How much can your Mooney carry with full fuel?

[FloridaPilot]

Hello,

New to Mooney Space and I have never flown in a Mooney I just happened to see an Ovation 2 and I thought about how nice looking the airplane is. I'm not experienced enough to fly it yet so far I have been flying Pipers and Cessna's. I would like to go up in a Mooney one of these days!

 

I hear a lot of issues with useful load in the Mooney so I don't know if it's true or not but could you tell me your model and how much can it carry with full fuel?

 

Thank you!

 

[gsengle]

You're asking the wrong question! That question penalizes any airplane with big tanks. Doesn't reward efficiency.

Ask, how much load can you carry and go 400 nautical miles, or something.


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[aggiepilot04]

Howdy.  I think you're asking the wrong question.  A better question would be "how much can I carry with enough fuel to go X miles".  I have 100 gallon tanks, and I very rarely top them off because it's rarely necessary to do so.

[gsengle]

My Ovation can carry 800lbs and go those 400 miles (no reserves).

175 kts at 13gph burns about 30 gals to get that distance, which is about 180lbs off my empty tks fluid useful load of 980.

Of course I want 15 gals reserve or so, and climb burns more than the 13 up front so it's more like 700lbs to go that far....

That's how you compare airplanes. Fuel efficiency translates into useful load.


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[Danb]

Greg spot on, wrong question my Bravo has 130 gallon tanks, and I've gone 1200+miles nonstop, look at Mikes 201 he goes forever. I have 970 useful load, 200+ knots in flight levels at 20 gph or 170 knots at 14 gph therefore our utility exceeds most other manufacturers hands down from the M20-C through the Acclaim and everything in between, no other manufacturer has so many option available. No I'm not in Mooney sales.

[gsxrpilot]

The C I used to fly could carry 700 lbs for 800 nautical miles. And I've actually done it. I landed with 11 gallons still in the tanks.

[Hank]

I have flown my C 4:40 into the wind, with ground speeds ranging from 68-115 knots. (I get 147-149 knots True Air Speed . . . ) I landed with 1:20 still in the gas tank. My full fuel payload is 670 lbs., but like all planes I can trade fuel for payload. So I'm right at the limit with full fuel and four adults, but when I fly four adults I rarely need full fuel as nobody wants to ride over a couple of hours in the back seat. C models aren't called "short bodies" for nothing, you know! Sometimes it amazes me what can be done with just 180 hp.

From farthest WV to the Carolina beaches was 385 nm, or 2-1/2 hours. Then a couple of joy rides and a stop for gas, 30-35 gallons, and head back. She holds 52 gallons.

Edited December 2, 2016 by Hank

[201er]

4 hours ago, gsengle said:

You're asking the wrong question! That question penalizes any airplane with big tanks. Doesn't reward efficiency.

Ask, how much load can you carry and go 400 nautical miles, or something.

This is spot on. With 100 gallon tanks it's basically a 2 seat airplane with full fuel, 3 seats with about 70 gallons, and 4 seats with about 40 gallons. Depends who you're hauling. Having more capacity gives you more options. I can carry just as much weight as anyone by adding less fuel. But on the other hand I have over 1300nm usable range.

[carusoam]

Welcome aboard, Florida Pilot.  Look for our Florida Mooney pilot's group...

 

Old sales info from various brands relied on the customers not being very knowledgeable.  They would quote full seats, full tanks and a distance.  Following that guidance everyone weighed exactly 170Lbs.  The full tanks less than 50 gallons total.  This lead the thinkers to the next step...

 

My Mooney can carry 1,000+ Lbs of people, fuel and/or stuff...  as pilot in command, I get to decide who comes with me, and brings how much stuff.  Of that 1,000LBs, up to 100 gal can be fuel...  Standard numbers for an Ovation1...

It can do it faster than any other normally aspirated, factory built, four seat, airplane.

175 kts 15gph or 65 kts 13gph or so...

If you want to go further, an ingenious guy created extended range tanks.  Now some Mooney's can carry 130gal of 100LL.

The OP is sort of right. If he and his three guests weigh 250Lbs each, there isn't going to be enough useful load to fly very far...

The good news is, with a Long Body Mooney, all four can sit comfortably in the cabin for the short hop...

The rumor about Mooney's not being able to carry very much was probably being spread by a jealous brand P pilot with a 400hp 720cui O8 engine...  

Or they were pointing out the single seat Mooney with the Crosley engine...

Or they were talking about an early Pre-M20M Long Body that didn't get version 2 Landing gear... 

Mooneys are tremendously capable airplanes.  If they start running out of useful load, check the capability list it has...  look for things like Spectacular instrument panels, turbochargers, intercoolers, installed O2 systems, and additional things like a system that allows for flight into known ice...

Get the facts, don't rely on the rumors.  The Only Mooney that counts is the one you own...

Do you want to fly fast with efficiency, or do you want to carry stuff?

The tough news...   100 gallons of fuel in a Mooney lasts many many hours.  A family of four doesn't really want to spend that many hours together very often.  201ers family is pretty unique.  They have flown to the arctic circle, around the Carribean, and recently to Cuba... watch the videos around here...

Other people in the news...  a guy named John Paul, flew his Mooney non-stop across the country.  Filled his tanks and flew East, California to Georgia. Planned the flight to occur on a really nice weather day.

Unique people in the news... A lady named Carol-Ann had flown her Mooney around the world, twice...  Some young guy named Jack, borrowed dad's Ovation and became the youngest person to fly around the world...

If you like speed and efficiency, Go Mooney!  (No super human skills required)

Best regards,

-a-

 

[TWinter]

My E is about 685 lbs with people and cargo with 52 gal filled in the tanks. As most have said lots of variables, but gives a ballpark.

 

-Tom 

[KLRDMD]

5 hours ago, FloridaPilot said:

I hear a lot of issues with useful load in the Mooney so I don't know if it's true or not but could you tell me your model and how much can it carry with full fuel?

How far do you want to go ?

Full fuel in my "K" model is 75 gallons. I cruise at 160 KTAS on 9.0 GPH so factoring in a climb and no reserve, that's almost 1,300 NM no wind. If you want to go 1,300 NM, you can take 442 lb of people and stuff.

You need to carry 650 lb of people and stuff ? Then you can only go 700 NM.

Mooneys are flexible that way.

[Mcstealth]

5 hours ago, FloridaPilot said:

Hello,

New to Mooney Space and I have never flown in a Mooney I just happened to see an Ovation 2 and I thought about how nice looking the airplane is. I'm not experienced enough to fly it yet so far I have been flying Pipers and Cessna's. I would like to go up in a Mooney one of these days!

 

I hear a lot of issues with useful load in the Mooney so I don't know if it's true or not but could you tell me your model and how much can it carry with full fuel?

 

Thank you!

 

Please excuse all the exuberance. You have chosen a well vetted topic to some well vetted enthusiasts

Welcome to the forum and we all hope you stay and add to the community.

David

 

[TheTurtle]

1037 useful load.  653 with full tanks.  737 if I just fill to the tabs.

[Bravoman]

With the original question as framed, and with my Monroy long range tanks, not much!

[M016576]

I can't find a certified light single that offers me the useful load to range capability that a mooney does.... and believe me, I've tried.

 

my missile has TKS.  1010lbs useful w/ empty TKS tank.  with 100 gallons (long range tanks... thanks Jose), that's 410lbs (me, my wife and 100lbs of baggage).... with that, my range is about 1000nm with reserves, assuming no wind.

if I fill the TKS tank, I can only carry 40lbs of baggage.  Or Leave my wife at home.

with the kids (4&6), dog, wife and me, I can fill the entire plane with baggage and still not hit max gross, if I only take 64 gallons.  That gives me roughly 700nm range w/ reserves.

Someone... please... find me a more efficient certified prop.  Multi engine or single.  Turbo or not.  I've looked... and I can't.

[Jerry 5TJ]

I don't know how much my Ovation can carry.   

Legally, it may carry 952 pounds of "stuff" such as pilots, passengers, fuel, baggage, TKS fluid and etc..   It will depart below legal gross, fly two people and bags for 5 hours at 170 knots and arrive with an hour of reserve.  

[Raptor05121]

1,003lbs useful in my 1963 -C. I am about to reweigh it and I expect to gain a few pounds useful.

Full tanks (48 gals) leaves me 715lbs for people and baggage.

[Danb]

7 hours ago, Jerry 5TJ said:

I don't know how much my Ovation can carry.   

Legally, it may carry 952 pounds of "stuff" such as pilots, passengers, fuel, baggage, TKS fluid and etc..   It will depart below legal gross, fly two people and bags for 5 hours at 170 knots and arrive with an hour of reserve.  

Jerry legally, I've rapped with a couple of Mooney insiders years ago and was told the long bodies could easily carry 1.5 times the noted useful loads published, I'm NOT recommending anyone to fly over gross just mentioning a conversation, if true why isn't our gross weights higher?

[rbridges]

Just now, Danb said:

Jerry legally, I've rapped with a couple of Mooney insiders years ago and was told the long bodies could easily carry 1.5 times the noted useful loads published, I'm NOT recommending anyone to fly over gross just mentioning a conversation, if true why isn't our gross weights higher?

Isn't landing weight an issue at some point?  The 182 p and q models have an stc to raise take off weight by 150 lbs put you have to burn enough fuel to make up the difference before landing. 

[FloridaPilot]

Thank you guys for the warm welcome......I think!

I'll repeat:  "New to Mooney Space and never flown in a Mooney"

 

With that said, I'm a fairly new pilot, 46 Years young. I was always taught to fill to the tabs in the Cessna's and Pipers that I have flown.  I didn't mean to "Rattle any feathers" here. I asked that question because I do weigh quite a bit (230 Lbs)....of muscle..er...fat...it's still weight.  So I'm doing the initial research because I would eventually like to purchase an airplane. I have been looking at Pipers, Cirrus and now Mooney.  I have never flown a Mooney but I did sit in one at Sun and Fun this year, (Ovation 2) and I loved it.

 

Okay, so I will attempt to ask a better question:

What Mooney can I purchase and fly that can take me 600 nm or more direct and bring 510 lbs of stuff?

 

PS Thank you to all that tried to answer the question with my limited knowledge of Mooneys

[XXX]

Hello FL Pilot and welcome to MS. A typical mission for my "F" model is Ocala FL to Dayton OH. Somewhere around 660 NM. Full fuel and 500 lbs straight through 4.5 hours. Leaves me around 17 gallons in the tanks.

Where are you based in FL?

 

 

[Bob - S50]

FloridaPilot

I've got a '78 M20J (aka the 201).  I plan 150 KTAS at 9 GPH and I have a useful load of 970 lbs.

For your theoretical, no wind, 600 NM flight I would plan on 1 gallon for start, taxi, and takeoff (STTO); but I would not count that against my useful load because it will be gone before I get airborne.  My planned burn including a climb to about 8000' and a cruise at 150 KTAS would be 38 gallons but I'd probably burn a little less than that.  Add 10 gallons for reserve and I need to get airborne with 48 gallons.  Add the 1 gallon for STTO and I'm up to 49.  The plane has 50 gallon tabs so I'd just fill it to the tabs.  Getting airborne with 49 gallons, that weighs 285 lbs, leaving me with 685 lbs of payload.

Here are some other considerations:

1 hour of cruise, 150 NM, start with 22 gallons, 848 lbs of payload.

2 hours of cruise, 300 NM, start with 31 gallons, 795 lbs of payload.

3 hours of cruise, 450 NM, start with 40 gallons, 743 lbs of payload.

4 hours of cruise, 600 NM, start with 49 gallons, 690 lbs of payload.

5 hours of bladder busting cruise, 750 NM, start with 58 gallons, 638 lbs of payload.

5 + 40 of cruise, 850 NM, start with full fuel of 64 gallons, 603 lbs of payload.

[peevee]

The rocket is about 1080 lbs and has 103ish gallons on board. 

[rbridges]

40 minutes ago, FloridaPilot said:

Thank you guys for the warm welcome......I think!

I'll repeat:  "New to Mooney Space and never flown in a Mooney"

 

With that said, I'm a fairly new pilot, 46 Years young. I was always taught to fill to the tabs in the Cessna's and Pipers that I have flown.  I didn't mean to "Rattle any feathers" here. I asked that question because I do weigh quite a bit (230 Lbs)....of muscle..er...fat...it's still weight.  So I'm doing the initial research because I would eventually like to purchase an airplane. I have been looking at Pipers, Cirrus and now Mooney.  I have never flown a Mooney but I did sit in one at Sun and Fun this year, (Ovation 2) and I loved it.

 

Okay, so I will attempt to ask a better question:

What Mooney can I purchase and fly that can take me 600 nm or more direct and bring 510 lbs of stuff?

 

PS Thank you to all that tried to answer the question with my limited knowledge of Mooneys

My C model is a little heavy. Useful load around 850. With full fuel I'm around 530. That's 5ish hours endurance at 150 knots.  

[Jerry 5TJ]

44 minutes ago, FloridaPilot said:

....What Mooney can I purchase and fly that can take me 600 nm or more direct and bring 510 lbs of stuff? .....

I think most Mooney planes will do that trip in average winds. 

My previous C and E models would take 4 to 4.5 hours for 600 nmi.  Full fuel of 52 gallons + your 510 pounds of stuff would be close but below the 2575 gross limit of those two. 

My Ovation would take 3.5 to 4 hours, I would want 70-75 gallons aboard at take off, add your 510 pounds and half a tank of TKS juice and the total approaches gross weight limit of 3368 pounds. At destination the plane would be below max landing weight of 3100 (vintage Mooney planes don't have a different landing weight limit).

Caveats: Stiff headwinds could keep almost any Mooney from safety flying that hypothetical trip non-stop.  Dodging weather or ATC routes can add lots of miles to your planned flight.