M20C vs. M20J - Where is the 10”?!

[exiledbeechfan]

I’m new to this site, so if I’ve misused it by posting this because it’s somewhere else, please accept my apology in advance.

As my handle suggests, I am now shopping J models (after a year plus of shopping straight tail Debs...and over half my flying time in Bs).  The speed/efficiency and value on Mooneys is...which I still look over my shoulder as I say it...better than I’ll be able to afford with the Beechcrafts.

Let’s be clear-short of a BE36, this is going to be uncomfortable on any appreciable distance.  I get it.  I’m 6’6”, my wife is 5’7”, I have a 6 year old, and one on the way.  Most of my flying is solo, but 20% or less with more than just me on board.

My main question is where is the 10” stretch between the C and the J located?  I’ve tried to figure this out with the best of Google research, but can’t.  How bad am I shorting the kids in the back?  I get they’ll grow so they’ll run out of room, but say for the next five to seven years, is going for a spotless C versus an average J doable or completely stupid?

Thanks in advance for any insight.

Edited December 17, 2020 by exiledbeechfan

[Hank]

The extra length is split:

• 5" extra backseat legroom 
• 5" extra baggage space behind the back seat

The J also has fuel injection (as does E, F) and 20 more hp than the carbureted C.

But a C is still a versatile plane!

Edited December 17, 2020 by Hank

[exiledbeechfan]

Perfect!  I saw the post on this website about the total length and the extra baggage area room, but could not ascertain the distribution of where.  Thank you very much!

[smccray]

A J and a Debonair with an IO-470K engine are going to very close to the same economics as far as fuel cost. The 4 cylinder engine is likely a little cheaper than 6, but variances in airframes is likely going to be more significant than variances between models. 
 

Good luck with your search!

[KLRDMD]

25 minutes ago, Hank said:

The J also has fuel injection (as does E, F) and 10 more hp than the carbureted C.

20. 180HP in the C and 200 in the E/F/J.

[Ragsf15e]

Split the difference in a J and a C.  Look at an F.  200hp, injected, and same length as a J.  Fs are 1966-1976 ish.  You’ll see cruise around 145ktas for an F where a J might average 155 ktas (maybe smidge more).  Back seat room is the same.  Definitely reasonable for any kids and even for some adults.  I’m 6’3” and am ok back there.  You get more useful load  and fuel capacity with the F/J than the C in general.  You can find real solid Fs for ~$70-80k depending on what avionics you want.

 

[Hank]

1 hour ago, KLRDMD said:

20. 180HP in the C and 200 in the E/F/J.

Fat fingers, small phone fake-keys. Corrected above . . . .

[M20F]

1 hour ago, bluehighwayflyer said:

Hank meant 20 more horsepower in the E, F, and J than the A, B, C, and D.     

What about the poor lowly G...

[carusoam]

Let’s talk legs...

Check the tag on the back of the Levi’s... skip the first number.... go directly to the other number... the other number indicates the length of the legs...

Let’s say, for conversation purposes.... the average pilot in my house has a 32” inseam...

That inseam is a pretty good approximation of the important part of overall leg length...

Now... for the real important part...

The 32” legs have been proven to fit perfectly in the M20C (aka a short body)... leaving enough room to raise a pair of ordinary kids to middle school age...  see pic of ordinary kids in my avatar... that is the size they were when we got the M20R...

Now compare the number on your Levi’s... and add the 5” that Hank gave us for the extra space for the mid body cabin...

If the number on your Levi’s is 37” or less... you have room for two ordinary kids to sit behind you... while you fly incredibly comfortably in a Mooney...

My math skills aren’t the strongest... and my legs aren’t the longest....

We could probably ask the tall math professor to give his opinion of how comfortable a mid body Mooney is for him and his family...

PP thoughts regarding the usefulness of overall height when discussing fitting in an airplane cabin...

The Air Force uses another measurement to cut applicants from the list... it’s called sitting height...  I barely made the physical ROTC cut... 

If you share the same 32” legs of the average pilot in my house... your sitting height is going to be extremely tall... imagine bumping your head on the ceiling of an F15...

We could do the math... or just go sit in a Mooney... pick the one with adjustable seats... put the height of the chair all the way to the floor... and adjust the recline to suit...

Last chance... if you run out of recline... your head will be in the middle of the chest of your back seater...

Hmmmm...

Some people ask about the other number printed on their blue jeans... that one isn’t usually too much of a challenge... until your co-pilot has the same number or larger... and there are ways to handle that challenge as well...

So... If you want to fly a Mooney... congrats, You fit!  

 

One of the first lessons people learn when visiting MS... the rumor of cabin size is completely inadequate... grab the numbers, and go put one on... 

Compared to cars of the same era... airplanes are tiny.  Compared to cars today... my Mooney has the volume of my Chevy Tahoe... how big of a plane do you want?   Hmmmm DC3 could be nice...

Go Mooney!

Best regards,

-a-

 

[Yetti]

Some of the Fs are rumored to have a couple more inches behind the front seat than other Fs.