AADR Airtest: Mooney’s Thrifty 201

First thought was to modify the Chapparal. Main barriers to that line of R and D were useful load, the cabin (never over-generous) and across-the-board utility factors.

And so the Mooney Executive became the guinea pig.

In brief, Lopresti eventually rolled out what is now the Mooney 201 – the type evaluated by AADR Quarterly and the only one in Australia at the time of testing.

True, the new 201″ bears a superficial Mooney family stamp; the same Disneyesque rooster’s coxcomb-type fin and rudder, the same squat little fighter overall appearance – but that’s where the resemblance ends.

With a true 200mph-plus max, the 201 has been cleaned up to the extent where it now boasts an overall 30 per cent improvement in total drag coefficient to a . 019 index figure.

Mooney says. nearly 40 drag reduction changes were engineered to bring this figure down. And the design team weren’t satisfied to sit back after the ’77 Mooney 201 broke the magic 200mph barrier using only 200hp.

There were still some undesirables within and outside the airframe and minor control surfaces.

Roy Lopresti’s team went to work. Undercarriage door loads were modified and gear speed operation is now 150mph.

Inside the cockpit, the fuel selector was shifted to a floor-mounted position between the front seats – a relief from the previous housing under the left panel.

Trim and flap indicators were moved to the centre wheel housing, and the wheel box was shrunk to a minimum size. Mooney also abandoned the earlier power quadrant lever array and replaced it with more realistic push-pull vernier knobs giving better fine-tuning adjustment.

The biggest thing coming out of Mooney’s honing of a proven design was the improved efficiency factor. Mooney’s clean-up came before world events highlighted the precarious world fuel state in terms of being at the immediate whims of Mid-East dictates – but the efficiency advantage given by the 201 couldn’t have come at a better time.

Makers’ figures show the Mooney 201 out in front by a whisker from the No. 2 efficiency contender (also a Mooney, the Ranger), turning in a published 15. 7 nautical miles per US gallon at max cruise.

The No. 3 spot in the four-place light aircraft stakes, as per published data, is Grumman’s Cheetah with 15. 0nmpg.

Perhaps the biggest thing coming out of all this R & D is the assessment that in the US, Mooney’s new wonder bird has held its resale value. Since the ’77 model was rolled out only a fraction of the 650-odd made have been traded or sold.

Light aircraft dealers in the US say there’s every reason to believe that Mooney’s new bird will hold value as well as or better than anything else on the market in that range.

Direct operating costs as compiled in the US are startling.

Reputable sources, using sensible variables and factoryclaimed fuel consumption (plus a low figure of $0. 90 per US gallon for fuel) have come up with the following table as a rough guide: Mooney 201, direct operating costs, $US17. 60/hr (approx).

• Cessna Cardinal RC, $US17. 60/hr (approx).
• Beech Sierra, $US17. 90/hr (approx).
• Piper Arrow, $US17. 75/hr (approx).
• Cessna Skylane RG, $US19. 69/hr (approx).
• Rockwell Commander 114, $US21. 45/hr (approx).

Figures and placings in the four-place light singles range are ambitious and add up to quite an aircraft. Adams Aviation Pty Ltd at Bankstown, Mooney distributors, provided the only copy in Australia to prove some of the data.

The type-tested was listed at $A62,000, with a panel housing full I FR gear – NavCom, ADF, transponder and a two-axis autopilot, plus a host of optional extras.

The aircraft still bore her US ferry registration N4188H and was flown on trade plate VH-IJO.

Among major differences from older Mooneys during a walk round of the ’78 201 were the redesigned cowling (less drag, better cooling, say Mooney), modified windscreen and superior overall exterior finish.

The 201 sits as squatly as her older sisters and has that same get-up-and-go appearance. Her four-cylinder Lycoming 10- 360-A3B6D motor is superbly housed under that cowling, driving a 74-inch McCauley constant speed prop.

The classic Mooney wing plan now spans 35ft, giving a 167 sq ft wing area with a wing loading figure of 16. 4lb/sq ft. Main wheels are housed with extra inboard gear doors which do their bit in giving the 201 a high cruise figure. Standard rubber disc shock absorbers are fitted to the undercard, and emergency extension is via a simple spring-loaded system.

Mooney thoughtfully provides the 201 with standard zinc chromate corrosion proofing.

The basic tubular fuselage structure remains, complete with alloy steel roll-bar cage. But inside the aircraft, it’s obvious that the old moan by many pilots of having to breathe in turn because of the cramped cockpit doesn’t wash in the new 201.

Mooney have expanded the 201’s cabin cross-section to 43. Sin, better than the Arrow, less than the Cardinal RC and totally acceptable.

True, the tunnel effect for front-seat occupants legs is still there, but it’s far better than earlier Mooneys which gave an MG-like feeling.

Adams Aviation’s Ron Murn occupied the righthand seat during this evaluation. He is, with respect, a man of generous proportions but we were never in danger of sitting in each other’s inboard pockets at any stage of the check flight; proof of the 201’s expanded cross-section. _ The panel is pilot-orientated, the only exceptions being the placement of power and rpm gauges, plus the combined EGT/OAT monitors – on the panel’s far right. This was only a personal irritation.

The panel coaming is as high as other Mooneys, but seat placement compensates to give excellent visibility in almost every attitude. The seating itself is thankfully tailored to most humans’ anatomy and is amply relaxing for most legs.

Back to the panel for a moment before engine starts; Mooney has built in an annunciator panel incorporating a “Low Fuel” warning for each 32-gall (US) tank. There is an optional fuel totaliser showing fuel flow and fuel remaining/fuel consumed in digital readout form.

Mooney also offer a choice of five autopilot systems and seven different avionics packs including DME, radionav and HSI.

Engine start is a standard fuel-injected drill. Motor mountings and placement from the firewall make for a comfortably silent cabin at anything bar full bore, and ground handling shows up no unusual footloads or “hard” ride.

The outside air temperature was notching +20C as India Juliet Oscar was lined up after normal magneto and slowrunning checks, plus prop pitch cycling.

Trims were neutrally set. Mooney’s 201 grosses at 2740Ib, empty weight listed at 1640Ib (1100Ib useful); a thumbnail estimate of weight on this test flight was 2475Ib – three p. o. b.

plus full fuel, leaving enough for the fourth body plus baggage 1 max in baggage compartment).

Take-off run was brisk, with a small amount of right rudder trim being fed in during roll to ease footloading.

Temperature and pressure scanning was made easy by sensible dial placement at the panel’s top edge, the only snag being the far-right scanning of power/rpm gauges.

At Yr (65 knots in this case) a gentle but definite backpressure eased the aircraft off the deck, and undercarriage retraction was initiated after positive climb had been established.

Wheels up was complete in a fast five-second cycle.

Initial rate of climb was 2000fpm at 90kts indicated, but settled down at 1000fpm. Best r. o. c. is booked at 1030fpm with 25/25 at 95kts.

The 201 proved delightfully stable at all stages during the evaluation, despite areas of moderate chop in a fairly high OAT nudging + 18C. Preliminary checking showed no sign of yaw, Dutch roll or height wider in hands-off mode, and the 201 settled down rapidly in marked nose-down attitude, being eased onto the step in a matter of minutes.

Progressive trimming is simple, thanks to the delicate linkage to elevator trim surface.

At 75 per cent power settings (26. 8/2400), 4000ft, TAS of 170 knots was reached. Fuel consumption recorded 10 gallons US/hr. Or if you prefer, 8. 35 galls Imp for 196mph. Whichever way one looks at these figures, it’s impressive.

Easing back to 67 per cent settings (25/2400) gave a whisker under 161 knots TAS (186mph) at a handsome 9. 2 galls US-7. 7 galls Imp/hr, using a lower altitude of 2000ft.

At a higher altitude, endurance cruise settings of 18. 8/2000 gives a TAS of 128 in ISA conditions, the book said.

That can power the 201 over 1194 nautical miles at the astonishing fuel consumption of 6. 1 galls US/5. 1 galls Imp/hr.

Sixty-five per cent settings at that height give 157kts TAS and 942 nautical miles in return for 9. 2 galls US/7. 7 galls Imp/hr and 22. 8in/2400rpm.

And with Australian-bought fuel costing around 26-27 cents a litre or $1. 18 a gallon at the time of writing, Mooney really have something with their energy-conscious publicity blurbs.

The 201’s performance data includes ISA combinations of top speed of 201mph (which was bettered in our earlier ’77 model tests), 75 per cent cruise speed of 195mph, range at that setting combination of 1004 nautical miles (nil reserves), and fuel flow of 10. 8 US gph.

Fifty-five per cent power range is given as 1125nm (nil reserve) at 151kts, fuel flow being 8. 6 US gph.

All figures are given a plus-minus tolerance of 3 per cent.

Basic manoeuvres followed performance and stability checks. The Mooney 201 performs in traditional fashion with no hidden vices. Harmonised controls take care of all but tight turns with aileron control input alone.

Stalls in both clean and dirty configurations are well mannered, with little buffet or judder. Clean stall was accomplished at 63kts IAS, with little wing drop tendency. Dirty stall occurred at 54kts IAS – one knot less than the book speed – and wingdrop can be picked up with sensibly delicate aileron input.

Glide speed in this test was a comfortable 80kts IAS with ample manoeuvring range without shedding speed anywhere near engine-off stall reading.

The 7. 338 aspect ratio gave a comforting “stretch” to the glide, but meant early attention to slowing down the aircraft on approach to the Bankstown circuit after the test flight.

Wheels down was selected early in the approach to the circuit area, thanks to the Vlo of 130kts IAS. But before this, the aircraft’s clean lines were enjoyed in a long, shallow descent during which speed was enhanced by up to 20 knots.

Flaps can be activated at 108 knots indicated, and finals started at around 85 knots, coming back to 75-70 on short finals. The 201’s docility is excellent, as mentioned earlier in this report.

An example was given during the first approach; height was excessive in mid-finals although speed was coming down slowly. The nose was raised definitely, and a moderate sink rate setup. The aircraft came down with no excess in speed and 70 knots showed up admirably over the fence.

The touch came on cue after a no-sweat adjustment to the final approach, no indication of vices of any sort, and the 201 was brought to a halt in a slight crosswind well under the carded 783ft with moderate braking.

In retrospect, Mooney appears to have justified the claims made in customer-orientated material:

• Compared with other aircraft in its class, the Mooney ’78 201 has the fastest cruise speed; best fuel economy; longest range; highest service ceiling (18,800ft); best climb, and most moderate price. It is not THE cheapest aircraft, according to market figures available in the US. The range runs as follows, according to latest market data from the States:
• Mooney Ranger, Piper Arrow Ill, Cessna Cardinal RG 11, Mooney 201.

Mooney have put out some buyer’s data on their own bat, which sounds extremely fair. The information, barring costs based on January 1978 markets, is relevant and is passed on to readers for base figures from which to work when selecting the ideal aircraft for their needs: