M20F twisted wing question

[Ashe]

So I'm fairly sure I'm going to end up in a manual gear M20F.  That limits me to 1967 and 1968 vintages.  I see some people say they have 1966 as well, although I think the serial numbers on 1966 models still denotes a '67 model year.

Anyhow, from what I've read the 1967 and early 1968 long bodies have a twisted wing that robe a few knots of speed.  However, I've also read that mid '68 brought the end of the "clean wing" until the advent of the M20J.

So...am I correct in assuming that the only "clean wing" M20F's would be twisted wing F's?  If so, is the speed loss a wash between a twisted, "clean wing" 67 model and a non-twisted, "non-clean wing" late '68?

Ashe

[DaV8or]

Quote: Ashe

 I see some people say they have 1966 as well, although I think the serial numbers on 1966 models still denotes a '67 model year.

[DaV8or]

Quote: Ashe

Anyhow, from what I've read the 1967 and early 1968 long bodies have a twisted wing that robe a few knots of speed.  However, I've also read that mid '68 brought the end of the "clean wing" until the advent of the M20J.

 

So...am I correct in assuming that the only "clean wing" M20F's would be twisted wing F's?  If so, is the speed loss a wash between a twisted, "clean wing" 67 model and a non-twisted, "non-clean wing" late '68?

Ashe

[smitty9006]

I could be wrong but I think the twisted wing has more to do with enhancing the stall characteristics than speed. The twist lessens the angle of incidence at the wing tip. Like I said I could be wrong...

[tony]

Yes.  Mooney experimented with improving the stall characteristics of the airframe in 1967.  The twist was an attempt to have the wing stall at the root before the ailerons which would help with controllability.  I believe the twisted wing can also be found on some G models as well.

 

 

[DaV8or]

Quote: tony

Yes.  Mooney experimented with improving the stall characteristics of the airframe in 1967.  The twist was an attempt to have the wing stall at the root before the ailerons which would help with controllability.  I believe the twisted wing can also be found on some G models as well.

[Lood]

The twist in the wing is minimal, so I doubt whether a loss in speed would be noticable - if any at all. I agree on being coordinated when doing stalls, although I think that like with the many different cruising speeds on similar models, stall behaviour will differ. My Mooney drops the right wing during stalls but it's much more a case of the wing slowly falling away rather than "dropping".My F cruises at 142kt while a friends', that is also a '67 F, cruises at 146kts? He also only has the cowl closure mod, so his is probably better rigged or whatever, but it's a bit faster.

LASAR makes a 201 style wingtip for the F, but it's not worth the price, in my opinion, as it is purely cosmetic.

[Lrn2Fly]

I recently flew a '63 C model which was slower than all get out, and barely crawled away from a Cherokee 180.  After the flight I found out that some time ago a twisted wing had been installed on it, including the 64 gallon tanks. Not getting into the obvious airworthiness debate, this aircraft was measurably slower than it should have been.

A note about stalling a Mooney:  I own a '66 E model that stalls like a pussy cat - straight ahead with no bad habits.  I can't say that about all Mooneys out there, and as a maintenance test pilot I have flown every model including the Porsche powered stretch body. I have had some wings drop out from under me at well above normal stall speed. The common denominator in all of the snappy wings seems to have been whether they have had wing repairs in the past. As the example above shows, it's not always performed correctly. 

One thing to always check during preflight is the stall strip on the LE of the wing. If it isn't there, I don't fly the plane. It's amazing how effective that little strip is in making the root stall before the tips.