25 years ago you couldn't own a personal car and the only domestic manufacturer was VW. Just look at their high speed rail project, 10 years ago they had nothing, now they have some of their major business centers connected by rail link. The fact that there is very little right now is no predictor of what will be there 10 years from now.

They will be more available than ever, but 'Made in China'.

They will be more available than ever, but 'Made in China'.

Although its probably another too much money with too few brains, the Chinese almost definitely will put a diesel jetA plane up with either Cirrus and/or Mooney. My bet. Now there could be some type of market for that...

I do feel there is a place for another US manufacturer for 4 place single prop planes. Only have 2 with any real volume now: Cessna and Cirrus. Given the price of avgas, An updated Mooney should fit right in. We cannot fly legacy planes forever. If it takes foreign $$$, so be it. Global economy, yada yada yada.

The 180-200HP DeltaHawk diesel would make the Mooney very attractive..

A composite aircraft with the Mooney wing, tail, and landing gear, a 6-inch wider fuselage with two doors, and a 300-HP engine (turbo diesel or AvGas) would probably out-perform the SR22 significantly in every aspect of flight. Add a parachute and there would be some real competition. I hope somebody in China has realized this and bought Mooney with that goal.

You'd have to recertify it under FAR 23 for that. It would be just as easy to start with a clean sheet

I agree with you and mentioned the same things on MS.
From a business standpoint I believe these companies are in a similar situation as some potash and mining companies where there's a definate future market but continental funding isn't interested.

Jet A engined and creature comforts!

I am starting to see a pattern here.

It was too long ago that BTers suggested the same formula for Beechcraft to become successful:
-Plastic plane
-Wider fuselage
-300 HP TD engine
-And of course, the cherry on top of the success recipe: a parachute!

Perhaps, that will be the answer to all of general aviation's woes, but I personally hope not.

I doubt it would be just as easy. You've got all of the old plans, drawings, R&D notes, trained employees, jigs, tools, customer and vendor lists, a network of Mooney service centers, a factory facility in Texas.. 50 years of experience with the design and business, plus name recognition.

Even if the type certificates don't carry over, and the patents are expired, there's a value there. And if I were about to invest a couple hundred million dollars in a new aircraft design and type certificate, you better believe I would snatch up Mooney first, for what the market most likely currently values it at, which I'm sure is a small fraction of that cost.

All of that is a highly speculative and a wild guess. But like I said, I'm hopeful.

The Chinese are no fools. Aviation, especially light aviation has a huge future in the developing world in Asia and Africa. It really makes a lot of sense to link communities together with relatively low cost airports rather than long rail lines and super highway construction.

Once you remove the insistence on jet travel and the bureaucratic red tape and insistence on "absolute safety", aviation makes a lot of economical sense.

What's cheaper, tens of thousands of miles of rails across hostile terrain, or a hundred airports with < 3000' runways, even dirt and grass?

It's just like Alaska, waiting to happen on a continental scale. We're just too shortsighted to see it in the West, where anything smaller than a 737 is a "dangerous little airplane" and unable to accept a certain level of risk.

The Pipistrel Panthera isn't too far off from what we're talking about. I'm looking forward to seeing the plane in person some day soon. It's only 200 HP, but goal is 200 KTAS. Rocket Engineering found a market for Mooney mods in the Mooney Rocket and the Mooney Missile. Perhaps there's an opportunity for engine swaps here.

200 HP Diesel would be interesting. A TSIO 360 would probably take a new cowl. Perhaps you go a different direction for turbo- swap the IO390 for an IO360 with the TN system from the Cessna Cardinal and you'd have a hell of a plane... assuming it's actually produced some day.

I'd say it would be tough to beat the 201J. Kinda like the V tail, just a great airplane. I'm 6'4" and fit great. Adjustable height on the seats, stretch my legs straight, flies great hands off...great airplane

It is now official!


NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Nohe
October 11th, 2013 Mooney Public Relations
jnohe@jnaadv.com
o: 913.327.0055
m: 816.304.6717

Mooney Announces Its Comeback
With New Funding, Mooney Sets Itself to Re-enter the Single Engine Market

Kerrville, Texas – After a five-year hiatus from manufacturing single-engine airplanes Mooney is pleased to announce that it will restart manufacturing at the beginning of January 2014 at its headquarters in Kerrville, TX. New funding from Soaring America Corporation, a California based Company will provide necessary capital to re-launch and sustain the legendary brand. Details of the financial arrangements will remain confidential. The company will continue to manufacture the Acclaim Type S, and the Ovation series.

“It’s a new day for Mooney. And with a new investment group that is committed to the future, we’re expecting to make a strong move in the industry,” noted Barry Hodkin, Chief Financial Officer for the company. It’s been a long time coming and we couldn’t be more excited about our return to manufacturing one of the finest and most trusted airplane fleets in the industry.”

The first order of business will be to hire and train a new workforce and reestablish the supply chain. The company is projected to recruit up to 100 people within the first year of operation. The company has a large variety of personnel needs that includes technicians, engineers, line workers, accounting and sales people. Within two years, the company is anticipating employing significantly more people depending on the demand for its products.

“While we expect to be reunited with some of our previous employees, we are confident we’ll attract new talent as we re-enter this aviation space. We’re looking for the best and brightest people to help meet our vision for the future,” said Hodkin.


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The Acclaim Type S is recognized as the world’s fastest single engine airplane. The turbo-normalized airplane is home to over 130 speed records with a normal cruise speed of 230 ktas and a service ceiling of 25,000 feet. The Ovation series has cruising speeds up to 190 ktas and a service ceiling of up to 20,000 feet.

“It’s too early to provide the details, but we’ll have some very exciting announcements in the near future about the technological advances that will accompany the Acclaim Type S and Ovation series,” said Hodkin.

During the difficult economic times starting in 2008, when single engine sales dropped by over 30 percent compared to the year prior, Mooney ceased production. Over the last five years, the Company that was started by Al Mooney more than 80 years ago has remained in business, focusing on customer support for the Mooney planes still in service. Given more positive economic indicators and the unique market niche for Mooney airplanes, the company feels confident about a sustaining future in the industry.

About Mooney

Since its inception, the company has manufactured and delivered more than 11,000 aircraft worldwide. Today, more than 7,800 customers in the United States and 1,000 more overseas fly these proven, high-performance airplanes. For more information, visit www.mooney.com.

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