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I have taken a break from my monthly series of picking out an airplane based on a specific criteria of mission-capability and price. In fact one of the last airplanes I selected was actually in the same category as the one I’m discussing here, but older and less expensive (see my Bonanza article here). As you know this isn’t a “money is no object” exercise. This is my honest assessment of what I would purchase if I was looking for an airplane in this category and price range.
The Mooney series of airplanes enjoy a rich heritage of efficiency, reliability, and performance.
Indeed the Mooney, as the Bonanza, has a loyal following.
It doesn’t take much research to find that the most popular Mooney ever built was the “201” denoting it’s top speed in mph. The M20J, as it was designated, was “touched” by the famous Roy LoPresti and he really capitalized on refining the design.
Since I’m set on the 201, I have increased my make-believe budget for this installment ($70,000 to $100,000) to allow me to have some room to get the right airplane.
Built from 1977-1998 the M20J had very long production run, again proof of its prowess. This affected the amount I plan to spend, allowing me to get into the door with an earlier, mid-70s version or splurging a little for a slightly newer model from the 1980s. The later versions generally command north of $100K so that’ll be out of our reach for this discussion.
The very conventional metal construction of the 201 mirrors airplanes of this genre, but it does have an unorthodox all moving tail to take care of trim duties – to my knowledge it works well and has never been a concern.
The Mooney makes great speed, as advertised by its defacto model number “201”, on just four cylinders. Breaking the coveted 1 mph per 1 horsepower was a big deal, something Mooney focused on intently for all subsequent models. In 1977 Flying magazine did a review of the 201 alluded to it as a “game-changer.” Indeed it was a very popular alternative to some of the more traditional 4 seat retracts of the time. My research showed that over 1650 were built over its 21 year production run.
It is powered by the very dependable 200hp Lycoming IO-360 that only suffers for issues from disuse; keep her flying regularly and it will go to TBO+ without concern. This smaller engine and its commensurate fuel flow allows it to exceed 700nm on 64 gallons of fuel – not bad at all.
One of the challenges with the Mooney line is the lack of creature comforts. The Mooney was bred for speed and although not an issue for me, larger pilots mind find it a tight fit. The 201 made ergonomic changes to help the issue, but of course the Bonanza or Cessna 210 can help if this is a concern for super-sized aviators.
Overall the aircraft is a great traveling machine that has great performance at only a fraction of the price of a Diamond or Cirrus.
If were in the market for a production aircraft for traveling, this would be my first choice hands down.
Here are some current ads from Barnstormers.com. There were a few cheaper examples, but those had high time powerplants. Certainly there were more expensive examples as well.
Comparable certified aircraft:
- Beechcraft Bonanza F33
- Cessna 210
- Diamond DA-40
- Cirrus SR22
If you have an airplane that you believe compares, please share it in the comments below.
Reference information:
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Many years ago my ground school instructor spoke very grimly about Mooneys, saying they were too fast for their own good. Very difficult to slow down, and too easy to shock-cool the engine in the process, without some very complex manipulation of speed, attitude, engine controls, and the oh-so-important cowl flaps.
And you’re not kidding about creature comforts. I am pretty thin but also 6’6″ tall, and the one ride I took in a Mooney was probably the least comfortable flight I’ve ever been on in a small plane. It didn’t help that the owner had an oxygen bottle installed behind the right seat, which prevented me from pushing the seat back all the way.
I eventually opted for a Cirrus, which is very roomy and comfortable, and even in that plane my head brushes the cabin roof annoyingly.
Charley,
You bring up a good point about getting that slippery rascal to slow down. I think speed brakes are a popular mod for these machines to deal with steep descents.
I’m almost a foot shorter than you so I can fit in about anything. I’m sure that Cirrus would swallow me up.
They are certainly nice machines, that I would like to get to fly some day.
Brent
Thanks for the update on the Mooney. My question is how much weight can she carry. And when you say not built for comfort… ie., size… does this mean girth or height? Off to check out the Bonanza article. But… would you buy this over an A36… and why?
Karlene,
Depends. If you are topping off an average 201, you can put in four 160lb’ers at be just at gross weight. I think the A36 is in another class in terms of payload. If you can swing the big Bonanza, that sounds like it might be more mission-capable considering your were also considering light twins.
If it’s two or three adults and cargo, I’d save the money on fuel with the Mooney, if you need to carry more the A36 is hard to beat.
Brent
Great Airplane for cross country flights. I flew mine about 400 hours before I sold it. Seating was confined in every way, legs extended out instead of the chair like position of the Bonanza I replaced it with. I do owner assisted annuals and they were a bear. Suggest the one piece underside to get in there more quickly. after 3000 hrs or so expect to reseal the wet wings as they often start to seep. Changing the oil filter is an art as the filter travels about 1 inch at a 90 degree angle of the rear case flooding the back of the engine with used oil. But its a incredible 1 purpose airplane if you want to get there fast, cheaply. Handling is truck like, there is a 6 inch clearance between the prop and the runway and you want to learn how to flare and touch down properly at the right speed or they start to bounce the Mooney bounce (nose to mains) and on the 3rd bounce if the go around was not started you can easily hit the prop.
However, all these issues can easily be overcome with training otherwise
all of them would be broken by now. I had the Montroy long range tanks on mine and could stay in the air about 9 hours if I wanted. Great performer.
John,
Great real-world feedback! Appreciate you sharing that valuable inside info.
Brent
It’s very telling that when Porsche stepped into GA with their PFM powerplant, they did so by putting it on a Mooney airframe.
I’m average sized, but the Mooney is still a tight fit. The cabin sidewalls start to curve inward at shoulder height — it’s kind of Lear-like in that regard. As they say, there’s no free lunch. If you want Bonanza speed with 1/3 lower fuel burn, something’s gotta give.
My hesitation with buying one would come from the fact that they aren’t making the airplanes anymore, and eventually parts are going to get scare. It’s also harder to find a Mooney expert for good maintenance. Having said that, there are many Mooney devotees who love them. I’ve flown the 201 and thought it was a good ride.
Great points Ron! I enjoyed flying the 201 too. Hopefully parts stay available for a good while based on the production volume and time. There have been so many good airplanes go out of production that I literally didn’t even consider the fact Mooney isn’t making them anymore.
Brent
Not many people consider the production status of an aircraft, probably because so many of them are no longer being built.
If you’re in the market for a four-place aircraft, want good speed but don’t wanna pay a lot of money, I think one of the finest bargains are the Super Vikings. You can pick one of those up for like $50k in fantastic condition and you’ll cruise at 160 knots. People shy away from them because of the wood wings and fabric, so they can be picked up for a song. Might be good for Karlene to check into…
Ron,
The Super Viking is another nice bird. I think you’re right, the wood and fabric are an unfounded concern. The only real drawback is feeding the big 6 cylinder, but oh what a nice flying airplane!
Brent
I forgot about the speed brake mod, but then again that just means more things to deal with while flying. The Cirrus is pretty slippery itself, and I’m learning to stay way ahead of it.
Flying story: Last long flight I took, I neglected to get her slowed up enough before glideslope intercept on the ILS into Fort Worth, Texas. The autopilot nosed down to follow the glideslope, and suddenly I had my hands full. At idle power, she still wouldn’t slow down enough in that descent to get to flap extension speed, and 100% flaps being the key to getting draggy enough to be able to get to 80 knots for landing, I was not sure how I was going to dump over 40 knots in just a couple of miles.
Missing the approach and trying again was certainly an option, but as it was I barely managed to get to 90 knots over the fence and just settled for a long, long, long float along the runway before she decided to stop flying. The runway there is 10,000 feet long, but it was embarrassing that the Saratoga that landed behind me made it to the ramp ahead of me!
Charley,
Love the flying story. I haven’t flown a Cirrus, but I have definitely found myself high and hot a few times (ok, maybe more than a few) in my life. It always gets my attention. Yep some of these machines are pretty slippery as you noted and it makes for a challenge, but in a fun kind of way.
Thanks,
Brent