Kind of interesting. What made me think of this is I have a few friends at various stages in their aviation career looking into planes, so I have been thinking about pistons. In that list.

I think the Matrix is the most capable airframe of the above, depending on how configured, with FIKI, radar option, a true 6 seat, most weather aircraft, comfortable, good short field, high and hot performance, true flight level capability, etc. But traditionally was the most expensive, although now it is within 20K of a new tricked out SR22T, and may be in the same ballpark in price of a Baron. Requires a little more of a pilot to fly a complex airframe, not a great first airplane. But it is not selling well, will have to see if the recent price reductions and increased delta between the Matrix and Mirage change that.

I have always loved Mooney's but they are not selling, even with the nice upgrades. The Baron and Bo are great airplanes, they have had a nice facelift, but also not selling. Only thing that seems to be selling is the SR22, and having owned one for a few years, it is a nice plane, but I don't see how it really outshines the other aircraft 50:1 like it is selling. The market does speak though.

I say SR22T. It's not the fastest but it's fast. It climbs to altitude fast. It is comfortable for cross country flying. It's as all weather comfortable as an SE piston can be. It has a very well integrated set of systems and avionics. It has flexible range and loading. It handles turbulence well. The turbo and built in oxygen system allow great flexibility for altitude. It has as comprehensive a set of safety tools as is available: state of the art pilot training, ESP, Hypoxia detection and automatic altitude reduction, air bags, 26G seats, a strong cabin structure and, of course, a ballistic parachute. Additionally, and extremely valuable in a new airplane, it has terrific manufacturer commitment to customers, post sale support, a large and well supported service network and passionate employees.

Sounds like your mind is made up.

I know very little about the twinkies but thought they went out of production a very long time ago, Wikipedia suggests 1972. So seems possibly off topic...

I'm gonna measure the next time I'm out........my Mooney feels bigger in the front than the baron, albeit sitting differently......which I prefer.

Sounds like your mind is made up. [/quote]

That is a definite positive. The COPA community and Cirrus have a lot of energy and do a great job celebrating the Cirrus life. The top end SR22T is now retailing for about 920K. That should be a pretty good life

920k what? Dollars?

Yea.

Horror stories, real or imagined, about parts availabilities and a business plan involving semi-annual bankruptcy.

Current chinese masters making us suspect the lead content of recent Mooneys.

The hordes of cheap-ass early M20 owners who we see quibbling over nickels with FBOs, service providers, and the waitress at the greasy spoon airport cafe who split the check wrong for their patty melt vs the other guy's more-expensive cobb salad..

Every owner compares them to Porsches, but they should really be compared to the Caterham 7 or some other niche-within-a-niche dorkmobile that nobody wants, owns, or understands.

...IMHO

On the OP's original list, I'd probably stick with the mainstream crowd and go SR22. If the DA62 gets traction, I'd consider it, although Diamond's handing of the Thielert debacle, while certainly a necessity, has a very dark stormcloud over my wanting to do business with them. If someone else is paying, I'd do the DA62 way over the Cirrus.



$0.02

- Mike

What about the Seneca? Piper's still making them, aren't they?

The new SR22T starts at $619K, the GTS model is $835K, and there are still a few more options.

When we bought the new SR22 (not T, not GTS, not FIKI) in 2004, it was $330K. It's a lot more plane for a lot more money now.

What's a new Bonanza G36 now? The Beechcraft/Textron web site doesn't seem to have prices on it...

Forgot about that one. Something to consider in the mountains is that it actually has single engine performance to keep it out of the rocks.

Yep just priced one at 920K, of course that pulls in most of the options and some custom features.

So says the moron without an airplane ?

I've had Mooney's for 18 years. No different than most everything else (better than a lot) Plenty of parts, plenty of support. Cheaper parts than many.
Comparison, ehh....I say A Viper is a better comparison.... More of a cult :-)




Horror stories, real or imagined, about parts availabilities and a business plan involving semi-annual bankruptcy.

Current chinese masters making us suspect the lead content of recent Mooneys.

The hordes of cheap-ass early M20 owners who we see quibbling over nickels with FBOs, service providers, and the waitress at the greasy spoon airport cafe who split the check wrong for their patty melt vs the other guy's more-expensive cobb salad..

Every owner compares them to Porsches, but they should really be compared to the Caterham 7 or some other niche-within-a-niche dorkmobile that nobody wants, owns, or understands.

...IMHO

On the OP's original list, I'd probably stick with the mainstream crowd and go SR22. If the DA62 gets traction, I'd consider it, although Diamond's handing of the Thielert debacle, while certainly a necessity, has a very dark stormcloud over my wanting to do business with them. If someone else is paying, I'd do the DA62 way over the Cirrus.



$0.02

- Mike

That would be an Acclaim or Ovation. The Acclaim replaced the Bravo.

I've owned my Mooney M20J for close to 10 years, by far one of the most inexpensive planes to own and operate. They are bullet proof birds and very well built. The IO360 is a great engine.

As to Chinese owners, dem Chinese own Cirrus too!!!

The Mooney owner/s I believe live in Cali...........

Mooney's are great airplanes, highly under rated.