Mcstealth Posted July 1, 2023 Report Share Posted July 1, 2023 Would love to know the back story on this. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aviatoreb Posted July 2, 2023 Report Share Posted July 2, 2023 Wow! That is cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N201MKTurbo Posted July 2, 2023 Report Share Posted July 2, 2023 I was so close to getting to fly that thing once, but the ground crew had already started drinking beer…… 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcstealth Posted July 2, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2023 6 hours ago, Mcstealth said: Would love to know the back story on this. Any of you taxi your baby into the desert like that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Blackh4t Posted July 2, 2023 Report Share Posted July 2, 2023 2 hours ago, Mcstealth said: Any of you taxi your baby into the desert like that? If the ground is solid underneath without little stones I'd consider it. Depends if it can make it over the clumps without needing more than 1500rpm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtVandelay Posted July 2, 2023 Report Share Posted July 2, 2023 Can’t read the entire tail number, looks like N6425? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Posted July 2, 2023 Report Share Posted July 2, 2023 6 hours ago, Mcstealth said: Any of you taxi your baby into the desert like that? Any of you wear suits in the desert like that? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N201MKTurbo Posted July 2, 2023 Report Share Posted July 2, 2023 4 minutes ago, Hank said: Any of you wear suits in the desert like that? It’s nowhere around here (Arizona) there are no mountains in the background. And our desert doesn’t look like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Posted July 2, 2023 Report Share Posted July 2, 2023 4 minutes ago, N201MKTurbo said: It’s nowhere around here (Arizona) there are no mountains in the background. And our desert doesn’t look like that. Most likely west Texas. It's Mooney advertising, right? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooneyMitch Posted July 2, 2023 Report Share Posted July 2, 2023 I sure love that paint scheme on the Mooney 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooneyMitch Posted July 2, 2023 Report Share Posted July 2, 2023 Joe Schmerber (former Mooney sales person in the 60’’s, and Mooney historian) told me they’d take the Mooney around Texas with clients, landing on golf courses for a few rounds. That’s just fun, I don’t care who you are 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooney in Oz Posted July 3, 2023 Report Share Posted July 3, 2023 7 hours ago, MooneyMitch said: Joe Schmerber (former Mooney sales person in the 60’’s, and Mooney historian) told me they’d take the Mooney around Texas with clients, landing on golf courses for a few rounds. That’s just fun, I don’t care who you are I met Joe at a Mooney Homecoming 14 years ago and found him to be very nice guy. One of the Mooney history topics we talked about was the marvellous initial upgraded design of the J model from previous models that I thought Roy LoPresti was responsible for. He responded that contrary to this common belief, Roy was in fact not responsible, but took the credit for it. I may have been wrong, but sensed some possible back in the day animosity between he and Roy, so I therefore left it that. As I own a J and have done so for the past 22 years, I wouldn’t mind knowing the true story relating to the upgrade as to whether it was Roy’s design or someone else’s, if anyone knows. Sorry about the thread drift. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinecone Posted July 3, 2023 Report Share Posted July 3, 2023 Roy was known for aerodynamic clean up. He turned the Grumman Traveler into the Cheetah and Tiger. And the Tiger, fixed gear, fixed pitch prop, 180 HP, was as fast or faster than the 200 HP retract airplanes of the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooneyMitch Posted July 3, 2023 Report Share Posted July 3, 2023 10 hours ago, Mooney in Oz said: I met Joe at a Mooney Homecoming 14 years ago and found him to be very nice guy. One of the Mooney history topics we talked about was the marvellous initial upgraded design of the J model from previous models that I thought Roy LoPresti was responsible for. He responded that contrary to this common belief, Roy was in fact not responsible, but took the credit for it. I may have been wrong, but sensed some possible back in the day animosity between he and Roy, so I therefore left it that. As I own a J and have done so for the past 22 years, I wouldn’t mind knowing the true story relating to the upgrade as to whether it was Roy’s design or someone else’s, if anyone knows. Sorry about the thread drift. During our filming of Boots On The Ground, The Men and Women Who Built Mooney, our dear beloved Bill Wheat told us the 201 evolution story regarding Roy LoPresti. All the aerodynamic mods incorporated into the J, had been created and individually implemented at one time or another previously by either Mooney R&D folks, engineers and floor personnel, with the exception of the winglets…. those were created by Roy. As head of Mooney at that time, Roy was responsible for directing the integration of all the previously known airframe enhancements….. Joe is correct, Roy did not create the mods (except for the winglets) 1 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooney in Oz Posted July 3, 2023 Report Share Posted July 3, 2023 7 hours ago, MooneyMitch said: During our filming of Boots On The Ground, The Men and Women Who Built Mooney, our dear beloved Bill Wheat told us the 201 evolution story regarding Roy LoPresti. All the aerodynamic mods incorporated into the J, had been created and individually implemented at one time or another previously by either Mooney R&D folks, engineers and floor personnel, with the exception of the winglets…. those were created by Roy. As head of Mooney at that time, Roy was responsible for directing the integration of all the previously known airframe enhancements….. Joe is correct, Roy did not create the mods (except for the winglets) Well explained and appreciated. Thank you Mitch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSMooniac Posted July 3, 2023 Report Share Posted July 3, 2023 On 7/2/2023 at 1:25 AM, Mcstealth said: Any of you taxi your baby into the desert like that? I still remember taxiing like that in my dad's M20C at a fuel stop in Blythe, CA in the early 80's. Standard procedure there was to taxi through the desert for a short while to the adjacent truck stop for lunch, and then come back for fuel and departure! It was HOT... like back-of-your-legs-sizzle-on-the-vinyl after lunch. There were a couple dozen big trucks and a few airplanes while we were there. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M20F Posted July 3, 2023 Report Share Posted July 3, 2023 On 7/2/2023 at 8:48 AM, Hank said: Any of you wear suits in the desert like that? To a meeting, always. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcstealth Posted July 4, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2023 On 7/2/2023 at 9:51 PM, Mooney in Oz said: I met Joe at a Mooney Homecoming 14 years ago and found him to be very nice guy. One of the Mooney history topics we talked about was the marvellous initial upgraded design of the J model from previous models that I thought Roy LoPresti was responsible for. He responded that contrary to this common belief, Roy was in fact not responsible, but took the credit for it. I may have been wrong, but sensed some possible back in the day animosity between he and Roy, so I therefore left it that. As I own a J and have done so for the past 22 years, I wouldn’t mind knowing the true story relating to the upgrade as to whether it was Roy’s design or someone else’s, if anyone knows. Sorry about the thread drift. Dad talked a little about a redesign of the cowl in the works. Dad left Mooney in' 69-70, before the first bankruptcy, so I will say no to Lopresti coming up with the 201. Just an observation, nothing official. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted July 13, 2023 Report Share Posted July 13, 2023 Lot of slaggn' on Roy. here. Whats up with that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcstealth Posted July 15, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2023 On 7/12/2023 at 9:57 PM, Echo said: Lot of slaggn' on Roy. here. Whats up with that? There is an Impression that Mr Lopresti was not only a good engineer, but also a braggart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1980Mooney Posted July 15, 2023 Report Share Posted July 15, 2023 With the 201 we are talking about evolutionary changes to the same basic Mooney design in the days before the extensive use of computer based aerodynamic analysis and finite element analysis. A sloped windshield, fairings, cowl design, induction change, etc. Whether he held the pencil or slide rule or not, he made it come together successfully and happen. He did the same thing with the Grumman Tiger (from the Traveler) before joining Mooney in 1974. The 231 was a bigger effort as were the first Long Bodies. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted July 18, 2023 Report Share Posted July 18, 2023 On 7/15/2023 at 1:04 PM, Mcstealth said: There is an Impression that Mr Lopresti was not only a good engineer, but also a braggart. Is self confidence and self promotion a deadly sin? I dislike envy more personally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted July 18, 2023 Report Share Posted July 18, 2023 Just now, Echo said: Is self confidence and self promotion a deadly sin? I dislike envy more personally. I guess you could classify as “pride”… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooneyMitch Posted July 19, 2023 Report Share Posted July 19, 2023 I mean no disrespect, nor do I mean in anyway to diminish Roy LoPresti and his accomplishments during his time at Mooney. It’s clear he made the J happen by directing all those mods be incorporated. That was made clear to me by Bill Wheat and others. Again, it was also made clear to me that the mods were in existence before Roy arrived at Mooney, with the exception of the winglets (Roy’s idea). What a great airplane it turned out to be! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Dawson Posted July 19, 2023 Report Share Posted July 19, 2023 Who designed the Mooney M30, the 301? I think that was am impressive aircraft design, especially at that time of aircraft development. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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