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Reminiscing my former M20A Mooney


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My first flyable mooney was a wood wing M20a mooney. I got it on a trade for a cessna 140. What a fantastic upgrade from a 100 mph airplane. I had to get the mooney painted since it was not painted. This set me back 1900.00 which was a lot in 1984. The new 3 tone paint job made it look new.  Fortunately for me the wing was recently rebuilt and the wood was good. I really enjoyed flying it and if I remember right it cruised about 155 mph. This was quite a speed increase of the former airplanes I owned (piper tripacer, cherokee, cessna 140, tired 1947 bonanza and c-140).  The mooney had a third fuel tank and gave me lots of range. Once, I flew it non stop from Cheyenne, Wy to St.George, Ut. One other interesting thing I learned is how well it glided. One time the engine quit about 3 miles from the field due to a leaky fuel gasolator, which later the electrical boost pump brought the engine back to life. Anyway it glided good. I had many good experiences and trips with this plane. I now have a 201 mooney and enjoy it as well. 

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4 hours ago, Andy95W said:

You said, "My first flyable Mooney."  Is there a story behind that?

Yes there is. I once made a bad decision to trade a very clean Piper Tripacer for a wrecked 67 M20c Mooney.  I was in the airforce and limited on money. For some reason I thought I could get the mooney repaired with some help and it turned out to my loss. I ownd a perfectly good Tri-Pacer and went for a project out of my limitations. I wish I could say that was the last big mistake I would make. Anyway, I didn't give up flying and had many planes since then. 

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48 minutes ago, Raptor05121 said:

Any pics of it? I do wish we retained the center 17 gallon tank. 48 gallons is pathetically small for these early birds

I have some pictures but their not in the best of conditions. One got faded being exposed to the light. I think I was taking slides for most of my pictures back then. 

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I've read they gave up 10 knots switching to metal.  Problem is there aren't that many people left who can do the sort of fine woodwork needed to keep them flying.  Amazing that such a machine was designed in the 1950's, with no computers or anything.  And I bet it went from clean sheet to prototype in a year, too.

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The Mooney M-18 Mite was all wood except for the steel fuselage cage.  It was a terrific flying little plane.  The original wooden M-20 probably shared many flight characteristics.  Too bad Mooney went from a control stick to the yoke.  I'd like to fly in a wooden M-20 someday.  :unsure:  

Getting someone to take you for a ride in a Mite just doesn't work.  :blink:

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1 hour ago, Mooneymite said:

The Mooney M-18 Mite was all wood except for the steel fuselage cage.  It was a terrific flying little plane.  The original wooden M-20 probably shared many flight characteristics.  Too bad Mooney went from a control stick to the yoke.  I'd like to fly in a wooden M-20 someday.  :unsure:  

Getting someone to take you for a ride in a Mite just doesn't work.  :blink:

What kind of experience is needed to get into a M18? Is M20 time sufficient enough?

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Getting the M20 right, quickly...

came with the experience of 19 previous Mdesigns... only the most recent got the name Mooney on them...

It keeps getting better with the revisions M20A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,...U

Wooden wing and tail were too challenging for many, to know the AW condition with certainty, all the time...

Expect a composite Mooney to reduce part numbers, and smooth transitions to get those knots back...  Al Mooney style... aerodynamically!

That Guy was a hard working genius!

Fun Stuff.....

Best regards,

-a-

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4 hours ago, Raptor05121 said:

What kind of experience is needed to get into a M18? Is M20 time sufficient enough?

The first Mooneymite I ever saw was the one I bought.

I already owned a C.  The insurance company thought that was close enough...  no check out required.  Good thing since a single seat checkout is kind of tough.  The Mite is a plane you wear.

About 2.5 minutes was all I needed to feel comfortable.  It was a blast.

There are lots of stories of Mites being landed gear up and only needing an hour to install a new prop to fly again.  I guess things were a little more relaxed in 1950.  :lol:

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6 hours ago, Mooneymite said:

There are lots of stories of Mites being landed gear up and only needing an hour to install a new prop to fly again.  I guess things were a little more relaxed in 1950.  :lol:

Baxter's book includes a bit about Al Mooney doing exactly that.

There was one for sale at KRAP last year out on display during "general aviation day" at the airport.   I've always thought they looked like they'd be a ton of fun, but not very practical for anything.  I think if I was going to seriously go that way I'd lean toward a Culver Cadet and at least be able to take somebody along.   Still a 'Mooney', too.  ;) 

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1 hour ago, Yetti said:

I was reading that the Mite was offered as a kit at one point.   Does that mean that there are plans out there?   Unbuilt kits?

This is true.  However, there are only a few kit-built Mites.  The factory built Mites are not hard to find and cost less than you could build one.

http://www.mooneymite.com/articles-history/greenehomebuilt.htm

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm not sure they gave up quite 10 kts going to the metal wing, however 2 anecdotes: 1. I raced a 201 around Lake Powell in my M20A and consistently outran it, and 2. I took off behind a C model in Houston which climbed to 6500 on the way to Dallas, while I climbed to 8500 and I overtook it before reaching College Station.

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