Mooney 301

Last updated
Mooney 301
RoleCabin monoplane
National originUnited States
Manufacturer Mooney Aircraft Company
First flight7 April 1983
Number built1
Developed into SOCATA TBM

The Mooney 301 was a prototype aircraft created by American manufacturer Mooney Aircraft Company in 1983. It was a low-wing, single-engine, six-place monoplane with retractable landing gear and a pressurized fuselage.

Contents

The Mooney 301 design team was led by Roy LoPresti. [1] It was an attempt to create an alternative to pressurized single-engine airplanes being introduced by Beechcraft, Cessna and Piper Aircraft. Only one prototype was constructed. Further development was carried out by a consortium led by French investors, eventually resulting in the SOCATA TBM.

Development

The Mooney Aircraft Company had previously produced a single-engine pressurized aircraft in 1964 (the M22 Mustang), which had been a financial disaster and was probably the largest single factor in the company's 1969 bankruptcy (although the Mustang continued to be produced through 1970). [2] By the late 1970s the company was again feeling pressure to offer a pressurized product; Cessna's pressurized 210 had been available for several years, and Piper and Beech had announced their own pressurized single-engine projects.

To avoid another M22-type disaster the LoPresti design team (he brought in his own engineers, rather than using Mooney company employees) [3] chose to start with a new design rather than a rework of the existing models (i.e. the M20 and its various upgrades).

The 301's general configuration was similar to other Mooney models, differing in details such as an aft-sloping vertical fin, as opposed to the vertical leading edge with forward-swept trailing edge M20 fin, a lower-set engine with small cooling-air inlets, and fixed horizontal stabilizers with trim tab-equipped elevators, as opposed to the pivoting-empennage M20 design. The tapered wing planform was similar to the M20, slightly longer (37.0 feet vs. 36.42 feet for the M20), and with several differences: the airfoil was a low-drag 15% profile NASA NLF(1)-0315 from root to tip; [4] double-slotted Fowler flaps covering 90% of the trailing-edge length, with slotted ailerons on the remaining 10%, and with spoilers mounted on the wing's upper surfaces ahead of the flaps to assist the ailerons.

The fuselage pressure vessel operated at 5.0 psig, which would provide an equivalent cabin pressure of slightly lower than 9000' MSL when operated at 25,000 MSL. [3] [5]

The 301's designation came from its projected top speed, 262 knots, or 301 miles per hour.

Prototype

First flight of the prototype occurred on 21 April 1983. [6] [7] Some 70 hours of flight testing were accomplished on that unit during 1983. [8] Production of the 301 had been scheduled to start in 1985 [3] but Mooney suffered another financial crisis during that time: its majority owner, Republic Steel, was acquired by Ling-Temco-Vought in July 1984, and the new owners ordered Republic to divest itself of the Mooney Aircraft Company. The company was held for six weeks by a Minnesota-based investment company (The Morrison Company), then sold again to a French-based consortium led by Alec Couvelaire, a Paris-based Mooney dealer, and by Armand Rivard, the owner of Lake Aircraft. [9]

The new owners decided the aircraft was too heavy (200 pounds over target) and too slow for the projected market (300 knots should be the target, according to the new owners). Couvelaire proposed a joint venture between Mooney Aircraft and the SOCATA Division of Aerospatiale. After several iterations (in which Mooney eventually dropped out), that venture resulted in the turboprop-powered TBM 700, in which the "M" stands for "Mooney". [10]

The 301 prototype did not fly again after 1983. It rested in the Mooney Engineering Department for several years, then its wings were removed and the remainder was donated to an A & P school in Abilene, Texas.[ citation needed ]

Specifications

Data from Airdata File: Mooney 301 [11]

General characteristics

Performance

Related Research Articles

AASI Jetcruzer general aviation aircraft by Advanced Aerodynamics and Structures Inc.

The AASI Jetcruzer was an American single turboprop light civil transport made by Advanced Aerodynamics and Structures Inc. The Jetcruzer had an unusual configuration, with a single turboprop engine driving a pusher propeller, a prominent canard, and fins mounted at the ends of its swept wings. The plane has seating for up to six people including the pilot. The Jetcruzer is noteworthy for being the first aircraft to have achieved a spin resistance certification from the United States FAA.

Piper PA-46 Single engine general aviation aircraft family

The Piper PA-46 Malibu and Matrix are a family of American light aircraft manufactured by Piper Aircraft of Vero Beach, Florida. The aircraft is powered by a single engine and has the capacity for one pilot and five passengers. Early Malibus were all piston-engined, but a turboprop version, introduced as the Malibu Meridian but now called the M500, is also available. Currently, Piper offers the M350, M500, and M600 in the PA-46 family.

Cessna 210 general aviation aircraft family

The Cessna 210 Centurion is a six-seat, high-performance, retractable-gear, single-engine, high-wing general aviation aircraft which was first flown in January 1957 and produced by Cessna until 1986.

Gulfstream American GA-7 Cougar

The Gulfstream American GA-7 Cougar is an American all-metal, 4-seat, twin-engined light aircraft. The Cougar was a twin-engine development of the Gulfstream American AA-5B Tiger and traces its lineage to the AA-1 Yankee Clipper and the Bede BD-1.

SOCATA was a French producer of general aviation aircraft propelled by piston engines and turboprops, including business planes, small personal or training aircraft, as well as the production of aircraft structures for other manufacturers such as Airbus, Dassault, Embraer, Eurocopter and Lockheed Martin. The company had its headquarters, along with much of its production capabilities, located in Tarbes, France.

Cessna 340 Twin piston engine pressurized general aviation airplane

The Cessna 340 is a twin piston engine pressurized business aircraft that was manufactured by Cessna.

SOCATA TBM Family of single engine turboprop aircraft

The SOCATA TBM is a family of high performance single-engine turboprop business and utility light aircraft manufactured by Daher. It was originally collaboratively developed between the American Mooney Airplane Company and French light aircraft manufacturer SOCATA.

Socata TB 30 Epsilon military training aircraft by Socata

The Socata TB 30 Epsilon is a light military trainer aircraft produced by SOCATA. It is a tandem two-seater with a metal airframe. The first prototype flew on 22 December 1979.

SOCATA Rallye family aircraft familiy

The SOCATA Rallye is a light aircraft that was manufactured by French aviation company SOCATA. It was originally developed during the 1950s by French aircraft manufacturer Morane-Saulnier as the MS.880.

Mooney M22 Mustang

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

Mooney International Corporation aircraft manufacturer

The Mooney International Corporation is a Chinese-owned aircraft manufacturer based in Kerrville, Texas, United States. It manufactures single-engined piston-powered general aviation aircraft. Mooney International has been owned by the Chinese private equity, real-estate development company, the Meijing Group, since 2013.

The Beechcraft Model 38P Lightning was an experimental turboprop aircraft built and tested by Beechcraft in the 1980s.

Epic LT Turboprop homebuilt aircraft type

The Epic LT is an American kit-built single-engined turboprop aircraft intended for use by private pilots. The Epic Dynasty was the proposed certified version of the LT that was intended be sold as a completed aircraft, prior to Epic Aircraft's bankruptcy in August 2009 and later acquisition by new owners in April 2010. Under ownership of the reorganized company, the certificated version is to be called the E1000, with first deliveries initially scheduled for 2015, but delayed until 2019.

SOCATA TB family General aviation aircraft family by Socata

The Socata TB is a series of light single engine piston aircraft developed and manufactured by French aircraft company SOCATA. The letters TB within the designation stands for Tarbes, the French city where the aircraft is manufactured. The TB series planes have come to be known as the "Caribbean Planes", due to the island naming convention adopted for the various models, though they are not often seen flown in that region.

The Mooney TX-1 or Mooney MT-20 was a prototype American military basic training aircraft of the 1980s. It was a two-seat derivative of Mooney's popular M20 light aircraft, but was unsuccessful, only a single example being built.

Commuter Aircraft Corporation CAC-100

The Commuter Aircraft Corporation CAC-100 was a 50–60 seat, four-engined, turboprop commuter airliner developed in the United States in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

CAIGA Primus 150 Single engine turboprop aircraft by AVIC

The AVIC Leadair AG300, previously called Primus 150, built by the China Aviation Industry General Aircraft, is a development of the Epic LT aircraft built using the international rights to Epic Aircraft bought in bankruptcy in 2010. As part of the settlement, Epic retained its rights for American construction and support of its aircraft, creating two divergent lines.

Cessna Denali Light aeroplane by Textron Aviation

The Cessna Denali, previously known as the Textron "Single Engine Turboprop" (SETP), is a single engine turboprop aircraft under development by Textron Aviation. Announced at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2015, the aircraft is a completely new design, not derived from any existing aircraft. It should compete with the Pilatus PC-12 and Daher-Socata TBM, as well as other new projects such as the One Aviation Kestrel K-350 and the CAIGA Primus 150.

Business aircraft

Business aircraft are those used by companies and corporations to enable the movement of people or goods related to the needs of the business. Most business aircraft are general aviation aircraft variants of piston or turboprop or business jets.

Cessna 408 SkyCourier Utility aircraft under development by Cessna

The Cessna 408 SkyCourier is an American twin-turboprop, high-wing, utility aircraft under development by Textron Aviation.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.mooneyevents.com/Mooney301.html Mooney Aircraft Owners' Events Newsletter
  2. ↑ Ball 1998, p. 84.
  3. 1 2 3 MAOE Newsletter
  4. ↑ http://www.airfoils.com Airfoil/apps.htm Airfoil application listing website
  5. ↑ http://www.aeromech.usyd.edu.au/aero/atmosphere/atmtab.txt lists P9000 = 10.505 psig and P25000 = 5.574 psig
  6. ↑ "World News: Mooney pressurised single flies", Flight International , 30 April 1983, Vol. 123, No. 3860. p. 1142.
  7. ↑ Taylor 1983, pp. 91–92.
  8. ↑ "Mooney and SOCATA launch new turboprop". Flight International, 20 June 1987. Vol. 131, No. 4067, p. 7.
  9. ↑ Ball 1998, pp. 154–156.
  10. ↑ Ball 1998, pp. 175–178.
  11. ↑ Air International January 1984, pp. 50–51.


Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.