Info on Mooney Aircraft M20P (c 1977)? Safe/Good Aircraft

FlightAware General
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:smiling_imp:
Hello, new user here, North Shore of MA. Seeking info and history of Mooney Aircraft Company and/or Al Mooney. Family friend a young man who recently purchased a (201?) M20P in AZ and flew back to Minute Man Airfield in MA, as home field. Please provide links to Websites for Mooney Aircraft and history of Mooney Aircraft, and/or founder Al Mooney…

Can we recommend a book, from Amazon.com, about the history and legacy of Mooney Aircraft?

We seem to know now this: It is a prop aircraft with a (one) one-cylinder Lycoming engine, which has dual controls and seats at least two persons, and maybe four persons? There may be room for some luggage…
If O2 equipped, it could fly at over 15,000 feet? It flies at ground speed of about 175 mph? And, normally, is flown at 8000 feet? It is well equipped with avionics for IFR and/or night-flying… The plane may be equipped with GPS, as well as magnetic compass devices? It may be equipped with auto-pilot mechanisms/devices…

Sometimes, used ones can be found, in good condition for from $50K-$75K… It appears this model is very popular in the UK and Europe, for the UK enthusiasts are well organized, RAF Vets, centred at RAF High Wycombe Air Park, UK, just outside of London…

The mother of the owner (a young man, recent college-grad (ME)), reports that this plane is equivalent (analogous) to a “Sports Car” (like an MG or Chevrolet Corvette at the USAFA)… Not just a “Piper Cub…”

I am trying to share in the adventure of this young man, who has posted information about his trips on the Internet, with digital photographs, etc, at some site called www.fboweb.com….

Any help or information would be appreciated. I am a new used to this site and any BB, forum, and/or blog… Thanks, Doug :smiling_imp:

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Hi,
Here are some links:

The Mooney Website

mooney.com/

Mooney Pilots associaiton

mooneypilots.com/

Mooney information
pilotfriend.com/aircraft%20p … /FRAME.htm

Just to suggest some information:
Smallest engine in Mooney
4 cylinders
In 1977 the Mooney was the M20C Ranger (Also called the M20 Mark 20)
Mooney didnt product a M20P (Although there was a pressurized version called the Mustang)
The M201 is the M20J and also the M201SE

They are fun to fly, They can carry up to 4 people (the 20 serries), but you have to carry less fuel, not too forgiving if you make a mistake (They are nose heavy and cause a lot of prop strikes. The trim can cause a take-off stall on departure from a go-around), fast and economical. You can spend anywhere from 45-75K for the M20C. I have not flown the C, but I have several hours in the M20J/201.

Hope this info helps

-Joe

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Great question for Google. Just by entering “mooney aircraft” (with the quotation marks), I came up with about 34,600 hits. It looks like joezyz did this because the first links are the same ones he shows.

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“M20P” is the ICAO designator for all normally aspirated (non-turbo) Mooneys. It is not a model number, rather it is the aircraft type code we enter on to a flight plan when we file. Consequently it is also how FlightAware will refer to the plane. There is also aircraft type “M20T” which is used for turbonormalized mooneys, such as the Mooney 231 and 252.

Much of what the original poster asked can be answered by the links provided. The best book on the history of Al Mooney is Gordon Baxter’s “The Al Mooney Story”, but it has little to say about the planes themselves. The best book about the airplanes is Larry Ball’s “Those Remarkable Mooneys”. Both should be available through the Mooney Pilot’s Association website (www.mooneypilots.com).

I have owned a Mooney 201 for 6 years and I absolutely love the airplane. It is fast, fuel efficient, a dream to fly, and comfortable enough for my family.