MOONEY Single-Seater
YESTERDAY'S need of a five-cent cigar has given way to today's desire for a vest-pocket airplane, if one is to believe the conversation heard in hangar sessions. And maybe Al Mooney, veteran aeronautical designer, is answering that need with his most recent plane-brainchild.
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| PLANES TAIL is operated as a single unit. Rulers shows where tail rests in normal position. Arc is little better than 7 degrees. |
After having designed 20 different aircraft, Al Mooney now has come up with a single-seater that should start Mooney fan clubs among the younger members of the aviation set.
Powered by a 26-hp Crosley engine (the same that is used in the midget Crosley car), his vest-pocket plane cruises at 90 mph, has a top speed of over 100 mph, and a ceiling of 16,000 feet. It lands in the low 30's on a really rugged landing gear. The ship has a 27-foot wing-span and is 18 feet long. The entire tail of Mooney's ship is controlled as a single unit, thus making the plane a type of Simpli-fly ship. At cruising speed, the plane burns less than 2 gallons of gas per hour. Reduction gear on the engine reduces its 3900 rpm to 1950 rpm, making ship quieter. Like it?
TRIM LINES of Art Mooney's plane are clearly shown in this flight shot. Aside from excellent handling characteristics, the ship's performance is exceptional -- cruises at 90 mph, has a top speed of over 100 mph, and lands easily in low 30's
SINGLE-SEATER ship, powered by the small 26-hp Crosley engine, uses less than 2 gallons of gas per hour at cruising speed. The gasoline tank, in the fuselage aft of the cockpit, holds only 8 gallons, but that amount is good for 4 hours.
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| CLOSE-UP SHOT of Mooney's plane, flown by test pilot Bill Taylor, was made from a Cub 10 feet away, slightly above. | ENGINE that powers plane is geared down from 3900 rpm to 1950 rpm by Goodyear cable belts. The engine weighs 59 lbs. |
[This article first appeared in the April 1948 issue of SKYWAYS magazine, published by Henry Publishing Company, New York. Our thanks to Denver Jacobson, C-GXTR, of Camrose, Alberta for providing it to us]