Summary Al Mooney founded Mooney Aircraft Co. in 1929, creating the successful M20 aircraft. The M20 gained popularity in aviation, with over 11,000 units built.
Mooney Aircraft Co. faced challenges and ownership changes but continued producing M20 variants. Al Mooney is one of the most famous aeronautical engineers, aircraft designers, and aviation entrepreneurs.
He spent countless years designing aircraft in the early days of the aviation industry. He is also known for founding the Mooney Aircraft Company. However, what he is most known for is possibly the creation of the Mooney M20.
This aircraft is one of the most successful single-engine aircraft ever produced, and it has found success throughout the world. Let's take a closer look at how the M20 came to be. A look into Al Mooney's aviation career He is most known for creating the Mooney Aircraft Company, which he founded with his brother Arthur in 1929, over 100 years ago.
Al Mooney was born in 1906 in Denver, Colorado. Their father, John, taught both Al and his brother basic engineering skills, like drafting and layout, at an early age. Al found an early interest in aviation, and he began working at Alexander Aircraft Company in Denver after he graduated from high school.
His early years at Alexander Aircraft Company were spent working on an aircraft design that ultimately failed. However, in the early 1920s, Mooney began designing the M-1, a small trainer aircraft. This light aircraft saw limited success, and Mooney then bounced around a few other manufacturing companies.
He returned to Alexander Aircraft Company in the late 1920s and was named Chief Engineer. This led to the creation of the Bullet, which was a low-wing aircraft that had high-performance specifications. Culver Aircraft Company only lasted from 1939 to 1946.
However, in 1929, Mooney left Alexander Aircraft Company to form his own aircraft manufacturer, called Mooney Aircraft Corporation. Mooney started off by designing the Mooney A-1, based on early designs of the Bullet and the M-1. However, the company struggled early on, and it was later forced to close its doors due to declining sales from the Great Depression.
Mooney continued working in the aviation industry as the years went on. Other designs of Mooney's include: Ballanca Airbus Model G Dart Monocoach Culver Cadet Nearly 15 years after Mooney Aircraft Company shut down, Al and Arthur resurrected the company. In the 1940s, the Mooney brothers created the M-18, which saw success in the years after World War II ended.
However, in the early 1950s, Al Mooney designed his most successful aircraft, the M20. Although Al would leave Mooney Aircraft Company just two years after the M20's first flight, the aircraft saw lasting success in the general aviation industry. Let's take a closer look at what made this aircraft so special.
The history of the Mooney M20 As previously mentioned, Al Mooney began developing the Mooney M20 in the late 1940s as the second iteration of Mooney Aircraft Company was founded. However, Mooney had begun conceptualizing a four-seater aircraft for some time before it officially began its development. After purchases of the M18 Mite began to slow, Mooney moved the company to Kerrville, Texas, and the M20 project officially kicked off.
After a short development process, the first M20 prototype conducted its maiden flight in September 1953. It officially received its Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) type certification in August 1955. The M20 initially saw a slow production rate, as the company only built 10 M20s in 1955.
However, it was delivering over 100 airplanes annually by 1957. Several variants of the aircraft have been introduced over the years. In 1960, Mooney Aircraft released an upgraded variant that utilized an aluminum airframe instead of wood.
Other introduced variants in the 1960s included: M20C M20D M20E M20F This line of aircraft was extremely successful, selling over 750 aircraft a year at its peak. Even so, Mooney Aircraft Company struggled to succeed and filed for bankruptcy in 1969. Butler Aviation, the Mooney plant's new owner, closed it in 1971.
However, Republic Steel purchased it in 1973 with the intention of restarting production of the M20. This came to fruition in 1974 with the introduction of the M20F. Production continued, although sales varied throughout the years.
Mooney Aircraft Company went through several ownership changes in the 1980s and 1990s, although the company continued to introduce new M20 designs. The Mooney M20 in current times In the late 1990s, Mooney introduced the M20S Eagle, another powerful variant. The aircraft's lasting success continued into the 2000s, with another variant, the Acclaim, released in 2006.
However, the late 2000s recession greatly affected the general aviation industry. Mooney Aircraft Company laid off the majority of its employees in 2008 and halted its production line. Less than 10 employees worked at the company in the late 2010s as the company searched for a new investment.
In 2013, several investments were made to keep the company alive, including investments from the Meijing Group. This allows Mooney to reopen its M20 production line. It also introduced the M20U Ovation Ultra and the M20 Acclaim Ultra to continue the lasting success of the M20 series.
This success was short-lived, however, as the company once again closed its doors in November 2019. The company reopened its doors the following month, although the company was unable to build lasting success. Finally, in 2020, US Financial, an investment group run by Jonny Pollack, purchased an 80% ownership in the company.
Currently, Mooney Aircraft Company supports its existing fleet of tens of thousands of aircraft through parts and services. However, the M20 production line has remained closed since the company shut down in 2019. Overall, over 11,000 aircraft have been built, making the M20 the most successful Al Mooney design of all time.
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