New Member Introduction

[Steve Crawford]

Good evening all. I learned about Meyers through a website and the comment was made to have the funds when the aircraft become available as owners seldom part with them. I was intrigued and decided to research further. I joined the Owners Association to learn about these aircraft as Jamon Pruitt said “have some fun tweaking these lil ferraris of the sky.” I’m a “Rusty Pilot” (my last biennial was 1980 at Pensacola in a J3 Cub) and I’m looking for a light complex aircraft that my wife and I can use for travel during retirement. I’m about two years out from purchasing and have a training plan to build time and obtain my complex and instrument ratings. I’m a former E-2B&C Hawkeye Naval Flight Officer (retired reserves in 95) AND MISS FLYING. I live in Ridgecrest, CA, (Eastern Sierra) near Inyokern (IYK). I believe I’ve read everything on the website related to the 200 and have the following questions and comments. Please don’t take offense to some of my comments as I’m an analyst at heart and always look for improvements and understanding.

Aircraft Database:
Lists 1-200 (Ser 251 ) website (https://www.meyersaircraft.org/meyers-200/) indicates that 2 were built. What’s the missing serial number? Also, the database states that Ser 251 was built in 1/1/1953, but the others started production in 1/1/1959. Is this a typo?
Ser 256 missing 200A entry

https://www.meyersaircraft.org/meyers-200/ indicates that 9-200Ds were built and the database indicates that 88 were made (94 serial numbers and 6 not built). Further down the page indicates that 75 were produced. How many Ds were built?

Gallery:
Suggest a standard photo naming convention using the tail number and photo sequence number rather than “photo” or image_### as it makes identifying a specific aircraft easier.

Forum:
Ashley Wade: “Air Wolf” comment. Google only displays the TV show…can you please add details so I can understand your comment?
Question for Greg Grouleff, Jamon Pruitt, and others that “race.” I assume that you’re flying with the throttle firewalled. Do you see any engine degradation (e.g, cylinder cracks, etc.) during annual inspections.

Annual Inspections:
Are there A&Ps that are extremely knowledgeable with the 200s, which make this annual process easier? I see there are six listed in the “Repairs” category in the CA, AZ and NV area.
What are the anticipated inspection costs and has anyone calculated the cost per flight hour minus hangar expenses and insurance?

Aircraft Upgrades:
I like the idea of the IO-550-F upgrade and assume that’s when you get the three-blade-prop. What are the anticipated expenses for this project and are there other aircraft changes made at the same time? Is there a list of 200s that have made this change?

Fuel Management. With four tanks, how often do you switch between them to keep weight and balance…in balance?

Unusual Attitudes: I know the certificate doesn’t allow for unusual attitudes, but has anyone experienced inadvertent stall and/or subsequent spin and how was the recovery?

Concerns:
Parts Availability. No question, at 53 for the youngest, I’d expect things would need attention. What equipment/parts wear the most and how’s the availability? Have people had issues that couldn’t be solved using the Meyers Aircraft Parts Sources?

Fuel System/Management: This is probably my greatest concern after reading the NTSB accident reports. With four tanks to manage using the fuel control selector valve. How easy is it to rebuild the valve and is it possible to replace “rubber” hoses with stainless?

Meyers Aircraft Services Update
I contacted Hugh Mattern (Las Vegas) about flight instruction and he indicated in his email that he’s let his CFI expire. Does anyone know of a Meyers 200 CFI in the tri-state area?

Test Flight:
I’ve read about the “West Coast Harris Ranch Fly-In” and was wondering when the next one will be? If my schedule allows, I’d like to attend to see and possibly get a ride. It’s probably more important that my wife likes and feels comfortable in the aircraft(;-)

Suggestions:
I review YouTube a lot and would like to see a 200 video series that presents the various aspects about owning and flying this aircraft. For example, flight planning, preflight inspection, checklists, fuel management, instrument panel layout, 100 hour/annual inspection process, etc.

General Characteristics (https://www.meyersaircraft.org/meyers-200/) suggestion that you also add the useful load and load available after fuel (80 gallons).

Looking forward to learning more about the Meyers 200 and the community that support her. Steve

[Author]

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