What’s a Mooney to you?

[201er]

Is a Mooney about speed or efficiency to you? For example if you cruise 75% power at best power, that’s speed. 55% power at 7gph at or below peak, that’s efficiency. Or something in between for best of both? Or neither because you primarily use your Mooney to provide an aesthetic feel to your hangar space?

[201er]

I’m definitely in the best of both. I’m usually getting 150-155ktas on 8-8.5gph while LOP. This is above Carson’s Speed but it is still great bang for the buck because burning an additional 1-4gph only provides a tiny increase in speed at that point. Love going fast. But going slightly slower than fast also happens to be quite efficient. Rarely worth going any harder than that.

[toto]

Best of both. I bought a Mooney because I had a lot of good experience with four-cylinder Lycomings, and no one does more with a four-cylinder Lycoming than Mooney. 

[Schllc]

My answer to the four options for an answer is yes. 

[201er]

7 minutes ago, toto said:

Best of both. I bought a Mooney because I had a lot of good experience with four-cylinder Lycomings, and no one does more with a four-cylinder Lycoming than Mooney. 

I bought a lycoming factory reman engine because I had a good experience with Mooney 

[dkkim73]

It's an elegant weapon from a more civilized age. 

[toto]

3 minutes ago, Schllc said:

My answer to the four options for an answer is yes. 

Actually, it’s interesting how these things are related. Almost anywhere I go, I have people who walk up and go “I heard those things are really fast.” So the visual appeal is inextricably linked to its performance

 

[Crawfish]

The Economy is definitely a huge thing for me. Truly a marvel for the price You can pick up a nice 231 for the low 100's cruise at 165KTAS on 10GPH. This allows 3 hour trips with 3 large people and bags, or 4 small people and bags. Think South Indiana to Nola, I don't know another plane that you can do that for these operating cost and initial purchase price. F33's Is another example I can think of that will do the mission at similar speeds but you're going to burn more gas and Spend an extra 100K on purchase. 

 

In my opinion they are beautiful looking planes, but so are F33's and plenty of other aircraft. 

[Schllc]

When your airplane can provide fuel mileage similar to a luxury car, that is some serious bragging rights!  But I think the biggest initial draw for me was the speed. 
I mean you buy an airplane to go fast!

[hubcap]

I love to go fast, and I love the fact that I can go fast on 10 GPH. And of course the fact that Myrtle is gorgeous doesn’t hurt.

[Falcon Man]

As a student pilot in the 1980's I swapped flight hours for fueling, cleaning aircraft and mechanics helper duties at the local FBO. One of the aircraft renters slid a wooden wing Mooney into the home runway without lowering the gear. The FBO AP/IA owner was a crusty old dog who relished in giving the FAA fits, so he drove to Texas from Idaho and bought a used wing from someone and mated the fuselage to the wing, which he never documented in the logs!.  In the process the airplane was completely stripped down and one of my tasks was to sand off the zinc chromate off all the tubes before repainting them. The tubular chromoly fuselage cage reminded me of the funny car dragsters I worked on with my older brother and his buddies. Also it looked like the frame of the P51 models I built as a pre-teen. That was enough for me to realize the designers were interested in strength and protecting the passengers in the event of a crash. About the time the Mooney was ready to test out I acquiring my PP certificate (in the P and C brand aircraft), I got to do the taxi test runs of the rebuilt Mooney (my first time operating a Mooney) doing sequential ground runs up and down the runway and working out the known squawks. Finally the owner IA decided it was ready to go around the around the patch and I expected the lead instructor to perform the flight tests. To my surprise and (foolish) acceptance the owner IA said I could fly it around the patch for the first flight! I memorized the POH and recited it to him and over the objections of my instructor I performed the flight around the patch, left the gear down and noted that the left fuel cap was leaking!

After that experience I knew all I ever wanted to own was a Mooney - strong, fast, sexy and efficient!

[Jerry 5TJ]

When I was a student pilot I saw one (probably a 201) and said to myself “I am going to get one of those.”  

[MooneyMitch]

It was love at first sight when I saw one up close when I was 7 years of age……. Eventually I discovered what great airplanes they  truly after I bought my first one!  

[Danb]

I was similar to those above was a student pilot and purchased a warrior as an accountant back then it made sense to purchase vs. rent. Anyway my instructor owner a Mooney E model which I thought was unbelievable gorgeous slick and fast would run circles around my Piper on just a little bigger power plant, I wanted one, as I was finishing up my PPL I flew to Lancaster where Weber sold and serviced Mooneys with a 1977 J for sale he took my warrior on trade I never looked back, my best day as a pilot now four Mooneys later I’ve never regretted my move. All choices are correct. Fast, efficient sleek and elegant looking to me, I’ve always had sport cars and the Mooney brand fit in. I’ve jumped from a couple Js fast and efficient to an M fast comfortable not so efficient and now a TN fast efficient and perfect. 

[redbaron1982]

On 10/19/2024 at 4:58 PM, 201er said:

Is a Mooney about speed or efficiency to you? For example if you cruise 75% power at best power, that’s speed. 55% power at 7gph at or below peak, that’s efficiency. Or something in between for best of both? Or neither because you primarily use your Mooney to provide an aesthetic feel to your hangar space?

How come that "Texas pride" is not one of the options? That's the only reason why I have a Mooney and a Shelby Cobra replica!

[bcg]

When I first seriously looked into learning to fly, the CFI I initially contacted said he wasn't instructing because he had a Mooney and it wasn't a plane to learn in. This was a very rural area without any rental options. I knew nothing about them at that time so started to research, it didn't take me long to realize it was all I wanted. It checked all my boxes, fast, efficient, sleek and retractable ate just sexier than fixed gear. In a little over 300 hours with my C, I've averaged right at 8GPH, block to block and I'm typically at 138 - 140 TAS. That's really hard to beat. 160MPH on 8GPH averages out to 20MPG, my truck doesn't get mileage anywhere close to that good.

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[Skates97]

On 10/19/2024 at 3:11 PM, Schllc said:

My answer to the four options for an answer is yes. 

I agree, needs one more option in the poll, "All of the above" 

[Yetti]

Something to fix.   occasionally I get to fly it.

[AJ88V]

On 10/21/2024 at 11:32 PM, Skates97 said:

I agree, needs one more option in the poll, "All of the above" 

I was looking for "Freedom" as a response!