I’m constantly looking to expand my charter options for greater flexibility.
I’m currently looking at several, one of which is an N-reg Mooney Bravo with a three-blade hot prop. It comes at 200 EUR/h + VAT dry. Fuel, TKS, O2, and satellite weather as used.
Is this a good deal? I have no previous experience with Mooney.
I’m particularly trying to evaluate if the actual hourly rate compared to wet charter prices is competitive – which obviously depends on fuel consumption for different flight profiles.
Any insight?
This would be a very nice airplane to fly IFR. VFR you will have no use for the TKS, nor the O2.
You have to count 110 €/h or more in Avgas (16 gph or 60 lph), but that is what you would have to expect for an aircraft with that performance. You may reduce fuel consumption from 16 GPH to 13 GPH if the engine is capable of LOP and the owner consents.
I personally think that 240 € + 110 € = 350 €/h is overboard for that airplane when I can rent a (normally aspirated) SR22 wet for 280-330 €/h. But at the end of the day the right price is what someone is willing to pay for it. I cannot imagine there are many Mooney Bravos for rent on the market, so little basis for comparison.
IIRC the Bravo does not have very much useful load if you want to go anywhere.
But flying the Bravo will be a good experience.
Patrick wrote:
It comes at 200 EUR/h + VAT dry.
So you will end up at 300 Euros including fuel and VAT. Comparing it to charter prices in my area (members of flying clubs pay less of course) it seems to be reasonable. An IFR equipped Pa28 (no anti-icing or oxygen) will cost between 250 and 300 Euros per hour. For building hours it will not make much difference, but for going places the Mooney is the better deal as it is significantly faster.
what_next wrote:
So you will end up at 300 Euros including fuel and VAT
It will be more than that. With VAT the dry rate is 240 €/h (20% VAT in Germany IIRC). And 60 lph at 1,80 €/l is 108 €/h.
Aviathor wrote:
And 60 lph
So much, really? One of my flight instructor colleagues owns a Mooney (don’t know which one though, I was never able to tell the difference) and claims that his uses only 35l/h. But as usual: Never believe what owners tell you about their cars/houses/horses and aeroplanes 
what_next wrote:
that his uses only 35l/h.
That is plausible if he has one of the older models with the IO-360 which outputs 200 HP or less. In the case of the Bravo we are talking about a turbocharged 270 HP engine. (TIO-540)
Aviathor wrote:
This would be a very nice airplane to fly IFR. VFR you will have no use for the TKS, nor the O2.
Disagreed to a degree. The level flown is not directly a function of the flight rules. I’ve crossed Frankfurt CTR in a 182 a few times at flight levels that certainly required oxygen. You’re right about TKS of course and I generally agree this is more an IFR aircraft than a VFR one. In fact, I’m looking at this with the perspective of starting some IFR flying (prob EIR) later this year.
Is 60l realistic for the TIO-540, though? I’ve looked around this evening and found quotes as high as 20 gph on an AOPA site. That, the VAT, and the fact that I wouldn’t consider 1,80 EUR/l an average AVGAS price hereabouts (not sure though, as I usually rent wet and don’t care so much for the local fuel prices) hikes the hourly rate up to something closer to 400 EUR than 300 EUR/h.
Aviathor wrote:
I personally think that 240 € + 110 € = 350 €/h is overboard for that airplane when I can rent a (normally aspirated) SR22 wet for 280-330 €/h
If there was such a deal available anywhere near, that’d be super exciting. As far as I know, there isn’t, though. There was an SR22 (turbo) available for about a year or so for slightly less than 500 EUR/h, but the company doesn’t offer that plane anymore.
On the other hand,
what_next wrote:
An IFR equipped Pa28 (no anti-icing or oxygen) will cost between 250 and 300 Euros per hour
I rent IFR equipped >2000-built Archer IIIs from the club fleet for 130 EUR/h wet. That’s what the Mooney will have to compete with, but the Archers are a 150 km drive from my residence and the Mooney I could be at in 20 minutes. That and the speed makes it attractive for day trips of any significant distance.
I know nuffink about Mooneys but oxygen is really useful for VFR in Europe. The long trips are best done VMC on top and a high perf plane like this really transforms that option.
That’s before you get to crossing the Alps…. and stuff like airspace issues which are in most of Europe.
Patrick wrote:
Is 60l realistic for the TIO-540, though? I’ve looked around this evening and found quotes as high as 20 gph on an AOPA site.
My 310 HP TSIO550 has a book value of 16.6 GPH for 65% (201 HP). In practice I get 72% burning 16.4 gph.
This site says 16.6 gph for the TIO540 at 65% If anything I think that figure is high for a 270 HP engine. If they run it at 20 gph, either they are trying to go the fastest possible, or they are running super rich because of some cooling problem (in which case LOP is the way to go). It is just way too high.
This AOPA site says 15.3 gph at 75%. That may be by block time from the wording of it.
Installed O2 in a rental is just an ordeal. How will the owner bill for O2 usage? Or is it part of the lease? What if the owner hasn’t replenished the tanks? Is there an on-demand regulator on-board or would you need to buy your own? What about cannulas and fittings?
For a renter a portable system is the way to go. You can the use it in all aircraft you rent.
Some of the above applies also for TKS.
