The new owners are Chinese, and China is expected to be a big market for General Aviation aircraft. The new airplanes, one a month in creasing to two a month, will be built in Texas.
I always liked the Mooney, with its funky ‘backwards tail’. My mom had a boyfriend in the '70s who had one, and I got a ride in it once. (Front seat, too!) I used to think I wanted one, since they are fast for their power. I think nowadays, if I were to get an airplane in that class, I’d rather have a 6-seat Bonanza. More comfortable.
It’s good to see Mooney coming back, even if production will be too low to make them ‘affordable’.
I don’t know if you saw the thread, but Textron is buying Beechcraft. So Beechcraft and Cessna will be the same company. I wonder if A) Textron will keep making the Bonanza; and B) Whether they’ll keep the Continental engine (since Textron owns Lycoming).
When I was a kid, back in the 80s, my dad sold components to Mooney. One weekend somebody at the plant, I’m not sure if it was an executive or just an engineer my dad worked with, invited the family out. We got a personal tour of the factory, and my brother and I took home some nice posters. After the tour our host had a barbecue at his nearby ranch.
Doesn’t have much bearing on this thread, but that’s my Mooney story. Too bad we weren’t able to go up in one, but I’m betting my mom squashed that idea.