M10 is on the move

[peevee]

16 minutes ago, gsengle said:

 

100x better looking than that doctor suess style Cirrus airplane


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Sorry, no it isn't. It looks like a mangled pipersport.

[DaV8or]

13 hours ago, kpaul said:

Apparently test pilots are above proper flight planning.  How do you land at a fuel stop that does not have fuel for your plane?  Seems a simple phone call would have saved the embarrassment of filling your new prototype with diesel out of a 5 gal gas can and a makeshift funnel. 

 

 

 

The first day of the ferry of the M10 POC from the R&D facility in Chino to the production facility in Kerville Texas.

The plan was for "Wild" Bill Colvin, Kevin Kammer, and Elliot Seguin to stop for gas in Gila Bend. Unfortunately while Gila had plenty of 100LL there was no Jet A. So the team got some diesel (certified in the continental CD-155) from a passerby and jumped over to Casa Grande for the rest of the fuel load.

...

Arriving in Deming not only was there a totally rad airport car (err van), but line guy Tony suggested the Adobe Deli for dinner. Which ended up being a great way to wait out the thunderstorms that were popping up in all quadrants.

 

The first day of the ferry of the M10 POC from the R&D facility in Chino to the production facility in Kerville Texas.

The plan was for "Wild" Bill Colvin, Kevin Kammer, and Elliot Seguin to stop for gas in Gila Bend. Unfortunately while Gila had plenty of 100LL there was no Jet A. So the team got some diesel (certified in the continental CD-155) from a passerby and jumped over to Casa Grande for the rest of the fuel load.

Arriving in Deming not only was there a totally rad airport car (err van), but line guy Tony suggested the Adobe Deli for dinner. Which ended up being a great way to wait out the thunderstorms that were popping up in all quadrants.

 

It's interesting that Mooney doesn't even use it's own products. Why is the chase plane a Cessna 310? To me it does say something about the M20 and it's place in the marketplace and why Mooneys aren't selling very well.

 

[kpaul]

I thought the Cessna 310 was an interesting choice as well for Mooney.

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[KSMooniac]

There must be a reason... Mooney had a TN out there leased from an owner, and Kevin has his own 252. I have no idea where the 310 came from or why, unless they were hauling stuff to Kerrville that wouldn't fit in a Mooney, but wasn't enough to use another moving truck.

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[peevee]

2 minutes ago, KSMooniac said:

There must be a reason... Mooney had a TN out there leased from an owner, and Kevin has his own 252. I have no idea where the 310 came from or why, unless they were hauling stuff to Kerrville that wouldn't fit in a Mooney, but wasn't enough to use another moving truck.

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it's registered to "cash grading contractors inc"

 

I wanted to track it to see how slow that ugly airplane is but there's no GS in the track. I think the flight suit and helmet/mask is hilarious though.

[steingar]

I hope they'e able to manufacture and sell them.  New planes are always good for us pilots.  I hope Mooney is able to soldier on until I'm old enough not to care anymore.

[DaV8or]

1 hour ago, KSMooniac said:

There must be a reason... Mooney had a TN out there leased from an owner, and Kevin has his own 252. I have no idea where the 310 came from or why, unless they were hauling stuff to Kerrville that wouldn't fit in a Mooney, but wasn't enough to use another moving truck.

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I suspect it's because they needed an airplane that is roomy enough to seat 2-3 passengers comfortably, has a payload big enough for this are and their equipment, fast enough to follow and kind of keep up with the Ultras and cheap enough to not break the bank acquiring it. They realized no Mooney fit this bill.

[DaV8or]

1 hour ago, peevee said:

it's registered to "cash grading contractors inc"

 

I wanted to track it to see how slow that ugly airplane is but there's no GS in the track. I think the flight suit and helmet/mask is hilarious though.

I suspect the helmet, Nomex suit, gloves and oxygen mask are required by the insurance company and who knows? Maybe even OSHA. It is an experimental airplane still officially being tested and this guy is a test pilot with the tools of his trade. It does appear ridiculous, but likely mandatory.

[201er]

15 hours ago, kpaul said:

Apparently test pilots are above proper flight planning.  How do you land at a fuel stop that does not have fuel for your plane?  Seems a simple phone call would have saved the embarrassment of filling your new prototype with diesel out of a 5 gal gas can and a makeshift funnel.

A phone call!? Who does that any more? Just look at your efb app of choice and it tells you what kind of fuel they have and the price. You can tell he's not a real Mooney pilot cause real Mooney pilots know the price of gas at each airport along the way.

[KSMooniac]

A phone call!? Who does that any more? Just look at your efb app of choice and it tells you what kind of fuel they have and the price. You can tell he's not a real Mooney pilot cause real Mooney pilots know the price of gas at each airport along the way.

Any pilot on an expense account might prioritize En-route BBQ over fuel price, or even fuel availability in this case.

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[bradp]

Sell that thing as a kit and they'd probably make back some of the development costs.  Finish certification for its trainer purpose.  Meanwhile develop the RG version with a larger engine and a 4th seat.  True 4 seater may compete with Cirrus... price doesn't matter.  It's not like most of the flying population is in that strata.  Alternatively, if you can afford a 400k airplane, you probably could also afford a 700k airplane.

Jesse go for it... show up and tell them you know how to sell their airplane and have a plan to beat Cirrus. 

 

[1964-M20E]

I agree with sell it as a kit call it the MX10 with retract and do some test with 200HP or greater on it.  You can always get it certified in the future meanwhile you get some revenue steam coming in and you can streamline the manufacture of the parts.

[Bug Smasher]

I like the concept of a fast, economical, turbo diesel RG with BRS. I think it looks good too. I hope it works out.

[M20FanJesse]

3 hours ago, bradp said:

Jesse go for it... show up and tell them you know how to sell their airplane and have a plan to beat Cirrus. 

I'm not saying I have a full proof plan to save Mooney haha, but I have many good ideas, and I know how to make a web presence, which they definitely need. I am positive I could turn around their social media influence, which is huge in driving traffic and attention in today's world. Cirrus knows this. I know this. Most businesses if they are smart know this. Cirrus's instagram account for example has over 40k followers and their content is embarrassingly lame. Mooney on the other hand has just 1,400 and is almost totally inactive. I mean MY instagram account  has more than that, any aviation event I go to, random pilots come up to me and say "hey you're the t shirt guy!". And thats just with 1700 followers. Imagine what Mooney could do with 40k followers! And thats just one aspect of what they could improve. The potential they are squandering is frustrating. 

 

edit* My grandpa (who got me into mooneys) knows a high up guy at mooney. Maybe I'll send him an email. 

Edited September 21, 2017 by M20FanJesse

[carusoam]

On 9/20/2017 at 10:02 PM, kpaul said:

Apparently test pilots are above proper flight planning.  How do you land at a fuel stop that does not have fuel for your plane?  Seems a simple phone call would have saved the embarrassment of filling your new prototype with diesel out of a 5 gal gas can and a makeshift funnel. 

 

 

 

The first day of the ferry of the M10 POC from the R&D facility in Chino to the production facility in Kerville Texas.

The plan was for "Wild" Bill Colvin, Kevin Kammer, and Elliot Seguin to stop for gas in Gila Bend. Unfortunately while Gila had plenty of 100LL there was no Jet A. So the team got some diesel (certified in the continental CD-155) from a passerby and jumped over to Casa Grande for the rest of the fuel load.

...

Arriving in Deming not only was there a totally rad airport car (err van), but line guy Tony suggested the Adobe Deli for dinner. Which ended up being a great way to wait out the thunderstorms that were popping up in all quadrants.

 

The first day of the ferry of the M10 POC from the R&D facility in Chino to the production facility in Kerville Texas.

The plan was for "Wild" Bill Colvin, Kevin Kammer, and Elliot Seguin to stop for gas in Gila Bend. Unfortunately while Gila had plenty of 100LL there was no Jet A. So the team got some diesel (certified in the continental CD-155) from a passerby and jumped over to Casa Grande for the rest of the fuel load.

Arriving in Deming not only was there a totally rad airport car (err van), but line guy Tony suggested the Adobe Deli for dinner. Which ended up being a great way to wait out the thunderstorms that were popping up in all quadrants.

 

Now I recognize the pilot's name, and remember the Mooney decal on the crashed twin jet experimental plane...

I also remember the safety equipment that didn't fit in the experimental...

The test pilot life isn't for everybody, nor is airplane marketing I guess...

Hmmmmm,

-a-

[StinkBug]

9 hours ago, DaV8or said:

I suspect the helmet, Nomex suit, gloves and oxygen mask are required by the insurance company and who knows? Maybe even OSHA. It is an experimental airplane still officially being tested and this guy is a test pilot with the tools of his trade. It does appear ridiculous, but likely mandatory.

The pilot actually addressed that in a response to someone giving him flak for the outfit on facebook. He basically said it's a personal preference after his near death experience crashing another even more experimental aircraft, and that because he's constantly traveling doing testing of all sorts of aircraft it's easier to pack and use the same equipment for everything, rather than having a full mask setup and a non mask setup. Kinda makes sense, pack for the worst case scenario and you're always covered. 

[Parker_Woodruff]

Gila Bend is a decent airport.  Nice smooth runway to practice landings with your student while waiting for the weather westbound to clear.

[Ftlausa]

I am no marketing expert, but I know this -- compared to Cessna, Piper and even Cirrus, too few potential airplane buyers have flown or had the opportunity to get familiar with Mooneys.

When I was in the market for my first plane I didn't even consider a Mooney (due to lack of familiarity) until my wife pointed one out at the airport and said "I like that one."  Ironically, when I called the local factory authorized Mooney brokers, the first guy I spoke with told me that a Mooney was too much for a newer pilot to handle.  Can you imagine a Cirrus sales rep every saying that to a prospective buyer??

Long story short, test flew a J with a different broker and made an offer the next day.  Sold the J for an Ovation 3 years later.  

Mooney needs to invest in some mechanism to get prospective buyers familiar with and into their airplanes.  You don't have to steal much business from Cirrus to start getting momentum. But pictures in magazines is not going to get it done.  Getting people in planes will.         

[Bob_Belville]

2 hours ago, Ftlausa said:

Mooney needs to invest in some mechanism to get prospective buyers familiar with and into their airplanes.  You don't have to steal much business from Cirrus to start getting momentum. But pictures in magazines is not going to get it done.  Getting people in planes will.         

We can't do much about the fact that most pilots start out in Cessnas or Pipers. (Unless you count the short lived M20D, Mooney always had the handicap of not having flight schools using their planes.) Maybe the M10 will pan out as a popular trainer but that's years down the road so not a reasonable strategy for "getting people in planes". Nor are we going to have a national or international network of stocking dealers with a half dozen $750,000 demos parked on the showroom floor in the color of your choice.  

So... I'm thinking @mooneygirl's grass roots efforts, Mooney Girls, Ambassadors, Right Seat Ready, a Mooney presence at AOPA Regional Fly Ins, AOPA Blog, and @mike_elliott  & @rocketman' efforts to better the breed are helping to tell the Mooney story. If there are 9000 Mooney owners who are happy enough with the product to be owners they/we can help. For my part I start by exaggerating the roominess of the back seat in the "original" length Mooneys while mocking Arrows, C182s, and plastic airplanes for their lack of speed, economy, fixed gear, and general ugliness. More seriously, I helped get another MSC recognized, a real one who loves Mooneys. 

And I try to challenge the nattering nabobs of negativism that pop up here from time to time. I am very grateful that Mooney was rescued from complete dismantling less than 5 years ago. I am sure than behind their brave public face that staying afloat long enough to become a serious competitor to Cirrus is a tough lift. I can't do much to make their load lighter but I sure am not going to throw any extra bricks on their hod.  

[steingar]

Yeah, I am definitely a Mooney booster.  Its a pretty easily bragged on airplane.  I hope they stay in business and continue to make airplanes, because they make good ones.

[bradp]

If they go bankrupt again let’s get the owners together and buy the factory :-)

[Hank]

26 minutes ago, bradp said:

If they go bankrupt again let’s get the owners together and buy the factory :-)

The fleet has ~9000 planes. If 10% contribute, thats 900 owners, or $1100 each per milion offered. Someone(s) will have to kick in significantly more to make an attractive bid, or get the word out persuasively for a much higher participation rate. And i may be overestimating that at 10% anyway . . . But it's an idea that was never seriously discussed the last time (that i know of). Maybe drag in MAPA, several big name MSCs and a bunch of owners from the MAPALists.

[Bob_Belville]

1 hour ago, Hank said:

The fleet has ~9000 planes. If 10% contribute, thats 900 owners, or $1100 each per milion offered. Someone(s) will have to kick in significantly more to make an attractive bid, or get the word out persuasively for a much higher participation rate. And i may be overestimating that at 10% anyway . . . But it's an idea that was never seriously discussed the last time (that i know of). Maybe drag in MAPA, several big name MSCs and a bunch of owners from the MAPALists.

Big talk. This crowd couldn't or wouldn't be able to get together to save a single old Mooney from the Grim Reaper's @Alan Fox  Sawzall and you're going to chip in to run a company? 

[mike_elliott]

If MAPA wanted to save Mooney, it would have done so back when the Dopp bros fleeced it. This talk of buying Mooney is silly IMO, they are in good hands now, and lets let them execute their plan. The current ownership is in it for the long game, not the instant gratification. The last 2 years have validated that point alone.

 

[Bob_Belville]

3 minutes ago, mike_elliott said:

If MAPA wanted to save Mooney, it would have done so back when the Dopp bros fleeced it. This talk of buying Mooney is silly IMO, they are in good hands now, and lets let them execute their plan. The current ownership is in it for the long game, not the instant gratification. The last 2 years have validated that point alone.

 

Absolutely. BTW, apropos a suggestion earlier that folks need to see the new planes, a salesman from Premier AL posted on FaceBook earlier this evening that he'd flown a new Mooney 40 hours this week giving demos. He was happy tired.