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Kevin Harberg

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Everything posted by Kevin Harberg

  1. Here's Mooney's advertised specifications for the M-18LA and M-18C
  2. Still not fast enough? With Mooney's clean lines, all that's required to boost cruise numbers appears to be horsepower. Consider the Mooney Mite's performance with 85-90Hp. 85Hp M-18's are reported to have economy cruise speeds of 145mph while the 90Hp M-19 was reported to cruise at 150mph. Not bad for a 1946 design! Not the 2mph per horsepower (@75% and optimum altitude) of the 65Hp models but quite impressive just the same.
  3. Actually, when Al Mooney sold "Mooney", the new owners of the company purchased "Mooney" conditionally upon the inclusion of a 4 place aircraft design based on the M-18. After the start of the M20 production, "Mooney" stopped production of the M18. After many years with no Mooney single seat aircraft being made, The Mooney Mite Aircraft Corporation bought the plans from the owners of "Mooney" with the intent of making the plane available again via the Experimental market. These plans are now in the hands of the Smithsonian. PS. If you hover over my thumbnail photo, you will see the aircraft in the left bank is not an M20. They are so similar that with the Faux window on the M-18X, you will only differentiate between airborne models by the sound of the engine.
  4. Here's one listing of plans/prints/manuals etc. for the Experimental Mooney M-18X that was available in the early 1970's. This ad was inserted in the Mooney Mites Owner's Association quarterly bulletin (April - July 1972). Mooney Mite Aircraft Corporation sold copies of original drawings of the Certified Mooney M-18. These drawings are of the Lycoming 0145 Powered M-18L (780lbs Gr Wt)
  5. I also have the "F" model Continental. Gives you the option of a variable pitch propeller with the "flanged" shaft. Just a note regarding the Lycoming 0-145 models in the Mooney M18, I believe they were a bed-mount installation. I might be wrong, but heard it from a reliable "Mooniac". Regards, Kevin
  6. Sorry for the delay in replying to this post (notification setting issues - my bad). This manual was from Mooney Mite Aircraft Corporation 1970. It contains information relevant to the Mooney M18 (the owner of the company purchased the M-18 design and made the aircraft available to the public as a homebuilt design). I have a copy but no longer have the full set of prints. I believe copies are still available on the "Mite Site". Regards, Kevin
  7. This Mooney Mite O-lin Products Model Kit No 300 references "Plastic" model molded from polystyrene. (Post Bakelite era). Puts into perspective the era in which the Mooney aircraft was designed. Its 1946 design predates plastic!
  8. Here's a couple more models. (The rubber band flyer bares no resemblance at all to an M-18)
  9. 1955 was the proposed debut year for the Mooney M20. The 1955 M18-C55 (offered during production changes to the assembly line), included several modifications incorporated in the M19 Model with the exception of the larger 90hp engine and enclosed cowling, and of course the two 30 calibre machine guns (one in each wing).
  10. August 1955 Air Trails Hobbies for Young Men Only 283 Mooney M18's built but generated enough interest to produce many items of memorabilia. This is one of the flying models produced.
  11. Hello Scott, You may also want the 48 page assembly manual along with the prints. It includes drawings and parts number listings.
  12. Hello Scott, Do you still have the original -55 wing that you load tested to incredible G's? I still have a second Mite but it doesn't have the wing anymore (trampled by cattle when stored at Denver Jacobson's brother's farm).
  13. Make sure you reference Mooney's "Approved Aircraft Repairs - Wood" as per attached sample. Pg 23 of 24 included here as example of manual.
  14. May 1953 Aviation Magazine I regularly fly open canopy in M18X C-GXTR (when the weather in Canada permits). Must be a lot of more recent inflight open canopy Mooney Mite photos out there.
  15. Head over to the Mooney Mite Section of Mooney Space and check out the 1953 Mooney M18 Wee Scotsman (Mite) sales brochure. It includes a Mooney M20 Debut Sales Ad.
  16. In any videos I have seen, it appears as though you are correct in the low airspeed (just above stall) required to stop the prop. I will on occasion (at cruise speed) try and run a tank dry, and by watching my fuel pressure gauge I can sometimes catch the drop and switch tanks in time to keep the power on. Occasionally, the plane goes quiet for a second before the windmilling prop restarts the engine after restoring fuel supply. Without a starter, I am concerned the sleek Mooney may have to exceed VNE (143mph IAS in the M18) before the prop starts spinning again. I suppose the pitch of my fixed prop and engine condition (compression) may determine IAS required. The deadstick airport landings should not be too difficult, as I routinely chop power late on downwind and seldom require additional power to reach desired touchdown point, however, I am just a little uncomfortable determining the effects of wind direction and speed. I am aware that a person should pick a flare point further down the runway when landing deadstick to avoid an off strip landing short of the threshold, but still the idea of attempting this is unsettling. Your friends are obviously better prepared (or less frightened) than I practicing their deadstick landings. The Mooney seems to be a greater challenge due to its flatter approach profile.
  17. A forward (main) one piece spar and a smaller but still strong rear spar. No wonder Mooney wings are so tough (even the wooden ones). The box spar design carries the strength throughout the inner wing's cord and provides additional landing gear support. That Al Mooney had some great ideas for wings, retractable gear, and let's face it ... airplanes in general!
  18. I wish I had the woodworking skills required for the "Amateur Built" Class (Canada's "EXPERIMENTAL" or "Homebuilt Class). After watching the rebuild of C-GXTR's M-18 wooden wing when I was a kid, I remarked to the AME that I would love to have an M20 wing for him to build a large 2 place tandem Mooney (with stick control). I thought of that immediately when I saw the photo in the post. Here's the M-18 wing rebuild. (I don't know why it is in black and white, they had colour cameras when I was a kid!).
  19. You wouldn't, would you? We have excellent wood working Aircraft Maintenance Engineers here in Canada that have restored wings that Transport Canada thought were beyond repair, but the AME's endured the process to re-certification. May not always be cost effective, but keeps them flying.
  20. Just curious to see if anyone has tried this. I had logged about 400 hours in my father's 1966 M20C (same as shown, even same colour), but never attempted to stop the prop inflight.
  21. Here's the introduction add for the M20 placed on the last page of the 1953 M18 (Mite) sales brochure.
  22. Great to see that a few more Mite parts found their path to future flight. They appear to be new old stock. Your finished project can't help but be an award winner. Progress pics show 1st class workmanship and material throughout build.
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