Has Anyone Repaired the Tail Cone?

[1980Mooney]

1 hour ago, Falcon Man said:

Thanks for that clarification!

Here are some pictures to help you visualize.  These are some of the last built.  You can see the planes with wings, tail, empennage, and engine all mounted to the open steel fuselage cage and sitting on the landing gear.  These are all the structural parts.  The last models had a thin composite shell rather than traditional aluminum skin that is lowered around the steel framed cabin (both the aluminum and composite fuselage skins are totally nonloadbearing).

The video shows more.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 20, 2025 by 1980Mooney

[Schllc]

the sheet metal work to replace the skin is really not as much labor as you would think. I just had a substantial amount of skin work for my Aerostar and was pretty surprised at how efficient a guy who does that can be. His labor will probably be less than the painting costs. That of course is, if you can even get the new skin.

[Falcon Man]

1980 Mooney - It's too bad that after all the work to modernize the manufacturing process, that the company couldn't survive.