Well equipped Encore wanted

[KSMooniac]

One other strategy you can try is calling the major Mooney shops and getting the word out that you're looking for an Encore/252.  Sometimes they have customers that might be thinking about selling, but not quite there yet and you can find a good plane before it gets to market.  You can also talk to Jimmy or David at All American in San Antonio (or other Mooney specialists) and tell them as well.

[nickmatic]

One other strategy you can try is calling the major Mooney shops and getting the word out that you're looking for an Encore/252.  Sometimes they have customers that might be thinking about selling, but not quite there yet and you can find a good plane before it gets to market.  You can also talk to Jimmy or David at All American in San Antonio (or other Mooney specialists) and tell them as well.

I spoke to Jimmy G. He was really helpful and friendly. What other Mooney specialists are out there?

[jackn]

The 252, and Encore's are wonderful planes. If you want a 'big bore' there are a lot of options. If your mission calls for a turbo small bore, there is nothing out there that competes with the 252. The -MB or -SB engines are true engineering marvels, Only improvement might be FADEC. Take the time to set it up properly and you'll be happy.

[nickmatic]

The 252, and Encore's are wonderful planes. If you want a 'big bore' there are a lot of options. If your mission calls for a turbo small bore, there is nothing out there that competes with the 252. The -MB or -SB engines are true engineering marvels, Only improvement might be FADEC. Take the time to set it up properly and you'll be happy.Engine.jpg

Thanks Jack. I totally agree from all that I've read. The 252 seems to be the best Mooney ever in terms of efficiency and performance. I could get a bigger engine for a few more knots but that wouldn't make me that much more happy and would cost big $ in fuel.

 

I see you're in Southampton. I fly past you out of KFRG sometimes to Montauk and Block Island. Any other nice trips from this area?

[Mcstealth]

Call Dugosh.

[nickmatic]

Call Dugosh.

Thanks! Spoke to them, they sent me to Delta Aviation/Mark Woods, who I left a message with.

[nickmatic]

Hey all- I've been quiet for a while here but busy in the background working hard on this. I lost out on Joe's beautiful all-glass '97 Encore to another buyer but I have an accepted offer on another similarly equipped (without the glass)! Very excited. It's coming here for prebuy inspection next week.

 

I'm a little disappointed I'm not getting all the fancy glass but I'll get over it. The plane I'm going with is an Encore conversion and has FIKI, traffic, XM weather and all the same bells and whistles, so in the end I'll be able to fly the same way. Actually as someone pointed out here, the iPad gets you more capability in a way. And after looking into the cost of keeping the databases current on those fancy GPSes, I'm kind of over the idea. What a rip off. iPad with Foreflight is a winner.

 

It's also coming in from Canada, so on the plus side I have to choose my N-number. A little vanity there, yes... small bonus for having to do an airworthiness inspection. I reserved N97NM... the year I got my PP cert and my initials

 

Best thing I did in this whole process was contact Dave and Lisa Mathieson at Air-Mods. Holy cow have they been helpful with every step of this. From giving me advice to doing valuations on the planes I've been interested in. They'll be doing the pre-buy inspection and are coordinating just about everything else as well. I can't recommend them enough if anyone is looking for Mooney expertise. They haven't charged me a cent yet so I can't say whether they're expensive but we've talked pricing on services a little and they seem reasonable. Well worth it for the level of service I've gotten so far.

 

Anyway, really excited about this and wanted to update everyone who has helped out so far. It's been unbelievable how friendly and helpful everyone is and it has made this process a breeze.

 

Nicholas

[KSMooniac]

Good news, and good luck bringing her home!

[carusoam]

Dave and Lisa are a great Mooney resource on the East Coast.

Let us know when the plane is the shop.

Where are you going to base it?

Best regards,

-a-

[nickmatic]

Ok, it's a done deal. The plane came in yesterday and I met with the owner and took a test flight with Dave in the back to check out the autopilot.

 

Then Dave's guys spent a couple hours taking everything apart and going over every detail. I was super impressed with their knowledge level and the speed at which they worked.

 

The end result was a detailed squawk list, separated into Mandatory and Recommended items.

 

Mandatory: $3100

Recommended: $1325

 

Not bad... it's clear the plane was kept in good shape. The big item on the mandatory list was $1500 (approx) for sealing a small fuel leak in one of the tanks. We actually smelled a little fuel right after landing, probably due to that leak. Another large item ($250, I think) was instrument panel mounts. I don't recall the rest.

 

The seller was an absolute gentleman and graciously offered to cover the mandatory items. I'll take care of the recommended items so the plane will be fresh and squawk free.

 

It came from Canada, so now it stays at Air Mods to do a full annual and get an airworthiness cert and get registered. Hopefully the FAA will process paperwork quickly and I'll get in the air with it in a few weeks with an instructor to get some base skills in it before I take it solo. I only have 3.5 hours Mooney and retract time so I'm very green.

 

Will probably base it at KFRG for now but not for long. I'll likely be moving away from New York soon.

 

Can't wait!

 

[jackn]

Hi Nick,

 

We have virtually the same plane. I'm very pleased with mine. I'm based at HTO, along with a few other Mooney guys. We help each other out with maintenance issues. Please feel free to contact me at jackn12002@yahoo.com with any questions. if you come over please let me know & say hi.

 

Best

Jack Nolan

[nickmatic]

Hi Nick,

 

We have virtually the same plane. I'm very pleased with mine. I'm based at HTO, along with a few other Mooney guys. We help each other out with maintenance issues. Please feel free to contact me at jackn12002@yahoo.com with any questions. if you come over please let me know & say hi.

 

Best

Jack Nolan

 

Nice to meet ya, Jack. I'd like to explore the Hamptons a little more so I may head that way sometime when my Mooney gets into the air and I get comfortable with it. Cheers.

[Mcstealth]

congratultions. Sounds like it was a win-win

 

David

[driller]

Congrats on the buy.  Sorry I didn't see this sooner.  Love the Encore.

[driller]

There were only about 20 Encores built, right?  So it is unlikely you'll see more than one or two for sale at once, I'd guesstimate.

33 to be exact.  I have a list of every Encore built and a detailed history of how they came to be from Mooney.  The first 13..............25-2000 to 25-2012 were originally 252's.  Once the converstion was approved by FAA around Nov. 1997, those 13 were brought back to the factory for the upgrade.  25-2013 was the first Encore to leave the factory as built.  25-2032 was the last.

 

curt

[Mcstealth]

Were any turned into Rockets?

[driller]

I don't have that info, but I would doubt it.  I've seen 9 up for sale over the last 3 years and none of those were Rockets.  Seems to me it would be a little more economical to convert an older 252.  ??

 

 

 

curt

[KSMooniac]

I think Rocket ceased during the conversions before the Encores were even on the market, so I suspect there are none.  I can't think of any advantage of an Encore-Rocket vs. a 252-Rocket aside from a newer airframe and perhaps nicer interior.

 

Rocket did convert a few long-body Mooneys to the TSIO-550L liquid-cooler engine, though.  I think that is a 350 hp installation...yowza.