Texas Aircraft - LSA. Is this what Mooney should do?

[chinoguym20]

Friend of mine at KERV airport has seen this flying around the “Mooney” area and for a close-up when it fueled at KERV a while ago.

Should Mooney be doing something like this?

https://texasaircraft.com/

 

 

[MooneyMitch]

What do you mean..... it was flying around the “Mooney “ area?

Was it flying near the engineering building?  Was it flying in and around the assembly buildings? Around the employee parking area...... the old picnic area??  

[carusoam]

Finishing the M10 project?

The Bravo model has always been good for Mooney...

Other than the factory is a bit busy lately... Staying above water...

 

Got any additional insight, CG?

Best regards,

-a-

[ryoder]

Should they enter the LSA market? It is crowded and Vashon has a great low cost entry that is going to outsell the Colt IMHO. Vashon is run by Dynon and they really lowered the cost of production by using prepainted aluminum and other techniques. If I was Mooney I would build a modular airplane that is low cost but able to share parts and rigging with a LSA up to a four place. I don’t know how to do it but economy of scale and strategic reuse is the way to go.  Cost matters.

[steingar]

I still think instead of spending all that coin to make the useless M10 they should have bought the Mooney Cadet back from Univair.  I bet cash money that by the time they got the TC for the Cadet and the tooling to make it they'd have spent less ca$h than for that idiotic M10.  The Cadet can burn auto gas all day long, and auto gas is everywhere in China.  They could be making those things right now, when everyone needs trainer aircraft.  All I can say is Duh.

[GeeBee]

A guy on our airport has just bought a Vashon Ranger. The lithium battery went dead and I was unimpressed with the factory support. It was pathetic actually.

[McMooney]

just myo,

Mooney should automate as much as possible, hand-built is for 1950 not 2020.

Bring back the "E", absolute best model Mooney ever made,  everything else is just second 8)

 

Edited September 29, 2020 by McMooney

[flyer338]

What a great 2+2 a modern E with the latest aerodynamic refinements would make. There is no reason it could not have a 2740 gross weight and cruise at 165 knots on 10 gph.

[McMooney]

Second door and a Diesel engine would make it perfect.

 

Actually how about carbon/kevlar spars and roll cages which will never corrode, can't tell you how anxious i am ever annual.

[Guest]

Any one remember when Mooney was going to do the “Toxo” Aircraft from Spain?

https://www.flightglobal.com/spaniards-join-mooney-in-toxo-light-sport-venture/50189.article

Clarence

[Ned Gravel]

On 9/28/2020 at 6:43 PM, McMooney said:

just myo,

Mooney should automate as much as possible, hand-built is for 1950 not 2020.

Bring back the "E", absolute best model Mooney ever made,  everything else is just second 8)

 

I agree, but I am sort of biased.

[bill98]

On 9/29/2020 at 7:39 PM, Ned Gravel said:

I agree, but I am sort of biased.

I think the M20E is the best ever. 
MAYBE stretch the cabin 3 inches but keep windows same sizE. 

[Austintatious]

I just cant get my head around the LSA thing... It is an interesting story.  The idea was to make it easier to get a LS certificate and then make it so that manufacturers could build new, light, safe and "cheap" aircraft for those LS pilots to fly....

Now there are LS aircraft that cost a bazzilian dollars and cant get anywhere and they get there SLOW! 

I don't understand the allure.  There were already lots of options for people that wanted to go bore holes in the sky.  Why is there such a market for this?  It really perplexes me. 

[AerostarDriver]

M20E with an 3 inch stretch, 201 Cowl and Windscreen, needs to have a 2750 gross weight with 64 gallon tanks and have an IO-360 or equivalent diesel. 2 doors would be a plus but honestly not required. G3X+GFC 500 for avionics. Price needs to be right around 425-550K to compete with the DA-40, Arrow and 182. Will it happen, no, but one can dream.

[Skydancer2992]

Looking at a friend's RV6a yesterday.

I want my M20E to have a cowling that is secured with a piano hinge on each seam. Pull out the wires and the cowling pops off.

This feature should reduce the parts count as well as make the plane more serviceable.

[flyer338]

I keep hearing that Mooney destroyed the tooling for the short and mid-body airframes. Is this true? Why would Mooney do that?

[glafaille]

Most of the LSA aircraft I have researched are manufactured overseas and final assembly of the modules are performed here in a couple of days by relatively small companies/dealers.
 

All the major manufacturing facilities, engineering and labor are cheaper offshore.  I suspect product liability and legal expenses are all but eliminated by offshoring.  Any remaining liability is borne by the small business performing the final assembly.
 

It would be difficult if not impossible for an established manufacturer to compete on that level and still make a profit.  Cessna and Piper both tried and failed.  They have deep pockets and everyone knows it.
 

I believe a large percentage of the cost of every new airplane is product liability or legal expenses which a US manufacturer can not escape.

 

[ryoder]

Good video about the Vashon Ranger. 

I have never flown one but I’m a fan.

[Tim Jodice]

On 10/5/2020 at 12:24 AM, Austintatious said:

I just cant get my head around the LSA thing... It is an interesting story.  The idea was to make it easier to get a LS certificate and then make it so that manufacturers could build new, light, safe and "cheap" aircraft for those LS pilots to fly....

Now there are LS aircraft that cost a bazzilian dollars and cant get anywhere and they get there SLOW! 

I don't understand the allure.  There were already lots of options for people that wanted to go bore holes in the sky.  Why is there such a market for this?  It really perplexes me. 

The certificate is easier to get.

They are cheap for brand new aircraft. Some people put having a brand new airplane on the must have list.

They cost less to run than most regular lycontinental powered old aircraft.

Options are old aircraft that cost more to run and require at least a regular PP license. 

Some people want to go slow. For many the flight is the fun part so what is the rush?

 

The same could be said for why someone would buy a new piston single Cirrus, Mooney, Piper etc for around $1,000,000 when you could buy a mid to late 80s Citation for the same. 

[Davidv]

The problem with building anything small and fuel efficient (and certified) is that you're still talking about a $400-$500K new airplane.  Does anyone really think that the people who are dropping that kind of money on a new airplane are overly concerned with fuel efficiency?  You'll get beat by the SR22 market and it's not slow or forgiving enough to be competition for Cessna or Piper in the training world.

[Missile=Awesome]

A High Wing Airplane is NOT a Mooney.  The idea of the “E” as the “Sweetspot” is a little amusing to me.  I like the idea of re-working the gear on the Mooney as well as getting more gross weight capability.  The Mid-Body Mooney strikes a better balance between to small and to big.  I look forward to seeing what Mooney comes up with to compete again.  What I really want is for them to remain in business and support the existing fleet.