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The other 4 seater to hold speed records at KIAH


wcb

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Outside my office window yesterday was a Meyers Aero Commander 200D (a rare sight at a big airport like IAH).  Not very many over the life of Meyers were made (I think around 100).  It was very close to what a Mooney was at the time (RG, clean, and fast), but faster!  I know we like to think we were the fastest in our class.  It held the record for something like 16 years.  As stated it was very much like a Mooney but in the 60's when Mooney was using a 0-360 it was using a 520 which obviously was  big difference in speed.  One other thing about this bird is the tail feathers are very goofy and not as cool as our Mooney's.  There are a ton of cool planes around that are not main stream and my home airport (DWH) has many varieties to catch your eye but it is not often you see these at IAH. This was the plane:

download.jpg.acee57bda811d7923982a578f1dbf2a9.jpg

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Dean Siracusa over at KHYI, not far from Houston, is probably the leading authority in the country on the Meyers. So we'd see them regularly on the ramp at KHYI. In fact, the one you saw flying over Houston, likely had Dean in the left seat. 

Dean is also the founder of Flying Eyes Optics and one of the organizers and managers of the Black Rock City Airport that materializes every year on the playa in NW Nevada for BurningMan.

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7 hours ago, carusoam said:

Speed yes... at the cost of a big bore engine...

Looks similar to the Navion...

... at the cost of a big bore engine... Which is the same thing Mooney eventually resorted to as well...

 

I thought it was a Navion at first and still thought "Navion at IAH" then looked again and thought "no not Navion". 

 

17 hours ago, ArtVandelay said:

And when do you think Garmin would certify the GFC 500 for this plane....2030? And parts availability? No thanks.

Agreed to get anything approved would be a

 

13 minutes ago, bluehighwayflyer said:

Also fully enclosed landing gear and almost exclusively flush riveted.  The thing exudes quality and class.  

  Just think if they were still be produced and parts etc were available along with more aerodynamic speed improvements like Mooney went through along with smoothing out the bubble cockpit.

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I sold one of these, N5SE, to a buyer with somewhat of a different accent. Said he would buy it if I would deliver it. I had flown to California so couldn't be any further than that so I agreed. He sent the funds and return address. Kent England. Either send money back or deliver.  Lots of prep for that trip. Meyers built PT boat fuel tanks during WW2 and had some left. After hauling them home i found them an inch too wide to fit in the cabin. Eventually had a 55 gal drum sitting in the back seat plumbed into fuel lines. This was way before GPS and Loran C required a big screen and huge charts. Knoxville TN to Goose Bay where no room at the inn. On to Frobisher (the place to learn proficiency in ADF nav is not 500 miles from next airport at 11 pm in a snowstorm). Fuel in Greenland,  to Keflavik  for the night and down to Biggen Hill. # days but in bed every night.  Brought it back a few years later using same Drum

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The Chinese tried to buy it before they bought Mooney but the present owners of the rights and loads of parts thought it was worth way more than realistic.

In 1959 the first 4 place was built. n485c  Peter Gluckman had them extend the fuel  and become the first solo pilot/ single engine. He  did 18 hour legs.  Landed in the wrong airport twice. Of course he did it with an old/new Narco Omnigator.  I still have that. Tried the same flight a year or so later in a V tail Bonanza. That come apart out of Manila.  If you look at the rollcage and center section extending out Past the gear and compare Beech pushing the wing up against the fuselage and sticking 4 bolts from spar to center section with washers and nuts. Loss of one nut (forward lower) means loss of airplane.  Before the flac starts I have worked lots of these planes over the last 60 years and it's not that unusual.   I use one of those extra tanks to ferry Mooneys with bad fuel tanks so if someone needs to borrow it to get to a place to repair tanks let me know. Jerry Pressley  423 231 3491

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That Looks like N2987T If so and you pull up the N number on web you will see that I sold it to Art Daly of  El Paso.  Super nice guy.  Have owned quite a few of these. Including the one Susan Oliver had. Flew that from Knoxville to Marysville CA  with zero radios.   Jerry Pressley

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20 minutes ago, Austintatious said:

you know what plane always grabs my eye... The Swift.  And I cant believe they are not faster than they are.   I would LOVE to have a 4 seat tail-dragger that could do 200 knots.  Seems like it should be possible, but it just doesn't exist.

Beech Staggerwing?

 

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10 hours ago, Austintatious said:

you know what plane always grabs my eye... The Swift.  And I cant believe they are not faster than they are.   I would LOVE to have a 4 seat tail-dragger that could do 200 knots.  Seems like it should be possible, but it just doesn't exist.

Almost but they never built more than one. 190kts plus

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LoPresti_Fury

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