TabulaRasa

When I was at Oshkosh I touched, looked at, and sat in the first new built M20TN. I was a little disappointed that the pilot's window outside surface did not close straight and flush with the rest of the window. It looked like it would need a little extra shimming to be perfect. Is that Kerrville quality?

If anybody is in the Minneapolis area who would want to do a photoshoot, I'm a photographer and I'm game.

Sorry, but I don't buy your "genetic hypothesis". Economic prosperity of the masses is a relatively new phenomenon, most families are still currently first generation car owners, much less airplane owners. Car ownership was farfetched 15 years ago and impossible 30 years ago. Owning your own airplane requires another level of wealth but again, it is something that was simply not possible until relatively recently. Airspace rules have not quite caught up to economic realities yet. There are no VFR flights where you can just takeoff and go somewhere without talking to anyone or filing anything. Infrastructure is not there either--there are many large jet airports but almost no small airports like you see in the US with only <3000 to 5000ft. runways. Airline and high speed rail travel is commonplace so there is less need for private air travel in China. Most of the US municipal airport infrastructure was built before the completion of the Interstate Highway system and today is just barely viable anyway, but that is a different discussion... China was the world's richest nation for most of recorded human history and had massive trading fleets up until the 15th century. If anything, China suffered from a "high equilibrium trap" and Chinese rulers were self-satisfied in their large territories and rich treasuries and did not feel the need to amass more. Quite a contrast to Europe where 3-5 major powers were constantly at war and exploring to find a faster trade route to China in order to become wealthy. Finding and exploiting the New World was merely a happy coincidence. By the early 19th century, China still had a 15th century army and China was easily defeated in every conflict. Only now, 200 years later is China once again wealthy enough where people can begin to fathom the idea of buying their own Mooney airplane for travel or pleasure.

Then you've never met me. It is easier to have an owner-flown small airplane in the USA rather than in China. It is probably about the same if you can afford to have type rated pilots on your payroll and a Gulfstream, Embraer, or Cessna, etc. jet in your hangar.

Just outta curiosity... how many of you did your initial private pilot training on a Mooney M20? I'm guessing none of you. I did it in a Cessna 152 and the first retract I flew was a Piper Arrow that did a stately 135kt. If the M10T/J can be a stepping stone or alternative destination to the M20, I think that is a great thing. Cirrus has done well marketing to non-pilots.

I was thinking a revamped M20 with NO steel cage, just a composite fuselage/empennage with the standard wings and pivoting tail bolted onto it. Make the seats ones with the gooseneck style bottom designed to deform and crush under impact. Maybe cover the control surfaces in fabric--carbon fiber fabric.

Jeez, tough crowd! I for one, am excited that Mooney is able to expand their product lineup beyond a single model line. It will allow Mooney to diversify their revenue stream beyond a single product and the stronger Mooney is as a business, the better it will be for all Mooney owners/pilots. It was a great tragedy that Mooney wasn't able to bring the '301 to full fruition before they ran out of money. The turboprop single market has boomed since the 1980s and just imagine if it was Mooney producing and profiting from the TBM-700/850/900 instead of Daher-Socata. There is plenty of JET-A infrastructure in the US to fuel these turbo diesel engines. I think the reason why the Skycatcher failed was because it was hobbled in order to comply with LSA rules. The engine isn't particularly economical, 120kt. is slow, it can't fold it's wings for storage like a Remos or CTLS, and the spartan interior combined with lack of payload gives it zero utility beyond basic Private training. Mooney is smart to ignore the LSA rules. 3 seat utility, speed, FADEC engine with low SFC's, and the resulting economy of operation are all great things. Perhaps the M10's could also be sold as an Experimental quick build with factory help in Kerrville? I would love to see a M10J with four seats. I would also love to see a M20 with a weight saving composite fuselage with useful loads hundreds of pounds more than the existing Ovation/Acclaim...

I didn't go with the Mooney Caravan and arrived in Oshkosh on Saturday camped very close to the green shower buildings. I was there Sunday huddled up in my plane as it was raining when the Mooney Caravan arrived. I took a few pictures with my good camera pointing through the pilot window... Just haven't had time to go through my Oshkosh 2014 pictures yet in the aftermath of rejoining the "real" world after coming home from Oshkosh.

The Asian guy with the 60th Anniversary Kerrville Mooney t-shirt in the second picture is me. I guess this marks my first post to Mooneyspace as well but I've been here lurking, reading, learning about Mooneys here and elsewhere for a while. I'm a fairly recent Mooney pilot with about 50 hours in type and about 280hr. total. All my Mooney time is in a M20J. I camped out in the N40 for a full week. No I don't work for the factory or Soaring America.... YET!