I know we are a Beech group. Beech is the greatest - yada yada...

Don't get me wrong, I love my Bonanza - wouldn't trade her for next to anything out there.

I have two Bonanza's on my hangar row and talk to their owner's regularly. Whenever a Mooney of any vintage taxi's by, I've heard the jokes and I can almost feel the giggle. When I was looking to purchase a plane and found a couple that were 30+ years old - comments were made like "don't buy a 30 year old Mooney..."

They claim to be fast. I can't seem to get to like their unique empennage. I don't see too many of them.

Are they built poorly? Quality control poor? Poor materials and/or craftsmanship?

I don't want to start plane bashing here, I'm just curious. Besides the fact that "Beech makes the greatest...." why not Mooneys?

The Mooney is primarily designed for efficiency. Laminar flow wing, relatively light weight, small cabin. The "201" model was so named for its ability to get 201 mph out of the IO360 engine, which is no mean feat given that my V35B requires an IO520 to accomplish that.

But as always you give up a few things. Speed control on landing is much more critical to avoid bouncing on those rubber donuts, and the laminar flow wing also tends to drop you to the ground unless you again have precise speed control. The low cabin requires lower seats, which some people find uncomfortable.

There's no reason to sneer at them except for tribal jealousies.

I have 2005 Mooney Ovation 2 with the G1000 panel. It's the first non-Beech that I've owned. It's fast, carries a good load, very efficient, very rough ride in turbulence. It's a little dainty, a small bird made a big dent that I don't think would have hurt a Bonanza. I would have joined with the pointing and laughing at Mooneys three years ago but now, living with one for that long, it's really not a bad plane. I can understand the owners' devotion to them.

I also have a B58. When the company is buying gas, I take the Baron. When I'm buying gas, I take the Mooney.

I'll be taking the Mooney exclusively for a while. I retracted the gear after landing the Baron today in Marsh Harbor. Stupid mistake.

Gene

I like the Mooney, they look good and are fast. sexiest airplane out there.
But I need 6 seats and room for baggage.

If it was just me and my wife, id buy a newer Acclaim Type S with TKS and 130 gls fuel tanks.
I could make it non stop to Florida on not much fuel.
But then they dont make them anymore, no sign of Mooney at Osh.

http://www.controller.com/listingsdetai ... 205939.htm?

Coming from the Mooney family and having 900+ Mooney hours and having owned 2 Mooneys, one which is now 30+ years old and the first is over 40 now, I feel qualified to answer your questions. Concerning build quality, I would put Mooney right up there with Beechcraft. Both brands are head and shoulders above P and C brands. Parts are cheaper for Mooney but Beechcraft is still in business.
Safety related they have a full metal roll cage and a single wing, no bolts to worry about. Very strong. Only a very few cases of airframe failure and that was due to T-Storm entry. Extremely efficient with about the same airspeed with 2 fewer cylinders. Add 2 more cylinder and get impressive speeds. Throw in a turbo and hang on.
As far as looks, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I have a soft spot for backwards tails, as well as V tails. My wife still refers to the "forked tailed Dr killer" as the only Beechcraft she wouldn't fly in, no matter my reasoning with her. Handling wise the Bonanza is much easier to land and has better flying qualities. Mooney is more stable for an IFR platform. Bonanza much easier to land, Mooney is not forgiving to sloppy technique. Mooney much slicker.
Mooneys have wet wings that could be an issue. Bladders will need replacing in bonanzas. Mooneys are smaller inside overall, believe it or not they are very similar in width. Payload they each had 600 # payloads with about 6 hours fuel. Almost 700# with almost 5 hours endurance. No CG issues unless you get crazy. The A36 has much better load hauling ability.
Mooney either had manual gear, the Johnson Bar which did not require an emergency gear extension plan, or put the switch where it was intended. Beech have immensely strong gear and are much better suited for grass strips.
At the risk of getting banned from Beechtalk, if it were me and the wife I'd still probably be in a Mooney. With the family we need an A36 and my wife prefers the Bonanza, especially the air conditioning.
Mooneys have less mass appeal due to small size, more demanding concerning pilot skills and certain idiosyncrasies (tail, gear biscuits, older models manual gear and flaps). Both are great planes for slightly different missions. Both have a very loyal following and engender spirited support amongst their followers. This can result in snide comments about any other brand, especially one that may be superior in certain parameters. As far as Mooney pilots go, speed is the big deal.
As we all know the best plane out there is the one we are flying. Keep em flying.
Tavis

sorry for your mistake Gene

All mooney leak fuel and needs to be resealed, it has something to do with landing on those short hard feet...

about the factory, I heard a rumour that some guy is looking to start it up again...

Poor landing technique can hasten tank repairs, my 79 tanks had a leak or two when I first bought it, $500 later it was dry. Properly maintaining the gear shock donuts will help. At some point 30 year old tanks will need to be resealed or patched with repeated and increasing frequency. Beechcraft bladders will leak and need to be replaced too, as will most other brand's fuel tanks at some point in their life.
Tavis

Here some first had info....I've have many hours in Mooney 201/231's. I owned a 231 (turbocharged 201) and sold it when I bought an A36 for payload reasons. I'm very happy with the A36 and have owned a beech before, but the Mooney is a very nice aircraft too.

There are pro's and cons to all aircraft. With Mooney, workmanship is very good, performance for HP outstanding, Useful about 900 to 950lbs, 4 seats that are not too bad once you get in. Check out the width of the cockpit...about the same as beech, but you sit low on the floor like a Porsche and the panel is closer to you. A 201 will cruise 155kts with i0360 and the 231 did 160 to 175kts depending on ALT with the turbo engine. The Ovations and Acclaims are very fast and have bigger engines. Mooneys have a good saftey record. Few if any in flight break-ups, very strong with metal frame and solid spar. Solid control feel with push rod controls vs cables. Range is about 900KM. The wet wings are only an issue over a long periods of time, the old sealer can break down, same as a bladder can break down. The cost to repair with warranty is about 2K per side. Mooneys are slick, very low drag and the long wing(longer than A36) floats in ground effects for a long time if you do not watch your speed on landing. Other than the speed control at landing, they are easy to fly and provide a good IFR platform. Corrosion can be an issue on older planes of all makes, and so with Mooney too.

I like my A36 a lot and glad to have it. The Mooney 231 with a very good plane for my mission at the time. It had very few maint items beyond annuals and general maint over the 5 years I owned it. To me, it seemed like the Mooney was my Porsche, and the A36 is my luxury SUV. Going from 931 useful to 6 seats and 1312 useful and note giving up speed was a big part of my decision for the A36.

Gene if sympathy helps at all, you have it from me.

I will add two comments about Mooneys which I only have about 10 hours in: 1. I'm 6' 4" and found Mooneys a delight to fly, but very claustrophobic. It is a plane made for flying cross-country, but not comfortable for me to fly cross-country. 2. As I recall, older Mooneys had wooden wings which was the source of some of the jokes about older Mooneys.

From the maintenance perspective, my A&P has worked on several in the past. He hated it, and would require a lot of arm twisting to do so again. He said that the tight spaces, especially in the engine area, made repairs take much longer than they ought to.

As far as flying, he loved them. But said keep a sharp eye on the airspeed if you point the nose down.

I don't agree that the leaking tanks are only when they are older. I have 2 friends buying a ovation2GX and both had leaking tanks after 3 to 4 years.

It's a bad design IMHO. Wings shouldn't be wet, there should be a tank who contains the fuel.

Sorry to read about your mishap with your Baron.
Dave

I have around 300 hours in a Mooney Executive and I have to say I loved that plane. Being an engineer type, the fact that it could go so fast on so little horsepower (read fuel) was very satisfying. You know, like it was designed right! Also, you had to know how to land it. Forgive me, but any average pilot can get into my Deb or most other Bonanza types, and with in a few hours, land it like a pro. Not so in a Mooney. When you grease it on to the runway, you know accomplished something skillful.

However, there are some negatives that cannot be ignored. Engine compartment maintenance is a nightmare. There is no room at all. Even changing the oil is tough, particularly if you are trying to be clean about it. The cabin is a bit tight. Not so much the width, but the proximity to the panel for the pilot/co-pilot and the baggage area. I also felt that the noise in the cabin was excessive. Takeoff was almost painful without a good headset. Unless you have the thicker windows, even cruise was louder than most.

I sold it for more room for my growing family and some upcoming maintenance expenses that I did not want to fork over (leaking tanks, paint, etc). Don't get me wrong, I love my Beech for all the reasons we brag about. However, I will probably own another Mooney in the future when conditions permit, providing they are still around.

BTW, those that point and laugh about nearly anything do so either out of ignorance or insecurity. Stay away from those types.

Fly Safe,
Jeff

The name "Mooney" is awful.

"Bonanza" is almost as bad.

I have lots of time in Mooneys, mostly 201s. My brother has a 201, which I flew yesterday for the first time in a few years. Its a great little aeroplane - goes like a cut cat once you get it up there, and I reject any suggestion that Mooneys have any vices or are hard to fly. Nail the approach speed and they are fine. I find it a little more difficult to get in and out of than a Bo - easy when I was 25, not so easy now.

Would I swap the V35B for a Mooney? No way!