This topic has 8 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 4 years ago by 
-
Posts
-
Hello All, my name is Doug and I’m brand new to the site and forum. Very interested in the 200D model-especially one with the IO550 conversion. Looking to gain some knowledge on these fine aircraft and eventually purchase my own. Live near Clearwater FL and hoping there was someone in central Florida I could get to know that has one? Also wondering if there is a POH available online I could download and educate myself with? Looking forward to hearing from anyone who cares to “educate” me… also wondering what might be for sale… (I’ve seen pics of N97M). Hope my questions are reasonable and someone will point me in the right direction.
DHey Doug-welcome! These are unique and delightful airplanes and there is a wealth of knowledge on this site from folks who have a lot more left seat time than I.
You might try Essco and see what they have in AFM’s (if you can call them that). As you might imagine, the info is pretty sparse and before the FAA mandated more in depth AFM’s.
Finding a D (or even more rare a C) with a 550 will be a challenge, but I am sure that if you are patient you can find one. An alternative is to find a C or D with a 520 that is at TBO and send it out to a custom shop and have one built up for you. LyCon in CA has an excellent reputation for building a blueprint engine.
I highly suggest you speak with Dean Siracusa as he is the ‘go-to’ and knows who has planes for sale off market as well as on market.
Happy to help so please reach out.
Best-
Ed
Hi Doug, I fly N34386 a 1961 200B with a Lycon IO-550. I personally like the lower cabin height of the A/B models but we don’t have the flush riveted wing. I was told that when the Meyers factory was racing the 200 that they exchanged the wing for a flush riveted one and it didn’t make any difference in speed.
Welcome Doug!
As you may have noticed, we are passionate about our planes and enjoy the time we are able to put into preserving the fleet. Several have been upgraded to the IO-550, which is an amazing enhancement to the original design. Others have spent substantial resources on upgrading their avionics to make these fast cross country machines truly safe and efficient. A limited few have completed both with exceptional results.
If you find a Meyers 200 (any of the series) that You deem affordable and comfortable for your mission, by all means buy it. You won’t be disappointed. It is a pilot’s airplane, needing to be “flown” to achieve superior performance. If you are looking for a stable, hands-off, leisurely cruiser, the Meyers 200 is not your airplane. It will fly you (if you allow it to get ahead of you), and you might not like the consequences. Fuel management and landing gear concerns seem to be our most frequent issues, occasionally biting the unwitting pilot. Landing may also be a challenge at first, but once accustomed to the plane’s performance parameters, you be greasing on landings on short/soft fields as it was originally designed (big flaps and tires).
If you in the Greenville SC neighborhood, please give me a shout and I’ll be happy to show you around our plane (N2919T’s home) if we are in the area. If you are visiting Washington DC (our work home), give me a shout and I’ll be happy to discuss flying these wonderful machines as long as you are willing.
Good luck in your quest to find the perfect airplane to fulfill your desires!
VR, Tom Thibodeau
N2919T
NC26467
757.870.2474Welcome, Doug,
What is you mission for your aircraft? Whatever it may be, a 200 can probably fill it. My wife and I race ours (we’re the current Spot Air Race Leauge champions for production aircraft), I use it for cross country business travel, we’ve camped out with her at MAOA Member Steve Freeman’s air museum and last weekend took our daughter and son in law to a short grass strip out in the swamp with a cajun restaurant on it. Just had to delete fuel to add PAX.
Ed was right about contacting Siracusa. He does have the maintenance manual and the flight manual in electronic form for the D model. Contact him or instant message me and I can forward it to you.
Good luck with the hunt and don’t hesitate to ask this group questions.
Thanks Guys! Educating myself a little more before I pull the trigger… I appreciate all the intel and input! Looking through the registry, I see a number of updated birds out there – those glass panels look fantastic! Any idea on how much weight can be shed adding modern glass to the D model? Is the typical useful load 800-1000 lbs? Fuel system seems to have been written about a lot… what do you guys do – start a clock and switch tanks at :30 minute intervals (my thoughts)? Has anyone stc’d a fuel mod to add more or simplify the fuel system in any way? Curious….
Hi Doug. Definitely can save weight going to solid state/digital avionics stuff. I am looking into a full panel replacement and expect to save 10, maybe 15 pounds (=/-, depending on how much removed, includes of course removing the vacuum pump mess). People who’ve actually done this can give an actual account. I have the old BN autopilot vacuum servos and gobs of other old wiring still installed so will benefit by getting that out as well.
As for fuel procedures, it takes conscious awareness, but not an inhuman thing. Many planes have similar 4 tank, single selector, low wing situations. Problem with us is only one gauge, on the active tank. By installing a 4 tank fuel gauge system most issues are gone. For planning, right after takeoff upon passing a safe altitude for return to airport I will switch to an outboard tank. You should plan to use those up first. Assuming full fuel, I would run at least 1/2 hour then switch. The ailerons and trim can handle 5-10 gal 30-60 pound weight/bal issue, so sometimes I go an hour. Just keep track of the time/fuel used on your kneeboard and there’ll be no issues for the next flight. Or better yet, just get a Shadin or EI fuel management system to help keep track.
Hope this helps, we do love these planes …rarely sell them. There are a lot of older owners, so now is probably the big opportunity to get into one!
Happy flying.
ChrisHi Doug,
I have owned my 200D sence September 2001. They are great airplanes. They are especialy good for cross county flights with good speed and the capability for long legs. I usually fly at altitudes from 7 to 9,000 MSL. My opinion is that my Meyers is very stable, it can be easily trimed hands off, and it handles turbulence very well.
I switch fuel tanks every 20 minutes so the fuel is balanced well enough for the factory aileron trim to trim out aileron pressure for wings level flight. I keep track of the fuel burned each time I change tanks. My wife doen’t appreciate engine hesitations when the fuel is exhausted in any one tank.
My partner and I looked into the 550 engine when we had ours overhauled but the engine overhaul facility convinced us that the 550 didn’t hold up as well as the 520 based on comparisons when they came in for overhauls. I understand they are basically the same engone except the 550 has a longer stroke. I imagine there are many opinions on the 520 vs the 550 and there may have been improvements in the 550 sence the time of our overhaul in 2003. Instead of the 550 we opted for performance enhancements which achieved 304 HP at 2800 RPM with our engine.
I hope you have great succes in your search for a Meyers 200.
Mark Jensen
N2983T
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.