Mooney M22 Mustang

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M22 Mustang
Mooney M22 Mustang N7706M Le B 03.06.67 edited-2.jpg
The second Mooney M22 Mustang displayed at the Paris Air Show in June 1967 after flying nonstop from New York in 13 hours 10 minutes
General information
TypeLight aircraft
National origin United States of America
Manufacturer Mooney Aircraft Company
Number built36
History
Manufactured1965-1970
First flightSeptember 24, 1964
Developed from Mooney M20
Mooney M22 Mustang N7706M displayed at the State Air Museum, Kyiv, Ukraine on September 18, 2016 Mooney M22 at the Kyiv State Air Museum.jpg
Mooney M22 Mustang N7706M displayed at the State Air Museum, Kyiv, Ukraine on September 18, 2016

The Mooney M22 Mustang is the first attempt at a pressurized single engine aircraft by the Mooney Aircraft Company of the United States.

Contents

Development

The Mustang was developed to be a top-of-the-line model to supplement Mooney's successful Mooney M20 high-performance light aircraft. It is a five-seat pressurized single-engined aircraft with a wider and longer fuselage than the M20E Super 21 and a taller fin and leading edge fillet. [1] It is a low-winged monoplane with a retractable nosewheel undercarriage, with a similar wing to that used on Mooney's earlier M20 Ranger.

The first prototype flew on September 24, 1964, with the type being certified on September 26, 1966. [2] First deliveries commenced in 1965, continuing until 1970. 36 aircraft were completed before the line was closed. [3] It was produced and sold at a loss, which contributed to the bankruptcy of Mooney. [4]

The "Mark 22" name had previously been applied to a 1957 Mooney M20 experimental aircraft built with twin engines, a nose cone, and an enlarged tail surface. That aircraft did not go into production. [5]

Operational history

The Model 22, although produced in fairly small numbers, has been operated by private and commercial owners in several countries including the United States and Australia. Its Garrett AiResearch cabin pressurization system gives the equivalent of 11,000 feet (3,400 m) at the aircraft's operational ceiling of 24,000 feet (7,300 m). [6] As a demonstration of its high performance, the second production aircraft was flown non-stop from New York to the Paris Air Show in June 1967, the flight taking 13 hours 10 minutes. The achievement is recorded on the display board in the accompanying photograph. The aircraft had been fitted with an extra fuel tank for the flight. In 2001, 24 aircraft remained in service. [7]

Specifications (M22)

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1969-70 [8]

General characteristics

Performance

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References

  1. Simpson 2001, p. 384–385.
  2. Taylor 1969, p. 391.
  3. Simpson, 2005, p. 197.
  4. "Mooney". Aerofiles.com. Retrieved 2 April 2009.
  5. McClellan, J. Mac. (March 2008). "Flashbacks". Flying . p. 96.
  6. Green 1965, p. 271.
  7. Simpson 2001, p. 384.
  8. Taylor 1969, pp. 390–392.

Bibliography