NEW M10??? Anyone see this yet?

[KSMooniac]

deleted

[kmyfm20s]

That's cool!

[Hank]

Including the new J! Should be interesting.

[PTK]

Including the new J! Should be interesting.

New J?! 

 

Where did you see this?

[1964-M20E]

Complex trainer/commuter if it has good numbers it could be interesting.

[Hank]

New J?! 

 

Where did you see this?

It's on the link above, under the picture.

[Bennett]

Seem to have lost my new posting. The phone number is real; They answer Mooney International, and that

same number is listed for Mooney Aircraft Company. The person I spoke to said they would "not confirm or deny" a new M-10 J aircraft. Could be an interesting aircraft for the US market as well. Note this is a

retractable gear airplane, not just a basic trainer, nor an LSA type aircraft.

[cliffy]

Lots of folks can use a 3 seater as most of us use only two seats anyway.  I wanna see performance figures and engine choice. 

This could be pretty good.  How about 140 kts on 6 GPH. 

[MB65E]

Looks Awesome!! I think their going the right direction! Looks sorta like a tamed Lancair 360 or Legacy, but with the correct tail!!

-Matt

[Mooneymite]

The old M-10 has been around awhile.

[1964-M20E]

Lots of folks can use a 3 seater as most of us use only two seats anyway.  I wanna see performance figures and engine choice. 

This could be pretty good.  How about 140 kts on 6 GPH. 

160kts and 800lbs useful load with full fuel would be better and a good solid 6.5 hours of flying time with no reserve 

[N201MKTurbo]

A plastic Mooney with OLEO struts! The only thing Mooney about it is the shape of the tail!

 

It seems strange that the Chinese would buy a company that only has expertise and equipment to build steel tube and aluminum airplanes if they wanted to build composite airplanes.

[Jeff_S]

Let's not forget the "Mooney Campus" images that circulated a while back as well. I think a lot of people may be having concept discussions and something like this could really be floating around as an idea, but it would be a major change from the type certificate and would likely have to go through complete recertification. Now, if the FAA ever passes the Part 23 re-write to make it easier to do, perhaps it could be interesting. It reminds me of the plane that Pipistrel is producing with their Panthera...also a composite, high-efficiency 4-seater with good cruise speed characteristics.

[Danb]

It'd be nice to see if this is for real.

[Ftlausa]

The Panthera looks very interesting.  

[Geoff]

Looks an awful lot like a pilot side door

[carusoam]

That tail is missing the critically important hinge.

Time to break out the turbine project...!

Economy is coming back strong.

Price of oil is at a four year low.

S from K wins a prize for being most in the know regarding all things MAC.

Best regards,

-a-

[John Pleisse]

Sadly, this is what the Chinese do best. This not even a good via test balloon. The spinner is half the size of the cowling. KSMooniac....did you get this via a URL? Address?

[KSMooniac]

I stole it from someone else's post on beechtalk.  It looks like a pic of a monitor, and there was no other info associated with it aside from the diesel engine and composite airframe rumor.  

 

From my perspective, it would be a great trainer for the Chinese market.  Running 1 student, 1 CFI and 1 student observer is fairly standard in the 141-style training.  The RG and (likely) CS prop are good to get the complexities ingrained from the start, like the military does.  If it is really a diesel powerplant, then it might have a FADEC or something to eliminate the red knob, and maybe even the blue knob.  They'll have a need for pilots for their economy/population growth, but very like NOT for GA like we enjoy over here.  Hopefully that changes, but for now they do not need a family cruiser or tool for a business since their airspace is so restricted.  It might make a good trainer over here too.

 

Now the puzzler... I'm not sure they needed to buy Mooney to make such a plane!  It looks like there is no technology transfer here at all aside from the shape of the vertical stab.  There is nothing in Mooney's history that would provide expertise in creating such a plane IMO.  It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

[carusoam]

They can...

pay an engineering firm to design it. (S from K Engineering LLC would be good)

A parts manufacturer to make parts.

Focus on the final interior layout their customers want.

Assemble it with the team they have.

And meet the requirements of the FAA?

Best regards,

-a-

[Dave Marten]

Surf around on Linked In and check out the solid engineering/leadership team that Mooney has assembled in Kerville and Chino. Yes, they have the experience and capability for such a project. Their engineering team has background from eclipse, kestrel, Columbia, beech, etc.

Bold move!

[KSMooniac]

Dave, that is true, but I believe most of the engineers are pretty much new to Mooney, right?  (I don't do Linked In so I can't snoop)  If that is indeed the case, then why did they "need" Mooney to do such a project?  I see no Mooney heritage aside from the shape of the tail, so why go to the trouble to buy the company and make a new product that has nothing in common with the legacy?  I don't see any technology transfer here, nor recent cert experience under Part 23 with the old planes, so I'm left wondering what "old" Mooney brought to the table for the new Chinese owners.

 

Let me state for the record I'm NOT opposed to such a development!  I'm happy to see anything new, especially under the Mooney name.  I'm just curious WHY it is unfolding this way.  Perhaps this is phase one and the new owners have a 50 year plan (common for Communist leaders) and they need a trainer to grow their own pilot/customer base in China first, and then they can sell Ovations and Acclaims later?

[carusoam]

How many months would it take for this strong of a team to engineer a single plane?

What do they work on next year?

Best regards,

-a-

[KSMooniac]

Engineering a plane in this category could be done in a year-ish with a small team, depending on experience levels.  Certifying it could take an additional 2-3 years, minimum, in the modern era unfortunately.

[aaronk25]

Hmmmm.....well that didn't take long to circulate around! Wonder who the rat was?