This is the Mooney M20, one of the most important planes in general aviation, so important that it
is impossible that you have not heard about it. An aircraft model that has been in the sky for more
than 60 years, a retired fighter jet pilot's first choice, the best cross-country machine,
the fastest production four-seater—this is the M20, a hero of general aviation.
The Mooney M20 was the 20th design of Al Mooney,
hence the "20" in its nomenclature, and has become the most successful model of the brand,
accumulating a large number of variants in more than 60 decades of production,
from the M20 A with wooden wings, to the most recent M20V Acclaim Ultra.
Only a few factories in the world can proudly claim to have produced more than
11,000 single-engine aircraft. Despite all the success, the M20, in all its greatness,
is gone. Whaaaaaaaaat really happened? To better understand why the M20 failed,
let's first understand how good it was. DESIGN/EXTERIOR
The Mooney M20 is a highly efficient and very stable aircraft thanks to the aerodynamic features
on its all-metal body. This baby has a length of 26 feet 8 inches, a wingspan of 36 feet 6 inches,
and a height of 8 feet 4 inches. The exterior didn’t change much since the first M20,
except for the addition of a second door, the windscreen being lowered by a few inches,
which improved visibility, and the cowling looks more modern too. Mooney’s decision
to add a second door was a great one; it’s something owners have recommended for years,
but Mooney either didn’t have the technology to make it happen or they just didn’t think it
was important. Most of the upgrades were made possible by a composite fuselage,
which made the last M20 a game changer—well, a game changer that lost the game. The M20 greatly
benefited from the composite construction; cabin noise was reduced, aerodynamic flow improved, and
the plane became lighter and better. In addition, both the windows and windscreen are slotted
into the aircraft body from the outside, which means that replacing them will be much easier.
INTERIOR The interior is much improved,
inspired by cars, and you will clearly feel that you are in a totally premium environment. The
seats are hand-stitched Italian leather, which is of course ergonomic; additionally, you can find
cup holders to place drinks and plenty of power outlets to not run out of battery at any time.
Two colour combinations are available for the seats and other interior details such as the
roof or carpet. At the control panel level, both the Acclaim Ultra and the Ovation Ultra
have had the rocker buttons replaced and the space reorganised to make it more comfortable.
The new, larger access doors feature sleek, brushed aluminium handles that
match the unique and luxurious design of the interior. The cabin's interior design offers
great forward visibility through the protective anti-glare window, specifically providing pilots
with better peripheral vision, also due to the panel height being lowered by more than
two inches. ENGINE
The Mooney M20 is powered by a Continental TSIO-550-G engine with twin turbochargers and
twin six-cylinder air-cooled radiators, capable of generating 280 horsepower, along with three-bladed
Hartzell Scimitar propellers at the front of the aircraft, a more than competent engine that allows
the aircraft to reach a top speed of 242 knots. PERFORMANCE
Because of its powerful horizontally opposed piston engine, it is capable of reaching a
maximum climb speed of 1375 feet per minute, achieving a service ceiling of
25,000 feet. Its empty weight is 2,318 pounds, and its loaded weight is 3,368 pounds,
providing a useful load of 1050 pounds. While it is capable of a top speed of 242 knots,
not a lot of pilots fly that fast because you need to climb much higher, and fit oxygen to your nose;
the economical cruising speed is 175 knots, and it achieves a maximum range of 1275 nautical miles.
A milestone in M20 performance occurred between June and July 2017,
when pilot Brian Lloyd commemorated Amelia Earhart's attempt to fly around
the world. Lloyd accomplished this aboard his Mooney M20K-231,
a performance feat that speaks volumes about the performance of this aircraft.
AVIONICS Looking
at the flight deck, the M20 incorporates the Garmin G1000 NXi, which is one of the best
out there. Pilots’ workload is surely reduced; it has synthetic vision and faster processing,
which speeds up the start and provides a virtually instantaneous graphics update.
There is a Garmin keyboard, located at the bottom of the panel, which makes it much easier to write
the frequencies and commands instead of turning the knobs. However, its location is not in an
optimal position, as it is far from the armrest. As far as autopilot is concerned, the M20 has the
Garmin GFC700, which, together with the G1000 NXi, is fully connected. Between the two displays is a
vertical control panel to facilitate operations. A safety advantage is that the GFC700 has the
reputation of being the best autopilot in general aviation, as it allows flexible control of the
aircraft, ensuring a smooth and quiet ride. SYSTEMS
The M20 is a versatile aircraft that also offers a variety of additional configuration options,
such as the GTS 800 active traffic system, which can be fitted for about 16,700 dollars.
Users have the option of incorporating either the air conditioning or the ice protection systems,
but due to the aircraft's weight limit, they can only choose one. If you go with
the air conditioning system, the weight of the aircraft will be penalised by about 66 pounds,
while the TKS ice protection system translates to a weight penalty of 95
pounds. MARKET
It’s obvious that Mooney sorted out the M20, but to what extent? Mooney placed waaay too much
effort in the wrong direction. Companies have understood that, in today's world,
innovating their marketing strategies is as necessary as the innovations incorporated in their
products. This is why companies seek to be more and more creative when promoting their brands,
not only highlighting the features and benefits of their products but also playing with surrealism
and sometimes even making a bit of fun of their creations just to draw attention to them. This
applies to everything from the most traditional items to those considered more exclusive;
in this category is where aircraft come in, since in order to have one of these flying
vehicles, you must have financial muscle. Now, this may seem cliché and rather obvious,
but you may be surprised to know that large companies with outstanding projections left
aside the importance of marketing, and their sales dropped sharply. Such was the case with
the Mooney M20 and the company in general. But to be totally honest, the responsibility for the
company's collapse lies not only in its inability to understand the importance of good promotion to
capture a greater number of potential customers and thus achieve a better positioning of its
sales. Instead, a series of business decisions condemned the company, and today, it is not known
if it will be able to rise from the ashes. Single-engine aircraft have always enjoyed
enormous popularity, and in this category lives the Mooney M20, an aircraft that,
since its birth in 1953, has had the U.S. market as its main focus.
To better understand the magnitude of the M20's failure, it is necessary to make a comparison
with its closest rival, the Cirrus SR22. In general terms, both aircraft are very similar;
it was in business management, marketing decisions, and the inclusion of an add-on
that the Cirrus SR22 achieved an abysmal sales difference of 50 to 1 against the M20,
thus putting it almost out of the market. In terms of design, Mooney's aircraft have
always had a more traditional approach as opposed to the more elegant and modern look of the SR-22,
and the commercial profile of the Cirrus aircraft is also more stable, the technology
is top-notch, and the marketing is very clever. In terms of payload, if we compare the M20 Ovation
Ultra with the Cirrus SR22, we will understand a good part of the triumph of the latter.
The Ovation Ultra has a payload of 1,050 pounds on a gross weight of 3,368 pounds,
and its standard fuel capacity is about 100 gallons, so with full tanks,
that left about 450 pounds for people and other things; turning the aircraft into a two-person
aircraft with generous room for luggage or three people if the fuel tank is not at 100%. Meanwhile,
the payload of its direct competitor, the Cirrus SR22, is about 1,200 pounds on a gross weight of
3,000 pounds, so it's not really an aircraft for travelling with
full seats and full tanks either, but you can carry more and fly further.
The flight-to-payload ratio may go a long way toward explaining why the Cirrus in its SR22
and turbocharged SR22T versions dominates the high-performance single-engine market.
Despite the proven fact that most travel in aircraft of this type is only done with one
or two people, buyers apparently want an option where the rear seats can actually
be used and are not merely decorative. When placed head-to-head, the Mooney M20
goes farther than the Cirrus SR22. The M20 is also a faster aircraft,
being able to reach 190 knots at high altitudes thanks to its better power throttle setting,
which allows non-turbocharged aircraft to maintain speed without decreasing engine power.
The SR22 is 10 knots slower, nothing too remarkable depending on how you view it,
but considering that the SR22 flies with its gear sticking out, 180 knots is huge.
In terms of fuel consumption, the M20 also performs better. With a flight at 8,000 feet
and an engine power of 75% at maximum speed, the SR22 will have a consumption of 17.8 gph,
while in the same conditions the consumption of the M20 will be around 15.9 gph. These numbers,
speed range, fuel consumption, and the rest are useless in some ways. Because if you want to fight
competition, your plane better be 100% better than theirs in every direction else you wont make the
cut. Mooney believed the old-fashioned saying that those that can afford expensive machines
are not behind the television, so they didn’t raise a finger to gain a social media presence.
But the data proves them wrong. For example, the majority of my viewers are between the ages of 45
and 60; that’s typically the range that can afford planes. If you search for the SR22 on YouTube,
you will find over a thousand videos, but if you search for the M20, you will see few videos;
even the newest line of the M20 is hard to find, you will probably see a video or two on them. Now
you want to compete with Cirrus, your product don’t perform 20% better, you did not beat them
at price points, you are selling your product at the same price as theirs, and you don’t have a
parachute. Common, this is a joke. Just think of this; you have a million dollars to buy a plane.
You see two options; both are the same price, but one is not only more elegant and modern,
but it also has a parachute, and you can't go for the other one because it's much cheaper;
the same Mooney gets both products; which one will you go for? Your guess is as good as mine.
Mooney’s marketing choices make me feel that the management was delusional; it's as if the Acclaim
and the Ovation Ultra were designed to fail. The newest M20 Acclaim Ultra had a retail price
of $800,000, but a 10-year-old M20 with almost identical performance could be found for sale
for a third or a quarter of that value, so the decision for those who wanted a Mooney is clear:
go for a second hand one. The last M20 wasn’t only competing with Cirrus
but also with its predecessors. Some people consider what happened
to Mooney to be the result of a curse. Poor financial management by the corporate
owners that Mooney has had over the years has prevented the company from being truly profitable,
causing the company to pass through the hands of multiple owners in a short period of time.
This of course does not favour the development of new projects, nor does it allow those that were
already underway to materialise, making it even more difficult to gain significant market share.
In the period 2008–2013, the company was practically paralysed, only operating at a support
level and supplying parts for refurbishment to M20 owners. Despite the discouraging panorama,
in 2013, the company was acquired by Soaring America Corporation, a mostly
Chinese investment consortium that injected significant capital into the company.
But even this was not enough; the Chinese consortium pointed to a coming take-off
of the Asian market, especially the Chinese one. This was driven by the economic dynamism
that the Asian nations were experiencing; however, this sector never flourished and
the expected sales boost never happened. In 2018, they sold only 14 aircraft when
the minimum target set by the company was at least 25 units. With this weak sales record,
it is not surprising that the company went into a kind of hibernation.
Without a doubt, if they had incorporated an airframe parachute, M20 sales would have
skyrocketed, and the rivalry with the SR22 in terms of market share would have been much,
much closer. Unfortunately, Mooney was not willing to assume the costs
of obtaining FAA parachute certification. They decided to put this aside and focus
on the emerging Asian market, a decision they probably still regret to this day.
PROS Despite the company's long history of problems,
the Mooney M20 is an aircraft that achieves great performance; not in vain, it managed
to stay on the market for more than 60 years. Its traditional and simpler design does not
have a negative impact on its performance; on the contrary, its great aerodynamics and weight
make it an aircraft capable of covering long distances and flying at a higher speed than,
for example, the Cirrus SR-22, as well as being much more manoeuvrable than its rival. The
latter was said even by pilots who have had the opportunity to fly long hours in both aircraft.
What do you think? For some people, it is a shame that they went out of business, but maybe it’s not
that bad after all. CONS
Leaving business management aside, the M20 is not an infallible aircraft,
and many of its users and fans have even pointed out certain important criticisms
that undoubtedly translate into negative aspects when acquiring one of these units.
The M20, along with the rest of the company's models, are aircraft that are much more difficult
to fly than competing models. This is because the flight joysticks on the M20, which have some
years behind them, are often very hard, so they require more effort to be used in an optimal way.
Something that, for example, is not the case with the SR-22.
Because the M20s operate with a single turbocharged engine, they tend to have certain
disadvantages when operating in hot conditions and at very high altitudes, aspects that combined
lead the engine to work harder to obtain the necessary power to achieve the required speed.
Another negative aspect of the aircraft is that it requires more intensive maintenance,
plus the fact that it’s a retractable gear plane. which results in a greater
number of hours in the workshop and, therefore, in a higher bill. This is
mainly due to the location of its parts and the difficulty in accessing them. If you ask me,
it's a genuine headache. CONCLUSION
There is no doubt that a great lesson to be learned from Mooney's entire history is that
in today's globalised world, we cannot leave any detail to chance, as this may be the difference
between triumph and defeat. It remains to be seen whether Mooney will be able to produce aircraft
again or whether the M20 has come to a definitive end. What do you think? Will they manage to go
ahead with the project, or will they drown in the idea? Well, the truth is that Cirrus is a
better and more advanced aircraft and also took advantage of social media to reach their audience,
something not done with the Mooney. It is clear that the impact that a strong
social media marketing strategy can have on your business can propel you to the top.