Please Indicate on your
order whether you have Earth/Beige or Grey Tones Interior. Each order my vary in
color but this will compliment your Tones.
IN CELEBRATION OF OUR
20TH YEAR SPECIALIZING IN
MOONEY AIRCRAFT;
Get your BRAND NEW
PRE-PUBLISHED
BOOK AVAILABLE FOR YOU NOW!
"THOSE MOONEY AIRPLANES"
by Richard Zephro; studying the Mooney since 1974; 38 year private pilot/owner of Mooneyland and author
of the articles within this website.
FLYING IS NOT CHEAP! Within
this book we will discuss not only how to save money while owning your
own airplane, we will discuss ways to save big bucks on purchase,
ownership, maintenance,
appearance (lipstick), and upgrades.
Further; we will discuss matters of safely operating your prized BIRD,
why Mooney is the safest (by far) in its class, and aid in the pure FUN
of owning your own airplane. BOOK INCLUDES 25 CHAPTERS OF INFORMATION
FOR MOONEY ENTHUSIASTS, OWNERS, AND ASPIRING OWNERS OF MOONEY AIRCRAFT
IN PARTICULAR, APPLICABLE TO ALL AIRCRAFT OWNERS IN GENERAL AND INCLUDES
100 HOUR/ANNUAL INSPECTION GUIDE AND ALL ABOUT MOONEY AIRCRAFT; HOW TO
KEEP THEM SAFELY FLYING (ON THE CHEAP) DO IT YOURSELF STUFF, WHAT
TO WATCH FOR, AND INCLUDES 124 FULL SIZE PAGES OF INFORMATION AND
PHOTOS. (Includes some reprints
and references from Mooneyland and tons of NEW information at your
fingertips)
2 NEW CHAPTERS JUST ADDED:
"HOW MUCH DOES IS COST TO OWN AN AIRPLANE" and
"MEMOIRS OF A MOONEY BUYER".
GET YOUR PDF COPY IN
ADVANCE OF PUBLICATION EMAILED DIRECTLY TO YOU FOR $39.95;
A TEN DOLLAR SAVINGS PRIOR TO
PUBLICATION. CLICK ON THE "BUY NOW" PAYPAL LINK BELOW, PURCHASE THE BOOK
AND I WILL PERSONALLY EMAIL IT TO YOU IMMEDIATELY. (2MB) in size.
(this is the first of a series of must have books to come
by author; Richard Zephro and you will automatically receive any
updates, revisions, & additions to this BOOK).
See our dedicated new
website for Mooney information at: www.mooneybooks.com.
Enjoy
& learn, learn, and LEARN!
Richard "zef" Zephro
OR GO TO: Package deal of the Mooney Kit of 3 available at a
discount (see main Mooneyland.com or Master Navigation page
for details)
ARE YOU THINKING OF SELLING YOUR
AIRPLANE? clickto see our new SELLERS OPTIONS PAGE
"The Mooney has achieved its cult status largely as a result of its unbeatable speed and economy
mix. Mooney has always been conservative when talking pure speed and owners find their aircraft
typically exceed published book figures. At below oxygen levels, the normally aspirated 201
still manages to pull away from the Turbo Arrow and at 75% power will reach 165 knots at levels
up to 10000 feet using about 11 gallons an hour. The Mooney 231, which shares the same engine as
the Turbo Arrow, will outpace it by a huge 20 knots on the same fuel burn!".
So, is fuel the only savings by
having the faster airplane? Not by a long shot! Getting there sooner presents less time on your
airframe, engine, components, instruments,time, you, etc. and over the years that
equates to a monstrous monetary savings. I used to have a formula which indicated that based on
200 hours of flying each year, based on just five years, the savings of flying 20 knots or more
faster which took in to consideration all of the above, and bar none, the Mooney was by far,
very far, the most economical airplane in its class one could own; so you Cessna 172 drivers
should take heed that your cost of operation even in that simplistic airplane will far exceed
that of owning and operating a Mooney! Are you renting say a Piper Arrow right now? That hobbs
is ticking at a much faster rate than it would in a Mooney per mile. You can do an 800 mile
round trip in a Mooney which in the Arrow the same flying time would only yield around 675
miles, or in a 172 where that flying time would yield only about 600 miles. Do the math! 800
miles in a Mooney E or J model would take around 5 hours; Piper Arrow about 6 hours; Cessna 172
about 7 hours. Fuel used for that trip in the Mooney is about 50 gallons, Arrow about 60 gallons
and 172 about 63 gallons x $5.00 per gallon; again, do the math; and that's just savings in fuel
alone not to mention the time savings if you own the airplane. TBO Mooney, Arrow, and later
172's: 2000 hours. Turbo Arrow: 1800 hours. But even if all had the same TBO, the 172
would get there first followed by the Arrow, followed in the far distance, the Mooney for the
same miles flown and on a heck of a lot less fuel!
Mooney flying
is cheap as compared with anything else out there, especially if the other plane has the same
approximate fuel burn such as the Arrow. HELLO!!!!
zef
There are LOTS of other brands...
And more being added all the
time yet the Mooney will outlive them all!
There is no such thing
as the perfect all around airplane. That aside, the Mooney makes the most sense to
individuals who wish to utilize their aircraft for travel.
Speed, efficiency, and
economy are highly desirable traits of Mooney's, but while important, these are not most
important. Safety is most important. To illustrate this single point...continue to
read of mine and other's experiences, as well as about Glide Ratios and the legendary Mooney
Airframe strength!
Try doing the
above on the "other"
brands! snap,
crack, boing!
ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Low, Fast MOONEY Pass!
The Mooney
Airframe is nearly foolproof! So much so that even if these guys
Earl
and Clyde
are your mechanics, chances are they still can't screw anything up!Ain't that right Earl?!
The
superstructure of a Mooney.
Everything
is hung upon this dragster type roll cage that will help protect you and
your passengers should an accident occur. It is said that if you can
land a Mooney off field by getting her down at fllying speed and under
control, you'll most probably walk away even if you hit something on
rollout and even if the rest of the airplane is mangled. Compare that
with the "beer can" total aluminum structures in the other brands. You
fold a beer can and it folds. Fold a Mooney and the steel structure is
there to protect you and your pax.
Recent query:
(answers to Bruce's questions in
TEAL color)
Rich, Let me first start out by telling
you that since I started flying 1968, I have, at most, two hours in a Mooney of any
vintage. I probably don't even have a hangar-flyer's knowledge of the ins and outs of the
Mooney product line. The retract time I have as pilot in command is about 25 hours, 20 in
Cherokee Arrows, and the balance in Bellanca Vikings and a Bonanza. I've ridden in a
Ranger. I found it to be a delight to fly, but no faster than a 180hp Arrow. I had heard
that the rigging on 68-69 Rangers was spotty from the factory, so I could attribute the
lower than advertised cruise speeds.
Thanks, Bruce
Hiya
Bruce. Shoot, flying since ’68 and so little Mooney time? Where’ve you been man? :o)
I flew
my first Mooney in ’74 and it was all over for Piper and everything else! They’re that
good from one old pilot to another! I’ll answer your questions below in caps under each
question.
Thanks
for the website compliment. I work hard on it for ya’ll.
Rich
So, with that in mind, the questions I have for you are: Is
an older Ranger capable of cruising near it's advertised cruise speed?
DIFFERING SPEEDS ARE ADVERTISED. REAL WORLD CRUISE SPEED ON AVERAGE IS 147 KTS AT 75%
POWER AND ABOUT 9GPH DEPENDING ON ALTITUDE
Do they respond well to mods?
TOUGHIE! SOME DO, SOME DON’T! MODS CERTAINLY ADD TO THE LOOKS AND MODERNIZING BUT I TELL
THOSE WHO WANT TO MOD THEIR BIRDS, DO IT FOR ESTHETICS AND IF YOU GET SPEED INCREASES, ALL
THE BETTER. ALL MOONEYS ARE HAND MADE AND SEEM TO RESPOND DIFFERENTLY. I SOLD ONE OF
SOUTHWEST TEXAS AVIATION’S C MODEL DEMONSTRATORS SOME YEARS BACK AND IT HAD ALL THE MODS.
I THINK WE GOT ABOUT 155 KTS OUT OF HER, ABOUT LIKE THE STOCK E MODEL. ON THE OTHER HAND,
I JUST SOLD A MODIFIED E THAT ZOOMED AT 165 KTS FROM THE 155 KTS NORMAL. ON THE OTHER
HAND, MY FIRST MOONEY WAS A STOCK ‘65E AND IT KEPT UP WITH SWTA’S MODIFIED E THEY HAD AT
THE TIME, SO GO FIGURE. MEANWHILE, YOU DON’T WANT AN EARLIER MOONEY THAN 1965. TOO MANY
IMPROVEMENTS MADE BY THEN AND PRICES AREN’T THAT MUCH HIGHER FOR ’65 AND NEWER. STAY AWAY
FROM 1961 IN ANY CASE, THE B MODEL. TEST PILOT HAD TO BAIL OUT DUE TO UNRECOVERABLE FLAT
SPIN. THAT WAS THE ONLY YEAR OF THE REAR CG PROBLEM.
What company's mods do you
recommend?
MOONEYLAND! Duh! :o) (Check out “ride pimping section”).
Can a 54 year old guy who's flying
experience is mostly C-172s and Piper Archers fly a Ranger safely? Or am I too old?
HELL YES! I’M 59 SONNY! DON’T LET YOURSELF GET OR FEEL OLD NO MATTER WHAT! OUR
GENERATION IS NOT GOING OUT QUIETLY AND THAT’S A
FACT! HEY, WE STARTED ROCK AND ROLL, MICKEY MOUSE CLUB, MUSCLE CARS, MODERN PLANES, JET
AIRLINERS, FLOWER CHILDREN, THE PILL, PROTESTING,
BIMBO’S AND HOOLA-HOOPS FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE! Get rid of that
“am I too old” attitude!
Thanks, Rich. Love the website!
Best regards,
Bruce S
YOU’RE WELCOME. (I may put your questions on my website, but I’ll keep your last name
private) Good questions!
Thanks!
zef
Hey now, who's got your back?
You know dats right!
You need THIS
and
THIS (Package price available) and
THIS
Mooneyland
highly recommends Tom "TJ" Johnson for any and all AVIATION INSURANCE
NEEDS.
Or call Tom Johnson "TJ"
direct at: 602 628-2701. Tell TJ to give you the great and personal
service he has given so many of our Mooneyland customers. zef said so!
CLICK HERE
for more information and testimony about TJ.
.jpg){kind=small}
and MORE!
are your mechanics, chances are they still can't screw anything up!
Everything
is hung upon this dragster type roll cage that will help protect you and
your passengers should an accident occur. It is said that if you can
land a Mooney off field by getting her down at fllying speed and under
control, you'll most probably walk away even if you hit something on
rollout and even if the rest of the airplane is mangled. Compare that
with the "beer can" total aluminum structures in the other brands. You
fold a beer can and it folds. Fold a Mooney and the steel structure is
there to protect you and your pax. 
You know dats right! 
NAVIGATION
GO HERE:
