Mooney Factory

[carusoam]

Roberto,

If you know, what's the fuel burn with those?

I don't think I could afford the required inspections anyway....

Best regards,

-a-

[BlueWeasel]

TL;DR...

Diesel Mooney!

[ghovey]

Increasing speed on the Ovation from 197 to 200 doesn't sound impossible. Acclaim from 242 to 250. Reasonable goals. If you want to "own" some space in GA then you better " go with what brung you". Speed, efficiency. Oh and great looking and fun to fly. Where you can't compete-comfort, load, fixed gear, can be flown by dummies. Mooney needs to stand for something distinct and appealing to some segment of the market.

The other way to go is have the factory buy every used Mooney of any age they can find, refurbish them and resell them with factory support.

[Hondo]

If Mooney plans to be Mooney International, diesels are required.

 

http://www.deltahawkengines.com/

 

The  Lipps propellor also looks promising.

 

http://www.eaa.org/experimenter/articles/2009-02_elippse.asp

 

We love the Mooney wing, but IMO if they can, they should consider at the Lam aileron.

 

http://www.flyingmag.com/aircraft/experimental-aircraft-homebuilts/lam-aileron-does-it-live-hype

 

Unfortunately, the cost of certification would probably make adopting these innovations impossible.

[1964-M20E]

 

Unfortunately Paul passed away several years ago. I wonder if anyone is continuing his research?

 

I like his Ideas though.

  From the Editor The Loss of a Great Friend  

By Patrick Panzera, Editor – Experimenter, EAA 555743

Paul Lipps presenting a propeller forum at the 2005 Alternative Engine Round-Up.

Whereas this editorial should be a report on the CAFE Green Flight Challenge as promised last month, it is with a heavy heart that I instead dedicate this issue of Experimenter to our good friend and propeller guru Paul Lipps who lost his brief battle with lung cancer during the early morning hours of Sunday, October 9, 2011. For those who may not know who this remarkable and unforgettable individual is, we offer the following series of articles previously printed in CONTACT! Magazine from July 2004 through December 2010, and include some Experimenter articles published during that same period. In short, Paul's unorthodox perspective led him to look at propellers a little differently than most and to design a prop that defies logic at first glance, with performance numbers that are equally unbelievable. But once the design rationale is understood, we would have to wonder why all propellers aren't designed in this manner. Designer of Light Speed Engineering's Plasma Ignition Systems, Paul wasn't only a creative thinker, but also a likeable, compassionate gentleman. The experimental aviation family needs more people like Paul Lipps; he leaves a void that will be difficult to fill.

[RobertoTohme]

The RR250 @ 18,000 ft is 25-26 gph, @ FL250 drops to about 18 gph but TAS decays; this is what it does on the Tradewinds Bonanza and again, this is a helicopter engine that doesn't do well at altitude.   For the PT6 with the severe de-rating on an application like this, somewhere around 28-30 gph would be my guess based on my TBM experience; TurbineAir lists their Bonanza at 29 gph @ FL250 so it's got to be close to that.

 

Roberto,

If you know, what's the fuel burn with those?

I don't think I could afford the required inspections anyway....

Best regards,

-a-

[ghovey]

Well now we have news of a 4 blade prop increasing ovation and acclaim cruise speeds Too bad the factory isn't working on helping to improve our aircraft.

[fantom]

Well now we have news of a 4 blade prop increasing ovation and acclaim cruise speeds Too bad the factory isn't working on helping to improve our aircraft.

 

Not a primary responsibility of 'the factory'.

 

Their business is building and selling new planes; hopefully soon, and supplying parts to keep our older planes flying.

[carusoam]

Mid West is the source of the TopProp STC.

They put the IO550 on the J and called it a Missile.

The factory put the IO550 on the long body and called it the Ovation.

The factory supplies the hardware and STC on new planes and calls it the O3.

I think I have this correct. Let me know if I missed something....

My next plane hasn't been built yet. Hope it's an O4... Faster than an O3, with an operational WAAS navigator...

Go factory built, 4-place, N/A, single!

Best regards,

-a-

[jetdriven]

For the record, both versions of turbine Bonanzas have the same factory spec VNE; they're just flown with different climb profiles and higher altitudes where IAS decreases and power back accordingly in level flight to just below VNE.  Another example of this procedure is the Piper Cheyenne Blackhawk modified, where you're bumping VNE if power not reduced accordingly.

 

So, doing the math for a PT6, 175 kts IAS @ FL250, ISA +10 (-25C), would true 263 kts.  For a RR250, 175 kts IAS @ 18,000 ft, ISA +10 (-15C), would true 232 kts.  The RR250, being a helicopter engine by design, is most efficient in the mid teens, whereas the PT6 sweetspot is the mid 20's.

 

There may be takers for that, specially where avgas is in short supply or unavailable.

That V_NE is the top of the green arc for the Bonanza. Turbine aircraft have no yellow arc.

[ghovey]

Supporting your existing customers is the primary responsibility of the Mooney factory.  I say "factory" because I don't really know what to call the new company yet.  Continuing to supply the existing fleet with necessary replacement parts and upgrades and to introduce safety improvements once they are known and widely accepted is in fact a primary obligation.  Selling new airplanes-terrific if they can do it.  The official Mooney history say they have delivered over 11,000 Mooneys.  I would think trying to improve them and assist their owners in keeping them flying would be a sustainable business model.  Selling new $730,000 Acclaims is great, and they will sell some, but there is a lot of other things they can supply to us, including improvements.  And I hope to see a faster Ovation and Acclaim.  Nothing like bragging rights.