Mooney Tours... Edited-updated

[carusoam]

Practice your resistance skills before going.  

I bet they can set you up with some nice financing, no check book required...

Interest rates are starting to creep up.  Get a huge loan before it gets even bigger...

Now is the time to get one of the last Os of the 2016 model year!  Don't miss out...

Think of the hangar elves this time of year.  Many of their elf friends are working on new cool things at the N pole. Your hangar elf deserves new machinery to work on....

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Hope you have a great trip, Tom!

Best regards,

-a-

[1964-M20E]

1 minute ago, carusoam said:

Practice your resistance skills before going.  

I bet they can set you up with some nice financing, no check book required...

Interest rates are starting to creep up.  Get a huge loan before it gets even bigger...

Now is the time to get one of the last Os of the 2016 model year!  Don't miss out...

Think of the hangar elves this time of year.  Many of their elf friends are working on new cool things at the N pole. Your hangar elf deserves new machinery to work on....

------------------------

Hope you have a great trip, Tom!

Best regards,

-a-

Ok where do I sign?  But I want.....  I'd say more but it would probably derail the thread.

 

 

 

 

[MHemperly]

So my wife and I took a road trip to Austin this week and on the way out we emailed Lori  Collier and requested a tour of the factory. She was very helpful. We ended up getting a late tour (6:30pm) today on our way out of town. Robert Dutton VP of production operations stayed late just to walk us around. The factory has an open door to Mooney owners. There are some rules though, which we understood. Sign a few papers and you're in. But from the sound of it Mooney has some tricks up thier sleeve with future product and I can't wait to find out. They are also planning renovations of the factory... a face lift if you will. It was great walking around the assembly line our E model rolled off of 50 years ago. He walked us all the way around the line and also took us into the sales room to see the last two single door mooneys that will be sold. It was very cool to be there and I recommend you guys take a tour if you haven't already. 

Mike

[n5756k]

Perhaps Mooney doesn't want the public to see how littlle they are producing. Does anyone know how many Mooneys were made in 2015 or 2016?

 

[Piloto]

17 minutes ago, n5756k said:

Perhaps Mooney doesn't want the public to see how littlle they are producing. Does anyone know how many Mooneys were made in 2015 or 2016?

 

As per FAA Registry: 14 M20TN, 5 M20R, 2 M20V and 1 M10T

Edited January 15, 2017 by Piloto

[n5756k]

is that for 2016? Or both 2015 and 2016?  Boy I don't know know how they can stay in business with such a low number of orders.

[MooneyMitch]

Per recent AVweb posting......"Piper Sells 50 Archers To China"

[cliffy]

Just a thought -

Last year just before the 2 door model was rolled out I was in KER and had a question for engineering. It was explained to me then that tours were not being done because the roof was being redone (which it was). Turns out that the 2 door model was in the production line and they didn't want it out of the bag until Fredricksburg showing. SO, maybe there would be valid reasons IF they decide to shut down the tours in the future. Something new?

Also, tours do take time away from work for whom ever the guide is. Hiring a tour guide might be a good idea but who's going to train them to know all about the factory? When I was thru there last they wanted to show off all the new equipment that they installed. Some really impressive stuff it was. Maybe they could set a schedule of twice a month for a tour. That might keep costs and work in line. Say max of 10 people so plan ahead. 

I also think a lot of the delay in building out more airframes last year was due to the Feds and certifying the 2 door model. If you haven't actually touched the new 2 door, when you do you will be impressed. I'd be one though that says their marketing needs to be improved. There should be 1 new airframe appearing at every flyin around the country all year long. Got to get the name and looks out there. The interior is great but I do think the paint scheme needs work.   

[n5756k]

It will be interesting to see how the bonding of composite to aluminum holds upon 20 years.

[Bob_Belville]

4 hours ago, cliffy said:

 

Also, tours do take time away from work for whom ever the guide is. Hiring a tour guide might be a good idea but who's going to train them to know all about the factory? When I was thru there last they wanted to show off all the new equipment that they installed. Some really impressive stuff it was. Maybe they could set a schedule of twice a month for a tour. That might keep costs and work in line. Say max of 10 people so plan ahead. 

Joe Schmerber, MAPA volunteer and retired long time Mooney employee, guides most of the plant tours. When I was last there (with Mooney Girl and Lynn Mace) in June 2016, there were too many visitors for one group and Tom Dolan took the overflow.

[Amelia]

Sure is good to have a foot in the door, there in Kerrville. Thanks to somebody who knew somebody, an apparently secret, or at least very subtle old Service Instruction advising a fix for the very stuck trim problem that cost me my beloved Mooney has now been upgraded to a Service Bulletin. Not that I have received this thing, but my non-MSS mechanics might, now. Here's a hearty cheer for bypassing the chain of command. 

In exchange for not siccing  my squadron of plaintiffs attorneys on the company, I'd get over my heartbreak and graciously accept one of those purty two-door Mooneys.  ()

Edited January 16, 2017 by Amelia

[MooneyMitch]

13 hours ago, MooneyMitch said:

Per recent AVweb posting......"Piper Sells 50 Archers To China"

I would obviously have preferred to see "Mooney sells 50 airplanes to China".

Possibly I'm just not seeing or understanding the big picture!