If not a Mooney then what piston single...........

[triple8s]

I have thought lots of times if I didnt fly a Mooney what I might be flying, and having owned a couple of Mooneys I still love the machine whether it be an Ovation, or a vintage bird they all fly like a Mooney, but I do often wonder what if the Mooney never was, what would I be flying today on the budget I have. I do like speed and there are others I like, the Debonair is high on the list but it is pricey and I really dont care for the throw over yoke. Since I keep my bird inside I might consider a later model Viking or a Comanche, hard to say since this is theoretical. Anyhow I just wonder what other Mooniacs may be flying if there were no Mooney.

[aviatoreb]

My first airplane before this M20K was a Diamond DA40 - 2003- early one with steam gauge - power flow and even with no wheel pants it would go 150TAS on 11gph.  So that is getting close to an M20F (pre speed mods) in a newer airplane and one that is considered by many to be an excellent and forgiving primary trainer - and safety record that is number on in GA - even better than the Cessna 172.  So I will put DA40 on the list.

[bonal]

Likely a Grumman Tiger or a Yankee with a 160hp upgrade. based on my budget because this is not a win the lotto scenario.

[rbridges]

If I didn't have the mooney, I'd probably lean toward a 2 seat retractable such as a glasair.  Even without mooney, I like speed/economy.  

[Mcstealth]

I can say what I wouldn't have. One word. Cherokee....

[John Pleisse]

Get the Deb. More comfortable, 1300 payload on a few of them. IO470's make it to TBO on the same cylinders. They are bullet proof. The yoke is an easy fix. You can pick up a dual yoke salvage.

[scottfromiowa]

Tiger...Simple and fast. It finished #2 to the M20E.

[Joe Zuffoletto]

Lancair Legacy. Now that we're empty nesters we rarely use the back seats in the Acclaim.

[Seth]

Here is a topic poll I created a few years ago, January 2013, funny, almost exactly two years ago.  It was neat going through and seeing the progression of some of our members.  Also nice to see some that don't post often anymore.

 

http://mooneyspace.com/topic/8144-what-if-al-mooney-never-made-the-m20/?hl=%2Bseth+%2Bbonanza

 

"What If Al Mooney never made the M20"

 

I still love the C-182 as a basic workhorse, but would probably remove it at this point.  With a kid on the way and married now, if there were no Mooney, I'd probably get:

 

6 Seat Bonanza

Saratoga

Along with a two seat tail dragger for low cost fun flying

 

Maybe the tail dragger along with a Seneca or a share of a twin.

 

 

-Seth

[chrisk]

My list would be a: Comanche 260, V35 Bonanza, Debonaire, 182, or maybe a Cherokee 6/300

[kerry]

Mustang 2.  Similar to an RV-7 but faster and at half the cost to buy one. 

[Hank]

I was looking around near the end of PPL training, and what frightened me the most was fuel flow. Knowing that my Mooney is significantly faster than a Skyhawk while using less fuel is what sealed the deal for me. If there was no Mooney, I'd probably have rented for a couple of years while investigating what was available.

 

What had my eye at the time was:  172, since I knew it; Musketeer and Sundowner, since Beech was good and they were in my price range. That's about as far as my research made it, other than that I couldn't afford to purchase or operate a Bonanza or 182. Then I stumbled onto my C, or actually it stumbled onto me as the owner asked me if I was interested. Guess I was . . .

[jkhirsch]

As far as certified...

 

The Deb or the Cardinal/Cardinal RG.

 

I have been led to believe you would get similar fuel burn and performance from both with the speed nod likely to the Deb.

 

If I had found a Cardinal with specs I was looking for I may well have ended up with that instead of my F. Even with all the nonsense surrounding my plane I still feel that I got pretty lucky for what I spent to acquire it and the features it has. I had honestly never even looked at Mooney's until the last minute because I never thought I could get everything I wanted in my price range. Then one day Al struck me with a lightning bolt.

 

I can't make an intelligent comment about the comparable costs or specs of experimentals.

[1964-M20E]

Before buying my Mooney I looked at the Mooney pre J, Piper Arrow, DA40, SR20,C177RG and C172RG all of these pretty much in the same ballpark for performance and efficiency yes there are differences.  Among all of these I only have time in an Arrow which is a pretty nice bird.  If our beloved Mooney did not exist I guess I’d probably have the Arrow.

 

However it was the manual gear that sold me the most on having a Mooney.

[Raptor05121]

Probably an Arrow.

[EDNR-Cruiser]

The only reason to go for another aircraft would be (affordable) fun and I'd go for the Grob G115 Aerobatic with the AEIO-360 engine...
Nice little machine to poke holes in the sky and it's not too bad for two people travelling.

[M20F]

Bonanza

[bonal]

Likely a Grumman Tiger or a Yankee with a 160hp upgrade. based on my budget because this is not a win the lotto scenario.

Or a Globe Swift

[Mooneymite]

Glasair.

[rbuck]

Based on price, probably a Piper Arrow or a Beech Sierra. If I had a little more money to spend, a Bonanza. 

I was looking at a Piper Arrow before I found my C. It's within my price range and the things I fly. The C just does it more efficiently. I was looking at a Sierra, too, but I just wasn't a fan.

Now that I have kids, though, Bonanzas look nicer. It's an easier plane for a family. 

[Awqward]

I looked at an Arrow, a Cardinal RG and a TB20.....sure glad I chose the M20J....but if it didn't exist I kind of like the C210

[Marauder]

Lancair Legacy. Now that we're empty nesters we rarely use the back seats in the Acclaim.

I should send one of my girls over. She would use both

[Marauder]

You guys are thinking too small. I would opt for a Corsair.

[Jsavage3]

Lancair IV(P) would have to be my choice -- 286 KTAS is simply amazing.

[Bob_Belville]

Fuel cost coming down? Expect to fly only 75 hours per year?

 

Aztec. 2000# useful, fast enough, 55 kts stall for great short field performance, easy to fly - just a heavy cherokee, single engine performance beats light twins, acquisition cost very low.