231, and it is a big one, is that they cannot be fitted with FIKI TKS.  Personally, I don't feel the 252 is worth the premium otherwise.  Most of them are kind of portly, the Encores don't generally give you the ~1150 pounds of useful that you'd expect on paper (231's typically have a useful in the 900-950 range, add 230 and you get 1130-1180, also with an Encore at gross you're asking 220hp to lift 230 more pounds than you're asking the 231's 210hp to lift, I'd expect the Encore to outperform a 231 at the same weight but not necessarily carrying the same payload.)   At least with the Bravo you get enough extra power to give you serious improvements in climb and, if you don't mind the fuel bill, 200 knots in addition to your FIKI TKS.  The 252 makes sense if you NEED FIKI TKS and really prize efficiency (making the Bravo less desirable), but you pay a substantial premium on acquisition price.  Last I checked, FIKI Encores go for more than FIKI Bravos.  If you don't need FIKI, maybe buy a 231 and spend the money you save to go fly it.

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I have a 231.  I'd love a Encore, Bravo, or a Rocket.  Buying a plane however is never simple.   It's rare that you get to select between two with identical equipment.  One consideration is TKS.  It's quite expensive to add and slows the plane some.   But if you are flying high, you will run into ice, even in the middle of summer.   Worse is the winter, when there is no warm air below.   That said, if you are retired and can wait for good weather, then TKS shouldn't be needed.   --Oh, you might want to look at the basic med restrictions too.   I believe they top out at FL180.

Anyway, for me the 231 is a great airplane.  It's engine operation is not difficult.  As others have mentioned, its a matter of glancing at the manifold pressure a time or two during take off.  --Something you should be doing anyway!  And then every few 1000 feet, giving the manifold pressure a check and adjustment (on the way up and down).  In my opinion, the biggest issue with the 231 is the heat the engine produces.   Trailing cowl flaps can be necessary to get temps to stay below 400 (red line is 450).  Unfortunately, the cowl flaps (especially when full open) seem to be reasonably effective as a speed break.  :)

 

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This year I sold my 1984 J and bought a 1997 Encore. I was looking mostly at Bravo's at the time. I really wanted FIKI because when I look at my flights in the J there were a number of flights which I cancelled due to worry about icing. I think either a Bravo or the Encore would have worked well for me. I do really appreciate the fuel efficiency of the Encore vs. the Bravo. But realistically, that fuel cost delta is only $3000 to $5000 per year depending on your usage. And that amount is not a huge factor in the overall cost of ownership.  

There are very few FIKI Bravo's ever on the market. There aren't any on Controller now. Some of the ones for sale in the last year had significant red flags like significant damage history. And once you find a good airframe, it probably doesn't have the panel you want. That was the case with my Encore. It had the factory panel with a 530. But that wasn't what I wanted, so it spent 8 weeks in the avionics shop once I got it home. It is a process.

I wasn't looking specifically for the Encore, but I am very happy that I wound up with one of those rare birds.

Larry

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1 hour ago, johncuyle said:

I have a 231.  It has the semi-automatic wastegate (Merlyn, and also an intercooler now which drops the MP limit to 36 or 37 depending on how cold it is and how well the intercooler seems to be working at the moment).  The Merlyn prevents bootstrapping and possibly saves some wear and tear on the turbo and that's about it as far as I can tell.  It doesn't prevent overboost or maintain a constant manifold pressure like a proper automated wastegate (252) does.  In practice, increased workload only shows up in two places, takeoff and go-around.  The 231 is difficult to get maximum takeoff performance from because the engine takes time to make maximum power and won't make maximum power unless the aircraft is moving.  Unless I have a LOT of runway to work with, I generally use the short takeoff procedure all the time.  Specifically:

  • Line up.
  • Hold the brakes.
  • Slowly advance the throttle until I see about 30"-33" MP.
  • Check the instruments (I'm not moving yet, I have a moment.)
    • You won't be making maximum RPM like this.
  • Ease off the brakes.  As you begin to roll:
    • Ram effect will boost MP.
    • The increased MP will cause the fuel system to deliver more fuel.
    • The increased exhaust volume will spin the turbo up, providing more boost.
    • The turbo will boost MP.

If you started at 30", you'll be forgoing some power early in the takeoff roll and might need to give it a tiny bit more throttle (If you aren't sure you've moved the throttle, that's probably enough, if you are sure you've moved the throttle, you're probably looking at overboost.)  If you started at 33" you will be generating more power more of the time but might need to reduce throttle slightly to avoid overboost.  If you run the throttle forward of 33" under static conditions, you will need to pull throttle during the takeoff roll to avoid significant overboost, you'll need to make more than one adjustment, and since any throttle adjustment causes a sympathetic change (the turbo will spin down causing MP to continue to drop past where you stopped moving the throttle after a little latency) you'll probably be chasing the MP until you're down the runway.  Hypothetically this is what you need to do to get maximum takeoff performance, but if you pull the throttle too much you may end up doing worse than if you'd settled for 33" and letting it boost itself up to maximum.

Overboost isn't catastrophic without the intercooler.  There's a mechanical pressure relief that opens at 43" and the POH allows overboosting to 43" for as long as 10 seconds.  You won't exceed this if you're paying attention.  Intercooler installation does not call for modifying the relief, so it still opens at 43" and you're now 7" over instead of 3".  The intercooler dramatically improves cooling and takes a huge chunk out of CHTs and every 231 should have one, but it does make operating the engine more complicated.

Go arounds are worse.  You need throttle immediately so you don't have time to do the standard four to eight second gradual advance from idle to 3x" MP as on takeoff.  If there are no obstacles you can settle for something that gets you positive climb while you deal with the rest (pitch up in landing configuration at full throttle in a K model is very pronounced and requires a lot of forward pressure on the yoke, which you need to be able to provide with one hand because you need the other one for throttle and possibly the trim wheel.) If there are obstacles, the margin for avoiding chasing overshoots and undershoots while getting closer to maximum power is challenging.

While this sounds complicated and may be offputting, in practice it isn't that bad.  You'll want to practice go-arounds while in landing configuration with full up trim more often than you would with a 252.  You'll need to practice performance takeoffs more often than with a 252.  Once you get used to it, your intercooled, Merlyn equipped 231 is basically a 252 for half the money.

The biggest single drawback to the 231, and it is a big one, is that they cannot be fitted with FIKI TKS.  Personally, I don't feel the 252 is worth the premium otherwise.  Most of them are kind of portly, the Encores don't generally give you the ~1150 pounds of useful that you'd expect on paper (231's typically have a useful in the 900-950 range, add 230 and you get 1130-1180, also with an Encore at gross you're asking 220hp to lift 230 more pounds than you're asking the 231's 210hp to lift, I'd expect the Encore to outperform a 231 at the same weight but not necessarily carrying the same payload.)   At least with the Bravo you get enough extra power to give you serious improvements in climb and, if you don't mind the fuel bill, 200 knots in addition to your FIKI TKS.  The 252 makes sense if you NEED FIKI TKS and really prize efficiency (making the Bravo less desirable), but you pay a substantial premium on acquisition price.  Last I checked, FIKI Encores go for more than FIKI Bravos.  If you don't need FIKI, maybe buy a 231 and spend the money you save to go fly it.

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.

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1 hour ago, chrisk said:

I have a 231.  I'd love a Encore, Bravo, or a Rocket.  Buying a plane however is never simple.   It's rare that you get to select between two with identical equipment.  One consideration is TKS.  It's quite expensive to add and slows the plane some.   But if you are flying high, you will run into ice, even in the middle of summer.   Worse is the winter, when there is no warm air below.   That said, if you are retired and can wait for good weather, then TKS shouldn't be needed.   --Oh, you might want to look at the basic med restrictions too.   I believe they top out at FL180.

Anyway, for me the 231 is a great airplane.  It's engine operation is not difficult.  As others have mentioned, its a matter of glancing at the manifold pressure a time or two during take off.  --Something you should be doing anyway!  And then every few 1000 feet, giving the manifold pressure a check and adjustment (on the way up and down).  In my opinion, the biggest issue with the 231 is the heat the engine produces.   Trailing cowl flaps can be necessary to get temps to stay below 400 (red line is 450).  Unfortunately, the cowl flaps (especially when full open) seem to be reasonably effective as a speed break.  :)

 

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.

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19 minutes ago, larryb said:

This year I sold my 1984 J and bought a 1997 Encore. I was looking mostly at Bravo's at the time. I really wanted FIKI because when I look at my flights in the J there were a number of flights which I cancelled due to worry about icing. I think either a Bravo or the Encore would have worked well for me. I do really appreciate the fuel efficiency of the Encore vs. the Bravo. But realistically, that fuel cost delta is only $3000 to $5000 per year depending on your usage. And that amount is not a huge factor in the overall cost of ownership.  

There are very few FIKI Bravo's ever on the market. There aren't any on Controller now. Some of the ones for sale in the last year had significant red flags like significant damage history. And once you find a good airframe, it probably doesn't have the panel you want. That was the case with my Encore. It had the factory panel with a 530. But that wasn't what I wanted, so it spent 8 weeks in the avionics shop once I got it home. It is a process.

I wasn't looking specifically for the Encore, but I am very happy that I wound up with one of those rare birds.

Larry

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.

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6 hours ago, Bryan said:

I would venture that most 231's now days that have been thru an OH were upgraded to "semi-automatic" wastegate and intercooler.  My biggest want out of the 252 is the variable adjusting cowl flaps found in the 252.  I have three positions: Open, trail, closed.

I have found the useful load not to be a problem even though I have a loaded down M20K:
O2, ski-tube, and mostly steam gauges. 

They fly (well) at any configuration I have put them in so far - including 4 adults for beach vacation.

Here is my go-to card for performance:

 

IMG_0588.jpg

you get 190 knots at 6000ft? that doesn't seem right.

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I'll make a pitch for the 252.  First, I've always used my Mooney's as a four-person family hauler.  I live in Ohio and we often travel to Florida, the Bahamas, Iowa, Wisconsin and have been as far west as Seattle, WA.  We had an 86' J model for 5 years after which the anemic climb performance above 10K caused us to "need" a turbo.  For two years now, we've had a stock 87' 252...210-hp Continental, two-blade McCauley, no TKS, no VGs, etc...just clean & fast.

For climb performance...in the summer, I set 800 fpm (900-1000 fpm in the winter) with the autopilot's vertical speed and that holds 120 KIAS all the way up with cowl flap in trail.  This config keeps my climb CHTs around 330 degrees F in the winter and about 350 in the summer.  I don't touch a thing all the way up.  It's a beautiful thing!  

For cruise...I use the MAPA Mooney Manual's "Key Number" concept (53 for 75%, 49 for 65% and 45 for 55%) for setting cruise power initially, but then refine it with the POH (sun visor numbers) each time. In cruise, I lean based on TIT, not EGT, and I'm a 50 ROP TIT guy. I see 175-178 KTAS at 11-12,000' where I often cruise using 75% (key # 53...28" MP, 2500 RPM and 13 GPH)...my TIT usually settles between 1500 and 1550 degrees F.  This is where I usually fly it. Although 1650 is the TIT red line, I use 1600 as my red line; my CHTs always run cool (just under 350) and my oil runs too cool sometimes (~150-160).  Same power (53) and fuel flow (13) gives me 190+ KTAS in the high teens to low 20s. If I'm trying to extend my range, I'll set 65% (key # 49...24" MP, 2500 RPM and 11 GPH) for 170 KTAS. If I'm taking someone on a local sight-seeing ride, I pull it back to 55% (key # 45...23", 2200 RPM and 9.5 GPH) for about 130 KIAS...  I've been as high as FL210 and saw 192 KTAS while there.  When I switched from cannula to mask, I was immediately reminded of how demanding an environment it is above 20K...the pulse ox showed it coming back, but s-l-o-w-l-y.

For descent...I plan the TOD for 500 fpm (300 if I have a headwind), set the desired vertical speed in the AP and sit back without touching anything...I typically pick up 15-20 knots in the descent.  If it start getting bumpy, I'll pull it back to not less than 20" MP and fan the boards if needed to slow down. 

Now, useful load...the 252's only "weakness," if you want to call it that.  We have two sons, ages 9 and 11 years old...they are growing fast.  They day may come when I'll need that extra 230# of UL...and it's nice to know I have that option.  But, let's face it, once kids hit 18 years old or so, the days of the family of four traveling together get few and far between.  Then it's grand kids...who start out small...just like our two sons did.  The UL so far has not limited us in our travels.  Even now, I can put all four of us, 80# of bags and 4 hours + reserves (65% numbers) of fuel on board...that's a pretty get-up-n-go machine!  It works out especially well since I like to keep everyone smiling by keeping the leg lengths down to about 3 hours or less.  My wife's smiles are certainly worth a "fuel" stop.  The UL has not been a weakness for us.

We've been very happy with our decision.  We really liked the J (and still do), but we love the 252! 

Good luck with your quest!

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9 minutes ago, Niko182 said:

you get 190 knots at 6000ft? that doesn't seem right.

Yes, that one does not look correct... at all.  I hardly ever run at 75% at any altitude and never tested that one; the 65% numbers are almost perfect.  My guess is that is a mis-print based on the other altitudes for that setting.  I suspect that number should be more like 163 - 165kts TAS @ 6000.

I run mostly at 55-65% above 10,000.  For me the high-teens are the best.  I don't have enough experience yet in the Flight Levels and am super cautious up that high single-pilot without going thru an altitude chamber to understand my own physiology.   I regularly fly from 15000 - FL190.

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