Mooney 231 tips?

[AlexLev]

Hey there!

I fly/operate an M20G back home, but am spending 3 weeks in SoCal and thought I'd try renting a 231 for some trips. I have my checkout scheduled for tomorrow and thought I'd ask some of the 231 drivers for some tips to make sure I don't botch it:

1) v-speeds? short field landing tips (would love to take it out to Catalina or something)

2) how do you work a turbocharger? what are things to watch out for?

3) any other intricacies or differences from my '68 M20G to watch out for?

and then any SoCal specific tips for airspace are also appreciated for those that do fly in this area.

Thanks so much!

[RJBrown]

I am surprised you could find a K to rent. How much, wet, dry? Run rich, move throttle slowly, especially on take off. Don’t over boost. Cowl flaps open in the climb, closed before you speed up. 
I went from renting any Mooney to owning a K. Still flew like a Mooney. Just know your temps and be conservative. 

[aviatoreb]

23 minutes ago, AlexLev said:

Hey there!

I fly/operate an M20G back home, but am spending 3 weeks in SoCal and thought I'd try renting a 231 for some trips. I have my checkout scheduled for tomorrow and thought I'd ask some of the 231 drivers for some tips to make sure I don't botch it:

1) v-speeds? short field landing tips (would love to take it out to Catalina or something)

2) how do you work a turbocharger? what are things to watch out for?

3) any other intricacies or differences from my '68 M20G to watch out for?

and then any SoCal specific tips for airspace are also appreciated for those that do fly in this area.

Thanks so much!

Watch the TiT!  They will tell you to watch the MAP - and you need to but keep that Tit under control too.

Does the one you are flying have an automatic wastegate?  If not it will take a lot more fussing to keep everything happy as you change altitude and so forth.

[AlexLev]

6 minutes ago, RJBrown said:

I am surprised you could find a K to rent. How much, wet, dry? Run rich, move throttle slowly, especially on take off. Don’t over boost. Cowl flaps open in the climb, closed before you speed up. 
I went from renting any Mooney to owning a K. Still flew like a Mooney. Just know your temps and be conservative. 

Thanks for the tip!

It's 240/hr.

I hope they are nice to me on the checkout, but I will admit that cowl flaps will be a bit new for me since my M20G has fixed cowl flaps. I'll definitely need to think about them more. Why do they need to be closed before I speed up?

[RJBrown]

231 flaps are manual. An over center linkage holds them open. Faster you are the harder it is to close them. 
I would push in flaps and hit altitude hold on the auto pilot at the same time. 

[AlexLev]

4 minutes ago, aviatoreb said:

Watch the TiT!  They will tell you to watch the MAP - and you need to but keep that Tit under control too.

Does the one you are flying have an automatic wastegate?  If not it will take a lot more fussing to keep everything happy as you change altitude and so forth.

Thanks! It does have an automatic wastegate.

[Will.iam]

But is that automatic waste gate like a 252 waste gate or like the merlin gate that you still need to watch overboosting? I. E. Dont shove the throttle to the firewall. Only push it until you get 37-37” and watch the rise as you accelerate to T/O so u r not over 39” in the climb. 

[kortopates]

I assume your renting 231AL at SMO. There is also a nicer 252 for rent in Carlsbad CRQ. You'll probably spend all your time up in the valley for air work near the Fillmore VOR and probably at CMA or OXR where there is no landing fee - but I really don't know what the school does, that's just what I do with new owners based at SMO. But check out lunch at CMA's Waypoint Cafe when you can - best airport restaurant in all of SOCAL!

I think you'll find the main difference between the G and K is that you will really have to trim much more for landing plus the obvious engine differences.

[kortopates]

Just now, Will.iam said:

But is that automatic waste gate like a 252 waste gate or like the merlin gate that you still need to watch overboosting? I. E. Dont shove the throttle to the firewall. Only push it until you get 37-37” and watch the rise as you accelerate to T/O so u r not over 39” in the climb. 

True, technically its a purely a Manual wastegate which was a big improvement over the fixed bolt wastegate but nothing like an hydraulic automatic wastegate. Merlin just markets it as "automatic" wastegate - far far from it.

[aviatoreb]

1 hour ago, RJBrown said:

231 flaps are manual. An over center linkage holds them open. Faster you are the harder it is to close them. 
I would push in flaps and hit altitude hold on the auto pilot at the same time. 

Actually mine is a 231 manual flaps Abd I can close it at pretty much any speed but I can only open it at exceedingly slow speeds like under 100ias meaning if I want to reopen I need to pull way back on the yoke.  

But good planning I rarely need to reopen.  Like if I get a restricted climb like last week told to hold at 7000 on my way to 15000 I just left the flaps open for those 2 or 3 minutes.

And as you know the rocket at least has such good cooling that I never need flaps in cruise.  Just for climb.  I don’t know about the original 231.

[c1tice]

Don’t exceed 40” MP, on my K and that is about half throttle. Don’t exceed 1650 degrees F on TIT. I have to check the CHT and oil temp regularly, just make it part of your scan. I can rarely leave my cowl flaps closed for more than 15 minutes at less than 10,000’. It seems they are half open most of the time. Much is written about constant tweaking of the throttle and prop and cowl flaps. I have found it to be not that big of a deal just part of flying. Landings with out flaps are greasers for me. With flaps i get the Mooney float but just slow It down and don’t force it to land. Hold off till the stall horn sound and it will gently touch down. All that said it seems flying my 1981 K is about temperature management as anything else. I did just buy it 8 months ago and only have 65 hours in it. I have attached a link to an M20 K POH. 

http://www.sparrowflyingclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/M20K-POH-N654JB.pdf

 

Happy flying

 

 Chris

[carusoam]

Alex,

Sounds like fun...

Could have long term affects on your aviation finances...   

Keep in mind... Paul Kortopates lives in that Mooney neighborhood...    (San Diego and M20K...) 

Best regards,

-a-

[AlexLev]

Thanks! Did the checkout today. Probably the most expensive checkout I've done, but now I can use it while I'm out here and even go out to Catalina which is nice (although part of me thinks I shoulda just flown my M20G here in the first place haha!).

Most of the learning I felt like I had to do was around LA airspace, the VFR transition over LAX and procedures entering/departing Santa Monica airport. Definitely tired after all that flying, but happy too!

-Alex

[carusoam]

Alex,

Did you get any high altitude flying with that?

Cruising in the FLs would be extra cool...   

Best regards,

-a-

[Skates97]

On 5/9/2021 at 8:16 PM, AlexLev said:

Thanks! Did the checkout today. Probably the most expensive checkout I've done, but now I can use it while I'm out here and even go out to Catalina which is nice (although part of me thinks I shoulda just flown my M20G here in the first place haha!).

Most of the learning I felt like I had to do was around LA airspace, the VFR transition over LAX and procedures entering/departing Santa Monica airport. Definitely tired after all that flying, but happy too!

-Alex

I have a lot of hours here in the LA Basin but before every flight I still carefully review my route and the altitudes I need to be at for everyone's airspace. The VFR transition over LAX is convenient and easy. The airspace here is crowded but easy enough to navigate if you have a tablet in the plane. SoCal is really good about flight following, I haven't ever had them deny it but sometimes it takes a little bit to get your call in. I don't know how SMO does it but at KFUL, Ground will get you setup with a squawk before you taxi so it is an easy turn to 120° on departure and contact SoCal.