BryanLight Posted May 18, 2017 Report Posted May 18, 2017 (edited) I'm sure someone has me beat. Or do they? Anybody that knows anything in the industry will tell you Mooney came out with the M20C in 1962. I however have a 1961 M20C. S/N 1951. Is there anybody that is familiar with the manufacturing history in the early 60s? Does anyone have a lower S/N than me? Haven't seen one. Edited May 18, 2017 by BryanLight 3 Quote
Roger O Posted May 18, 2017 Report Posted May 18, 2017 Bryan, according to the FAA registry, N78911 is the first C model registered in their database, with serial number 1940. Really like your paint job! Quote
carusoam Posted May 18, 2017 Report Posted May 18, 2017 See who signed the AW lines in the first log book... see if you can recognize his name. The C was a nice update of the B that came before it. Lots of refinement... Best regards, -a- Quote
orionflt Posted May 18, 2017 Report Posted May 18, 2017 I have an 1993, that is also a 1961 C model. 1940 was the first C off the line, I believe in oct 61 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote
BryanLight Posted May 18, 2017 Author Report Posted May 18, 2017 2 hours ago, pstone said: Hi Bryan, I have the first C model. Serial # 1852. Still flying. Flew 1200 miles last weekend. Pat Thanks everyone! It did say on the website that the C model started with #1940. That would mean mine was the 11th built. Pretty cool. Also, according to that, you(pstone) have a M20B... I don't know! Quote
orionflt Posted May 18, 2017 Report Posted May 18, 2017 Pat, you are correct in the fact that you have the lowest serial number, but SN 1940 was the first C off the production line. your aircraft has an airworthiness date of 1963, with out all the proper documentation I would guess it was an older B fuselage that they built into a C model since there were only minor changes. check your airframe log book for the test flight date. Brian Quote
carusoam Posted May 18, 2017 Report Posted May 18, 2017 (edited) Some fun Mooney production history... Special project planes appear to have been pulled from the line after they were given a serial number... They are serial in one way, but not very serial in another way... #1852 appears to be the first real M20C built. Probably pulled out of the end of a serial line of M20Bs... #1940 appears to be the second real M20C built. But it is the first of a long line of regular production. There are a couple of serial numbers that fall out of line, then come back. There is probably a first 1965 style M20C that got a handful of updates to match the rectangular windows and fuel separator updates... All this complexity came out of applying linear serial numbers to all airframes being built at the factory. A few years later the C, E, F, and G were given their own line of serial numbers preceded by a two digit number to indicated the type of hull it was... Fun stuff you only get with factory built airplanes... a more or less full history about your plane as of the day it left the factory. Not just a parts list, but a complete set of procedures followed, and equipment used, to build the plane... Best regards, -a- Edited May 18, 2017 by carusoam 1 Quote
Hank Posted May 19, 2017 Report Posted May 19, 2017 (edited) 3 hours ago, carusoam said: Some fun Mooney production history... Special project planes appear to have been pulled from the line after they were given a serial number... They are serial in one way, but not very serial in another way... #1852 appears to be the first real M20C built. Probably pulled out of the end of a serial line of M20Bs... #1940 appears to be the second real M20C built. But it is the first of a long line of regular production. There are a couple of serial numbers that fall out of line, then come back. There is probably a first 1965 style M20C that got a handful of updates to match the rectangular windows and fuel separator updates... All this complexity came out of applying linear serial numbers to all airframes being built at the factory. A few years later the C, E, F, and G were given their own line of serial numbers preceded by a two digit number to indicated the type of hull it was... Fun stuff you only get with factory built airplanes... a more or less full history about your plane as of the day it left the factory. Not just a parts list, but a complete set of procedures followed, and equipment used, to build the plane... Best regards, -a- But the serial number of my 1970 C starts with "70-" followed by five numbers. I always thought that indicated a 1970 model . . . Edited May 19, 2017 by Hank Quote
C-GHIJ Posted May 19, 2017 Report Posted May 19, 2017 You got me beat.. mine is a 1961 serial number 2040 Quote
lamont337 Posted May 19, 2017 Report Posted May 19, 2017 1962, #2133... glad to be in such good company Quote
prflyer Posted May 19, 2017 Report Posted May 19, 2017 19 hours ago, BryanLight said: I'm sure someone has me beat. Or do they? Anybody that knows anything in the industry will tell you Mooney came out with the M20C in 1962. I however have a 1961 M20C. S/N 1951. Is there anybody that is familiar with the manufacturing history in the early 60s? Does anyone have a lower S/N than me? Haven't seen one. Bryan, Really nice paint job! Is that an original version or did you modify the original pattern? Fernando Quote
BryanLight Posted May 19, 2017 Author Report Posted May 19, 2017 I'm amazed at the knowledge within this group. And the plane was painted in the early 90s. Don't know what the original scheme was, but I love the dark paint that stretches the window line. Quote
prflyer Posted May 19, 2017 Report Posted May 19, 2017 Agree Bryan. That paint stretching the window line looks great. Quote
orionflt Posted May 19, 2017 Report Posted May 19, 2017 Neat history, thought it might have been a prototype. Brian Quote
MooneyMitch Posted May 19, 2017 Report Posted May 19, 2017 18 hours ago, carusoam said: Some fun Mooney production history... Special project planes appear to have been pulled from the line after they were given a serial number... They are serial in one way, but not very serial in another way... #1852 appears to be the first real M20C built. Probably pulled out of the end of a serial line of M20Bs... #1940 appears to be the second real M20C built. But it is the first of a long line of regular production. There are a couple of serial numbers that fall out of line, then come back. There is probably a first 1965 style M20C that got a handful of updates to match the rectangular windows and fuel separator updates... All this complexity came out of applying linear serial numbers to all airframes being built at the factory. A few years later the C, E, F, and G were given their own line of serial numbers preceded by a two digit number to indicated the type of hull it was... Fun stuff you only get with factory built airplanes... a more or less full history about your plane as of the day it left the factory. Not just a parts list, but a complete set of procedures followed, and equipment used, to build the plane... Best regards, -a- The cool aspect of Mooney in Kerrville in the 60's, to me, was the extreme enthusiasm for the product and what could come next. I think that was great! Those folks didn't wait for a new year model to make make positive changes to an airplane. If a tech on the floor, or a draftsman, or a nighttime janitor had a good idea, that idea was valued, and if approved, it was implemented during current model production. The R&D department appeared to be an extremely valued part of Mooney at that time.... the Mustang, the never to be H model I've mentioned previously, etc...... exciting times in Kerrville it was!! 2 Quote
MooneyMitch Posted May 19, 2017 Report Posted May 19, 2017 "or a nighttime janitor had a good idea" That information came directly from the horses mouth, Mr. Terrible himself, the dear Bill Wheat. Quote
MooneyMitch Posted May 19, 2017 Report Posted May 19, 2017 On 5/17/2017 at 10:37 PM, BryanLight said: I'm sure someone has me beat. Or do they? Anybody that knows anything in the industry will tell you Mooney came out with the M20C in 1962. I however have a 1961 M20C. S/N 1951. Is there anybody that is familiar with the manufacturing history in the early 60s? Does anyone have a lower S/N than me? Haven't seen one. I too, like the looks of your Mooney! Quote
LANCECASPER Posted May 20, 2017 Report Posted May 20, 2017 On 5/18/2017 at 1:38 PM, BryanLight said: Thanks everyone! It did say on the website that the C model started with #1940. That would mean mine was the 11th built. Pretty cool. Also, according to that, you(pstone) have a M20B... I don't know! Close, yours (#1951) would actually be the 12th built. #1 1940 #2 1941 . . . #10 1949 #11 1950 #12 1951 Quote
orionflt Posted May 20, 2017 Report Posted May 20, 2017 Amazing how many 62 Mooney's were built in 61 Quote
Danb Posted May 20, 2017 Report Posted May 20, 2017 On 5/18/2017 at 3:49 PM, pstone said: Please see attached documentation. Pat Mooney Serial #S.pdf Cool seemed like an afterthought and #1852, well put it out of numerical order. Quote
MooneyMitch Posted May 20, 2017 Report Posted May 20, 2017 7 minutes ago, orionflt said: Amazing how many 62 Mooney's were built in 61 While interviewing Bill Wheat, during the movie making process, there were several times he would comment just how many Mooneys were produced during those glory days of the Kerrville factory. Bill would chuckle at the amount of hours required to produce a current Ovation or an Acclaim, relative to the small amount of hours spent producing the 60s models . He did recognize that the new airplanes were much more complicated than those from the 60s. I would have to go back and watch the movie to see just how many planes he claimed Kerrville produced in a given month in the early to mid 60's. I do recall it was a stark contrast amount of hours between those early days, and the last production runs leading up to the 2008 shut down. The Mooney workers at the factory in those days were so completely dedicated to the product. I still believe that those folks were a perfect example of the work ethic of America in those days . Mooney, it is a great American story! Quote
orionflt Posted May 20, 2017 Report Posted May 20, 2017 Just knowing that SN 1940 has an airworthiness date of 2 nov 61 and mine SN 1993 is 13 Dec 61 it means they were producing around 2 aircraft per day! Brian Quote
MooneyMitch Posted May 20, 2017 Report Posted May 20, 2017 36 minutes ago, orionflt said: Just knowing that SN 1940 has an airworthiness date of 2 nov 61 and mine SN 1993 is 13 Dec 61 it means they were producing around 2 aircraft per day! Brian Per Bill, and others we interviewed, aircraft daily production seriously increased after the conversion to the all metal Mooney, as directed by Ralph Harmon ( creator of the Bonanza). Quote
cliffy Posted May 21, 2017 Report Posted May 21, 2017 And if you read Harmon's account, he built the Mooney wing so strong so that it didn't mimic what had happened at Beech with the Bonanza wing he designed. He didn't want that to happen again (as we have seen over the decades). He said that Walter Beech kept having him lighten everything and Harmon felt this contributed to the loss of airplanes when the spar went south. Quote
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