Menu Sign In Contact FAQ
Banner
Welcome to our forums

Mooney makes a comeback

Needs to be 2007 or newer (G3) to have useful range.

I HAVE to disagree :-)

Mine (G2, 2006) has a 1000 NM range ... and do i really want to fly any farther in Europe? Okay, the +12 Gallons of the G3 wings would be nice for Crete...

Cirrus estimated that the gain with RG would have been +15 kts, and I agree that it's just not worth it. It's more sexy, yes, but that's about it... and you have to be outside the plane to see it ;-)

I for one don't care a bit about the RG. One less thing to pay for.

Other than that I agree. The 400 is just as good as the SR22. By the way: I flew the FIRST prototype of the Lancair 400 in 2000!

At $800K to $1M, new aircraft production is not very relevant to GA as a whole. Its just one small niche of the overall market. What really is competition for the used Mooney is the used, 1-10 year old RV7 and RV8, available for $50-100K and faster on the same power: 180 kts at 10 gph.

The fuel burn for either is not an issue in the US, where the market volume exists.

Cirrus estimated that the gain with RG would have been +15 kts,

Cirrus actually said that?

It's in the right ballpark, but I thought I would never hear it said openly. Where was it said?

and I agree that it's just not worth it.

I suspect most would not agree

15kt is a LOT. Those last 15kt are costing you a LOT of fuel. If you can get 15kt for (essentially) free...

RG costs almost nothing extra - unless the plane has been long-term abused / suffered years of "zero" lubrication at maintenance. Which, I admit, is common. But avoiding RG because much maintenance is crap is a strange way to go about it

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Maybe the DOC is just a bit too much higher?

I can usually workout/research most mnemonics, but DOC has got me?!

Regret no current medical
Was Sandtoft EGCF, North England, United Kingdom

The 400 is just as good as the SR22.

And here I strongly disagree. The Cessna ist just plain ugly (just look at the landing gear and the wheel fairings) and has a less comfortable, less roomy cabin, quirkier panel design and poorer outside visibility.

Oh, and by the way, the market seems to agree. It's not all about CAPS.

Mainz (EDFZ) & Egelsbach (EDFE), Germany

Well, of course RG is more weight, more parts and more maintenance (maybe not on the TB20). Yes, Cirrus said it openly, not only once... but i don't have a precise source now

I disagree too :-))

The nose gear okay,... but OTHER than that the Columia 400 (it is not a Cessna, it was only adopted) is at least as nice.

But you are right about the visibility. On the other hand that thing is built like a tank, I have to show you pictures I made of the wing spars and some other parts. It is very impressive.

This is what AOPA once wrote about RG (Cessna 172/182)

Servicing the landing gear typically accounts for about 20 percent of total maintenance costs, and retractable landing gear adds a whopping 50 percent to insurance bills.

Mine (G2, 2006) has a 1000 NM range ... and do i really want to fly any farther in Europe? Okay, the +12 Gallons of the G3 wings would be nice for Crete...

I thought it was 20 gallons, so fair enough, 45 extra minutes don't make that much of a difference. I just found it quite interesting how sensitive range is if you fly IFR to places such as Kerry where the next alternate is quite a bit away...

Cirrus estimated that the gain with RG would have been +15 kts, and I agree that it's just not worth it. It's more sexy, yes, but that's about it... and you have to be outside the plane to see it ;-)

Even if it is only 15kt, that makes the 400 25-30kt faster than the SR22T. While not all, SOME people in the $800k aircraft segment will want the fastest, period.

I also don't get the idea of an $800k SEP, when $1M buys you a nice condition Jetprop. Like the Mooney, it "likes" hard runways. It will totally outclass everything with a piston engine. Maybe the DOC is just a bit too much higher?

Not a consideration in that segment - it's not new, factory supported and maintained, etc; so like-for-like you would look at a $2m new Meridian.

Everyone I have met who bought a new SR22 was in the "factory new, all options, sell after 3-5 years when the warranty runs out" camp.

Biggin Hill
Sign in to add your message

Back to Top