Gross weight?

[stevesm20b]

Does anyone know why the B model has a gross weight 125lbs less than the C model?

[jrwilson]

Because B models are 125 pounds less cool than C models      But I might be a biased and unreliable source, as I am a C owner.

[markeg1964]

Following is a W&B calculator I made for my M20B.  When I fly with friends who weigh 250lbs (I'm just over 200) I should have issues flairing due to a to forward CG yet the plane flies just fine.  I have a feeling the C nuumbers work for the B although I'm sure my insiurance company and the FAA would not agree if something bad happened. 

http://www.mgcpa.com/mark/flying/m20/wab/wandb.html

 

[butchgilbert]

Markeg1964,  would you know of an online W&B calculator for a 1975 M20 F model? Thanks.

[kurtsnyder]

Quote: stevesm20b

Does anyone know why the B model has a gross weight 125lbs less than the C model?

[sleepingsquirrel]

Quote: markeg1964

Following is a W&B calculator I made for my M20B.  When I fly with friends who weigh 250lbs (I'm just over 200) I should have issues flairing due to a to forward CG yet the plane flies just fine.  I have a feeling the C nuumbers work for the B although I'm sure my insiurance company and the FAA would not agree if something bad happened. 

http://www.mgcpa.com/mark/flying/m20/wab/wandb.html

 

[sleepingsquirrel]

Quote: kurtsnyder

I was told it is because the B model has around 80 something pounds of additional alluminum in the wing than the later models. I'm assuming that's because Mooney overcompensated on their first all metal wing just to be safe.

[jetdriven]

The C had different seat rails, and the skin on the fuselage and tail was one guage thinner.   Its probably the same reason the later J's had a gross weight increase to 2900 LB,  marketing and selling airplanes.   Its likely a paperwork change and a simple inspection like the J increase.

[stevesm20b]

Maybe I'm missing something? If the "B" model has thicker skin than the "C" model. I would think, that if anything, it would make the airframe on the B model stronger and able to have a greater load carrying capacity. Also, it would explain why the empty wt. would be greater. I know the gross wt of the wooden wing "A" model and the "B" model are the same (2450). Was the factory just conservative when they came out with the first all metal Mooney, or was there another reason? The only other difference I can see between the 1961 B and the 1962 C, is the C has more rudder travel. I would think that would have more to do with taking off, or landing in a cross wind, than having a higher gross wt. Or maybe it has to do with stall/spin characteristics at extreme forward or rearward CG with the limited rudder travel with the 125lbs extra wt. Just haven't found anything in writing that would explain why the "C" model has a gross wt of 2575 and the "B" model is 2450. I know a few pilots that don't have a problem flying a "B" model with a gross wt of 2575, but I would like to find out if there is a way to increase the gross wt of the "B" model legally. 

[markeg1964]

I don’t know of an online W&B for another model of the Mooney.  It would be fairly simple to copy the code from my web page and modify it for another plane.  Just be sure to give the original author credit for his code.  He gave permission to copy and modify it although last time I checked his web site was not up.  As far as putting it on a thumb drive, it should run just fine if the HTML, JPG and GIF files are in the same directory.  Feel free to copy and modify them.

Following is a great list of design changes from the B to the C:
http://www.mooneyevents.com/cmodel.htm
I think the weight increase was a paperwork change based on experiance.

[MARZ]

I f you have an Ipad or Iphone download FlightPlan - you can create multiple w&b for any plane you fly.  it's also has other handy programs/E6B functions.